7 months today!

What the heck! 7 months already?!

Well, congratulations Lydia! We like you, I think we'll keep you.

And my, oh, my! Is that two little teeth that i see working their way up??


Among her list of abilities now, she has added:

Doing the michael jackson moonwalk...or actually kind of crawling in reverse that always makes me laugh because i think of michael jackson when i see her doing that.

Accidentally saying such things as ghain and ain (the arabic letter that foreigners often find hard to pronounce), as well as the standards ba ga ma, and another favorite, when she gets grumpy it often sounds like she is saying "nej" (swedish for NO). ha.

responding to her name (sometimes).

Sitting in a high chair and violently throwing her toys to the floor...followed by her leaning over and looking longingly at the aforementioned toy, as if to say, "why did you leave? we were having such fun!"

Eating a wild variety of solid purees (all homemade)...including pumpkin, strawberries, bananas, squash, carrots, rice, and today she really enjoyed sucking on a lemon!

sitting up by herself for long stretches (with our protective hand on duty when she eventually does lean too far to grab a toy and falls over).

Rolling over front and back...

Weight: 6,4 kilos / 14,1 pounds.
We love you Lydia!

lydia meets spring flowers!

It was high time for some photos at the park....for goodness sake, we live right across the street!
she looks like she's waving to the camera, but trust me, that is a coincidence.
you wouldnt believe the small group of Lydia's impromptu fan club that were also taking photos of us with their mobile phones!

Toes. The newest and most exciting toy, apparently!

Even though it is mid-april and I live in North Africa, there is still a bite of cold/wind and so Lydia cannot run around (ok, or just lay there and occasionally wiggle) with free to the world toes.

But every now and then I peel off some layers and let her delight in her own toes. My mom informed me that Lydia is even doing a little yoga pose, called the "happy baby pose."

And indeed she is happy about it. Sometimes for 20 minutes, we can find her rejoicing in her toes and sucking on them when they get within range of her mouth.

Probably every baby loves a little guitar and song every now and then, but Lydia can really get fixated.... Of course she loves her dad, and she likes to hear him sing, and she loves ANYONE who will play the guitar for her. And now she gets all three in one!

I don't recollect that i have ever personally played the "claw" game in the front of walmarts everywhere, but Lydia's focused desire to get whatever object is nearby reminds me of "the claw."

Just like the claw, every dive that Lydia takes toward something is a risk, maybe she'll get it,

maybe she won't.
But when she does, boy oh boy does she light up....just like you would if you put your 25 cents in and won a prize!

Lydia loves grandma!

We had a great time in saudi with my parents and Lydia wanted me to tell Nancy what she liked the most about the trip:

1. Kitchen utensils are fun to eat and play with and distract me for a looong time.
2. Yes, if you count 1,2,3 and dip me under the water, I will learn to crinkle up my face and get ready for the dip.
3. Screaming Saudi college girls are fun for a while, but in the end I would rather be held by mom or grandma.
4. Grandma doesn't do diapers. :)
5. I can't wait to get older and do more fun stuff with my creative grandma!

Ikea in Saudi Arabia

I couldnt stop myself from taking some photos of our visit to IKEA in Saudi. Instead of the happy photos of swedish blonde families sitting in their Ikea furnished house, there were these sweet head to toe clad ladies possibly smiling at her husband (who knows what her face was saying under that veil)...while he puts his hand out. What does he want? High five? "Serve me some food, woman!" "I wish you could hold my hand but that might be breaking social rules..." It was a great Ikea, however. photos like this abounded around every corner. And just for fun, a view as we were driving away...

Obviously, Lydia enjoyed her first visit to the zoo...

...but seriously, i think we were as much of a spectacle as the animals sometimes! (Note the girl pointing out the exotic baby to her mom in the side of the photo).

At one point, Daniel and I sat (while Lydia slept in her stroller) to read a book together on a bench, and families walking by would stop and stare and try to peek in the stroller...we just try to have a good sense of humor about it!