IT'S PERFECT (with italian gestures of course)

Look at that spaghetti smile!!

I think she liked my spaghetti!

Lila loves...

her baby dolls!!

I can tell you this girl stuff is soo much fun! I have had a blast playing dress up with her too.
Here are some adorable pics of Lila playing with her dolls. She is such a cuddly little gal and loves caring for her babies. She will be an amazing mom one day!  Here she is practicing! :)

Oh and the cradle is mine that my grandmother Joan had made for me years ago. I am thankful that my dad kept this so I could pass it down to my daughter. I am hoping next time grandma comes to visit I can have her paint Lila's name on it too.

 This is my favorite picture of her!

 Blowing a kiss to her baby.

 Patting her babies back.

 Pressing her babies belly to hear the baby giggle.

 Hugging her baby!

 Rocking her baby.

I think we have another child with an eye fetish! Ha!





Bath Baby

Lila loves her bath time and starts clapping when she sees the water.  Look at all that hair!  It is sooo cute. Today Lila is in the kitchen sink getting a bath.  Normally the boys convince me to let them all take a bath together and they teach her how to make a mess but for now this is easy and quick for me.  I love all her facial expressions and hair designs.  Miles was right beside me making her giggle and smile. 

Lila-3 months (yesterday!)

Lila's stats:

Weight: 10 pounds 15 ounces
Height: 23 inches

I think it is darling how you can see her personality in these photos. Doesn't she look like a princess in this outfit, thank you Shellie! Oh my little princess LOVES to talk! Every time we put her in the swing she looks at her mobile with the sea animals and just babbles on and on.

Lila sleeps from 9pm until 4:30 then nurses and goes back to bed until Miles comes in at 8am. It has been so fun to watch her personality develop. Lila is such a happy content little gal and I feel soooo lucky to have her in our lives!

New Things Lila can do: talk, talk, talk, and somehow she manages to find herself sideways in the crib each morning.

Favorite things: SMILE! she smiles sooo much, also hearing her mamas voice

Places Lila went: Topeka, Stockton, and Phillipsburg

Special Events: We attended a Mother's Day celebration in honor of Alice Carpenter (great-grandmother) It was a bittersweet celebration as she loved entertaining family but we all celebrated in memory of her. I had a special relationship with her and miss her! We also traveled to Stockton Kansas for Amanda French's(cousin) high school graduation. We stayed at Great grandpa Joe and great grandma Darla's house and then on to Phillipsburg to see Grandpa Terry, Grandma Cheri, Aunt Stephanie, and cousin Hunter. In Stockton we also had a BBQ with my biological family and the boys had so much fun playing with everyone.

Little Lila at 2 months

Lila is now 2 months old today! Oh and yes she is a Carpenter baby! Oh and yes she does look EXACTLY like her brothers! How cute is that!

Lila is such a good baby! This little gal is calm and is always looking around and following her brothers with her blue eyes! In the evenings Brian and I cuddle up with her in bed and she just smiles and talks to us! The other day Owen said, " Wow mom, Lila is doing really good with her letters it is a miracle she just said aaaaaaa the letter A" I thought that was super cute.

Here are her 2 month measurements:

Height: 22 inches (39%)
Weight: 9 pounds 6 1/4 ounces(18%)
Head Circ: 38 centimeters (30%)


New Things I Can Do: smile (she loves to smile!) giggle (2x), Oh and she tries sooo hard to make sounds with her mouth moving but is starting to say aaaa, ooo

Favorite Things: sleeping, watching her mobile

Places I went: We went for a tiny hike and saw Alcove Springs (I love my moby)
Our first LLL meeting,

Special Events: Saw friends in CC, Had a BBQ with grandparents, and Cadorets are visiting tomorrow!

We are looking forward to spending time with my grandparents. We will be grilling outside, playing Mexican train, talking, and of course getting spoiled! I can't wait!

