One Month Later: December 2012

Holding the leash while you walk the dog

Beautiful smile!

Crawling is a thing of the past

My Dog Sunday

Bears at Hoover Library!

Swinging at Chace Lake

My Bed in My Room

Sunset (or is it sunrise?) at the Beach



Things have been busy & I haven’t found the time to update my blog recently. As I’m posting this morning I’ve thought about why I have a blog about you. I don’t think it is supposed to be a log of what happens in your life. Rather I think it is a way to share my unique perspective of thoughts about and experiences with you. This time I chose pictures to try to illustrate a few of them. It is a long post…but I’ll justify it since it’s been a long time since I posted. First, whenever go out with Sunday, you want to hold the leash. It made me laugh to see you doing the same thing with your Dad. Even though it’s not really helping, you want to have some responsibility for the dog. Eventually you’re going to be big enough to really help walk the dog (and lots of other things!) and I think it’s important to not tell you “no” when you want to hold the leash. I also like this picture because I think it’s wonderful you ride on your Dad's back! Your Mom & Dad take you camping & to the beach & on hikes. You are going to have a connection to “the great outdoors” that I never had.  How awesome!

For a long time, because you were so good at crawling quickly whereever you needed to go, you weren’t too interested in walking. I think your official “first step” was Oct 28, but now you’re confidently and consistently walking! Although you have more mobility progress ahead (tricycle, bicycle, roller skates etc.) becoming biped is clearly the most significant and monumental. You are now officially a “toddler”!

I chose the picture of your beautiful smile while sitting in your “food chair” not only to show how beautiful you are, but how happy you are. Almost all of the time you laugh & play & hug & smile and really enjoy life. It is contagious. Happy times with you are the best part of my life! You see joy in little things which adds so much joy to my life.

You & I have gone to the Hoover Library several times. But the first time we went we discovered your big bear who lives at your Dad’s mother’s house has a “secret life” and a buddy at the library. You were so amazed! As we mature we become aware the world exists when we’re not observing it. (There is a specific term for that but I can’t remember it now). The next time we went to the library the bears were busy holding decorations and couldn’t play with you. You were very disappointed but adjusted pretty quickly. Maybe they can play next time! The Hoover Library is a great place to visit. Although it doesn’t have a “merry-go-round” like the mall, neither does it have the many distractions of the mall! And it has books & puzzles & puppets & a great outdoor play area and other children. You really really like other children! What a joy to watch you interact and play with other children!

The swing at Chace Lake is such a special place. Not only do you love to swing (so did your mother and so did I!) it is a place where we talk about birds & trees & leaves & airplanes etc. Recently we visit the decorations at the house across the street. Last year I carried you in my arms to see them (we now have an “annual tradition”!) There is a giant inflatable Santa & a snowman and your favorite…Snoopy on a mail box with Woodstock the yellow bird inside. I won’t even try to explain my life-long love of the Peanuts characters! The biggest driver of my desire to learn to read was to be able to read the newspaper cartoons to myself. When I was in college my mother mailed me the Peanuts cartoons so I could keep up with what was going on with Snoopy and the others. They’re still in a box in the attic! And I have MANY Peanuts books!

I love to watch your joy when you have a chance to be with your dog Sunday. You don’t realize Sunday doesn’t really like you very much. She is happy you drop so much food on the floor for her to eat. But otherwise she isn’t happy you joined the family. However, you don’t know that! Or if you do, you love her any way. We all have people in our lives who don’t really care about us. We have to “let go” of some of them, but just like you love Sunday, there are some we love any way & find joy in our imperfect relationship with them. And sometimes we are delightfully unaware they don’t really like us! I’m sure there are a lot of those people in my life but “ignorance is bliss” sometimes!

