Backyard Baby

We had quite the exciting day today... if you consider going to Target exciting, which I totally do. We returned one baby gate because we had purchased a few the other day so we could try out different models. At first, Lily regarded the gate with a mixture of curiosity and indifference. But by yesterday, she was hitting it with her toy hammer and yelling and today she actually cried when I put it up, even though my Mom and I were still in the room with her.

But the gate is something she'll have to get used to. We can't have any more tumbles down the stairs like earlier this week. Lily was fine and stopped crying after about 90 seconds but Matt, Judy and I were seriously freaked out. It was a crazy fall (though I guess it was technically a head-first dive and not a fall) and we are incredibly lucky that she came away from it with nothing more than a little bit of rug burn on her face. At the moment it happened, I was simultaneously thinking "this isn't happening" and "this is really happening." I was really shaken but didn't want to freak Lily out so I tried not to react too much once it was clear that she was fine.

Basically, we had been allowing her to roam the upstairs freely but under our supervision. But after she fell while on my watch (I know it sounds cliche but I really only looked away for a few seconds) we decided that until she can climb down the stairs safely, she should stay in her bedroom with the gate up if we need to do something, even a quick something, that will take our eyes off of her.

This afternoon we did some backyard bird watching, toy building and maraca shaking. Don't these photos look like a catalog spread for Discovery Toys?

After a dinner of hard-boiled egg, lima beans, sweet potato, apple & yogurt (girl likes to eat), Lily contemplated the mystery that is Jello Jigglers. She got the hang of it pretty quickly. So far, we've been pretty good at resisting the urge to give her sweets but I figured Jello was okay for a treat. Grandma Judy was happy to oblige and make them for her baby girl.

I'm not sure what's in store for tomorrow but I have a feeling it involves going in the pool. It's also Judy & Tom's 39th wedding anniversary tomorrow so we have cause to celebrate this weekend!