Mmmm, she smells sooo good

One of my favorite smells is the after bath lotion. That is one smell that everybody loves and it screams BABY! Lila enjoys bath time and especially enjoys the lotion massages after :) She stretches her little legs straight out and will leave them in the air for a period of time! It is sooo cute. I should get a video of her doing that sometime. Here are some newborn pics of her in the tub and some from tonight. My heart melts when she is all warm and content and she sleeps so sound and peaceful! I just can't get enough of her!

Lila is 1 month old

Lila is 1 month old today and I can't believe it! The boys can't get enough of her. They are constantly kissing, hugging, touching, and putting toys in her lap. We have been getting up every 1 1/2 hours for nursing and she is only awake for about 2-3 hours per day. We are starting to see her do some newborn things for the first time in the last week. She now can grasp your fingers, attach correctly when nursing, and is also getting her startle reflex. We are currently dealing with a clogged tearduct which is a new one for us. The boys never had this. We feel so sad for her but are monitoring it closely.

Lila had her 1 month check up yesterday here are her stats:

Height 20 inches (12%)
Weight 7 lbs 6 1/4 oz (9%)
Head Circ. 34 cm (3%)


New things I can do: Look at lights, and grasp fingers

Favorite things: Nursing and sleeping with mommy and daddy

Places I went: church, shopping, Dr. visits, etc.

Special Events: Visiting my family members and taking a trip to Meadowlark to visit the great-grandparents and Great Aunt Eloise (her namesake)

As for me I am healing and starting to feel like myself. The c-section was pretty rough as they think I ripped out some internal staples on the left side and so the recovery was s-l-o-w!! Brian and I came to a decision and I had my tubes tied so this is our precious family and we are very thankful that she and I are healthy! God is GOOD! We are looking foward to the next phase of life with our children!

I will try to find more time to blog but life is pretty busy right now as you can imagine :)

The winner of Guess Lila's weight...

Wow! We had an abundance of guesses on Lila's weight. We had 21 people enter the contest and 4 of them were all within 1 ounce. Here is Owen drawing the winner!

The winner is Janis Carpenter and her guess was 5 pounds 10 ounces and Lila weighed 5pounds 11 ounces. Thank you all for participating!

Here is sweet lil Lila

Lila was born on February 16, 2010 at 12:28pm. She weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long. Lila is healthy and super sweet! I was shocked to find out that they give you a photo shoot before you leave the hospital. Here are the pictures. She is super, super, cute! :)

Lila update+amnio procedure

Brian and I drove up to Omaha on Sunday morning after church and spent some quality time together! I thought it was going to be my "last" meal before the c-section so I picked Cheesecake Factory! It was sooo delicious. We then went back to the hotel room to relax and watch some football. I couldn't sleep so I watched TV, painted my toes, emailed, etc. I was so nervous about 1)amniocentesis 2)Having a c-section. Both of those are new to me.

My amniocentesis was at 9am and our Dr. told us we needed the results to be 55 or higher for her lungs to be mature so we could deliver. Brian and I prayed together and then they began the procedure. Let me tell you this procedure was NOT worth losing sleep over. It was all over within 45 seconds! Brian was taking pictures and the Dr. was wanting to give detail by detail instructions and I just kept my head focused on Lila and watching her on the sonogram machine. The needle went in my stomach (which was painless) then through my uterus (OUCH) this part was painful but seconds later he was done! It was just a sharp pinch then it was over!

We left the Dr.'s office and went to Barnes and Nobles to pick up some books for the boys. We bought Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Corduroy by Don Freeman! These books are classic and should be on the shelves of your home! They were also featuring a book called Lyla the Lovesick Ladybug by Joe Troiano and Susan Banta. I had to pick it up b/c of the ladybug's name! :) Just spelled differently.

Brian by then was STARVING and I had the pleasure to sit with him as he ate Panera Bread. Talk about torture! The phone rang and the nurse said it wasn't good news. My heart immediately sunk and I was sad to know that we weren't going to deliver that day. The amniocentesis levels needed to be 55 or higher and Lila's were 36. We went over to the Dr.'s office and asked some questions and he told us that we would have to deliver on Feb. 16Th at NOON. We have to look at the big picture and now he has to worry about me having complications if we don't deliver soon. We are praying that I don't start bleeding, have more contractions, or start labor.

