Baby Lucy

Birthday Girl

2010-06-16T08:00:00.013-06:00

There is nothing like Lucy's birthday to pull me out of blogger hiding, mostly so I can complain, again, about how grown-up this kid is getting. I know, moms never seem to stop marvelling at their kids growing up, like there is something utterly unexpected about it. But watching her change into an actual little person really is a surprisingly surreal experience.

Anyway, birthday #3 was great. It was the first time she could really look forward to a birthday, and she got a lot of mileage out of it. (As did we, what with all the bribery and the no-birthday-for-you threats). In the morning we went to a sprinkler park with a bunch of her little friends, where she showed off her cute new swim suit and her fear of spraying water (perhaps not the best thinking with the sprinkler park).

When daddy got home, we gave Lucy her big present, a little pink PowerWheels. She rode it all around the little dead end street by our house, and loved it, but she is in serious need of some remedial steering lessons.

That night we had a little family party with Aunt Heather and Uncle Jeffry, where she consumed her weight in marshmallows, opened a ton of awesome presents, stayed up far too late, and discovered in general that birthdays are a pretty cool gig. She asked me this morning if she could have another birthday today, and she didn't take well to the whole "in a year" thing.

Feel that wind a-blowin' through your hair (at 1.5 mph)

Lucy, wondering why on earth mom made her another embarassing birthday hat, and how long before she can possible sneak it off.

Lamb cake, BEFORE (this cake was requested by Lucy, I think mainly because it beat out every other cake in the all important category of "pounds of high fructose corn syrup per square inch")

Lamb cake, AFTER. This is why animal/people shaped cakes are a tiny bit bizarre to me. Because you're going to EAT THEM. I guess nothing screams "delicious after-dinner dessert" like sugary little lamb carnage.

Lucy, hyped up on about 4 servings of sugary little lamb.

You can never have enough Halloween.

2010-02-10T18:31:00.007-07:00

So sure, Lucy's Halloween costume was cute, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't "six months at the top of this blog" cute. How about we move on?

Here are some things that Lucy is all about at 2 1/2 (okay, fine, we're closer to 3 than 2 1/2 now, but I'm a bit freaked about that 3rd birthday thing, what with it making my teensy baby a preschooler overnight. Jerk).

Lazy and unoriginal naming conventions: Lucy's animals are all named according to color. Her turtle is "Blacky the Turtle". Her horse is "Browny the Horse". Her lion is "Yellowy the Lion". And so on. If I'm reading her a book, and she asks me what an animal in the book's name is, I'm apt to make up a name, like Fluffy, or Mittens. This makes her angry, since clearly, that's Orangey the Cat.

Dinosaur obsession: Not much to say here, since this isn't a terribly unique thing for a kid to love. But I am kind of pleased that her favorite thing is a plastic Triceratops instead of a Disney princess (though I''ve accepted that her eventual love of all things pink and glittery is probably unavoidable).

Singing: Lucy finally got the hang of singing around Thanksgiving time, and she hasn't stopped since. The Christmas songs were clear favorites for a while, but now she really belts out the Jackson 5, They Might Be Giants, and Pink.

Some favorite things: The library, hide and seek, playdoh, any food that can be eaten off cake beaters, anything number or letter related, using the potty only when she feels like it, daddy's guitar, forming attachments to impossibly tiny toys that she loses about 15 times a day.

Some not so favorite things: Using utensils (or feeding herself in any manner, come to think of it), fast food, naps, failing at anything, Sterling or I being on the computer instead of playing with her, anyone or anything being sad, sharing, taking turns, being patient, (insert any other polite behavior here).

And, a video of Lucy demonstrating her fabulous singing and dancing (and her incredible ability to produce snot). Remember that one time, before I had kids, how I swore that no child of mine would ever, ever have a crusty, nasty, booger face? Yeah, that was awesome.

Halloween '09

2009-11-01T08:28:00.008-07:00

Lucy had a good (but somewhat grumpy) Halloween. I'm still trying to figure out the exact equation, but there is definitely some sort of relationship between Lucy's excitement for an event, and the number of meltdowns she will have during said event. Multiplied exponentially by wearing a bonnet, apparently. But my goodness, she did look cute, even during the meltdowns. I wish there were some excuse for dressing her like this for the rest of November. Or possibly for every Halloween until she's 20.

Quick picture post

2009-10-24T14:10:00.013-06:00

Some pictures from our trip to Idaho last weekend! (mostly to tide over the grandparents until our Thanksgiving trip).

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-05T15:39:00.010-06:00

On Friday we kicked October off to a good start by heading to a pumpkin patch. It was one of those awesome ones were you actually get to pick your pumpkin off the vine, and Lucy loved it. She is pretty pleased with the little half-ripe pumpkin she picked out, and has stopped just short of asking to sleep with it.

Olympic Peninsula

2009-09-25T20:17:00.014-06:00

We took a trip with Sterling’s family to the Olympic Peninsula last week, and we had so much fun. Lucy was thrilled to be on another “a benture” (adventure), and she had a thoroughly fabulous time. I have literally 700 pictures from the trip, but here are some of Lucy’s (and my) favorite moments.

Our first stop was to the Olympic Game Farm, a must see for anyone in the Pacific Northwest (and, frankly, a must see for pretty much anyone, period). I thought Lucy’s head would explode from excitement every time she saw/fed a new animal.

The joy in this picture was inspired by these guys:

And this guy:

And him:

Lucy and Aunt Robin with a friendly sheep:

Lucy had a great time exploring the big trees that seem to be everywhere in the area, and it was even better that her cousins were all there too:

We also spend some time at the beach exploring tide pools, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lucy quite so engrossed and happy and just blissed out in general. She was wet from head to toe within minutes, and at one point I looked up and she was on all fours, sticking her head in one of the tide pools. Too bad I was too busy grabbing her to get a picture.

Happy, happy, happy.

Birthday self-portrait

2009-09-11T17:13:00.008-06:00

Last year on my birthday, I took a picture of Lucy and I hanging out in the backyard, and I thought it would be a fun tradition to do every year. So today I attempted to take the birthday self portrait with Lucy. It's a bit more difficult with a two year old than it was with a one year old, (and lot more difficult when the remote for the camera is dead). So we have, instead, a series of pictures that all are a little lacking. Use your mental Photoshop, and I'm sure you can piece together a fabulous shot.

Here's the picture from last year...

And here are the shots from today...

And yes, Lucy has been wearing that top for the last three seasons. I highly recommend buying sweater dresses that can be used as tunic-y tops the next year. I'm pretty sure she'll be wearing it next year as well. This staggering amount of practicality on my part surely makes up for the shopping spree I went on for Lucy today, yes?

Turning Two

2009-08-14T14:31:00.010-06:00

Lucy turned two on June 15th, to a lot less fanfare then when she turned one, due to the fact that we arrived in Washington the day before. So here I am, two months later, still recovering from the move, but finally ready to do her two year old post.

So far, I have to say, two is awesome. Lucy is a ridiculous amount of fun, and I love having her as my little buddy as I try and navigate our new town. Here are some facts about Lucy at age two:

Favorite things to do:
-Read. Or at least do a really good impression of reading by reciting most of her books from memory.
-Go for walks and hikes, preferably on Daddy's shoulders, so she can yell "giddy-up Daddy!"
-Anything outdoors.

Favorite foods:
-Green beans, blueberries, fruit snacks, Life cereal, tomatoes. Anything she can stuff in her mouth at the farmer's market.

Least favorite foods:
-She's not a big fan of meat, but she can be persuaded to eat pretty much anything.

Cool new skills:
-Counting to 10 and recognizing her numbers
-Saying and recognizing her ABC's
-Coming up with ridiculously complete sentences. The other morning she said "My daddy is going to get me the pink blanket". Just like that. Add to that the fact that she asked me for an iphone the other day, and I feel like I very nearly have a pre-teen on my hands.

As-of-yet unacquired skills:
-Jumping. She has some sort of mental block. Or she doesn't even realize she's not doing it. She will try all day, and never leaves the ground. I have to admit, it's way more entertaining this way. I'll have to post a video of her futile jumping efforts.

Preferred Expletive:
-"Shoot!" She has dabbled in a few more offensive terms (nooooo idea where she picked that up...) but thank goodness none of those stuck.

