Lillian the Abstractist

(you can click on the photo to see it larger)

The artist hard at work!  She really enjoyed this; I put her in the bathtub, set up an easel for her with watercolor paper and some fantastic liquid watercolors I had bought when I was teaching.  They have such vibrant colors for little kids and there are little ink well type holders for the various colors.  I put a brush in each one, hand her one color, she'd paint for a while then hand it back so I'd give her another color.  She did that painting all by herself, I did not help her! I showed her with a dry brush at first but then she just took off.  I did turn the paper at one point because she kept painting in the same area but she did it herself and she was quite proud of it!

Thank you

Listen carefully, Lillian is saying "thank you".  She is helping daddy unload the dishwasher.  It isn't totally "thank you" yet but the tone and some of the sounds are there :)

This is what happens when Lillian finds washable markers and is alone with Daddy..... the before and after.  She had slightly pinkish cheeks for a couple days.  Thank goodness the heart on her forehead came off, not sure how I'd explain that one to strangers :)

Can you see the top teeth?

The only way we can see top teeth is if Lillian leans her head backwards.... can you see them? She has 3 on top and by the looks of it the fourth on top should push through soon.

Christmas in Fast Forward

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a good one, we enjoyed Lillian today.

I set up the video camera to a time lapse video of Lillian opening her gifts so this is Christmas in fast forward :)  It includes opening gifts from Santa and two Skype calls to open gifts from Aunties and Grandparents. 

Teeth

I realized I've been posting about her teeth but not on the blog, she now has 5!  She got her first tooth Oct. 26th; if you were facing looking at her it was the left of her bottom two teeth.  I don't know the order of the top ones because I didn't know they had pushed through.  I had a feeling all would come at once because you could see them right under the gums just waiting.  She was in the carrier on the front of me and she kept leaning back and I'd tickle her neck, she'd laugh and that's when I spotted them!  Again, if you are looking at her she has the first, second, and fourth of the top front four teeth.  Shortly after those pushed through the second bottom one pushed through and now we are just waiting on the third of the top four teeth.  She's been pretty fussy lately so it may happen soon.  I managed to get a couple pictures of her smiling where you can see her first tooth; the others have not extended down enough yet to see them in pictures.

In Just a Month....

I cannot believe how much Lillian has changed since we moved.... I always felt she was independent but my goodness she is a lot more now.  Ever since she learned how to go down the stairs it seems like she can do a lot more.  Every morning (even before the move) we'd bring her into our bed and get some cuddle time while she had her morning bottle.  Our bed used to be raised but didn't bring over the blocks when we brought the bed over to the new place, so it is a normal sized bed currently.  After her bottle she wants nothing to do with us anymore and slides down to the bottom of the bed and gets herself off just the same way she goes down the stairs.  I will say bye bye and she blows kisses then she is off!  She barely plays with her toys any more and just wants to play on the darn stairs.  When we have gates up she is forced to play with other things.

Before the move, Lillian would sign "more" and sometimes "all done".  Now she uses a lot more words like help, more, up, cat, (along with her usual ma, da, bye and hi)  and the other day she said "Oli" (one of the cat's names).  Her latest thing has also been "uh-oh".... it is the clearest set of words she says.  She uses it correctly too, it is quite amazing.  She will say it when she drops something either by accident or on purpose, when we drop something and she is even saying it when someone else (even a stranger) drops something!  Oh and she can now pull herself up on things, or at least tries.... I've caught her trying to reach something we have placed on the desk or dresser and she will get on her tip toes, grab the top and try to pull up to grab it! I'm looking forward to having more things unpacked because she is currently getting into everything! and a lot of things she knows she is not supposed to have; however, she does listen extremely well and sometimes will test you but not often if you have already told her "no". 

With her continued development of independence she has also learned the art of a temper tantrum.  It is really quite comical most of the time.  She will either throw her head back while standing and make a "waaaa" sound or lately she will throw herself on the floor.  We don't really pay much attention to it, just laugh, tell her what we are going to do or why she can't have whatever she wanted and move on.  She may fuss for a few seconds afterwards but it never really lasts that long.  I guess I just find it funny to watch.  With her developing so much independence and being much more of a little person than a baby (or at least I think so)  it makes me want to have another baby.... but that will happen soon enough.  For the time being we are just loving our Lillian as much as we can, pushing her to explore new things and celebrating all her milestones and accomplishments.

