Last Day of Summer

Layla spent the last day of summer vacation gnawing on teething biscuits made from Grandmommy's recipe*. I quickly learned that the best plan is to strip her naked and let her have one right before bathtime.

First attempt




















After I learned my lesson



















After our adventures with teething biscuits we went to Lexington Center for ice cream and a trip to the playground.



















TEETHING BISCUITS
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2-2 1/2 cups flour
Break eggs and stir; add sugar and stir again., Gradually add enough flour to make stiff dough. Roll out to 3/4" thickness. Cut in round shapes. Put on lightly greased cookie sheet and let stand OVERNIGHT, 10-12 hours. Bake at 325 until browned and HARD (at least 30 minutes.)

$20 Art

Well...it's certainly no Picasso, but it fills the space above the couch, and it wasn't a huge investment....so we'll keep it for now :). Gotta switch the bird to the middle, I think, but other than that, you get the idea.

Finally......Teeth!

For weeks and weeks and weeks we have been able to see Layla's bottom teeth through her gums. The stubborn things just did not want to poke through....until today! I *think* that just one has poked through right now, but Layla's not thrilled when I'm feeling around in her mouth, so it's a bit hard to tell. If it hasn't already, I'm sure second one will make its appearance soon, too.

Standing Tall

We picked up this Leap Frog Musical Playground today. Layla is already in love with it. The family we bought it off of (love Craigslist for baby stuff!) had a mom named Rebecca and a little girl named Payla. Weird, right?

Bill Delays Chris

Layla and I were anxiously awaiting Daddy's arrival last night, only to learn that the hurricane had canceled his flight. He had to stay an extra night in Charleston and then his early morning flight was delayed. Hopefully he'll be able to catch a noon flight from DC and will be home around 2:00.


In other news, Layla came down with a cold yesterday. Right now she is super snotty and I'm just hoping it doesn't end up in her chest like all of the previous times. Last night she woke up every 45 minutes or so. Needless to say, neither one of us got much rest.

Grandparents!

Layla has had a lovely visit with her grandmommy and granddaddy this week. Today we went to Drumlin Farms and she got to see lots of chickens, goats, sheep, and pigs. She loved them all and was desperate to escape from her stroller so that she could get up close to the critters. (and yes, we met ANOTHER Leila while we were there!).

After the farm, we came home and played.



Then we went to dinner at Nourish, a new restaurant in Lexington Center. Mommy enjoyed her blueberry mojito and Layla enjoyed some ice cream!

More Pics from CT

Check out Sofia and Daniel's blog for even more fun pics.

Layla and Sofia hang out on her gym mat.


Watch out, Daniel...Layla might jump on you!


Layla LOVES animals. Here she is meeting Truffle.


Then on Friday Layla was happy to meet Mommy's friend, Katie, who drove from NY to see us. Yes, even away from home, Layla swings with her maraca.

Cousins!

More pics to follow soon...

A Long Time Coming

Tomorrow Layla and I head to CT to see her cousins. The last time I saw them they were still itty bitty in the hospital and Layla was still in my belly. Long before any of these kids were born I was excited for the day that they'd all be together. We've had to wait longer than anyone would have liked, but the visit has finally arrived. Off to finish packing!

Mom's in Trouble!

So she isn't crawling yet, but Layla seems to think she can stand on her own. Today at the library all she wanted to do was stand at the bead table. At one point she even transferred to the house. Luckily I was spotting her closely, because just after these pics she released her grip and would have fallen flat had I not stopped her. All this means that I have to keep an even closer eye on her all of the time!

Keeping Busy While Dad's Away

Chris is back in Charleston this week. He's actually going to be there for 5 of the next 7 weeks. Luckily it's a pretty short flight, so he's able to come home on the weekends for some family time. Layla and I have to keep busy when Daddy's not around to entertain us. Today we had a friend, Danielle, and her 3 girls over for a visit and a dip in the kiddie pool. Layla loved watching the big girls and I think she took some notes from the youngest, who just started crawling last week. The visit must have tired Layla out because as we were taking the long way home from the playground she fell asleep with her trusty maraca in her hand.

Saving Some for Later

Inspiration

So I just painted some art for above our living room couch. The wall is large and blank and has been crying out for artwork. The problem is that we couldn't decide what to put up there. Well, I just painted three canvasses that were inspired by the garden series of the Wee Gallery Animal Prints that Layla has. If we actually decide to hang them, I'll post a pic soon. I painted the dragon fly, lady bug, and the bird. Who knew that baby toys could inspire (great?) art?

Davis Square Fun

Layla and I headed back to the old 'hood today to enjoy ice cream at JP Licks with Caitlin and Johanna. I will admit that it took me years as a Bostonian to realize that the JP in JP Licks stands for Jamaica Plain, where the first store was. Brilliant, I am. After ice cream we hung out at a park. Do you think Layla brought enough toys with her?

On our way home, Layla and I popped in on the old (both former and elderly) landlords. By the looks of the playground remodel across the street, it looks like we'll be making lots of return visits when it's complete this fall. Rumor has it it's going to have fantastic water features, too.

Hi, Lucie!

Shake it, Baby!

I really, REALLY need to remember to hold the phone the other way when I shoot these videos! I don't know how to make it any louder....sorry!

Yesterday Layla and I visited my old babysitting family and they handed down a bunch of baby toys to Layla. Clearly, she enjoys the maraca!

A Day with Daddy

Mommy had a bachelorette picnic to attend, so Daddy was on duty for most of the day. He and Layla took a ride to NH to hang out with cousin Curt and family. Ally, as always, was a huge help!