Merry Christmas!!

Lilly and Claire visited Santa. Lilly high-fived him and agreed to sit next to him.. .but NOT on his lap. Giddy Claire didn't mind a bit.

Enjoy our other photos also. Nana bought the girls these beautiful dresses, and they were happy to have their pictures taken in them. It was too late to make Christmas cards out of these pictures, but they are here for you to enjoy.

Lilly is really looking forward to "Jesus' birthday" this year. She can't wait for Santa to come visit. In fact, everytime there is a knock at our door, she yells "Santa's here!"
It will be a memorable Christmas, for sure.... Claire's first celebration and Lilly's first experience understanding the season. We also welcome my mom for the holiday and Rob's dad on the 26th.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Wonderful Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with Nana (Lori's mom) and Aunt Amy and the gang. Lilly loved her live-in playmates: Emma and KK.

(Click on the photo to view our slideshow)

Returning to our Kansas roots with a little bit 'o country...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Claire's latest trick...

She eats, she laughs, she naps... she CRAWLS!
That's right- Little Miss Claire crawled for the first time on Saturday. She moves steadily across the room by using a traditional crawl, not a fancy alternative. There's no stopping her! So far, she stays on the carpet and avoids the tile. We are once again keenly aware of every minute piece of paper, fuzz, string, etc on the floor. Where does it go?... in Claire's mouth! She'll stop at nothing to cross the floor for stray kleenex, dog toy fuzz or a piece of dirt. Lilly is becoming slightly more aware of her shrinking personal space, but that hasn't bothered her just yet; that fun will come once Claire begins walking.

Claire is on track with Lilly's progress during her first year. Lilly also crawled at the same age: 7 months. If their similarities continue, Claire should be walking by February. WOW!

October Highlights: Our Slideshow

(Click photo to view slideshow.)

October was a busy month. It all started with Lilly's diagnosis with ITP, all the therapy that ensued and then all the fun we had following recovery. We enjoyed a day at Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party, a day at the zoo, Robby's birthday and fun at home.

Lilly is doing well. We return to PCH for a follow-up test next week. Her first follow-up appointment revealed she reacted well to her treatment. If all goes well, her bout with ITP has ended.

Claire is growing fast; today she sat up in her crib for the first time. She is eating graham crackers and plenty of baby food, smiling, laughing and screaming too. We call her clairadactyl (terradactyl) when she screams at the top of her lungs. Overall she is a cheerful little lady who loves her family. Lilly also loves being a big sister but still likes to be the center of attention.

We have lots of fun things planned for November. We hope you visit our site again to check in!

Unexpected Haircut

It happens to all little girls, right? I have heard the comical stories from other parents but never thought my 2-year old would be the recipient of an unwanted haircut. Yes, maybe she would cut her own hair, eventually, but instead, Lilly was the "customer" at Tiny Toes Beauty Shop.

The story goes a little something like this... Picture a beautiful, slightly warm Arizona afternoon... a pair of scissors that was accidentally left in the yard... two toddlers ages 2 and 3... and the need for some fun...

Megan (Meme) and Lilly quietly closed the shutters and door to the blue play house. Meme, having the skills to use scissors at the ripe age of 3, decides Lilly will be her customer. Several snips later... Lilly has a new haircut. If you ask Lilly what happened to her hair she proudly states "Meme cut my hair". Then she goes on to say... "in the blue house"... followed by "Meme has time out!". So long story short- Lilly has a new 'do just in time for the holidays. This picture is of Lilly just after I picked her up on Halloween. Since this photo was taken, I've trimmed the bangs so they are at least even... short, but even. Have a nice laugh at Lilly's expense. To see just how much hair is missing, scroll down to previous photos.

Move over Shrek...

