Libby's 1st Spoon Feeding

Libby at 6 months!

Six Months Old

I know, I know, it is a day early. But tomorrow, March 2, Elizabeth Rose will be six months old. It is hard to believe as it has flown by fast. Everyone that sees Libby for the first time in a couple of weeks talks about how much she has changed. I guess we don't see it as we are around her daily. But then we go and look at her past pictures and we see it! She is getting bigger, so much so that we had to get new car seats for the vehicles and install them today as she has outgrown the ones we have now. It will be interesting tomorrow to see just how big she really is as she has her six month checkup. We will also have to put up with shots............

Things here have been busy. We sat down last week and realized we needed to take this weekend just to have to ourselves. We have been on the run or doing something every weekend since the beginning of February and this was going to be the only weekend we would have free until April. So, we spent four hours at Walmart on Saturday getting Libby's six month / Easter picture taken. The photo center was running behind and that pushed us back about a half hour. They then told us to go do our shopping and then stop back to pick out photos. Well, when we stopped back, there was a family in front of us and they took what seemed like forever. Libby was a trooper through all of this, doing very well, probably better than mom and dad.

As for our hockey trips, we only have two left. The Beavers will conclude their regular season next weekend in Bemidji, and then the following weekend they will host the Conference Tournament. It seems like just yesterday the season was starting and now it is almost over. Okay, at least for Troy it seems that way!

Our jobs continue to go well. Denise survived her week in Texas for training with Verizon. More importantly, daddy and Libby survived the week without mommy being around. Verizon has announced that they will keep the building in Alexandria open, just who all will be staffed there is yet to be determined. But, with the company training Denise the way they are, her job looks more and more secure every day. The Alexandria community did take a big hit as they handed out pink slips to the call center staff and some others, about 65-70 individuals.

My job continues to get busier and busier as more and more people hit the unemployment lines. Working for a company that deals with government assistance for medical, perscription and dental care, our jobs get busier and busier as people get laid off. Add to that the fact everyday I learn a little more about the "system", it means that there is more I can do. It is a fast paced job and the days just fly by. I will admit I work on a great team, so that has really helped the learning curve.

For not posting in about six weeks, this post seems a little short. But, I will leave you with some pictures of Libby, since that is who everyone wants to see! We also picked up a video camera around Christmas time, so videos should be appearing on this site in the future (just have to edit them some!).

The first few pictures are of Libby "sitting" in the huge snow drift we have on the north side of the house. Back in January, it measured around 40 inches above the surface of the deck, or 70 inches total. We had a few days in the 40s and a day of rain in February, so it shrunk down to around 50 inches total. Well, this past Thursday, we had a storm that dropped around 10 inches with a little bit of wind. Now the drift measures 73 inches, so it grew again.

Anyway, enjoy the snow pictures.

Up next is Libby and Daddy lounging around on Saturday.

Honestly, Libby does like bath time even if that "look" doesn't look like it!

Libby laying around on the floor. She loves being on her back and is getting better at "tummy time". She has figured out how to hold her head up with her arms and how to hold her rear up with her legs, but hasn't put both of them together yet to start crawling. I think she sees the crawlers and walkers at daycare and wants to move like that. She is getting pretty good at sitting up and is pretty close to being able to hold herself steady without help.

Libby "looking" at the roses that Mommy got for Valantine's Day (the roses are a little droopy now, but they did look nice at one time!) She is really starting to get curious about things, scratching, touching and tasting as many things as she can. We have started to pay REAL close attention to what she is doing. She loves the newspaper and Target ad!

We have used this "Jump and Go" that we got from my sister Stacy quite a bit. Libby just loves it. It is portable, so it has worked great on hockey weekends in the hotel room and last weekend when we helped move my Grandma out of her apartment. We just hung it in a doorway somewhat out of the way and she was happy for hours.

Well, that is about all from here for now. We hope everyone is doing well and we will try to keep this updated more frequently. Hopefully we can get videos figured out and we will have those up soon.

Troy, Denise and Libby

So Sorry!

To all our faithful followers...
We are so sorry we havent updated Libby's blog in such a long time! We have been busily enjoying life with our little one! We promise to add some videos this weekend.
So...keep checking back!!!

Daddy Daycare!

Good Afternoon to everyone. With today being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I have the day off from work, but Denise does not. So, today is officially "Daddy Daycare Day" here at the Mills Household. I have gotten some decent pictures today, so I thought I would post them while Libby is asleep. One week in a daycare center and she has a cold, so she sleeps quite a bit right now.


Daddy and Libby outside for a quick picture with the "Hoars Frost" on the trees behind us! One shot and I am surprised how well it turned out without looking at the digital screen. That will become my "wallpaper" on my computer at work tomorrow!


