Happy Girl

I just cannot get over this reverse camera silliness.
She is so hilarious the instant I turn this thing on!

Reminiscing

I've been reading through old notes.

Scribbles from brainstorming baby names.

Thinking about how nervous I was to tell my mom.

Remembering how my aunt busted me before I told anyone else.

The nursery that I designed, planned, and obsessed over for months.
Recalling my focus to eat the most healthy foods possible.

Shopping for the perfect fabric to make a baby quilt.
Hearing that tiny heartbeat for the first time.

Looking at my first ultrasound picture.

Maternity clothes.

Pregnancy was such a humbling experience for me.

 It seems so far in the distance now.

And, I sorta miss it.

Except the being a huge whale with three chins part.

I don't miss that so much...

I miss the progression, the excitement, the anticipation

and feeling little Lyla squirm around as she grew inside of me.

Now don't get ahead of yourselves, I'm not ready for a second child...

but it is confusing to me that I am feeling "baby hungry"

when my sweet baby is still just a baby herself.

Someday

I remember being so nervous to tell you the news.

My own insecurities led me to believe that
you would be disappointed in my decision.

I was foolish to think that. After telling you, it was such a relief.

Finally I had someone to share all my pregnancy quirks with.

Not only were you accepting of my new chapter of life,

but you were excited and so happy for me.

You checked on me often.
You soothed my pregnancy fears & doubts.

You gave input when needed.

I remember asking what you thought of the name Estelle.

You responded by telling me that you loved the name 

and had previously named your ukulele Estelle.
I don't know what it means that we were

 both so fond of the same name. Maybe it means nothing.

I do know that it will be fun for me to someday tell Lyla

 that her middle name is shared with your instrument.

I remember being so anxious for Lyla to arrive.
You came to my house with a trick up your sleeve.
You said this trick would help to promote natural induction. 

We laid on my bed and you read a beautiful perception of the labor process.

It was meant to relax my body and clear my mind. 

I listened to every word you said. 

And as you read to me, I felt tears fall from my eyes.

 I was so thankful you were here with me during such a huge transitional time.
Your love for Lyla was already so apparent.

You arrived to the hospital, sat by my side, and held my hand. 

After the delivery you were one of the first through the door with your camera.  

 And a few days after her birth, it was time for you to leave.
Our last goodbye was in Lyla's room.

 I was changing a diaper while simultaneously
attempting to soothe an upset baby. It was chaos.

You gave me a hug and told me you loved me. 

I never imagined that would be our last physical exchange. 

I thought there was so much more ahead for us. 

I thought you would be here to watch Lyla grow with me.

I thought there would be many more photo sessions. 

I thought you would help her learn about this crazy world.

You wanted to teach her the meaning of mischief.

I wanted for Lyla's face to light up when 

 I told her Laura was coming to town...

It is okay that you aren't here for those things. 

You did not want to be here and that is okay.

Someday I will tell Lyla all about you. 

She will know what a wonderful, magical, amazing person you were.
She will know how important you were to me. 

She will know you loved her.

Thank you for your wisdom.

I miss you, Laura Lee.

Jackson Hole Weekend

 We ventured to Jackson Hole for the weekend
for some good ol' rest and relaxation.
The house we stayed in has wood floors throughout
 and a beautiful view of the Tetons.
I only mention the wood floors because Lyla had a blast on them.
We took her baby walker and she was cruising all over the place.

Lyla loved this rug. I think she kept mistaking it for the cat.
However, she became less amused when she realized

 the rug was not going to play "chase"

 We went for an off-road adventure in the red jeep.

 It was a lot of fun, until it started raining.

Then it was even more fun!
No worries, Lyla did not participate in this madness.

 Lyla and Emia tried to use their fake id's to get into the "over 21" section.

The waitress didn't fall for it though...I have no idea why.
Please note how sexy I look from my ride in the rain.

 And this little photo session may have been the funniest part of the entire trip.
I turned on the reverse camera on my phone.

You know, the amazing camera feature that allows you

to take an awesome portrait of yourself...boosting egos worldwide.

It also works wonders as a mirror.

Anyways, Lyla was cracking up.

I would turn on the camera and she would

 just laugh and smile at herself.

She is such a cheeseball. It was hilarious!

 More fun times at the restaurant.
I promise we are not being cruel with the lemons,
she loves them and cries when we take it away.

A Day at the Office

After six glorious months of not having to purchase any diapers,
we've finally reached the end of our stockpile.
Thanks to all those who contributed.
Those things are expensive and that's just not cool.

Lyla quickly caught onto my annoyance of diaper prices.
So, the little angel offered to join me at work and earn a dollar.
She feels she is ready to start pulling her own weight and
wants to contribute to the welfare of the family.

She is a hard little worker...

 "Mom, I can't even read yet. How will we possibly make this deadline?"

 "What is all this legal nonsense anyways?
 How about I just be the official file taster?"

 "That was stressful stuff. I'm just gonna chill in my crib for awhile,

 let me know if you need me to test any more files."

"Okay. I am bored. Can we go now? Can we? Please, please, please."

Some of you may be thinking to yourself, it's no wonder you
can't get anything done when you bring her to work,
it appears you spend the entire time taking pictures of her.

And to you I say, be quiet!

