Sit Down. Stand Up.

A busy but fun week. So busy in fact that I forgot yesterday was Monday and neglected to post the usual update. Please forgive faithful reader(s).

Lily is doing great. She heads off to the pediatrician this week for her six month check-up. Yes, you read that right, you have been reading this blog for six months now, and oh yes, Lily really is six months old already. She is growing like a weed and getting heavy. We were up in New York for the weekend and we decided to carry for a few blocks to dinner ... let's just say, she is not so light anymore. We will have the official weights and measures for you next week.

New York was quick but much fun. Lily got to see relatives and seemed duly impressed by the big city although she had weekended there before. Cousin Stephanie somehow managed to avoid the camera but others are in photos below. The weekend started off with a bang as the little one figured out how to sit up by herself without toppling over. She can't get to a seated position by herself but if put there she is good to play for a while.

We finished off the weekend with a visit to Grandma Gail and Grandpa Tom's house to celebrate Uncle Stan's birthday. Lily seemed impressed that so many candles could fit on one cake.

Last but not least, a mere oneweek after visiting, Lily's golfing Great Bubbie had a hole-in-one on Sunday. A coincidence or is Lily drooling on your good for the golf game? I will be testing out this hypothesis as soon as it gets warm. Regardless, congratulations, what a feat!

Til next week.


Lily sitting up all by herself for the first time.

David Copperfield was not involved here. There were no camera tricks as you can see her from the side in this shot. Now we can just plop her down and she plays with her toys.

A little dinner in New York.

Lily hanging out with her Great Aunt Donna and Great Uncle Stephen at the hotel.

With Cousin Emilie.

More sitting up and playing.

Sitting up and playing creates a lot of drool.

Getting bundled up for a walk around New York.

Little Things

The little things are beginning to add up. The building blocks that we have been recording for posterity here are really starting to equal big things for little Lily. The strong neck she has been developing has led to her rolling over and being comfortable on her tummy. All of the effort to support her neck and tummy time has led to strong stomach muscles which Lily is now using to try and sit up all the time. She loves to stand with support and her strong legs mean that crawling can only be around the corner. It is almost time to bring the baby gates out of storage. Lily is even reading on her own now ... okay not really.

Beyond physical abilities, it has been even more fun to watch Lily learn how to play and interact. Somewhere along the way she moved well beyond the bump on the log stage to a very little person. She seems to have a very happy disposition and frankly I can't remember a time where she ever really cried inconsolably. She just seems happy so far and is all smiles. She even smiles when Marcy and I sing, clearly music will not be her forte if she can even begin to tolerate us singing along to Raffi. Things have been going so well that Marcy and I are dreading the next child, who will surely be a troublemaker and not nearly as easy going. Either that or we are in for some terrible twos or some really rebellious teen years. As John Lennon sang, "baby karma, its going to get you."

Lily's Great Bubbie came up from Florida for a visit this weekend and everyone had a great time. Lily was thrilled to have someone different paying attention to her and hanging out in the back seat of the car with her (we offered the front seat but were rebuffed -- Lily was the main attraction for the weekend).

We are headed up to New York this weekend to have more family visits ... hopefully the weather will warm up a bit. Enjoy the pictures.



Lily getting ready for some delicious jarred fruit. She has seemed to like everything so far but the applesauce is her absolute favorite.

Lily playing with her yellow block and suffocating her teddy bear that is dressed up as a bunny. The cross-species dressing animal was a present from her Aunt Tracy and Uncle Stan when she was just born and in the hospital.

She has successfully pinned the teddy-rabbit animal.

Quality time with her weekend visitor, her great Bubbie (grandma).

Just sitting around in some pjs.

...

Compare this picture with the pictures from when Lily had just come home and it is amazing how much more of her crib she fills in these days. A rare mid-morning nap at home. She has no problem falling asleep at daycare but at home she hates to nap.

Lily, reversing years of great grandmother/ great granddaughter tradition, ceremoniously pinches her Bubbie's cheek goodbye.

A baby diva/rock star moment. She refused to eat without her new shades on.

