3......4 shut the door!!!!!!

I can't believe our baby is 4 months old.  I am not sure where the time has gone.  I am going to have to combine 3month and 4 month pictures.  I never updated at three months.  We have been really busy and I have now started back to work.  It is harder than ever to get everything in.  It seems that I just get the necessities accomplished these days.  Anyway Little Miss Laney is sweeter than ever.  She smiles often, sleeps like a champ, and is the love of our lives.  I can't even believe how much we love her.  She is changing so much.  I don't realize it until I look back at pictures.  I am excited for what is to come with her..... but I want time to slow down so I can enjoy her right now.  She likes to be held, she sits still, she needs me for everything.  These days won't last long and before we know it, she will prefer independence.  I thank God for what he has given us.  I never in my wildest dreams would have thought we would have gotten such a perfect match.  God does know what he is doing and I'm not sure why I ever thought anything different.  Not that I doubted him..... just didn't realize the love that is felt between a child and parent.   It just makes me sit in awe at how much God loves his children.  More than earthly parents/child????  I just can't fathom it!!  Anyway..... here is what prissy is up to these days. 

Well she has started sleeping all by herself in her own crib!!  It was hard for us but she is just fine.  We put her down about 9:00 and she usually sleeps until 6:30 ( I am so thankful she is a good sleeper).
*She prefers to sit up but still loves to lay on her pallet and kick.
* She drools uncontrollably - no signs of a tooth, just the age
*She loves to eat and is a formula snob - we must get the most expensive premixed stuff.  Don't even think of giving her the powder kind.
*She is ticklish under her chin  She seems to get another roll everyday. 
*She occasionally will laugh out loud~ the highlight of my day to hear this!!!
*She loves Ellie the elephant
*She weighed 14 lbs and 8oz at our last visit to the doctor
*She sits up in the highchair at the table with us even though she is not eating solid foods yet
*She loves the bumbo seat and loves to sit in one of those sit and plays with all the toys surrounding her
*She will watch Baby Einstein
* She wakes around 6:30 then goes back to sleep after eating until about 8:00.  She takes a nap in the morning, afternoon, and evening before bed.
*She still loves a bath!!!
*Her expressions (especially in her eyebrows) are hilarious
*She sucks her fingers and seems to want to eat them.  She makes this loud smacking/sucking noise when she does it (will have to work on that smacking later on down the road)

I love being with her.  She puts a smile on my face~ I sometimes just want to bite her (but no worries, I control myself).

 Ellie the elephant

Look at her holding her head up!!!

 

Until next time.... enjoy whatever season you are in.  God has you there for a reason!  Don't spend your time thinking of tomorrow when you have today!!!  I pray that I will savor every moment and make the most of every opportunity I am given.  I am so thankful as I look back at where God has brought me.  I have learned so much through the hard and easy times!! 

 

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven .Ecclesiastes 3:1 

School days

As the summer draws to an end..... I am so thankful to say that I am so comforted by the plans we have for Laney when I have to leave her.  We originally enrolled her at Learning Vine.  We have friends with kids there and it was ok.  I told myself she would be fine at a nursery..... but in my heart it wasn't what I wanted for these first months.  I wanted someone to continue holding her and loving her like she is used to.  I prayed that God would make it clear where she was supposed to go and I would be okay with wherever that was.  After several other opportunities didn't work out, I accepted that she was supposed to go to Learning Vine. I just felt like every time I told someone where she was going, in the back of my mind.... it wasn't what I wanted.  So one Sunday, I picked her up from the nursery at church and someone asked where she was going.  Jennifer Hudson just happened (yeah right) to be in the room and heard the conversation of Learning Vine and my ,what I felt to be, needed explanation.  The next week, we had a call on our answering machine from Jennifer.  I knew she wasn't calling to ask about us keeping the nursery at church because she didn't mention it on the message.  I immediately thought..... maybe she will keep Laney!!!  When I called her back, that was exactly what she was calling for.  She knew she didn't just happen into the nursery to hear my conversation.... she felt that God had opened that door for her.  So with happy hearts and a sense of relief, it was evident that God had other plans.  Laney gets to go to Learning Express two mornings a week and then Jennifer picks her up on those days and she keeps her all day on the other days.  We are so thankful!!!!!!!  Laney started Learning Express a week early just to get her used to it and I wanted to be able to take her a few morning before going back to school.  She has a precious teacher, Mrs. Linda.  The first morning, Laney just smiled when Mrs. Linda talked to her.  She is also loving Jennifer.  I have to get a picture with Jennifer.  I didn't realize that I don't have one until I started this blog. 
I'm back at school now and it's going well.  It's been an adjustment getting up at 5:00 but good.  Last year was hard because I didn't have a break scheduled and I had training all year.  Well this year, training is done and our literacy coach scheduled me a break during the day.  That gives me an opportunity to plan for the next day!!  So I don't have so much to do at home.  This was another concern that I had.  I didn't want to come home and spend the time that I have with Laney doing school work.  Guess what I prayed and God has taken care of that concern as well!! PTL
  This was just another reminder that prayer DOES work.  I love that my God is interested in every detail of our lives.  I love to see him at work.  Only he could have orchestrated these plans and given me the peace that I have!!!

