Fall Flying By!

We've been having a lovely Fall, for the most part! Lyla is ever-so-chatty lately. Bossy, too, I might add. She has officially learned that she can say, "No" in response to things she doesn't want and activities in which she would prefer not to partake. I have been trying desperately to teach her to say, "No thanks," or even just not scream, "NO!" as if I were trying to pour lemon juice onto a boo-boo. Will keep you posted on how that's going. She definitely has her own agenda and her own ways of expressing it.

Since our last post, we've started at a new daycare. Lyla switched to my school district's Early Childhood Development Center and we're very pleased with our decision to move her there. I was hesitant, naturally, about having to transition all over again and go through that horrible month-long crying at drop-off, wondering how she is all day, sick to my stomach at the thought of her being scared and confused at daycare phase. But honestly, it's been great. She had only a few days where she was upset at drop-off (and it only lasted briefly), and she usually just walks right on in, happy to be there. Daily reports from her teacher, Ms. Maria, are always positive. She is happy to be there, too, which is how it should be. It's way out of our way, but totally worth it. Lyla is going full time, with the exception of Grandma and Grandpap being right down the road and able to pick her up whenever they need a little grand-toddler time.

I have welcomed Thanksgiving Break with wide-open arms and a huge smile. Man, I needed a break! Teaching this year has been kind of tough, and I miss spending time with my little girl. I did forget, however, that all those things-to-do on my mental preferred priority list will simply not get done over the holiday because, well, spending time with my little girl means just that. She's certainly not going to volunteer to help repaint and redecorate the bathroom, or sort through garage sale items. Although, yesterday, she wasn't far from helpful when I steam-cleaned the living room carpet.

Monday, my first official day vacation, Lyla and I took Faryn and Rain to the park so their mommy could get some school work done. We packed a picnic and spent a couple hours at Bear Creek Park. The weather couldn't have been better! The kids all behaved well and we had a lovely time! They were rewarded with slushies from Sonic on our way back home.

Tuesday, Lyla and I joined Ms. Ray from work and her sweet, adorable 2-year-old, Regan at the Gaylord to wander around, look at the (*cough* premature *cough*) Christmas decor and snap some pictures. We then grabbed a bite at Panera - yum! The girls were ever-so-cute together and at one point even had an actual toddler conversation, consisting mostly of the sounds animals make and also lots of random noises blurted out, copy-catted, and followed by immediate giggles. Regan set an awesome example for Lyla, so I am hoping we get to hang out more often!

We got our 18-month pictures back from Visual Empathy. Visit Visual Empathy to have a peek at our sweet girl - just enter session code lyla18months. Thanks to Kristina for another great session and beautiful pictures!

To see other recent pictures and additional pics from the park and the Gaylord, go to my November Picasa album! There will be plenty more after Thanksgiving, I'm sure...

I also uploaded some videos recently, when it was on my mind. Here are a few more recent clips:

Ladybug, Ladybug...

Happy Halloween!

Lyla had a blast this year! Of course, the only other year she has to compare it to was her first, and she didn't exactly have the capacity to understand what was going on. She was just a fluffy pink lump. This year, she understood her costume, thought it was fun that others were dressed up, too (at least I think so), and especially liked the part where she got to knock on doors and get candy! It was a little difficult, at first, to distract her from her desire for instant gratification, but once she got the swing of the whole door-to-door thing, she seemed to enjoy it.

We started Halloween Day off with a little old-fashioned pumpkin carving. Lyla was interested in what her mommy was getting into, but not quite attentive enough to participate in the whole task. She played with the slime and helped poke the shapes out once I carved them... then off she ran. Once we lit the pumpkin in the dark bathroom, her interest was again peaked, although more so regarding blowing out the candle inside than in the jack-o-lantern, itself.

Halloween Night, we were happy to have Grandma and Grandpap join us at Aunt Shannon's house for trick-or-treating. We got to spend some pre-sugar-rush family-time with cousins; Faryn dressed up as a pink lady and Rain as a punk-rocker. They were so adorable! By the end of the night, Lyla had consumed her day's worth of calories in sugar and chocolate, and despite my belief that she would sugar-crash and fall asleep easily after such an active night, she was buzzed until almost 11:00pm!

As always, more pictures at Picasa!

Pumpkin Time!

October, 2008

October, 2009

A year ago, we toted our chubby pink-bunny-to-be to the Pumpkin Farm by Grandma and Grandpap's house and let her explore all the excitement of Fall, holding onto our fingers to walk unsteadily around in her very first pair of shoes. I couldn't wait to see what this year would bring for our soon-to-be-lovely-ladybug at the Farm, this time with some additional family. Papa Sam was in town, so we planned to go with him, Nonna, Aunt Mia, Uncle Les and the cousins to share in the fun of hay stacks, old tractors, face-painting, kettle corn, hot apple cider, the ever-daunting corn maze, and of course, piles and piles of pumpkins!

