Sliding at the Playground

Mommy and Lizzie went to the playground and had fun sliding down the slide, despite the cold.

Christmas Day 2008

Lizzie enjoyed ripping the paper off her presents on Christmas Day. She got lots of fun toys from Mommy and Daddy. She really loves her book, "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?". In fact, she asks for it by saying, "Pa Bear, Pa Bear, See".

Lizzie and Santa

Lizzie wasn't too keen on having her picture taken with the Santa at the mall. In fact she started screaming when she got close to him so this was the best we could do. We will try again next year.

Snow!

First Snow of Winter 2008 from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo.

Lizzie braves the first snow of Winter 2008.

Christmas Cookies

Lizzie helped Mommy make Christmas cookies. Hopefully this is the beginning of a Sly family tradition.

Thanksgiving 2008

Lizzie had lots of fun playing with her (2nd) cousins at Thanksgiving.

Double Ear Infection

Perhaps you recall that a couple weeks ago we had a little trip to the emergency room where we discovered that Lizzie had an ear infection. Today Greg took her back to the doctor for an ear check only to discover that instead of her ears being clear, she has two ear infections! Our poor little girl. So now she is on a different antibiotic at a higher dose. Let's hope this does the trick. We'll be back at the doctor's office again in two weeks.

It's a Phase

Lizzie is going through a strange phase right now. We used to be able to put her to bed with no problems. She would just put her head down on her pillow and fall asleep. Now we have to sit in the room with her until she falls asleep then sneak out. She's also waking up a lot in the middle of the night. You can get her back to sleep but the minute you put her back in her crib or try to leave the room she starts screaming again so she ends up in bed with us. Finally, and I blame the time change for this, she's been waking up at 5:30 am when she normally sleeps until 6:30 or 7. I thought the middle of the night waking might have something to do with her ear infection but she's been on antibiotics for a few days and I give her ibuprofen before bed so that should do it. I'm hoping this stage doesn't last long because combine that with my pregnancy exhaustion and getting through the day has become very difficult.

Filoli Gardens

When I was out in California on business recently I was taken to Filoli Gardens where I took some beautiful photos of the flowers.

Lizzie's First Trip to the Emergency Room

Today Lizzie had her first trip to the emergency room. It all started when she was hanging out with Mommy on the bed. She went to get off the bed and instead of fully turning around to go down backwards, she rolled off the bed and did a face plant on to the wood floor. She was crying and her mouth was bleeding but eventually she calmed down.

A bit later we noticed that her nose was red and swollen so we called the pediatrician and he told us to take her to the Beverly Hospital emergency room. So off we went to the emergency room. They registered us quickly and we didn't have too long to wait before being called back to see the doctor. There was also a nice little kids waiting area with toys which made the short wait more bearable.

The Dr. quickly assured us that her nose is fine because she has no bones in her nose which meant she had simply bruised the soft tissue. However, when looking in her ears the Dr. discovered that Lizzie had an ear infection! I guess the trip was not a total loss. Now Lizzie has had her dose of antibiotics and ibuprofen and is happily sleeping...hopefully through the night!

I Wanna Go to California with Mamma

Halloween Costume

Lizzie was a dog for Halloween this year.

Ducks

Ducks from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo

Smiling for the Camera

They put Lizzie's hair up today at daycare and she looked very cute.

Pumpkin Time

We took Lizzie back to Russell Orchards to pick out a pumpkin, see the animals and have some yummy hot cider donuts.

Elmo

Occasionally Mommy puts Sesame Street on the TV, especially at the end of a long day in hope that I might find it interesting. I wasn't very interested until this past weekend when I noticed Elmo. He is my new best friend. I love Elmo! I love my new cups that have Elmo on them. I love to say Elmo and I ask for Elmo when I walk in the playroom. And Mommy is happy to report that I will now sit and watch Elmo for a couple minutes.

16 Month Appointment

Today was an unusual day for me. Mommy dropped me off at school but then only a little while later she picked me up again and we went for a car ride. First we drove to Beverly so Mommy could shop at a kids clothing consignment sale. There were lots of Mommies and babies there, too many! And the line was too long, I didn't like sitting in my stroller and I made sure Mommy knew it.

Afterwards we got back in the car and Mommy drove me somewhere else. While we were in the car I asked Mommy for something to eat (ok, maybe I just signed "eat" and said "eat") but it had the desired effect. I got to eat grapes and vegetable sticks. When the car stopped Mommy carried me into a big building where we got to go on an elevator. I got more food while we were waiting then a nice nurse took us through a door and to another room.