Most commonly heard phrase:
-"Lucy want _______". Con.stant.ly. I'm trying to teach her to say "May I have ______ please?", because I think if I hear that 4 billion times a day instead, my head will be a lot less likely to explode.

Oh, and the latest stats are 23 pounds and 35 inches tall. On the chart on both counts now. Go Lucy!

Cows!

2009-07-30T15:26:00.007-06:00

We spent some time at my family's ranch in Idaho last week, and one of the biggest highlights for Lucy was petting (and riding) the super tame and gentle Jersey cows. Now that we're home, I don't think she is the least bit satisfied with boring old Henry the cat, who tends to run for it when she tries to climb on his back.

What we've been doing...

2009-07-13T14:49:00.008-06:00

Picking blueberries.

Playing peekaboo.

Chasing seagulls.

Going hiking.

Being cute.

Being happy.

Arrival

2009-06-28T09:25:00.014-06:00

We are officially in Washington, and the move is offically OVER. (If I can call it "over", when my garage is still occupied by packed boxes instead of cars. I think I totally can). There is a ton of updating to do, including a post on Lucy's birthday, but that can come later, mostly since I'm still a little bit in denial about my baby being two.

So, instead, here is a picture post from our first little adventure here in Washington. We took a trip around Hood River, Mt. Adams, and then in to Mt. Rainier National Park over the weekend. It was a lot of fun, and nice to get away from the unpacking that I have lost all motivation to continue. Lucy was a champ during all the hours in the car, and was adorably delighted with every little thing she saw on our hikes. Deer, elk, trees, pinecones, bumblebees, rocks, grass...all were equalling thrilling for our little nature girl.

And now for the countless pictures...mostly for family in Utah, who Lucy is missing in the worst way. (by the way, she really does own more than one set of clothes. Somehow these were all taken on the same day).

By the way, lets not discuss how grown up Lucy looks in these pictures. The little braids are killing me. It's like she's only moments away from her college applications or something. Sob.

Last family weekend in Utah

2009-06-02T16:51:00.005-06:00

Sterling came home last weekend for a visit, and we had a great time hiking around the mountains (and feeling more than a little sad that we'll be leaving them so soon). The next time Sterling visits, we'll be packing up the moving truck, and Lucy and I will be going back to Washington with him. I'm glad that we had a couple of days to hang out in some of our favorite places before then.

Remodeling

2009-05-18T08:13:00.015-06:00

When we bought our house five years ago, there was a huge amount that needed to be done. Seriously. An absurd, daunting amount. We really had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to. But now, after tons of help from family and friends, and some frantic projects in the last few weeks, it is finally really close to what we wanted. It's a little (a lot sad) to have to leave it now that it is finally coming together, but hopefully the renters will like it (and take care of it. Is it possible? I've heard it isn't).

Anyway, here's a glimpse in to the before and after of our house. The before shots are from when the little old lady we bought it from was still living here. I am laughing so hard at the before shots. What were we thinking??? I honestly have no idea how we saw any potential whatsoever through the endless knick-knacks, clutter, and terrible wood paneling. Wow. Just...wow. I can't believe I had forgotten how bad it was.

Basement:

Nursery:

Bathroom:

Kitchen:

Living Room: (no before shots of this, but I'm sure you can picture it. Lots of rose wallpaper. I wasn't previously aware of this fact, but apparently, one can never have enough pink floral wallpaper).

Mother's Day weekend in pictures (no time for words)

2009-05-11T14:54:00.009-06:00

Backyard fun

2009-05-08T14:38:00.007-06:00

One of the things I'm really sad about leaving when we move is our backyard. It's not going to win any landscaping awards, but it is a perfect yard for a kid. There are big trees, little shaded nooks and crannies to explore, a hill to roll down, and tons of flowers, birds and bugs. For whatever reason, we haven't really spent that much time out there with Lucy until this year. Today I took a break from my frantic moving schedule (and Lucy from her frantic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse watching schedule) to hang out in the backyard and play in some dirt.

Good Luck Daddy!

2009-05-03T18:38:00.003-06:00

For those who haven't heard, our little family is going to be relocating in the next month, and the Sterling part of our family already has relocated. Lots more about the move to come (since the thought of pulling it off is making my head very nearly explode), but for now, Lucy has a message for her Daddy, who starts his new job tomorrow!

Dear Sweet Maddie

2009-04-08T13:05:00.007-06:00

About a year ago I started reading (stalking) the fantastic blog The Spohrs Are Mulitplying. Heather's daughter Maddie started out in the NICU like Lucy, so I felt a bit of kinship, and I liked to keep up on how everything was going. Plus, I'm a sucker for adorable pictures, of which there were a-plenty. I kind of considered Maddie to be Lucy's computer BFF. Whenever she saw pictures of Maddie, she would say "pretty baby"- and heaven knows Lucy is anti-social enough that a computer best friend is probably right up her alley.

Yesterday when I checked in, there was an update saying that Maddie had been taken to the hospital because she was having a hard time keeping her oxygen levels up. This morning when I checked, I found that sweet little Maddie had passed away.

There are no words, and no way to comprehend something as nonsensical as this. I've been barely able to breathe through thinking about little Maddie and her sweet parents.

I'm so, so sad. Maddie was a beautiful, sweet and joyous little girl, and she won't be forgotten. Please donate to the March of Dimes, in honor of Maddie, and all other preemies who aren't with us for nearly long enough.

Cousins

2009-03-30T15:42:00.005-06:00

Lucy hasn't had very much experience with cousins, so she is super excited that cousin Lander is here for a visit (and is going to be here for good soon!) Lander reads books to her, and also teaches her how to use swords (a segment of her education that has been sorely lacking).

In other news, I tried for a ridiculous amount of time to get a good picture of Lucy in her Sunday dress, and still failed miserably. That's okay though. I'm pretty sure I'll get another chance, since I love this dress so much that I don't think she'll ever be allowed to wear anything else.

Flashback

2009-03-27T16:58:00.003-06:00

Lucy at the park a year ago, and Lucy at the park last week. How on earth can so much change in one little bitty year?

No nap for the Lucy

2009-03-23T14:06:00.008-06:00

This morning I was congratulating myself on how long it had been since Lucy had given us a truly hard time when going down for a nap or for the night. Which is the precise reason she has now been in her crib screaming for the past 30 minutes. It's a pity how very little time you're allowed to feel smug when you're a mom. Anyway, here's some pictures before I go rescue her from her misery.

What is this blog of which you speak?

2009-03-18T13:33:00.009-06:00

Why, hello there. It really has been a ridiculous amount of time since I've updated this. Since I've been away, Lucy has gone and turned 21 months old. While this might not seem like a shocking development to you, I can assure you that the speed at which she is growing up is bizarre, and more than a little surreal.

Care for some Lucy minutia?

At 21 months, Lucy is totally fabulous. She is still a pretty happy, good-natured kid, and the moments she has exhibited terrible-two behavior I have successfully blamed on teething. I plan to use that excuse until she heads off to college.

Her favorite things include: the park, Ernie and Elmo (not actually watching them on tv though. Mostly she just delights in spotting them on her diapers), all things Doggie, books, the library, berries, anything she can dip in ketchup (and there is nothing she can't dip in ketchup, by the way), m&m's from grandma's house, Super Why, "friends" (which is basically any child she sees anywhere), and her rocking horse (which was supposed to be a birthday present, but neither Sterling or I have the slightest shred of self-restraint).

Her least favorite things are: teeth brushing, diaper changing, finding water instead of juice in her sippy cup, and being refused any manner of treat that she has requested.

She is still super verbal, and has been coming up with some real sentences lately. It's both adorable and a little wierd to be driving around, and hear from the back seat "The doggy says 'ruff, ruff'". Or, "I wanna go to Papa's house". So grown-up. It seems like we are about two seconds away from her telling us that she needs an IPhone or that she wants to dye her hair pink.

Anyway, on to pictures!

The birthday rocking horse. She loves it, and tells it "giddy-up horsey", which is brain-meltingly cute. By the way, this is the fabulous smile she gives for the camera now about half of the time.

Waaaaaaah!

2009-01-27T17:44:00.004-07:00

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=134023

I'm so, SO sad. Next month's Wondertime issue will be the last one. Stupid economy.

I'm off to mope about this. Does anyone have any other parenting magazines they love?

