Week 22

Santa's little helper. I just love this picture of our little elf. Her new buddy to her right is hysterical....it's the new musical toy from Hallmark. Thanks to Gran's purchase of several Hallmark cards, we were able to get said toy. When played, he barks jingle bells (with a howl at the end) while he rocks back and forth on his sled.....this of course, is good for hours of entertainment, especially when you are 5 months old. Which by the way, can you believe Lily is 5 months old?!?! (obviously a rhetorical question to cyberspace) As I near the end of my stay-at-home mommy tenure, looking back over the months, all the days truly feel like a moment in time.

As a 5 month old, Lily is definitely deciding to be a thumb-sucker and I have to admit, it's pretty cute. It's not just the "I'm discovering my hands, and oops the thumb just happened to end up in my mouth" but more like the "Hmm, out of all these wiggly things attached to me I like the short stubby one the best..." She also said the word "Buh." Yes, I know it's not a word, per say, but there was definite formation of the sound with her lips. And finally, I apparently crawled at 5 1/2 months (please hold applause) so we'll see what develops in these next couple weeks....of course (like it or not) we'll keep you posted!

I'd like to thank Nancy Huber, for sending Lily the cute dress in the picture. We have known the Hubers for many years. Their youngest daughter, Kari, a friend of mine from years back also just had her first baby (Andrew) a few months ago. The Hubers have faced a tremendous challenge this Fall as Mr. Huber was diagnosed with AML, an aggressive form of leukemia. The good news is that after a heck of a fight, he is currently cancer free, but he is still in need of a bone marrow transplant ASAP and the search for a donor match is on. They have chronicled their experience on their blog http://www.billhuber.blogspot.com/ . They are constantly in my prayers, and though you may not know them I ask that they be in yours.