Mommy took off my clothes but left my diaper on and I got to run around the room and finish eating my lunch. I had a lot of fun running around the room while we waited and Mommy taught me how to say "doctor". I guess that is who came in next. She was very nice and let me sit on Mommy's lap while she poked and prodded me. She told Mommy that she was impressed with all the words I can say. Apparently she only expected me to know 3 to 5 words but I know a lot more than that. Here are some of the words I can say:

Doggie	Mommy	Daddy
Eat	More	Home
Apple	Banana (really it's nana)	Ball
Bottle	Binky	Buffy (really it's Buppy)
Hi	Bye	Uh Oh
Whoah	Wow	Bath

After the doctor left a not so nice lady came in and hurt me with something sharp. Mommy said it was my MMR shot but I didn't like it. It made me cry. I told Mommy I wanted to go home but she said I was going back to school. I was really tired though so I fell asleep in the car and woke up when Mommy was getting me out. She carried me in to my classroom where my teachers had gotten the cots out and were getting all my friends ready for their nap. I couldn't fall asleep though since I'd slept in the car.

I rested for a bit and then spent the rest of the day playing until Mommy picked me up again. She had brought me a "nack", two pancakes, yum! When we got home we took Buffy for a walk then I ate dinner (chicken, avocado, macaroni & cheese) and played for a little while longer. When Daddy came home I ran over to meet him, I love it when Daddy gets home. He gave me a bath and then put me to bed, I was very tired since I only got 30 minutes of sleep during the day. Normally I get at least two. It was a busy day.

At the Library

At the Library from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo

Bananas

Bananas from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo

Lizzie and the Banana

Lizzie loves all kinds of fruit! On this particular day she was sitting at the kitchen counter on a bar stool eating a banana.

My First Birthday

Originally Posted on 6/19/2008 6:55:00 PM

I turned one on June 6, 2008!!! It is really amazing how much has happened in this past year. I started as a 6 lb 7 oz baby and in one year I gained 13 lbs and 4 ounces. I learned how to sit up, to crawl and even how to walk. I grew a lot more hair and my babbling turned in to jabbering. I can point to things and will go to the ball when Mommy and Daddy ask me to. Once I learned how to move I realized it was so much fun that I didn't want to stop. I love my doggy and spend lots of time harassing her. I don't think she is very fond of me right now except that I leave lots of food on the floor for her to eat.



My Mommy and Daddy had a big birthday party for me. Lots of people came to help me celebrate. It was a really nice day so we had all the rooms open in the sun room and people could go outside on the deck. My Grandma and Grandpa Sly came over from England to help me celebrate. My Uncles Caleb and Sam were there as well as my Aunties Sarah and Erin. Dad's step-brother Dennis came with his wife Carol and their daughter Vivian. My mom's cousin Landis came up from Attleboro with her three kids, Nathan, Hana and Lydia. Some of my Mommy and Daddy's friends were there too. Mommy made me a cake that looked like a giraffe, it was yummy.



I got lots of fun presents too. Mommy and Daddy gave me a Giraffe hobby horse, giraffe books, a giraffe height chart and a giraffe stuffed animal (notice a theme?). My Auntie Katherine sent over a kiddie pool and some clothes from England and my English Grandparents gave me lots of fun learning toys including a doll that will help me learn how to get dressed. My uncles and aunts gave me my own rocking chair with my name on it which came in my favorite present, a box! I love to play in the box. Daddy plays peek-a-boo with me when I'm in the box and I get very excited. I also get very angry at my birthday balloons when they keep coming back after I hit them.



I had so much fun at my party that I didn't sleep very well that night. I woke up around 10 and kept my parents up for four hours. They decided I shouldn't have that much sugar again. All in all my birthday was a lot of fun and I am quickly leaving the baby stage and entering the world of toddlerhood.

Checking Out The Stars

Originally Posted on 4/16/2008 7:51:00 PM

Today Mommy, Buffy and I went for a walk. We walked in to town to see if we could see any of the filming of The Proposal. Hollywood is in town filming a movie for Dreamworks. It stars Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White and Mary Steenburgen. We went to T-Wharf because they were filming over at Motif #1 and we got a good view along with everyone else. There were a bunch of people there and we saw them film a short scene a couple times. Betty White was sitting in the boat, Mary Steenburgen was in the boat too. Ryan Reynolds threw Sandra Bullocks suitcase down on the the dock, went down the ladder and then watched as Sandra Bullock went down the ladder in a skirt, high heels and a big orange bag (completely inappropriate!). It was fun to watch the scene once but I got a bit bored after the second time so we kept walking. We walked down Bearskin Neck to see all the new signs on the stores. It was a really nice day!

