I like to move it, move it.

When Lily is on the ground, she's always on the move. She doesn't really ever just lay there and play for very long. She likes to move. I thought it would be interesting to take a few pictures to show her moving around. She's quite fast. These were all taken on August 20th. I didn't touch her at all during the time I took these pictures. She did all the moving.

5:47 PM

5:48 PM

5:59 PM

6:07 PM

6:08 PM

6:10 PM

6:11 PM

6:14 PM

6:15 PM

4 months!

Where has the last 4 months gone? Lily has really grown up a lot in the past four months and seems to be changing in leaps and bounds especially recently (as I'm sure all parents say). She had her 4-month well baby visit with her pediatrician yesterday. She's a star and an over-achiever just like we thought. This marks the end of my maternity leave unfortunately. So Monday will be Lily's first day at day care. The good news is she'll have 2 baby friends (one the same age as her and one 2 months older) to be friends with and a couple slightly older kids. She loves watching other kids so we think she'll really like being there. Her day care provider is very much a grandmotherly type person and very affectionate so we are very comfortable with her watching Lily.

Lily's official stats from her pediatrician:
weight - 15 lbs 15 oz (90th percentile)
height - 27 inches (over 97th percentile - off the charts!)
head circumference - 42 cm (75th-90th percentile)

Lily had 4 more immunizations. Basically just the 2nd doses that she already received at her 2 month appointment. She cried, of course, but she was consoled pretty easily and then just nursed until her doctor came back. As soon as he walked in the room she was too distracted to keep eating. She loves her doctor and thought his exam was play time.

A few updates in bullets:
-Wears size 3 diapers (switched to Seventh Generation diapers - fragrance and chlorine-free).
-Wears some 3-6 month clothes but is transitioning to 6-9/6-12 month things right now.
-Loves to roll from back to belly.
-Spends a lot of time on her belly before she gets frustrated.
-Occasionally rolls from belly to back.
- Loves to try and crawl. She can get her knees up under herself but it still a ways off from getting up on all fours. She's trying to army crawl though.
-Really good at moving in a circle on her back.
-Can scoot on her back.
-Talks A LOT. Working on inflection and tone all the time. Likes to shriek and gurgle. Is the loudest when she's really happy, especially after she's just woken up.
-Working really hard on sitting up. Does NOT like to recline at all. She prefers to be upright or flat on her back. She has been able to sit up for a couple seconds on her own before tipping over. She can sit up well with minimal assistance.
-Has sat in a highchair at a restaurant but still needs some extra back support.
-Very interested in food and what everyone is eating and drinking.
-Took a sip out of a regular water bottle. She didn't like that the water was cold and spit it out. She wanted to try it again though. She loved touching the cold water bottle.
-Loves in to interact with toys. Her favorite toys are ones that make noise. She likes toys that talk back (like her Lily frog that counts and her Elmo hand puppet that says a few phrases) and she also likes toys that crinkle (like her cloth bugs that have plastic inside the fabric of their wings).
-Takes 2 naps (around 9 AM & 1 PM) and sleeps for a total of 4 hours each day.
-Goes to bed for the night between 7:30 & 8 PM and gets up at 7:30 AM. Gets up 3-4 times each night to eat.
-Sleeps and naps in her crib all of the time unless mommy falls back asleep at night and then she might spend the last 2 hours in bed with us.
-No longer needs to be swaddled to go to sleep.
-Has developed an affection for a sarong/wrap of mommy's that we've been using as a cover while breastfeeding outside the house. The past couple days she has gone to sleep much quicker at night and for her naps if she has this in her hands and I rub it on her cheek a couple times. We think this is going to be her lovey. Thankfully the fabric is very thin so we aren't as worried about it being a suffocation risk. We do make sure she doesn't pull it up over her face in her sleep and when I go to sleep I take it away from her (carefully without waking her).
-Loves faces. Loves touching noses, lips, eyes, etc.
-Likes being read too. Looks at the page and words. Looks at us reading to her. Likes to try and hold the book and turn pages.
-Still 100% breastfed. We'll probably start solids a week or two before her 6-month visit with her pediatrician.
-Went to story time for babies at the library for the first time on September 2nd. She loved watching the other kids and listening to the stories and songs.
-When she's upset she says "Mmmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm."
-Sucks her bottom lip to soothe herself and just in general.
-Sucks her whole fist, both fists at the same time, or her first two fingers. Shoves everything in her mouth.