The Stairs

In our new place we have two sets of stairs, one of my biggest concerns has been how to teach Lillian how to get down.  They are gated off; however, I still wanted to teach her a way to go down them in case she ever got past a gate and encountered the stairs on her own.  She sure did pick it up quick! I think it only took her 2 days to have it all figured out.  We tried a few different ways, if I hold one hand she will hold onto the rails and walk down carefully.  She also tried to go backwards but she'd get her foot stuck and ended up falling backwards lukily I was standing right behind her so she just fell into me.  She now slides on her belly and she is sure quick!

The Move

Lillian has enjoyed the extra open space to play in during the packing and moving :)

Silly Girl

Lillian has a new laugh.... a more excited one :)

Meeting Santa

I found a Santa at a Sears Portrait Studio. I really didn't think Lillian would have any problems but she freaked out! Looking back on it I should have known better. Lillian is always very curious but it has to be on her terms; our Santa experience was identical to the beach experience. She walked in saw Santa and started hysterically crying. We ended up leaving the room and let another appointment go ahead of us in hopes that she could watch and warm up to him. It kind of worked but she still cried. I was quite bummed she wasn't her cheery self with him since she looked so cute.  She wore her Aunt Lanie's dress :)

We did manage to get a couple pictures out of it. She has seen 3 other Santa's since that photo shoot and she has gotten better about it. She can now be in the same room as him, she stands back and is hesitant abut if you try to sit her on his lap she freaks. She is her mother's daughter :)

Enjoying the doggie Bella

This is one of my aunts dogs, Lillian enjoyed throwing the ball for her and by the end of our visit she'd lean in to let the dog kiss her :)

Discovery Kids

We spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina with my aunt and while we were there we took her to a discovery kids museum.  There were multiple themed rooms for kids to play in.  Lillian got to be a vet, a doctor, an EMT, firetruck driver, Nascar driver, she got to go grocery shopping, drive a car and really practice her walking! Below is a slideshow of her fun and a video of her practicing how to go up and down stairs and walking over different terrains.

Dancing

Here is Lillian on Thanksgiving dancing to some songs on the TV :)

Lillian and Violet

13 months

Lillian has changed so much this past month! On Oct. 26th she FINALLY got her first tooth! Since then she has also had 3 more push though on the top. I knew when they'd come in they'd all come in at once. She hasn't let me look in her mouth for quite some time and I guess I thought they'd push out right at the bottom of her gums where you can see the teeth under the gums; instead they broke through a little further back and you can only see them when she leans her head back and laughs with her mouth open.

Lillian is also walking like crazy! Luckily she still holds our hand when we are out in public. She is also becoming quite independent. She has always been very curious but likes to do things on her own. She can feed herself with a spoon as long as the food is sticky enough to stay on it. Lillian is talking a lot more too, she can now say: hi, bye, uh-oh, thank you (but it doesn't quite sound like that), mama (she says ma), dada (she says da), more, and kitty. The other day we were eating Mexican and I gave her some pieces of chips. She saw us dipping our chips in salsa and wanted to do it too. Below is a slideshow of her 13 month photos and the video of her eating chips and salsa. She is one smart cookie!

Lillian's Tricycle

We found Lillian a Radio Flyer tricycle at Goodwill! Yes we know she is too small for it but it was such a steal we couldn't pass it up.

Pumpkin Patch

We found an awesome pumpkin patch near us! It had animals to pet, a jumping pillow, corn maze and of course hay rides to the pumpkin patch!

Birthday Fun (video)

Happy Birthday!

Lillian turned 1 today!!!!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone by.  Can't believe how much she has changed, how much she has learned and how much she has taught us.  She is the best baby and we couldn't have hoped for any better.

here is a slide show video of her birthday fun!

another walking video

A year reflection

Lillian's new trick...

Bath time fun with Daddy

Cake Smash Photo Shoot

A reflection of Lillian's first year of life.

I cannot believe a year ago today I was preparing her room with just a pack n play and some diapers, that we were living in Korea and about to have a baby there!  This year has brought a lot of changes; moving to another country, having a baby in another country, moving back to the states and watching our little girl grow! This little girl is quite a world traveler! At 3 weeks old she had her first professional photo for her passport.What other one year old do you know who has her own passport?! As with all passports you have to fill in her hair and eye color but at 3 weeks old her eyes hadn't changed and she was still bald.  I was told, "just guess".... I remember thinking how ridiculous that is, this passport is good until she is 5 years old. So really she could practically use anyone's passport since there is no way of telling if a 5 year old little girl is the same as the 3 week baby that is on her passport, even now she doesn't look like this at just a year.

