Our Lily Patch

We had a grand time with Dan & Peggy! Lily even got her very first visit to the zoo, and generally charmed everyone as per usual. Check it out!

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At last! I finally manage to get one video up. Alas, I can’t yet figure out how to rotate it so you’ll have to tilt your head for 1 minute 4 seconds.

But here it is! Walking (and going ‘boom’ a lot)!

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Y’all have been more than patient! It is high time we featured photos from The Big Event – namely, our Lilybean’s first birthday extravaganza!

A smashing time was had by all, and we thank every one of you who attended for contributing to it!

Enjoy!

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 . . . the events in this story unfolded.

Yes, I finally got around to writing Lily’s birth story. Well, got around to finishing it anyway – I wrote an extremely rough draft very early on and then would tinker with it periodically.  But eventually I managed to flesh it out and polish it up a bit, and I share it with you here.

Here she was then:

And here she is now:

Fair notice: It’s a candid and, I hope, fairly accurate birth story. Including labor. Which is to say – there will be an expletive. I restrained myself, really, but if ever a person should be given a bit of a pass, it’s here. So you’ve been warned.

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This is it, if you ask me.

Along with this and other new classics, I must point out the strange sequence  wherein Lily looks for all the world like a cherubic little vampire, attacking my leg. Like so:

Before you gather your stakes and crosses, I should explain that she’s just started making this strange face whenever she sees the camera’s flash-prep light. She could be smiling just beautifully, but as soon as she sees that red light she tilts her head, bares her teeth (five now!) and grimaces like she’s hissing at a foe or victim. See again here, with an avocado facial:

Thank goodness we have pretties like this to balance it out.

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Here’s the first of what will be undoubtedly volumes and volumes of YouTube clips!

This is Lily with her friend Kembra, the then 19-month old daughter of my friend Erin, playing in the snow last month. Well, attempting to play, anyway. Enjoy! More, of course, to come.

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With Lily’s FIRST BIRTHDAY (whoa) right around the corner, Grandma Donna requested a wish list of sorts for the blog. I want to take this opportunity to make sure that all folks attending the big event know that gifts are NOT required! If you do decide to bring a gift, bless you, and here are our guidelines as posted for Christmas time (they’re good year-round, of course).

As far as an actual list goes, I consulted with Lily, and she thought the following would be nice:

*More Babylegs legwarmers (the best advancement in baby clothing ever), especially the Funky collection

*A toy box

*Food Play wooden toys from Melissa & Doug (anything from them is great, really)

*Sun hats for her lovely fair complexion

*Water wings and other floaty devices for the pool; also bath toys in general! (This is one instance where our general aversion to plastic toys can be suspended, of course.)

*Bead mazes

And I think that’s about it for special requests! Really, do not feel obligated. Just helping us acknowledge the milestone is more than enough.

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She’s 10 months old today!

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. . . actual formal shots of our little family, courtesy of the Kellys.

Reflecting the typical whimsy of the elder Kelly patriarch, there are some priceless ones of the whole gang at the end.

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And here’s album #2.

This takes us through our trip to Provo, Utah, to visit the Kellys. Including New Year’s celebrations, more Christmas fun, a dinner with a lovely Iraqi family courtesy of Kate & Neil, yet another visitation of the Donohue-Liston-Merciers, and all kinds of assorted cutenesses.

Believe it or not, I have one more album to come.

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