The amazingly beautiful picture of you at the beach was taken on a fall trip to the beach with your parents & another family. I grew up in Mobile and the beach was an important part of my life. My grandmother McMillan had a house at Dauphin Island and I had happy times there with my cousins and the grandmother we called “Bobo”. My family spent a wonderful week at Gulf Shores for many years. I always took one friend & I had a freedom there I didn’t have elsewhere. There is something wonderful about the place where the sky & water & beach come together.  I love the picture of you looking at the sunset (or is it sunrise; does it matter? Maybe I’ll get to go to the beach with you every summer! And one day take you & your friends? 

Finally the picture of you in your bed marks your height & illustrates how you wake up happy. I love to get you out of bed in the morning or after your nap because you are always so happy! Sleep is such a wonderful refreshing part of life. And greeting the day with joy is awesome. Because your parents have a monitor in your room we can hear and see you at times you think you’re alone! The night of Dec 5 one of your parents “tweeted” you said “Elmo” in your sleep. It delighted me to think you must have been dreaming about Elmo! Stuffed animals were a comforting and loving part of my childhood. I still have some of my favorites but when my parents moved from my childhood home they got rid of a lot of them! I am looking forward to sharing Sesame Street characters like precious Elmo with you. They didn’t exist when I was a child but I had Yogi Bear & Huckleberry Hound etc. I’ll still have a few of them! I hope you have wonderful dreams about your real & imaginary world. I loved my baby bed and had no desire to get out of it. It was a cozy place to be. Please don’t think this post is trying to affirm you are like me. You  are Lyla & have many many “Lyla-specific” traits. You may reject your crib next week! But my childhood memories and memories of mothering your mom help me connect to you. I realize you are making memories already which you may share one day with your grandchild! I hope you tell them about me!

It is such a joy to spend time with you at least one or two days a week. I love you & I’m looking forward to sharing many things with you in the future!

Baby Lyla with problems Breathing :(

Albuterol per Elephant Face Nebulizer

Still Enjoying Food however

You had a respiratory virus which inflammed your airways and caused coughing & wheezing. & difficulty breathing. Your Dad took a picture of you in your Mother's lap getting a respiratory treatment at home. I met you at the doctor one day & went with you and your Mom the next day. Although you didn't feel well you were still sweet and loving and had a pretty good appetite. You have a increased risk of developing asthma like your Mother has. Although I don't have the experience of having asthma, I do have the experience of being a mother watching her little girl have have difficulty breathing. I hope you don't develop asthma, but if you do, you will have the very best care from the very best parents. I spent Thursday and Friday afternoons at your house and stayed over night Friday. I got to hold you & rock you to extend your nap when you weren't feeling well. You don't often want to be held & rocked. We went on a walk by the lake and you learned your friends the geese who fly overhead are the same friends who swim in and walk by the lake. I could almost see you make the connection when we talked about it. You are now taking several steps actually walking. You slept all night Friday night and we had a fun outing at the swings Saturday morning. You seem to absorb information about the things you see like a sponge. Your Mom was the delivery nurse for her long time friend Natalie who delivered her baby Nash this morning (Saturday). Your Mom is a wonderful delivery nurse. Your Dad went hiking with you on his back this afternoon. On Tuesday this week President Barack Obama was elected for a second term. This has been a busy week and I've gotten to see you a lot! Hope you keep feeling better and better and don't have any more difficulty breathing for a very long time!

It's November 2012!