We are pleased to anounce that Lilly's obsession with Shrek has ended. Throughout her ITP ordeal we had to keep her calm... which often meant laying on the couch watching movies or coloring. We estimate Shrek was the requested move 98% of the time which means that Shrek 1, 2 and 3 played so many times we cannot even count. We do have them memorized, though. While at Schnepf farms, Lilly "met" a donkey. She was a bit perplexed when Rob said "Hey Lilly... Look- It's Donkey from Shrek!". This donkey did not crack any jokes, at least while we were there.

Lilly's new favorite movie: Madagascar. We send a special thank you to Luke and Reid Leahy for sending it to Lilly during her "down time". Marty the zebra and Alex the lion are new family favorites. :)

Pumpkin Time

For the third year in a row, we spent a Saturday at Schnepf Farm's Pumpkin and Chili Party. Cousins Al, Claudine, Nathan and Courtney joined us.

We look forward to our visit to the pumpkin patch for many reasons:
the weather is usually beautiful this time of year, we love spending time with the Stimmler's, Lilly loves riding the train, it's always fun to see which animals will be on display at the petting zoo, and we love family time.

This was Claire's first trip to Schnepf's. She wasn't that excited when it came time to pick her pumpkin. Better luck next year!

Happy fall everyone! We have lots of pictures to show you from this month. Stay tuned for a slide show coming soon.

Happy 1/2 birthday, Claire!

Little Claire turned 6-months this past weekend. Today at her 6-month check-up, she weighed 18lb (75%tile) and was 27.75" (97%tile). The doctor's visit also brought immunizations and a bit of crying. Claire has two teeth (bottom center) and can sit on her own. She loves all kinds of baby food, easily smiles at everyone and loves to play with toys. We fear she will be crawling before long!
Of course, Lilly accompanied Claire to her photo shoot and wanted to take pictures as well. I hope you think they're as adorable as I do.

Claire, 6 months

Claire's tongue sticks out all the time... she plays with her new teeth.

The cutest sisters!

A comparison of both girls at age 6 mo.

Claire on left, Lilly on right.
Both girls have their tongue out!

Bump in the road

Well we have had a trying an unexpected experience this past week. It all began with what I refer to as the "lollipop incident". I took Lilly for a haircut, and she cut her gums while eating a lollipop. It took 5 days before her mouth stopped bleeding. During this time she also developed strange dark purple bruises. The pediatrician ordered blood work. After seeing a hematologist at Phoenix Children's Hospital, Lilly was diagnosed with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). It is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the body's own blood platelets. Normal platelet levels range 150,000- 200,000. On Wednesday, Lilly's levels were 2,000.

She has been receiving an IV-Immuno Globulin treatment, and this treatment should help her body stop attacking itself.
We are thankful for the many prayers and e-mails we have received from our family and friends. As all parents can imagine, this was a very scary time for us.

Lilly is feeling well. Her bruises remain and she has lost weight due to a suppressed appetite, but we are hopeful she will improve. The picture above is of her "mitten". It is an IV wrapped and hidden from her view. Since we will go back for a second treatment today, the nurses suggested leaving the IV in place so that she would not have to be traumatized with another IV placement.

Times like this make us appreciate our health in every way. We thank God for keeping Lilly safe as she recovers from this illness.

The only comical thing from all of this... When Lilly's blood pressure was checked, her IV placed or when blood was taken, she would get incredibly upset (understandably). Instead of screaming or crying, she'd spit! So, during these procedures Lilly zerbered and spit all over the place. We had never seen that side of her before. The nurses found it hilarious; as it was quite the change from crying kids.

New Mexico memories

We had the distinct pleasure of visiting Aunt Mary and Uncle Louie's home this weekend in Socorro, New Mexico. Mary and Connie (Rob's mom) are sisters. She and Louie have lived in New Mexico for many, many years. Rob's grandparents (Grandma and Grandpa Wurtie) drove down from Kansas City. Joe, Lee and the boys were also there.

What a great time... beautiful weather, fabulous company, sincere hospitality and delicious food. We took many photos during our brief trip.

