Trent's Birthday

Lillie went to her 6-month checkup a few weeks ago, and once again, she's doing great. She weighed 16 lb 12 oz and measured 26.5". Our nurse practitioner was very pleased with both her physical and intellectual development.

We also celebrated my birthday last week (7/24/75...yep, the big 3-2). Our niece and nephew (Abbey and Mac) were in town visiting their grandparents; we all went to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.

Finally, my parents came up this past weekend to visit Lillian, and of course, bearing birthday gifts! Speaking of presents...guess who got a GMU men's basketball jersey for the upcoming season?? As always, check out the photos.

Six Month Professional Photos

We thought Lillian's six-month birthday was a good occasion for another round of professional photos at JCPenney. We can send you the information necessary to order prints if you wish. All you need to do is send us an email.

Of course, you can always enjoy taking a look at our beautiful baby girl by heading over to the web album.

Trip to Marion

Liz, Trent, and Lillie recently traveled to Marion to visit Trent's family. Lillian was introduced to her Southwest VA roots for the first time after an eventful 5 1/2 drive. Of course, Jeff and Lynn enjoyed spending time with their granddaughter in their own home. Furthermore, LMR's great-great aunts and uncle (Jane, Ann and Bud) had the opportunity to meet her for the first time.

We also had a great hike at Hungry Mother State Park. BTW, it's the second-most visited state park in the Commonwealth. And with good reason...you should take a gander at the photos.

Booster Seat

Lillie Mae began sitting in her booster seat during supper this week. Speaking of eating, Lillian is currently eating Earth's Best bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, and peas (yuck). In fact, she even tried Cheerios yesterday and loved them.

We're off to Marion this weekend to visit my family. We should have lots of beautiful photos from Hungry Mother State Park.

Sleep Apnea Surgery

I recently underwent surgery to treat my obstructive sleep apnea. The procedures which included a UPPP (removal of the uvula and soft pallette) and a tonsillectomy were performed by Dr. Eric Furst at Fairfax Hospital.

The goal of the surgery was to open up my airway thereby lowering the severity of my sleep apnea and reduce the level of snoring. I'm happy to report it's been over three weeks since the surgery and I feel great. Most importantly, I'm snore-free (almost unbelievable!) and I wake-up refreshed.

I will admit the first 10 days were painful, and at times, it was a difficult recovery. Not surprisingly, swallowing was initially very difficult so I subsisted on Boost, Jell-O, popsicles, and Gatorade for over a week. I eventually transitioned to soup, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. Needless to say, I've been making up for lost calories over the past week.

Many thanks goes to my family for their support during the whole affair. Only one final test remains...the post-operative sleep study. If my sleep apnea levels have diminished from the "severe" to the "minor" range, then I'm home-free for the rest of my life (hopefully)!

Father's Day

The Richardson family had a great Father's Day weekend which was highlighted by a number of events including Lillian's first keg party, a trip to the pool, and a cookout on Sunday. Our visitors on Sunday included Pam and C.W. (Liz's parents), our comrades (Christian, Amy, Conrad, Finn), and Trent's buddy and his girlfriend (Quentin and Tara). We hope to see more of our friends and family this summer.

We haven't heard from people in awhile so let's get those comments flowing. As always, you can check out the photos.

Rainforest Jumperoo

Needless to say, Lillian loves her Rainforest Jumperoo! However, I wake up in the middle of the night with that song in my head. Speaking of restless sleep...Lillian has just recovered from her first head cold. In reality, she was quite the trooper, but thank goodness for infant nose drops and Children's Tylenol.

We've posted a number of photos from Memorial Day weekend and a Kincheloe family visit. Lillian will be making her first trip to Marion to see Trent's family in the coming weeks.

Solid Foods

Lillian has started her transition to solid foods based on the recommendation of our pediatrician. We first fed her rice cereal last week and she took to it like a professional. This week we added sweet potatoes to the mix. She now protests when her bowl is empty.

Lillian has shown quite an interest in food during our meals over the past several weeks. Her primary source of nourishment is still Liz, but we're pleased to see her eat so well.

Four Month Checkup

Lillian went to her four month checkup this Monday. She weighs 14 1/4 lbs, measures 24 1/2", and has a 16" head (all 50 percentiles). She may be average in stature, but advanced in intelligence. The nurse practitioner said Lillian demonstrated the development of a 6 month old. As you can imagine, we're very proud and happy parents.

We've added many pictures to the photo album. You can see some photos of Lillian from this past weekend (swinging at the playground, visiting Burke Lake, and hanging out). You can also travel over to my pictures from Louisiana (technical tour and festivities).

We hope you have an enjoyable Memorial Day.

Goin' Swinging

Cute, but make sure to take your dramamine.