It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

We are two days away from the official end of the holiday season, and I could not have asked for better memories!  Not only was it Lauren's first Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it was our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with a child.  And experiencing the holidays through the eyes of a baby is so much more fun than as a 30ish old adult.

We spent this Thanksgiving at my parents house.  Every year we alternate between the Pali household and the Fisher household, but both families always spend Thanksgiving dinner together.  It was a great 4 day weekend and L'ie Bear got her first introduction to our oftentimes chaotic but always entertaining family dinners.  She even got to enjoy some of the "big people" food.  Her favorites included green bean casserole and sweet potatoes.  In order to limited her sugar intake, I volunteered to eat the marshmallows off of her sweet potatoes (it's a tough job, but someone had to do it).

Second to the actual Thanksgiving Dinner, my other favorite moment that weekend was when L'ie discovered the Pali Family Bell!  My mom managed to bring the dinner bell from her childhood home in Illinois to Salisbury and it proudly stands in the backyard.  We do not ring the bell very often, since it is quite loud, but we couldn't resist when the Bear saw it!  Unfortunately, she was not impressed with the actual bell, but she sure did love the pull chain.

The Bear is not quite sure about this family dinner.

But once she got food, she started to enjoy herself.

The Pali Family Bell!!

Yum.  Metal!

Family photo from Thanksgiving

Finally, it was Christmas time.  We stayed with the Fishers this year, but celebrated with the Palis on Christmas Eve.  Ever since I can remember, my sister and I would always sit at the top of the steps on Christmas morning and beg to come down and see what Santa left us.  After my dad was satisfied that all of the cameras were ready to go, my mom would yell up and tell us to come on down.  We would run down the stairs, round the corner and immediately find stockings overflowing with little goodies and our big gift from Santa set up by the fireplace.  My sister and I have continued that tradition every year (complete with begging), and this was the FIRST year that I was able to stay downstairs.  Now L'ie Bear takes my place at the top of the steps.

Waiting to come down the stairs!

The Pali Christmas tree

We spent the afternoon opening gifts and then headed to church.  This year, L'ie was asked to play the role of Baby Jesus during the service, and she stole the show.  She smiled and cooed on cue and looked adorable in her costume.  She definitely has some of Grandpa Pali's genes and perhaps a career in acting is in her future.

On Christmas morning, we enjoyed some more stockings and gifts at the Fisher house.  Santa definitely stopped by during the night and L'ie made out very well!  She even got to spend some quality time with her Great Grandmother.

Checking out what Santa brought!

The Bear with some of her gifts

Playing with her Great Grandmother

Opening presents with the Bear takes a while, but we managed to get everything cleaned up in time for another chaotic and entertaining dinner with the Palis.  And we ended the evening with a competitive game between children and parents.  I am happy to report that the children beat the parents this time around, but I am sure there will be a rematch soon!!

This has always been my favorite time of the year.  I can never get enough of the sappy Christmas music, holiday decorations (although my OCD comes out when I see too many lights or disorganized light displays), holiday cookies, and just the overall happy attitudes everyone seems to have this time of year.  There are so many traditions I am looking forward to both continuing and starting with L'ie Bear as she gets older, and I just hope that she enjoys this holiday as much as I do.

And You Can Tell Everybody...This Is Your Song!

In true Pali fashion, I have been singing to L'ie Bear and she seems to enjoy it.  The singing usually gets a good laugh, and I try not to take it personally.  I would do anything for a good laugh and I am sure she is laughing at the cute lyrics and not at my singing voice.  Although I do not really remember my parents singing to me as an infant, I do remember singing to my younger sister, Sarah.  Our dad loved to make up his own songs and we still remember a few of them after all of these years.

Before L'ie Bear was born, we decided to switch my name (or my sister's name) for L'ie in one of my dad's songs.  Once we realized it still worked, I sang it to her while she was in the womb and now I sing it to her whenever she gets fussy.  I hope that in the future, she will learn the words and sing it to a little brother or sister.  But I am getting ahead of myself...

After I felt certain that L'ie could stand my singing voice, there were many attempts at creating new songs.   One day, I was getting L'ie ready for bed.  I was changing her diaper and her mobile was rocking "Rock-a-bye Baby".  I started singing along and came up with what I call her Bedtime Song.  In the song, Li'ie meets up with Clark the Bear and heads off to Dreamland.  Hmmm....ok, this may need a little explanation.

Growing up, my dad always told us that we had to go to bed at a certain time so that we could catch the next Dream Train, which would whisk us away to Dreamland.  Children were lucky because they got to take a fun-filled earlier train.  The boring grown-ups had to take a later train.  At the end of a Dreamland adventure, the train would bring us back to our beds, and we would wake up in the morning.  As a child, I never wanted to miss the early Dream Train.

