I took a few months off of blogging, but Lilly didn't take a break from growing sweeter and cuter. The blog today isn't really about any particular incident, rather it is more of a chance for me to catch up on the events of the last few months. My goal in writing this blog is for me to have an outlet to share adventures in raising our kids, but also so I can remember and share my experiences with my children.
Lilly's first birthday was a blast. We had about 30 people in our home at one time. We were bursting at the seams! The theme of the party was "Under the Sea", since Lilly goes crazy every time she sees fish. She had a lot of fun, and looked so cute with her dark pink tutu and pigtails. I made her cake, which was the shape of a fish and even attempted to ice the cake with bags and tips-a first for me! Although the cake was far from perfect, I had fun making it and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. I ordered cupcakes from a local bakery to relieve some of the stress of the party. They were delicious and also followed the fish theme.
Since the party, Lilly has had tons of fun playing with all of the toys and books she received for her birthday. Our living room is essentially a toy pit that Matt and I happen to watch tv in.
In July, the same week Lilly turned 13 months, she started to walk independently. She had been walking with assistance since she was nine months old, but she spent four months gaining balance and confidence to walk alone. She is so cute! She enjoys holding our hand when she walks, but if she gets excited she will stand on her tippy toes and "run" as fast as she can to whatever has caught her attention. She's actually pretty fast, and we have to watch her even more closely than before around stairs. Lilly can get up stairs pretty well, but we are scared of her going down the stairs.
For her birthday, Lilly was given a Dora doll. The doll opens and closes its eyes depending on how it is positioned. Lilly loves that doll! So much so, that I went and bought her another doll, one that has a pacifier so she can have a couple of dolls to play with. She carries the dolls around and pokes the eyes while saying "eye". I had no idea a one year old would be interested in dolls. I figured dolls wouldn't be interesting until two or three. Boy, was I wrong!
Lilly has two teeth (both on the bottom) and is working on getting a few on the top. Although she is still sweet and usually happy, I can tell she is uncomfortable. For a week, she didn't nap and was up during the night screaming. Normally I avoid giving Lilly medicine, but the screams told me that she was in some serious agony. Plus, she needed to sleep. I think in about four weeks, Lilly will have another tough teething time. I've noticed that her teething gets bad every four weeks.
One of Lilly's favorite things to do is to play outside. She was given a truck and wagon for her birthday, and she goes crazy every time she sees them in our garage. We have to let her go for a spin in our driveway or on our sidewalk. She looks so serious when she's riding, but I think she is just taking in her surroundings. The truck has a cool horn that she likes to press while we push her around our driveway. The wagon has seat-backs and seat-belts, which means it is much more advanced than the wagon I played with as a kid. Lilly holds on tightly to the sides of the wagon when she's riding. She loves trees, grass, and a good breeze. Although I do believe Lilly will be girlie, I also believe she will be an outdoor girl, too.
