Week 29:Food Explored

Carrots...they've gone well this week... A few funny faces while getting used to the new flavor, but she appears to be a big fan now, excited to see that spoon full of orangey-goodness coming her way. (and yes, we know it's no longer Christmastime, but we couldn't let a perfectly good bib go to waste....)

For the week picture (and the pic below) Lily is showing off her newest, and coolest, teething toy, thanks to the recommedation from Sonia. It's called the Baby Safe Feeder (available a BabiesRUs for any soon to be/new mothers reading this) and it's an ingenious contraption that allows you to stuff the mesh bag with frozen apple, peach or whatever and let them safely gnaw away (the package, unfortunately, did not wisely advise to use with a bib.....we had to learn that one on our own....)

A Dog Lover's Must See!

Nana sent along this great clip. We had to shield it from the boys, so they wouldn't get jealous. I have a feeling they would act similarly if we ever got more than 1'' of snow around here! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUL0KCIc48&feature=relatedMore

Week 28

My 28th week birthday finds me well, and increasingly active! For starters, I have finished my second week of day care. Though I am perhaps not completely comfortable with this new arrangement, I am becoming increasingly so. I also went to church for the first time yesterday! We went to a local Methodist Church that my folks had visited before I was born. It turns out that they have a really great nursery where I had a lot of fun....sleeping mostly. After church we all went to Barnes and Noble for some tea. I had fun talking using my new words (see picture on the upper left below). I got two new books, one of them is called "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss. My Mama says that, "Not surprisingly it's your father's favorite book now." The other book we bought has recipes for me that include such delectable fare as Papaya & Chicken Puree, Creamy Vegetable Puree and Lentil Puree with Carrots & Sweet Peppers. That's right, I will soon be moving beyond my current regimen of Mama's milk and rice cereal. Before my Dad realizes it, I will be asking for the keys to the car.

My Gran came up last night to fit me for my Baptism dress. I like the dress, and am looking forward to all my closest family gathering together in Knoxville in a couple of weekends. While she was here, my Gran helped my Mama make some pureed carrots that will be used in my first people food meal (kind of), Creamy Carrot Puree, which is a mix of rice cereal and the pureed carrots.

Bon Appetit!

My Dad

It's been three years. Three years ago, today, my Dad passed away.

Everyday he enters my thoughts. Whether it's something I wish I could tell him, or remembering something he said, he is always with me.

He would probably not be surprised to know, however, that I still don't listen, as his 'measure twice, cut once' advice was lost upon me yesterday while making and then re-making kitchen curtains, due to my gross mis-measurement the first time around.

But it's all those little things, those seemingly small moments, that make his absence so great.

Introducing my new friend Sophie

Hi everyone, this is a picture of me today with my new friend Sophie. Sophie's mom, Aimee, watches me during the day when mommy and daddy are at work. Today was my first full day with Sophie and her mom and I think it went pretty well. I got upset a couple of times, but you can't blame a girl, those gas bubbles really hurt! Today Daddy brought my swing from home, and boy was it nice to have, it felt like home sweet home, I almost forgot where I was!

I'm continuing to work on my typing skills (see Dec 19th post) so mommy and daddy are going to let me post more often.....so I'll let you know about all the good times Sophie and I have!

Love, Lily

Week 27

All by myself.....Lily is posing all by herself with Raffey her new cuddly giraffe. She's been sitting by herself for some time now and she gets more and more steady as the weeks go on. I had to stick in the pic on the left because that's the real time shot of life with a six-month-old. She has a constant quest to figure out which part of an object will best fit into her mouth.

Also at 6 months, she is our 'developmental stage queen' as she is perfecting the 'stranger anxiety' aspect of this age with our new babysitter Amy. As mentioned in a previous post, last week was Lily's first go at the sitter's. On a scale of 1-10, the report, per DaddyDaycare, is that Lily gets a 5. Once she gets a little tired and realizes that neither of us are around, that's apparently when the trouble starts (or should I say screaming). We're determined to persevere, though, and we're working hard on our end to do what we can to help get her in a routine.....even if that does mean purposely waking up at 7:15am on the weekends.

A Face Only A Mother, And A Father, Can Love

This is our first example of how much Lily, and babies in general, absorb without you even knowing they are paying attention. Last Saturday, we came home from HHI to find out the childcare we lined up was no longer available, but we were directed to Amy who has a 7 month old daughter, Sophie. We visited them that evening and Sophie's big thing was making this spitting sound. Though we only visited with them briefly, the next day Lily decides she too will make this funny noise, and the result is above.

A brief note on the childcare situation....Tuesday was Lily's first go at the sitter's (needless to say, my first week back "on the job"). Luckily Dave doesn't start classes until next week and it was just a trial run, because it didn't go so well as Lily only lasted a little over two hours. BUT today was much better and she lasted the whole morning, as planned. We're crossing our fingers for tomorrow.

Week 25 and Week 26: The Rock

The annual Harkey family after-Christmas get-together in Hilton Head (aka 'The Rock') was plus one this year. Lily's first visit to her father's favorite place was a big hit, as she explored and enjoyed (to exhaustion, view above) all the many facets of HHI.

The best perks were getting to see all the doting family she hasn't seen since she was just weeks old and, most importantly, finally getting to meet Granny B! She can't wait until she's old enough to play dominoes with her so she can "ride the train".

As evident in the week pictures, the weather took a drastic turn for the freezing as the days were bright and sunny but terribly cold and windy. Luckily Uncle Jonathan stocked us with hats and mittens, so Lily was more prepared for the weather than we were.