Family Visits - Erin Blogs

Album cover, right?

In order to make the whole updating thing easier, I'm trying out a new system using an outside blog site (Blogger). In addition to saving time messing around with code, this will allow people to post comments, which will be a lot of fun, I think! If all works well, you should still see the gallery links on the left and the links to the past blogs. Now, without further ado...

Another guest blog, by Erin! [no add-ins by Eric this time... except... GO SOXS!]

These past few months have brought with them huge changes – Lyla is now walking and talking fairly proficiently. She is no longer a baby and has definitely entered toddlerhood. Lyla took a fair number of steps when we were in Oshkosh the first weekend in October and then really took off last weekend during our time at Uncle Arthur’s house in the Hamptons. I guess she just figured her home was small enough it wasn’t worth the bother to walk from place to place, but once she had some larger spaces to deal with she needed to practice her upright mobile technique. She now walks all over and is pretty proud of herself for it.

Lyla has also exhibited some remarkable maturity and has entered the “terrible twos” at 15 months. She can throw quite a tantrum when she doesn’t get what she wants or is told “no.” She alternates between doing the stiff board routine and playing limp rag doll when we try to pick her up to stop or comfort her. She is really very dramatic about the whole thing. I have tried to explain to her that Dadda’s hot coffee cup is really not worth all the fuss, but she isn’t buying it. She is starting to speak in two word phrases – her favorite being, “No, mine!” Lovely……

On the upside, Lyla gives great hugs and kisses and likes to walk around saying, “Mama, Dadda, Lyla” over and over again, so we are fairly confident that she is pleased with her family situationJ She also LOVES her baby dolls and often needs to wander the house collecting all three of them to take into her crib before bedtime. She was amazed when we visited Oshkosh and got to spend time with a real life baby, cousin Will. Lyla would get right up into his face and say “Baby!” just in case Will was having an identity crisis. Lyla also loved hugging and kissing Will so much that we sometimes had to watch that her love did not become too vigorous. Another highlight of the time in Wisconsin was that Lyla thinks her cousin Keira is about the coolest thing since sliced bread. The girls had a blast running around, laughing, playing together, and jumping on Gramma Jane’s furniture. Keira was a great sharer and even taught Lyla her special technique of using raspberries as finger puppets before eating them. Lyla still employs this method when faced with a raspberry.

Last weekend, Mima flew in and then we all drove out to Uncle Arthur’s house in the Hamptons where we did some hardcore apple and pumpkin picking. Lyla loves the “papples” as she calls them – especially chomping into a whole piece of fruit. She did quite a number on her apple (and her shirt) during our time in the orchard. Mima kindly agreed to wake up with Lyla in the AM so that mom and dad could catch some extra zzz’s and Mima and Lyla could have some time together.

Coming soon: Halloween!!!