Happy 4th!

I can't believe it's July already! Where has the time gone?  Things are heating up here in NYC, and we cooled off on the 4th by taking Lydia to Teardrop Park.  Teardrop Park is a really cool multi-level park not far from our apartment. The bottom level has a giant slide, the middle level has a sandbox, and the top level is a splashing pool cropped out of faux rock.  It's really cool!

Lydia enjoyed wading in the water- it was icy cold, but she didn't seem to mind.

She loved splashing her feet in the fountains!

This is definitely our new favorite park!

A New Move

I just caught Lydia trying these new moves...

She's not officially crawling, but it looks like she's very close!

Fussy Baby

Last month, Lydia was extremely fussy.  I think she must have been growing because things were really tough.  One day, I was at my wits' end so I decided to try swaddling Lydia.  

Amazingly, she loved it!  It didn't exactly make her serene, but she thought the swaddle was hilarious.

Here's a sweet photo of baby and daddy.

One Crazy Baby

It has been such a joy to see Lydia's personality develop over the past few months.  Around 8 weeks, John and I had an inkling that Lydia would be a very interactive, engaged child.  By 12 weeks we knew that she would be smiley and energetic.  Now, we're wondering if we will ever be able to keep up with her!  She moves lightning-fast, squeals incessantly with delight (yes, it's cute at first, but after 8 hours non-stop and a 40 minute session each morning at 5:15am... not so cute), smiles at everyone, and is infectiously happy.

Strip this baby down to her diaper, and she goes hog wild!

 A couple weeks ago, she amused herself endlessly by attempting to throw her upper body out of her swing.

She loves to meet new friends...

Even if they aren't quite as excited to meet her!

Again, absolute delight at the removal of clothing!

 She also thinks that being swaddled is the MOST hilarious thing ever.  Especially when she's very upset about something (more on that in another post).

We call her a "thrill-seeker" because she loves all sorts of wild activities, including blanket rides.

Not sure about this one, but it makes me laugh.

Here she is, yet again, delighting in her baby nakedness.

She makes my heart melt! A rare moment of peace.

She loves to swim, and is quite pleased with herself on this occasion.  

Recently, Lydia has discovered the joy of exploration.  This week alone, I have found her under her swing and under my pile of ironing!

We love our sweet, little crazy baby!

Big Girl Fun

Lydia is approaching 6 months and enjoying doing all sorts of big girl activities.

She is learning to tolerate her bumbo chair for slightly longer periods of time (3-5 minutes).

She loves to sit in the rocking chair (carefully supervised, of course).

We got a new rear facing stroller.  The seat is quite high and very upright- she finds her new ride terribly amusing.

Occasionally she even sits with us at the dinner table!

Lydia's Favorite Outfit

This is Lydia's favorite outfit.

It's a 0-3 month size sleeper that I found on the clearance rack at Old Navy.  Adorable, right?  It's super soft and washes really well.

What's amazing about this sleeper is just how long Lydia has been able to enjoy it.

This is Lydia's first wearing of the sleeper, which John affectionately calls her "jail suit."  I think she's about 2 weeks old here.

Here is Lydia at just over 1 month in her jail suit.

By 2 months, Lydia was beginning to fill out the pajamas a little more.

And this photo was taken just a couple days ago, at 5 months.

It's so sad, but it's time to say farewell to the baby jail suit!

 

Massive Baby

I was sorting through my photos from the past month and encountered this little gem:

Please don't worry.  Lydia only weighs 16lbs.  The camera adds a little weight!

The Baby Whisperer

Lydia was baptized this past weekend (more on that later) and we were blessed to have MANY family members in town, including my dad.

My dad is one of 10 children, and has always had a special fondness for babies.  I think babies have a special fondness for him too.  Needless to say, Dad and Lydia were thrilled to spend some special time together.

Lydia is a very active baby and will rarely remain still for any length of time, except when sleeping.  Even when she's asleep, she does a great deal of kicking.  Somehow, my dad was able to lull Lydia into a calm state! She was so content just being held.

Dad and Lydia walked around the apartment...

Did some rockies in the rocking chair...

This one cracks me up- love the baby belly!

Relaxed in the easy chair...

After all this relaxation, Lydia was ready for a little fun.

So, Dad taught her a new trick, a little game we like to call "The Weeee's!" (say "weeee" in a high pitched voice).  Lydia grabbed her ankles, Grandpa grabbed Lydia's ankles and wrists and swung her back and forth while saying "Weeeeeee!" She loved it.

When it was all over, Lydia begged for more by grabbing her ankles!

A Discovery

John and I routinely take walks through our neighborhood. We're very familiar with the area, but we discovered something totally new this past Saturday. We took a walk through a small park nestled in an apartment complex and found this:

It's a giant slide and a sand pit! John is excited to take Lydia for a ride later this spring.