Catch up

2009-01-21T14:59:00.008-07:00

So Lucy had her first haircut. In November. I'm a little behind, but I was trying to weed through some photos, and realized I had never posted these. I took her to a little place that specializes in children's cuts. I'll probably do it myself from now on, but I felt a need to make her first haircut significant...and spending money always makes things more significant, right?

I can't believe how ratty-looking her hair had become!

She was pretty content at first...

But then they whipped out the blow dryer. You've got to love the dramatics. Really though, for a place that specializes in kid's cuts, a blow dryer? For her wispy baby hair? Really? I'm guessing I could breathe on it for a few seconds and get the job done.

The result. Still a little traumatized, but far less ratty looking.

2009-01-18T17:48:00.001-07:00

Lucy got an adorable snowsuit, coat, hat and mittens for Christmas, which was fortuitous, since it didn't seem to ever stop snowing over the holidays. I took her out in it, and I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting (frolicking?) since she's pretty much rendered immobile by all of the layers of clothing, not to mention the 2+ feet of snow. It went a little something like this:

Yay! Snow! Fun!

And it falls from the SKY? Insane!

Thump.

I am SO over this. Seriously, where's my hot chocolate?

Impatient

2009-01-07T14:03:00.011-07:00

I shoveled snow three times yesterday, and getting out of the driveway was STILL a questionable proposition this morning. I just got finished shoveling again. I have four huge blisters. We have gone through 3 bags of ice melt in the past month.

It is January 7th. There are a good three months left of gigantic blizzards, treacherous driving, freezing temperatures and bulky sweaters, and I am already sick to death of winter. So, in the spirit of willing (begging) spring to make an early appearance, I went out and bought Lucy a swimsuit today. She loves it, I love it, and I swear it made things seem at least a few degrees warmer.

In the grand tradition of little girls everywhere, she wanted to leave it on all day. I'm pretty sure that if I looked this cute in a swimsuit, I wouldn't want to wear anything else either.

Christmas number two!

2009-01-06T16:02:00.013-07:00

I took a LOT fewer pictures of Christmas with Lucy this year. I'm a little sad about that, but it was nice not spending the whole time behind the camera, and I did get a few shots. She was so fun this year, and I'm not sure she could have possibly been more delighted about everything.

Christmas Eve at my parent's house. The highlight was watching Lucy struggle with all her might to walk with her gigantic new snow boots attatched to her feet.

Grandma Nancy with Lucy

Grandpa Fred and Lucy

New Christmas pajamas (she is more than a little sleepy-we kept her up past 10, and she was such a trooper).

Later on, at our house. Santa came!

The gigantic 6 foot tall doggy we had been unsuccessfully hiding from her for months. She spied it in a closet right after we brought him home, and ever since, she faithfully checked every closet in the house, hoping he would make a reappearance.

DOGGIEEEE!!!! is all she had to say about her presents, and she spent the whole of Christmas morning hugging him and climbing on him and totally ignoring any other gifts she might have had. It is by far her favorite possession, and I have a feeling we're going to be lugging this thing around with us for the rest of our lives. It's cute now...but in 20 years, when she is gone at college and it is covered in filth? Not so much.

18 months

2008-12-15T16:00:00.012-07:00

As of yesterday, our little Lucy girl is 18 months old. I have to say, I have been dreading this milestone. This one, for some reason, is the one that makes her seem far too grown up for my taste. It's the one where we can pretty much stop counting age her age in months. It's a year and a half now. Then two years, and then three, and then forty-five. *sob* It's the one where we stop being with her for all of church, and where she goes off with the big kids. There keeps being less and less baby in our little baby Lucy, and I would like to file a formal complaint with someone about how fast this all goes. That said, she is turning in to such a cool kid that I guess I can't begrudge her a little growing up.

So here are a few things that fill Lucy's time now that she's 18 months old:

Reading:
The girl LOVES to read. She can spend an entire hour just flipping through her books, flinging them behind her after she's done, and grabbing another from the basket. Her current favorites are The Bunny Book by Richard Scarry, and a Courduroy counting book that makes me think longingly of never again laying my eyes on the written word. Especially after reciting it to her for the 23rd straight time.

Talking:
Lucy is a little talking machine. She says well over 100 words, and has started using two word phrases. (see me, read me, love you, bunny book, etc) She even busted out with "I love Pa Pa" the other night for her favorite person, Grandpa. And this next thing should probably go in the reading section, but whatever...she also suddenly and inexplicably knows about half of the letters in the alphabet. I have no idea how, since we've spent exactly zero time teaching it to her. I can tell you this-it is all making her seem far too grown-up, so we will be immediately enforcing some sort extensive brain-melting tv time. No PBS for her. Maybe a nice beauty pageant reality show? Something on VH1? There must be something to stunt all of this learning.

Fit Throwing:
Lucy is definitely developing a toddler temperment. Her ability to exercise any sort of patience, for anything, is pretty much non-existent. While I'm sure they won't always be, right now the fits she throws are pretty hilarious, and it's really hard for me not to laugh out loud everytime she balls up her little fists and gets all red.

Eating:
Lucy still pretty much loves eating everything. Every morning she asks for "elmo", which after a few frustrating mornings, I discovered was "oatmeal". She loves "cawdoe" (avacado), peas, soup, cheese, cheerios, and most of all, "tookies" (cookies). Lately, she's not as big of a fan of yogurt, probably due mostly to the fact that I just bought a ton of the stuff.

Walking:
Lucy loves to walk around the house, Frankenstein-style, with hers arms stiff and straight in front of her. (her right arm tends to be drawn closer to her ear, which makes it sort of seem like she should be bellowing out a healthy "Hile Hitler"). The walking seems to be mostly for entertainment purposes at this point, since if she *really* wants to get somewhere, she's still all about the crawling.

Oh, and as for stats (as if you haven't yet overdosed on trivial information about our kid), here is where she was at her appointment this afternoon:
Weight: 20 pounds, 6 ounces, and FINALLY on the charts at the 4th percentile!
Height: 32 inches, which is at a HUGE 62nd percentile!

ho ho!

2008-12-11T13:17:00.008-07:00

Lucy knows just what Santa says, and she was pretty excited to meet him in person today. This Santa was *much* better than the blue-shirted one from last year. A blue shirt? I'm still so puzzled. This Santa was donning only red, white and black, as it should be.

(is it wrong of me to kind of want one of those fabulous screaming-her-head-off pictures with Santa instead?)

Busy, busy.

2008-12-02T16:10:00.004-07:00

We've been busy around here, Lucy included. Here's a little video clip of what has (finally) been occupying her time...

Go Lucy!!!

Trip up the canyon

2008-11-11T16:24:00.010-07:00

I've got a million things to post (okay, more like three). But for now, here are some pictures of our little hike up the canyon, which we took right before winter hit. I love how creepy the forest looks this time of year.

(I don't know why, but I just love this one).

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T13:25:00.012-07:00

Halloween was great this year, and even Lucy seemed to have a good time (aside from my stubborn attempts to try and get her to keep her little cap on). She was a bee, and put up with the costume as well as I could have expected. I'm starting to see the wisdom of all those big, shapeless fleece costumes they have in the stores for toddlers.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure Lucy still had no idea what was going on, but she said bee, bzzz, trick and treat all on cue, and managed to pick out some good candy for herself out of the bowls while trick or treating. Good job Lucy! I'm sure next year you'll *really* get it, and you'll get yourself deep in to a sugar coma with the rest of the kids!

(there was definitely a little of this)

(but lots more of this)

blah, blah, pictures, pictures.

2008-10-29T20:28:00.010-06:00

What is that thing bloggers do? Wordless Wednesday? Well that is what I'm going to be doing today, since I want to get some pictures up, and yet I have absolutely nothing to say. So there you have it. Wordless Wednesday.

Funny faces

2008-10-10T17:26:00.007-06:00

Well. I think we should put the previous unpleasantness behind us with some pictures. Let us never speak of it again.

Insert dry heave here.

2008-10-07T18:41:00.005-06:00

There are times, as a mom, when I feel like I'm doing a pretty great job. Like earlier today, when I sat Lucy down to a lunch of homemade whole-wheat pita bread, fresh from the garden tomatoes, and organic mozzerella cheese. Those moments make me feel pretty darn good.

But then I have moments like I did a few minutes ago, when I look up from the computer and LUCY IS EATING HER OWN POOP. POOP, people. Straight from the diaper. There are no words. I have no words.