You had a great Halloween! Your friend Wilder came to trick-or-treat with you and both of you were skeltons! The weather was perfect & your neighborhood was packed with trick-or-treaters. There are two pictures of you at your cousin Thomas' 3rd birthday party; on your Dad's shoulders & smiling with a toy). One of your favorite toys is a xylophone Libby gave you for your birthday. You love the sounds it makes. You enjoy your Dad's guitar playing too...maybe you will be a musician? The video is evidence of your persistance in reaching a goal which is one of the most important traits in life which leads to  success! It got you on the sofa but also got you out of your "sleep sack" at nap time. I'm confident it will always help you with life's challenges. You are so beautiful and happy and smart. I had a 10 day gap in October without seeing you...and you clearly changed during the 10 days. You are so excited about life which is contagious when I'm with you. It is so heart-warming when you squeal with delight when I come to visit you. November 1 was a beautiful day I spent with you. We played outside for a long time. You love trees! You pat their trunks and touch their leaves. Although you've taken a few independent steps, you are so efficient at crawling it remains your favorite method of mobility. When we were outside you waved at all of the passing cars & said "hi" to anyone who walked by, even if they weren't close enough to hear you. You even waved at airplanes flying overhead. You recognize so many words! Your Dad speaks Hebrew to you so you are truly bilingual. What a special opportunity to further develop your brain!  It is such a treat to hold you while you drink your bottle before a nap or bedtime. Although that is one of those priceless moments that will pass as your grow older, I've learned every stage of life has it unique treasures. For example, clearly the best thing associated with being old is becoming a grandmother! This afternoon I'm going to your house while your parents go to the baby shower for a long time friend of your mother. I think I will get to give you a bath & your bedtime bottle. Thank you for letting me be a part of your exciting and special life.

A Week in October 2012

Cold early morning swing

Gymboree

Unhappy Skelton

Warm swing day (Phish shirt)

Pretty Skeleton w/ Dragon

I went to your house early Monday morning October 8. Your mom was at work and your Dad was getting ready for work. You had awakened early and we went out for an early cold am walk & swing in your  "bear suit" . The other picture is one your Dad took but it illustrates you love to swing. You & I went to the mall for lunch and “window shopping”. You are very social and love to interact with other people. About 2:00 am Tuesday morning  while your Mom was at work, you woke up screaming and crying. It was about 3:30 before you got back to sleep. This was very unusual event. You were very hard to comfort and your Dad and I weren’t sure what was going on. Maybe you had a bad dream? Finally after a dose of ibuprofen, a bottle and lots of cuddling, you went back to sleep. I wish you would never have a reason to cry. But since that is unlikely, I hope you always have people who love you around to comfort you when you cry. And I am confident that is very likely. You already engage with other people in such a kind way you will attract other kind people to you. And of course there are many of us in your who will “always love you no matter what you say or do”. Because Tuesday was a Jewish holiday your school was closed so we spent another whole day together. We played with your toys, went to Gymboree twice and did a lot of swinging with some neighbors. Again…you are quite social! You were ready to stop swinging until some neighbors arrived and you clearly wanted to stay as long a possible! Thursday morning you came to our house for breakfast before school. You enjoyed seeing your dog Sunday. Her date to return home to you was delayed for several weeks due to a flea problem at our house. But she is going home today! If you're not napping maybe I'll get to see you today too!  You were SO happy to see your teacher Stephanie when we got to JCC. I’m glad your parents have given you the opportunity to go to “mother’s day out” twice a week. All the more people who know and love you! The next two weeks I won’t be spending as much time with you as I did this week. I will be going to visit the Brown grandchildren in Clarksdale, Mississippi next weekend and then spending a long weekend with your great-grandmother in Mobile the next weekend. But I am looking forward to being at your house Halloween night! Your mom found you the most adorable costume…a very frilly skeleton!  You will be the cutest "trick or treater" in Chace Lake!

Columbus Day lunch at Mall!

Breakfast with Granny..and "War Eagle girl"

I have been lucky to spend a lot of time with you during the past year.  Because it is best to have you in your own room and keep you in your routine with your favorite toys around you, I have always kept you at your house.  Although you have visited our house, you’ve come with your parents. But now that you are going to Mother’s Day Out two mornings a week, we are experimenting with your Dad bringing you to our house for breakfast and I take you to school on my way to work on some of your school days. Tuesday, September 25 was the first day that happened. I was excitedly anticipating it in a way that surprised me. I cleaned up the pantry and put your breakfast foods in a special container. I bought diapers, a bib & change of clothes & breakfast foods. Because your Dad was running a little late he handed you off to me then you had your first Breakfast with Granny at 4932 Nottingham Lane. You immediately noticed our ceiling fans & did your “ssssssss” fan imitation. You pointed to the lights & you immediately recognized and said "banana"...and ate one! I had some toys from a garage sale & you enjoyed playing with them and before I took you to school, I changed your diaper for the first time at our house. A minor "first" but still significant :)  Despite the fact there was an unexpected traffic jam slowing us down, you were happy all the way to school and seemed thrilled to see your teacher a chubby classmate Sam. Although I will still spend most of my time with you at your house, I think we will also have more pre-school times together at our house. On Friday I spent the afternoon at your house. Because you had a hard time going to sleep after your naptime bottle, I went into your room and held you in the rocker until you went back to sleep. What a wonderful feeling to rock you to sleep. Papa Wayne came to your house after fishing in your neighborhood lake and you were so surprised to see him when you woke up from your nap! You are a happy, smart, pretty, funny, amazing little girl. Looking forward to many more breakfasts (and other meals) with Granny!