What a busy day! Lyla's day actually started out bright and early (or should we say dark and early?) in order to get her 18-month pictures taken with Kristina from Visual Empathy. We met at the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Worth and had a wonderful time wandering around and snapping pictures wherever a good shot caught her eye. Lyla managed a good hour of spotlight action before she got tired and hungry. As always, we can't wait to see what beautiful moments Kristina captured.

We then met up with the rest of the Q's for a picnic at a local park, since the Pumpkin Farm didn't open until 1:00. We stuffed our faces and ran care-free around old Kidsville, played some sand volleyball and of course, I snapped a few pictures. We hopped back over to the Farm shortly after for all the aforementioned fall festivities. Napless Lyla wasn't quite as exuberant as I had anticipated, but a good time was had by all. She went through the corn maze with her Uncle Les, we snacked on fresh kettle corn and apple cider, played on the old tractor, posed in the farmer cutouts, picked out some pumpkins and packed ourselves up to head back to our place. Of course, I took some pictures along the way... Lyla crashed before exiting the parking lot.

Have a gander at the additions to my October album.

Beach Baby!

Well, we just returned from our first family vacation! It would be a bold-faced lie to say we're happy to be home, with a new workweek looming just 8 hours away, a dishwasher to unload, laundry to tackle, carpet to vacuum, poop to scoop and bills to pay...

On Wednesday night, we packed my sister's Tahoe up with beach clothes, enough food, toys, and games for a long weekend. Thursday morning we dropped the dog off at Grandma's and headed southeast about six hours to Surfside Beach. We were a bit nervous about how Lyla would fare being in the car for so long, but she managed to shock us with a surprisingly painless trip. She cat-napped a few times, snacked, busied herself with toys and books, and of course, a couple Elmo videos. Just as we were reaching our limit, we arrived!

The weekend weather wasn't all that great, but even being inside from the chilly rain was relaxing - how can it not be with the gulf coast waves rolling in just over the dunes? We were fortunate enough to have a couple of afternoons in the mid to upper seventies - what we deemed "sitting on the beach" weather. The rest of the time, we took short walks and I, of course, experimented with the camera, all the while adoring my curious toddler as she explored all the wonders of the seashore. We collected some shells, traced letters in the sand, made sand "cakes" and sang "Happy Birthday" (then blew out the shell-candle and ate the cake, of course), poked at a dead jellyfish, filled the bucket with water, buried our feet and then tried to find them, got especially sandy, and all in all had a lovely, relaxing time.

Sunday, getting a little stir crazy from being stuck inside, we decided to take a little nap-time drive into Galveston to go to the Moody Gardens Aquarium. Being nap time, we thought our girl might actually sleep on the hour drive there, but she opted out, making for an interesting trip through the exhibits. She seemed a bit more interested in pushing her own stroller, climbing on each and every bench and hanging from any and every railing, than in watching fish through glass. The penguins caught her eye a bit more, and so did the one giant sea turtle that swam over us inside the water tunnel, but mostly she was just crabby and testing the limits. She took it upon herself to nap on the way home, instead.

Monday, we had to pack up and head back to life... back to reality (yes, it's been stuck in my head ALL DAY!). This time, the drive was a little less smooth, since our girl knew what she was in for, but we made it, thanks to Elmo and Shannon's fancy DVD-playing SUV.

It was a much needed vacation! I think we should do it every week. Well, maybe not every week...

More pics at Picasa, as usual!

The 18-Month Mark!

One of my little girl's favorite things to do is "watch Lyla." She grabs my finger and leads me to the office, guiding me to the computer desk, upon which sits the "watching device" - that magical thing with all its snippets of digital video that some crazy woman has collected over the last 1.5 years. At random throughout the day, even in the midst of some of the most exciting toddler-geared activities, she will emphatically nod while asking (demanding), " 'atch 'yla?!" Whether it be the techie side to her (thanks, Daddy) or her egocentric 18-month-old ways, she sure knows what she wants. She's even figured out how to browse the thumbnails and point out exactly which video she wishes to watch, very rarely selecting anything from her younger year, as she doubtfully recognizes the strange blob inching her way around on the carpet, drooling and making strange gurgling noises. No, that's not Lyla. That's a baby.

That doesn't stop Mommy, however, from reminiscing about that precious blob. It seems so very long ago and hardly a glimpse of it remains in my memory, so I am ever-grateful for that crazy woman and all her video-taking.

No other year will make such a difference in her life. At no other time will she not be able to
recognize herself or at least make a connection from one September to the next. How odd! Looking back just one year ago, the changes are astounding. Here is a snippet from this time last year, when I was utterly shocked that the first six months had already passed.

And here she is now:

Daycare update: We were just hitting smooth waters when both of Lyla's teachers left Premier. She has had to transition again, now to two new teachers. Thankfully, one was able to shadow Mrs. Ashley before she left. She hasn't been crying at drop off this week, but for some reason cries when the class goes on their walks. And her teacher asked me today if she ever talks. HA! It made me laugh because well, yes. She talks non-stop at home. But it made me sad, too, because she is clearly not herself when she's there. Maybe a few more weeks and she'll open up a little more.

