Will she know her name?

Our baby's name is Lillia Grace. But will she really know that with all the nicknames she sports? Here's the short list of what comes naturally out of my mouth when I talk to her... (this is by no way a comprehensive list... no daddy nick names or nicknames from grandmas or uncles) Here we go.

- Little Lilli
- Lady Lilli
- Lilli Lani
- Baby Girl
- Sweet Girl
- Sweetie Pea* Most common
- Ms. Prez
- Princess poopy pants (She doesn't like this one. I apologize every time.)
- Shmo (I don't know why.)
- Little Pretty
- Little One
- Mi Amor

... and I'm sure there's more.

4 Weeks tomorrow!

1st. Thank you mona for your comment. I didn't want to point out the spaghetti straps- Uncle Adam pointed out that they weren't "age appropriate". But again, don't judge.

So. Aunty Shmem came to visit and take care of us for almost a week. It was incredible having her here, home always feels more complete when I can live life next to her. (Thanks for being here Rooms!) I felt very taken care of, my apartment has never been cleaner (even though I don't know where anything is...) and I have never had homemade curry like hers- yummmm. I miss life next to her and it was refreshing and so fun to share Lilli with her for a while.

and Then...

Last weekend we went on our first road trip as a family. We packed up Betty (my 97 Lumina) and headed east for Whit's wedding in Fort Wayne, IN. Whit married a fantastic man named Ryan Herrmann and I have to say, I've never been so moved by vows in my lifetime. Congratulations friends, you're marriage is already a great example of a beautiful, intentional love. Thank you for letting us share in your dedication to each other.

On a side note, these families REALLY know how to party! There was a live band- and they were AMAZING! Ryan and I wanted to be on the dance floor so we entrusted Mamma Moen's best friend with Lilli and she was passed around like a little hot potato during the reception. (Don't worry those of you who worry, I took it really easy during the weekend as to not over do it myself.)

No suprise, Lilli traveled really well in the car and slept like a champ just like a Bergman. However, I think we'll take a week or two and give her a break from her car seat as much as possible.

We went in for a check up today to get Lillia weighed to make sure she's eating enough and all that jazz. Turns out she weighs 9lbs 9oz! So she's eating pretty well... goodbye newborn clothes!

The faux hawk is cute. Don't judge us.

This past week

This past week has been a blessing. Lillia is home again and looking well. Her Bilirueben levels dropped thursday morning from 19.9 when we got to the hospital down to 9.7 and we got to bring her home that afternoon. Praise the Lord.

We have been blessed to have family and friends bring us good meals and great company through the week. We appreciate all the support pouring out from everyone and the prayers for her last week. She's been through a lot for such a new person.

On a lighter side, we've had the pleasure of experiencing her first "blow out", seeing her sneeze with her whole body and coo during night time feedings. I couldn't be more over joyed about our time together as a family. Ryan has been able to stay home from work and focus on enjoying little Lillia for the past week and has been blessed to take a few more days this week after our 2nd trip to the hospital. It's a beautiful thing to see her dark curious eyes look up at him and latch onto his gaze. He passed his 1st CFA exam so he's been studying for the 2nd test (to be taken June 2011). He reads his economic books out loud to her while he's studying. She's learning her daddy's voice and about GDP and economic growth theories. What a lucky girl. (She slept through the whole thing... just like her mommy. Wink Wink.) She's smitten with him... and he with her... as it should be.

As far as the first week of her life, I can't wait to wake up and feed her at night. I know that most moms are exhausted and are quite put off with their lack of sleep, but fortunately I had already established the bad habit of not really sleeping a ton so it hasn't been too bad yet. She's a good sleeper... just like her daddy so it's been great. We've had good bonding time and it gives me so much joy to be the one who can meet her needs. What a special privilege.

Again... thanks for all your prayers. And a special thanks to Aunty Mona for the Alpaca hat!

Our Sweet Girl...

Lillia Grace Bergman is here!!! (We call her Lilli for short) She was born July 31st, 2010 at 3:33pm and weighed 8lbs 6oz!!!
We are beyond amazement at how much we love her. She is strong and beautiful... just as expected. It's incredible to see her movements and finally know what she was doing inside me all that time. This has been a wonderful journey and every minute gets better and better. She has totally captured my heart. I could look into her eyes for hours and I actually miss her when she's asleep. She's so curious already and it floors me how much she's learned in the past 5 days. She's learned to breathe, eat, and how to match us to our voices- I am so proud of her. Her first few days of life were surrounded by people who loved her before she even took her first breath. It was so special to us to have so many people love us so well. Thank you everyone who was praying for a safe delivery, everyone is safe and happy. Ryan was a wonderful support and I am continually impressed with him. While I was resting in bed, Ryan took the responsibility of learning all he could from the nurses on bathing, diapering, sleeping and general tips and tricks. He was the one who showed me how to swaddle her for bed time and how to change a diaper more efficiently... there is no one Lilli is safer with than him- and that makes a mom really proud. Adding Lilli to our family created a whole new wonderful dimension to our family- and we are coming through it closer than ever.

A glimpse into our new life:

Little Lilli and Mom

Little Lilli and Dad

Lilli had a little run in with Jaundice. We had to readmit her to the hospital so she could spend some time in the NICU spa. (note the fashionable eye wear.) She is still in there today and over night tonight but her counts are going down (*good) and we should be able to bring her home again tomorrow.