Violet

One of Lucy's favorite toys is "My Pal Violet", a purple puppy that sings a variety of songs and says "Lucy" (it hooks up to the computer and you can program it to say her favorite food, animal, color, and her name).  Lately, she's been dancing to Violet's songs by bobbing her head up and down....we aren't quite sure where she learned to do this!  I think maybe we bob our heads to Violet's songs without thinking, and she's picked up on it.  Grandma and Grandpa were visiting, and I caught some on camera; we were trying so hard not to laugh!

Lucy's New Skills!

Lucy has been a very busy, active little girl lately, demonstrating lots of new skills and games.  She has also been crawling a lot faster, though she's still a bit clumsy.  I've been able to capture a few cute moments on camera, though it's tricky, and they aren't always the best examples - she is always eventually distracted by the camera, which she's decided is one of her favorite toys.  But in any case, here are a few videos:

Patty Cake

"SOOOO Big!"

Activity Table 

(sitting back down after standing is a new accomplishment!)

Good Times with Friends

 Yesterday, Lucy's "best friend" Adeline turned ONE!

 Here is Addie visiting Lucy in the hospital right after Lucy was born.  (Her parents, Mark and Mary, are Lucy's Godparents.)

We went to Addie's first birthday party yesterday afternoon, and had a great time enjoying treats, visiting friends we hadn't seen in quite awhile, and letting Lucy roam around with several other little ones in attendance.  As you can see, Mommy also tried taking pictures of Lucy with Addie, but couldn't get both girls to look at the camera at the same time!

When Lucy started getting fussy, we headed for home - unfortunately we had to take our cupcakes on the way out.  She was so tuckered out from partying that she fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep for another half hour after we got home.

All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  

Happy first birthday, sweet Adeline!  You are a beautiful little girl with beautiful parents, and we are so blessed to be a part of your life.  We wish you many, many more wonderful years, and look forward to sharing them with you.

Love,

Lucy, Nicole, and Ryan

Church Craziness

Whenever we take Lucy places, or have friends come visit, people comment on how she is such a "calm", "laid back", "well behaved" (and so on) baby.

These are, obviously, not the same people who go to church with us on a weekly basis.

Tonight we took her to Mass and she was ALL OVER the place - squirming, trying to get out of my arms and climb on the pews, trying to climb into to her car seat and pull herself to standing (the car seat is wobbly so I couldn't let her do that), trying to touch the lady in the pew ahead of us, blowing raspberries, protesting loudly at being held, and generally being a pain in the butt (albeit a very cute one).  I know she was tired, so that didn't help matters, but I couldn't do anything to hold her attention.  I think (in fact I know) I am more distracted by her than anyone else, but I always feel like we're putting on a little unwelcome show.

During Mass I noticed a family with six older children (the youngest was probably 9 or 10) a few pews ahead of us.  As we were leaving, the mother turned around and smiled knowingly, saying "don't you just love it?  That's typical."

I have to say, at the moment I don't love it, but it's good to know that some day she will be young lady who can actually sit still for longer than 10 seconds!

Story Time

A few of Lucy's (and Mommy's) current favorites:

Lucy loves books, especially ones with animals, or that are interactive in some way.  For example, she is really fascinated with sticking her finger in "mommy's ring" in Pat the Bunny.  Part of our bedtime routine is to read stories together in the nursery, right before we turn the lights out and I sing her a lullaby to sleep.  (She always used to fall asleep in my arms, but these days she usually won't settle until I lay her in the crib, and then she puts herself to sleep.)  I want to get better about reading to her more often throughout the day and not just before bed.

In Like a Lion

Today, officially the 2nd day of spring, we woke up to a steadily falling snow.  Not a gentle, delicate, pretty snow, but a heavy, slushy, "you're-not-going-anywhere-very-quickly-today" kind of snow.  Usually on snowy days in Minnesota, roads get cleared quickly, but today the heavy, icy snow must have delayed the plow drivers. I had to call the city's public works department not once, but three times, to get a snowplow driver to clear our street enough that I could actually get out onto the main road.  In fact, it took me getting stuck with the baby in the backseat (right outside of our house, granted), to actually get them to come.

