Easter with Lila.

Today was a lovely day with Lila. Saturday night while Mike got some work done, Lorrie (my sister-in-law) and I colored eggs with her. It was a mess but so much fun! When I got up this morning, Lorrie had to remind me to do the duty of the bunny... I had been so wiped out at night, I'd passed out.

When Lila woke up, Lorrie talked her into having breakfast with her and getting dressed before waking sleepy Daddy. The poor guy is just not sleeping well and hasn't been for a while. Eventually, we all were up, had our breakfast and she had forgotten about finding her basket or eggs. I guess while she was playing on the couch, she spied her basket under the credenza and the Easter magic began.

Most of the morning was spent outside. She wanted to go swimming, even though it was super chilly outside. I figured she could find out for herself. She ended up having a blast, washing Bella, the towel, some ice cubes she had in a cup. It was so nice seeing her play like this. It seems it's been so long since I've just watched & engaged her a bit. A couple of months ago, these were our daily experiences.

Eventually, Lorrie headed out to have brunch with Chris (her son/Lila's cousin who lives in Thousand Oaks) and we did the egg hunt. Lila was so excited! She's quite good at finding things. Then it was time for lunch and nap. I did the tuck in while Daddy worked. So nice to have this time with her, although I was thinking of Ian quite a bit as well. We'd called and he was making progress so we felt good there too. After she was down for a bit, I straightened the house and got ready to pump. Then we had the earthquake which totally freaked us out. I ran in to get Lila but then just stood in the middle of the room with her. We really need to do a drill or something so we have a plan.

After pumping, I headed up to the hospital while Mike hung out with Lila. I wanted to top by to see my friend Jennifer before the NICU. Saturday afternoon, she had a C-section and now has a beautiful baby boy. We were due on the same day, April 18th, and our daughter's are the same age. We were in a class together when they were younger and the group has kept in close contact ever since.

Of course I'm so excited for her and her family. She looked amazing and her baby boy is absolutely beautiful! But, as expected, it was difficult as well. This was also my plan, to be in the room with my baby after he was born. Now, he's down the hall with tubes coming out of his mouth and off just about every limb. I'm sure it's not the plan of anyone in the NICU to be there. But as my Mom pointed out, at least they are there and able to get help to survive. 50 years ago, the babies might not have made it because the medical technology just wasn't in place to save so many.

After visiting a bit, I headed in to see my little guy. He was quite alert when I arrived. Like I mentioned in his update, it was the first time I saw him yawn and he was moving around a bit more than usual. Good to see.

We had a good couple of hours together before I had to head home. It was shift change time for the nurses and I had to get home to eat dinner and tuck my little Lila in. Mike & Lorrie had planned to come up to the hospital after I arrived home.

There was also an amazing dinner waiting for me brought by some fabulous friends! Mike explained it to me (they had already eaten) but you just couldn't imagine how yummy this was. It really was over-the-top as Mike would say. We've been so fortunate to have so many meals brought to us by friends. It's strange because I've always been the one bringing the meals, never receiving them. In the last couple of months, there have been more than our share of meals brought. It's so nice but it feels a bit strange. I just feel I should be giving back more. I guess all in due time.