Loving our Lily

Last week, I waxed poetically over our thankfulness over Ella’s wonderful school. This one is for Lillian. I am thankful for development, even if it seems a little more accelerated. I’ve written in the past about just wanting to walk into Ella’s room to find her standing in her crib to welcome me. I waited for that moment for more than a year and a half. While other people’s children were running and jumping, I was still patiently (?), somewhat tearfully waiting for my baby to pull herself to a stand.

Last week, I ascended the stairs and what did I see when I reached the top, I smiling little cherub standing in her crib! Lillian is a card carrying member of the loitering club. She can now stand around and hang out. As I was doing a little work in the office last week, I turned to see that Lily, with the help of the treadmill, had figured out how to pull herself up to stand. Since then, there’s been no stopping her.

The same day she started standing, she also decided that she was a big enough girl to drink from a straw cup upon finding one of Ella’s discarded water cups. She was rather successful with that endeavor.  Loran had to question whether he’d been coming home at night because it seemed that Lily had grown weeks in just a day.

And not to be outdone. On Thanksgiving, we had to pry Lily off the stairs and Nana and Papa’s…she’d made it up a few on her own. Luckily, she hasn’t been tempted to try ours.

Lily is finding all sorts of fun uses for this new-found talent. Most of them involve bothering her sister. Ahhh, siblings!

She’s also learned a few rough lessons. That same treadmill that she used to make her standing debut turned on her Friday morning and gave her a nice little bump on the chin that went from being red and swollen to scabbed over. She’s a tough looking baby, bruised and scabbed…apparently, that’s what happens when your baby develops on time or early.

 

But of course, all of this development doesn’t mean she’s all grown up. There are still moments when we’re reminded that she’s still our little baby and not as independent as she lets on. Such as last night, when her feverish little body joined us in bed. I hesitated to bring her to the doctor this morning, figuring she was teething or coming down with a cold, but when she felt really not and had chills that caused her teeth, rather gums, to chatter – I knew we needed some intervention. Luckily, our doctor’s office is always happy to see us on short notice and told us to come on over right away. Seems that Lillian’s ear infection is either back, or never fully cleared up. She’s now on a more powerful antibiotic. Just like her sister, she doesn’t seem to be helped by amoxicillin and had to move onto something with a little more punch. We’ve had a busy day running around to get Lillian situated and feeling better, but also full of cuddling and rocking. While those things weren’t supposed to be so prominent on the agenda, it was nice to slow down and spend time with her before Loran and I head out of town tomorrow. Of course, she’d get sick right before we leave…the country! Luckily, we caught it before we left and she’s already in a better mood.