Liliana is NOT a Baby (Winter 2009)

Liliana is a big girl, a big girl who takes care of babies. She is even more into babies than ever and has developed a very special bond with her Baby Gigi. Baby Gigi goes everywhere with her. And I mean everywhere-- car, store , potty, bed. We even got to see what happens when we leave Baby Gigi at a friend's house after a playdate. Tears. Not a fit. Big sad, sad tears. Mama spent the next morning driving across town to pick Baby Gigi up so that Liliana could be reunited with her after preschool. Yes, our girl who has never slept with anything but her blankies in bed with her now sleeps with Baby Gigi right next to her in her big girl bed. Yup, over Thanksgiving weekend Liliana transitioned into a toddler bed. We just took off the side rail and put up the toddler bed rails. Other than climbing into her bed by herself nothing has seems to have changed. She only crawls back out of bed when we come to get her. Amazing. Don't worry, we are prepared for whatever may happen when she turns two in a couple of weeks! We have actually bought her a real twin size big girl bed for her birthday. Hopefully she will like sleeping in it as much as she has loved her crib/toddler bed. Wish us luck!

Liliana has also started wearing big girl underwear all day

long except for naps and bedtime. She has graduated from the constant reminder to use the potty to asking to go when she needs to. The past week I can't even remember even one "accident." We feel so fortunate for her easy transition away from diapers. She seems to be very comfortable to "go" just about anywhere we happen to be and proved she can hold "it" several times as we searched for a bathroom. We can't quite describe how great it is to sometimes go somewhere without a diaper bag (though truth be told we are more often carrying one for snacks, an extra change of clothes, and nap gear for on the go).

Liliana also never stops talking or singing or questioning. As she often tells us she wants to do everything "by myself!" She often sings medley of several song without talking a breathe. It starts as Mary Had a Little Lamb and suddenly ends with B-I-N-G-O. She is definitely entering that 2-year-old phase. She can keep you reading one story for ten minutes by asking questions about every character on the page--"What's is that? What he doin'?" And since she no longer always just goes right to sleep, we get to giggle about what she says before she falls asleep. Sometimes she is clearly talking to Baby Gigi while other times she is just reminicing about her day. Tonight she started reciting one of her favorite books. When she wakes up the same thing--chatter about anything, or a clear statement: "I am awake." She repeats everything she hears. Sometimes she just repeats herself--over and over and over. We think for emphasis or just to make sure you are listening to her. ;)

Liliana likes to tell Logan "I need my privacy" while on the potty. And although we are already seeing our share of 2-year old fits, we are also hearing her express her needs and feelings in clear ways. It is amazing to hear Liliana and Logan talk out a problem. This past week I watched Liliana talk to Logan about taking Baby Gigi out of the dolly stroller. It was so cute: "I was upset. I was upset. You took Gigi away from the strodder. I don't like that." After which, Logan gave her Baby Gigi and the stroller.

It was pretty awesome. I have to admit that though I am biased, I am impressed everyday with the way that Liliana and Logan learn and play together. For that matter, you can't forget Kaya either. Liliana is constantly looking after Kaya, trying to feed her at dinner, giving her a milk cup, giving her toys and kisses (when she is not taking her food or toys and bulling her over). Truly they all simply adore one another. More than friends, more than cousins, different from siblings. It is a very special bond that they all have, and I hope they always maintain.

So, yeah, we think Liliana is amazing. She's ready to be two. She adores going to preschool and has showed no need to have Mama around at all. She loves her friends and love, loves her Teacher Katie. She pretty much knows her letters and numbers. We love to hear her sing the ABC's, point out specific letters, and count things in Spanish and English. But, mostly we love to hear her laugh and ask for "more, more" when we swing her before bed. We love how sweet she is to Baby Gigi. She talks to her "Sweetie-pie" and takes such good care of her. We love when she puts her face right up to Mama's belly and says "Hola Bebe" just like the big sister in her bedtime book. We love when Liliana kisses Baby Sister goodnight and pulls Mama's shirt back down so Baby can sleep. Liliana is not a baby. She is going to be two in a couple of weeks. Liliana is going to be the best big sister ever. We could not feel more blessed.

Fall 2009

Business first.  As you've probably noticed, we are no longer doing pictures by month- we'll now post periodically when we get a bunch of pictures.  For example, 3 grandparent visits in 4 weeks, as you'll see in the slideshow ( :  I would expect a Thanksgiving set, too!  

