Where Are You?

Notice the title of my post has no dangling modifier at the end of it. With the disappearance of grammar, and kids and even adults my age and older speaking so horribly, it scares me to think how Lyla will speak and write when she is older. Hopefully my Journalism degree will be good for something.

My worst complaint lately is this commonly misused phrase: “Where are you at” or even worse, "Where you at"
“Where are you” is no more difficult to say, has no more syllables, and is correct. To me, ending a sentence with the word at is painful to my ears. It screams ignorance. It is one of the worst offenders in terms of speech in my opinion.

Shall I explain further?

The word where means at what location. Therefore, Where are you at is the equivalent of At what location are you at? Never use where and at in the same question; just ask Where are you instead.

At my job this is almost exclusively used by my co-workers and clients alike.
"Where are we at with this project?"
"This is where we're at in terms of making our deadline..."
"Can you tell me where you're at (with this task)?"
I want to correct it so much, but I don't want to be the corrector (all the time--hee). Even though I tend to be a harsh editor with copy for work, since I'm tasked to correct it.

Other favorites in my office and beyond include:
"Let's touch basis next week on this issue." Instead of let's touch base (as in baseball).
"Whatevers, we'll just leave without her." This pluralization drives me mad, even though it's clearly slang.
"Do whatever is more easier." Umm, easier is more easy. Enough said.
"Supposebly or supposively, the project is going to be done next week." I'm not going to even go into this one. I can only recount that great Friends episode with Ross and Joey, where Joey says, "Supposebly. They went to the zoo, supposebly."

Last week Ali and I were discussing the Duke Senior English major (a broadcaster during the pitiful Duke/Maryland basketball game) who said more better during her broadcast. Could she have misspoke, or is it possible this soon-to-be graduate of a very respectable university thought that sounded correct went it left her lips?

Listen, I'm no expert of the spoken word, I say like and you know, but that's nothing compared to kids today. They say like so much you don't even know what they're trying to say in between. Shamefully, Trent and I watch the Real Housewives of Orange County. Not only are all the kids on that show the most spoiled, disgusting children, but none of them can speak. The new lady's kids literally talk like the old school 80s valley girls. It sounds like a joke. They're also drunk all the time, lazy, stupid, and ungrateful. Talking is probably the least of their problems.

Now, in an age where email, texts and quick communication are more dominant, I can let a lot of things go, but when it comes to formal writing or speaking, you have to get on the stick.

While I'm on my rant, can you please stop sending mail addressed to us as The Walter's
There is no apostrophe. You have pluralized our names, not given possession of anything to us. If your own address labels from Lillian Vernon say this, they are also wrong. Next year, when I send Christmas cards, you'll see all of this flawless grammar in action. Until then, I'll edit all of yours in red pen.

Back in Business Baby

The Rosedale Library, located close to our house has this amazing installation that includes a full town with houses, a supermarket, planetarium, garden, playground, etc. all for kids under 5. Lyla of course spent most of her time in the kitchen. What can I say, the kid loves the kitchen. Every morning after breakfast she yells, "Cook! Cook!" She can and does spend hours down there. The video here is us enticing her to do something other than cook, but she eventually made her way back to the kitchen.

Now that the holidays are over, Lyla is finally over her two months of sniffles, and the fever she had for about a week on and off. She really is a trooper, and barely acts sick when she's sick. One night, she was just burning up, and we called the doctor since it lasted over 24 hours, and she got a little sick that morning. Well, he said she was fine, and to wait it out for other symptoms or sleepless nights. The funny thing that ended up happening was the night she had a really high fever and was pretty listless, I jokingly offered her a Dum Dum lollipop. She was really clingy, and wanted to rest on mine or Trent's shoulders for about an hour and a half. We finally decided to take her to bed, and suddenly like a switch of a light, she snapped out of it. She started ripping around the living room, and bounced all over the sofa. She then found the lolli, and began sucking it while reminding us how yummy it was. She was so funny, I started videotaping her. This is the tail end of that night. We stripped her down because she was so hot and sweaty, which makes the video that much more amusing. Lyla loves to be free of clothing anyway, so this has become her new nightly attire anyway!

Videos not Photos

Since our camera broke down on Halloween, we have yet to take it to Best Buy for service (we have a warranty plan with them). We typically choose to just wait until we get so impatient we buy another one, so I presume that is what will happen with this as well. Therefore, I have tried my best to film Lyla in the absence of our camera. She wasn't having it for a while... every time she saw us with the vid, she would get very impatient and upset that it wasn't in her hands and she wasn't playing with it. However, she's warming up to being on camera again.

