Turning the corner, literally.

It has felt like Lily has been on the brink of walking for a few weeks now, (that's the longest I've ever held my breath) and last week, seems to have been the tipping point. She has most definitely turned a corner and is now (literally and figuratively) running down the street away from me. 

I am the proud owner parent of a (super active and walking) toddler! The biggest gift, aside from the obvious independence and milestone of my young child, is that I will be shedding 10 pounds during this coming week. But in all seriousness, I almost cry when I think about where Lily was a year ago, just a few months old, completely dependent on Chris and me for everything. My experience, from the beginning has been a dream. I rarely felt sleep deprived, (thanks to the fact that I need half the amount of sleep that most require and have a strong tendency towards night owl circadian rhythm) and also the foresight to know that the period of infancy is a short one, that I truly miss. (Not cynical, just sappy). Now, I will feel energy deprived. I knew it would catch up with me at some point. Lily's got me doing daily obstacle courses.

She has been running through the house wreaking havoc in every room, thoughtfully rearranging her bookshelf (which I promptly try to reorganize so my OCD is acquiesced), pulling every single diaper from the changing table and carrying her shoes to different rooms and burying them. Haha. (I did not just compare my daughter to a puppy, did I? She's just as curious and mischievous)

I don't mean to sound so cynical! Her big milestone of independence has me in awe, constantly. Just tonight, she played with a toy for the first time. And what I mean by this is that she has a mechanical piggy bank type toy where you put the coins in on top and then push the tail so that they come out the pigs nose. Nice, 'eh? Anyhow I feel like it's the first time she's played with this kind of toy and actually understood the functionality of it, the goal. It was adorable and once she realized that you push the tail and the coins come rolling out, she could not get enough. Maybe she'll be an accountant like auntie Amy?  See the footage below!

And here she is, walking. 

It is slowly hitting me that our baby is growing up. When I hold out my pinky finger for her to hold when she looks a bit unsteady, she pushes it away and continues on, albeit a bit wobbly. She is so determined and now that she's discovered how to get from A to B by walking and running, I can tell she feels invincible. However, she is not, so we're continuing to baby proof. It's time to bust out the monkey back pack! At this rate, she may be driving before I post again!

You don't say...

I will preface this post by saying that I place about as much stock in horoscopes as I do in my choice of morning cereal (Easy. Cocoa Puffs).  For some, the breakfast dilemma and interest in zodiacs is slightly more intense. During my days at Washington State I would always end up sitting by someone in class who anxiously insisted on reading to me what fate held in store for them, via the Daily Evergreen. Can we get started on that lecture, Prof?


Regardless, horoscopes, like their tastier cousin, the fortune cookie, can sometimes be entertaining. I mean, who doesn't like to read optimistically about "meeting someone special", "success heading your way" or "new romance coming around the 23rd of the month". Meh. 


In short, I am saying that I find the whole zodiac and horoscope gist to be nothing more than an entertaining and usually inaccurate paragraph composed of a few fortune cookie messages and Chinese proverbs. That being said, tonight, while browsing online at the Polka Dot Peacock (A-mazing website!) I happened onto a page with horoscope throw pillows and out of curiosity, took a look at them. (I also had to look up Lily's zodiac sign. That makes me A.) a bad mom or B.) someone who is clearly not into the zodiac. I think it's the latter.) Thank goodness for google. My daughter is a Gemini. A twin. But really, thank goodness, she is actually a single for us. (Tangent: I always think about Chris' family and how different life would be if we had two of Lily and a two year old. Then I need a nap immediately following this daydream).


Back to my point. While reading the description of the Serena & Lily zodiac pillow I was surprised to read the description of a Gemini as being a spot on character canvas when applied to my own little babe. (Well, that might be giving too much credit, it only mentions a few personality traits, but still...). It describes a Gemini as the risk takers of the zodiac. Extremely independent, they crave freedom and variety, which can get them into a bit of mischief. They have a clever wit and always seem to be in the know––two traits that will take them far in life.


One of my favorite things about Lily is her self assured and sanguine disposition and at times, more easily likened to a swagger. At every turn, she is confident and fearless, sometimes, to her detriment (i.e. nose dives and bonked heads. They've gotta learn sometime, right?) A great example of this fearlessness can be drawn from our recent boating trip on Lake Union. While tooting around in a Duffy (the nautical equivalent to a Prius), Lily was persistent in her efforts to turn the boating trip into a swimming session. She and her friend Olive (See previous post) took swim lessons and she wanted to demonstrate how to properly swim the butterfly.

First, Lily insisted on being Captain, but Papa thought best to appoint her First Matey, which she gladly obliged.

When driving the boat proved to be less than thrilling, (let's just say I could swim faster, remember, Prius!) Lil' decided she could swim faster also. Hmph! Here's Chris trying to avoid pulling an MJ with the baby.

As my mom always said about me, and now Lily, she "dances to the beat of her own drum". And is quite adept at wiggling out of strollers, laps and arms.

So this whole blog post was inspired by a silly albeit, expensive throw pillow. And as always, the real inspiration, my fearless and mischievous Lily James. You keep all of us on our toes. What WOULD we do without you? We love you and your adorable personality. 

P.S. Last night, Lily was unusually fussy at bed time, therefore granting me the rare opportunity to rock her to sleep! Anyone who knows our story knows this is truly a rare instance. Especially Grandma who bought the chair in the hopes that it would serve as an instrument in the nightly Good night Lily song.