I've got my toes in the water... toes in the sand

Our first beach trip was so much fun!!!  We had a house full!!  I just can't believe we have two new babies in our family within two months.  I feel like I'm dreaming at times!!  We spent the week at Edisto.  It was the perfect time.  We had nice weather and practically the beach to ourselves.  Laney liked the beach.... it put her to sleep!  So she slept under the tent and we were able to enjoy nature (God) at it's finest while she napped.  As I listened to the waves coming in and out and watched the sun rise over the ocean, I just couldn't help but be reminded of God's perfect timing.  Here we are after waiting a year for our daughter, I am still able to be with her at 4 months old ( I am able to be with her all of the summer then 6 weeks after school started back). His timing was perfect and still is!!!!

Bikini babe - her daddy say this is the only one she will ever have!!  It sure is cute!

The cousins.... Reid is catching up!!!

Evan wanted a hole and this is what he got... Matt went a little overboard.  So much so that Evan was scared to get in it at first!!

I love being a family of three!!

What?? 2 Months Already???

Miss Laney is now two months old.  I can't believe how much she has grown and changed.  I can't say how much I love her smiling.  IT.MELTS.MY.HEART!! She does it regularly now.  She thinks it is funny when you play peek-a-boo with her and she thinks it's hilarious when you kiss her lips.  She will hold her mouth open like a little bird if you even get close to her. She seems to have found her tongue.  She smiles if you stick your tongue out at her.  She seems to try to do it back.  I'm not sure if she is doing this on purpose or not.  Matt says no...... I say she is!! We can tell she is ticklish but she just squirms to get you to stop. Laney likes to have her elephant close by when she is going to sleep and she wants her paci.  She is starting to grab at the toys hanging on her play mat.  She just stares at the mirror with a confused look.  She is still sleeping in the rock-n-play. I am trying to transition her to the crib.  I have started by putting her in the pack-n-play for naps.  I am trying to get her on a schedule for the day.  She does well at nighttime.  She gets bathed and a bottle.  I try to read her a bible story every night.  Sometimes she is just ready to go to sleep.  She goes to sleep around 10:30 and sleeps until about 6-6:30.  I think that is great.  I hope she will continue.  The dreaded day came S-H-O-T-S.  I was not looking forward to them.  She screamed.  The nurse commented that she thought she got the maddest award.  I cried!!  I felt so sorry for her.  She had no idea.  She trusts me and her daddy and we let that happen to her.  I get teary eyed just thinking about it.  She was fine that afternoon, but she has been running a fever and has not been herself.  She hasn't eaten and she has been fussy.  I'll be glad when it passes.  Here is what we found out...
Weight........11lbs14oz- that puts her in the 60th percentile
height.........22 1/4in- that put her in the 36th percentile (she is going to be short but it was up from the 32nd percentile last visit:)

Her head was in the 60th percentile as well.  So she is growing and  healthy.

 

 This picture cracks me up..... she looks like she is ready to punch the nurse~Poor

baby.  She had no idea what was about to happen.