I am not upset with the Dr.'s decision as I know that I will do whatever it takes to get her here healthy and alive!!! Besides what is another week on bed rest when you have been on it as long as I have! :) Please continue to pray for Lila and I.

WHAT WILL LILA WEIGH?

As of January 25Th the ultrasound showed Lila weighing 4 lbs. 15 oz. What do you think she will weigh at birth? *If you want to change your answer then post again under this post otherwise I will carry over your guess from the previous post! :)*

Graycee weighed 5lbs. 8 oz.
Owen weighed 6lbs. 14 oz.
Miles weighed 6lbs. 15 oz.

What is your guess? Good luck! I will send 1 bottle of homemade vanilla extract to the person who has the closest guess for her weight. (US residents only)

Nursery and Vanilla giveaway

We have the nursery 90% completed. We are waiting on the lamp, curtains, and a birth canvas but those won't be here until March. It has been so much fun seeing pink everywhere!

We are leaving Sunday morning and will post pics as soon as we get home! Thank you all for your continued prayers, we are blessed by some amazing family and friends. We also want to give a BIG THANK YOU to Grandma JJ and Grand Dad E for watching the boys 4 days a week for the last 2 months! They are champs and my boys are going to miss spending time with them!


WHAT WILL LILA WEIGH?

As of January 25th the ultrasound showed Lila weighing 4 lbs. 15 oz. What do you think she will weigh at birth?

Graycee weighed 5lbs. 8 oz.
Owen weighed 6lbs. 14 oz.
Miles weighed 6lbs. 15 oz.

What is your guess? Good luck! I will send 1 bottle of homemade vanilla extract to the person who has the closest guess for her weight. (US residents only)


I hope to post again sometime around the 15Th. Until then...

35 weeks and 3 days!!

Okay so here is my LAST prego pic! Oh and Melissa the bare one is for you girlfriend! :) I am 35 weeks and 3 days. I am headed to Omaha for a c-section at 2pm on Feb. 8Th! I am excited, nervous, and relieved! I am praying for an easy delivery with few NO complications. Please pray for Lila as she is coming a little over a month early. We are praying she gets to come home with us and not have to stay in the NICU!

We want to thank each one of you for your prayers, phone calls, and food! Your thoughtfulness has been appreciated and we love you all!

I am super excited about getting off bedrest and am ready to go grocery shopping, run errands, and take my boys children to the Library!

My last OB appt before Lila arrives!

Monday was my LAST OB appt. in Omaha!! Lila was 4 lbs. and 15oz. The ultrasound tech said she has more hair so I went to Target and purchased some headbands. We were able to see her diaphragm working. She would breathe for 20 seconds then we would have to do it again. The Dr. wanted to see her do 30 seconds which she finally did! We are hoping that she will be ready on Feb. 8Th. That is still the plan. For now I am still on bed rest and will be having non-stress tests done every 4 days until Monday the 8Th. We will arrive on Monday morning at 9am for an amniocentesis and then have a stress test done following that. We will be dismissed to wait for a phone call regarding the results of the amnio. If her lungs are mature we will deliver at 2pm that afternoon!! Please pray for a safe and healthy little girl! We are getting more and more anxious as the days go. I know that seems backwards to you but when you lose a baby at 38 weeks it almost doesn't seem like it is going to happen. We are praying for her to be healthy and for the c-section to go as smooth as possible.

Brian/boys has been working really hard on the nursery and we will post pics as soon as we have it completed, hopefully this weekend! I gave my boys each a canvas to paint a picture for their sister! They had soo much fun with this! Here is a sneak peek of the walls/paintings.

We are getting ready for Lila

So we have FINALLY ordered the essentials for Lila and her sweet nursery. Brian and I have always waited until the last second (so it seems) to purchase stuff b/c of our previous experiences with losing 2 children. Returning items and them asking you why/ what was wrong with the product is too hard on both of us. So here is to hoping sweet Lila comes on Feb. 8Th healthy!