How Lily is developing:

Beginning to understand the role of language
Researchers believe that your baby can now understand all the basic sounds that make up his native language. Between this time and 6 months of age, your baby will develop the ability to make some vocal sounds, which means you may hear the words you've been dreaming about, namely "ma-ma" or "da-da." While child development experts say it's too early for your baby to connect those sounds with you and your partner, that won't make hearing them any less exciting.

You can encourage your baby's attempts at communication by mirroring or imitating his expressions and sounds. He may try to imitate you now, too. Say "baa" and he may try to say it back.

Reacting when your baby makes noises or tries to say something will help your baby learn the importance of language. It'll also help him better understand cause and effect. It's great for his self-esteem, too. He'll begin to realize that what he says makes a difference.

Expand on what your baby says and try to give it meaning. For example, you can say, "Yes, that is a ball!" Soon, his "ba" will become "ball."

Time for solid food?
For the first four to six months of life, your baby gets all the nutrients he needs from breast milk or formula. Still, parents are often eager to start their babies on solid food.

It's true that your baby's digestive tract is more developed now and his tongue-thrust reflex is starting to fade, so it seems a logical time to start feeding him some solids, such as pureed baby food or cereal. But there are good reasons to wait, too.

Starting solids later may cut down on possible allergic reactions, and ensures that breast milk or formula won't get crowded out of your baby's diet. And if you're hoping that eating solids will help your baby sleep through the night, studies have shown that you can't count on that happening.

A few highlights since our last post:

The debate over when to start solids continues. If you're unsure about when to introduce them to your baby, talk to his doctor.

She's so happy right after she wakes up from a good nap!

We didn't quite make it home for naptime. She just needed her pacifier and had to hold onto her butterfly to go to sleep.

OMG! Already texting!?!

Reaching over to get her toy off the ground and turning on the vibrate on her bouncer. Good thing mommy strapped the seat belt!

Taking a walk to the grocery store in her new big-girl stroller. She loves it and mommy loves it because it's 11 pounds compared to the 29 pound behemoth that mommy was lugging around.

Swinging at one of the apartment playgrounds. We like it a lot. And we like seeing all the other kids.


She knows what her pacifier is and where it's supposed to go. Her arms just can't quite get it there yet. Yes, you can hear me in the background saying "ooohhhh" because I think she's so cute but still trying to hide out of her view.


Swinging and trying to grab the camera.

Daddy is really funny...

Daddy brought out the big belly laughs. For some reason Lily thought her daddy was especially funny yesterday and was cracking up at him.




Yesterday was also her first trip to the library. She got a couple of books to try out. Lately she seems to be very interested in letters. She looks at words on the page and couldn't take her eyes off mommy's shirt that said "UC Davis Alumni".

Nap time!

Lily has started to put herself on a schedule. Yay! She is napping at 9 AM and 1 PM. Today we happened to be in the car when her 1 PM nap should have started so she fell asleep in the car for about 10 minutes. After her little cat nap she did not really want to go back to sleep. So instead she did this:



She sure can keep herself entertained. Finally after about 30 minutes she fell asleep. This is from her 9 AM nap, but this how sweet she looks sleeping:


Her typical schedule at about 3.5 months old:
7 AM eat/up for the day
9-11 AM eat then nap
1-3 PM eat then nap
sometime between 7-8:30 PM eat then sleep for the night
sometime between midnight-1:30 AM eat
4 AM eat
She's skipped her midnight feeding once, which was so nice. That was her longest stretch of sleep at 7 hours.

She's getting very good at putting herself to sleep, especially at nap time (when she hasn't just slept for 10 minutes in the car). She gets her arms swaddled, a pacifier and her rain forest music/lights on. She's usually asleep before it turns itself off in 5 minutes.

First time in the pool!

Lily took a dip in the pool today. It's been warm here and humid. The pool was still a little chilly but she liked it once she got used to it a little bit. She's wearing the swim outfit her Aunt Melody bought for her.



She liked looking at the water.

