Little Perssons

Little Valentines

2012-02-15T14:20:00.001-05:00

with flowers from daddy

Lily is saying "cheese!"

More Quotes

2012-02-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

Last night, Daddy and the girls watched Madagascar together for the first time. In it, there are Lemurs that sing "I like to move it move it". That clearly made an impression on Lily. After the movie, they went to bed and I heard Lily singing "I like to move it move it" over and over again on the monitor for an hour and a half before she finally fell asleep.

----
Abby: I want to pour my own syrup
Daddy: No, I need to pour it because this syrup is very expensive (real maple syrup)

.... 2 minutes of conversation go by ....

Abby: Why do we lock our door when we're not home
Daddy: So people don't come in and steal our stuff when we're not home
Abby: Would they steal my toys?
Daddy: No, they would probably take more expensive stuff like our TV
Abby: And our syrup?

Recent Quotes

2012-02-06T19:26:00.002-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite recent quotes:

Abby (to Lily): Ok, you guard the treasure; I'll swim with the sharks.

***********

Abby (to Lily): I don't want to eat this! It's a crayon!

************

Lily (hands behind back): Present for you!
Mom: Thanks. What is it?
Lily: Me. (smiles and walks away.)

************
(At friends' house.)
Mom: Lily, this is baby Matthew.
Lily: Baby Owen!
Mom: No, this is baby Matthew.
Lily: Baby Owen!
Mom: No, sweetie. This is not baby Owen. This is baby Matthew.
Lily: Baby Owen!

Cousin Owen

2012-01-19T16:27:00.001-05:00

We spent a week in California with Cousin Owen (and other less adorable Stewarts.) We had some adventures and we will post some pictures of those, but a good deal of the time was spent like this.

Too ____

2012-01-19T09:16:00.002-05:00

Last night at dinner, Lily was not at all interested in the pot stickers we were eating. I think she licked one of them, but didn't really try them.

Becca: "Lily, try them"
Lily: "Too hot!"
Becca: "They're not too hot"
Lily: "Too yucky!"

After viewing this video of Cousin Owen vs. Sock, Lily declared "too yucky!"

(In Lily's mind, the sole purpose of mom's computer is to watch movies of Baby Owen.)

"Grapes"

2012-01-15T22:54:00.001-05:00

Even though we told her they were tomatoes, she was just as excited as if they were real grapes.

First Dance Class

2012-01-15T22:53:00.002-05:00

She could hardly contain herself, she was so excited.

Edaville

2012-01-13T13:55:00.000-05:00

We returned to Edaville Festival of Lights. This time with Grandma and Grampa.

On the Carousel

Getting Ready for Christmas

2012-01-13T13:50:00.001-05:00

Tree trimming:

Lily didn't so much help put ornaments on the tree as take them off and then place them somewhere inside the tree so that they fell down to the floor. This was repeated for about a week, until she got bored with it.

Two Pageants:

The first pageant was a school. Abby had a featured role as an angel. It took Abby and Mama about a week and a half to make her wings and halo. Happily, they did not fall off during the performance.

Here is the requisite video of child not really singing. (Turning down the volume on your computer is recommended.)

Post-pageant photo-op with teacher, Miss Cathy

The second pageant at sunday school was an all-inclusive event for the preschool crowd. Abby was an angel/audience member.

Games with Daddy

2011-12-20T11:35:00.001-05:00

More crazy games with Daddy.

First Painting

2011-12-09T14:48:00.001-05:00

I saved the wall. She did take a taste of the paint when I turned my back for a few seconds.

Watching Football with Daddy

2011-12-09T14:47:00.001-05:00

Swedish Christmas Crown

2011-12-08T16:31:00.003-05:00

There are paper candles (and leaves) glued on the sides. They are a bit hard to see.

Say "Cheese!"

2011-12-08T16:31:00.001-05:00

Space Ship

2011-11-21T22:26:00.001-05:00

The space ship is well stocked with important items such as sunglasses, necklaces, a trophy, (toy) food, a rock collection, various books, a baby doll, stickers, crayons....

Diego Pull-ups

2011-11-13T21:17:00.001-05:00

Abby wears pull up diapers to bed. The ones she has right now have Diego on them. Lily is jealous and decided to put them on herself.

