Zoo Lights

Tuesday evening we headed over to the Memphis Zoo for their annual Zoo Lights. It runs from just after Thanksgiving until the 30th so we just made it considering we went on the 30th. We were able to put her new red wagon she received from Clay’s parents for Christmas to good use and it was so nice for her to be able to look around and see things better than when she was in a stroller.

We started out by ‘decorating’ sugar cookies. Yes, I know Lilly is on 1 so she didn’t do a whole lot of decorating. She did enjoy her sugar cookie icing a lot more than her birthday cake though!

We then headed over to the children’s animal farm area where there is a train to ride the “Polar Express”. They had a reindeer in the farm area, and there were lots of lights everywhere. Lilliana seemed to really enjoy the train ride and had a smile on her face the entire time.

From there, we walked around the rest of the zoo and enjoyed all of the light displays before heading back to the house to put Lilliana to bed. It was a great night and another one of our Christmas traditions that we want to continue each year!


at home getting ready for Zoo Lights


such a cutie, this pic is kinda blurry, but I thought it was too cute not to post :)


all bundled up at the zoo


trying out the cookie she decorated!


Lilliana and Mommy


Lilliana and Daddy


Lilliana with Nana outside the "Polar Express Train"


our little family

Christmas Eve

This year we decided to spend Christmas Eve with the Burchett's so that we could enjoy Christmas day with my family and not be completely exhausted hauling Lilliana around to multiple homes in 1 day. We woke up on Christmas Eve and after getting all of us ready went by Clay's office for his work Christmas party and then headed out to Collierville for some family time. We decided to do appetizer type food instead of a large meal and I was so glad we did. We enjoyed sausage balls, meatballs, ham, rotel, a cheeseball, and lot's of other yummy goodies.

After enjoying our dinner we opened gifts from each other and boy did we get a lot of stuff! Clay and I had decided that we were not going to do as large of a Christmas as we typically do secondary to the economy and still trying to get caught up from his lay-off back in August. We purchased pictures from our family photo session back in November for our parents and grandparents and they were such a hit. Lilliana received a new red wagon and some clothes and Clay and I got the game 'Clue', a new sewing bag for me, a new saw for Clay, clothes for both, gifts cards and more.

As soon as Lilliana opened her red wagon we took her for a spin around the house. She absolutely LOVES it! We rounded out the evening with a few engaging games of Clue, none of which I won. We left to come back home after packing the car to the brim around 7:30 and Lilliana quickly fell asleep before we even reached the interstate. I had reminded her that Santa was going to come and visit her that evening and that he wouldn't stop if she was awake so she went to sleep without a fuss :)


"Is this really for me?"


standing at my new red wagon!


(pardon her attire, she had on a precious navy corduroy smocked dress that
she quickly came out of before dinner and refused to put it back on!)


ready to go for a ride!


Helping Grandmother open gifts :)

Merry Christmas!!

Love,
The Burchett's

December 20th

This is the day 1 year ago that we brought our precious little miracle home from the NICU. This is a day that we had dreamed about for almost 2 years and finally it had become a reality. The first night home with Lilliana was more than nerve racking and during the first 48 hours I wanted to take her back more than once. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVED having her home and was feeling extremely blessed but I also was scared to death. You would think with my nursing background that I wouldn't be "one of those Mom's" but I just couldn't help myself. I remember sitting in her rocking chair feeding her and afterwards worrying if her nail beds were dusky. I so badly wanted to send Clay up to the PICU to pick up an O2 sat monitor just for some peace of mind. He had just run an errand when I first started worrying and I just sat there and cried holding her and praying that things were ok. Well, of course they were ok and I finally relaxed at least some :) The first night having her home I remember "sleeping" if you can call it that, with my hand on her abdomen making sure she didn't stop breathing on me. She slept in a Moses basket next to our bed and she was such a noisy little booger! This was something else I worried about because I thought she was way too small to be making such loud noises, I just knew she had some obstructive something or another.

It wasn't long before I finally realized that I couldn't live everyday like this and that I was just going to have to give her over to God. It was actually a song on one of her cd's that we would listen to at bedtime that talked about that she was only mine on loan from God and that ultimately she was His child. It's amazing the little things that speak to your heart at times.

