Changes good and bad

I don't really know where to start with this one. Let's take the happy path---- Lyla is in full toddler mode. She's 19 months old and is full of piss and vinegar, as my mom used to say. She's into everything, loves doing puzzles, shapes, and is talking a little. Kris and I have moved to Altoona and Lyla makes an appearance at our house on most days. He favorite thing to do is pull things off our shelves and it always looks like a happy tornado went through after Lyla's been over for a visit. Katie is pregnant and is due in January-- the new baby will be named Stanley after his late grandfather and uncle (there are many Stanley's on that side of the family). Stanley's favorite pastime is kicking Katie in the ribs. Lord willing, Stanley will arrive in January by appointment via C-section (thank you, Lyla). Courtney is pregnant again and has just reached her second trimester. She's been horribly sick each morning and hopefully that improves as she enters the trimester where you are supposed to feel good. She is due in June, so it should be a very happy and chaotic year for the greater Grossman family all the way around.

Poppy Seed Jones

According to Kelsey's ever-reliable pregnancy tracker app, Poppy Seed Jones has progressed to become Orange Seed Jones. For those unfamiliar with the family joke, it means the baby was the size of a poppy seed and has now grown to the size of an orange seed. Kelsey also informs us that Baby Jones has a tail. Texting about the baby today, Courtney called it "he", which is consistent with my prediction of the baby's gender. For the record, I was the only one that was right on Lyla's gender from the very beginning!

First Words!

Yesterday was a big day for Lyla Joy. She took her first steps and (debatably) said her first word. To get her Father's attention, she is reported to have yelled "Dada". This isn't surprising as she's been making lots of sounds for a long time. My favorites are "ing ing" (pronounced like the Chinese "in" on the end of words, e.g. "xin") and "ta ta ta", which for some reason she always whispers. Personally, I think I witnessed her first word a few weeks ago. She loves imitating "no no no" while shaking her head and when we were in Altoona I distinctly heard a clear "no" whe she was shaking her head. I'm sure many more words will be coming forth shortly. For now, Katie is a little said because Lyla hasn't said "Mama" yet.

First steps!

Lyla has taken her first steps today! Well, to be perfectly honest she took them yesterday but her parents just told us today. We've seen the video and it's pretty cute. She's officially a toddler now. It's sad to have to see it on video only, but the Coronavirus/ COVID-19 has restricted our travel. I'm working from home, Grandma is stuck in the house, all trying to practice good "social distancing" as they call it. We can't wait until we get to see squishy little Gizmo again!

Big News!

Major Grandpa-level news today! Courtney and Daniel surprised us this morning by telling us Courtney was about 4 weeks pregnant. Kris, Kelsey, Kurt and I were with them in our living room in the house on Lafitte Court in Union, KY, and the room erupted with joy when they told us. We always teased them about needing to have a baby, but they somehow managed to surprise us. We facetimed Katie and she went nuts hearing the news too. We then called Great-Grandma and Grandpa (Brook and Barb) Frymier who were also overjoyed-- although suspiciously Barb claimed to know Courtney was pregnant when she saw her a couple of weeks ago (although she never said anything, which makes us all doubt the story). The baby is due in November. Lots of excitement and anticipation to come! BTW, Grandpa feels like this one is a boy.

The Glasses Game

Lyla, at 11 months old, love silly little games. One of her favorites is played only with Grandpa. It goes like this..... A. Lyla takes my glasses off my face B. I say "Oh no, someone took my glasses!" C. Lyla hands my glasses back to me C. I say "Oh, thank you!" and put them back on. D. Repeat. This game goes on for about 10 minutes whenever we play it. Last night, she did the same thing with Katie, but took off Katie's slippers then handed them back to her. I think Lyla really loves the "Oh no!" and "Thank you!" part of the game.

Sticky Hands

Katie reports Lyla doesn't like to have sticky hands. She got her hands sticky, opened and closed her fingers and yelled to complain until Katie washed them for her. It all reminds me quite a bit of her Aunt Courtney. Courtney was always fussy this way. Didn't like things that weren't just so-- sticky fingers, socks with lumps, shirts not tucked in straight. I recall Courtney's favorite phrase when she was a little older than Lyla was "me do it!". She didn't want help doing anything and insisted upon doing it herself. A couple of months ago, Lyla just decided to refuse to be fed, and that was the end of it. From that point on, she's fed herself. I see traits in Lyla that are similar to her Grandmother and traits that are similar to Courtney. It will be interesting to see how her complex personality develops.

Lyla on a walk with Grandma (Kristine Frymier Grossman)

Lyla at Great-Grandma and Grandpa Frymier's house in LaGrange, Indiana

Lyla with Great-Grandma Frymier's cat Orange Roughy

Lyla visits a park near the Smokies with Grandpa and Mommy

Lyla with a little bit of Grandpa's nose.

Lyla with Great-Grandma Grossman (Marilynn Heltzel Grossman)

Lyla sleeping (with Grandpa's finger holding in the gikka)

Lyla with Uncle Daniel (Daniel Jones)

Lyla with Grandpa (Daniel Grossman)

Lyla with Grandpa (Daniel Grossman, aka Me)

Lyla with her personality-twin, Great-Grandma (Kristine Frymier Grossman)

Lyla with Great-Grandpa (Brook Frymier)

Lyla with Great-Grandma (Barbra Troyer Frymier)

Lyla with Grandma (Kristine Frymier Grossman)

Lyla Joy Biem, already showing her attitude!

Newborn Lyla, already looking squirrely.

Bad Grandpa

I've been a bad Grandpa. I haven't blogged in quite a while. Poor little Lyla, now at 10 months old, has her first bout of the stomach flu and seems to have passed it on to her Mom. We were going to see them this weekend, but that's been postponed for a week. In the meantime, I'll catch up on Lyla pics in posts......