Darling

Lydia was the cutest little girl in church today, while she was in church. We might try to keep her with us in the beginning, but when she thinks it's fun to coo and the sermon is approaching, we send her off. The nursery is pretty good with her, they just haven't figured out yet that the flaps on the diaper get pulled out.

She's a sweetie!

Sometimes a doll face.

But always a cutie!

Baby Caricature

We went to the Junction City boardwalk and Lydia got caricaturized:

I Found My Feet!

and I can't

stop playing

with them!

Mini Golf

On Saturday night we went mini golfing. We were going to go after we wrapped up our unsuccessful garage sale [just one side note about that: if you host a neighborhood garage sale, at least put an advertisement in the local newspaper! I assumed people knew that.], but by then the sun was fierce, and the golf course not-so-shady. So we delayed our event till 7pm when it was still hot, but much more enjoyable.

Lydia looks like a pro! She got the pink ball, of course.

By the eighth hole Lydia didn't want to be in the golf cart--I mean stroller anymore, so Ben played the rest of the course one-handed. If we would have given him a handicap, I guess we would have tied scores.
I got to push the stroller along. Do mini golf courses not have to comply with wheelchair accessibility rules??

Here we all are.

We were in front of their signature castle hole. It was almost like being at Disney World's Cinderella Castle! OK, not even close, but a fun activity nonetheless.

Character

Lydia is becoming such a character. First, sticking her tongue out at me, and now this. I put her in her carrier, went to get my keys and when I returned she was gnawing on her link with this most mischievous look. I just had to take a picture.

Floor Time :P

Solids?

We got the go-ahead to try foods.

I was excited, but this is what Lydia thought:

"Uh oh, what do you think you're doing with that spoon. Don't feed me, don't feed me!"

" Aw, Mama, did you have to?"

In the end I think she swallowed a little oatmeal, but that's a hard thing to tell. I'd say this was a fine start to a lifetime of dining adventures.

Playful like a Dolphin

Lydia is a grinning, kicking, busybody, and it's so much fun!

She'll hoot'n'holler or simply smile to engage you in play.

And it doesn't stop once you hit the water...


Expect splishing and splashing the whole bath through. Don't be surprised if you get wet!

She's so entertaining and cute, it reminds you of the dolphin show at SeaWorld.

Two Feet Long

At four months, Lydia weighs 12 lbs, 3 oz, measures 24 in. long, and has hair 2.5 in. long (21 percentile for weight, 42 percentile for length, and extraordinarily beautiful for hair).

Father-Daughter Weekend (guest writer Ben)

Friday: Departure Day -1

Julie's sister, Stacy, was having a Bachelorette party at the Dells this weekend. Lydia was a little young and I was of the wrong gender, so we were both persona non-Grata. And so it became a father-daughter weekend. I wanted to have a nice family outing on Friday. We either had the option of a free outdoor Christian concert or an indoor Bach organ concert. It was threatening thunder storms after work, so the outdoor concert was out. The Bach concert did not start until 8:30, which is Lydia's bed time. So...no concert at all. These early bedtimes really cut into one's social agenda!

Saturday: Day 1

Julie left us to fend for ourselves on Saturday. It was the kick-off weekend of summer in Peoria and our options for entertainment seemed endless. We had a full supply of milk and freezer pops in the freezer. A Honey Do list and planned outdoor activities. We were ready to go!

The rain continued for most of Saturday. And though I had a $10 coupon for Lowe's, I could not muster the energy to load up all the baby paraphernalia for the trip to use it. So Lydia and I read some books, stared at ceiling fans, and laughed at jingling animals.

Here is Lydia entertaining herself while her Dad eats some Ramen noodles for dinner. We did get out for a walk in the evening, and then it was bedtime for Lydia. At this time the sky turned black and the threat of tornadoes loomed. I ended up bringing a pillow downstairs so that I could rest while watching the TV for updates on the storm. Our neighborhood siren did not go off, but Northern Peoria saw a couple tornadoes.

Sunday: Day 2

Lydia and I met some friends at an art fair after lunch. Most of the stuff was either too expensive, too breakable or just not practical. For instance, I could have purchased a carved 4-ft statue of Abraham Lincoln. They also had a performer that specializes in children's music and a balloon artist. All things I can look forward to in the future.

Afterwards, Lydia and I went to the Botanical Gardens for their annual plant sale. We went last year and they had tables and tables of garden ornaments, music, and refreshments. So when I got there, I went straight for the music. This year there were cloth tablecloths, finger foods, and drinks served in real stemware. I thought, "Sweet, they upgraded!" It was only after grabbing a glass of passionfruit punch that I noticed that everybody else was wearing church clothes and had name tags. Oops. Good punch though.

We did buy some flowers for a spot where weeds are currently thriving. Julie would rather have grass there, but I keep mentioning that I am more successful at growing flowers. Julie got home mid-afternoon and the family was reunited! I was happy to have my wife back.

Memorial Day Weekend

KK and Lydia hung out at the horse farm.

Gma Jan took Lydia for a walk in the stroller.

Gr Gma Doris read Lydia stories.

Kristin and Julie swapped babies.