My First Easter

Originally Posted on 3/23/2008 7:33:00 PM

Today was my first Easter. I am 9 1/2 months old and I can crawl and cruise quite proficiently. Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be surprise if I started walking soon considering how much I improve my mobility from week to week. Today was a very busy day. I woke up at 7 because I had been up from 4:30 am to 5:30 am. I'm not sure why I woke up in the middle of the night, perhaps it was a bad dream. Mommy checked my diaper but I hadn't pooped so in the end she gave me a bottle and rocked me to sleep. That was normal though, normally these days I sleep all the way through the night. At 7 Daddy came and got me so I could hang out in the big bed for a little while. I had cheerios, pear and yogurt for breakfast.

After breakfast I got to play while Daddy talked to Grandma and Grandpa Sly over the computer. Daddy tells me that they could see me too. Daddy put me down for a nap but while he was doing that, he broke my crib! Somehow he managed to break the plastic that holds the side that drops so it wouldn't stay on. He had to tape it so I could take my nap. I took a nap around 9 am and slept until 10:30. Mommy was making food for Easter while I was sleeping. When I got up Daddy played with me in my room while he tried to fix my crib. When Mommy was ready we took a walk to Nana and Grandpa Rulli's house. Mommy needed to help Grandpa with his computer so I got to play with Nana for awhile.

When we got home I had a small lunch then Mommy let me crawl around in the kitchen while she continued to cook for the Easter meal and do a little cleaning. I went down for my afternoon nap around 2 but Mommy and Daddy were dumb and left the phone in my room. When someone called it woke me up and I wouldn't go back to sleep. Finally, Daddy brought me downstairs around 3. I was a bit surprised though because it seems while I was sleeping lots of people suddenly appeared in my house. My Nana and Grandpa Rulli were there along with my Great-Aunt Susan, my Mommy's cousin Landis and my second cousins, Nathan, Hana and Lydia. I thought the big kids were very cool.

We had our Easter meal around 4:00. I got to sit at the big table in my high chair and eat rosemary mashed potatoes, ham and green beans. It was yummy. After dinner we went for a walk to Old Garden Beach. I sat on my Great-Aunt's lap while I watched the big kids chase Daddy and Buffy around the beach. I can't wait until I can play tag with Daddy. Mommy tells me that we are going to spend a lot of time on the beach in the summer. I plan on eating lots of sand.

When we got back to the house I had even more yummy food, some Sweet Ricotta Tart that Mommy had made from scratch. I like sugar but what kid doesn't!? Mommy has a sweet tooth too. But now it was getting late and I was getting very tired since I missed my afternoon nap. Mommy cleaned up while Daddy gave me a bath and put me to bed. I was so tired I fell asleep in his arms after my bottle which isn't something I do very often these days.

Happy Easter everyone!

Back to Work

Originally Posted on 10/3/2007 8:06:00 PM

Mommy went back to work a couple weeks ago so life around here has been busy. She stays home with me four days a week and goes in to the office one day a week. Nana Rulli takes care of me when Mommy is in the office. We have fun. I get to go to her house during the day and have lunch with Grandpa. I get a bit cranky though when it comes time for bedtime on those days and I get myself all worked up.

I'm still being swaddled for naps and at night. I'm also still waking up twice a night for eating. Usually around 12 or 1 and again at 5. Daddy has heard me at 5 the last couple mornings and fed me. It's given Mommy a much needed break. I'm also teething. I like to bite my hand a lot when I don't have access to my teething toy. I also like to chew on one of my toys on the jumperoo. I'm getting better at jumping in it too. I'll be four months old on Saturday and next week I have my doctors appointment. Then Mommy and Daddy will know how big I've gotten!

3 Months Old!

Originally Posted on 9/6/2007 7:29:00 PM

I turned three months old today! I have now graduated from newborn to infant. I'm such a big girl! I enjoy chattering away to my parents and anyone else who will listen. I especially love shouting at people. It's a lot of fun exercising my lungs. My favorite person to yell at is my daddy.