Lyla has surely taken a liking to music. She loves nursery rhyme songs, and acts them all out. She loves the "I'm a little teapot..." she really only does the "tip me over" gesture, but it's still pretty cute. I taught her a little Beethoven, and she has been really good about repeating the sounds, even on key. She gets better and better. I put the video on here with her repeating, but the repeat from her is very quiet, so you really need to turn it up to hear it.

I'm obsessed with hats for Lyla, and she hates most of them. On rare occasions, she'll let me put one on and she'll keep it on. This day, (below) she was so Audrey Hepburn in her skinny blacks and turtleneck, that I thought a beret was in order. She rolled with it. I'm all about the berets. Trouble is, they fall in her eyes a lot, so it ends up being a pain in the arse any way you look at it. Doesn't stop me though.



Christmas came early at the Walter household. We got Lyla a big old wood kitchen, and because it was so big, we had to just put it together (we, meaning Trent), and get in there. Lyla loves it. She's constantly whipping up food, and offering it to anyone who will taste. She's quite good at the mixing, not so fond of doing the dishes though. Must take after Dad. We spend a lot of time there now, and honestly, I like it as much as Lyla. I also put a vid of us in the kitchen, and the rounds we do in feeding multiple babies and ourselves with Lyla's cooking.

It's Been a Long Time Dum Dum

Now that this child is actually here, my previously often updated pregnancy blog has become a rarely updated mommy blog. I wish I could remember/had the time to update this more with all of the funny things Lyla does. I also don't keep a journal of it, which I know makes me a terrible parent, but to be honest I'm a terrible journal person. I have so much I want to say, and can't write fast enough. It's why I could never be a writer. I hate writing. I should just start recording the funny things Lyla does on a home video of myself. Right.
If there's one thing worse than hearing my own voice, it's seeing my own face on video.

Anyway, so much has happened since last I wrote mid October. Lyla is a crazy walker now. I mean she's everywhere. She's like one of the Incredibles, one minute she's in front of you the next she's sitting in her room on a bench.

She is also really bossy. In fact, the boss of everything. If she wants to walk all the way down the street, don't try to stop her or turn her around. Last Saturday, we were outside on the neighbor's lawn, and Lyla drifted off where the big kids were playing. She walked right through their game (they ignored her), picked up some gross sick kid's Capri Sun Lemonade, and in one swoop guzzled it down. I couldn't even reach for it fast enough. Then, when I tried to take it away, she about lost it. Same occurred when we brought her inside from her play. Same occurs 20 times a day when dangerous objects are handled, stickers are chewed, sodas are thrown from the fridge, etc. She's not fully understanding our need to take it away yet, she's really just flipping because she doesn't have it. It's a pretty interesting predicament. We went for a long walk at a local trail on Saturday morning, which was lined with colorful leaves--Lyla's fantasy land. Every five minutes, she grunted or said leaf, so we could pick up a new one for her to old with the 15 others in each hand. If she doesn't have a leaf or a flag in her hand, she ain't happy.
Yesterday, when we went to vote, of course, I couldn't find the damn flags. The one time it wasn't totally out of place for her to have them! In Fells Point on Sunday she had two flags, two leaves in each hand, and her Ugly Monster Moxy all at once. People were probably like, uh, can you help that kid out and take some of her stuff.

Lyla also has a newfound dislike for men. When one comes to the door, when one tries to man handle her, or sometimes even talk to her she either cries, or shakes her head warning them, no, I do not want to talk or partake in whatever it is your offering; be it smiles, funny faces, or your stupid jokes. Some freak man in NJ a few weeks ago wouldn't leave it alone. He just kept going in. We were like, she doesn't like to be touched by strangers. :0 He kept going in his pockets for dollars to give her. He finally gave her a penny or something. My Mom and I were wondering when this guy was gonna take a hint and press on, but he didn't.
Eventually, Lyla warms up to most, but you try to hit her up out the blue, and she wants nothing to do with it.

So, back to my reason for posting. It was Halloween last week, and I have some vids of Lyla prior to and on Halloween that amuse us. The night one was Lyla's first taste of a lollipop. You can't get the full grasp of her absolute love for this pop. I've never seen her enjoy anything as much as this Dum Dum.



Notice in the videos, how no one, including us assist Lyla as she tumbles down the hill, or gets roughed up by the boys. I think I had sipped a little too much spiked apple cider from the Wagner house. Luckily, she can hang!

Otherwise, Halloween was fun, Lyla enjoyed giving out the candy more than anything else. Our camera is broken so, I'm hoping our friends and neighbors send them to us. Fat chance.

