beach, pool, FAMILY!

9 months!

Last time our post was called "9 months" I was huge, uncomfortable, and didn't have any idea what a precious sassy baby we would have! We cannot BELIEVE that Lily is 9 months old today! She is EVERYWHERE, ALL the time...she never stops, this one. Pulling everything over, eating everything she finds, crawling into every space possible, talking at the top of her lungs ALL the time!

She loves everyone, it seems, but especially the kids. She HATES being a baby when they're around, always wanting down to play with them and wailing when they run away or shoot up trees or dart off on their bikes. Every afternoon when they come home from school, they run past our house, calling "Hello, Lily!" and every afternoon, she yells right back at them "BLAH-BLAAAAAAH!"

She wants to brush her own teeth (6 now!), feed herself, and hold her books and toys herself. She wants to stand up alone, go where she wants, and when she wants! Matt always said, when I was pregnant, that he wanted "a bunch of little Staceys running around!" I'm afraid the Lord answered his prayer :)

Lily has "Ma-Ma", "Da-Da" and "Bye-Bye" down pat, finally understanding how and when to use them. Her "Bye-Bye" always comes with a backwards wave, and it is just amazing to head to school each morning with her standing at the front door, YELLING "BYE-BYE" and waving waving waving :)

My dad always says that it just keeps getting more fun (until they hit 16, anyway) and that has absolutely been true!

birthday, books and bouncing

Lily loved 'helping' Dad open his birthday presents...and then ate the wrapping paper.
We took Matt to town for lunch for his Birthday!
Aunt Bex sent Lily book 3 in her favorite book series! (I know, this sounds weird...but she LOVES these Barney Saltzburg books and now has all three!)


Then, Dave and Ann sent Lily this awesome bounce chair/toy! She loves it! (obviously!) Loves sitting in it, using it to stand, crawling through it...
THANK YOU, Dave and Ann!!!
Everyday, we pick a few small toys and put them in Lily's Easter basket. Throughout the day, we catch her in her room, going over each thing in her basket as if she's never seen them before! It's so cute :)
Thank you, too, Lori for some cute new clothes, Aunt Patty, for new baby food, diapers and cookies (she LOVES those baby cookies) and Grandpa and Aunt Lisa for new jammies!

No matter how many things we find to prop her head on these bumpy roads, Lily + sleeping in car = mom or dad holding her head up the whole trip :) Thanks, Grammy, for her little sheep!

She is standing up on EVERYTHING, and will stand at the front door like this all day. She can stand and stay, no problem...sitting down, she cannot do. So, she stands, sometimes for 20 minutes, and then when she can't stand anymore, wails until you come help her sit down :)

joy joy joy...funny how quickly we have forgotten life before Lily! I can't imagine that I didn't miss her the last 25 years!

tou-pa-tou

EVERYWHERE!

beauty bird

on the move...

Lily bird is getting hard to keep up with! She has also recently 'adopted' a pet cat that belongs to a neighbor...she absolutely LOVES it, and will plop down by the door and play with it (and passing chickens) all afternoon. Lily also loves to get in small spaces, and is pulling herself up on everything! Yesterday, this included the toilet...oh my.

She is getting more clingy lately and starting to protest if you take something away that she wants or put her down when she wants held! She is only 8 months, but we've starting working on "NO" and making sure she doesn't get her way...all the time :)

Lily is already a chatterbox, always telling "kitty" and chickens and anyone who will listen all about how she feels about everything!

This is not the most flattering photo, but shows off some of those new teeth!