Lovely Ly

Lyla is growing too fast and I've been terrible at documenting her progress. She is 16 months old! She still hasn't taken a step, but she will stand by herself if she really wants to. :)

Lyla is a little chatterbox. She speaks plenty of baby talk with a little bit of English thrown in there. Some words she says that I can think of off the top of my head: baby, ball, Mommy, Daddy, Ada, Kate, Elmo, Abby, more, I want (fill in the blank), nigh-night, poo-poo, hi, eye, nose, ear, blanky, bye-bye, hi, drink, milk, shoes, pizza, and cracker. She recently learned the names of her cousins Ellie, Reese, and Izzy. She can tell you what a cow, monkey, kitty, snake, chicken, fish, and dog say.

Lyla is a smart little thing. At eight months old she somehow figured out how to unlock my phone by pushing a button, putting her finger on the lock, and sliding it across the screen. She understands way more than she can communicate. A few weeks ago she was looking through a magazine and found a song, complete with accompaniment. She started waving her arms around like she was leading music. The other day she brought me to her room and got the wipes to let me know she had to poop. Later that night, she got her blanket and said, "Nigh-night!" to let me know she wanted to go to bed. That was great because she has been a pill to put to bed the last couple of months!

Lyla has four favorite things that could keep her busy for hours if I let her: playing in the dishwasher, sitting on the piano bench to play the piano, coloring, and playing with her sisters' Leapsters.

Lyla is a happy, funny child. We are constantly getting comments about how she's always smiling. She loves to laugh. One of her new favorite things is to crawl up to an unsuspecting person and tickle their feet while saying, "Ticka-ticka-ticka!" It is the cutest thing ever. I can't describe the joy she brings me. She is completely a mommy's girl and is a little too clingy at times, but I love that she loves me and wants to be with me most. It's nice to feel loved and needed. :)  I've made sure to cherish her babyhood more than I did her sisters' and I have no regrets when it comes to time spent with her. She's just too much fun to be with.

Lyla recently learned to crawl up and down the stairs. It's nice to not have to worry about her falling down anymore, especially since a few weeks ago I found her holding onto the railing and trying to WALK down the stairs (have I mentioned she can't walk?).

Lyla is a tiny thing. At her 15-month check-up she was in the 1st percentile for her weight. A few days ago a woman guessed that she was nine months old. She probably weighs the same as or less than most 9-month-olds. Kate was pretty tiny as a baby but is now closer to average for her age, so I'm not worried (despite the concerns our new doctor had about her).

I can't say enough about Lyla! She definitely has her moments of being mad, sad, grumpy, etc., but I just love her more than words can say.