Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Playing...

Now that the weather is a bit warmer we are able to take advantage of all the parks near our house. There is a really great one just down the road- Lilah loves it! Here are a few pictures from our recent park outing.
Our darling dare devil of a daughter was going down the slide head first. I was somewhat suprised at how little hesistation she showed towards going down the big slides but she went down on her belly, knees and sitting down, often times before we could stop her.


Playing with daddies phone...


Resting- playing at the park is hard work



Cruisin




Looks like we have a biker on our hands










Making coffee in her diner














Friday, February 18, 2011

Who'd Have Thought Mommy Would Like Elmo too?

In our house Elmo reins king. Its seems he is everywhere from the books that have made their home on the carpet by the fireplace to the portable cd player Lilah likes to carry around while wearing her green Elmo pjs and her furry Elmo slippers. He manages his way into the most serious of conversations… his name being the answer to such questions as, “Lilah what would you like for dinner?” or Lilah, what would you like to wear today?” Elmo is her salvation in times of duress, comforting her when Ryan and I just aren’t enough. He is even the main motivator in our attempts to potty train; hi fiving her whenever she uses her Sesame Street potty and it is his portrait that occupies the sticker that gets placed on the “potty chart” when she actually uses the potty. (Picture of the actual potty chair below- along with the potty chart stickers)

When I was pregnant I figured that I would be one of those moms who introduced her child to Lou Reed or Jack White or Elton John rather than the world of personified children’s toys. We bought Rock-a- bye cds based on the music of Bob Marley and the Smashing Pumpkins. We got her Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin t-shirts and bibs that said “I heart Dave Grohl”; She went to more concerts in utero than most people do in their adult lives and I was positive that the kicking movements she made while hearing live music would somehow propel her to skip the stages of Barney songs and Sesame Street. I was naïve in my thoughts and looking back now I can’t even recall why I wanted her to avoid these badges of childhood. Quite honestly, I love that she has found solace in a perky, red, giggly puppet that refers to himself in the third person and is constantly upbeat. In a world full of anger and negativity it’s refreshing to hear his little voice in the background excited over his pet goldfish and finger paints and I find him super adorable. While I am beyond excited to share my favorite music with her in the future for now I am ok with her clapping more when Elmo is singing a song about beach balls then when Tom Petty album is on the record player.

After all, she can’t stop herself from getting down when she hears brass band music or Widespread Panic and at only a year old what more could you ask for?





(Dancing on top of a box in her batman pj's)


(The potty chart- she gets a sticker everytime she actually goes)


(This is the Elmo Potty- he hi-fives and says encouraging phrases like "you made it" and "you are learning")