Christmas Girl

This week Lillian got to experience her first Christmas. Of course she got way more presents than anyone else in the house, and she had a grand old time ripping the paper off all her gifts.

Her Grandpa tom snapped some pretty cute pictures of our little Christmas girl modeling Grammy Elaine's pretty new cowgirl hat.




Grandpa also got some shots of the whole family.



We have even more photos in the web album.

She Crawls!

Lillian figured out how to crawl today. She quickly made a bee line towards all the best stuff in the house.

Oh, look at all those tempting wires to chew on.

It didn't take her long to find Daddy's computer game stash.



Here she goes for the camera, then goes after her tensegrity toy. She certainly loves technology.

We also got her to show off her two front teeth. Yes she actually has two teeth now!

All I want for Christmas is . . .

This past week Lillian got her first taste of Christmas. We attended the Mountain View tree lighting ceremony Monday evening. There were Christmas carols, Santa, reindeer, a brightly lit tree and lots of holiday cheer.

All Lillian wants for Christmas is her two front teeth, and it looks like she might get her wish! Her first tooth emerged this week. We tried to capture it on film, but it's just too small. I'm sure the second tooth will follow shortly.

Lillian also got closer to crawling this week, she is actually able to move forward a bit.

Lillian and Nash

Lillian has been learning how to play with Nash, she seems to think it is hilarious to sit on floor and paw at Nash's face. Fortunately Nash is infinitely patient and willing to put up with almost any form of abuse. He is such a good dog!

Giving Thanks

This past week Lillian got to enjoy her first Thanksgiving. Elaine and Erin drove in for the week for the big meal and to spend some time with their favorite little girl. We all had fun hanging out playing board games and going out hiking. Erin also tried to teach Lillian how to crawl, Lillian still hasn't figured it all out yet, but she tries really hard.

Fortunately, Lillian is enjoying eating solid foods so she got to partake in the big meal, gobbling up turkey, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. She did not seem to like the Cranberry sauce, but that's OK, it was a little sour. Unfortunately Lillian also developed stranger anxiety this week and it took her a few days to warm up to the visitors. Once she figured out that Elaine and Erin were a lot of fun she got over it.

We have even more pictures from last week posted in our WebAlbum.

Daddy Day!

Kristen has returned to work one day a week. So that means that Eric is using his remaining family leave time to stay home with Lillian every Tuesday. It's been quite an adventure. Lillian seems to remember how to drink from a bottle pretty well, though I suspect she's taking as little as she can, saving herself till mom gets home. Luckily she likes her oatmeal.

We're not just hanging out around the house all day either. We've started attending swim lessons at the Betty Wright Swim Center. Lillian took to the pool like a pro at her first lesson, splashing, laughing and even jumping in. Her second session today was a little more rocky. She was so excited on first entering the pool that she got away from Eric and bumped her head on the side of the pool. That left her in a bad mood for the rest of the session. On top of that, she was the only pupil in today's session so I think she was a little overwhelmed by all the attention. She lasted about 20 minutes of the half hour session before she had a melt-down and needed to go home. After swimming we usually go for a walk around the neighborhood, today we played on the swings. Daddy day is good fun for everyone (but it sure wears daddy out!).

Scooting and Sitting

Lillian has been trying very hard to learn how to crawl. She's not quite there yet and as you can see from this Youtube video, she finds it extremely frustrating.

She's been having a lot more success with sitting, and as you can see it's much less stressful. You'll see she can transition into a pre-crawl pose and back to a sit. She's talented.

Halloween

Lillian got to experience her first Halloween this week. She dressed up as a Tulane Cheerleader thanks to the adorable gift from her great uncle Jim. She went to two parties and got to see a supercool haunted house in the neighborhood.

Earthquake!

Today Lillian felt her first earthquake! Actually to be more accurate, Kristen and Eric felt an earthquake, grabbed Lillian out of her crib where she was peacefully sleeping through the shaking and ran outside. The 5.6 quake centered east of San Jose was big enough to rattle the house but it did not cause any damage. This is also the first quake Eric has felt since moving to California, but that's not saying much. This is the 4th one Kristen has felt, clearly she is much more sensitive to these things than Eric.

Pork, Pork, Pork

Lillian has been enjoying little bits of solid food during meals recently. This past weekend she ate some barbecued banana at a pot luck, a few pieces of rice as well as a tiny sliver of carrot which came out the other end completely undigested.

