she's growing.

sun hat & swimsuit- gap
flip flops- carters

orlando- a big thanks.

We are so thankful that my mom and G's parents came to Orlando to help with Millie... I know that they were more than happy to do it! Warm weather & Millie. The perfect combo! It was so much fun to have them there... hanging out with my mom during the beginning of the week was perfect. It would have been lonely and overwhelming without her... since G was working 17hour days in preparation for conference to begin. I loved making memories with her! And once conference started, it was so nice to know that Millie was spending time with her grandparents and we were able to take in every moment of the sessions without the distraction of a baby. Thank you so much for coming! And for all of the food and goodies that you got for us!

and just because...

on our way home millie had a diva moment at the atlanta airport... which led to this- some genius put an automatic paper towel dispenser above the changing area in the bathroom. at least it kept her entertained while i changed her.

orlando- free day.

One huge bonus of the conference is that you get the majority of one day to have free time... you can go to any Disney park, Universal Studios, play golf, or take money to enjoy rest & relaxation at the hotel. All paid for by Young Life. We chose a Disney park hopper, because we went to Magic Kingdom at the last conference, we were just at Disneyland a few years ago, and we went to Universal with G's family during a Thanksgiving vacation. And we don't play golf. We knew we didn't want to see Magic Kingdom, but we wanted to see Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios since neither of us really remember these parks from when we were younger. They were fun... each park had one great ride, which made it worth it. We debated heading to Magic Kingdom to end our day with the fireworks, but chose to skip the chaos & head to Downtown Disney for dinner and shops. It was a great day. The weather was a bit gray & dreary, but it was nice to have a break from the heat. We were so thankful that Millie was being taken care of so that we could really enjoy the day & have some alone time together. It makes me excited, and slightly overwhelmed, to think about bringing our family to Disney someday!

first stop: animal kingdom.

i love the parades.

second stop: hollywood studios.

third stop: downtown disney.
i fell in love with a store called little missmatched. so cute.

orlando- ylasc.

Every 4years Young Life has an All Staff Conference for their employees... and it has been in Orlando for the past few times. This was our second conference, G started just months before the last one in 2008, and I think this year definitely topped the last one. We knew more people. We had family there with us. We had a deeper appreciation of Young Life after his time working there, and also our time at camp. And there were some fun surprises this time too! The speakers were great, the worship was awesome, the entertainment was funny, and the people all love working for Young Life. This year definitely had a different feel with Millie along and G working so much... but we didn't miss any of the fun parts of the conference due to either of these things. It was a great week in Orlando!

a total surprise for everyone when we went to the afternoon session on the first day of the conference... young life jackets for everyone and seaworld is open for the evening just for us! i was excited to go with g... so we could ride the roller coasters that i couldnt do with my mom & millie. and i wanted him to see shamu!
- roller coasters were running. and they were really good.
- dinner at any restaurant.
- general session with jeff foxworthy as the entertainment.
- a fireworks finale.
- a special shamu show. g and i sat in the soak zone. i didnt think they would soak us at night. they did. the president of young life was in the front row with his wife. they got soaked too.
- desserts before heading back to the hotel after 11.
so much fun!

a block party with photo booths & dinner & live music.

buffet lunch outside by the pool between sessions.

formal night.

and a special happy hour on the 27th floor after the conference had ended for all of those who were on the planning team. g worked so hard before & during the conference. after happy hour they treated us out to dinner at a nice restaurant.

it was such a great week away. i am thankful that g works for such an awesome ministry that takes care of their employees so well. and their families! this was our second conference with young life... will we make it for a third? who knows?!

orlando- swimming.

We took Millie swimming for the first time at the hotel pool... she was super cute in her swimming suits! We weren't sure how she would react, since she doesn't like taking baths, but didn't freak out or seem to hate it. She did however not enjoy being dunked- we thought we needed to do it once, for her and for us. Another first for our Millie!

day #1. swimsuit #1.

i think swimming was a success.
at least she didnt freak out!

day #2. swimsuit #2.

looking forward to more swimming for millie!
we may need to check into lessons...

orlando- seaworld.

When we were getting our tickets for Epcot at the hotel concierge desk, they explained that SeaWorld was giving Young Life staff discounted tickets for admission. My mom & I had been talking about checking into going... so we decided to go! We went during our trip to Disney when I was 3, so we were both looking forward to seeing it again. It was a really fun day... the shows were definitely the best part! Even Millie loved them- she watched every show and clapped with the audience.

thankful for our go with the flow baby...

orlando- epcot.

My mom, Millie, and I went to Epcot for the day... my mom hadn't been to Disney since I was 3, so she wanted to go during her time in Orlando. And it was super exciting to experience it will her grandchild! And Epcot was the perfect park to go to with a baby- no cool rides, less crowded, and lots of entertainment just walking around the world. Millie got her first photo taken with a Disney character and her first set of Mickey ears. It was a great day!

funny story- after this photo was taken, our stroller (without millie in it) took off down the hill, took out tigger, and crashed over a curb. people were freaking out a bit, because they thought that a baby was in the stroller. false alarm. and tigger was fine.

the only thing missing was g. and my dad!

orlando- time with my mom.

I LOVED having my mom in Orlando with us... it was great to spend time with her on vacation & it was great for Millie to spend time with her Grams. I'm happy that it worked out for her to be there- to hang out with us while G worked before the conference and for her to take care of Millie once the conference started. I loved having Millie along with us, but I also liked going to conference sessions & activities baby-free. The best of both worlds! Thanks for coming mom! And thanks for all the treats and goodies too!

a little outlet shopping.

grams & millie time = alone time for me.

oh the joys of traveling with bottles.
a cleaning & steaming process every other day.
loved having help with this...

dinners out at the hotel.
this is how we keep millie entertained... crumbs on the table.
she will point at them and move them around for at least 30minutes.

hanging out by the pool.

orlando- our travel day.