These three shots are from lunch today. Libby had graduated up to "real food" if you can call the purees in the little jars real food. Today was squash. She wasn't too sure at first, but we do know she loves peas, carrots, bananas and now squash. She isn't too sure of green beans yet.

Here are shots of Libby in her walked/exerciser. She loves the thing and really loves the chew toy now that she is starting to teeth. The doctor said at her four month checkup that the teeth seem to be a ways out yet, but she sure does love chewing and grinding with her gums.

Next up are some weather shots. On January 4th, we had my parents and my sister, her husband and their twin girls over for Christmas. Well, in our back yard, we had some monster drifts, many between three and four feet high. Well, the twins, Abby and Maddy, wanted to go play in them, so out they went. As Dave and Maddy went around the house to get to the back yard and the drifts, Denise and Abby went out the back door and onto the deck. Well, you can see a metal Shepard's hook attached to the deck. Abby, being 2 1/2 years old, didn't realize yet what happens when something wet comes in contact with something metal at a temperature of zero degrees. Yep, classic, just like it was right out of the movie "A Christmas Story". A glass of warm water from Uncle Troy and a gentle pull from daddy Dave, and Abby was free. Needless to say, the drift jumping was awash.

Well, the reason I bring all that up is because the size of the drifts have grown. It now measures 40 inches from the flooring of the deck, making the drift about six feet tall. We kind of want to see how tall it will get, but also realize with it being on the north side of the house, it could be July before it melts. The shovel and snow blower may have to find it as spring gets closer.

And here are pictures of today's Hoars Frost. I just love waking up and seeing this. One, it looks awesome on the trees, and two, it has to be fairly warm out for this to form. Right now, it is close to 60 degrees warmer than last week!

And the last picture of this entry is one from Christmas. Grandpa Wayne, Grandma Vicky and their three granddaughters!

Well, someone has woke up, so it is back to being "Daddy Daycare"! Everyone have a great week!!!!

Troy, Denise and Elizabeth

Winter, Daycare and Checkups

Good Evening from a cold Garfield, MN. It is 24 below outside right now (7:30), but that is warmer than the 35 below we had Monday morning. But tonight is suppose to be the coldest of the week, so we will see just how far the battery in the remote sensor outside will withstand!

Last Friday, Libby had her four month checkup and all is well. She measured 26 inches and 16 pounds, both above the 90th percentile for her age. She also has passed daddy up in the hair department! She had her four month shots, which bugged her for a little over a day. But by Sunday morning, Elizabeth was back to being herself.

The other big event happened Monday as Libby started daycare at a daycare center in Alexandria. After spending October, November and December with Grandma Rosemary and then the first week of January with Grandma Vicky and Auntie Stacy, it was time to "institutionalize" her. It was rough on both mom and dad dropping her off at daycare, but the staff seems to really enjoy what they do and all the kids we have witnessed seem to be really happy. Libby is happy to see us when we pick her up in the evening as she always has a huge grin on her face when we walk over to pick her up. It must be tiring on her though as she goes to bed a little earlier now and doesn't fight it nearly as hard.

Otherwise, not a whole lot going on here. It is too cold to really get out and do much, but this weekend we are suppose to be 50-60 degrees warmer than we are tonight. Sounds great doesn't it, even though it only amounts to 30 on the plus side of the thermometer! We will post some recent pictures of Elizabeth this weekend also.

Hope everyone is well, enjoying 2009 and staying warm!

Troy, Denise and Elizabeth

Libby Is Now Four Months Old!

Happy New Year to all our friends and family! I know that greeting is a day late, but oh well!

Today is Libby's four month birthday. It is also a little over a year ago that we found out she was going to be joining our lives as we found out Denise was pregnant on New Years Eve 2007. My what a change a year can make, but it has been all for the better.

Libby continues to grow and hit milestones. Yesterday, New Years Day, we decided to thicken up so Rice Cereal and Formula and introduce her to the spoon. Needless to say, by the pictures, she LOVED it. She was smiling up a storm and every time the spoon came into view, she would open up as wide as she could! It was a blast and we got a video of it also. She is very much into sitting up like a big girl and is getting closer to sleeping through the night. We have had an occasional one here and there where she has made it, but not consistent yet.

Libby sitting in her Bumbo with her new dolly that she just loves! It laughs and she laughs right along with it. Thanks Great Aunt Sharon!

Libby trying out the high chair and being spoon fed for the first time.

Look at that face. I promise, most of it did end up in her mouth.

