A mouth full

Lilly has about 3 1/2 teeth now, just two top and a bottom and a half, but they are a mouth full. The top two appear as if they are going to be enormous. Similar to that of a woodchuck or a beaver. In fact she has been gnawing on her bed and leaving little tooth marks, just like a beaver chewing on tree bark.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get a picture of the elusive teeth, she just won't open her mouth. So everyone will have to settle for a picture of Hank. He was more than happy to open his mouth for a picture.

A Throne for the Queen

Before Lilly was even born my dad found an old, rusty and dented little chair at an antique store and knew that she had to have it. He fixed it up, painted it, and presented to Lilly.
She investigated it. Walked around it.

Tested it for structural integrity.
Then finally sat in it and waved to her public.

...before losing interest all together...

Hank, on the other hand, maintained interest for a very long time. In his toy that was accidentally thrown into a tree. He sat under it, watching and waiting patiently until someone got it down.

New Kicks

After hours and hours of shopping for just the right pair Lilly finally got a new pair of shoes last week. It wasn't what you're thinking either. Actually needing new shoes and having a real reason to go out and shop for them is usually a high point in my life. I enjoy the hunt, I usually know what I am looking for and will go to any extreme to find the perfect pair. Sometimes driving to several different stores on opposite sides of town...then occasionally going back to the first store. I like to take my time, trying on several pairs, trying on each pair more than once. I look for style, designer, color, heel height, the size of the sole, and finally, the fit. Its a sport really, shoe shopping, and probably the only sport I truly excel at. However, shopping for shoes for a toddler when she hasn't had a nap was not something I was prepared for. It almost broke my spirit.
It started like any other shoe shopping trip I might take. I knew what I wanted, a cute little pair of white tennis shoes, canvas Chucks, Pumas with a pink logo, or maybe some adidas like Run DMC used to wear. Wouldn't that be cute, you know, something simple that would match everything from jeans to shorts and capris to a sun dress. This wouldn't be hard, it was shoe shopping, my specialty... After 6 stores, 5 hours, 2 days, 1 return and a very public total baby meltdown I settled on a pair of shoes that fit. Yes, that's right, I threw style, designer and any thought of appearance or coordinating colors to the wind and settled on any pair of shoes that could be shoved onto Lilly's little unwilling feet. They make her run faster, jump higher and they occasionally cause her fall down. They are, her first real shoes.

It took a little while, but she finally got the hang of walking in them.

I just thought this picture was cute, Lilly can sure give a dirty look.

The Spaghetti Progression

We had spaghetti last week and since Lilly sometimes eats what we eat, she decided to give spaghetti a try. The pictures speak for themselves, not much needs to be said to explain the chaos that ensued after I handed her the plate.

Here she is a few seconds after dinner was served. Just kind of investigating...trying to see what it is. Maybe she'll try it.

Tasting it a little...not sure if she likes it or not.

Now, she's really getting into it. But, not eating it. Maybe even getting a little excited. But no, she's not eating it.

It may appear as if Lilly ate some of the spaghetti, but what you don't see on the tray has actually not been eaten...it is all on the seat, lap and floor. This is just before I cleaned her up. It actually took longer to clean up the mess than it did to make dinner.

We'll have to try spaghetti again soon. She didn't eat much, but in her defense I guess I didn't make it clear that is was dinner. I think she was under the impression that the spaghetti was some sort of an art project.

Playing Outside

Lilly, Hank and I have been trying to take advantage of the weather this past week. We spent Friday at Nonnie and Papaw's house playing outside, practicing our walking and doing some pointing. She's getting pretty good at it, walking that is, not pointing...although she does more pointing than anything else... Anyway, she's getting really quick and is into EVERYTHING. The other night during dinner I commented that is was hard for me to get anything done around the house during the day with Lilly walking. And Bryan said, "Oh no, I think it would be alot easier. She can just follow you around the house now". Ha ha funny Bryan. Instead of following me and playing quietly in the room that I'm working in (the way Bryan imagines her) she wants to explore any room in the house that I am NOT in and the only time she is quiet is when I turn my head and she seizes the opportunity to slip away. She sure does wear a person out.
Here's Lilly doing some solo walking. If you try to hold her hand she jerks it away.
Here she is pointing with Nonnie and Papaw. I don't know, but I think they might be making fun of her.


More walking. This time she's getting a little bit cocky. You can't tell, but she's actually walking really fast...she must get that from my mom.

Aside from walking we are also learning to do a few other things, eating with a spoon for example. If you look at the top of her high chair tray you can see the spoon. Plenty of food makes it into Lilly's mouth, however, most of it never touches the spoon.

Tired girl

Bryan's parents drove up for a visit this weekend and Lilly thought she was supposed to be the sole entertainment. She spent most of her time doing laps around the coffee table to improve her walking skills. (Right now when she walks solo she resembles a monkey walking on two legs, she wobbles around with her hands above her head and her legs bent a little, like the chimps on the Discovery Channel do.) But, it doesn't matter because she's getting better at it everyday and her Grandma and Granddad were quite impressed! Poor Lilly though, she just wore herself out. Night night.