 Well that's Laney's status.  Until next time~ Three months will be here before we know it!!:(  I pray that I will make the best use of my time with Laney.  It goes by so quickly. 

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” – Ephesians 5:15-17, ESV

 

Tweetsie Railroad

Laney experienced her first out of town mini vacation.  I wanted to get out of the house and go somewhere.  Matt and I decided to go to the mountains.  We invited Alison and Nick (but obviously that didn't work out) and Marcie and Justin.  We stayed in a cabin in Blowing Rock, NC.  We decided to go visit the Tweetsie Railroad on Saturday.  I was thinking it was going to be old and run down considering my dad went when he was little. I was pleasantly surprised.  We walked around, road on the chairlift, (made me nervous!!) watched Emma and Evan feed the deer and other animals, and of course we road the railroad.  We also rode another small train.  After we left there, we went to walk downtown Blowing Rock.  It was a neat little town.  Then back to the cabin.  We were so tired.  We grilled that night and enjoyed each others company.  Laney did really well.  She slept during most of the Tweetsie Railroad.  She also did well adjusting to a new house.  She didn't even realize it probably.  The weather was so nice.  When we left Sunday morning it was 67 degrees and when we got back home, it was 97 degrees!!!  Wow, the mountain air was so nice!!!  So glad we got to get away for a few days!! 

 Laney slept the whole way.  Woke up to eat at Chick-fil-a.  Then back to sleep she went.

 At the Tweetsie Railroad

 Sleeping Beauty

 Us on the chairlift.  Thank goodness for the Moby wrap that we were given.  She loves being snuggled up.  It made it easy to hold her.  She rode in the stroller and in the Moby Wrap.

Baby Reid's Arrival

Laney has a new cousin that is two months behind her.  Monday morning, I was feeding Laney at 5:30 and the phone rang!!  I was terrified that something was wrong.  Never would I have imagined that Alison was in the hospital.  It was mama on the phone and she said that Alison had gone to the hospital at 2:00 that morning.  Well... off to the hospital we went.  Things were moving along at a nice pace.  She was progressing faster than I thought she would.  Well, 2:30 rolled around, the nurses came in, the lights came out, and it was time to start pushing.  3:30 came and went, 4:30 came and went, 5:30 came and went~ poor Alison!!  Finally Reid made his début after 31/2- 4 hours of pushing.  He weighed 5lbs14oz.  He was a good size since he was a month early.  He weighed about a pound less than Laney when she was born and he was longer than her.  I can't believe that she was that tiny.  I'm not sure how I wasn't scared to hold her.  She has grown so much.  She looks gigantic compared to him.  We are so excited that they are going to be so close in age.  It will be fun!  It is funny because the two of them resemble each other.  They both have Italian blood in them.  They both have dark hair and dark skin.  Here are some pictures of the two of them.  We are in love already!!

 Nickalous Reid Romagnoli

Alison still loving Laney bug while Reid is napping

 Feeding time- we have our hands full.  Thank goodness for MaMa and PaPa!!

 Look at that big girl compared to Reid.  I dressed her in the same outfit as Reid to compare them!

 Wow~ our family has changed so much over the last two months!!

This picture is out of order..... but Laney had to take a break from waiting on Reid.  It wore her out!! Finally, Mimi and Papa came and got her to take her home.

 

These are happy days for our family.  We are on top of the mountain right now.  I pray that we will savor every moment.  In this life we are not promised happiness always.  Thank goodness that is what we have to look forward to in eternity. 

 "Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life."

Ecclesiastes 7:14

 

 

Just to see you smile... I'd do anything

It's official, our baby girl is officially smiling!! I am so excited.  I have wanted her to smile at me since we brought her home.  Every now and then she would smile, but I think most of them were gas pains.  This week, she seems like she wants to laugh out loud.  If I kiss her, talk to her (it has to sound ridiculous) or play pick-a-boo she will smile.  So.... now all my time is spent trying to get her to smile so that I can capture it on camera. I love this little girl!!!  I know there will be many milestones but I am certainly enjoying this one!! I have some videos, but these pictures are the best that I have for now.  I think I could just take a bite out of her!!