Lucy, however, summed it up quite nicely with an emphatic yet understated "GOES". (gross, to those of you who don't speak Lucy).

Yes. Goes, indeed.

The Nursery

2008-09-26T14:19:00.000-06:00

So I realized that I had promised pictures of Lucy's nursery right after we finished it. So I'm running a little (twelve months) behind. And also, I haven't really finished it. I have big plans for all sorts of other stuff to make it feel a little more filled in. But I'm guessing this is as close as it's going to get, since soon she's sure to be begging for tacky Bratz dolls and Dora the Explorer and Elmo everywhere. And at that point, instead of getting warm happy feelings from this room, I may actually get the dry heaves a little. So I'm loving it while I can.

This is the view when you come in.

Lucy's usual position at the bookshelf.

Above Lucy's crib.

Sterling's mom got us the cute little flower rug.

The print on the left is by Jen Corace, one of my favorite artists in the world. This is a children's print, so it's just cute, but mostly, her art is cute with a little bit of creepy. Which is basically my favorite combo. Love her. Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind terribly if someone wanted to go ahead and purchase this newly released bit of loveliness for me.

The print above the changing table is by this etsy artist.

2008-09-18T16:42:00.002-06:00

Lucy turned 15 months old a few days ago, but I was waiting for her dr.'s appointment to do a stats update. So here you go:

Weight: 18.1 pounds! She keeps gaining about 2 pounds every 3 months, so it's conceivable that she could bust the big 2-0 at her 18 month appointment. (p.s., can't BELIEVE that her next appointment is 18 months. Sob).

Height: a huge mystery. The nurse was new, and measured it at exactly what it was at 12 months. Impossible, judging by the fact that her pants are all about 4 inches too short.

Transportation: still crawling, but she has started getting really good at standing alone. I think she could probably do it without falling, ever, but after about a minute, she realizes what she's doing and collapses to the ground in a fit of nervous giggles.

Things I love about Lucy at 15 months: It would be most accurate to just say "everything", but since that's not terribly helpful in terms of chronicling Lucy's development, how about we start with this:

-Hugs. Lucy hugs are freaking amazing right now. They're the kind of full body, squeeze with all her might sort of hugs that would force even the biggest baby-hater to pull a Grinch and grow a heart. I get them like 10 times a day, and they still make me a little weepy.

-Learning. She is learning like crazy. She says so many words now (we stopped counting at 40), and it's so fun how much she understands. After months of stabbing in the dark at what she really wanted, it's incredible now to have her tell us. And when we ask her if she wants something, and she does, she lets out an excited "YEAH", and bounces up and down on her little bum, like she's just as excited about all of this communication as we are.

-Quirkiness. She's turning in to her own little person, and that person is turning out to be hilarious. From her funny little dance moves, to her bizarre facial expressions, to her uncontrollable excitement about really random stuff, she is so much more entertaining than I ever expected.

Anyway, 15 months is just awesome. If someone could share a method of keeping her this age for a little longer (freeze-drying?), I would be most appreciative.

Perfect day

2008-09-11T16:34:00.009-06:00

My goodness, what a fabulous, relaxing birthday I've had. I went running with Lucy in the morning. After that we went and visited my mom at her first grade classroom (it's her birthday too- happy birthday mom!) Then we came home and shared a sandwich from Kneaders. Turkey on ciabatta-mmm. Then we made some birthday brownies, Sterling came home for lunch, Lucy went down for a nap (two hours!), and I vegged on the couch nearly the whole time (I did rouse myself to go and grab a brownie. Way to go me).

After Lucy's nap, I grabbed blankets, books, brownies and the camera, and she and I ventured out in to our increasingly jungley backyard for a couple of hours. It was the perfect temperature, there were birds everywhere, hardly any bugs, and I think we both could have stayed out there all day. We nearly did, until Lucy wandered right through a enormous pile of poop. Thank you, neighbor dog. It was still so great though-pretty much the perfect day. And I still have tonight! After Lucy goes to bed, it's all about the couch, pizza, hanging with The Boy. And naturally, more brownies. (and lest you think my birthday celebrations will only last one day, Sterling is taking me on a fabulous date Saturday night while my parents watch Lucy. Thanks mom and dad!)

(I can't believe a picture taken while my camera balanced on a stuffed animal actually worked. It's a birthday miracle!)

Recap

2008-09-08T16:55:00.013-06:00

I'm unsure as to how another entire month has gone by without a post. My main excuse is just general busy-ness, with a good healthy dose of lazy thrown in there. But, at long last, here is a recap of what Lucy has been doing with her last few weeks of summer:

Taking baths in the sink (and on an unrelated note, eating lots of tomatoes. The kid loves herself some tomatoes).

Playing with her pretty princess beads.

Taking trips up the canyon...

...and trips to the petting zoo.

Going to the park...

...and finally discovering how awesome the swings are.

Teething...

...and teething some more.

Trying to figure out how to whistle.

Pointing at EVERYTHING.

And just being generally cute. So ridiculously cute.

2008-08-13T20:19:00.006-06:00

Lucy has the best time at her Grandma and Grandpa's house. One of her favorite things to do is to splash in the sink and make a giant mess, which, of course, she is totally allowed to do with abandon.

Brushing her hair with a toothbrush.

Eventually the clothes come off, and she is left to wonder, "hey wait, where did that darn belly button thing go?"

Love this.

2008-08-08T15:07:00.011-06:00

Love this mouth...

this back...

these toes...

this belly...

this bum...

I think I've said this about every age so far, but seriously? 13 months has to be my favorite time yet. She is ridiculously awesome. Love, love, love this kid.

Old news

2008-08-07T19:25:00.008-06:00

We took a trip to Colorado in June for our niece's wedding (we drove, and I can report with authority that 8 hours in a car with an 12 month old is about as awesome as it sounds). Besides the drive, the trip was great, and I just realized I had never posted any pictures. So here you go...

My cute niece Lexi with Lucy. And Lucy with her beloved teething tablet container. I'm not sure the actual teething tablets work, but the container works wonders.

Lucy with the lens cap, her second most beloved teething-toy-that's-not-meant-to-be-a-teething-toy. I'm pretty sure she has not once teethed on an actual teething device.

Sterling's brother Marlin with Lucy. Again, with the lens cap. Sweet, predictable, teething Lucy.

Sterling with our cute nephew Christian.

Christian, Lucy and Lexi

Sweet little nephew Dawson, looking all handsome and serious.

August already?

2008-08-01T20:42:00.011-06:00

July was a really busy month, and my camera card is holding an uncharacteristically low number of new pictures of Lucy. Regardless, I did manage to catch a few moments. Isn't she looking all grown up? Boo. But she's still insanely adorable, even with all the newfound maturity, and seriously, she just gets to be more fun every day (which I'm told I should enjoy, since apparently that comes to an end in about 6 months. It's hard to believe, since she's pretty much the most enjoyable little creature in the world right now. We shall see).

(think she needs her bangs cut?)

I know it's blurry, but it's an excellent shot of her fabulous snaggleteeth:

And, since I seem to be swimming in nostalgia lately, a shot from one year ago today:

Weekend away

2008-07-12T10:02:00.011-06:00

We spent the weekend of the 4th of July at my family's ranch in Idaho. Here are some pictures of the fun!

Bath time in the sink

Fun with Great-Grandpa

On the porch swing with Grandma

This is the awesome face Lucy makes all the time lately, for no apparent reason. (well, besides how awesome it is. Which is reason enough for her).

Nostalgia

2008-07-08T19:34:00.006-06:00

One year ago today, we brought our little girl home from the hospital. She weighed all of 4 pounds, and the car seat buckle very nearly covered her entire tiny torso. We didn't get very good pictures of the occasion (anyone who has ever had a baby in the NICU knows that the fabulous lighting isn't exactly the key to a flattering portrait), but here is one we managed to get, and another from when we got home (napping in her carseat, since we were still weeks away from having her nursery finished).

(she looks more horrified than happy at the idea of heading home. It's okay kiddo, your Dad and I were a little freaked out too).

And here's a picture from today, at 4 times the weight and nearly too big for the carseat (and showing off her brand spanking new top tooth):

Raindrops on roses and blah, blah, blah.