Today we decided to celebrate her 1 year anniversary of her homecoming with a trip to The Enchanted Forrest, which benefits LeBonheur Children's Medical Center where I work. There were many different trees and lots of lit up characters to look at. Lilliana absolutely LOVED it and just kept pointing at everything and smiled the whole time. It was such a fun afternoon and definitely something to add to the Christmas traditions list!

Paint A Piece

Tonight Clay, Lilliana and I ventured over to Paint-A-Piece to start one of the Christmas traditions I had been meaning to begin. I wanted to get some plates painted that we would be able to use for years to come as Christmas dishes. I plan to do this each year, and then save them for use during Christmas time.

Tonight we were only able to get one plate done, as we didn't arrive until around 6:00 and since Lilliana's bedtime is shortly after 7:00 I knew she wouldn't last too long. We did a plate with Lilly's footprint and handprints on it and made it into a reindeer. I am pleased with the way it turned out and look forward to picking it up on Monday.

B-day Pics

For a preview of Lilliana's b-day pics head on over to Elizabeth Wiggs blog to view the one's she posted there. As soon as I get my cd of them in the mail I will post more :) They turned out so good and I can't wait to share them!

Wordless Wednesday!

1 year check-up

Today we visited Dr. K for Lilliana's 1 year check-up. Everything checked out great and we are still between the 10th - 25th percentile for weight and height. He is not concerned at all with her STATS and feels like she is just going to be a petite little girl. I mean, Clay and I are definitely not very big people so she doesn't really have much of a chance! Her ears were clear and I am glad to say that she has been free of all sniffles and so forth since October when I pulled her out of nursery, stopped going to playgroup and tried to keep her in as much as possible and away from as many germs as I possibly can. I just don't want to take a risk of her getting RSV or the flu from others so I am trying everything in my power to prevent it.

I spoke with Dr. K about my concerns with weaning Lilliana and he actually encouraged me to continue doing what we are doing and to do so atleast through the winter season. He felt that any extra bit of immunity can only help things. I did purchase her some organic whole milk on the way home after our appointment for Clay to attempt to give her on the nights that I have to work so we will just see how that goes. I asked him about the difference between whole milk and nursing for her brain development and he informed me that she is getting plenty of fat from nursing and that whole milk is not absolutely necessary after 12 month's. Only if she was getting formula would she need the extra fat. He did encourage me to continue taking my vitamins, which I have not been very good about doing, but plan to get to Target later this week to get a new bottle of them so I can make sure I am taking them daily.

Today she received 2 shots, her last Hepatitis, which I almost declined but decided not to since she has already received her others and her pertussis vaccine. I am thinking about holding off on the MMR that she is supposed to receive at her 15 month visit. I am just going to do some more research and talk with him about it when we go back. If we hold off, I will just delay it a few months. I just feel Lilliana is so small for a 12 month old and I would rather wait until she is a little bigger if possible. I am definitely a mom who vaccinates, I mean I am a pediatric ICU nurse however. I have some of the greatest resources available at work for asking questions too! (I just may DELAY the MMR a couple month's that's all) :)

Well without further ado, her is Missy Prissy's STATS

Weight : 17 lb. 5 oz.
Height : 26 3'4 inches

Teeny I know :) Oh yeah, and she took her first unassisted step today! Yay, I am so excited, she has been cruising since about October so I really thought she would be running around the house by now but I guess we will just see when she get daring enough to do so on her own.

Birthday Festivities

Well this past Saturday was Lilliana’s first birthday and I thought it went off without a hitch. We had a penguin and polka dot themed party to tie into the winter month of December without doing something too Christmassy. There were about 45 of our family and friends there to celebrate with us and we probably couldn’t have fit anymore!

We started out the morning by awakening the birthday princess with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” courtesy of Clay and I. Lilliana just kinda stared at us over her crib rails and smiled. She wasn’t so sure what to think at first, but as soon as we were done singing we picked her up and all was right in her world again.

Her party started at 10:00 so we quickly started to get ready so that we would be ready for when her guests started to arrive. I had a professional photographer coming over to take pics for me so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it and so that I would be able to just enjoy the day. I will say this was one of the best decisions I made regarding her party. I was able to be in lots of pics and not be stressed about missing important photo opportunities. Elizabeth arrived around 9:45 so that she could get some pictures of us getting Lilliana ready for her big day!