Our Trouble-Making, Ice-Cream-Eating, ABC-Loving, Daycare-Hating, Chatting-it-up Ham!

So... I forgot how rough it is to blog regularly when working full time and continuing to [attempt to] run the house and manage the family!!! Pheww! (Yes, Luke, I am the manager. ;p )

Little Miss Lyla has adjusted fairly well to daycare, though it continues to be a slight struggle for Luke to drop her off in the mornings, when she is reluctant and teary-eyed. Her teacher says she calms down within a minute or two, though she has a hard time all morning long as people come and go, and during the various transitions from one activity to the next.

Ever since she started, she's had either one very long cold, or perhaps several normal-length, overlapping colds. Ugh! After week two, I offered Grandma double what we pay the daycare. I just cannot stand the image of her anxiously watching the door, or the horrendous sob she blurts out when I come to pick her up and she instantly recalls the terrible heartache and stress she has bottled up all day. After this week, which will complete a full month, I offered Grandma triple, but she's still not sold.

In other news, she is growing leaps and bounds in language development. She cracks us up daily with her hammy personality and new-found chattiness. She definitely thinks she's speaking in complete sentences, although usually only a handful of sounds are recognizable Lyla-words. I specify "Lyla-words" because I'm pretty sure the average so-and-so wouldn't necessarily understand what she's saying, but I know that "Aya" is "Maya," "Aht-sees" is "ABC's," "It's Oss" is "It's a mess!" and "s'keem" is "ice cream." She has been pairing more and more words together to make two-word phrases, usually claiming, "It's [a] ____." Among my recent favorites are "Sit Momma?" when she wants to sit on my lap, "Bye-bye Dada" when she wants to play Hi and Bye with the door, closing Luke out and welcoming him back in, and ordering the dog: "Aya sit... goo guh (good girl)."

She is loving her ABC's - obsessed with her magnetic letters, foam bathtub letters, letters from various puzzles and books and most recently, tater-tot letters (thanks, Ore-Ida). She readily names or points out A, B, C, F, S, X, Y, L, and O, and we're working on learning all the others. I *adore* when she randomly notices words on books, signs or packaging and excitedly shows them to me, pointing out the letters she recognizes. I am pretty proud of her advanced literacy skills, and at just 17 months! :p

And now, a couple of long overdue video clips:

Also, check out my Picasa. As usual, there have been some updates. I am trying to select photos to publish rather than publish them all. Since I got the Rebel for my birthday, I've been even more shutter-happy than before... ... ...

August, 2009 (You'll be happy to know, I spared you approximately 600 photos.)
Fun at the Pool
Children's Museum
Watch Me Grow!

Big Changes for Our "Big Girl"

Well, it's that time of year again - back to school! Only, this year, Lyla is heading to "school" as well. Complete with her tiny backpack and adorable lunchbox, she strutted confidently into Premier Academy yesterday for her first day with Mrs. Ashley and Mrs. Cheryl in the "Upper Ones" class. She's not quite the right age to be considered "upper" (18-months +) but she will be soon enough, and we figured it wouldn't be worth all the transition trouble in a month to have her readjust to new teachers and routines.

Despite the early rise time and lack of breakfast, she was off to a good start, wanting "inside" as soon as possible. She bolted toward the toys and was immediately surrounded by a few curious faces, all poking, pointing, and sharing exciting toddler gadgets with her. But she soon decided she was fulfilled by this magical place and promptly sought out Mommy, demanded "up" and thoughtfully told her new classmates "bye-bye," all smiles. It took some coaxing to get her playing again, and sufficiently distracted so that Mommy could slip away. Peeking in a moment later, she was clinging to Mrs. Ashley with a look of desperation on her face, her knuckles white where she grabbed hold of Ashley's shirt. And if it hadn't already cracked a little by this point, Mommy's heart split open and burst into a million pieces. Just like that.

And so began the worst day ever. It was very difficult not to fly over to school and rescue her, but our grand plan was to spend the week before Mommy goes back in transition, in hopes that going back to work might be a smidgen less difficult. I called about three times during the day and forced Luke to call once so I didn't look like a nut, although the staff at the school seem very supportive and understanding of how insanely hard this really is. Those check-in calls proved to be more upsetting than comforting, though, as Lyla was never in a good state. She wasn't uncontrollably upset, but she was out of sorts - weepy and confused, not eating, not drinking - all day.

Today and forever, Luke is taking her. Reports this morning are worse than yesterday, which we expected, since she knows what's happening. Last I heard, Mrs. Ashley was taking her for some one-on-one time. Sounds like a good plan...

It'll take time, I know, but it doesn't make me (or Lyla) hate it any less.

Lyla's first day of school, classic "in front of the fridge" shot.
(She didn't like the backpack or understand why she was supposed to stand in front of the fridge.)