2008-06-27T10:51:00.006-06:00

So, we've been over and over what Lucy is in to. Now, here are a few of the things that I've been in to during my first year of being a mom:

Wondertime magazine:

I love this magazine so much. I love it even more when it comes on the same day as Parents magazine, which is its exact opposite in everysingleway. Parent's magazine has panicky stories about how not only is your child probably seriously delayed in pretty much every area, but it is also entirely your fault. In contrast, Wontertime has cozy little articles about building forts, exploring nature, and generally enjoying how cool your kid is.

See Kai Run shoes:

These are, admittedly, a bit of a splurge. But they are the sort of impossibly adorable splurge that I'm powerless to resist (which is how Lucy has come to own some of these). Granted, they aren't even remotely close to fitting her yet, so for all I know, they could make her feet turn green and possibly fall off. But they are so stinking cute, I think I would love them even then.

Elizabeth Mitchell:

I've been playing Lucy these three albums since we brought her home, and she really does seem to like them. And as an added bonus (and in contrast to loads other children's albums), these do not make me want to let weevils chew off my ears. Actually, I really like the folksy, "singing from your rocking chair on the front porch" sort of feel. I've even sometimes found myself listening when Lucy isn't there.

Vintage Kids Books Blog:

This is such a cool site. The author reviews old children's books from her son's (gigantic) collection. It has made my children's book wishlist grow to ridiculous lengths, but it has also made me want to go search for my own picture book finds at thrift shops. Maybe I'll start posting the ones we like. Lucy's really getting in to books now, and it's so fun.

You've got to love the droopy diaper, making her legs vaguely resemble those of a Welsh Corgi:

One Year Stats

2008-06-17T16:41:00.008-06:00

Weight: 16 pounds, 10 ounces (still only the in the 1st percentile, but the kid has nearly quintupled her birth weight in a year!)

Height: 29 inches (almost the 50th percentile- go Lucy!)

Teeth: Two

Current Mode of Transport: Crawling, finally! She's up on her knees and everything. And suddenly she's an absolute pro at going up the stairs, which I'm ridiculously impressed with. I apparently didn't think she would be stair climbing until like ten years from now.

Favorite Foods: Spaghetti, Strawberries, and Gerber Puffs (or, as my friend Bekah calls them, "Baby Crack").

Vocabulary: Extensive. She says: hi, baby, daddy, mama, grandpa, kitty, dolly, doggie, ducky, yeah, bear, bunny, and probably some others I'm forgetting right now.

Favorite Activities: Watching for daddy to come home, being outside, eating, and being naked (if I arranged for all of these things to happen all at once, I would have one happy naked baby).

Least Favorite Activities: Getting dressed, being smeared with lotion, having me poke around in her mouth for new teeth, and having her face cleaned off.

Favorite Toys: Her new dolly, her talking doggie, any stuffed animal, Henry the Cat, my lens cap, and plastic soda bottles with caps to chew on.

And since I can't possibly post without including pictures, here are a few of Lucy trying out her little pool for the first time:

Wrinkley toes prove she had a good time!

Big day for my two favorite people

2008-06-15T20:30:00.016-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday to Lucy, and Happy (sort-of) first Father's Day to Sterling! (It's the first one we've celebrated anyway. Last year we were a bit to distracted to really commemorate things. Although, I guess Lucy being born two nights before was about as celebratory of a Father's Day as Sterling could have asked for).

We had a nice laid back day. We gave Lucy a few little gifts in the morning, and after church we headed up to the mountains, where it seems like spring is *finally* arriving.

Here's Lucy in the BYU gear Sterling got for her. Evidently, we need to get her prepared for football season.

This is the quilt I made for Lucy for her birthday. I absolutely made it the laziest, cheating-est way possible, and it still took me a ridiculous amount of time, and I'm thoroughly resolved to never make another as long as I live. Also, I totally stole the idea from *someone* on the internet. Which I know really narrows it down. Anyway, I can't find the link to give them credit, but I would like to. That counts, right?

My two favorite people in the whole world. The best husband and father, and the best baby girl I could have asked for. I feel insanely lucky, every single day.

Lucy's one year appointment is Tuesday, I'll give her stats then, and a rundown of all the awesome stuff about her at one year old. Prepare for a long list, since I'm convinced (to an annoying degree) that she's pretty much the coolest kid ever.

Birthday party!

2008-06-14T15:43:00.019-06:00

One year ago today, we were just one day away from meeting our baby girl. I had just been to my perinatologist appointment, where the doctors determined that Lucy's growth, which had been slow up to that point, had basically stopped. They proceeded to perform an amniocentesis on me (a charming little procedure where a five inch needle is thrust through your abdomen and into your uterus), which showed that Lucy's lungs were mature enough for delivery. So off I went to labor and delivery, scared and worried and thoroughly overwhelmed.

Today was SO much better than that day!

We had Lucy's party today (her actual birthday is tomorrow, but really, what good is a birthday if you can't spread it out for a few days?) I was pretty sure she would hate it, since she's not big on crowds, and since these one year old parties are really for the parents anyway, but she actually seemed to have a fabulous time.

Lucy in the little birthday hat I made for her. You can't see it in this picture, but there's a little number "1" on the top. She was amazingly good at leaving it on...

...except here, where's she's like, "waaaait a second! You've put a hat on me while I wasn't looking! I'll have none of that".

Playing with the creepy doll she fell in love with at Toys R Us. Really, I guess this was the least creepy doll they had, but they're all fairly nightmarish if you ask me. She loooooves it.

Lucy and her little mini-cake. (which I'm pretty sure is actually like eight full servings, sure to thrust her directly into diabetic shock).

She was so funny with it. She would dip one little delicate finger in at a time, and get a little glob of frosting to lick off. She still managed to make a pretty good mess though.

Lucy was beyond excited about all of her gifts- she was very nearly hyperventilating by the time she'd gotten through the pile of presents.

Opening a present from Bryan, Jeanie and Lander. Thank you guys!

Lucy, in the cute little moccasins that Grandma Pat and Ralph gave her! Thank you!

Lucy with Daddy at the end of the party.

Thanks to everyone for coming, and for spoiling our little Lucy even more than we do! I'm sure there will be more pictures of festivities on her actual birthday tomorrow!

I love Etsy!

2008-06-13T12:36:00.008-06:00

Lucy's birthday party is tomorrow, and we got her these cute little invitations off Etsy from story by mia:

I blurred out the address, because, people, there are crazies out there. But you get the idea.

One of the best things about ordering from Etsy is how fabulous the packaging is. Here's how the invites arrived:

Don't you just love that?

Not to mention, she included some extra goodies!

Anyway, so my point is: Etsy is awesome, my baby is turning one, and we're having a party. Which you're totally invited to if you're not a crazy. So if I missed you, and you are dying to come watch Lucy perhaps make a giant mess of her tiny adorable cake (or perhaps just stare at it blankly), let me know and I'll get you something more helpful than a blurred out address.

Giant picture-filled posts of the birthday festivities are sure to follow shortly!

Crawling the hard way

2008-05-29T14:40:00.004-06:00

Here's a little video of how Lucy is getting around these days. No wonder she's got such rockin' arm muscles! I've started calling her Lieutenant Dan.

Back!

2008-05-23T14:12:00.012-06:00

So we're back from Omaha, and despite some teething and a couple of long nights, Lucy and I had a fabulous time with Bekah and her cute kids. Lucy was an angel on the plane both ways (as were the ladies who sat next to me and didn't mind that Lucy kicked them nearly the entire time she was nursing), and she had lots of fun learning new tricks from Allison, who happens to be nearly walking at 8 months. (So advanced! I'm pretty sure Harvard is just around the corner for her)

We arrived home on Monday, and I've been swamped since then with some new freelance work that I'm trying desperately to squeeze in during Lucy's naps. So this is as much of an update as I might be doing for a little while, but there are lots of things I need to write about. Like the fact that Lucy is saying actual, real words. And that she is finally moving around a little (using only her arms to pull her, and only with a lot of coaxing). And how she is turing a year old in 3 weeks, and could someone please slow down time, because HOLY CRAP, my baby is turning a year old in 3 weeks.

Until we get to all of that though, here are some pictures from the trip. Sorry Evan, I didn't mean to leave you out-it's just that the little girls were a lot more likely to stay put when the camera was out.

So. Stinking. Cute.

Vacation

2008-05-12T10:12:00.004-06:00

Lucy and I are headed out of town tomorrow to visit my good friend Bekah in Omaha. I'm sure to return next week with enormous amounts of pictures of her and her ridiculously cute kids, but until then, here are a couple recent ones of the Lucy.