After the guests started arriving, we started a DVD that I had made of Lilly’s first year of pictures and music to run in the background. I am really glad that I did this because it will be something I can have for years to come. I think I will do one each year, because it helps to montage her years of life.

After enjoying a wonderful brunch catered mostly by Chick-fil-A it was time to open presents. Lilliana got a lot of wonderful goodies including the Pottery Barn, My First Anywhere chair courtesy of Nana, lot’s of clothes, a little people bus, Fraggle Rock DVD, lot’s of wonderful books, blocks, a new backpack and much more.

It was then time for cake. I have a wonderful lady here in Memphis that has done most of the cakes that I have needed over the past few years and she graciously did Lilliana’s. We did a 2-tier cake with hot pink icing, polka dots and a penguin for the main cake and then there was a small 6 inch round for Lilliana’s smash cake. I would love to tell you how much Missy Prissy enjoyed her cake but that would be telling a fib. She didn’t want ANYTHING to do with her cake, or just cake in general. I tried everything, pushing her little hand in the icing some so that she would want to lick it off, feeding her some with a spoon, me trying some and then offering it to her. Nothing worked. She wasn’t upset she just wasn’t interested AT ALL. So sad, but I am sure she is going to have plenty of sugar in the years to come so I am definitely not worried about it. Afterall, this was her first taste of anything sweet so I was not that surprised that she wasn’t interested. She is also such a Prissy little thing that I don’t think she liked getting very dirty with the icing and so forth.

Although she didn’t really eat any cake, it was a great time watching her smile and be so excited in anticipation for what I was going to place on her highchair tray. She did rake the small amount of icing that made it from her hands to her mouth into her hair so after cake time she was placed directly in the sink for a bath! Elizabeth, (our photographer) got some great pictures throughout the day, but I think some of my favorite one’s were those of her getting a bath. I plan to blow up some of my favorite’s to hang in our bathroom.

When the party was over, we bid all of our guests goodbye and sent them home with a CD I had burned with children’s Christmas songs on it. I think they were greatly enjoyed, and I know Lilliana enjoys her copy. We quickly went down for a nap after the festivities were over and both Lilliana and I slept for more than 2 hours! Together of course, because she NEVER would have slept that long had she been in her crib, ya know?

I know Lilliana won’t really remember anything from this 1st Birthday but we have some really great pictures to show her when she grows up.


the front of her invitation


the back of her invitation


pictures on the walkway up to the front door


my big girl on her 1st birthday, dressed in her precious smocked 'penguin' dress!


wonderful birthday cake made by Tina


Lilliana's smash cake


lot's of great presents


all the kids enjoying some yummy brunch food


more decoration's: pictures hanging from the chandelier


cake table


parting gifts for our guests, CD's with Christmas music on them :)


my little love


Mama and Lilliana


time to open those gifts


Fraggle Rock!


laughing with Mama


getting ready to blow out her candle with help from Mom and Dad


Happy Birthday to You!!


about as messy as she got!!


enjoying a couple bites


with Mama and Dada before bath time


splashing in the sink!


sweet lovin

4:55 PM

This is Lilliana, (after a LONG afternoon nap, enjoyed by both Mom and Lilly) posing on her new chair from Nana at her exact time of birth.


Daddy reenacting a pose from the hospital right after Lilliana was born :)


"seriously, I am ONE!"




Lilliana and Mommy


eating dinner at Huey's with The Mefford's

Today Lilliana is ONE!

This morning we are having Lilliana's first birthday party. I am so very excited about it and hope she has a great day. She is going to miss her morning nap since her party starts at 10:00 am but I am hoping for an extra long afternoon nap because of it. We woke her up with an early morning rendition of Happy Birthday and she just kinda stared at us and smiled wondering what on earth both Clay and I were doing coming in to get her. I still can't believe my little princess is ONE. It has been the best year of my life by far :)

We have a photographer coming to take pics at her party so that Clay and I are able to enjoy it without worrying about getting all the pics we want so as soon as I get them in from her I will post some.

1 day until Lilliana is ONE!

This time last year, at this time, I turned off my terbutaline pump for the last time before my little princess arrived. I had just completed my last session with Matria Healthcare and was on the phone learning how to turn the pump off and remove that plastic needle from my thigh. On my last session, I had the norm of approximately 3 contractions and some uterine irritability and I was so ready to not have to worry about completing any other sessions and having the worry and stress that came along with them.