In even more important and better business, it gives us great pleasure to let you know Liliana will soon be an older sister- which is good since she is madly in love with babies these days.  She still gravitates to the big kids if they're around, but if there's a choice, lately it's "see baby!!!" We're due April 29th.  We're not sure if it's a boy or girl yet, but we've already had the chance to hear the heartbeat!  We're really excited!  Still, that's in the future.  Right now, enjoy the pictures of Lily as we go from Summer to Fall here in Seattle.  Notice the first pictures of her in big girl underwear rather than diapers- she's not potty-trained, but she's working on it ( :

As usual, visits from G-mo and G-pops, Grandma, Aunt Janet, and Grandpa provided much needed relief for the parents, and lots of joy for the children of the family.  Thanks for stopping by- see you all soon!

Love,

Liliana, Marita, and Ian

An Ode to My Sweet Pea Liliana (18 Months!)

My sweet Liliana, how you crack me up!  

You chatter, blather, talky talk.

Loquacious already describes you,

Cheesy, toothy smiles for the camera.

Soon, please, soon you’ll have all your teeth.

Fakey-fake laugh at all but Logan’s jokes 

A call to your Uncle, a chat on Skype,

You simply want to sing songs.

You love the sound of your own oo—ooo monkey.

You can’t get enough of your choo-choo trains.

Your love for all cribbies has just been challenged,

You love Logan’s pretty Big Boy Bed.

You climbed right out of the pack-n-play while camping.

Will you start jumping out of your crib?

We know you probably can.

Jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping,

You can’t get enough of the jumping.

This weekend I saw you jump off the ground,

Showing off your wrestling skills,

Your friends seemed a bit surprised.

You like your friends little social butterfly.

Logan will forever be your favorite.

 

Did I mention you love the word “own”?

You want your own snack bowl.

Your own milk cup, too.

Your own blankie,

Your own binkie,

Your own choo-choo train.

Your own plate unless it is dinner,

Then all you want is daddy’s.

You love the brown markers,

You always have two.

Colors matter to you,

Even when you can’t always name them.

 

How many baby dolls must you have?

Mamey, “Oody,” Sweet Pea, Willy,

Not to forget your love for red bear and brown,

Or your favorite Baby Kaya.

I caught you this morning singing,

“Rock-a-bye Baby,” a very silly song.

You needed to change Mamey’s diaper.

Sweet hugs and kisses when babies get hurt,

Such a loving girl.

You made your daddy’s day today.

You cuddled him after lunch,

Sweetly hugging, head on chest.

You shared your cookie, too.

Still sucking that binky and holding your blankie,

You fell asleep in the car.

Sweet, sleepy girl you’ll need your rest,

Sunny day will call us out to play,

Backyard sanctuary—sandbox and climber,

White bench on new-new patio,

Tiny rocks surround the trees

Calling you to dig them with a shovel,

Scatter them in the grass.

You will help me water the garden,

Fill your own watering can.

Growing our very own Sweet Pea.

Our 17 Month Old Chatterbox

So, yeah, this blog entry comes a little late . . . sorry folks. Anyways, we have certainly been busy hanging with our little chatter box.   Dang this girlie talks A LOT!  And she know exactly what she wants.  In fact, we sometimes like to call her our Little Diva.  One of our favorite moments is when she tells us something and we don't quite know what she is talking about and she simply looks at us with her most serious face and says it again--whatever it is that we still have no idea what she is saying.   She just looks at us.  Seriously?  You don't know what I am saying?  I'll just say it again.  Ususally, eventually we know what she is saying, but sometimes we just have to nod our head and smile.  She always makes us smile.  It is funny how we can spend our last moments awake everynight smiling and giggling about just how cute Liliana is and how funny she was and how much we love her.  Liliana is also showing us how her little brain works and remembers.  Like, how recently she will take my cell phone and start calling Anny (Uncle Andy).  When I ask her what she is doing she adds: Anny. Skateboard. Which quickly turns into a laundry list of memories from her trip to New York like feeding the birds crackers in the park with Grandma and the dog on the 3rd floor that said woof  WOOF  really deep and loud. Her motor skills are also developing even more as she practices jumping, skipping, and climbing.  Much of this thanks to the amazing weather in Seattle right now which means lots of time outside at the zoo, at the park, and in the backyard.  LOTS of time in the newly designed backyard.  We have a double bed garden thanks to a visit from Pop-Pop, G-Mo, and Auntie Gabby.  We also turned last year's garden bed into a proper sandbox and bought a climbing playgym off Craigslist (you gotta love Craigslist deals).  At any rate, Liliana has mastered the climbing much to our fear and to the detriment of her soft, smooth baby skin.  Yup, this girl is Marita's daughter.  She now sports numerous cuts, scraps, and bruises in various places though mostly concentrated on the legs.   She is turning into such a big girl!!!  We can hardly believe how quickly time goes by, how busy our days become, and how fulfilling life is with Liliana around. 