3 months old

Three months already. Lily is changing so fast now. It seems like she's different every day. A few updates on her:

-Talking up a storm. Beginning to sound more like babbling and less like cooing.
-Loves to watch her parents talk.
-Reaches and interacts with toys. LOVES her floor gym. She's getting better and better at holding on to toys. Can knock over blocks that mommy or daddy stacks.
-Holds onto mommy's hair frequently.
-Starting to put things in her mouth besides just her fist & and arms.
-Sucked on just her index finger on August 4th.
-Loves when mommy shakes her whole body, especially when dancing to music.
-First laughed on August 1st.
-Sleeps at least a few hours in her crib every night. She usually makes it until 3 or 4 and sometimes all the way until 7.
-She's getting better about putting herself to sleep in her crib. If she's tired but not too tired she does really well. She needs her arms swaddled, a pacifier and her rain forest soother (it plays music and has lights).
-Still likes to go to sleep late and get up late. We're trying to move bedtime earlier but she's stubborn! Ideally she'd go to sleep around 6:30 or 7 PM so she'd be ready to go for the day at 7 or 7:30 AM but sometimes we sleep in until 9:30, 10 or almost 11 a few times.
-Prefers napping with mommy or in her swing, not so crazy about napping in her crib.
-Steam rolling over everything. She's very good at rolling from her back to her stomach. In her crib she only rolls over her left shoulder, on the floor she'll roll either way. She has rolled from her stomach to her back several times but not as frequent.
-Excellent at scooting in circles and straight ahead.
-Wears 3-6 month clothing (6-12 month socks!).
-Wears a size 2 diaper in Pampers Swaddlers.
-Still 100% breastfed.
-LOTS of drool! Are teeth coming soon?
-First play date on July 31st. Lily played with Eleanor (2 months old) and Sierra( 3 1/2 months old). Mommy works with Eleanor's mommy, Sarah. Sierra's mommy, Beth (and Sarah) were both in mommy & daddy's birth class. Lily loved Eleanor's toys and she showed off her rolling skills.

How Lily is developing:

I know you!

Even though your baby has been able to recognize you since he was just a few days old, he may now be able to show it. About half of babies this age begin to exhibit an obvious recognition of their parents.

Most likely he'll still smile at strangers, especially when they look him straight in the eye and coo or talk to him. But he's beginning to sort out who's who in his life, and he definitely prefers you, your partner, and a select few over others.

Your baby may quiet down and make eye contact with you, or he may search for you in a room and move his arms in excitement or smile when he finds you. He may even find your scent calming and comforting.

A big spurt is happening in your baby's brain development that coincides with significant behavioral changes. Your baby is more attuned to the outside world and more sensitive to changes in his environment.

The part of the brain that governs hand-eye coordination and allows a baby to recognize objects is developing rapidly now. His hearing, language, and smell have also become more receptive and active. When your baby hears your voice these days, he may even look directly at you and start gurgling or trying to talk back.

Early language development

Research shows that babies whose parents speak to them extensively have significantly higher IQs and bigger vocabularies when they get older than other children, so interaction is especially important right now. Set a solid foundation by exposing your baby to a variety of words.

Talk about your surroundings when you take him for a walk, and point to and identify objects as you roam the grocery store aisles. Your baby can't repeat these words yet, but he's storing all the information in his rapidly developing memory.

If your home is bilingual, your baby will benefit from hearing both languages spoken regularly. Don't worry if some of his verbal skills seem to lag a bit at first. He'll not only catch up later, but he may also excel in his general language skills.

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First time interacting with a toy on her own. She wanted to touch the bee's eyes.

Always rolling over in the crib and often getting legs or arms stuck in the rails.

Trying out the scooter with Daddy.

First time sitting in the high chair. It's a fun place to play with toys.

A couple days later, she put one of the boxes on her hand all on her own.

Playing in the grass outside. Lily & mommy went on a 6 mile walk.
First hints of laughing, we didn't officially call it a laugh until a couple days later.




Just being cute in general.

5 Years!

The 27th of July marked 5 years of marriage for us. Sometimes it's hard to believe we've been married 5 years and other times it feels like we've been married forever! Since Gary and Cat decided to get married in Maui we were lucky enough to visit many of the same places we visited on our honeymoon almost 5 years ago. We even stayed in the same hotel. It was a much different trip this time around.

July 27th, 2003:


That was a fun party, wasn't it?

July 27, 2008:
(Unfortunately Daddy isn't in the picture but we know you're not here to see us anyway.)

How'd we spend the day? Walking around Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and having lunch at PF Chang's with Lily.

Next month will also mark 5 years living in Los Angeles and 5 years that Scott has been in graduate school. November will mark 5 years for me working at the VA/UCLA. We feel so fortunate for everything we've experienced in the last 5 years. We feel especially lucky to have Lily in our lives now. She's definitely the best thing that's happened to either one of us.