Tagged

I've been tagged by Beth....

1. Name: Minda Jane Williams Ciardi

2. Birthday: August 26, 1980

3. Birthplace: Bellville, Texas

4. Eye Color: blue

5. Hair Color: brownish/reddish...not really sure

6. Height: 5'5"ish

7. Ethnicity: mostly anglo, with a little Native American mixed in (my great-great grandmother)

8. Weakness: Spending money....I think I might have a disease

9. Most missed memory: sleep!

10. Thoughts first waking up: who's turn is it to get up?

11. Last time you cried: Tuesday...my first day back to work

12. Song title that currently says how you feel: I have to agree with Beth: that song that says "we don't need no education; hey, teachers, leave us kids alone." Except, I would change it to "Hey, kids, leave us teachers alone!"

13. What is the perfect day for you: Sitting in front of a fireplace while it's snowing outside, drinking hot chocolate, and cuddling with Lilly and Chris all day long

14. Ever been asked for an autograph? I can actually say yes! (When I was in Peter Pan)

15. How do you vent anger? I either cry or gripe to Chris or my mom

16. Who do you talk to most on the phone? My mom and Ashley

17. As a kid, were you a lego builder? No, I played with shoes

18. Do you chew on your straws? Not really

19. Do you sing in the shower? No...I sing all day

20. Who's the last person you stayed up late talking to on the phone to? I don't remember....I have to get sleep when I can, so late night phone conversations are basically out.

21. The last place you went to in a plane? Rochester, New York

22. Do you cry at weddings? Nope!

23. Are you afraid of the dark? If I'm scared I want it to be dark...I don't want to see the bad guy coming towards me

24. What are you addicted to? Dr. Pepper, spending money, cuddling with my daughter

25. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter? I used to be only creamy, but now, as a grown-up, I graduated to crunchy

26. Who do you fight with the most? I guess that would have to be Chris, but we never stay mad for long

27. Who can you tell anything to? Chris, Beth, Mom, Ashley, Grandma,

28. Do you recycle? I think about it!

29. Who makes you laugh the most? Chris

30. What is the worst feeling ever? watching those I love cry

31. How many pillows do you sleep with? now that I'm not pregnant anymore, only 2....don't even ask about before!

32. How many rings before you answer your phone? as many as it takes for me to find the stupid thing.

33. How many times do you press the "snooze" button? since the baby is mostly the snooze button....never! If she doesn't get up when I have to get up for work, many, many, many times.

34. How do you sleep? I don't know, I'm asleep!

35. Last time you laughed: yesterday, when Chris made Lilly smile and laugh several times in a row by mimicing her grunting sounds...it was the cutest thing!

36. Ever looked at someone ugly and said "EWWW"? No, I'm not a mean person :)

37. What is your favorite color? pink!

38. What is your favorite state? Texas...it's my home

Now I get to tag someone. How about Kate!

First Thanksgiving and First Snow

Here are some pictures of Lilly's first Thanksgiving as well as her first snow. Abilene got 3 inches of snow...just 45 minutes down the highway, Sweetwater got 7 inches. What a nice suprise for a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm sure Lilly enjoyed her first Thanksgiving....she was very polite and slept through the meal so Mommy and Daddy could actually eat. Then she enjoyed her own Thanksgiving feast....a nice bottle. :)




















Turning to some not so good news, I have to return to work on Tuesday. I am very much not looking forward to it...tears have fallen. Lilly gets her shots on Monday so that we will be cleared for day care. She'll only go to day care for 2 weeks until Chris is done with classes for the semester. I miss my kiddos at school and am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things, but I am very much not looking forward to leaving my baby girl. Poor Mommy!

A Day in the Life of Lilly

I thought they said burping was un-ladylike...





Getting ready for church:





After a really poopy diaper, the bathtub was the only way to go:

A-Hunting We Will Go

Lilly received a package from her Grandpa Ciardi (Zeke) with a cute little note with a picture of a deer on it. It read:

Dear Lilly,

Do you know what Saturday is? Opening Day! I am sure you don't have a thing to wear for the occasion so I sent you a little something. Enjoy!

Love,
Papa Ciardi

Here's a few pictures of Lilly modeling her new outfit:

Like Mother, Like Daughter

My dad sent this to me in an e-mail...

Sorry it's been so long since I posted! I've been slightly distracted! Lilly is doing great! She's definately putting on weight and has become very interested in things/people around her. She especially likes lights. Today we read Eric Carle's book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?" and I could definately tell she loved it. I'm sure we have a literary genius on our hands. :) Since she's been born, we've made a trip to Abilene to meet all her new Abilene friends and see all my family and then her Grandma Dowdle (Chris' mom) came last weekend to meet Miss Lilly. Needless to say, she's already very spoiled. Enjoy some new pictures!

