Happy Girl: An Update

Lillian is out and about today with her Yia-Yia Nancy and her uncle Richard’s fiancée, Lauren, and the girls are having a high old time.

We haven’t posted much in the last month or so as the primary poster has been recovering from prostate cancer surgery and its attendant side effects with a singular lack of grace and optimism. Lillian has done her very best to cheer things up and has mostly succeeded except when jumping on ePa’s stomach — and, as she is a solid 30+pounds these days, her jumps can have quite an impact. Lillian’s Yia-Yia took leave from work to help out during the post-surgical weeks and her great uncle Paul flew over from Finland to help out for a couple of weeks as well.

Lauren & Lillian

Lillian attends an Early Childhood Learning program now from 9 until 2 on weekdays, and seems to be enjoying it, although she doesn’t always do what she is supposed to do — she has a burgeoning reputation for stubbornness, which must be some kind of genetic mutation, because all the rest of her family on both sides are extraordinarily easy to get along with (or at least, that’s what they would maintain until their last breaths were you to ask them).

She’s missed several days due to various bugs that get passed around schools, but has gotten over most of them fairly quickly, although she also appears to be sensitive to all of the tree and grass and ragweed pollens that make Houston a paradise for allergy doctors.

She’s talking pretty much non-stop, loves to play outside in sand or mud, thinks her Yia-Yia’s iPad is the coolest thing ever, likes to pretend she’s a cat or a dog, and goes non-stop until sleep overwhelms her.

 

Baseball Girl

Lillian’s cousin Samuli lives in Finland most of the year, but comes with his folks to Houston in the summer most every year. (Some people think they are a little nuts: summer is wonderfully pleasant in Finland, with mild temperatures and 20 hours of daylight; about the best you can say about Houston in the summer is that we have very good air conditioners).

Ten or twelve years ago, when he was small, we started going to Astros games. Samuli has developed into something of an expert on baseball and is a student of the game, and plays on a Finnish youth team, traveling sometimes to Sweden or Estonia for games — although Finland is not yet considered one of the great powers in world baseball (kind of like the Astros, when you think about it).

In the bedroom where he sleeps when he is in Houston, he has stashed some baseball equipment to use when he’s here — some balls, bats and helmets (plus some memorabilia — a Craig Biggio bobblehead, a commemorative Coors beer baseball bat bottle, and so on). Lillian found the equipment stash, and appears ready to play ball. When Samuli gets here this summer, we’ll take Lillian with us to a game. With the way the Astros are playing, we shouldn’t have any trouble getting seats.

Finnish Socks

My Finnish relatives sent me these socks for Christmas (I’m finally big enough for them to fit!). I suspect Aunt Nina picked them out. They’re from Marimekko, Finland’s famous design firm.

My Marimekko Socks

From Kerava to Houston

My cousin Samuli and my Uncle Paul are visiting from their home in Kerava, Finland. Aunt Nina stayed behind: I think that she likes Kerava’s 65 degree (F) days a little better than Houston’s 95 degree days. There’s no major league baseball in Finland; but after attending a number of Astros’ games here, they don’t seem to think we have major league baseball in Houston, either…

Samuli, me and Uncle Paul

Lillian Grace Denby Update: 12/29/2010

Me with Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Keith

Lillian Grace is 142 days old today; she reached 20 weeks on Monday.

Lillian’s Unofficial Stats (measured at home):

• Height: 55.9 cm (3.19 cm gain) 22 in
• Weight: 4734 gm (368 gm gain) 10 lb 7 oz
• Head Circumference: 35.6 cm (.17 cm gain) 14.0 in

Lillian is enjoying being home from the hospital: she’s got willing hands and laps whenever she wants them. She got her 50 foot oxygen tube extension the other day, so it’s very easy now for her to move around her apartment. She likes sitting out with her mom and dad and various grandparents, and the occasional aunt, uncle, cousin or friend (admitted only after swearing to being in good health, being checked for fever and after most have donned masks). On the day after Christmas, Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Keith drove down from Huntington (despite plumbing problems at home) and got to spend a good long time with Lillian.

With mom & my Finnish relatives

On Tuesday, her great-uncle Paul, great-aunt Nina and cousin Samuli visited with her. They are in town from Finland, so this was their first opportunity to see her up close and personal. Lillian talked with them for a bit, then decided to nap. Lillian was their third all-star siting of the day; they had breakfast at the Buffalo Grille and had the table next to Hunter Pence and Chris Johnson of the Astros; both were very gracious to the three visiting Finns (who may make up the entirety of the Astros’ Finnish fan base).

I have to be stern with my folks sometimes

Lillian is now sleeping regularly, so mom and grandmom are as well. She likes her car seat and stroller for napping, and enjoys lying on one of her mats on the floor and kicking with her legs and waving her arms about. She eats heartily and has a belch that would make a sailor proud. She occasionally pulls her nasal cannula out of her nose (one of her oldest tricks) but they are easy to replace and no one gets very excited.

Me & Grandma Nancy

Ashley is working on setting up January appointments with various specialists for Lillian and is finding navigating the medical bureaucracy to be challenging — and frustrating. Grandma Nancy is staying over at Lillian’s to help out (though her dogs miss her terribly). Josh is working hard over the holidays, but, somehow, when he gets home Lillian always ends up in his lap or bouncing on his knee. It’s peaceful and calm at chez Denby and Lillian is (mostly) a happy and contented baby.

Thanks for your prayers and support!