I was lucky enough to grow up with my dad's crazy and wonderful bedtime stories.  Dreamland was only one of many memorable stories.  He also created the Snow Elf, a tiny (almost invisible) elf, who worked for Santa and was sent to every child's home.  He would move from branch to branch on the Christmas tree and would keep an eye to see who was naughty and who was nice.  And if you were like us, without a fireplace, the snow elf was small enough to slide in under any door and he would make sure the front door was unlocked for Santa on Christmas Eve.   I know, this story sounds similar to another famous elf, created in 2005.  But I am getting ahead of myself again...

I have decided it is never too early to introduce L'ie to Dreamland.  As we walk up the stairs to her room, the Dream Train can be heard chugging in the distance.  She loves to hear me making soft chugging sounds and then toot tooting like a train's horn.  By the time we get to her room, she knows that it is almost bedtime.

But bedtime is not complete without a snuggle from Clark the Bear!!  Although we still have hopes that she will grow up to be a fellow Cubs fan, her San Francisco family wasted no time in introducing her to the Giants.  They gave L'ie a stuffed Giants bear and she immediately fell in love.  When we realized she would not fall asleep without him, we decided to name him after one of Great Aunt SA's favorite player, Will Clark.

L'ie Bear with Clark the Bear!

Below L'ie Bear and Clark the Bear, make an appearance in videos showcasing these two wonderful songs.  In full disclosure, despite what the Bear might think, my singing voice is not very good.  So listen at your own risk!!

Grandpa Pali's Song

Bedtime Song

     

9 Month Baby!

It has been 9 months since L'ie Bear has entered our lives and I would not change a thing.  She is such an alert, observant and happy baby.   

As of this afternoon:

1.  L'ie now weighs 16 lbs 10 oz and is 27.75 inches long.
2.  L'ie has two bottom teeth and three teeth coming in on the top.
3.  L'ie can sit up on her own and is more than content to sit on the floor and play with her toys.
4.  L'ie has begun to clap, and loves to clap when she eats something really good.
5.  L'ie has begun to point at things.  So far, her favorite things to point at are ceiling fans and lights.
6.  L'ie has begun to say "Ma ma ma ma ma" and "Da da da da da" on a regular basis.
7.  L'ie has begun munching on more table foods.  She is quite the eater and loves trying new foods.

The Bear has not started crawling yet, and if she is anything like her mother, it will be a while before we celebrate that milestone.  She has no desire to be on her tummy, and quickly rolls over during "tummy time". Also, if there is a toy out of her reach, she will stretch to try and grasp it, and then she will either pick a closer toy to play with or give up and take a nap.  But we are ok with letting her crawl whenever she is ready, and have been enjoying the other changes she has undergone.

The Bear at 1 Month

The Bear at 9 Months

We are very lucky to have such an easy and sweet baby!  Happy 9 month birthday, L'ie Bear!  We love you and are excited that you are now three quarters of the way to cake!!

Here Comes Santa Claus

Today, L'ie Bear met Santa Claus for the first time!  After a nice long nap and lunch, I dressed the Bear up in one of her holiday dresses and we headed to the Fair Oaks Mall.  We got there with plenty of time to spare (Santa was on his lunch break), so L'ie enjoyed another bottle, while I enjoyed a Peppermint Mocha Latte from Starbucks.  Needless to say, we were both quite happy!

After the unexpected, but welcomed break we got in line and waited a whopping 5 minutes before it was L'ie Bear's turn!  We rounded the corner and there he was!  Santa was smiling ear to ear, but L'ie was not sure what to think.  I placed her in his arms and slowly backed away.  The Bear could not stop staring at him...she wasn't upset, but she refused to look away.  Since we were trying to get a photo, the rest of the staff began shaking sleigh bells and making funny noises.  Finally, we got her attention and there was enough time for one quick shot before L'ie Bear burst into tears!

I only had one non-crying photo to choose from, but I was very pleased with the final result!

Eight Glorious Months

L'ie Bear has turned 8 months old!  I still cannot believe it!!  She is doing so many wonderful things right now, and, for this post, I have decided to show the Bear's development through videos instead of words.  

Happy L'ie Bear!

 

Eating Puffs!

Searching for toys to play with!

Sitting up & playing with her toys!

Lions, Tigers, and L'ie Bears...Oh My!

Our Little L'ie Bear

Even at 7 months old, L'ie Bear was able to participate in the Halloween festivities this year.  Chad hates the holiday, but he has agreed that we will do everything we can to make sure that L'ie loves dressing up as much as I did.  Obviously, it was not appropriate to go trick-or-treating at such a young age and I did not need any extra candy in the house, so we decided to take our Bear to the National Zoo, which is one of our favorite places in DC, for a "Boo At The Zoo" event.  There were about 40 different stations throughout the zoo and they gave away fun items such as sippy cups, fresh fruit, chips/pretzels, juice boxes, stickers and glow in the dark lollipops!  Also, there were great decorations at the event and we did not mind paying for admission because it was a fundraiser for the zoo.     

