Lankford Love

This weekend we headed to Houston. The reason for the trip was the anniversary of my brother's passing and what would have been his 25th birthday. Remembering Austen, there's a lot I could say. This year has been a whirlwind of both joy and sorrow. Not to mention busy. A lot has happened - so much that sometimes it seems like he's been gone longer than a year... I guess because I've gotten used to not seeing him... as much as I hate to say that. Holding my daughter, the pain lessens. She brings a lot of joy to my life. Still there are times when I look at her that I get a lump in my throat. Watching her grow I see how much Austen is missing. You see, my sister Anabelle was beside herself when Lilleigh was born. She couldn't stand that she was sick and had to stay home when I had the baby. So the first chance she got, she raced to Dallas to hold Lil in her arms. ...When talking about this, Brendon said something to me that I know is true. He said, "It's ...

I was featured on my favorite craft blog, KojoDesigns! Check out the post here .

Lil turned 6 weeks yesterday! And just a few days before that she started responding to us with coos and smiles!! Love it! Here are some pics and a great video! Also Lil loves looking at herself in the mirror! I'll lay her on her playmat , and she'll just stare at herself. So intrigued! I'm not sure if she realizes it's her or not... I'm pretty sure she doesn't. But either way, she loves staring at herself! Especially while listening to Mr. Seahorse . I also recently made her this awesome bow! ...which she then pulled off! I'm linking up my little craft...

I've been thinking I need to do a post like this all month. And because I have only been jeeping mental note, I know there's much I have forgotten that will be left out, but here it goes... Always have a diaper ready. When changing diapers, quickly remove the old and pace the new underneath... can't risk any accidents... The 5 minute rule. I now have a 5 minute rule when it comes to Lilleigh's poop diapers. Baby poops are loud, so when I hear her, I have to wait 5 minutes from the last poop sound heard before changing her... that's just the safe bet. She has only worn Huggies twice, and both times she's had blow outs. Just saying. While we aren't officially cloth diapering yet (I'm waiting till the amount of diapers slows down.), I am amazed at how well they hold it all in on trial runs that we've done. That said, when a cloth diapered baby is wet, they'll let you know. Those $10 Amazon coupons are handy for buying wipes for free! See how ...

Lilleigh Bear is one month today! My time flies! Here are some photos from our little photo shoot.

I am realizing now that something I said in the birth story post came out in a way I had not intended. When I mentioned my theory on milk coming in, I in no way meant that as a diss towards anyone who chose (or had the decision made for them, for that matter) an epidural. Reading some of your comments and rereading my post, I can see how that must have sounded. But I hope that in my story above it was clear that I totally get why moms choose epidurals, even though for me the benefits of natural outweighed the pain endurd without one. What I had meant in my comment was that from what I have heard from my midwife, lactation consultants, and moms who have had both natural and medicated births is that generally (not always) natural birth babies are more alert at birth (relatively speaking) and, thus, active eaters. (You can see why a lactation consultant would know that last part.) So hearing that and having a baby that on that third day would not. stop. eating. made me wonder if maybe a...

It's Spring DeStash over at KoJoDesigns! That means it's time to use up that stash of craft supplies that have been sitting there, orphaned to other projects. So I took this opportunity to use up a yellow onesie and some jersey-knit shirts that I had sitting in my project bin to create Miss Lilleigh a dress! I loosely followed this tutorial from KoJo to do it. Then I added a rosette! I would have included a photo of Lilleigh in the dress, but she's sleeping. And if I don't post this while she's sleeping, it may not get posted at all... I'll try to update with a photo of her in the dress soon though! I'm linking up...

  This is my favorite. She so loves this glowing seahorse. Mr Seahorse makes diaper changing time so much better.   Lil's first stroller ride. We are loving the Snap N Go. So light weight and easy. So glad we didn't register for a travel system.   Big yawn!   Look who's awake!   Mommy giving Lilleigh a bath.   Daddy and Lilleigh after the bath. I just love how she's looking at her daddy. So sweet.

The birth story, as promised... For the few days preceding labor, I had woken up in the middle of the night to premenstrual-type cramping. So when I woke up on Super Bowl Sunday to this cramping again I didn't think too much of it until a few hours later when the cramps were still there and consistent - whether I was sitting down and eating, walking around, or trying to sleep. I figured I was in labor. Still, the contractions really didn't hurt. My back ached though, since the baby was turned on her side.  Around lunch time Brendon, Sammy (the dog), and I went on a long walk around the neighborhood. By the end of the walk, it was getting more uncomfortable for me to walk, and contractions were growing stronger and closer together. We went home and watched Freaks and Geeks (great show), while I leaned over the birth ball. My back pain was becoming much more intense - more so than the stomach pain, which paled in comparison. My back began aching so badly that I figured it surely...