random thoughts

It's raining....again. So far, this summer it has been rainy or hot and rainy. Mosquitoes. Ozone. All around crappy. BUT, the picture above is our new painting. Ever since Cory and I left Quebec City after our honeymoon, we kicked ourselves for not buying one then. Needless to say, after three years, new real jobs, and countless visits to the gallery website, we bucked up and bought one. I spoke French to the gallery owner and somehow we ended up just paying for the painting and not managing to buy a cow or some mustard or something... Yay! It hangs proudly on our dining room wall (which we measured with this in mind before we bought the house) and makes us both smile when we come in our house.

Lilly update: her current favorite activity is banging her sippy cup on her high chair table to make the milk come out. Adding to the fun are the cheerios that she then swipes through the milk. Just today she figured out how to dump liquid on her head from the above mentioned sippy cup.

She is gaining quite the personality--laughing all the time, giving kisses like a European (both sides!) and loving her new shoes. They were not a hit at first, but now she loves them, especially the tiny Puma's like her dad's. Hipsters.

We are enrolled in parent-child swim at the YMCA. We can't really tell if she is into it or not, but we get no complaints. She splashes and loves being swished around. Cory and I particularly enjoy the pool (especially after last weekend's late night out) and are very happy that we will never have to deal with one of our own. The best part about swimming lessons in Houston?--they continue until the end of October (October!).

Team Clechenko is gearing up for the big weekend away in Minneapolis...sans the girl. The Charleston G'parents are flying in for some babysitting action.

Pictures below: not so excited for the new shoes and snuggling with the new cozy softie (thanks PA Pierce Family!)

movin' and shakin'

Lilly took her first steps last week....and it wasn't but a week later that she is cruising around the house. She went from taking 4 steps to crossing a room. It is unbeliveable. Cory and I are constantly wondering what room she goes to since we are not yet ready to chase her down.

Today, I bought her first (real) pair of shoes so those little toes don't get hurt. Baby shoes are a complete racket--they aren't cheap and when I asked the saleslady how long I should expect her to fit in them, the reply was "about three months". Damn.

Lilly moves up to the Playful Piglets class next week which means they go outside, do art and eat their meals at the cutest little tiny table and chairs. Big stuff!

picky picky

Lilly pretty much loves every kind of food--in fact, she's not yet refused a thing. The other day we were having broccoli, carrots and cauliflower (willingly and excitedly, I might add) for dinner. After cutting up the veggies into the requisite child-no-choke sized tidbits, I noticed that Lilly ate all the carrots first, and then was dilligently picking out the "trees", leaving behind the "trunks"...which then she so politely shared with me.

proto-standing

She's up! Lilly has figured out how to get up to a stand without the aid of furniture or us. She is ok on her feet, but starts laughing and realizes that she is on her own and falls down. You can tell she just wants to walk, but can't figure out how to shift the weight and move her legs. It really won't be long now.


The teeth are starting to come in fast and furiously too. Unfortunately, the fourth one is not the matching top tooth, but the one to the side. Already, you can tell that she is going to have the "Cory gap"....that, or a future destined for braces.

1st Heights Pub Pedal--Lilly at home

Careful planning and cooperative weather (finally!) ensured the inagural pub pedal was a rousing success. The best part...Lilly's first official babysitting experience. Quite liberating for us....a few shots of our reward below. Lilly, on the other hand was a happy little camper until we got home.

summer vacation

We had a wonderful 4th of July in Charleston. Miraculously, Lilly was 90% good on the plane-both ways-which made us very happy. How I managed to choose flights that coincided with bed and naptime still amazes me.

Granny and Grandpa's house was full of nifty things for Lilly to explore--she especially liked the backyard (we have a jungle, unsuitable for play) with the ducks that came by every afternoon. Probably her favorite thing about the digs were the stairs! Since we only have one floor, it was all very exciting for her once she figured out how to go up. One particular time she got to the top and started hysterically crying because there were no more. Go figure. Oh yes, I cannot forget to mention that the high chair Grandma carefully selected was awesome. Really, after spending a week being able to pick up the washable plastic tray when Lilly started making a huge mess, it was hard to come back to our "euro-special" wooden highchair that is damn near impossible to clean.



The beach was a big hit with Lilly...she loved getting wet and splashing in the waves. Her teachers at school says that she gets very upset when splash time is over for the day or if she is not sitting in the little inflatable pool. I guess it might be time to investigate "shrimp dip" lessons at the Y.



All along, I thought to myself what a great time her first birthday would be. She loves attention, is a complete ham for everyone and eats like a champ. A recipe for success, right? Oh my was I wrong. After singing and candle blowing it came time for the classic 1st birthday moment--the smashing of the cake--where every child is left covered in cake and frosting and looking incredibly cute. Nope.....Lilly went into meltdown. The cupcake was smashed and then thrown forcefully to the floor. A few failed attempts at getting her to try it led to more tears. It was only a matter of opening some gifts that put her in a better mood. Not what we had hoped for, but it will be a good story when she is older.




All in all, a great vacation and good visit with the grandparents. I think that we sufficiently prepared them for the big babysitting adventure set to happen over Labor Day weekend.

sippin'

One milestone reached here at Team C's house....Lilly has mastered the sippy cup, abandoning all bottles for good. We couldn't be happier! Every evening, Cory and I would find every excuse to avoid cleaning the bottle nipples and getting her set for the next day. Now all we have to do is dump the milk into the cup. Next up, tricking her to like whole cow's milk--so far, a task we are failing at. Notice the ultra-babyproofed lamp cord in the background with the table there for 'safety'.



Unlike last fourth of July, I am going to enjoy the fireworks while relaxing on the beach. We're heading out to see G & G in Charleston which should provide Cory and I with a little relaxing time. Heck, I might even get to read an entire book in a few days rather than weeks.