Lillian had her second photo shoot for her Korean Visa.  The passport and visa used different sizes and they didn't bother to tell us that when we ordered the prints for her passport.  The second one was much more challenging; the first photo we managed to get her to lay down on a white background and the photographer took the photo from above her (also, they obviously did not get many requests for infant photos because the guy looked at us like we were nuts).  For the second photo I held her up and they photoshoped me out. The guy was trying to be all professional about it and Lillian had some awful bowel movements in the middle of the shoot.... Greg and I both had a very hard time keeping our composure with the noises coming out of her diaper. 

At a month old she had a Buddhist blessing in Korea.  My mom was able to join us for that special occasion.

At two months old she boarded her first plane (well not including the trip I made back to the U.S. pregnant) and we flew 12 hrs back to the states.  Luckily she was still small and slept a lot; even though that is the longest flight she has been on, I think it was the easiest. I had her in a moby wrap, she'd sleep against my chest, nurse when she needed and I would change her on my lap.  Once we landed she had to get used to a car seat.... something that took quite a while.  (Without a car in Korea she was used to be cuddled, patted and comforted whenever she woke up with her strapped to me)  We spent only a few days with family before embarking on our week long drive across country from California to Maryland.  The first couple days were rough on Lillian being in a car seat for close to 8 hrs a day. I know she won't remember all the places we visited but we do have proof she visited them! If you'd like to see our trip across country you can here.  We will make sure we take her back so she has her own memories of it.

She is absolutely the best baby, she slept through the night, was used to her routine, and didn't cry often. I have had the best job of staying home with our little ray of joy.  It is amazing how curious and inquisitive she is.  At 3 months she learned to sit up with a little support, by 4 months she was rolling over, at 5 months we enjoyed rice cereal and took our first swim, 6 months brought lots of new foods to try and lots of army crawling, 7 months we loved to sing, at 8 months we started crawling on all fours, 9 months we started clapping and learned how to pull up, at 10 months we learned how to say "mama" and "dada" and started learning how to walk and at 11 months we started walking on our own! She has also flown a total of 5 times this year!

 It has been a whirlwind of a year but I can't imagine being any other place than at home with my little girl seeing all the magnificent changes she makes everyday!  She makes us laugh everyday, shows us how smart she is and I can't wait to see the person she is going to become.  Of course I have moments where I miss my "baby", I think Greg and I both do.  Some nights we find ourselves getting her and bringing her into our bed for a little cuddle before we go to bed.  The other day at the doctor's office she looked so much more like a toddler than a baby as she sat in a chair by herself, eating a snack and drinking her milk from a cup with a straw.  Lillian has also begun walking on her own more.  Time after time you can see her pull herself up using the couch or chair, turning around and taking some steps.  I just can't believe how fast she is growing up.... and of course this is only the first year!

Birthday Portraits

I can't believe next month my little girl will already be a year old! Time has flown by too quickly!!!! But it has been an amazing ride :)

Here are some portraits I took of her in her birthday outfit I made her.

Our budding pianist

Lillian seems to be very rhythmic and musical. She likes to bang things like a drum,, she dances (sways) when music comes on and she really enjoys playing the piano. I can tell we are going to need to put the cover down when we aren't playing since she can reach them now.

Updated Walking

Lillian got her first pair of shoes about a week ago.  I took her to stride rite, got her sized and got 2 pairs of shoes (they were having a buy one get one half off sale). I got one pair of "early walkers" that have a flexible sole and one pair of "off and running" that are more for one she really gets going; they have a bit firmer sole.  I can now get her to walk holding onto just my finger, she is a bit wobbly and of course she does much better if Greg and I each hold a hand.  I'd say we have made a big improvement in just a week!

Going for a walk

Lillian's walking has improved greatly the last week or so. This is her second time outside. I think I may get her some of those soft sole shoes for outside, she seemed ok on the pavement but I don't want her stubbing her toe or something since when we are inside I know she sometimes stands on her toes. We have been working on holding onto on object, turning and taking a few steps to me too. I have gotten her to do it holding one hand but she isn't too confident yet.

Beginning to Walk Part 2

Shortly after I posted the previous video I was in the kitchen, peaked out to check on Lillian and she was pushing it herself! She's been going on her own ever since. I can not believe she is already learning to walk and learning quick I might add! She only used the walker with my help twice before she took off on her own. I'm so proud of her!