People love to ask my mommy how much sleep she is getting. Well, I go to bed around 7 pm and mommy goes to bed around 9:30 or 10. I wake up somewhere around 1:30, although last night it was 2:30, then I wake up again at 5. Sometimes I get a little agitated around 3 but mommy can sooth me back to sleep. Sometimes daddy takes me downstairs in the morning so mommy can sleep a bit more.

I spend my days going to mommy and baby groups, playing in my gym, exersaucer and jumperoo. Mommy goes back to work on the 13th but she will be home with me 4 days a week. My nana will be taking care of me the other day. Daddy is leaving us for two weeks. He'll be in Memphis, Tennessee one week and Alpharetta, Georgia the week after. We will miss him.

Uncle Caleb's Wedding

Life has been busy since I turned two months old on August 6th. I had my two month appointment with the pediatrician on August 9th, the same day as the rehearsal dinner. Nana Rulli was nervous about me getting my vaccinations so close to the wedding so they didn't happen that day. Instead Dr. Rappaport told my parents that I was "freakishly strong". She was very impressed how I resisted her turning me over and how I liked to stand and put one foot in front of the other. I'm also good at holding up my head.

I went to my Uncle Caleb's wedding on August 10th. My Grandma and Grandpa Sly went too and took care of me while my Mom and Dad were in the wedding. It was a lot of fun until the band started playing and then it was my bedtime and it was too loud. I spent the rest of the night away from the crowds sleeping in my car seat.




I got my two month vaccinations on August 13th. First they gave me a drink for Rotavirus then I had three shots. I was ok for the first but cried for the second and third. They gave me pretty pink bandaids to help make things better. I felt find after the shots and was good today too. Mommy and I went to our Mommy and Baby group as usual and I was a very good girl.

Bye Bye to Grandma and Grandpa Sly

Originally Posted 8/14/2007 7:50:00 PM

I turned two months old on August 6th. Grandma and Grandpa Sly were still visiting during that time. We did lots of new things when they were here. I had my first ride on a train.

We took my Auntie Katherine in to Boston to do some shopping in Quincy Market and hang around.

I also went out to dinner at Captain Carlos and saw my Great Step-Grandmother play the trumpet.

It was a lot of fun having my English grandparents here. Grandpa spent a lot of time flying me around the house so I could look at everything and Grandma cooked some excellent dinners, or so they tell me. I am going to miss them but will see them soon when we visit England in November.

Grandma & Grandpa Sly and Auntie Katherine

Originally Posted 7/28/2007 8:46:00 PM

On Wednesday, June 25th, some of my Daddy's family arrived from England. I met my grandma and grandpa Sly for the first time as well as my auntie Katherine. My uncle Martin is currently living in Papua New Guinea so it will probably be awhile before I meet him and his partner Joanne. Things have been busy since they arrived. On Wednesday night we went out to dinner but I was feeling fussy so Mommy had to stand up and try to eat while attempting to keep my quiet. It didn't work too well. On Thursday it was very hot and we went for a walk in to town for lunch and shopping. That night Daddy came home from teaching in Kansas City, Mommy was very happy to see him.



On Friday I went to the beach for the first time. I spent most of the time sleeping in the UV filtering cabana that my Auntie Erin and Uncle Sam gave me. Mommy and Daddy put my toes in the icy cold Atlantic water for the first time but I didn't like it very much. After dinner we went for a walk into town for an ice cream. It was all a little too much for me though and I had trouble falling asleep. Gotta keep my parents on their toes.

Today we went to Newburyport for the day. They all had lunch at The Grog while I slept. After we left the restaurant we got stuck in the rain while a thunderstorm passed through town. I slept through that as well. In fact, other than waking up to eat, I've slept all day. I even slept though my usual fussy period in the evening! I must be growing! I got a bath tonight but since I was hungry I didn't enjoy it very much.

I've also changed my evening schedule and now sleep from 11ish to 4ish, letting my parents sleep a bit more. I think that makes them very happy although they aren't sure if it is because I'm now being swaddleld or I'm just getting older. Mommy looks forward to the day where I sleep for 8 straight hours. That will be quiet a treat!