Her special outfit makes an appearance in Abby's dance video.

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-02T07:31:00.000-04:00

Curious George and a Ladybug

New Best Friend

2011-10-28T09:47:00.000-04:00

Mohawks

2011-10-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

Fall Hat

2011-10-12T10:22:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately this adorable hat is a bit small. It will be in the mail to cousin Owen as soon as I get my act together.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-12T10:20:00.001-04:00

Silly Faces and Demin Jumpers

2011-10-02T22:03:00.001-04:00

Day with Juliet

2011-10-02T21:47:00.002-04:00

Cousin Juliet came for the day.

Abby "reading" to Juliet while Lily is being put down for a nap.

Abby got itchy just before I got the camera to take sandbox pic.

In the playroom.

They were so well behaved that I fell asleep on the floor for a few minutes. (Abby took that opportunity to draw a "tattoo" on Juliet's arm.)

A hat with a buckle!

2011-09-29T11:56:00.001-04:00

Singing Lily

2011-09-29T11:55:00.000-04:00

Lily loves to sing. She often gets the tune and sometimes a few of the words.

Backlog (part 2)

2011-09-29T11:54:00.000-04:00

Abby really likes to read stories to Lily. Lily is somewhat obsessed with books, so that works out well.

Backlog (part 1)

2011-09-29T11:49:00.003-04:00

We went on a trip to Portland, OR in August to see Uncle Paul, Aunt Lara and Baby Owen. The girls are seasoned air travelers, but this time, Abby found that each seat has its own paper bag puppet. Very exctiting!

Here are both girls loving the swingset near Baby Owen's House. Papa is a good pusher.

First Haircut

2011-09-20T16:44:00.002-04:00

When I took Abby to get her haircut before the first day of school, I decided it was time to get Lily her first cut.

Lily was a perfect angel during the haircut, partly because she had just watched Abby safely live through the experience and, mostly, because she spent the entire time trying to open a lollipop wrapper with her teeth. She was very happy when she finally succeeded. I'm pretty sure this was her first piece of hard candy.

New Swingset

2011-09-05T12:42:00.002-04:00

Grandpa and Daddy found a used swingset and hauled it to our new house.

Fancy Hat

2011-07-19T12:04:00.000-04:00

Especially for Papa who loves a lady in a hat.

ROOOOWWWWRRRR!

2011-07-07T22:31:00.001-04:00

We went to a community soccer camp each night last week and Abby got her face painted like a tiger, which lasted 30 seconds on her face before she wanted it removed. I think the paint was itchy. At least we got this picture before it disappeared.

It's no fair being the youngest

2011-07-05T20:45:00.002-04:00

Abby is allowed on Grandma and Grampa's porch while Grampa is cooking on the grill; Lily is not.

(It looks like Abby is being meaner than she really is. She's just trying to make Lily laugh.)

Splash

2011-07-01T10:14:00.001-04:00

Abby is often very happy to play games at Lily's level.

Playground

2011-06-30T13:50:00.001-04:00

We are lucky to live in a town with great playgrounds. This one is just around the corner.

Lily's Words

2011-06-27T07:42:00.005-04:00

Lily has quite a few words, but most of her words have to be interpreted by mom and dad.

Off the top of my head: Mama, dada or dadee, nana, papa, ball, buckle*, shoe, thank you, baby, ba-bye, uh oh, oo-oo-oo-ah-ah-ah (monkey) and Elmo.

Occasionally: Abby, grandma, grampa, dog

"Ka" seems to be any of the following: book, cup, milk, duck

*Buckle or "Uckle" was one of her first words. She is currently obsessed with learning how to put together a buckle and she also hears the word every time we put the girls in the car: "Abby, do your buckle please."

Howdie

2011-06-26T12:42:00.001-04:00

Lily is still learning how to ride Howdie, the cow. Abby is an expert.

Talking

2011-06-25T21:34:00.002-04:00

"Da doo, Mama." (Thank you, mama.)

"Baby".

Completely Exhausted

2011-06-25T21:31:00.001-04:00

After a bath, October 2007

After the zoo, April 2011

Off to College

2011-06-25T21:11:00.002-04:00

Equipped with a backpack and an ipod, Abby was ready for Amherst College Reunion weekend.

Awwwwww....

