Water Wings!

Breaking news of the summer. Lyla is now wearing water wings in the pool! I tried to get her to wear them earlier in the summer, but when I went to put them on her, she freaked out. So she had just been using one of those baby tubes or hanging out in our arms in the pool. Then one day a couple of weeks ago, she brought me one of Nicolas' swimmies, put her arm out and said "peas" (please). I put them on her and she walked me over to the pool to go swimming. Since then, as soon as she sees the pool she wants to put the swimmies on and go swimming. We usually oblige, but this sometimes mean she wants to go in when she wakes up at 6:30 in the morning. Last weekend, Mark literally rolled out of bed and went swimming with her. Good Daddy :)

My two goof balls saying "CHEEEEESE"


Loving her new freedom


Every once in a while she looks at the water wings and says "quack quack". Can you guess why?


This little dip took place before 7. It was cold and it may have even been drizzling, but she insisted. And when Lyla insists on something...

Lyla Grace at 18 Months

My baby girl is 1 1/2 years old!  In case she is ever wondering what she was like, here it goes:

Lyla, you are a very happy, very funny little girl who knows just how to wiggle deeper into your heart when you need it most.  You just started giving big kisses right on the mouth (closed-mouth kisses finally...) and you are known to plant one that lasts about 15 seconds!  There is really nothing better in the world than a kiss from you, Miss Lyla Grace.

You are pretty darn good at communicating what you want.  You say just about everything we say (even some words we wish you didn't repeat...).  If you can't tell me what you want, you will take my hand and show me.  Your vocabulary amazes me.  You hear a word just a couple of times, make the association and never forget it.  Today you were showing me an "ephant" (elephant) and "ocpus" (octopus).  And I think you said "I uv you" tonight when we were putting you to bed (clarify -- when you walked over to your crib and told me you wanted to go to bed).

You love your family.  You scream "yay" when we pull up to Grandma and Papa's house and you run to Oakley as soon as we walk in the door.  Your eyes light up when you see your cousins and you love to kiss their pictures in photo albums.

You love life.  You are up for every adventure, from running down to the garbage room with Dad to going down the water slide in the pool.   You still love saying hi and bye to everyone around you, even if they don't reciprocate.  You must examine everything within arm's reach and often exclaim "cool" when you are getting a close look.  Grandma says you have a joie de vivre and I couldn't agree more.  I'm just thrilled I get to go along for the ride.

You are brave.  You approach everything with a "Yes I Can" attitude, whether it is swimming in the pool, approaching the big kids in the park or figuring out how to open the bedroom door.

You love wearing shoes and bracelets.  You are intrigued by bows and think you look very pretty when they are in your hair but just can't resist pulling them out.  You are very particular about which shoes you want to wear.  Forgive me if I put your crocs on when you are in the mood for your rain boots.  But you also love your "voom vooms" (cars) and "choo choos" (with the accompanying arm motions and sometimes preceded by a "chugga chugga").

You really couldn't care less about eating unless the food in front of you is round and resembles a "coo-kee".  You definitely have a sweet tooth.  Other favorites are pizza, pasta and, ye old faithful, meatballs.

You still go to sleep at 8pm, but wake up before 7 (ugh) and then snuggle in bed with us.  You try to get as close to me as humanly possible, which usually means a knee planted firmly in my windpipe and your cute little tummy across my face.  We taught you to do "nice" with Oakley, but you've been doing it to me in the morning.  Thanks for that.  But if I get annoyed, that annoyance disappears immediately when I open my eyes and there you are saying "Hi Mama."

You have redecorated our apartment in many ways.  And by redecorate, I mean you think the toothpaste belongs in the living room, your dolls belong in our bathtub and my jewelry belongs in your crayon box.  And let's not talk about the unaccounted for bottle of hand wash that has been missing since Monday.

In short, Lyla, you are one pretty remarkable little girl.  Don't ever forget that.

Thumbs Up

Movin' On Up

Lyla has officially upgraded to the very big tub in our bathroom.  She calls it the "pool" and likes to drink from the "wata" fountain.

Easing into it


Taking a sip

Juice Break

The High Line

A couple of weeks ago, on a cloudy Sunday, we went to the High Line. It's been on my list of things to do in NYC since it opened last summer, but we never got around to it until just recently. The High Line is an old set of railroad tracks elevated 30 feet above the Meatpacking District. It closed to trains in 1980 and sat untended to for nearly 30 years. When it was restored, the developers left in place the train tracks and all of the wildflowers that had grown over the years. It was a really, nice serene walk that gives you a totally new perspective of New York.




Wildflowers


Train Tracks


The Standard Hotel straddles the High Line. There were reports that hotel visitors flash people walking the High Line from their hotel rooms :0


In the Diller-Von Furstenberg Sundeck (you can see IAC headquarters and DVF headquarters from the highline), we relaxed on the lounge chairs.


It would be so peaceful to sit there on a Sunday morning, drink your coffee and read the paper...if you didn't have a 1 1/2 year old. Instead, we sat for 15 minutes and then dealt with this.


After the High Line, we grabbed lunch at Chelsea Market and called it a day.

Happy Birthday Grandma

Before we left for Bethany, we celebrated my mom's birthday.  She had a special request for kids and lobster tails and she got both.

During the day, we were hanging out playing with Nicolas' car that has been sitting in my parents' house since Christmas and decided to take it out for a test drive.


He had trouble steering at first and instead would hop out of the car and push it in the direction he wanted to go.


He eventually got the hang of steering and was driving with some swagger. Now he needs to learn how to brake.


Meanwhile, the little ones found a puddle to play in




Want a ride?


Catch ya later


Lyla enjoying life


This seemed like a good idea at the time...


...but



Back at the house, my dad made lobster tails and shrimp for everyone. Dinner was followed by birthday cake and cupcakes.

Waiting patiently for a cupcake. I honestly think this is the only time she has ever sat at the table without trying to wiggle out of her seat.


Do I have something on my face?






Trying to get a picture together


What's wrong Lyla Grace?


The best we came up with


Happy Birthday Grandma!

A Sunset Concert

A few weeks ago we took Lyla to a sunset concert on Pier 45. We walked there by ourselves and then Mark met up with us after work. Big greeting for Daddy.


Lyla was more interested in running up and down the pier and wouldn't sit still for the music. She was hiding from me so I wouldn't pick her up.


Sitting still for one minute only after I bribed her with a lollipop.


Who's bigger?

Napping With Oakley

I leave the room for one minute and I come back to find that Lyla has company.

Ocean City

We took a side trip to Ocean City one day when Lyla was particularly cranky.  We figured she would fall asleep on the ride there and Mark could show me his old stomping grounds. Well, that didn't happen and Lyla happily accompanied us the whole day without napping.

Ocean City is kind of a trip. It's sort of stuck in the '50s, populated with hotels called the "Shangri La" and the "Sea Breeze". There are tons of old school concessions on the pier and an absurd number of mini-golf courses around the city.   Kitschy is an understatement, but we had fun walking the boardwalk and taking it all in.









Mark used to go to Ocean City in high school and loves pointing out all the hotels and bars where he spent his time. One of those places is Seacrets, a huge restaurant/bar, where the floor is all sand and you can paddle up and get served while sitting in an inner tube. We stopped there for lunch so I could get the full Seacrets "experience"

Lyla right before she fell out of the booth...In all fairness to me, the booths weren't connected to the walls and another kid did the same thing about 10 minutes later. Luckily, the floor was made of sand ;)


Mommy needed a nice cold drink after that tumble.


And she's off. "Mommy, this floor is made of SAND"


Lyla finally fell asleep just as we were making the last turn to go home.