Once we knew where we were taking L'ie Bear, we had to decide what costume she would wear!  Chad and I scoured the internet for the perfect idea.  Originally, I wanted to dress her up as a Daisy and Chad wanted to dress her up as a hotdog.  We went back and forth between those two costumes until I came upon the perfect idea.  Our L'ie Bear was going to be a Bear for Halloween, and her costume was exactly what we envisioned.

Posing with Mommy.

Posing with Daddy

 

Hanging in her stroller during Boo At The Zoo.

The event was so much fun and all three of us had a great time.  Since it went from 5:30 to 8:30, it did get cold, but the costume kept L'ie nice and toasty.  And she slept VERY well that night!!  I certainly hope that this will become an annual tradition for the family.  

As for the costume, we have no idea how we will top this idea next year, but I am sure we will try to come up with something.  Until then, I will enjoy all of our pictures from this year, because L'ie Bear was the cutest bear I have ever seen!!

Seven Months

Technically L'ie Bear turned seven months old a few weeks ago, but we have been so busy these past few weeks that I have gotten behind on my blog posts.  Have no fear, even with all the events and excitement, we did make time to get a quick photo shoot in on October 15th.  She was not very excited, and once she began eating the 7 Month sticker on her onesie, we knew the session was quickly coming to an end.

Seven Months old and not in the mood for a photo shoot

In protest, L'ie decided to eat her month sticker!

Seven months has been quite an eventful age for L'ie Bear!  She has reached several milestones around this time and we have been using up quite a bit of memory card space taking pictures and videos to record every special moment.

Milestone # 1 - First Teeth!  At the end of September, the Bear got her first tooth and another one quickly followed at the end of October.

The Bear's first two teeth, on the bottom!

Milestone # 2 - Sitting up on her own!  L'ie Bear has been sitting up for quite a while, but she has not been able to stay up on her own and would either need the assistance of a grown up or her bumbo seat.  On October 18th, while at my parent's house, we discovered that she could finally sit on her own without assistance.  This has opened up a whole new world of playing.  She can now sit on the floor and play with a bunch of toys placed around her.  Of course, this has also opened up more possibilities for Wrigley to knock her over, step on her, or steal her toys.  He is lucky that the Bear is more than happy to share her toys and does not seem to get upset when he gets in the way (as evidenced by the video below)  So far, she usually lasts a minute or so before tipping over, but every day she goes longer and longer!

Milestone #3 - An unwelcome milestone...her first cold!  The Bear has been very lucky when it comes to colds and sickness.  She would occasionally start to get a cold, whether it was a runny nose, excessive sneezing or coughing, but it would normally last a day or two and never developed beyond one symptom at a time.  We were not so lucky this past week.  It started with a runny nose and has continued with a horrible hacking cough.  As our doctor has told us, there is nothing you can do for an infant cold, so Chad and I have done our best to try to make L'ie Bear as comfortable as possible.  We are happy to report that she appears to be getting better, and we can now get some rest!

Milestone #4 - Probably the most important milestone so far...Visiting The Old Stein Inn for the first time!  Since the restaurant suffered from fire damage before L'ie Bear was born, we had to wait for renovations to be completed.  A few weeks ago, our "German Food" group (aka Chris, Ali & Sophie Ackermann, Adam & Laura Blough, and Rick Nelson & Beth Anderson) decided it was time to get together there.  Due to the restaurant's popularity, we had to wait over an hour for a table, but the wait was well worth it.  We settled in at a table in the beer garden and enjoyed delicious german food and beers while a polka band serenaded us in the background!

Group shot of our table

Staring down Rick

L'ie and Sophie

Chad and I have begun to realize that L'ie Bear is quickly moving from infant stage to toddler stage and we are still trying to find a way to slow down time.  Before we know it, crawling and then (gulp) walking is surely going to follow these milestones, and we are not ready!  But for now, we will just enjoy playtime and take as many photos and videos as possible.  Happy Seven Months Birthday L'ie Bear!!!

Something Seems Fishy to L'ie!

L'ie Bear has begun her journey through solid foods...which means Chad and I have begun our journey into baby food making!  After speaking with the pediatrician, we decided that making baby food was a better option for us.  We could explore more foods with L'ie, the food lasts up to 6 weeks in the freezer, and it is ultimately cheaper.  And since we already had a food processor and steamer, we did not have to buy one of those fancy baby food makers.  It meant a few extra steps, but it has been quite easy and definitely worth the effort.