Today she has her first experience with meat. She seemed to enjoy a few tiny pieces of the rosemary and olive oil roasted pork tenderloin we were eating for dinner.

Klaus in the House

This past weekend we had a meeting of the babies as our friends Ryan and Joanna's 9 month old baby Klaus met baby Lillian for the first time. Lillian enjoyed watching as Klaus crawled and cruised around the house, exposing what a poor baby-proofing job Kristen and Eric had done. He also got to show Nash what he is in for over the next few months. Nash loved it when Klaus grabbed his bone. At 17 pounds Klaus isn't big enough to play tug with 90 pound Nash. Good times!

While Ryan, Joanna and Klaus were in town we enjoyed going out to eat ethnic food and enjoying nature. Those seem to be the favorite activities of most of our visitors these days. Of course there was also lots of baby time. Lillian eagerly watched Klaus cruise around the house. Clearly she can't wait until she is cruising around herself. For the moment all she can do is spin in circles on her belly and push her self backwards while on her back.

6 Months

Lillian had her 6 month check up last week. She now weights 15 lbs and is 26 and 1/4 inches tall, She is in the 30th percentile for weight and the 70th for height. The poor girl also had to endure some more shots but she seemed to handle them OK.

Major milestones

Let it be known that on this day, October 5th, 2007, my daughter, Lillian Husky, gave her first ever Wet Willy.

Traveling Baby, The Sequel

Lillian made her second big trip at the end of September. Lillian, Kristen and Eric traveled all the way to Springfield Illinois to visit Eric's family. She was a good little traveler, enduring a six hour flight followed by a two hour car ride. She seemed to enjoy the flight more than the car ride, if only she could fall asleep in the car like her father does. While in Illinois we had many opportunities to tour the town and visit with family and friends. Lillian had lots of fun visiting with her Great Grandma Helen, she even got to attend a tea party thrown by her three year old second cousin Hollis.

Lillian also got to hang out with her cousins Raquel and Lucas. They were very excited to see their new cousin, and Lillian was excited to see them as well. She can't wait until she is old enough to keep up with them.

While there we attended a family reunion and 84th birthday party for Lillian's Great Grandma Helen. This was the perfect opportunity to show Lillian off to all the relatives. We were able to take lots of family pictures, here is the whole Husky clan together at the party.

Lillian is getting to be a very giggly little girl, her grandma Betty really gets her going.

Check out our web album to see more pictures.

Rainy Day Babies

This weekend Lillian got to see her very first rainy day. To celebrate, we went out for a walk in the rain. Eric carried Lillian in the Baby Bjorn and zipped up the jacket over her to keep her warm and cozy. We all enjoyed the change of pace from the hot sunny days.

Lillian has also been working hard on her developmental milestones. This past week she added rolling from back to front to her repertoire. She is also able to push her chest and belly off the ground in an attempt to crawl. Eric describes the pose as somewhere between the upward facing dog, and cobra poses in Yoga. She still can't manage to get the hips in the air at the same time as the head, but she can use the pose to pivot herself around in a circle. She can also sit unsupported for a few seconds before toppling over.

Next week we are off to Illinois to visit Lillian's other Great Grandma Helen. It will be Lillian's second grand adventure in less than a month.

Traveling Baby

Besides hanging out with family. Kristen and Lillian got to have lots of other adventures during their trip to NY. Kristen attended the wedding of her dear friend Michelle. Michelle is a fellow Yorktown HS alum, and girl scout. At the wedding Kristen got to catch up with some of her high school pals.

As always we were happy to get out side and stretch our legs a bit. One day Kristen, Lillian and Grammy Elaine climbed Turkey Mountain in Yorktown. It was a lovely day and the view from the top was beautiful, we could see the NYC skyline and the Hudson River. Lillian complained the first part of the hike until Kristen realized that the brim of her hat was blocking her view of the trees. Once her hat was adjusted she was much happier.

Kristen and Lillian also spent time hanging with Kristen's dear friend Allison and her sister Danielle. Kristen and Allison were friends back when they were babies. They were born just a few days apart and were neighbors until recently. Kristen and Allison had the opportunity to stroll around the old neighborhood with little Lillian riding along in the stroller and enjoy some good NY pizza.

To see all the pictures from our trip check out our web album.

Hanging with the Family

On Labor day weekend, Kristen and Lillian flew all the way across the country to visit with Lillian's Great Grandma Nora. Lillian traveled like a pro, not crying too much, sleeping most of the flight and giggling in delight as we ran through the airport to make our tight connection into NY.