Our 16 Month Travel Expert

Last week while visiting New York we decided we would try Liliana on one nap per day.  It was a disaster- she basically fell asleep on her feet, and was deleriously exhausted by the time we put her to bed. No problem- 2 naps it is.  Only. . . here it is one week later, and wouldn't you know it- we are 5 days into a completely easy and successful transition to 1 nap per day.  I know, I know- what's the point?  The point is that I can't believe how quickly Liliana learns, changes, and grows.

Anyway, Spring has for the most part arrived here in Seattle, and even graced our visit to NY for awhile, so there are lots of park pictures this month. We even have pictures from both the Seattle and Bronx Zoo. Liliana does love the zoo!  There are shots with too many friends and family members to name in NY and Boston.  Liliana was amazing on the plane, in the car, and just about everywhere in between.  She was totally engaged and dancing this year at Sedar, and developed quite a taste for soup, even simple saltwater & egg soup. She had her first real taste of NY pizza and bagels (not to forget BBQ ribs), and learned to skateboard(thanks to Uncle Andy).  She even had her first sleep over at her friend Ramona's house (okay, Mom and Dad stayed over, too).  Enjoy the pictures.

Liliana 15 Months!

Welcome back! Sorry we're a bit late this month. In the couple of weeks we've had a slew of visitors, and we have just a minute to catch our breaths before we head to NY next week. Pictures of all of that will come next month- we haven't had time to process, but it was great to see Grandpa Tom and Grandma Liz, cousins Derek, Jessica, and Evan, and of course Tommy O. This month we get to see the entire Schecter clan and lao tung Ramona.  Then we'll have a visit from G-Mo, Pop-Pop, and Auntie Gabby (Andy, are you coming too? Hope so!) for Logan's birthday. Whew!

I guess it's a good thing that Liliana seems to have enough smiles for everybody. This month has been a gratifying one, indeed- Liliana laughs at least twice as much as she ever has before (usually because Logan cracks her up, seriously) and has added the the greatest 3-word phrase in the world to her repitoire: "I-nu", or as we would say it- I love you (hold on while my heart melts and I pull myself back together). . . . . . . . .Okay, I'm back- thanks for waiting.

Lily grows up so much every month. It's amazing to see her skills grow, whether her ability to climb at the park, paint a picture, or communicate what she wants. She has an uncanny knack for waking up at 6:07 AM, and knows that by 7:15, she can start asking to watch Sesame Street and we may let her ("Ehmo, Ehmo, Ehmo"). The swings have become her clear favorite at the park. She is fearless in the bathtub, whether floating on her back or "swimming" on her stomach- having her head under water just doesn't phase this kid. Her favorite foods? Avocado and strawberries. Favorite toy? Her blankets. The point is, it's amazing to watch our little girl develop a personality. It happens so quietly you hardly notice, but all of a sudden ,you can tell people things about her- and not just what she's capable of, but what she prefers, and what makes her happy, and which people she knows as soon as they walk in the door. It's a pretty amazing time. Thanks for stopping in and sharing it with us.

love,

liliana, marita, and ian

More birthday pictures

Hi all,

We found some extra birthday pictures from January (January 17th to be specific), when we had Liliana's party.  Enjoy the additional, and in some cases, better shots.  Also, our 14 months postis  coming later today!

