The First Hottman Jack o’ Lantern

After the pumpkin patch, this evening we went outside to carve our first pumpkin together. Our pumpkin turned out well, despite the fact that Lance and I aren’t the most experienced carvers.

Lyla particularly enjoyed cleaning out the pulp and seeds – and playing with her very own mixing bowls, of course :

Who cares about how cool our pumpkin is? I just want to eat part of his head:

Doing what Lyla Q. loves most:

Our jack o’ lantern by night:

In developmental news, Lyla got herself up to standing tonight for the first time right before bed. I know it sounds odd – one would think that she was already doing that if she’s walking around everywhere. However, in classic fashion, Lyla Q. has her own way of doing things. In her book, crawling is a non-issue, walking is the ultimate goal and pulling herself up to stand (in the middle of the room, mind you) is the priority list in order of importance. We were getting her ready for bed and, suddenly, she put her legs apart, reached down on the floor and pushed herself up, unaided by any furniture.

We sat there in awe as we often do with Miss Q. and just laughed and clapped for her. She’s our girl! :)

Up and Away Day

Today marks the first time that Lyla started walking away from me to explore her world on her own. There were several falls, tears from her and me, but mostly there was a feeling of excitement about what’s ahead of all three of us. I never knew how big of a deal walking would be in the developmental process. It’s just amazing watching her go.

It started this morning when she walked from me to check out the kitchen cabinets on her own:

Unfortunately, our play date with Christina and Lucas was interrupted by a trip to the doctor due to Mommy & Daddy’s concerns about an ear infection. Lyla repeatedly puts her ear to the floor as if it’s bothering her. We were relieved that everything is fine, and it’s probably just a symptom of teething. She has several teeth coming in – her tops will be here soon! :)

Tonight, Lyla was her active self before bedtime, which has become more typical these days. She walked all over her room, and I am so grateful to Daddy and Uncle Steven that the baby gates are in place. :)

I think these pictures really depict the satisfaction Lyla is feeling these days about her gross motor progress. She decided early on that crawling wasn’t in her plan, and she seems thrilled that it’s all finally coming together after months of hand holding from anyone willing to sacrifice their backs:

We are so proud of her determination. She’s an amazing little baby.

Huber Farm = Freezing!

We went to Huber’s in hopes of creating a Hottman Family pumpkin picking tradition. All the girls were there – Lyla, Isabella and Blaire. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We’ll try again next year, thanks to Jennifer’s dedication at getting the whole thing together.

We all showed up at the winery and started sampling wine, which was great fun. However, the cold and rain kept us there and we never got on the wagon ride as planned to pick our pumpkins. Instead, Lance bought one at a stand just outside the winery, and we headed home without our pumpkin patch pics.

We made the most of it, though. :)

And, of course, there was lots of walking involved. In fact, this proved to be quite a historic day for Lyla. When we got home and were getting ready for bed, she decided to walk, back and forth, on her own, between Lance and I. It was a culmination of everything she’s been working on over the last few week, and we sat there awestruck. We got a great video of it, which unfortunately, I don’t know how to load here (John??), but it was an absolutely amazing moment to be a parent. She was just as happy as we were, squealing with delight at what she had just accomplished, over and over and over again.

My favorite part of being Lyla’s mom is the inspiration I feel at how much she embraces life. She is so happy to be alive…makes you appreciate the little things, like being able to move your hands around.

Rain or shine, it was an awesome day.

My favorite:

Wheels

Becoming a mom makes me see the world through an entirely new lense. Everything seems more vivid, more lively and, frankly, more interesting. Today, I’m thinking about wheels. I’ve never really thought much about them – they make things go, they make things move.

This morning it occurred to me that wheels symbolize steps toward independence: first tricycle, training wheels, first bicycle, first car.

Wheels mean moving onward, on your own.

Lyla received her first wheels yesterday.

She’s thrilled about them and continues to work toward letting go of my hand and moving onward, on her own:

Talking, Walking and Other Developments

A lot has been going on in the life of Lyla Q. She had her first major fall last week at Aunt Ari’s house when she was reaching for a toy in Rand’s room. The end result was a quarter sized bruise on her forehead that I felt just horrible about. Thankfully, it’s already starting to diminish.

Also, Lyla is now taking 2 bottles a day in preparation for being completely weaned over the next couple of weeks. As you can see, it’s going swimmingly, and Lyla is enjoying the extra Daddy time. I am adjusting better than I thought I would - it helps that it's been so easy for her.

In other news, Lyla officially has her first word thanks to the noisy, barking dogs next door. She is enamored with them and wants to go out to see them whenever she can. She must feel safe shielded by the fence the neighbors (thankfully) installed prior to us moving into our house. Every time she hears them barking outside, she proclaims, “Doooog”. We’re not terribly fond of the dogs, but we do feel a certain affection for them for encouraging Lyla to express herself:

It’s been an extremely crazy weekend around here – Lyla had her first major sick episode Friday evening when she came down with a terrible bug that resulted in a prolonged coughing fit and a sleepless night spent in the ER. We got very worried when she had difficulty breathing, so we decided it was better to be on the safe side. She was also diagnosed with her first ear infection. By this writing, she’s feeling better, but I, on the other hand, now have the adult equivalent to what she had. I feel horrible!

Lyla’s illness definitely did not get in the way with her preoccupation with walking. Today, she officially started “cruising” our furniture. For the first time, I was able to step away from her long enough to take these photos. In the words of Grandpa Don, “Once she gets a little confidence, she’s going to take off…”

We think she looks so cute standing up.

A Monumental Day

Anyone who’s spent any amount of time with LQ these days probably goes home with an aching back from doing this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

And, then there was her playdate with Isabella yesterday:

Well, in the last 24 hours, two pretty amazing things have happened. First, she’s started preferring to “be walked” by holding only one of our hands (that way the other hand is free to pick up random stones and pieces of bark). Second, today, while playing with Aunt Ari and I, Lyla took two tiny little baby steps on her own to get to me.

An amazing moment. I’m still beaming, and so is Ari, and so is Daddy.

Lyla took it all in stride and just kept doing what she loves to do most – walk.

We can’t wait to she’s going to do next – maybe pull up to stand on some furniture or something?

Stay tuned…