The Great Outdoors

Well, I was a bit hesitant taking Lyla camping at such a young age.
Finally I gave in and figured what's the harm...
we love camping, so she should too!

And oh boy, she loved it oh so much.
She had so much fun and was such a good girl the entire time.
I've learned that Lyla is the most content when there
is a lot going on around her or she is surrounded by a lot of people.
She needs constant action.

Thankfully, the little girl was able to sleep in grandma & Jamie's airstream.
It was also a nice retreat for when the heat was too much to handle.

So, no bug bites or sun burns. Thaaank goodness!

I'm not sure how a baby would manage with just a tent....
someday she will experience tent camping though, and she will love that too.

 The two camping kiddies.
Lyla & Treyson

Playing in the "bus"
"honk honk....hey dad, got yer' nose!"

And an awesomely disgusting mud fight!

My Little Mermaid

I am so happy that the girl continues to love bathtime.

However, with her mobility on the rise, she is really

 turning bathtime into an exciting adventure.
a/k/a tense situation for mom.

You see, this becomes a tense situation because the bathtub is slippery...
And it causes some high anxiety now that
Lyla prefers to sit and play with the running water,
or flip over and crawl around,

or try to stand up on the edge of the tub. 

As result of her new tricks she has bonked her head once
and submerged her face underwater twice.
Neither of which seemed to give her any bother...

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Lyla went from crawling to pulling herself up in her crib in only one day.

She is the most determined little baby I have ever met.
I was telling Kirk that she will be really disappointed

when there's nothing left after she learns to run.

Learning to fly is just out the question....

For Your Viewing Pleasure

really awesome thing #1:

really awesome thing #2:
sorry you have to get a crick in your neck to view this one! 

Shots Shots Shots Shots x3

  6 Month Doctor Visit

Weight: 15 lbs, 11 ozs, 40th percentile

Height: 26 1/2 inches, 75th percentile

Head: 17 1/2 inches, 95th percentile

It appears Miss Lyla is starting to balance out

 in comparison to the other babies her age. 

With the exception of her giant sized head of course.

It's a small price to pay to be a genius....

The girl says,

 "Seriously? Not this place again!"

 Then she says...

"Mom, why are you taking my picture? 

Can't you see I'm in some major pain here!"

No more shots until baby girl turns one year old. 

Hooray!

To check out Lyla's prior stats click here and here!

Sun-Bathing Baby

Ten Things

let's revisit and update Lyla's 3 month old list, shall we?
then and now....

15,778,463 seconds.
262,974.3 minutes.
4,382.9 hours.
26 weeks.
182 days.
6 months. 

six months. half of a year.
where in the world has the time gone?
they say it goes by fast, but this is happening too fast.
my baby is growing up!

 the skills and life experience of a 6 month old:

1. she giggles, squeals & blows bubbles.
she has become a master when it comes to making
noises and shapes with her mouth.

2. she is ticklish.
this goes along with #1, but it needs its own number
because hearing that laugh is the absolute best.

3. she eats solid foods...and loves them. 
so far, she has enjoyed all flavors we've given her too!
she doesn't even swallow one bite before
reaching towards the spoon for more.

4. she is crawling.
okay, not completely. but so so so close.
her best record so far is five full hand/leg movements.

5. she loves animals.
i guess i'm only referring to cats and dogs at this point.
but now that she can grasp, our cat is in big trouble.
she has already managed to rip out
 some big chunks of his hair....
no retaliation from him yet though,
so we will keep him around for now. :)

6. she continues to sleep in her own room.
however, i cannot figure this girl's sleeping patterns out.
we have good streaks, then we have bad streaks
and i struggle to pin-point what triggers the night wakings.
just when i think i've got her sleeping through the night, sigh.
the search continues...

7. her new favorite treat is popsicles.
(grandma is grounded)

8. she is learning the meaning of the word "kiss"
she kisses me, her dad, the cat,
her baby friend, and stuffed animals.
keep in mind, her aim is still way off
and she kisses with her mouth open.
but regardless, it is adorable.
 

9. unfortunately, i do not consider her a cuddler, buuuut
recently she will snuggle with me in the morning.
she presses her face up against mine and i just love it.
 

10. she has turned diaper changing into a game.
a very very annoying game!
her newest trick is to do gymnastics as
i struggle to get the old diaper off and a fresh one on.
it's always a race against time now, as the toy i give
her will only last as a distraction for a matter of seconds.

i love my baby girl so so so much. 
time flies when you're having fun, right?
but i never realized how fast this would all happen until now.

Friend Time

At work with mom today....

Lyla teaching Salem some new moves.

Celebration

Happy Half Birthday to Lyla!

Oh yes, and 4th of July too...

Little Lyla started her day by sleeping in until 9:30.

This means we did not attend the parade.

Yes, we are horrible parents, we know.

But we figured we're doomed for at least the next ten years

and this year would be the last year we could get away with not going. 

We did have some fun at a bbq...

popsicles and fun in the sun.

We also took her to the fireworks,

but left shortly after they started because we were all exhausted.
The photo above is her protection from the loud boom!

 Our best attempt at a family picture.

Probably should have thought about doing this at the beginning of the day...

And finally...zonked out.
She was one tired baby!