Our day began at around 4:30am at the Colorado Springs Airport... we don't normally fly out of this airport, but it was best for this trip. I was reminded how nice it is- so much smaller and less crazy than DIA... and the bus picks you up at your parking spot! So awesome with tons of luggage and a baby! Our first flight was supposed to go to Atlanta, but bad weather near the airport put us in a holding pattern which led to the plane running low on fuel. Our plane was rerouted to Charleston, South Carolina for fuel and to wait out the bad weather. We were at the Charleston airport for a few hours before heading back to Atlanta... where it was crazy due to all of the weather issues! We were lucky enough to make it on a flight out of Atlanta to Orlando... some people from our flight weren't lucky enough, and ended up staying overnight with flights out the next morning. This all would have been a bit easier without Millie, but she was great and stayed happy most of the day. We arrived in Orlando about 5hours later than expected, and were taken to our hotel by a shuttle set up by Young Life. The main bummer about the whole situation was that my mom had arrived in Orlando earlier that afternoon... so we missed some time with her! But we made it safely... and our bags did too! That is all that matters.

g was a superstar at getting millie to sleep... he has a way of putting her to sleep, when she doesnt even realize that is what he is doing. it worked so well, and then we were able to transition her to the extra seat between us... on the first flight, or we just held her & stayed very still.

after our longer-than-expected day of travel... we met up with my mom at the hotel & were able to get adjoining rooms with her to make the whole week a lot easier with a baby. we unpacked and got millie to sleep rather easily. another successful travel day under our belts.

happy birthday dad!

happy birthday to my dad!
he is truly the best.
we missed you in orlando... and cant wait to see you in a few weeks!

she's growing.

onesie- walmart
jeans- target
shoes- old navy

an appointment.

we had an appointment at childrens this morning...

- she had labs done. everything looks normal- her magnesium is still a bit low so we will continue with the supplement.
- she is up to 16pounds 2ounces, which was a 4ounce weight gain from last time.
- she is now 26inches in length.
- colton had an appointment at the same time this morning, so we were able to get a few photos of the two of them together! they were super cute. doctors, fellows, and transplant coordinators were in the room taking photos on their phones. it was so fun! (today was his first birthday too!)
- her physical exam was perfect.
- her doctor decided to lower her steroid again, because her numbers are staying level! they also lowered her tacro (anti-rejection drug)... more to maintain the proper level in her body.
- nutrition is remaining the same.
- and she was cleared to go to orlando tomorrow!

at the park.

millie & i met evelyn & jen at the park this afternoon for a walk in the super windy 60degree weather. it was great to get outside... especially in january! after the walk, i took millie over to the playground for her first time on the swings! she loved swinging! lots of smiles & giggles!

eleven months.

millies eleventh month...
- she is still wearing size 2 diapers. i just bought her first pack of size 3s.
- she is currently transitioning sizes. she is right at the weight where sizes switch- 16 to 17 pounds... so she is wearing some 3-6months, some 6months, some 6-12months, and some 9months.
- she weighs right around 16pounds.
- the feeding tube is still gone... and shouldnt be coming back!
- she is still taking 3-4 6ounce bottles at 28kcal. no changes.
- she made the switch to stage2 foods, and has begun self-feeding puffs & other baby finger foods. she is still getting yogurt everyday, and we are still adding powder to her foods to increase calories. we have begun meats and are starting to puree foods for her. still no food allergies or dislikes!
- we just introduced sippy cups & cups with straws... she doenst seem too excited about the water, but she is liking something new to chew on & play with.
- her medicines have been changed a bit this month. her steroid dose has been lowered twice. and a magnesium supplement was added to help increase her levels & help with tremors.
- she is the most content, go with the flow baby... missed naps. no big deal. a pushed back bedtime. no big deal. time with people other than mama. no big deal. hanging out playing by herself while i get some things done. no big deal. so lucky.
- lots & lots of jabbering. mama and dada are heard often... but she doesnt realize why we are so happy when she says it! she talks to herself all the time while she plays and giggles lots.
- she rolling back & forth and pushing up while she is on her belly. she really wants to move, and hits the ground in frustration that she cant move. she is showing signs that she is figuring out how to transition to crawling from sitting... hopefully she will start in the next month!
- she claps for herself whenever we say "yay millie!"
- still only 2 teeth.
- she is taking 3 1.5hour naps most days, and is sleeping 12-13hours a night.
- she had her first christmas.
- she loves emptying anything that she can.
- she went to the cheyenne mountain zoo for the first time.
- she starting having labs done here in colorado springs, so we dont have to go to childrens as often!
next month is a big one! a trip to orlando, a visit from grandparents, and a first birthday party! cant wait to celebrate our little lady's first year!

what i wore wednesday.

a headband & a teeny ponytail.
leather jacket & turtleneck- target / skirt & boots- goodwill / socks- forever21.

ladies night out.
cardigan- tj maxx / shirt & bracelet- target / suede shorts- forever21 / tights & boots- old navy.

church.
shirt- thrifted / sweater dress- gap / jeans- forever21 / shoes- salvation army.

a cold wednesday.
bow earwarmer- etsy / shirt- h&m (mens) / sweater skirt & boots- goodwill.