Oh, by the way! On Saturday we finally witnessed the grand appearance of Lucy's first tooth. No pictures, as it's not much to look at quite yet. And also, at least for the purposes of teeth gazin', it's pretty much impossible to wrangle that little mouth in to an open postion.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T20:30:00.009-06:00

My first Mother's Day was fantastic. I woke up to roses and a tear-inducing letter from Sterling, and also this...

...which is simultaneously the coolest and cutest thing I've ever owned. I kind of want to scratch it behind its ears and get it a bowl of water. And then watch 12 straight hours of The Office on its tiny, adorable screen.

Anyway, best husband EVER. We mostly just hung out a lot today with Lucy, which was fabulous, since she is the reason I get to have a Mother's Day this year. Hurray for Lucy! It still seems surreal that she's here, and she's mine, and I'm really and truly a mom. I just feel insanely, incredibly lucky, every single day.

I've actually been sitting here for a while, thinking about what to write about my first Mother's Day as a mom, and about Mother's Day in general. Ultimately, it all seems to come out a little too personal or a lot too sappy or just really lame in general. I'm aware (to a ridiculous degree) that Mother's Day pretty much sucks for a lot of women, and I hate that. I hope that everyone out there had a great day, but if you didn't, hopefully next year will be better.

A lot can happen in a year.

Pigtails

2008-05-01T17:04:00.004-06:00

I was looking at some pictures of Lucy from a couple of months ago, and suddenly I noticed how long her hair has gotten since then. I'm not sure when it finally started being anything more than fluff, but it's fun to be able to start doing things with it now. (well, fun for me...I'm not sure how much fun Lucy really thinks it is). And by "doing things", I mean fastening two tufts on the top of her head. We're not quite to the french braid stage yet.

Water!

2008-04-29T16:42:00.010-06:00

Lucy's on the tail end of a looong nap, so I thought I'd try and get up an entry really quick. Seems like the poor kiddo is finally teething, and this is the first time she's slept all day. So sad. In other milestone news, Lucy did her first sign today! I've been putting in a meager effort at teaching her a few signs for things, and she recognizes them, but so far there's been no real reciprocation. But today after lunch she kept patting her jaw area, and I finally realized she was asking for water! I'm really hoping my poor thirsty babe hasn't been asking for water for weeks without me even noticing. Nothing like being completely ignored to really bolster the learning process.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Ster and Lucy up the canyon over the weekend. Lucy is utterly in love with the outside. She gets all quiet and still, and just *looks*. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

(and yes, I know I never post pictures with me in them- Sterling will have to be talked in to picking up the camera for that to happen. Which means I will have to be talked in to putting the camera down).

More from the park!

2008-04-22T20:48:00.007-06:00

The arrival of spring still seems fairly tenuous, so Lucy and I have been scrambling to the park every time the weather seems remotely agreeable. Today we met up with Lauriann and cute little (or not-so-little) Jack! He's only four months old, and the days of Lucy being bigger than him are long gone. He's so chubbalump and squishable-love those cheeks and that belly! Lucy's always been a big Jack fan, and at long last, he's finally noticing her back (or maybe he just wants the ball?)

Park Pictures

2008-04-15T09:53:00.013-06:00

Here's where I post waaay too many pictures of Sterling, Lucy and I at the park. And where I have seemingly nothing to say about any of them. Eh, you're just here for the cute baby anyway. I know how it is.

Sicko.

2008-04-08T10:50:00.006-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. Lucy's a tiny bit sick right now, which makes her super mad, and it also makes it so we aren't really doing anything worth posting about (including running. I guess there's a silver lining to pretty much everything). But she seems to be getting better quickly, so hopefully we'll be back to normal soon. Until then, here are a couple of pictures of the sick kiddo.

awww - poor little thing. You may be thinking, "but hey, at least her hair is behaving". Yeah. Let's go ahead and pan the camera out for a big NO on that...

reeeally Slow, and not all that Steady.

2008-04-01T11:45:00.005-06:00

I have started running. Well, if we're being honest, it's not as much running, as it is a painfully slow hobble, interspersed regularly with a gaspy, snail's pace stroll. But at least I'm doing it - and I'm doing it while lugging 14 pounds worth of Lucy along with me, as well as 8,000 pounds worth of this:

This is the EZ Strider. I bought it for $25 off of Craigslist, and it has certainly seen better days. I thought it would be a good idea to try out a cheap jogging stroller to make sure I used it, before I invested in a jogging stroller that a person so inclined, could, in fact, jog with.

It turns out, the "EZ" in its name is a bit of a misnomer (and I believe I could make a solid case against the "Strider" part as well). You see, the EZ Strider appears to have been fashioned entirely of steel and lead, possibly by Satan himself. It is ridiculously, absurdly heavy, a fact which had escaped my notice until I strapped Lucy in, and began my unfortunate progress around our neighborhood track.

I'm told it gets easier, this running thing. And I'm sure it will, just as soon as Lucy learns to walk and can start pushing the stinking stroller herself (preferably with me in it). Until then, at least SHE seems to be enjoying herself.

Easter

2008-03-24T09:35:00.009-06:00

We had a fun Easter with Lucy on Sunday. She had a new Easter dress, she got two Easter baskets, and after church we all went to the park and had a picnic. It was a good day!

The Park

2008-03-20T08:04:00.005-06:00

Lucy still has a lot of firsts to experience, especially since we were housebound for the majority of the warm months last year. Yesterday was beautiful, so Lucy got her first trip to the park, and her first ride in a swing. She absolutely loves being outside, and gets grumpy if we're in the house for too long. No wonder she was in such a bad mood for the first few months of her life!

She's pretty unsure about the grass- she tried to keep all of her limbs in the air so she didn't have to touch it.

9 Months!

2008-03-15T08:18:00.009-06:00

Lucy's stats at nine months old:

Height: 27 inches
Weight: 14 pounds, 12 ounces
Teeth: Zero
Thighs: Thunderous

She's still not on the charts for weight, but her height is in the 28th percentage, and her Dr. seems really happy with where she is. And to be fair, she lost at least a pound from the diaper I changed right before her appointment.

Some other things about Lucy at nine months: She can sit up great all on her own now, though it sometimes takes her a minute to realize she's fallen over. She can stand up a little while holding on to something, but I'm not entirely convinced she's aware she's doing it. She's starting to really like books, especially the ones with photos of babies and animals, and she likes you to make the sounds of the animals to her. She loves carrots, hates lotion, and both loves and hates Henry the cat. And also? She's pretty much the most ridiculously adorable little creature I've ever seen in my life, and she's growing up at a seriously alarming rate. Because, nine months? Really? Holy crap.

Lucy gets to celebrate nine months of life by hanging out all day with her Grandma and Grandpa, where she is sure to get spoiled like no child has ever been spoiled before. Sterling and I are heading out to celebrate eight years of marriage. Eight years! I think that also deserves a holy crap. Happy Anniversary Ster- thanks for being the best friend and husband a girl could ask for, and the best Daddy a Lucy could ask for. Love you!

I think Lucy is developing her "I just did something naughty" face in this picture. Notice the handful of cat hair she is clutching, and then take a moment to appreciate the unwavering patience of poor Henry the cat.

Spring!

2008-03-11T10:49:00.008-06:00

Just some pictures from our go-to photo location, the big cushy chair in Lucy's nursery. She's wearing her first little pair of shorts (which went over far more successfully than her first dress did. Check out those awesome grasshoppers on the belt. So cute.

I'm pretty much thrilled that it's starting to be nicer weather, but I think I might also need some sort of a huge monsoon season, so Lucy has an excuse to wear this all the time:

All better!

2008-03-06T15:59:00.010-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posting! Not much has been going on. Lucy is totally better now, which means a much more happy baby, which means a much more happy everyone.

Picture taking has been a little difficult lately, owing to the fact that Lucy can't seem to resist the urge to lunge at the camera every time I take it out. Which leaves me with a bunch of pictures that look like this:

And this:

Not exactly my top pick for the photo albums. And also, wow. That is one seriously crazy look of determination on her face.

RSV

2008-02-25T20:02:00.006-07:00

It turns out that poor little Lucy has RSV. Thankfully, it's a fairly mild case, and she seems to be getting better every day. The last week has involved a lot of giving our kiddo whatever makes her happy. Currently, that involves providing her with a soft place to lounge...