P.S. The two pictures of you in your pretty vest were made at Breakfast with Granny. My "Post Script" to this post is you in your Auburn cheerleader outfit as an acknowledgement to football season. Your parents are both Auburn graduates & so are Papa Wayne, and cousin Mallory, and great-granddady Hastie who died March 7, 1992,  years before you were born. And your cousin Jackson Vincent Green is named after the great Bo Jackson! Auburn is having a rough football season this year so having your support is a good thing. Whether or not you go to Auburn, you definitely have "Auburn genes"...War Eagle! 

September 17, 2012-You are ONE!

 

Today is Monday, September 17, 2012. You are now one year old. I was awake at 4:46 am and thought about how much has happened in a year… and how quickly it has passed.  Your parents hosted an amazing birthday party for you on Saturday! You ate cake for the first time. The weather was beautiful and there were so many wonderful people there to celebrate the first year of your life. Your parents are the type of people who cultivate good friends who will enrich your life as well. There were so many parents & children at the party and expectant mothers too! It was delightful. There is a picture of you standing by the sliding board your great-grandmother & I gave you. I was so glad she was able to come to your birthday party. And your cousins Eli & Maggie Rae Brown and Thomas Kelley were there too as well as many other family members. There are so many people who love you! Last week I stayed with you on Thursday when you had a fever and stayed home from Mother’s Day Out. The only good thing about you not feeling well is you will let us cuddle you! You are usually too busy to cuddle!  I was so glad you were feeling good on the day of your party. It was truly a perfect event. The picture of you sitting in the tiger chair in your Auburn t-shirt is not a birthday picture, but it is so cute. And many of your guests sat on the sofa & watched Auburn win a football game (just barely in overtime) during your party. You are growing up so quickly! Yesterday I met your mother at the mall for lunch and a little shopping. You got new shoes! Purple sparkly shoes! I wonder where those shoes will take you as you begin your second year of life?

Almost One!

 

It’s September. The first month you have seen before. You are almost one and a party is being planned to celebrate. You can hold up one finger when asked how old you are (although you do it in response to some other questions as well). You walk all around behind your “walkers” (although you have trouble maneuvering corners) and you say several words appropriately. You no longer take a bath in your “duck tub”.  You are too big! You smile and laugh and enjoy life. It is contagious; it is fun to be with you. There are so many people who love you in your life and I’m glad I am one of them. I didn’t take all of the pictures in this post, but I chose them on purpose. The bathtub reminds me of how fast a baby grows the first year; just yesterday the kitchen sink seemed to swallow you! The picture at Toys R Us with Bert & Ernie reminds me of how important the Sesame Street characters may become in your life. They are so engaging and have a lot to teach us. And a lot of toddler tunes playing on Pandora. I did take the picture of you eating toast & yogurt on Thursday morning prior to taking you to Mothers Day Out at Jewish Community Center. Driving you a long way is new for me. Hearing you cry when I can’t do anything about it is hard. But you don’t cry in the car too much. And you really seem to enjoy MDO! You look so pretty standing by the rocker in your bed room. Before you were born the chair was empty & waiting for you. Now it won’t be long before holding you in the chair pre-sleep while you happily take your bottle will just be a memory. But there will be more times of reading books to you in the chair & having you delightedly playing “hide & seek” around the chair. The last picture seems to be you going to a private place to enjoy a good book. Reading books is such an important learning experience as well as a source of joy & pleasure & inspiration. I hope you will always find the time and place to enjoy a good book. Next Saturday we will celebrate your first birthday! The world is a better place & hopefully I am a better person because you were born. Over the years of your mother’s life I have learned the memories of the past are precious but the days ahead remain more precious and exciting and a pleasure. I am looking forward to all of the “one-mores” of the future!