Click on the photo to view our New Mexico slideshow and a few straggler photos from the end of September.

Lilly Mouse and Flower Claire

Claire's 5 month photos were taken today. Our photographer Janna (who we met at Sears) does a great job with the girls. Lilly loves to visit Janna and even asks about her when we are at home. Lilly was a ham, and Claire shared a smile or two. Of course, we had to get ready for October's Halloween event. I wanted to get pictures done early to send to the family. Enjoy.

Welcome Fall!

It's been awhile since we posted photos of the girls. I am back to work after 4 months of "vacation". The time since Claire's arrival has flown by and hasn't slowed one bit.

We are enjoying cooler temperatures, Claire's advancing dietary intake, Lilly's antics and the start of college football season.

We hope all is well with each of you. Click on the photo to view our slideshow

-Lori

Funny Lilly Story

It's no surprise that Rob is a favorite among the cousins: especially our nieces Emma, Kate and Sofia. During our trips this summer to Wichita and Denver, Rob was called "uncle Robby" over and over and over again. Usually Lilly was present when the nieces asked "uncle Robby do this... uncle Robby play with us that...".

Now that we are home, Lilly has started to call her dad "uncle Robby". Sometimes she even calls him "uncle daddy". It is really cute because she appears to do it without thinking. In her mind, Rob is all of the above: Daddy, DaDah, Uncle Robby, Rob and even Hey Rob (as I usually yell from across the house). The first time Lilly tried to get Rob's attention by yelling "Hey Rob!" was quite comical.

So for now, Lilly will continue identifying us as:
"Uncle Robby" = Daddy
"Mommy"= Lori (kind of boring, don't you think?)
"Honey, Sistuh, or Baby Tare" = Claire

Be careful... your new nickname could be coming! ...just like Aunt Colleen 'CoCo" was referred to as 'aunt taco'. :)

4 months already!

Little Claire is 4 months old already. She visited the doctor yesterday and ranked in the 97th percentile for height and weight. She is 15lb 11oz.

She loves to stand when being held, loves to smile, blow spit bubbles and coo. Lilly and Claire are interacting more and more each day. Lilly loves talking to Claire and watching her smile in response. It is precious.

Happy Birthday to Lori

August 6 was my lovely birthday, and I was lucky enough to spend most of the day ALONE! Lilly and Claire spent the day with their childcare mom, Monica. This was Claire's first day there, and though I was a bit apprehensive of her reaction to the new environment, she ended up doing very well. Of course, for those of you who know Monica, you know that she is extremely patient and loving with all kids.

I started the day with a trip to Starbuck's with Ang and Cristy. We shared great conversation and iced lattes. YUM! From there I met Liz and her boys for lunch. As we left the restaurant local firemen pulled up and asked the boys if they wanted to see inside the firetruck. What a treat! After the firetruck tour, I went to the mall ALONE! I was actually able to browse the racks, talk on my cell phone and travel from store to store without worrying about diapers or snacks. I have to admit I had to remind myself that I did not leave Claire in the car... that she was at Monica's safe and sound. After the mall I stopped at various stores in my quest to find the perfect sheets. Getting in and out of the car at 110 degrees was much easier without kids, of course.

Rob and I ended the day with a fabulous birthday meal at The Keg. Yum Yum and Yum. This is my one time a year when I eat a nice beef fillet. The kids, of course, were not with us and were still at Monica's. To top off my fabulous birthday, we all enjoyed a slice of heavenly chocolate raspberry cake. My dear friend Andrea (all the way in Missouri) ordered it from AJ's for me. This was a sincere treat and meant a lot!! (See the picture above).

Birthday's just can't get any better than this!

Mile High... Oh My!