At L'ie Bear's 6 month check-up, the doctor gave us the go ahead for meats, white fish, fruits and most veggies.  So our first batch of baby food consisted of fresh applesauce to pair with her rice cereal in the morning, carrots with butter and leaks for lunch, and tilapia with carrots, leaks and a cheese sauce for dinner.

With the way the timing worked out, we debuted the new baby food at one of our tailgates.  L'ie ate the applesauce with no problem, we skipped the carrots at lunchtime, and she HATED the white fish.

The Bear's first bite of white fish!

She does not seem to like it!

And the final verdict was "YUCK"

L'ie only tried a few bites of the fish, and it was clear that she did not like tilapia yet.  But Chad and I still held out hope that she would eventually learn to like white fish, because we had so much of it in the freezer.

A few days later, we discovered that L'ie would eat up all of the fish if we also gave her a mashed banana at the same time.  Apparently, she could handle the fishy taste if she had something sweet to accompany it.  Of course, acceptance did not mean that she would suddenly become a clean eater!

The Bear's reaction to white fish 4 days later!

With a somewhat successful first attempt at baby food making, our second batch of baby food consisted of more applesauce, corn with carrots and leaks for lunch, and chicken with sweet potatoes and apples for dinner.  L'ie immediately liked those dishes, so we made another batch.

Fresh applesauce

Some of the applesauce in L'ie Bear's food cups!

Our food stash in the freezer.

In a few months, L'ie will move beyond an only mashed baby food diet, and I cannot wait to explore creative ways to give her small bits of food.  They say a baby develops her sense of taste within the first year of life and Chad and I are doing the best we can to make sure we have a future foodie on our hands!  Now, we just have to work on that white fish tastebud!!

Sports Baby

Fall is always a busy time in the Fisher household, and we are determined to continue attending all of our sporting events now that L'ie Bear is here!  Not only do we have season tickets to the University of Maryland football games, but Chad also has season tickets to the Washington Capitals games.  Sprinkle in a lot of tailgating in UMD's Lot 9B, Chad's recreation hockey leagues, and watching the Caps practice at Kettler and our weekends are pretty much booked!

Luckily, L'ie Bear is a natural tailgater.  So far, she has been to three tailgates and two games.  When at the games, she lasts until halftime.  The fans around us love to watch her and it is not uncommon to find someone making funny faces at her or trying to get her to giggle.  The team is not very good this year, so this gives those fans something fun to do in an otherwise miserable experience!  But after two quarters of mediocre football, L'ie Bear is ready to leave.

While at the tailgate, we have had to pack more gear than usual so that we can keep her entertained in a parking lot for 3+ hours, but it seems to be working out well.  She is never at a loss for attention, she eats her meals in her Bumbo seat, and she naps at her regular napping times in her carseat.  Luckily, we did not hold back on making noise when she was first born, so she can sleep through anything! 

Sweet dreaming in Lot 9B

Also, L'ie loves the tailgate because she gets to spend time with some of the tailgating crew...

And of course, there is the required visit to see Testudo...

But Maryland games are not the only sport L'ie has been exposed too.  Although she has not been to her first Capitals hockey game, we have been able to take her to watch their practice.  We dressed her up in all of her gear and Chad could not wait to get her up against the glass.  The players did not hold back, and I thought L'ie would get scared when a slap shot careened off the glass.  Boy was I wrong!!  She loved every minute of it and could not take her eyes off of the players.

I think she definitely inherited our love for sports, and I cannot wait to experience sports through her eyes as she grows up!  

Six Months Already?!?!?!

September 15th marked L'ie Bear's 6th month birthday and we celebrated by visiting with family at the beach and having lunch with the ladies in Cambridge, Maryland!  I then took L'ie to my old work place, the State's Attorneys Office for Dorchester County, where she got to spend some time with everyone there.  She was passed from person to person all afternoon, and she seemed quite content.  She has gotten used to being around her grandparents, uncle Ryan, Aunt Sarah and her boyfriend,Mike, but she also really seems to enjoy being around other people she does not see very much.  After spending time with so many different people in Cambridge, I can't help but think back to all of the people she has met in the past six months!

L'ie Bear with her wild and crazy family!

Spending time with Aunt Sarah and Mike!

Meeting Sophie for the first time!

Roadtrip to NC to meet Farkus and the Becks!
She was too small to play with Carly on that trip, so she is
 looking forward to another visit once she is a little bigger!

The Levy's stopped by to meet her in May!

L'ie Bear's first beach trip with the gang!
She loves spending time with Matthew and Elizabeth

Meeting her Great Grandmother!
(3 Generations of Kushinkas photo)

Great Aunt S.A. and cousin Juliana had the fun toys!
(Taking some pics with the iPad)

Spending time with Rick, the Ackermanns and the Bloughs.

Another trip to the beach to meet Great Aunt Marty and
Cousin Heather!
(3 Generations of Stone Women picture!!)