4th of July

Originally Posted 7/5/2007 9:13:00 PM

Yesterday was the 4th of July and with the 4th brings barbecues, parades, bonfires and fireworks. It is one of the few holidays that is not linked to religion and requires no gift giving. The day started out like any other but at 1:30 the Sly family headed out the door to walk down to the Pleasant St. enclave. Earlier in the day Rebecca had dropped off the chairs for the parade and the salad for the bbq but she forgot the beer so Greg strapped a case of Ipswich Summer Ale to a luggage carrier and dragged it along. The whole family, including Buffy, marched down South St., dodging lawn chairs already out for the parade. The day started out sunny and warm but soon after the bbq started the cloud's rolled in and it cooled down.

The bbq, organized by Auntie Erin and Uncle Sam and hosted by Nana and Grandpa Rulli was a roaring success. The food was amazing, as usual, and the company excellent. Lizzie enjoyed being held by so many different people. At 6 everyone headed down the street to watch the parade. It was loud so Mom and Dad had to hold their hands over Lizzie's ears, although somehow she managed to sleep for most of it. It rained a bit during the parade so an umbrella was required to keep the Sly family dry.

After the parade it was dessert time but unfortunately the Sly family missed most of it. It was time for Lizzie to eat and Mommy to pump so they hid in Nana's bedroom. It also served as a peaceful time as thus far the day had been noisy and full of people, not like a normal day. After dessert most people at the bbq walked down to the bonfire, even though it was raining out. This included the Sly family although Lizzie wasn't too keen on her stroller so Mommy had to carry her. They got to the bonfire just in time to see it lit and stayed long enough to see it fall but the rain started coming down heavier by that time and they thought they should leave. Lizzie was over stimulated and tired (so was Mom and Dad!!). Grandpa drove Dad home to get the car so the family could get home quickly and relatively dry. Once home, they all crashed! It was a busy day.

Brunch

Daycare

10 Months Old

Sweet Potato

Mushy Peas

Jumperoo

Yelling Baby

Baby Burrito

Cat in the Hat

Milestones From Original Website

	Lizzie has her six month pediatrician appt. on December 6th.. She has started cooing and smiling. She is grasping for objects and sucking on her fist. She is starting to teeth, although there are no signs of actual teeth yet. She just loves to bite your finger and her teething toy. She is grasping both her feet.
11/4/07	Lizzie is intentionally rolling from back to front!!
12/7/07	During our trip to England, Lizzie starting rolling from back to front and front to back, consecutively.
2/22/08	Lizzie has her 9 month appointment on March 7th at 10:30 am.
	Lizzie is now crawling! She can get around the room rather well although she is still working on her arm strength so she has to stop every once in awhile.
3/18/08	Lizzie has her one year appointment on June 13th. She is crawling like a champion and cruising really well too. She got her first tooth on March 14th.
June 2008	Lizzie is officially a toddler! She started walking a few weeks before her birthday and is now toddling around the house like an expert. She also loves climbing things now.

Lizzie loves animals! She particularly loves horses and will often start saying "neigh" when we leave the house. I can only assume she wants to go see the horses at the farm near our house. At the apple picking farm they had an area with animals including miniature horses. Lizzie had a great time looking at the horses and chasing around the birds.

We took Lizzie apple picking at Russell Orchards this past weekend. It was a beautiful day and there were tons of apples to pick. Lizzie enjoyed wandering around the orchard munching on an apple.

We had a lot of fun babysitting our friend Hannah while her parents went to a wedding

Check out my new blog, The Binky Diaries, at http://thebinkydiaries.blogspot.com!!

Lizzie had lots of fun with her friend Hannah today

Ignore the back fat (yuck!) and focus on the redness. No, Greg hasn't been beating me although I'm sure I've given him many reasons to do so. I went for acupuncture treatments during the IVF cycle when I got pregnant with Lizzie and as we are about to start a new IVF cycle for #2 (ack!) we thought I should go back for acupuncture treatments again. What? You say that doesn't look like tiny needle punctures? Really? :+) Actually, part of the treatment is something called Gua Sha. It's a little uncomfortable but looks a lot worse than it is. Let's hope this cycle is successful as the last one!

Lizzie very much enjoys her Wednesdays at Nana's house.

A cheeky grin from a cheeky girl!

We recently took Lizzie on a vacation in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine. We actually stayed in a small cabin on Lower Wilson Pond with a beautiful view. We took her hiking and swimming in the lake although I can't say that she particularly enjoyed either one of them. She definitely enjoyed hiking on her own and wandering around on the rocks and dock next to the lake. We will definitely be returning to that area when she's more in to hiking!

Lizzie watching the parade with Nana.

My cousins, Landis and David.