40-45 Days Old (Learning New Things)

Lily Learns Some New Tricks

So wow ... Lily is growing fast. It is hard to tell day-to-day how much she is growing, but it definitely becomes obvious when she learns new things, or makes a new sound for the first time ... still my only real measure of how much she has grown is by putting her in her ergo-carrier (like a frontal backpack). At first, the tippy top of her head may have peaked out but she was buried in the bottom ... now, her whole head and chubby face stick out the top and she is lookin' around ... it's wild how you can not notice it but have it be such a difference in just a few weeks!

So to see how much she had really grown, I first administered an eye exam ...

... to which Lily stared me down and said "come on dad, gimme a challenge"

... and this was her face after the written exam ...

... she was shaken up for quite awhile ... maybe even a few night terrors after an exam like that ...

... but then she came around and started smiling again ... the smiles are pretty new, and super fun ... she also got a ton of baby acne which is common from about week 4-8 ... it is already getting a lot better, but for awhile there she was just covered in it ...

... then came the oral exam ... which really stumped her ...

... then some naked play time ... as much as Lily loves being in hot water ... she is also a pretty big fan of free air ... just lettin' it all hang out ... and she kind of likes cold air too ...

... these two pictures are just adorable ... the soft green background, her big blue eyes ... and the playful, curious, innocent face she has ... i just love it!

... another thing she is doing now, is actually focusing on objects ... before it was more like looking towards sounds or light ... but now she really is looking on to things and staring at them ... in her swing that my parents brought (all nicely packed in a suitcase) ... she loves to stare at the hanging lion and hanging giraffe while she swings back and forth to soft electronic lullabies ...

... and she now loves to be swaddled at night ... for the first couple times, she wasn't a big fan of the baby-straitjacket ... but now ... oh she sleeps like a rock ... and I don't want to jinx it ... but she is sleeping so well about 5-6 nights a week ... for example, last night she went to bed at around 10pm and didn't wake up until 5:15 this morning ... and to top it off ... she didn't cry one bit, she just fussed a little ... and i woke up feeling great from 6 hours of solid uninterupted sleep ... so i had nothing but super soft, happy voice and "wow" "you're so good" "thank you" ... so she just cooed and looked around ... and was perfectly happy while i changed her diaper ... and didn't fuss one bit while i brought her in to mom to feed ... then she came out 20 or so minutes later and promptly fell asleep on my chest after a few burps ... this was the best morning in awhile ... and then i set her in her swing and she slept there for another 30min or so until she woke up with a little (very little) fussing for some more food ... and she is in sleeping with her mom right now ... that is insane for a 6-week-old ...

... haha, and this is her at Papallacta in the mountains ... it s freezing outside so she was bundled up in her peacoat and peruvian beanie ...

... awwww ...

... and even when she is being a little crazy, her mom and i still enjoy it ...

... and when you can't have a boob ... sucking on a bicep is just as fun ...

... and her is one of Lily's favorite faces ... just confused and worried and trying to understand all the lights and sounds she is taking in ...

... so to help, I liked to make really loud kissy noises on her face ... haha ...

... and another new trick is that she grabs her pacifier out of her mouth and starts swinging it around ...

... and she, for the first time, enjoyed some solid tummy time alone ... she was down on her play-pad (my made of word for it, since each toy has some special unique name that i never learn) ... anyways, she was down on her play-pad by herself, calmly lying there for about 20 minutes ...

... all-in-all ... we are pretty lucky that she sleeps well and is calm most times ... she fusses when she wants something and is pretty relaxed the rest of the time ... and she is growing so quickly, and learning so many new things ... it seems that each day she gets a little more vocal with her curious new sounds ... it is hilarious to make sounds back to her and watch her move her mouth and squeeze her muscles and grunt trying to make a soft cooing sound ... but she is getting there ... more often than not, they are usually accidental when she is happy ... but new sounds are coming out all the time ...

44-45 Days Old (Hot Tub Baby)

Lily Loves Hot Tubbin'

For Lauren's birthday, we went on a nice trip to Papallacta (natural hot springs in the mountains at a killer resort). All of the private pools are different temperatures, and it just so happened that the one in front of our place was just above warm and not at all hot ... we took Lily in this pool and even the slightly hotter one (as her baths are usually hotter than either of these) ... and she loved it!

Either she is going to be a water child, or she just really knows how to relax ... and right after each dip in the hot tub, she took a great nap. She never made a peep getting into the water or while she was in it ... the only peep comes just after pulling her out, when the cold wind (and it is freezing up there in the mountains) hits the full body ... but then after drying off and cuddling, she feels that inner-warmth come back out and sleeps like a rock ...

Well, first I had to get some shots with her mom ...

... and Lily is starting to learn to smile when happy ... and she was definitely loving hot-water-play-time-with-mommy ...

... and of course when you're happy and you know it, throw your hands in the air like you just don't care!

... and now the many faces of a relaxing, hot tub baby ...

38 Days Old (Family Goodbyes)

The Family Says Goodbye

We started out the day with some shopping in the artesian market ...

... which of course exhausted Lily ... and look at how she sleeps ... it's like an adult, with the arm under the chin for a pillow ...

... so mom had to wake her up with some big kisses ...

... to which Lily perked right up ...

... first, the doting parents ...

... who can't stop fawning over their little Lily ...

... and then each person got their one-on-one time, starting with Grandma Nonny ...

... Awww ... and they won't get to see Lily for four more months! =( ... It makes me sad ...

... then Auntie Bri got her play time ...

... then crazy grandpa Poppy-Balloon ... Lily is thinking, "who is this crazy person holding me?!"

... this is another one of my favorite photos so far! The grandfatherly glow on my dad's face, and Lily's adorable face looking right at the camera ... this photo definitely makes me super happy ...

... and then uncle Justin got a turn ... and again Lily was thinking "who are these people you hand me to? will you just entrust me to anyone off the street?!"

... and then we needed a group shop of the family with Lily ...

... but I couldn't keep their eyes on the camera ...

... and then one of just the fam (sorry Justin - someone had to take the photo!) ... I will miss the laughter that was in the house all week ...

... Lily's family ...

36 days old (Irish Embassy & Mitad Del Mundo)

Lily is a World Traveler

Our first visit to the Irish embassy ... because of course all trips come in twos or threes ...

... then off to the middle of the world! I don't even know if I knew someone was taking a picture ... but that is just a funny pose ...

... and Bri on the equator

... and Justin ...

... oh, someone should tell them that long distance relationships never work ... they're on opposite sides of the world!

... sisters sharing some love across hemispheres ...

... the whole gang on the equator ...

... and then smokin' hot Lauren with Lily ... but Lily wasn't ready, she is signaling for a time-out

Awwww ...

... then the family went out for something to eat ...



... and Bri and Justin held rhino beetles ... the ones with the giant tusk-like things sticking out of their faces