A Week (Almost) With Lyla

Early Monday morning your Mother called me because she was sick and knew she would need help taking care of you that day. It was your Dad’s first day at MBHS with students present and Open House for parents at 6:00 pm so it was definitely not a good day for him to take off from work. Fortunately I didn’t have any mandatory events at work so I was able to spend the day with you. We had a great day including an early morning walk.  Our walks always end with swinging for awhile (the only picture I took this week!). We also had lunch together at The Egg & I followed by a trip to CVS where I bought you water and a new cup. You love to watch people and seem to delight in all activities. On the way home we visited with your neighbor Selena (mother of twins Tate & Avery) who had a new puppy you really enjoyed. I stayed at your house until your Mom was awake and feeling better. Your Dad didn’t get home until almost 9 pm! Tuesday was a Day With Out Lyla (DWOL). Wednesday afternoon I picked up yogurt & Taziki’s lunch and stayed with you while your Mother had an afternoon nap before heading to work. I spent the night with you but your Dad & I shared evening activities. Thursday morning was my first time to take you to Mother’s Day Out (MDO) at Jewish Community Center. But first we had our walk with Sunday. You were so happy to arrive at MDO!  When I picked you up your were happily playing with your one classmate. Your teacher said you had been very good & too busy to nap. You cried so hard when I got you in the car I feared you would cry all the way home. But you quickly fell asleep. It was a little hard to transition you to a needed nap at home. Your Mom woke up for a few minutes & helped facilitate things. You napped until almost 5. After we got home from our walk & swings your Dad was home which always makes you happy.  Friday I came to your house at the end of the day and got you all to myself  because your parents went to a Phish concert. Our evening walk turned into a party! Your neighbor was having a “end of the 1^st week of school party” and there were a lot of children in the front yard. We stayed for the party and you had an amazing time. You crawled like a crab with your butt in the air & your knees off the ground, on the grass & concrete driveway! You were so fast you were able to keep up with the older children. You enjoyed everyone at the party and got a little dirty and scraped your toes a little. You got to bed at 7 pm and slept all night until we headed out for a morning walk at 6 am. Your neighborhood was having a yard sale & lots of people were out early which delighted you. When we got home your Dad was awake & did your breakfast while I went shopping in the neighborhood. The joy on your face when you saw your Dad is awesome to watch. Your parents surround you in love and it makes you so happy. After breakfast we went back out to the sales. You played with a precious neighbor, Sydni, who is 6 weeks younger than you. It was so fun to watch you interact with her and with all of the people who came to shop at the sale. I got you home in time for morning nap and after I gave you your bottle and put you in your bed I headed home. I was sad to think about so many DWOLs ahead next week, but full of warm memories about our time together this week.  Although I have a lot of work to catch up on & I’m heading to Mobile at the end of week to visit Great Grandmother Labor Day weekend, I’m confident there are many more Days With Lyla (DWL) and no weeks with too many DWOLs ahead!