2011-06-06T13:54:00.003-04:00

Abby: How'd you get married?

Mama: Daddy asked me if I would always live with him and never lose each other (Abby's phrase) and I said yes. So we went to church and said before God and all the people that we always want to be together and then we were married. When you grow up, if there is someone you want to always be with, you can get married to that person.

Abby: I'll just stay with Daddy and marry him.

Table

2011-05-24T16:51:00.000-04:00

Flip Book

2011-05-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

Blocks

2011-05-24T16:48:00.001-04:00

Glasses

2011-05-24T16:47:00.002-04:00

Just pretend...

Just silly...

Ballerinas

2011-05-20T18:50:00.001-04:00

(without dinosaurs).

Hair

2011-05-20T18:42:00.002-04:00

Lily has had a few long bangs since she was a few weeks old. They have finally gotten long enough to get into her eyes. Thus, I gave her her first haircut today.

Before:

After:

Lily also puts amazing amounts of food in her hair. More than a bib, she needs an eating helmet. This is what her hair looks like after most meals.

New Game

2011-05-19T20:36:00.001-04:00

"Ballerinas and Dinosaurs"

Not Cold

2011-05-18T16:34:00.003-04:00

Even though it was only 50 degrees outside, Abby spent yesterday afternoon in the house in a t-shirt and underpants. I repeatedly asked her if she was cold.

Mom: Abby, your skin feels cold. Do you want to put pants on?
Abby: No, I'm not cold. Anyway, I have socks on. [She doesn't.] ... They're pretend.

Chopsticks

2011-05-12T14:13:00.000-04:00

This video is from February. Without any instruction, Abby picked up chopsticks and went right to work eating her hot dog. I'm not sure if she had tried them at school or not, or if she just knew about them from books or TV.

Birthday Party

2011-05-12T14:12:00.000-04:00

After eating a big lunch, Lily wasn't too hungry when she was served her first piece of cake. (The camera work in this video is a bit crazy.)

She eventually ate enough to get the requisite messy face picture.

Drumlin Farm

2011-04-29T08:03:00.000-04:00

We took a trip out to Drumlin farm in Lincoln on a beautiful afternoon.

Birthday Girl

2011-04-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

Lillian is 1!

Lily is walking well and nearly running. She loves the playground and pulling all the books off the bookshelf. No real words yet, but she's working on "Mama", "Dada" and "Papa" and makes the sign for "more". She has just started to sleep through the night which feels like a miracle!

Her doctor asked if she likes orange fruits and vegetables (she does), because, apparently, her nose is slightly orange! We never noticed.

We'll be celebrating with this coming weekend, but on the day of her birthday we went out for ice cream. She loved it!

Snowman

2011-04-26T13:40:00.000-04:00

Over the winter, Abby made a snowman with Grandma and Grandpa (and we're just getting around to posting it now).

Serious play

2011-04-26T13:36:00.000-04:00

As you can see in both of these pictures, Abby is really enjoying herself.

Sorry for the delay, we'll try to pick up the blogging pace.

Walking

2011-03-24T17:12:00.001-04:00

More from California

2011-03-21T13:56:00.002-04:00

More pictures from our trip to CA in February

Aquarium with Nana and Papa

2011-03-21T13:54:00.001-04:00

Long Beach, CA

Petting Zoo with Uncle Paul

2011-03-21T13:50:00.002-04:00

San Juan Capistrano, CA

Mickey

2011-03-15T23:43:00.002-04:00

10 months old!

2011-03-02T16:18:00.002-05:00

At 10 months Lily seems quite ready to become a toddler. She babbles a lot, loves finger food, pointing, laughing and clapping. She has even started to give "kisses" by making a smacking noise with her lips!

At 18 lbs, she is long and lean, with strong legs ready to walk.

Her height and weight are closer to average now, which is not surprising given that there are very few tall women in her family on either side. (Hi, Jencie!)

Disney Land

2011-02-25T13:09:00.001-05:00

Nana and Papa took us to Disney Land, which was VERY fun for Abby, though Lily was largely oblivious.

The tea cups were a big hit!

And we got to see some princesses:

Bath Time

2011-02-15T20:45:00.001-05:00

Train Set

2011-02-09T20:07:00.001-05:00

This is how Abby plays with her train set:

She has never even built a loop on her own.