Christmas 2008 was a good one. We were able to attend Christmas Eve Mass in Alexandria with Denise's parents. Yes, this Methodist was in a Catholic Church. Libby did really well and wasn't even close to being the loudest child in the church. She loved the music and did take a little nap on Grandpa's lap. On Christmas Day, we had our own little Christmas at home. We then made the trek over to Browerville to celebrate with my mom's side of the family. Friday night, we were able to celebrate at Curtis and Rosemary's with Denise's sister Lisa, her husband Eric and their two daughters, Emily and Anna. It was a great Christmas season and Libby did seem to enjoy it. We still have one more day as this Sunday we will celebrate with my mom and dad along with my sister Stacy, her husband Dave, and their twin daughters Abby and Maddy.

Grandpa Curtis and Grandma Rosemary with Elizabeth.

Our Christmas Tree. Keeping it simple and loving it!

Elizabeth under the tree with the presents on Christmas morning.

Four generation picture at Christmas.

Elizabeth in her Christmas dress along with cousins Abby and Maddy.

The ever growing Mills Family (Dave, Abby, Maddy, Stacy, Troy, Elizabeth and Denise)

New Years Eve, we decided to stick close to home this year. We invited our friends, Roger and Peggi over along with Denise's parents. We had a few beverages, a lot of snacks and some fun board game action. Everyone left here a little after 11 and Denise and I managed to stay awake until 12:00 to see the ball drop on TV. It wasn't long after that our eyes dropped.

We have not made any recent hockey trips as Bemidji State was off for Christmas break. They did play two tournament games out in New Hampshire last weekend, defeating Massachusetts and losing to Dartmouth in the Championship Game. That puts them at 8-8 on the year, but a big improvement over their 1-6 start. This weekend they play a home and home series with the University of North Dakota, but we had to pass on going to tonight's game as Denise has caught a flu bug that is going around amongst some of our friends. From the sounds of it, it is only really bad for about 24 hours, so hopefully tomorrow morning she will be back to normal.

So that is about all from here. I hope 2009 is treating every one well!!!

Troy, Denise and Libby

Merry Christmas from the Mills Family!

A Long Overdue Update

Hello to all our family and friends. I know it has been a long time since we last updated the blog, so hopefully this will be a chance to catch up.

Libby is growing by leaps and bounds. She is three months old now and more alert than ever. She goes to bed around 7:30 and will usually only get up once during the night, usually around 2:00 for a bottle. She then falls back to sleep on her own with very little help from mom or dad. That bottle will get her to 6:30, when it is time to get her up, feed her and get her ready to head to Grandma Rosemary's for the day. She is pushing 14 pounds, if not already past it. She has rolled over from her back to her stomach a couple of times on her own, and the other night she did roll from her stomach to her back while we were on the floor playing. She does not like "tummy time" at all and prefers to be on her back. She really likes to sit up "like a big girl" and stand up with mom or dad helping her. She loves her baths and is "happy go lucky" most of the time. About the only time she is fussy or crying is when she gets over tired and we don't get her to bed on time.

We have attended six Bemidji State hockey games and Libby has seen five wins and one loss. We are thinking she is a good luck charm and we should get a road trip or two out of it! She enjoys being at the games, watching the action on the ice and the light show before the games. She will take a nap or two during the games, but when she wakes up, she wants to be facing the ice. She sleeps very well in the hotel room and mom and dad enjoy being able to just veg and bond with her in the room on the weekends away from home. Last weekend in Bemidji we were able to get her picture taken with Santa and will try to do the same in Alex and Garfield.

Troy's new job with PrimeWest is going very well. Now a little more than a month into it, more and more tasks get put on his plate. His main task is to process all dental requests that come in and gets them off to the dental reviewers. When the approval or denial comes back, he then processes the results, gets them off to the State and notifies the provider of the outcome. Right now it is all paper and pen, but the company wants to process them electronically like medical claims starting January 1. Right now that means testing claims that come in, working the bugs out and creating a flow chart for the company. He also helps out with medical claims and will be training in pharmacy claims in the next few weeks. Since he is the bottom person on the totum pole in the department, all phone calls come into his line (questions and forwarding) and he handles the agenda and minutes of department meetings. The 15 minute drive to and from work is great and he is able to pick up Libby from Grandma in the afternoon.

Denise's job with Verizon is going well. With the takeover, there have been many questions, some of which are still unanswered. We feel very fortunate though that she does have a job in this time of economic difficulties. What Verizon has in store for her future is any one's guess, but she is "mapped" to a boss at Verizon headquarters and they are sending her to training seminars in February. They are in Southlake, Texas (outside of Dallas), which means she will be away from Libby and Troy for a few days. I am sure it will be harder on her than it will be on Libby and Daddy. Her parents, who winter in Texas, have already made plans to visit her for a few days.

Well, that is about all from here. Hopefully it won't be so long between this update and the next one!

Troy, Denise and Libby

I'm 3 months old today!!