A Perfect Day

Although every day with you would qualify as perfect, Tuesday, August  14 was a specific one. I got to your house early and you were in your colorful stripped PJs “hanging out” with your Dad while your Mom was still at work. You and I went out on a walk with Sunday and ended the walk at the neighborhood swings.  Soon  after we got home your Dad left and your Mom got home.  The three of us played in your room for awhile before your Mom headed to bed. You did the most amazing thing…your Mom and I talked about a specific book you like (Where is Baby’s Belly Button?) and you went to your book shelf and searched for and found that specific book! It was not random…it was purposeful.  After your morning nap I dressed you in the cute outfit your Mom picked out for you and we went to Galleria Mall. We strolled around and rode the Merry-Go-Round; choosing the stationary giraffe rather than a horse going up and down.  Then your Savta Nitza met us in the food court. You were so delighted to see her! The two of you had a great visit then we went home for your afternoon nap. You talked and played in your bed and by the time you got fussy your Dad was home and suspected you might need a diaper change. This assumption (based on an episode yesterday which was why you were sleeping in winter PJs in the summer) was accurate and after a diaper change you finally went to sleep. Soon after your Mom woke up, your parents got ready to go to dinner with the Mt Brook HS History department where your Dad is the new senior class teacher! But first they got your dinner ready. When you realized they were leaving your got very upset. It seemed your heart was breaking! But as soon as they were gone,  you  were happy again. It seemed as if you felt like you had a responsibility to let them know you didn’t want them to go and after you accomplished that you were happy! I texted them the above picture to document your smile. Your Dad had shown me how to get Toddler Tunes via Pandora on my phone. I think listening to music while you ate helped make you happy. You ate a lot of supper, and so did Sunday who enjoyed what you dropped on the floor. After supper we went on another walk with Sunday, ending at the swings. You continued listening to Toddler Tunes while I sang along with the ones I knew and you said “Hi” to everyone who walked by. Due to your late nap it was 7:00 pm before your bath. You enjoyed your bath and let me cuddle you while you had your bedtime bottle. Although you “talked” a lot after I put you in bed. you were sleeping soundly when your parents came home and I went home at the end of a perfect day.

Where Did July Go?

Because I have so much difficulty with the technology associated with blogging, I have to have a block of time available to generate a post. Since that usually only happens on a Saturday, July passed without a chance to blog! The first weekend in July Eric came from Nashville with your cousins the 3 Green children (Jacob, 11; Abigail, 8 and Jackson almost 5) and the 2 Green dogs! Since you were at the beach, Sunday was with us so we had 4 dogs at the house! We went to the Stuedeman family gathering with only 2 dogs but all of the children! The next weekend I was in Mobile while my Mother had cataract surgery. The 3rd weekend in July Wayne and I were in Clarksdale, Mississippi with your other cousins, the 2 Brown children, Maggie Rae (4) and Eli (almost 2). It was great to visit with them. Uncle Frank was in Canada and Aunt Kristina had a lot of things to get done while we got to play with the children. The last weekend in July I was in Mobile again while Grandmother had cataract surgery on eye #2. The first weekend in August I spent with you while your Mother worked and your Dad went on an "End of Summer" camping trip. I had a wonderful weekend with you...we went to the library and Toys R Us and swam at your neighborhood pool and read lots of books and played with lots of toys! So today is the first Saturday I've had at home in a long time. Because I accidentally deleted my original post and I'm typing it again...I truly need a lot of time to post! I chose pictures of all of your cousins as well as pictures of you and your house in Chace Lake. I love the rainbow; it illustrates the house contains the "treasure at the end of the rainbow"...you!! You are growing and changing so quickly! The picture of you on the floor of your room with the lamb container reminds me that "just yesterday" your Mother was a baby. When she was born she got flowers in the baby lamb & I got some for you when you were born. You are a delightful child just like your Mother was! You are standing independently by your book shelf! You love books and it's so much fun to read them to you. You will be letting go & walking soon. You already have shoes! You are holding a toy telephone which may be the only time you use such a phone. You took my I-phone and actually knew how to scroll through the pictures! You are going to have amazing technical skills. (You can help me with my blog!). You really enjoy your toys. You have a stash in the living room on your alphabet flooring (picture in your "whale" shirt!)  I love the beautiful picture of you with a flower behind your ear! You are such a beauty. I am so glad your Dad has completed graduate school (he now has a Masters degree in Education from UAB) and has a new job teaching seniors at Mountain Brook High School. Not only is this a job he will enjoy, it is a job that will keep your family in Birmingham for at least a few more years! It is such a joy to live in the same town with you. I hope I can do that for a very long time! Now that school is starting back I will be keeping you on a regular basis again while your Mother works part time delivering babies at UAB. There is so much ahead...you will be starting "Mother's Day Out" at the Jewish Community Center 2 days a week soon. Your first birthday party will be September 15. Tonight I will be keeping you while your parents celebrate their 3rd wedding anniversary. I'm so glad they found each other because otherwise there would not be a Lyla Evelyn Rotter and the world would be much less wonderful! Okay...I'm getting ready to publish this...I hope it works this time!!!

