Big Girl!

Last week we had some more "firsts".  The munchkin got to see Nebraska for the first time.  We didn't know how she'd handle the long car ride, but she was great.  I pumped in the car and fed her from the front seat when she started to fuss.  She'd stay awake for a little while afterwards but then the motion of the car eventually got her to sleep.  She still slept normally at night, which was a big relief.

Little L met lots of family members, great aunts and uncles, cousins, and her great grandparents.  I am so blessed that all of them are alive and able to see her.  We even got a 4 generation picture from my dad's side of the family.  She handled being held by strangers really well.  Something we've noticed about her is that she doesn't like to be away from the action.  The two days that we spent seeing the most people she didn't really nap but one of those nights she slept for seven hours straight, which was great for Mom and Dad!

We watched fireworks two nights in a row and they didn't scare her.  She loves being outside anyway and really liked looking at the pretty lights.

While we were on vacation she figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy.  Now she almost always does it immediately after we lay her down.  It's been nice because now I don't have to do forced tummy time, she does it herself!  She's lifting up her head well and supporting herself using her elbows.  She also figured out how to roll back onto her back wearing the bulky cloth diapers; she rolled really early on but hasn't done it again until now.  She doesn't do it every time, so sometimes she gets tired and mad and needs a little help. There've been a couple times already where she's managed to roll in the same direction and off her quilt completely.  It's time to give back her little play mat because she doesn't have enough room to move.  Since she's figured out the rolling she has changed her sleeping position and is becoming a side sleeper like her mommy.

The munchkin is talking and smiling a lot more and has discovered the fun of blowing raspberries.  We go through multiple bibs a day!  Next week she has her four month shots and this weekend will be her first time at the pool.

We are definitely tired at the end of the day but it's worth it.  Our big girl brings us so much joy and it's exciting to watch her reach all these milestones.

Gaga and I love Nebraska

Most of the people who read this blog are my facebook friends so this post may be a little redundant if you were reading your newsfeed last week, but Lady Gaga inspired me to write.

See, I am a GLEEk but a cheap one, so I watch the episodes on Hulu for free, which means I'm a little behind on the most recent episodes. Yesterday I watched the Mash-off episode that featured excellent song and dance, in particular, Gaga's song "You and I" about Nebraska, among other things. So after immediately downloading the song and listening to it repeatedly, I decided to write about our trip back home for Thanksgiving.

If you want beautiful scenery, don't go to Nebraska in the fall. From about November through March it's pretty much gray skies and brown grass. Summers on the other hand, are gorgeous, especially when you get in the country with a beautiful blue sky and green fields as far as you can see. No matter when you're there, you get to see the stars. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I moved to a city where you can see the constellation Orion and that's about it.

Speaking of missing things, I also don't realize how much I miss my family until I'm back. Things just fall into place so easily when I'm with them, despite only getting to see most of them maybe twice a year. Facebook, text, and email make it easier to stay in touch, but there's something about being with the people who've literally known you your entire life, have seen the good, bad, and ugly, and love you anyway. There's no pretension with the people back home, what you see is what you get. They work hard and love their families and are satisfied with what they have.

I also took my husband to my "happy place" (that's not the mall): Memorial Stadium for a Husker football game. The week leading up to the game, he said that he didn't understand why I was getting so excited. Now that he's seen the Sea of Red, he gets it. We ate our Runzas and cheered the Big Red to a victory with 80,000 of our friends. He didn't want to leave, and our lingering paid off; we got to take pictures down on the field, which I'd never done before in the years I was going to school at UNL.

Since this was the last trip back home before the baby is born, my BFF hosted a shower for me. People were so generous in helping us prepare for the little girl. As I was putting everything away yesterday (while listening to my new GLEE downloads) I realized she's going to be wearing a lot of pink, not that there's anything wrong with that!

It was a whirlwind trip with lots of driving, sharing stories, and eating way too much. Hard to believe that the next time we go back we'll have a baby with us.