Around, 11:30 I left for the mall with a friend in search of a bridesmaid dress that she needed to pick up from Ann Taylor and this was the first time I had graced the doors of a mall in many months. On the drive into Cordova, I noticed that my contractions were already starting to increase in number and I started to wonder if I should have just stayed on the couch. After picking out the dress we headed over to Abuelo's, a wonderful mexican restaurant here in Memphis, (and the reason Angie still thinks I went into labor) After lunch we headed back to my house and Clay was still out of town for work but was supposed to be back later that day. I decided to lay on the couch and drink some water to see if the contractions would subside but when they didn't, I decided that I should probably time them and give Clay a call. He wasn't far outside of Memphis and after telling him that I was having more consistent contractions he decided to head on back towards the house.

At this time my contractions were stronger but still not as consistent as they needed to be so I decided to get some last minute things done around the house and make sure our bags were packed to my liking. I headed to bed around 10ish and although my contractions were still pretty consistent I was able to sleep through them so I thought maybe I could hold on a little longer. It wasn't much longer though ....

2 days until Lilliana is ONE!

Lot's of babble going on over here but the 2 words Lilliana says most often are Momma and Dadda. Every now and then I will here her call out for "Aggie" AKA Maggie our yorkie. Speaking of Maggie, Lilliana absolutely LOVES her and just can't get enough of her. We have been working on Lilliana to be gentle with Maggie but it doesn't always happen that way! Sweet Maggie is such a little trooper and the best big sister Lilly could ask for :)

Lilliana's 2 favorite foods are sweet potatoes and yogurt. I just started giving her yogurt and she just can't get enough of it. I just love to feel it to her because she has started saying "mmmmm" after each bite and I just think it is so funny. I have been purchasing her the YoBaby Stonyfield Organic yogurt that is made with whole milk. Her favorite kind in the mixed fruit and apple one's. They are kinda expensive for yogurt but especially since Lilliana is so teeny, I feel like she needs all the calories she can get.

My 2 favorite things that Lilliana is doing these days are giving hugs and kisses. She has been giving kisses now for a couple of months but now she will do it on command and ends it with a little smack :) She also loves to give hugs and makes a little noise when she does that too. She will even kiss herself in the mirror, her little people figurines, pictures of herself and much more stuff. She is just too cute and becomes more and more fun each day!

3 days until Lilliana is ONE!

"My Mom says I am about to be 1! I just can't believe it, do I look big enough to be ONE?"

4 days until Lilliana is ONE!

What a big girl you have become ...

At Birth 5 lb. 6 oz.
19 inches

2 months 10lb.
20 3/4 inches

4 months 12 lb. 10 oz.
23 1/2 inches

6 months 14 lb. 10 oz.
24 1/4 inches

9 months 15 lb. 10 oz.
26 1/4 inches

I wonder how big she will be at her 1 year check-up?

5 days until Lilliana is ONE!

I know I keep talking about what was going on this time last year, but I am just reminiscing about what life was like before Lilliana graced us with her presence :)

This time last year, I was running around like a mad woman because I was on day 3 on NO BEDREST!! Yes, I was finally free and had a ton of things to do until Lilliana arrived. Something told me that as soon as I turned off my terbutaline pump she would be arriving and I am not sure if anyone believed me or not, but I guess I can say it was mother's intuition.

6 days until Lilliana is ONE!

Lilliana's first picture, you sure can tell she was breech in there for a while can't you!

7 days until Lilliana is ONE!

You don't really expect me to sleep in here while it's light outside do you?

Only 7 more days until my little love is 1! I just can't get over the fact that it is so soon. I wonder when she is going to learn to sleep in her own bed, WITHOUT a fuss during naptime? I think I have created a monster by napping with her :) Do you think this will continue until she is 10?

8 days until Lilliana is ONE!

Love from my Heart ... to a precious sweet little girl

If you weren't my little girl, there'd be hole in the world!
A piece would be gone! We just couldn't go on! The world wouldn't work without YOU!
For who would share smiles and outshine the sun? Who would be doctor and help everyone?
Who would give food to those needing some? It's a good thing you're my little girl!

If you weren't my little girl, there'd be a hole in our home!
A piece would be gone! We just couldn't go on! Our family's no fun without YOU!
For who would be princess, the fairest of all? Who would spin circles and dance down the hall?
Who would be mommy to all of your dolls? It's a good thing you're my little girl!