Lillian had a great time hanging out with her great grandma Nora. Nora loved having a baby in the house and Lillian loved having a new person to talk to. Nora's honey Harold was also a big hit with Lillian, she was delighted when he would clap his hands and wave at her.

Lillian also got to meet her great aunt Diane. Diane is Kristen's favorite aunt, and I'm sure she will become Lillian's favorite great Aunt.

Here is Lillian hanging out with her second cousin Matthew. Kristen used to babysit for Matt when he was Lillian's age. Now he is all grown up and enjoying holding Kristen's baby.

Lillian also got to meet her great aunt Debby and great uncle Rob. She impressed them with her loud screaming upon their arrival. Thankfully her Grammy Elaine managed to calm her down and get her to sleep. Sleeping always seems to make Lillian happy.

Laundry

Lillian has become a little laundry producing machine. She spits up all over everyone's clothing including her own. So today she got to help her mommy do the laundry. She happily sat in the basket and supervised, making sure everything was done to her high standards. Then she puked all over the pile of dirty laundry, just in case it hadn't been puked on enough.

4 month checkup

Lillian turned 4 months old recently, and last Wednesday (the 22nd) she had her 4 month checkup. She now weighs 13 lbs. 5 oz. and is 24 1/2 inches long. Apparently she is now in the 50th percentile for both height and weight and in the 75th percentile if you calculate it based on her due date. Lillian put on a little show for the doctor by holding her head up, and doing little push-ups from her tummy. Her pediatrician was very impressed that Lillian had gotten so big, and was doing things that 4 month old, full term babies can do.

Of course it wouldn't be a doctor's visit if she didn't get some shots. She seemed to handle them better this time than last. There wasn't even any noticeable swelling from the tetanus shot. She has been more sleepy and cranky the rest of the week, which we think is her immune system responding to the shots.

Ice Cream, you scream . . .

On Saturday we went to our neighborhood's ice cream social. Then we had to go back on Sunday, because that's when it was really scheduled as opposed to when Kristen thought it was. There was free ice cream, bouncy houses and lots of other babies. There has been quite a baby boom in the neighborhood so Lillian will have lots of future play mates. Lillian got to play in the grass and look at all the trees, then she took a nap. It's good to be a baby, especially when you can almost sit up by yourself for a bit.

Lillian also enjoyed hanging out on Eric's shoulders over the weekend. Yes there is a hand there supporting her, but she is holding up her head all by herself. Hooray for head control.

We also read the newspaper together, she likes the way it crinkles when the pages turn. . .

Then Eric was playing on the floor with Lillian when Nash sidled up. Poor Nash never gets to play anymore, so he inserted himself into the ongoing game on the floor.

Lillian is developing great head control and is becoming more and more playful. Eric has fun playing airplane with his little girl.

Joe and Raquel's Visit

Lillian finally got to meet her uncle Joe and her four year old cousin Raquel. Raquel was very excited to meet her new baby cousin and Nash. We hear that she has been carrying around a baby doll named Lillian and a little stuffed dog name Nash.

Raquel is a very active little girl, she had a great time playing with Nash, who is her very first doggy friend. Raquel is a good little hiker, we all went for a two mile hike and Raquel managed to get back to the car before everyone else. She declared that she "winned" us all. She certainly is a winner. Eric and Joe also found time to brew some beer since they both enjoy home brewing.

Lillian also enjoyed joining in on the dinner conversation. She is becoming a very chatty little girl.

Lillian's Abuleos

At three months old, Lillian finally gets to meet her Abuelos (Grandparents). Eric's parents Betty and Terry have two other grandchildren, Raquel and Lucas who speak Spanish as a first language. So naturally they refer to themselves and abuelos and attempt to speak Spanish to Lillian.



Here Betty gets a smile out of her. Smiling and cooing are her latest tricks.



Lillian says, "Who is this guy, and why does he keep saying, 'Hola Lillian?'"

Lillian also started playing with her toys more. The piggy is her favorite, she loves to "get the piggy".

Bath Time!

Lillian hated baths until she was three months old, she would scream and cry. Once she got a little older she realized that baths aren't all that bad . . .



. . . and, after baths she get's to cuddle up in her fuzzy towel, not bad at all.



Now that she is all cleaned up, she gets to try on the new dress that her grandma made for her.



Oh, yea!