We have our last appt. next Monday and look forward to seeing Lila again. The last time we went she was 4lbs. and had hair on her head which was SUPER exciting!! Jill my blog friend sent me a project on how to make hair barrettes so you can bet on seeing LOTS of bows in her hair. Brian is eye rolling me now :) We will be going on Feb. 8Th at 9am for an amniocentesis and if her lungs are mature then we will have a c-section at 2pm. I am praying she is ready but if not then we will repeat the amnio on the 15Th.

Here are some essentials for Lila and myself that we have purchased so far.
1. Nursing cover
2. Nursery bedding with matching paint :)
3. Lila hanger (etsy find) I couldn't resist!
4. Mother-ease cloth diapers (I used these diapers for both boys and thought they were the best. I imagine they have only improved in the last 5 years but these are still in great shape.

The dreaded word is Here...

Well bed rest it is for me! I have been informed by the Dr. that I am to do nothing except the minimal for my children. Luckily I have grandma JJ close that will take them a couple of days a week for me. Brian's jaw dropped to the floor when the Dr. said oh and no COOKING AND CLEANING! I can't go shopping, walking, and Brian busted me out for snow shoveling. So needless to say won't be doing that either. Thanks Bubba :)

We will see him every 2 weeks now and will have an amniocentesis on Feb. 2nd. If at that time her lungs are mature they will deliver!! If they aren't then we will continue amnio's until they are!!?? I said well can't you just give me the steroids and mature her lungs instead of needles and his reply was "Don't you have tattoos"? "Then I don't want to hear anything about needles." Okay then bring on the needles. I am going to do whatever it takes to get her here.

Lila is healthy and looks great! She is now 2 pounds 7 ounces! The Dr. saw her tinkle while we were looking at her and was able to show us that. That was a first for us! Oh and I was a little sad b/c I didn't get a sono pic either. We still have placenta previa. Which probably won't change so it will be a c-section for me.

As for the challenge I will wait until my internet at home is up and running. That should be sometime at the beginning of next week!

Lila Update-1 lb. 12 oz.

Lila is growing like a weed as you can see in the title she is almost 2 lbs! I am also elated to say that she is still healthy! Praise God! I however still have placenta previa. It is not likely for that to change so when I see the OB specialist on Dec. 8Th I am sure he will start me on bed rest. Just saying that word makes me cringe.

For those of you that know me know that I am going to be going crazy for the next 2 1/2 months. However I have a challenge I will be posting after I hear that DrEaDeD word. Be on the lookout for that. It will be really fun and I can't wait to see what you all come up with! :)

Here is the most adorable picture of my daughter EVER!! Oh my goodness, I just giggled when I saw her chubby cheek AND she has her mom's nose. (One of my favorite features about me :)

Thank you all for continuing to pray for Lila and I! We are blessed and THANKFUL that she is healthy!

Lila Update

On Tuesday we drove to Omaha to see our OB specialist. We got to see our little Lila. She is super cute just look at that profile! The boys were excited to be able to tell me where her nose, eyes, and hands were. We will be 24 weeks on Saturday. She is 1 lb. 6oz. and is healthy. God is Good!

I still have placenta previa and her head is resting on the placenta. The placenta is also attached to my scar tissue and it's called placenta accreta. They won't know how deep the attachment is until the delivery of the placenta at birth. We go see the Dr. again on Dec. 8Th and if at that time we still have placenta previa I will be on bed rest.

In the sonogram picture you can see her on the left side and then you see a line (that is the scar tissue) then you see black open space which is more uterus. So the scar tissue has walled off a portion of my uterus. I hope seeing a picture can help you understand more. It is hard to explain.

We are praying everyday that I don't start bleeding and that she can stay inside until term! I can't say thanks enough to all of you praying for Lila!! My heart longs to hold this little girl in my arms and watch her grow up to become a beautiful woman. The love that I have for her is so powerful and it keeps me grounded each and every day. I am thankful for god, family, and friends in my daily life!