If you weren't my little girl, there'd be a hole in my heart!
A piece would be gone! I just couldn't go on! My heart would be searching for YOU!
For who would pick flowers to put in my vase? Who would give kisses all over my face?
Who'd say "I love you" in sweet little ways? It's a good thing you're my little girl!

For God gave you to me. You're special, you see!
There's no hole in my heart. You filled up that part!
You're the best thing in life, my little sweetheart!
And I love you with my WHOLE heart.

By: Heidi Weimer

This is a book that we bought for Lilliana and are going to give it to her on her birthday. I absolutely love it and think every word in it is true!

You can find this amazing book and others here.

9 days until Lilliana is ONE!

The countdown continues until Lilliana turns 1! This time last year I was counting down the last few times that I would have to do my home monitor for contractions. I was so glad to have the monitor at home but after doing it so many times it really became a nuisance. More than it being a nuisance was the fact that it was so stressful. I would monitor twice a day for 1 hour at a time and I would worry the entire time about the number of contractions I was having. I always got up to go to the bathroom at least once because if my bladder was the least bit full I would have more contractions than I normally did.

I still can't believe how quickly the last year has past. It has been such an amazing time and I can't wait for all the special times that we are going to spend with each other :)

10 days until Lilliana is ONE!

One more day closer to my little angel turning the big 1! Today I thought I would make a list of 10 things that I feel we can't live without.

10. Floppy Shopping cart cover - we have ours in the pink paisley and use it all the time, on shopping carts and highchairs at restaurants

9. Bumbo seat

8. Aquaphor bath wash & ointment

7. Fisher Price laugh and learn chair

8. Cedarmont Kids songs in the car

7. Annie's Homegrown Organic Crackers

6. Purell!!!

5. exersaucer

4. Angel Monitor

3. rocking chair/ glider with matching ottoman

2. Carrot

1. Boppy pillow

11 days until Lilliana is ONE!

The countdown continues to Lilliana's 1st birthday bash. Only 11 days left until my baby girl turns 1! We have all of the Christmas decorations up and Lilly LOVES the Christmas tree, and it makes this time of the year so much more fun. We are working on creating some traditions for our family and I look forward to all the fun times we are going to have with her.

12 days until Lilliana is ONE!

Still on the countdown to Lilliana's 1st birthday bash. Here are 12 reason's why I love her more than life itself!


1. She is such a loving and snugly baby. One of my favorite times with her is when she wakes up, either from a nap or after she gets up in the morning. She loves for me to just hold her and snuggle and this Mommy can't deny her one bit!

2. One of her newest fascinations is giving kisses and I absolutely LOVE kisses from my little love :)

3. She never stops moving and really reminds me a lot of myself. With my Mom being a piano teacher she really thought that our whole family would be musically inclined but I could never sit still long enough to practice or get good at the piano. I have a feeling Lilly is going to be the same way. Her legs don't stop moving from the minute she gets up to when I put her down at night. Actually when we are in the car, she is constantly moving them all over the place and the minute they stop I know she is asleep :)

4. I love how much she needs me. I realize that Clay and I are all she knows and that when something hurts her, she is sad, or she just wants to be around other I love that we are the one's that she chooses.

5. On that note, I LOVE that she is such a Momma's girl. I know that in due time this will change, but for the time being I love being her #1 pic. I know that it probably bother's Clay at times but I am sure this too shall pass :)

6. I enjoy being able to watch her grow and be there for her every single day. I love the fact that I am able to work nights with my job so that I am here with her during the day. Even though there are some days when I think I am going to loose my mind, I wouldn't give it p for the world.

7. I love her big blue eyes and thick brown hair. Of course these are more characteristics from her Daddy but I think she is just the cutest thing in the world!

8. She is such a great baby to nap with! This is something we started when she was just an itty bitty and I really enjoy our naps. Usually she still end up laying on my chest and so far that is still doable since she is so teeny but we may have to find a new napping position soon :)

9. Her laughter just lights up my life. It is by far one of the most wonderful sounds in the world :)

10. She has made me a better person inside and out.

11. I love how it feels to see my heart walking outside of my body!

12. I would give my life for her. Through all the hardships to get her here, she was worth every bit of it and I would do it all over again to be able to experience the joy she has brought to my life!!