Wonderful Seven (+1) Days in June 2012

Before we went to the beach at Perdido, AL we spent a night at University Oaks in Mobile to visit with Great Grandmother Hastie. It was wonderful to have an overnight visit so you could meet her friends and spend enough time to "show off". You were so precious and my mother really enjoyed her time with you. I love the "4 generations" picture! We headed to the beach Friday, June 15 and stayed until Thursday, June 21. It was also wonderful (which is a word I overuse because it perfectly describes YOU). While we were there you turned 9 mos old (official picture sitting in your pool in your pretty bathing suit) on your Dad's first Father's Day. "Wonderful" also describes your parents. I am truly impressed by what a good job they do raising you! Every day your Dad set up "camp" at the beach where you enjoyed playing (picture with your beautiful Mom). And you had indoor fun with the harmonica while your Dad played & sang to you. You had a private room in a big closet where you slept well and you had a great time at the beach & the pool. The only part you didn't like was the long trip in your "torture chair" (aka car seat). But even that wasn't for too long. It was such a joy to be with you for such a concentrated period of time. We played with toys and sat on the deck & enjoyed the view. Your parents took walks with you in the packback. It was fun to watch you eat your food & hold you for bottles. Your parents planned the visit so well...you had everything you needed including favorite toys. I visited with my childhood friend Becky Ware Fox whose daughter Angela is expecting her first baby in November. It was exciting to share with her all of the joy she has ahead. (By the way, her daughter is just a few months younger than your Mom; Becky asked my permission to use the beautiful name for her daughter). It made me a little sad to head home after we arrive in Birmingham...but yesterday I got to have a +1 day in June! I spent the whole day with you & had my first trip with you to Galleria Mall as well as lots of hugs and play time on the floor. There is a 100+ heat wave right now so we had to stay indoors. It was so fun to watch you observe people at the mall & laugh whenever you saw yourself in a mirror. You have such an amazing delightful laugh. You are sort of crawling & definitely growing up so quickly. You are such a wonderful baby & you will be a wonderful toddler as well. Tomorrow is the start of your first July..I am enjoying & looking forward to it and all of the other months ahead as well!!!

Too Long without Seeing Lyla!!

I got to be with you the afternoon of Friday, May 25 but because I had a longer than usual visit with my mother in Mobile, I didn't see you again until Tuesday, June 5! A total of 10 days without seeing you; the longest I've been away from you. Much too long! Although I didn't take these pictures, I got to see a lot of the mischievous "under the blanket" smile when I visited & you wore the striped pajamas to bed June 5. Being away from you that long really emphasized how quickly you grow and change. You are exceptionally alert, curious, laugh a lot, and learn new things quickly. You are very good at communicating both joy & things you don't like. You actively play with your toys. You are really trying to be mobile and on occasion you succeed in going from one place to another independently. You now take naps in your bed instead of the car seat and you are really enjoying eating a wonderful variety of food. Your parents are very healthy eaters and it is a gift to you to be raised to eat and enjoy healthy food. Although it is going to be 5 days until I see you again, I am going to go to the beach with you! First we are going to stop in Mobile for you to visit your great-grandmother. That will be a treat. I will be with you for 7 days so that will compensate somewhat for going too long without seeing you!! I'm really looking forward to our time together. I must be the luckiest grandmother ever!