He gives it a 4.8

Out of five. From the minute he got here, Dad kept asking whether Lily, a.k.a. the happy little bug, ever has an off day. We assured him she still has her moments, but generally she's been pretty happy these days. She's been mostly smiles since she's been sitting up on her own. Day after day while Grandpa was here, Lily was all smiles and all giggles. We took her out shopping, and she was content sitting in the cart. (Mama got bored while Grandpa and Daddy were looking at grills so Lily and I went to look at plants.)  We went to the museum, and she was along for the ride. We went to Busch Gardens, and when she was awake, she was full of giggles and smiles. (But she was able to take a nice long nap next to the carousel, followed by jungle music.)

Grandpa was sure his granddaughter was a perfect angel. 

But on the last day of his visit, Milly came out to play. Khan had to pick me up from work, and Lily was asleep. No worries, Grandpa will watch her on the monitor. Little did he know that it would be Milly , not Lily, to wake up from the nap. Poor Grandpa. Milly doesn't mess around. 

So a 4.8 out of 5, it is. Milly probably left her mark, but can she really outdo the cuteness and the sweetness that is Lily? We're pretty sure Grandpa will be back soon.  

(PS, I have better photos but I'm having technical difficulty (grrr...I do not like the Mac). Will post more pics soon. )

Stitch!

If you've ever seen the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch, you'll notice the similarities between Lily and Experiment 626, and if you haven't seen it, consider this a preview.

(Try to ignore the 80s music blasting in the background. It was meant to keep the housecleaning going.)

Sophie la Girafe...and other weird obsessions

I knew I would cave and get a Sophie. All the other mamas were raving about what a wonderful toy she is, how much their kid loves to chew on her, Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. How could Lily not have a Sophie if she was so damn great?

Sophie is not just a regular teething toy. She's a fancy French teething toy. "She's made of 100% natural rubber and food paint." "She is very light and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip." "She is very soft to touch, just like baby’s mummy, stimulating soothing physiological and emotional responses." "The singular scent of natural rubber from Hevea tree makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for your child to identify amid all his other toys." And of course, Phthalates and BPA free. So when she was on sale at Amazon, I got a Sophie for Lily. And she's a hit. Lily loves chewing on Sophie's feet.

I wish it stopped there, but it doesn't. Baby Legs. I love me some Baby Legs. No, don't it take it literally. I said "Baby Legs," not "baby legs." Capitalized for the brand name. They're basically leg warmers but they go great with a onesie, they're super cute, and they make diaper changes a breeze. Day care loves 'em, too.

Then I discovered Etsy. Have you discovered Etsy yet? It's basically a market for all things handmade. Hair clips, bibs, pacifier clips, baby shoes, whatever. These things, have subsequently become new obsessions. Looking for cute hair clips? Or how about these baby shoes? Those are crazy adorable. And of course, Etsy has its own version of Baby Legs.

Don't worry, Dad. I haven't spent nearly as much money as you think and I want. My cash flow just ain't what it used to be, but that doesn't stop the wandering eye.

Got an opinion on this?

I'm hoping you do. I've been persuaded to enter Regis and Kelly's Beautiful Baby contest. I mean, there's no real harm in sending in her picture, right? The only problem is that I can't pick one. So, I need your help again. Please, take a peek at the options below and vote on the left. Good luck picking just one.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

So....we took some pictures

We all have our addictions, right? Mine seems to be taking pictures of Lily. What if...in 20 years, I read a study about how the overuse of the digital camera in early childhood causes children to grow up with superstar syndrome? I suppose I will feel forever guilty. And in the meantime I am blissfully unaware of the detriment I may or may not be causing. 

So, first, on the left side, there's the link to our 6-month sitting at the Picture People. Once again, they did a fantastic job. There are two pages of pictures, and the best pictures are on the second page.

And, second, I updated Lily's photo site (link on the left) with everything from Christmas on. I've been adding captions to the photos there, but it turns out that you can't see those. Damn. Well, here's a quick rundown of what you'll be seeing: New Year's Eve party at Tere and Ivan's house, more solids (carrots!), Pearl-Jolie's first birthday party, fun at the park with bubbles and the swing (sorry, I just loved all of those pictures and couldn't filter any out), random pictures at home, Archie's birthday party with lots of pictures of Lily's future BFF (Jade), more random pictures at home with a few from my office party stuck in the middle, a visit with friends (Dori and Imane), random pictures at home, Lily sitting up in the high chair, another trip to the park with bubbles, and a short trip to Dunedin (hello, Bon Appetit) and Honeymoon Island. 

And just like that, you're up to date. 

 

a good time

Story time

Lily loves books. Daddy reads her 2 or 3 stories every night at bedtime. She seems to listen along and she stares at the pictures. Our selection recently got a lot smaller, though, because we can only read board books for awhile. She loves to grab and crinkle the pages. (Well, we can still read books with pages, it's just more of an adventure.) I like to read to her in the car and sometimes when we get home from work/day care. They have story time at day care, too. This is from a fairly recent day care report:

"I also liked sitting and reading stories with my teachers. I reached out to feel the pages of the book and looked on intently as my teacher pointed at the different animals."

I hope her early interest in books grows into the same love that I had for reading. Interestingly enough Lily's newfound love for books coincides with rediscovered love on my part. I had all but given up reading for enjoyment in college when I had to read for classes all the time, which then turned into reading engineering gobbledy gook all day for work, and I forgot how much I loved to read just for fun. Theoretically, having a baby would rob me of the time to read, but because I have to pump several times a day to keep breastfeeding, I get to crack open a book and read every now and again. I've finished more books in the last three months than in the last three years. And I thought pumping would be a hassle.