Typical Night

Yes, a typical night in our house entails us following Lyla around and getting her to do stuff. She is a ripper now, and I wish I had most of her antics on film since she is all over the place now. Last night, Trent came home from work, and Jean and Lyla were strolling around the corner holding hands.

This was followed by our neighbors Bob and Sue kindly dropping off a pumpkin hat that Sue made for Lyla. Lyla is not digging male guests at our house lately, and proceeded to cry and refuse to walk during their visit. Let's hope she feels that way when she's 17.

This morning we headed over to my friend Erika's Mom's house in the neighborhood, and Lyla rolled in like it was her job to be there. All smiley to the girls, feeling right at home. She ripped all of Olivia's Play Doh creatures off the table (that were perfectly displayed I might add), and mashed them all together, rolled them in a ball, pushed them into the deck, whatever she could to destroy them. Then, she stole each and every one of Livi's Nilla wafers right out of her hand while she was eating them. This is all while she had her own supply. She also demanded to have Livi's straw cup (exactly the same as Lyla's) because hers had a dash of lemonade in it. I'll add that she gobbled a container of craisins while we were there. She was really putting it on. Dancing, talking, telling stories.

Lyla is Walking!

It's been a while since I've blogged because it's been busy around here. Blogging is truly a luxury folks, so hang in there.

Since I've last written, Lyla has started really waling. We always knew she could do it, but honestly, she chose not to. Crawling was so hip and cool, why walk? Once you start, you can't stop, so why rush it?

She got pretty good with pushing the shopping cart and baby stroller (after the procedure of kissing and hugging baby prior to putting her in the stroller, then a feed with the baby bottle is also necessary), so we knew walking independent of those toys would come soon. Next thing you know, she was zipping all over the place. She eats it a lot, and I can't believe her boney butt isn't all bruised up. I enjoy her walking, and it makes going to the park a lot easier. She used to go in a downward dog position, and crawl ith her butt high in the air, so she didn't scrape her knees on the concrete. She also did this at the pool, while kissing frog statues along the way. So, at least her pants and tights won't be trashed, and she won't be as filthy as she was a few weeks ago. I have put a few videos of her recent walks. Unfortunately, I took both of these right before she went to sleep, so she's a bit cranky in them. Leave it to me to torment the kid and fish for her to do all her tricks while she's falling asleep. That's what Moms are for.

Lyla is #1

Lyla turned numero uno last Thursday, August 21. She really did grow up in the last week. She is very mature and seasoned this week, whereas last week, she was still a wee baby. She is really talking now, not just saying random sh-t. Every night, she comes into the kitchen, and literally asks for crackers. She kisses everything, and even makes the mmm-wa sound when doing it. She is even warming up to walking. By that I mean, taking steps when forced because falling is the alternative.

We went for her year check-up, and she was major tall as usual, 31.5". Although our doc has an extremely inaccurate method of measuring her. Last time he said she was about the same height, and when we really measured her she was about four inches shorter. I think she is close to this height this time though. He had to take blood, and she really lost it. In fact, I had changed her diaper when we got there, and she soaked through it while he did the bloodwork. I had pee all over my jacket, jeans, and hands. It ended up all over the floor and doctor as well. It was crazy. Especially since I had JUST changed it. It didn't help that she drank like 5 oz. of milk and 4 oz. of water in the hour before the visit. Unfortunately, the Seventh Generation diapers aren't the best in the absorption dept. We had to get an ER pack of Pampers last week, and even though those things will be in a landfill for all of time, they fit like a damn glove, and nothing gets out of them. The SG's are like wearing a panty liner, if nothin's comin' out they're just super, and feel great, but when you flow they blow.

Back to the subject at hand, Lyla's big day. We did a mid-week celebration and my parents and nephew came for the affair. The real fun started when I made my poor mother stay up till all hours poofing paper flowers with me. There is no such thing as a small affair in my family. We eat big, we decorate big, and we stay up all night. I was ordering candy and coasters three months ago for this gig, and I still had 100 things to do last minute. For a party that included immediate family and a few friends and neighbors, it ballooned quickly.

My problem also lies in indecisiveness and liking too many different things. I'll look at a magazine, clip it, then find something else, and start combining and adding. Then I can't execute. I'm like this with furniture and decorating as well. I want to redecorate every week, move every week, paint every week.

Anyway, the party was a hit, Lyla was great, especially since she only slept about 30 minutes the whole day. Now, I don't have to plan another one of these until her super sweet 16, when I'll have her drive in on a Harley, or be air lifted out by a helicopter.