Summertime in the Wintertime

Another week in the books and Lily is doing great. She is sleeping great and still eating like a champ. An unofficial weigh-in yesterday showed that Lily now weighs over 16 pounds. She is growing so fast.

It was a busy three day weekend visiting friends and family. Lily had her first birthday party on Sunday - her friend Nicholas turned 1 - and seemed to have good time with her friend Brendan a fellow baby. She had met Brendan when she was few weeks old, he is the son of our friends Karen and T.J., but this time around they had more fun playing with one another.

After the birthday party we went around the corner to Grandpa Maurice and Grandma Phyllis' house for the afternoon to hang out and have dinner. Then we all relaxed today and ran a few errands. It was really warm out today so Lily and Gypsy got to spend some quality time outside. It was supposed to snow but it was about fifty five degrees -- so much for weather forecasting.

Lily's Great Bubbie is coming to visit next weekend and then we are headed to New York the weekend after that. Many fun pictures are sure to come. That is all for now.



Lily in her big girl car seat.

Lily with her friend Brendan.

More with Brendan.

...

Lily with the birthday boy Nicholas.

Lily just sitting around.

Lily with her most loyal friend ... the pacy.

Lily with Grandpa Maurice.

Lily and Grandma Phyllis playing with Lily's octopus toy.

Eating some fish.

and some calamari.

The Girl in the Dirty Shirt

Lily would like to wish everyone out there a Happy Valentine's Day. Also, today is the birthday of one of her dedicated readers, her Great Grandma, so Lily wants to wish her Great Bubbie a happy birthday.

Last week was another great week. Lily has turned into a rolling over machine. As soon as we put her down to play she flips over. She smiles everytime she does it. Now when she is on her stomach she tries to scoot her legs like she is crawling. It is only a matter of time before the baby gates come out to block off the stairs.

Lily has been eating more and more veggies. She is on a cycle of peas right now. Let's just say it is a huge, but quite funny, mess. The pictures below do not even begin to explain how messy the whole feeding process is.

Marcy is back to work full time now so Lily will have her first four day week at day care. She seems to be really enjoying it there but she is always happy to see us when we come pick her up.

Until next post.


Lily prepping for a morning session of rolling over. Please note the drool in anticipation of rolling over.

Acting very serious for the camera.

In her bouncy seat with particularly blue eyes.

Modeling her Baby Gap couture winter jacket.

Frazzeled from striking so many poses - being a model is so stressful.

A little quality time in the exer-saucer. Everytime we put in her there she plays with more of the toys than the time before.

Eating. Let's just say that eating needs a little work and tends to be really messy.

Yes, she needed a bath after this feeding.

Lily trying to feed herself peas.

The result of Lily trying to feed herself peas.

"Ummm, Dad, are we done here?"

Lifetime Piling Up

Another week and things are progressing well. Lily is now rolling over like champ - both forwards and and backwards. She is getting quite good at it now. Crawling is just around the corner.

School is also going well. I never did get those pictures scanned in but perhaps we can take some of our own pictures one of these days so everyone can see where Lily spends her days.

Lily is eating great and is onto her second type of veggie -- carrots. They are getting gobbled up just like the sweet potatoes.

Lil is sleeping great -- 10 hours or so a night plus assorted naps - and I think that helps make her a really happy baby. Thursday is her five month birthday and it is amazing how much has happened/developed in such a short period of time. Lily's grandparents (Maurice and Phyllis) were over on the weekend for dinner after having been in Florida for two weeks and commented how much had changed in just that short time period. Blink and you miss something.

That's all for now.


Just relaxing.

Lily's friend Reid came over last week and brought his jumping seat ... it was a hit and Lily might be getting her own soon.

Reid showing Lily all about sitting up.

See what a little encouragement can do ...

Like chimps in the wild, Reid looks in Lily's hair for lice to remove and then (probably) eat.

Lily giving Reid a piece of her mind.

Lily getting friendly with her blue block.

This is Lily's slightly rude new trick.

Showing off her abs of steel after a hard workout of rolling over.

Lily is now big enough for her new carseat (which we installed over the weekend). Here she is waiving goodbye to her infant car seat.

Lily has decided to skip crawling and has moved straight to walking.