love,

liliana, marita, and ian

14 Months with Sweet Liliana

There is simply too much to say in regards to Liliana's growth, development, and emerging personality.  So we will just describe her yesterday.  She woke up at 6:20 am and cuddles with Mama in the recliner until almost (she still isn't much of a cuddler so Mama is already missing the more dependable morning cuddles that last until 7:15 or even 8:00!!).  Liliana wanted to read books.  She popped up and declared "book book book."   She crawled over to the book basket and no surprise to Mama she pulled out "Faraway Farm" (we have read "Faraway Farm" at least 6-8 times a day since we borrowed it from the library).  Then we turned on the lamp and pointed out animals and made lots of animals noises.  Luckily for Mama, Dada came in sent Mama back to bed for her weekly morning nap (Mama appreciates a day to go back to sleep until say 8-8:30).  Dada and Lily read more books, snacked on cheerios and banana, played with blocks and Potato-head and watched birds and squirrels out the window. She ate a hearty breakfast of eggs with spinach and cheese, Morningstar veggie sausage, and plain yogurt with blueberries.  Instead of our regularly scheduled a.m. park venture, Liliana got to talk to her Gram Alice and Great-Grandpa Ben on Skype (Happy Birthday Great-Grandpa Ben!! It should also be noted that we talked to Grandpa Tom and attempted a chat with Great-Nana, the next day).  She sang some songs and said "ga-ma" and "ga-pa" a lot.  Then a quick nursing session and books with Dad before a nap.  Liliana incredibly and quite thankfully falls to sleep rather quickly for her naps.  We are pretty darned lucky!  Mom and Dad spent the nap period picking out the web-album pictures and preparing Liliana's daiper bag for an afternoon adventure.  Then we ate lunch and waited because Liliana slept for nearly 3 hours--this never happens!  At-any-rate, we took our well rested sweetheart to the mall (she ate her lunch in the car).  We hate to admit it and rarely is it true but we did in fact spend the afternoon at the mall.  Liliana helped Mom and Dad buy new running shoes and then played with Dad while Mom attempted to buy some new fun shirts (Mom would rather buy Liliana clothes!). Lily was amazing and patient through-out the whole shopping ordeal.  She especially loved 1-2-3 Swing with Mom and and Dad, looking into the windows of EVERY store, and playing with the belts.  Then we went back to the car, had some milk, and Lily promtly fell asleep on the way home.  Dad dropped Mom off at Babies-R-Us to buy some car window shades (we are looking foward to sunny weather in our future) and a cushiony fireplace guard (yeah, check out the shiner she got hitting her head on the bookcase--we don't want to risk the stone fireplace).  Liliana simply slept.  Sweet Liliana woke up two blocks from home after nearly another hour of napping!  So when we got home and it was still sunny we decided to take her to the park since we missed the park in the morning.  She had the most lovely time on the swing and with the digger ("dig-dig") in the sand box.  Then we headed out to our neighborhood healthfood coop for a piece of free fruit (pretty awesome that kids get a piece of fruit for free every time you shop there) and a few small items.  THEN we went out to dinner at a new pizza restuarant in our neighborhood.  While we waited for our table and our extended family--Rach, Mike, Logan, and Kaya--Liliana befriended a 3 1/2 year old and tested out said new firend's tricycle.   Then boy did we have an eventful dinner.  There were children seated at every table of this small pizzeria. While we waited for our pies the kids walked around and "chatted" with the kids from the other tables.  They especially liked the 10 month old butt-walker (baby never learned to crawl because she is so skilled at sliding on her booty).  And then, yes, we ate pizza--lots of pizza.  By the way, it was during dinner that mama felt Liliana's mouth and found that her fourth bottom front tooth had finally broken through alond with TWO molars.  Um, when did that happen?  And how has Liliana been so cheery and loverly and not-so-teething-baby? Anyways, we headed home for a quick bad and too bed.  Liliana was so tired she didn't even want to read books and was asleep by the time Mama left her room.  It was quite a day.  

So, yeah. See why I didn't tell you about all her growth, development, and emerging personality?! You would have had to read more of my rambling!!  HA!  Quick note that Funcle Jacob visited us and we've had lots of adventures to the park, the zoo, the children's museum, and in the front yard full of SNOW (Um it's the end of February). Now Mama and Dada need to go to bed so that we can enjoy another week with our ridiculous, somersault-loving, raisin-munching, big teeth-grinning, crayon-nibbling, pen-tasting, black-eyed little Curious George.  We love our life!

Liliana at 13 months . . . .

Happy New Year everybody.  Out with the monkey and overalls, but that doesn't mean we don't have the normal array of pictures from the park, at play with Logan, and of course delicately eaten meals to share with you.  

This is our sweet diva Liliana at her birthday party in January where she played with friends, opened presents (and didn't want to share and might have thrown a little fit because she actually wanted to play with the new toys instead of just opening more), sat in blissful awe while we sang Happy Birthday 3 times, almost blew out one candle, and ate a homemade from the box sugary delicous cupcake.  It was a wonderful celebrations with all our very generous and supportive communityof parents and friends.  

We are also honestly in a constant state of giddy awe watching Liliana grow up day by day.  She is just so silly.  Her communication is ever expanding to all our delight.  It is so satisfying for Lily and her parents to know that we are being understood and listened to, even when we don't reaaaally want to sing "I'm A Little Teapot" again. ;) AND her feet grew, too!   Which is good because she needed to fit into her new red big girl walking shoes from Auntie Rach, Uncle Mike, and her cousins Logan and Kaya.  

We were paid a lovely visit by Grandma Alice this month, and Auntie Gabby spent some more amazing time with us as well, finishing up her annual Christmas-New Year's visit.  We hope you all had joyful and eventful ends to your holiday seasons.  

love. 

liliana, marita, and ian.

The future of politics. . . Yes she can.