Introducing Lillian "Lilly" Jane Ciardi

Lilly arrived Monday, October 8, 2007 at 6:36 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and is 20 inches long. She is now at home and doing very well. Stay tuned for more pictures!!!

Well, we're almost done. It's Saturday night and we go in for our C-section on Monday at 3:00 pm (although it probably won't happen until 6:00 or 6:30). I finished my last day at work on Friday...have to say, I was glad. I was getting tired. I spent a loooootttt of time preparing for my sub....it's so much easier to plan for yourself than it is for someone else. Plus, it doesn't help if you're a control freak! Now I just have to work on my to-do list for home:

- Clean house

- Clean car

- Return the monitor that doesn't work

- Buy groceries for the next couple weeks

- Pay bills

- Double check Leave and Sick Leave Bank paperwork

- Finish packing my hospital bag

I'm hoping to do all of that tomorrow so when I'm waiting for 3:00 to roll around on Monday, I can relax (or as much as possible). I'm planning on treating myself to a manicure and pedicure...maybe I'll even take myself to the movie! But all baby stuff is ready to go!

It seems so surreal that this is actually going to happen...and so soon. We started this journey a little over 2 years ago and I am just so thankful that it's coming to an end (at least until we try for a brother or sister....but we're not EVEN thinking about that right now!!!). Pregnancy has been good...but I'm very ready for it to be over. Plus....I'm the size of a cow. :)

Well, probably the next post will introduce our new daughter....so keep watching!!!

A Trip to Labor and Delivery

Well, I had to leave school early this afternoon because of what I thought were contractions. Aparently I was right. After they monitored me for a while, they gave me a shot of some drug to stop the contractions (which made me feel like I had drank about 5 Red Bull's). My cervix is still very high so they weren't too worried about me going into active labor. So we're back at home and they said I could go back to work tomorrow. Fun, fun!

5 weeks and counting

We are scheduled for a C-section 5 weeks from tomorrow. As long as Lilly cooperates (I've been having contractions....been to the hospital once and got sent home), we are scheduled on October 8th at 6:00pm. My principal is scheduled for one two hours earlier and my classroom next door neighbor (a 2nd grade teacher) is scheduled 2 days later....crazy! I'm very, very ready for the day to come. The discomfort has definately come. Not to mention, my maternity clothes seem to be the size of pre-pregnancy clothes and the only shoes I can wear are my black Old Navy flip-flops. Fun! With all complaining aside, I am so thankful to be pregnant and to have been able to have this experience. I'm just ready to hold our little girl now.

I've been trying to finish up the nursery this weekend. We still have a few things to do, but it's basically just decorating (I still need a crib dust ruffle, a tea set to go on top of my quilt rack, an area rug for the floor, and some things for the walls. Other than that, I feel like we're ready. We've installed the car seat, diapers are in the diaper basket, she has PLENTY of clothes, and all the details that we're supposed to have prepared (probably some other not so important things as well....since I seem to be OCD!). Now I just need to focus on getting my kiddos at school ready for our sub.

My grandma has made us a baby quilt, a bumper, curtains, and the cutest little burp clothes you've ever seen! Enjoy the pictures!

A close-up of the bumper Grandma made.
The burp clothes Grandma made.

The dresser....I need to jazz up these walls.
Chris said he is jealous....she has a walk-in closet full of clothes, and he only has a little section of ours with a limited wardrobe...poor baby. :)
Can you get enough pink?
Lilly is all packed for the hospital....now to get Mommy ready!
The quilt Grandma made....I love it!

I think I got fatter since yesterday.
I'm hoping to give the crib a less naked look with a dust ruffle. Pink, green, or white?
Lilly's bookshelf with her pink boombox and some of Mommy's favorite children's books.
The curtains Grandma made.
Sophie said this is her bed.

A Couple of Random Pictures

Here's Sophie resting her paw on Lilly (she stayed there for like 30 minutes...which is very unusual for Sophie).

A lady hit Chris' new car....his bumper is actually in his back seat....hopefully, we'll get it fixed this week.

Birthdays, birthdays...

Birthday Party at Grandma's

Not only did Grandma make all the nursery decorations, but she also made some really cute burp clothes (I actually started them, but decided sewing is not a future career for me).

Chris has been begging for Blueberry pie....so Grandma made one as part of his birthday suprise. Dare I go out in public like this????
We went out to eat at Rockfish for Chris' birthday.

Chris and I are both one year older....and one year closer to 30, I'm afraid. We both turned 27 (Chris on August 20th and me on August 26th).