...and easy access to anything in the house that has buttons for mashing. (no toy phones, please. Lucy prefers only button mashing that could result in an actual emergency response).

Is it spring yet?

2008-02-18T13:29:00.009-07:00

I've had a swimsuit I bought for Lucy lying around since December, so I decided to get it out and see how it fit her. Partially because I'm trying to convince myself that winter is almost over. But really because there is pretty much nothing cuter than a pudgy baby in a swimsuit.

Pensive pudgy baby in a swimsuit.

Eight Months!

2008-02-15T10:16:00.009-07:00

Lucy turned eight months old today! Here are a few little things about Lucy at eight months old:

-She will eat anything. But vegetables and rice cereal are her favorite. And spaghetti. And bananas. And oatmeal. Seriously, this kid is a hungry hungry little hippo.

-She babbles a ton. It's possible she has said both DaDa and ball (both the DaDa and the ball think so), but every time I try to get her to say Mama, she just laughs.

-Until yesterday, she had never gotten sick. Not once! And I was starting to get all sorts of smug about it, so of course she immediately came down with something. Just a little temperature, and the sniffles, and she seems to be getting over it already. Except for the sniffle part- oh my heavens, the amount of snot that little delicate girl can produce is nothing short of amazing.

-Baby clothes sizing is screwy. I know this isn't so much about Lucy at eight months, but let's take a look at what Lucy is wearing today. 6-12 month jeans. Newborn onesie. 3-6 month sweatshirt. They all fit her great. Huh.

-She has in irrational fear of buzzing noises. Like if you're doing a fun game to get her to eat, and you do a fun buzzing noise like a bee while you're flying a big fun spoonful of squash to her mouth? NOT FUN. She will freak the heck out. (it's possibly the only thing that will actually get her to *stop* eating).

Um, Lucy's hair no longer fits in pictures.

Speaking of which, thanks for all the comments on the V-day photo. I'm thrilled with the festive possibilities of Lucy's hair. That front tuft is probably long enough to fashion a nice silhouette of George Washington in honor of President's Day.

February 14

2008-02-14T07:02:00.004-07:00

Little Sneak

2008-02-12T12:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Lucy got in to an open container of yogurt on the kitchen counter, and managed to get it everywhere (including in her mouth). So much for her pediatrician's suggestion that we wait for a year to introduce dairy.

Blueberry yogurt would have made for more dramatic pictures, but in the interest of easy cleanup, I'm pretty glad it was lemon.

Also, Lauriann posted some awesome pictures she took of Lucy last week. Check out how much her little Jack has grown!!!

Motivation

2008-02-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Lucy hasn’t been sitting up on her own, and in the grand tradition of overly neurotic first-time parents, we were getting a little bit worried. As it turns out, Lucy was perfectly capable of sitting up, she had just never found a terribly compelling reason to do so. She found her motivation in the form of this little yellow talking phone from Grandma Nancy’s house. She can’t seem to resist sitting up to play with it, despite her enduring love of lounging around on her back and letting us do her bidding.

She eventually always gets back to rolling around on the carpet.

Snow Day!

2008-02-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

We got a ridiculous amount of snow at our house on Sunday- so much that they even cancelled church. (That may account for the giddy look on Sterling's face in these pictures). We bundled Lucy up in a makeshift snowsuit and 4 times too big galoshes, and let her get a little taste of winter.

This and That

2008-01-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures from January that hadn't made their way to the blog yet...

The only way Lucy will tolerate tummy time. But I'm pretty sure when she does it like this, we can just go ahead and call it "lounging time".

Is it a smile? Is it a grimace? We may never know.

To avoid any further confusion, in the future Lucy will maintain no facial expression whatsoever.

An attempt at a picture of Lucy and I. I'm trying to hold the camera...

...and Lucy is trying to eat the lens cap.

Delicious lens cap.

Lucy can't get enough of staring out the front window, especially if we're watching for daddy to come home.

Lucy, saluting all of her things that have been made in China. Of lead.

Mmm, lead.

The cuteness is unbearable

2008-01-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of Kiddie Kandid-style photography chains for a multitude of reasons, and since I can't seem to talk Lauriann in to following Lucy around with a camera all day, Lucy's stuck with me for the picture taking. Yesterday we set up our own little photo shoot, and Lucy got to feel even more like the center of the universe than usual.

Sterling and the Swamp Monster

2008-01-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

This blanket is Lucy's favorite thing, and we're hoping she's getting something of value out of her new hobby of tassle-eating. (Chenille is high in Potassium, right?)

Seven Months

2008-01-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Seven months of our funny little Lucy...

Head Gear

2008-01-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Let's discuss hairware for baby girls, shall we?

Exhibit A:

Sorry for the disturbing image. No, of course I'm not referring to the child, she's just lovely. I'm talking about the 12 pound hair bow perched upon the poor kid's head.

And then we have this one. Oh my heavens, this one may actually be giving me hives. Please note that they couldn't find a real live child with a head large enough or a neck strong enough to be the model.

There are endless examples. I could devote an entire blog to it. My google search for "homemade baby bows" has pretty much been the most entertaining thing I've done all week. But here's my point: I have been a mom to a baby girl for over six months now, and thus far I have managed to successfully avoid the wide world of Terrifyingly Large Hair Accessories. But Lucy, poor Lucy, was in need of *something* for her little fuzzy duck head.

You'd be amazed how difficult it is to find anything not layered with lace, organza, taffeta, fake flowers, 4 pattern of ribbons, and/or looking like it's straight from the Bedazzler factory. But, I have prevailed. I present to you, a nice simple headband, covered in your choice of kicky vintage fabrics. (not to mention, they fit me too...which I'll definitely keep in mind if I ever decide to move past the super awesome ponytail I've been rocking since Lucy's birth).

Notice how nicely it's causing the 3 inch hair spike to act like a respectable set of bangs! I'll post the link to where I got it at some point. Also, I'm pretty sure they'd take about 3 minutes to make, if I were so inclined. (sadly, they only take like 3 seconds to buy. You see my quandry).

Stylin' (or not so much)

2008-01-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Lucy's poor hair. The piece in front is well over 3 inches long now, and absolutely refuses to lay down. Too bad it's not in back, she'd have the beginning of one tremendous, 80's style rattail.

Christmas!

2007-12-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

It was a big, fun day for Lucy, and I don't think there was much we didn't capture on camera.

Lucy's little homemade felt stocking, with Clarice from the old Rudolph cartoon.

Lucy in her new jammies from Grandma Nancy.

Santa came!

Sleepyheads on Christmas morning.

Lucy amongst her loot.

She was an enormous fan of the tissue paper and ribbon (by the way, this the face she makes when she makes that crazy falcon noise I wrote about earlier. It's fantastic).

Maybe ready for a nap...

...but only after a kiss from Daddy.

Next it was over to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Lucy and Grandma Nancy.

With Uncle Bryan.

With cousin Lander.

Opening more presents (cool blocks from Bryan and Jeanie!)

And a big awesome doggie from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa.

Next it was on to Grandma Pat's house!

Meeting Aunt Heather and Uncle Jeffry...

...and their doggie!

The end of the day, with proof of just how spoiled our little Lucy is by everyone she knows!

It was a such a great Christmas, and we're unimaginably grateful to have our sweet little girl to share it with this year.

Smiley Baby

2007-12-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Lucy was all smiles this afternoon, and we were even able to get some pictures of it. She's probably just trying to soften us up for some last minute presents.

She eventually resumed her extra-special vacant look she reserves just for the camera.

Stay tuned for what will surely be a nauseating number of pictures of Lucy's first Christmas!

Carrots

2007-12-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Lucy got carrots today for the first time, and they were a big success. (I know they've mostly been food posts lately, but trying new baby food is pretty much the most exciting thing we've been doing).

Also, Lucy got to meet her new cute friend Jack yesterday, and

Lauriann snapped some pictures of our sweet little kiddos together.

Six months!

2007-12-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Lucy turned six months old today! Here are a few things about Lucy at six months old:

-She has the best, cartoon-style frown we have ever seen. It's like an upside down letter U, and if you laugh at her when she's doing it, she gets even angrier.

-She has started making this fantastic bird-of-prey sort of screech, like some sort of really loud falcon. We have yet to determine whether it's a happy or a mad noise, and I'm not sure she knows either.