Beginning to Walk!

Yesterday Lillian walked across the entire living room using her walker. I helped by pushing it out a little and by making sure it didn't get away from her, can't believe she will be walking soon! I managed to capture a little video of her using it today. Sorry for the shakiness, enjoy!

We are cruising!

Today Lillian cruised the couch a little and the hope chest. It's hard to capture it since she needs a lot of encouragement and coaxing to do it but I managed to capture part of it.

Feeding

We really enjoy feeding ourselves now :)  Here she is enjoying some bell pepper.  It amazes me how well she eats considering she still doesn't have any teeth! She does chew though...

10 month photos

Lillian is wearing a dress her Auntie Jan made, although it had to be altered a little to fit better.  She is just so petite and tiny. I took her to the doctors as a follow up to being sick in early August.  She only gained 6 oz over 2 months so now we are going to go back in a couple weeks and recheck her weight.  If it has not improved we will do blood work to rule out any metabolic disorders for her slow weight gain.  Until now she has been following the curve but never on it.  At the last appointment she kind of plateaued.   So, that also means she can still fit in her 3 mo onesies and can also fit into 6-9 mo clothes. She sure is a petite little thing.

Dancing

Milestones

9 months has had a lot of milestones! Lillian is becoming so much more independent. She is on the move ALL the time, crawling, pulling up, standing; it is incredible to see how much change she has had this month. Her latest accomplishment is clapping :)  We have been clapping and playing patty cake for months and she FINALLY did it on her own!

Lillian has been standing a lot and it is becoming very difficult to put her down for naps.  After I leave the room she continually stands up at the side of her crib; her crib is already lowered as far down as it can go.  She can't climb out of it but she just stands there and plays.  I think she ends up usually playing for too long, gets too tired then has a hard time falling to sleep. 

Lillian continues to talk and clearly says "mama" at times but there is still no correlation to me.  She says other things like "dada", "appa" (dad in Korean), and "baba", still with no correlation to items, otherwise the rest is all singing or random sounds :)

Lillian has also begun feeding herself more.  She has mastered the sippy cup and only gets a bottle for the first and last feeding of the day (because she will drink more out of a bottle so I can get a little more extra in her those times).  We attached the tray to her stroller and within minutes of putting it on she was eating out of it! Since then I got her a cup with a flexible lid (that prevents spilling of snacks) and she can stick her hand in, pull out snacks and feed herself! All this independence has caused her to not really want baby food anymore.  I've been giving her cut up food at times but not often and I always still fed her baby food (I make my own).  She has been able to chew for quite some time which is surprising because she still doesn't have any teeth.  Recently she will only eat cut up food, or we have to trick her into eating her baby food by giving it to her with a fork as if it were from our plate.  She is too smart!  Tonight we gave her food she could pick up and feed herself and she did great! She ate quite a bit of it AND 4 tbsp of baby food.  I got her a spoon she could feed herself with and although I didn't fully intend on her using it now, I decided to try it anyway.  I put some of her baby food on the spoon, handed it to her and she fed herself! Granted it was quite messy but she did get it in there.  Looks like it will be useful for meats since she kept spitting out the chicken tonight; there is video below:

Crafts for Lillian

I have begun making many things for Lillian including some items she will get for her birthday and Christmas.  I made her a birthday hat that she can wear for a few years (since she only wears it for one day a year!).  I have also started her Halloween costume and she will be going as a lion this year.  I was really surprised how easy it is to make and can't wait to make her more in the future. 

Lillian LOVES this!

Why it is so hard to get her to nap now.....

9 month photos

8 Month Photos

Lillian is finally crawling! No more army crawl.  She has also learned how to pull up and is pulling herself up on everything! We even had to lower her crib mattress so she can't reach the top.

Lillian has recently started clicking and will often click and wait for you to click back to her.  She is such an amazing little person, she amazes me everyday! I think once she reaches the toddler stage, or walking stage that she will be one of those kids who runs, looks back to see if you are following then runs further.  Right now she does that crawling and she really books it! Right now I chase her around the floor and once I catch her she just lays down and waits for me to smother her with kisses :) .... which leads to an insane amount of laughing!

Mema and Papa's visit

Our trip to DC to see the monuments

Here is a slideshow of the postal museum:

and our trip to the zoo :)