Mmmmmmm Tasty...

Lance has been teaching Lyla a new catch phrase this weekend, and it seems to have made an impression on her. In fact, Lance is beginning to understand that Lyla mimics almost everything he says, which means it's time for a few changes here and there for us both!

She unveiled her new phrase this evening totally out of the blue and of her own accord: she reached down and picked up a scrap of food on the floor, looked directly at me and said, "Mmmmm, tasty!"

We rolled on the floor laughing at her.

She's sooo funny!

In Lyla's mall adventures today, she continues to be fascinated by the word, "Baby". Today, she walked into a jewelry store and marched straight up to a little 8 year old girl, pointed at her and said, "Baby!!" We all laughed, but I don't think the girl was all that amused - ha!



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A Fall Trip to Cherokee

It’s been a busy time in the Hottman Fam this week. Lance has been in Philadephia taking Oral Boards, and Lyla and I have been hard at work preparing for her very first birthday party on Saturday. She got to spend the afternoon with Aunt Ari (aka Aunt Cheese) and Rand today while I went to run errands. She had a great time, and after a long nap, we ventured out to Cherokee Park.

I’m amazed at the changes in Lyla over these last few days. I want to remember every one of them because she’s changing so rapidly. She’s really becoming a little girl – she seems to enjoy clothing changes followed by me crooning over and over about how cute she is.

She’s also really talking. I think she already has several words. Today, I was standing at the counter playing on my phone while holding her and she pointed to bananas on the counter and said, “Nanas!!”.

Here are some pics from the Park. She really enjoyed her time there today, especially the swing. She laughed the entire time I pushed her. As usual, she particularly enjoyed trying to catch up with the other kids – but she can’t quite do it…yet:

We had a very busy weekend with Aunt Martina, who helped us get so many things ready for the party. We miss her already, but we're looking forward to another visit to Urbana in January. We can't wait to see Zoe & Ellie!

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.

Recent Developments

Lyla continues to surprise us each day with new found skills. I really think she's starting to say her first word, which is a long, stretched out, "Hiiiiiii.....iiii". I say this to her every morning when I go to her crib, and I hear a variation of it in her babble from time to time, especially when she's in the backseatof the car entertaining herself. She's like a little parrot.

Other recent sounds from Lyla Q - a high pitched squeal that she seems to greatly enjoy and a low grunting sound as she tries to "stand up" with only a little assistance from Daddy and I. Here are some pics I took of her on Sunday in her jumper - I looked up and she was practically standing on her own, while making her low, determined grumbling little grunt.

We were also particularly pleased to see that her feet are actually touching the floor. This is a real accomplishment for our little girl. :)