We had the sincere pleasure of spending a long weekend in Denver with Scott, Monica and their children. Since Teresa was already here, she joined us for the trip. We were able to share in Lucas' second birthday celebration, visit Meirowsky's yummy bakery, see cool fish, and stay at Scott and Monica's beautiful home. Perhaps the best part of the weekend was watching Sofia (age 3 1/2) and Lilly (age 2) play together. They seemed to form a strong cousin friendship. :) We can only imagine all the future fun that is in store for Mia and Claire who are only 3 weeks apart. Thank you, Scott and Monica for a lovely weekend!

Click here to view our slideshow.

Visitors Galore!

It's obvious that we're not in Kansas anymore... so we welcome visitors whenever anyone feels like making the trip! Arizona is the ideal vacation destination in the middle of the summer, of course. We greatly enjoy our family and friends who brave the heat. Our lovely weather peaks this time of year. But, as cousin Kevin so keenly discovered... "It's just a dry heat".

In July we welcomed Lori's super aunt Janet and cousin Kevin. Rob's sister Teresa just also happened to be coming this way. All of this company meant lots of quality play time for little Lilly.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to aunt Janet for helping me purchase a spiffy new pair of brown sparkly flip flops. Each time I wear them I will think of you! And, thank you to Janet and Kevin for babysitting the girls one evening. We were able to enjoy dinner and a movie (and a few bottles of wine) with our good friends the Glanvilles.

Click on the photo to view our slideshow.

Beautiful Girls

Presenting Lilly's 2-year photos and Claire's 3-month photos. :)
The girls are changing everyday!

Enjoy!

Fun in Kansas had by all!

Our trip to Kansas was full of endless fun. The morning of Lilly's birthday we flew to Kansas City to spend time with Rob's grandparents before driving to Wichita. During our trip we were able to see many family, friends and celebrate the 4th of July. On Rob's side of the family, all of the siblings and their families were together. Three new granddaughters were born this year, bringing the Z cousin count to 6. On Lori's side of the family, we enjoyed lots of fun with Nana, Aunt Amy and the girls. We celebrated Lilly's second birthday and had lots of fun with everyone. Thanks for a great time! Lilly loves looking at all of the pictures and naming everyone. We can't wait to do it again.
Click on the picture to view our slideshow.

Happy Birthday Lilly!

Lilly's second birthday!
I made a gigantic cupcake for a birthday celebration at Tiny Toes. Her childcare mom Monica and friends had fun eating this gigantic cake. YUM!! Lilly had fun eating the pink frosting while it was being decorated. Before leaving for Kansas, we celebrated Lilly's birthday with a special breakfast and gifts. Of course, what birthday would be complete without the Zoom Birthday Song? I can still hear "Hey Lilly, it's your birthday today.. la la la la la" in my head. If you don't know Zoom, you should google it online.

Kansas pictures coming soon...

Bye Bye June... Hello July!

We are eagerly awaiting Lilly's second birthday in July and our trip to Kansas. June was lots of fun, and we have many photos to share. June highlights: Claire turned 2 months, Lilly caught a case of the crud TWICE!, we began our summer Kindermusik class, we saw a puppet show at the Arizona Puppet Theatre, we played and played and played...
Have fun viewing our photos.
(Click on the photo to view the slideshow.)

New Summer 'do.

It is a staggering 112 outside today, so what's better than a new haircut to combat the heat? While at Snip-its, Lilly enjoyed a buffet of lollipops as she sat in the hairdresser's chair. On this day, she enjoyed green apple, orange and strawberry. While other moms try to grow their daughter's hair as long as it can grow, I opt for a short and easy hairdo. Lilly likes it too. Doesn't she look adorable?
She is eagerly awaiting her 2nd birthday party in Kansas and spending lots of quality time with her huge Kansas family. Note to Kansas family... please place an order for NO TORNADOS, cooler weather and maybe a nice rain shower or two.