Playing with Uncle Matt

2011-02-09T19:34:00.002-05:00

Lily tried over and over to grab Matt's glasses, so Matt let her have a try.

(The background noise in this video is pretty loud.)

9 months

2011-02-06T17:06:00.002-05:00

At nine months, Lily is looking much more like a toddler than a newborn. She loves food, toys and crawling/climbing everywhere. She continues to be incredibly sweet and puts up with a lot of Abby's rough play. Although mom is still her favorite person, she is becoming increasingly attached to daddy, crying when he leaves for work, etc.

Here are a few of her new tricks:

Haircut

2011-02-06T17:04:00.002-05:00

A bug chunk of Abby's hair broke off near the roots last summer. It has been growing out ever since. It is now long enough for this cute cut.

Princesses

2011-02-05T21:09:00.002-05:00

(Our camera cable was missing for a few weeks, but now we have found it. Hopefully I'll have time to post our picture backlog soon.)

Snow

2011-01-10T21:35:00.002-05:00

Abby watched the first flakes come down during a small storm in mid December.

I told her we could go play in the snow after picking up Dad from work. (I didn't want to take Lily out with us.) But she was a little too warm in car and didn't wake up before dark.

Fortunately, the snow stayed around for the next day. Lily obliged us by falling asleep in the car so we were able to play in the driveway for half an hour or so before she woke up. (The car was quite warm due to bright sunlight and mild weather.)

And here is Abby in her full snow suit at the tail end of the post-Christmas blizzard. That day we shoveled off the car (it was fun for her!) and made snow angels. The snow was too powdery to make a snowman.

The Lily Tongue

2011-01-05T07:44:00.001-05:00

Statement of the Day

2011-01-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

Parenting Abby requires new and different things each and every day. My favorite line from Mama yesterday:

"Abby, lions don't lick chairs, they eat animals"

That was very important, as Abby was saying "I'm a lion" and licking all of our dining room chairs.

Here is a picture of Abby and cousin Juliet playing in her bed, mostly because posts need pictures:

8 months!

2010-12-26T21:39:00.002-05:00

Lillian is 8 months old. I can hardly believe it. She is growing so fast. She is an expert crawler, great at pulling up to a standing position, but a little uncertain about sitting back down. She even occasionally stands without holding onto anything for a few seconds.

She says "Da-da-da-da-da" and makes a noise just like Ernie from Sesame Street laughing.

She loves solid food, especially avocado and mango. She even ate sweet potato without complaining for Christmas dinner.

Her stranger anxiety increases but she is very sweet about it. Whenever she wants to be held by someone else than the person she is currently being held by, she does what we call the "Lily Lean". She makes almost no noise, just leans towards them. If she doesn't get what she wants, she will whine very quietly.

She takes most of Abby's overly enthusiastic affection in stride, even with the face smooshing, head bonking and arm pulling that it entails.

Here she is checking out a Christmas present from Grandma and Grampa.

Confusion

2010-12-16T22:31:00.002-05:00

Becca: ...I'm talking about TO-matoes. Are you talking about TO-matoes or PO-tatoes?
Abby: Tatoes!

The world may never know.

UPDATE:

Becca: Abby say "TO-MA-TO".
Abby: MO-ta-TA-to!

Grampa

2010-12-14T22:11:00.001-05:00

Dance Class with Juliet

2010-12-14T22:07:00.002-05:00

Juliet invited Abby to visit her dance class one afternoon in November. (The pictures were taken through a dark window so the quality is not very good.)

Edaville Railroad

2010-12-14T22:04:00.002-05:00

We bundled up and went to see the Christmas lights at Edaville railroad. Lily was not too happy (except in the warmth of the train.) Abby had a great time: she rode the carousel and similar rides 6 or 7 times. Jencie and Gary were good enough to take her on over and over again.

7 months

2010-12-14T21:58:00.002-05:00

(Ok, I'm so late in posting this Lily is nearly 8 months.) Her big achievements over the last 6 weeks have been crawling, sitting and pulling up. She basically starting doing all three really well within one week of each other. Now that she can get around more quickly and sit up, she is much happier. She watches Abby, plays with toys, especially Abby's play kitchen, and finds pieces of junk on the floor and tries to eat it.