-The best way to get her to laugh is to act like a total idiot, preferably in the form of singing and dancing.

-She fits in all of her newborn clothes width-wise, but she has to wear her 6 months clothes for things to fit her length-wise.

-She hates hates hates getting dressed.

-She really loves watching football on tv.

-She sometimes sucks on her big toe like most kids suck on their thumb.

-She has a little scar on her wrist from one of her IV's in the hospital.

-She is getting a respectable amount of fluffy hair all over her head, except for an enormous bald spot in back (which is showing no signs of hair growth whatsoever).

-She has one really long tuft of hair in front. She lost the rest of her hair at about 4 months, but that piece stuck around.

-She loves the Christmas tree, even the pokey needle part of the Christmas tree.

-She can almost sit up by herself, but shows a lot more interest in just laying around while we do her bidding.

-Her eyes look like they're going to stay blue like her Daddy's.

-She has yet to get through a doctor's appointment without peeing all over the table and/or scale, and/or nurse.

Happy six month birthday Lucy!!!

2007-12-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

We took Lucy to see Santa last week. It was fine, and Lucy seemed wholly unconcerned that a huge, hairy stranger was holding her. I do have a few issues with what Santa was wearing. Where is the red coat? Where is the hat? A festive blue shirt does not a Santa make! Oh well, his beard was real, I guess that counts for something.

Also, Lucy had a doctor appointment yesterday where she got weighed (and vaccinated, which I'm betting is the only part she remembers of the whole visit). At close to 6 months, she weighs in at 12 1/2 pounds, and is nearly 25 inches long! Her weight is *almost* on the chart, and her height is in the 18th percentile. Go Lucy!

At the appointment, we got the go-ahead to start giving her something to eat besides rice cereal. Here is her first experimentation with peas:

She was unimpressed.

Little elf

2007-12-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

I love Lucy's Christmas pj's- I pretty much leave them on her all day long at this point, and I took waaaay to many pictures of her in them this morning.

The hat was mine when I was a baby. Lucy just wanted to get it off and then gnaw on it.

It is SO hard to get Lucy to smile for the camera, but I finally got this out of her:

I'm still trying to capture her *really* happy smile. It's this fantastic wide-open mouth thing that makes her get the best dimples on her upper cheeks, right under her eyes.

This is her "Mom. Are you SERIOUSLY not done taking pictures yet?" face.

Lucy's Blessing

2007-11-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had Lucy's baby blessing on Sunday, which was awesome (she didn't even cry!) We had a little get-together at our house afterward. It was pretty chaotic, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but here are a few.

The dress Lucy was blessed in was also the dress that his sisters and all his nieces have been blessed in. It's over 50 years old. (The Sesame Street diaper really accentuates the ensemble). I wonder if it had been soaked in something delicious over the course of that 50 years, cause she sure did love chewing on it.

My brother and Lucy. She was a total trooper with all the people over at our house. Until now, I don't think she knew that many people even existed.

They all love Sterling!

The little guys immediately found spots in front of the tv. The big guys were jealous.

Our little family, right before we let Lucy escape in to something a little less frilly (and less prone to damage if she pooped on it).

Thanks so much to everyone who came and participated and helped out, especially all of you who travelled to be here. It was such a great day, and we really appreciate everyone coming and being a part of it.

Eat it up, yum.

2007-11-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

Lucy's been feeling a little left out, what with this being the holiday season, and everyone eating yummy holiday treats except her. So we let her in on the action by giving her her first solid food. Admittedly, rice cereal is not the most festive of Thanksgiving delicacies, but it's definitely one step closer to turkey and stuffing.

Her reaction to her first food from a spoon? I can't really say we got much of a reaction at all. She seemed totally unphased by the whole thing, and more than a little bored. Which I'm thinking is an entirely appropriate reaction to liquified rice.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T13:48:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm a day late, give a girl a break. Before I could post, I had to sort through the 13,000 pictures we took of our little kiddo yesterday. I have to say, Halloween is one million times more fun when you have a tiny person to dress up. I'm not sure it's Lucy's favorite holiday ever (especially when you take in to account her intense dislike of all things clothes-related), but once she figures out the whole candy thing, I'm positive she'll be on board.

Yeah-definitely not convinced about this whole Halloween thing.

For her actual costume, she was a witch. It was hard to get a decent picture of her in it, since she kept trying to eat it, but it certainly didn't keep us from trying.

Here's Sterling cuddling Lucy after a demanding night of trick or treating (to a total of one house). But it seemed to wipe her out pretty thoroughly.

2007-10-26T16:28:00.000-06:00

Just a few pictures we've taken over the past couple of weeks...

I was trying to capture the face she makes when she's super excited about something. It's especially hilarious because it's usually combined with putting her little fists up and shaking them back and forth- kind of like Wallace from Wallace and Gromit.

Cutie Pie

2007-10-14T20:31:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures I took of Lucy after church today!

Note that she hasn't quite lost her aversion to dressing up!

2007-10-09T14:23:00.000-06:00

Lucy really, really loves her mobile. I think she may enjoy her social interaction with the garish, rotating plush animals more than she does with actual humans.

Utter and complete adoration.

And, while I'm doing a post, here's a picture of Lucy when we took her to the zoo last weekend. Sorry about the lack of cute pictures of her experiencing the wildlife, but this was one of the few moments when she was actually awake.

She smiles!

2007-09-25T13:59:00.000-06:00

Lucy is finally smiling often enough to catch it on camera! (which we suspect is taking time out of her busy tantrum-filled schedule, since there seems to be a definite reduction in screaming as of late).

3 Months

2007-09-17T21:54:00.000-06:00

Lucy turned 3 months old on Saturday! Here are some pictures of her participating in her new least favorite activity: tummy time.

It starts out with her thinking that it might not be so bad.

But then I don't immediately pick her back up...

...and things escalate from there.

Here, she has just plain given up.

Since Lucy is allowed out and about now, we took her to church for the first time on Sunday. She slept the entire time, which I'm pretty sure might be an actual miracle.

Changes

2007-09-10T14:11:00.000-06:00

I found this picture of Lucy from July, when she was a little over a month old. I decided to take a comparison shot today, at a little under 3 months old. She's in the same onesie and the same size diapers in both pictures, but she's filling both out quite a bit more successfully these days.

Hiking

2007-09-05T10:01:00.000-06:00

We took Lucy hiking for the first time, and it turns out it may have been a *bit* too soon for that. On the bright side, she probably scared off any wild animals with her wailing!

TV Time

2007-09-04T08:52:00.000-06:00

Lucy loves watching tv with dad, though he might get a little more out of it than she does.

!!!

2007-08-29T09:31:00.000-06:00

The huge news of the day is that Lucy slept in her crib for the first time last night, the same crib where she is currently taking a nap! (up until this point, we've been doing serious construction on the nursery, and she's been sleeping with me, on the couch. Not so much fun). Over the weekend we got enough of the nursery finished to put up the crib, and last night Lucy finally got to try it out. (at which point she promptly christened the thing by peeing all over it through her diaper. Hurray for the vinyl mattress pad I put on at the last minute!)

A trial run yesterday.

This morning, sleeping soundly.

A preliminary shot of some of the nursery. More to come after we put up the finishing touches. Notice the beautiful beadboard, mouldings, doors and closet, all done by my fabulous husband, and all with a minumum of profanity.

We're not ready to move her in quite yet, but I had to hang up at least one little dress!

Bath time and other cuteness...

2007-08-12T16:19:00.000-06:00

So sleepy.

Lucy's first dress...

2007-08-10T14:10:00.000-06:00

She really seemed to like it.

Six Pounds!

2007-08-02T11:48:00.000-06:00

That's right, as of Tuesday, our little chubbalump girl weighed in at a hefty six pounds, one ounce! Which means she gained an entire pound in a little over a week. She's positively chunky!

2007-07-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

Hanging with Daddy

Tired mom, tired baby

Froggy girl!

New pictures, new blog

2007-07-27T12:52:00.000-06:00

A new blog, all for Lucy! And considering the ridiculous amount of pictures we've been taking of her, it's probably a good thing. Here are a few fairly new pictures to start with (I've also included the first posts from the other blog).

Stretching...

Stripes!

Next to the birthday cake we bought her on her due date!

Just some close-up shots.

We'll keep posting more as we take them!