Silly Sleeper

Miss Lilly has successfully slept in her big girl bed for almost one month. Ever since, she has popped out of bed at 5:30am when she used to wake at 7. Each morning she comes to our room. Usually, she yells "Mama" while strolling down the hall. Sometimes she stealthly climbs on the bed. Since Claire is still in the basinette in our room, the addition of Lilly early in the morning must be quite a sight. When she comes to our room she is given two choices: 1. Go back to her room and go to sleep (she never chooses this option) or 2. Climb in bed and go back to sleep for another hour.
I think she looks forward to her early morning cuddle with mom.

DVD Slideshow from Claire's Photo Shoot (sound included)

Tornado Hits Chandler, AZ!

OK, so a real tornado didn't hit Chandler, AZ... just Lori's family. Nana, Aunt Amy, & cousins Emma and Kate visited from Kansas. Lilly was ultra happy to have live-in play mates for the week. Nana was ultra happy to leave behind the massive thunderstorms that have roared through Kansas over the past weeks. We spent our time visiting all of the favorite places... malls, restaurants, splash parks and more. Thanks for coming to visit!! Come back soon! To view our slideshow, click on the picture above.

End of May slideshow

Click on the photo to view our most recent slideshow. These pictures highlight Claire at age 5 and 6 weeks.

Big Bed... Big News

We are pleased to report that Lilly has successfully slept in her big girl bed for 5 days in a row. Halleluliah! Surrounded by stuffed animals, pillows galore and cozy blankets, Lilly has found comfort in her new resting spot. Nap time and night time are usually uninterrupted, but occasionally she wanders out of her room at least once. Mom can't get used to Lilly's escape from her room each morning. Lilly wanders down the hall around 6am to find her sleeping parents and baby sister... that will take some getting used to!

April/May Slideshow

This show highlights Claire's first month and other family events.

Cinco de Mayo... Cinco de Mia!

Today, Scott and Monica (Rob's brother and sister-in-law) welcomed their third child to the family.
Baby Mia Valentina was born at 12:20pm weighing 8lb 9oz and 21 in. Monica and baby are resting and doing well. They are in Denver, Colorado.
Welcome to the family, Mia! Lilly and Claire send their love and can't wait to see you later this summer. We love you already.

New and Old Slideshows

We have added two new slideshows.

Pre-Claire's arrival:
The first slideshow has photos from the month of March which include Easter, a trip to the zoo and much more!!!






The second has photos from Claire's first week at home. Grandma Connie was a big help all week long and is Lilly's new buddy. Lilly loves her new baby sister and has yet to clobber her over the head with anything:)




Click on the pictures to watch the slideshows.
By the way, we have been asked about ordering some of the photos. When you are done with the slideshow, you can click on the "X" on the slideshow control panel. From the Picasa Web Album page that comes up, you can order individual photos.

Enjoy!

Visit Claire's online baby book

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center's online baby webpage features welcome pages for the new babies.
Please visit Claire's link below to sign her book online.

http://www.mercygilbert.org/About_Us/Patient_And_Visitors/Online_Nursery/index.htm?vnMode=details&bId=2701&sDate=2008-4-1&eDate=2008-4-30

Claire's First Slideshow

Here are the pictures of Claire's arrival and our next few days in the hospital. We are happy to be home now and are getting the new routine started. Click on the picture on the left to see the full slide show.

Welcome baby Claire!!!!

Claire Elizabeth
arrived at 9:25am on Friday, April 11.
She weighed 8lb, 13 oz and is 21.5 inches long.
She was born at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Dr. Mia performed the surgery and was the first to see Miss Claire.

Claire and Lori came home from the hospital on Tuesday, April 15.

Everyone is doing well. Lilly seems to like her new baby sister. Belle and Sue are also behaving.

We will load more pictures soon.

Snip Snip

Spring in Arizona brought a new haircut for Miss Lilly.
Since her hair is still very fine, the hairdresser opted for a short, stylish, stacked bob for spring. It is reminiscent of past summer haircuts of Lori's... imagine that. Life is too short for boring hair!