She loves her tongue

2010-11-16T03:56:00.001-05:00

Story Time

2010-11-06T15:04:00.000-04:00

Twins

2010-11-03T17:16:00.004-04:00

On a day to day basis, I don't think that Abby and Lily look too much alike. And then I come across a pair of pictures like these.

Feb 2008:

Oct 2010:

Halloween

2010-11-02T09:02:00.002-04:00

Abby had three Halloween-related events. At first she wanted to be a butterfly but changed her mind and was a princess. Her crown made it to the first event but broke before the second. Luckily we had a backup princess hat. She started with a scepter and purse but they were quickly cast off. Here are the three events:

A costume parade at school. (Parents weren't invited to the actual parade.)

Trick-or-treating at the Children's Museum.

''

(Here is Lily at the museum dressed up as a kid big enough for this stroller.)

And a neighborhood treasure hunt with friends.

And finally the babies carried along on the treasure hunt. (Check out Lily's teeth.)

6 month video

2010-11-02T05:42:00.000-04:00

6 Months

2010-11-01T15:30:00.002-04:00

Trying to crawl...

and sitting up...

almost.

More Birthday Pics

2010-11-01T15:18:00.002-04:00

Abby requested a strawberry cake and a pirate table cloth.

Sweet Potatoes

2010-10-21T01:45:00.000-04:00

Lily apparently inherits a dislike of sweet potatoes from Nana and Uncle Patrick.

Happy Birthday Abby

2010-10-15T14:37:00.002-04:00

2 parties: 1 at home

and 1 at school.

More pictures to come.

First Meal

2010-10-09T15:49:00.001-04:00

Abby the Teacher

2010-10-07T05:10:00.002-04:00

Here is Abby presiding over her class at circle time.

After saying good morning to each student and asking them if they are feeling happy or sad, it was music time.

After music time was story time, but the teacher had confiscated my camera.

Cleaning

2010-10-05T05:21:00.000-04:00

Cleaning the bathroom after Lily's bath.

On the Move

2010-10-05T05:18:00.002-04:00

We are definitely not ready for a mobile five month old, but that's what we have.

5 months old

2010-09-23T04:50:00.002-04:00

Lillian is 5 months old!

She no longer resembles a newborn at all. She is long enough to wear 9- and 12-month size clothing. She wants to sit up and wiggles and spins on the floor to get to her toys. She tries to grab everything within reach, including food. We haven't started her on solid foods save a few pieces of puffed cereal for her to play with on her tray. She continues to be very sweet, smiling at everyone and crying only when she is very tired. She is beginning to show a preference for Becca over everyone else, but she is laid back enough not to demand her all the time.

Bait and Switch?

2010-09-21T03:00:00.000-04:00

Who put that there?

Girls

2010-09-19T14:10:00.003-04:00

Abby-isms

2010-09-18T01:36:00.001-04:00

There have been a bunch of great Abby quotes lately:

Abby: "Mama, you are very not tall enough."

Daddy: "We're going to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas!"
Abby: "Not now Daddy, I'm too tired"

Abby: "Daddy, remember, you love me!"

Abby (wearing a Drake's Island shirt): "Look, my shirt has a duck on it! That's so silly, ducks live in ponds, not shirts!"

New Toys

2010-09-15T12:21:00.001-04:00

Now that Lily can sit in her high chair she can use a whole new set of toys, including this one.

Back to School

2010-09-15T12:20:00.001-04:00

Abby has been back at school for a couple weeks now, but we just got our camera back.

Exhausted

2010-09-14T08:41:00.001-04:00

July - August 2010

Our trip to the states was wonderful, but exhausting.

Trains

2010-09-13T04:51:00.003-04:00

August 2010

Abby and cousin Juliet went on a lot of train rides this summer. Even though she was incredibly serious the entire time, Juliet was much more excited about the trains than Abby was. Here are a few:

Playground

2010-09-10T08:38:00.002-04:00

July 2010

Playground in Onset, MA. Dan played in the same playground as a kid.

Legoland

2010-09-05T14:31:00.002-04:00

Aug 2010

Somehow none of these pictures of our trip to Legoland have any legos in them.

Friends

2010-09-04T14:20:00.001-04:00

July 2010

Some friends we got to visit in the States: