CLUCK, CLUCK-- HALLOWEEN 2009!

Lily practiced getting dressed for Halloween for about a couple of months before the big day. She would see her costume in the closet & say "Cluck, Cluck"... we would then need to try it on. Her Halloween celebration began at Buell's Orchard with other friends from camp, followed by a photo shoot in the front yard & ended at home with Daddy, Momma & Aunti "Goo" (Magoo) greeting trick-or-treaters. The most exciting of all visitors was a little girl dressed as Barney. Lily was in awe... staring, waving at a speed 10x her normal rate... "Baaa-ey! Hi, hi, hi, hi!"

" PUN-CANE!"

Lily & Momma went to the "Harvest Festival" at a local orchard today. Lots of fun... apple picking, pumpkin ("pun-cane") picking, live music & hayrides. We enjoyed being out on such a beautiful Fall day! 

We are really noticing the difference between baby & toddler. Lily is gaining so much independence, learning new words every day, requesting particular books to read, pointing out things in her environment. No more baby food, no more bottle-- big girl bites & drinking out of her straw cup (actually, for a couple of months now)! 

This is proving to be a challenging time in parenthood... our little girl who would eat ANYTHING (including sauteed spinach) is now refusing her vegetables-- even sweet potatoes! The veggies seem to be better off on the floor than in her mouth. Any tips from experienced parents would be greatly appreciated! Teething continues & we are also down to 1 nap vs. 2...

Misc. information:

Lily can identify the letters O, M, & P... and says "A-B-A-B" when referring to the alphabet. 

When you ask her to count, everything is "2." 

She can find her belly button, nose, eyes, ears, neck, chin, cheek, hair, hands/fingers, feet/toes. 

If we put on shoes & put in a hair bow, she says "BYE!"

She likes giving high fives, low fives & shaking hands...

Lily LOVES giving hugs & kisses to her toys & books... and having her toys kiss each other. All throughout the day, we hear "MMMMA!" I turn my head, to find Pooh kissing a lion. When she gives hugs, she says "Oh Bear... Oh Pooh... Oh Baby" and gives them a "pat, pat."

Some of our favorite words & phrases: "alli-gee" (alligator), "Oh boy," "Oh man," "Cool," "Hop on Pop," "Pun-cane" (pumpkin), "Haaamm" (Ham, in her best English accent). 

When Lily is eating & wants more of something, she gives the sign for more, and follows with "kay" (okay)... this is because I say "you want more ____ ? okay!"

No independent walking yet, but she walks around furniture & can pull up to everything... and balances well when she lets go of the furniture. 

She loves Pooh, any & all bears, her babies (handmade by Gramma Di), BOOKS, her alphabet magnets (specifically the letter O, which she carries around the house).

"Ba-eee" (Barney) is another obsession, which is ironic. After watching hours & hours of Barney with Mariah when she was little, I decided the big purple dinosaur would not be an honorary member of our family.... that Barney & his videos would be a treat she could enjoy at Nana Jo & PawPaw's house. However, I bought a couple of Barney books at a garage sale this Summer & somehow she is hooked. When Gramma Di was here, she counted 16 kisses (in a matter of 30 seconds) that Lily gave to Barney in her book.

Animal sounds: monkey, cow, cat, dog, snake, owl, horse, pig, sheep, wolf, lion, chicken, rooster (SO CUTE) & duck.

Daddy is still Lily's hero... she mimics his actions, facial expressions, words, his every move... so sweet.

 

Birthday Party, Gramma Di, Pops... then PawPaw!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, LILY!

What a special day! Lily celebrated her big day at home, with Daddy, Momma, Gramma Di & Oba-Chan (Hiroko). Presents... followed by birthday cake... a dip in the pool... and finally a bath to remove chocolate icing from her nostrils & folds. :) She had so much fun & LOVED the cake (we weren't surprised). After the festivities, our little birthday girl completely crashed... with a 3-hour afternoon nap! It is unreal how quickly time has passed-- what an incredible year. 

The best photos (especially of Lily devouring her cake) were taken by Gramma Di & Hiroko. We're experiencing some technical difficulties transferring their photos onto our computer... hope to get them posted in the next couple of days! 

SUMMERTIME ADVENTURES!

HOW BIG IS LILY? (updates from 4/13-5/13)

                                                 Piggy!

                                                    Crazy tongue!

                                         Notice the finger...

                                          Mother's Day

                                           Lily and "Grandpa" Dave

                                                     So Big!

It's time to catch up. Lily has some things she would like to share with you....

The weather (when not raining, of course) has been beautiful. Every chance we get, we are outside taking walks, going kayaking in the lake, and playing in the yard. 

As small as this sounds, the first time Lily clapped was probably the proudest moment I have experienced as a Mom (with the exception of her birth). :) It was the day we were heading back to CT after the cruise. I actually felt like Gramma Di when I had to stop to tell a complete stranger in the airport that Lily had just learned to clap. "The Ellen Show" was on TV a few weeks ago & the audience began to clap... Lily quickly looked up from her toys to join them. Cracked me up.

When Mariah was a baby, my favorite trick had to be what we called "piggy." The cutest thing ever. I am happy to report that Aunti Ri passed this talent down to her niece. She scrunches up her nose, opens her mouth & snorts like a little piggy. Lily loves it when Scotty & I join her in making the piggy noise.

How Big is Lily? Sooooo Big! We may have overused this one, because Lily is pretty selective about when she will raise her arms up in the air to show us "how big." However, if she is in front of a mirror, that is a different story. No hesitation whatsoever. Speaking of "so big"... Lily had her 9-month check up yesterday, 5/12. She was 20.9 lbs, and 28.25 inches. 

Other talents we would like to mention include: fake coughing, "crazy tongue" (see above), pointing and tilting her head from side to side (she especially loves it when we mimic her & tilt our heads too). 

Lily LOVES her books. We read before every nap & before bedtime. She is very active in turning the pages, and loves to point at her favorite pictures. 

Does anyone remember the part in "When Harry Met Sally" when they are playing Pictionary and Harry's friend yells out "BABY FISH MOUTH, BABY FISH MOUTH?" They made fun of him for this guess, but I want to say that it does exist. Lily makes the best baby fish mouth, though we do not have a photo to prove it.

Lily has a brand new obsession.... tags are pretty much a thing of the past. She loves holes. Her parents' nostrils and holes in her toys, for example. She has a little piano... now you might think that the piano keys would be her favorite feature... but I bet you never knew what fun could be had by turning that piano upside down. On the underside of the piano is where you can find multiple screw holes to stick your fingers into & then make a popping sound when you pull them out at an angle.

While Lily is not crawling yet, she is definitely showing some interest. She is extremely active & seems to find a way to get to whatever she needs. She lunges forward from sitting position, rolls everywhere, rotates around on her belly, and scoots backwards. We can no longer expect to find her in the same spot we left her. :)

Happy Mother's Day to me! Lily & Daddy woke up early to make me breakfast in bed. They also gave me beautiful flowers and a sweet frame that spells out "M O M." It was a very special first Mother's Day with my family. Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the Mommas! 

HAPPY EASTER!