The half-turn & the pacifier

We are seeing more & more personality as we tour through the life & time of Lillian Emmie. She kicks off her blanket, she turns her head to her right whenever she can, she turns on her side, & now she takes her pacifier. We're just so proud :) Last week, she won a regional competition for "most beautiful baby", & she's off to nationals next week! kiddin... We just love her so!

Good friends, Rick & Kelly w/ baby Bella. Rick is holding our Lily!
Liana turns 25!!! Did Collin really make that cake from scratch???
Lily turning all by herself! 'Atta girl
Could this be because of daddy's hairy legs?
Head turning - friend or foe?

In the quest for help - the Pacifier!

Life & Times of Lillian Emmie

I apologize for the prolonged wait, but Lily needed some personal time before continuing her tour! As big a star as she is, Lily needs a little R & R from time to time too! For all of you mothers out there, I'm sure you understand the nighttime adventures that babies bring to your lives. Liana is a walking zombie, as Lily usually gets fitful & fussy come midnight. But, she is eating so well & is growing like a weed!!! At a checkup on July 24, she weighed in at 6 lbs & measured 18", quite an increase after only 2 1/2 weeks! I wish I could get a good video of all the "grunting" she does - Liana calls her our little "Pterodactyl", although I think she sounds more like a "Velociraptor" from Jurassic Park :) We can't wait for family to come visit this month! Her Aunt Courtney is coming in from Paris, Uncle Tyler from Utah, & the entire Skousen clan from Ohio & Utah. She will most certainly enjoy her momma's birthday tomorrow - she already has the "hunger song" & "diaper dance" ready to perform as her gift!

Kisses, kisses, kisses
Fun with GG & Grandad!
Sadly saying goodbye to Nana at the airport
Mugshot

One on one with the star of the show

Fun with GG

Nana time!

Lily live!

Back by popular demand, Lily goes to a photo-shoot full of many "firsts"! We will try to include as many pictures & videos of her new experiences as possible in this edition of "Lily Live"! She is doing so well!!! She gained back her birthweight after only 6 days (the doctors says that usually takes 2 weeks or so)! You will notice the typical position she likes to put herself in - both hands up high on the sides of her head! She sleeps, eats, poops, & hangs out in this same position! She is absolutely a light in our lives!

Liana is doing better each day. Although still recovering from her surgery & in lots of pain/discomfort, she is glued to her little daughter every moment of the day. She still hasn't been out of the house hardly at all, but all in due time. She looks absolutely amazing for having given birth less than 2 weeks ago! Daddy Collin is as proud as can be. He has put together the swing, bouncer, pack'n'play, stroller... all the stuff a daddy does. If you have any Fisher-Price stuff you need help with, let me know - I'm a pro. We love all the comments you all leave on the site, so keep them comin! Thank you all for all the love, support, & even gifts you have given us! We are truly blessed!

Cute Lily, still at the hospital
After her first bath by her momma...
I love this picture!
Slightly worried...
Proud Daddy

1st time in Bouncer!!!

1st time in Swing!!!

Time with Momma

1st bath time!!!

Lillian Emmie Kraus

Momma Liana hatched baby Lily on Friday, July 6, 2007 at 7:39am in Operating Room #2 of Plano Presby hospital. What a whirlwind it was! What was supposed to be a checkup on Lily's progress at Dr. Herzog's office Thursday morning turned into a check-in procedure into Labor & Delivery. Dr. Herzog has been tracking our little girl's growth pretty closely due to her being slightly undersized. His concerns were affirmed when she hadn't grown in the last 2 weeks, so he decided she was gonna come out immediately to grow better on the outside. She was all in order, head-first position in the womb so we were to begin induction at midnight that night. After administration of the Ptocin, the contractions started increasing but dilation stayed about the same. The pain came on strongly, so Liana decided on an epidural. About 6am Thursday morning came & Dr. Herzog came by to move things along. Following a quick exam, he told us he couldn't identify her head anymore, but felt what he thought was a foot. A sonogram confirmed she had, in the previous 10 hours, completely turned around into the "breached" feet first position. So, 1/2 hour later we were ready to go into the OR for a ciserian section. Soon after, we received our precious little girl, Lillian Emmie Kraus. She was born 5 lbs 1/2 oz, 17.3" long. Both Mom & baby are doing great! Liana is recovering quickly from the surgery! Baby Lily has already been breast feeding (colostrum feeding) very well! Doctor's report says she is as healthy as can be, besides being the size of a peanut! We are so grateful to Mom & Dad Kraus for their help, Mom Skousen for flying out IMMEDIATELY for her little girl's first baby, Maribeth for doing all the little things, and everyone else for your thoughts & prayers! Enjoy the pics & videos!

Fresh out:
Momma & her baby
Dr. Herzog with Lily
Proud Daddy:

Fresh out:

Momma & Baby:

Interview with Lily:

Liana at almost 36 weeks!

Here is sweet Liana at 35 1/2 weeks!!! Isn't she beautiful? She hardly looks 4 months pregnant, let alone 8 months!
Maribeth's 19th birthday party. We think "the Beezers" enjoyed her b-day - we went to PF Chang's, ate Costco cake, & opened presents! We love our roommate :)

We are getting closer & closer to the hatching of our golden child. Sweet momma Liana is the cutest wobbling pregnant lady on planet Texas. She has only 7 working days left (YEAH), then we'll be ready for the home stretch! Collin is a little over halfway through making his first set of dentures! He is enjoying seeing patients & doing weird lab work as school has become very real. We feel so blessed for all that we receive each day. The Lord has seen fit to take excellent care of us, & for that we are eternally indebted to Him!

JIM!!!

Here is a pic of Jim, my best friend since childhood, in Iraq. He has been in the army for a few years & was stationed in Iraq in March. Amidst temperatures of 115 - 130F, he goes out serving our country each day. We all know of the dangers he & the rest of our troops face each day, & all I feel is gratitude. So, hear is my small blog piece on gratitude for our country & our troops. Only when someone close to us goes off to fight does it really hit home that our way of life is preserved by people like you & me. They are off protecting the country the Lord established for a place to restore His Gospel. I hope our prayers go out daily for our troops. I hope we aren't lulled into complacency, thinking that we can sit back in our place of security thinking all will be well with no effort of our own. This reminds me of Moroni's letter to Pahoran in Alma 59:6-11 in the Book of Mormon. What I now struggle with is knowing how I can help in my place in life. All I know to do, being yet immature politically, is to pray. So, I urge us all to tap more deeply into the power of prayer & to pray for our troops, our loved ones out protecting our beloved nation.

Gettin bigger!!!

Liana is getting bigger & bigger! As of today, she is 32 weeks & due in less than 2 months!
Our new roommate for the summer, Maribeth, grabbin for baby!We love when the Skousens come to visit! Please come more often!
David (Elder Roemisch) & Maribeth off to the single's ward! They had to make it know that they weren't boyfriend-girlfriend!

We are super excited b/c we have a new roommate! The Skousens came to visit in early May for Liana's baby shower. Aunt Debbie & David Roemisch came to visit too! We had a blast, & are excited to have Maribeth with us for the summer! She just got a job working at the business office of Apple Orthodontics. She's pumped b/c she gets full time hours & great pay. Good things have been happening to us recently, & we feel so blessed. The Lord has been so good to us, & we are so grateful! Liana's belly continues to bloom, but so does her heartburn. Our sweet little baby is karate-kicking Liana's ribs; however, we are so excited for her arrival! We continue to love living so close to Mom & Dad Kraus! They too have spoiled us more than we deserve, and we are forever grateful for their continual showering of love! We miss & love you all!