I should probably have been grateful rather than frustrated.  After all, in my home state (whose capital city, Atlanta, boasts a total of 8 snowplows), I wouldn't have been going anywhere for days.  But instead, I was angry.  I had places to go, things to do, people to see.  Okay, well really I was just trying to squeeze in a trip to Target before heading to work.  But still.  Come on, people.  Can you get going, here?  And anyway, it's March and snowing for the 100th time this season, and I'm cold and wet and tired of the cold and wet... sigh.  Georgia doesn't sound so bad.

I think, adding to my frustration, was the fact that several of my plans over the course of this (insanely long) winter have been canceled due to blizzards.   And it keeps snowing, and snowing, and snowing, and... on and on.  Then, slowly but surely, it seems to stop.  You see flashes of green peeking out from below melting ice.  You see sunshine, and let your preschoolers play outside for almost an hour because it actually feels...dare you say the word...warm.  But early spring is a great trickster - he teases you with a heavenly glimpse of new life before dumping out several last bucketfuls of cold white slush on your head.  Hahaha, he seems to say.  Warmth and sunshine, that's what you think.

*

Like the lion that is early spring, all I wanted to do was growl.  Grrrrrrr.  Go away snow.  Go away cold, wet, icy, yuckiness.  You are unwelcome here.  We had a taste of what's to come, and we want it back - your cousin, later spring's lamb.  The flowers, the sunshine, the grass, the warmish breeze.

So I finally managed to get out of the neighborhood, thanks to the snow plow and a little shoveling of my own.  My daughter babbled in the backseat, totally oblivious to the inconvenient weather conditions outside her window, completely unaware that this was late March, and it was not supposed to be snowing anymore.

We stopped at Caribou to warm up, and as I held Lucy and watched her play in my lap, I realized once again that God was trying to tell me something.  As He has been all winter.  Slow down.  Take one day at a time.  Be grateful for this - for This Moment.  This little smile, these big brown eyes, these long lashes, this intense focus.  She will never be ten months and three days old again.  And you will never be here again, in this place and time, with her.

So my resolution (spring resolution, maybe?) is to be more conscious of living in the moment.  Enjoying the little (and big) gifts God gives me every day - and He gives me so, so many - because gifts, after all, are meant to be enjoyed.  Small, sticky fingers exploring my face.  Sweet, soft skin fresh from a bath.  Deep belly-laughs, and cries that are quieted only by my arms.  A little person who softens my hard heart just by living life the only way she knows how - to its very fullest.

While I am still very tired of this long winter, I have to remind myself that, as cliche as it sounds, the spring flowers will be sweeter because of it.  The sunshine will feel warmer, and the grass will look greener.  In the meantime, may I remember to slow down and enjoy life, wet slushy snow and all.

Thank you, Jesus, for lambs and for lions.  Thank you for spring.

*Artwork courtesy of my preschoolers.  We are still working on "out like a lamb". :)

My Little Peanut

Lucy and I went to the doctor this morning for a weight check -- last month, at her 9 month well child visit, we found out she'd lost a little weight due to being sick with a cold, so the doc wanted to make sure she was back on track.  Well, she's gained a whole pound in the last month!!  The doctor was really impressed.  She's 17 lb, 8 oz, which puts her in the 25th percentile for weight, and 29 inches long (the 75th percentile).

I don't know how moms of bigger babies do it - I get so tired carrying her around for more than a few minutes, and she's a peanut!  Then again, I have not set foot in a gym for close to a year now, so that could have something to do with it.  I think finding a gym with a baby care facility might be next on my to-do list...

Random thoughts... I'm blogging from our local coffee shop just down the street from our house.  Lucy and I come here so often we are regulars (they usually have my drink ready by the time I get to the counter), and we both really enjoy it.  When Lucy was younger, she would sleep in her carseat more often than not; now those days are gone, but I occupy her with teething biscuits and toys while I read/blog/drink coffee.  Back then I would have a good hour or so, and now it's down to about 20 minutes before she gets too fidgety.  Before long, I won't be able to lug her inside in her carseat anymore.  I will miss these days.  But I'm also really excited for warmer weather, going on walks in the stroller, and taking her places like the park, library, and zoo.  I can't wait for summer!!

Ten Months Old! And About Time for a Blog...

My baby girl is TEN MONTHS OLD today!  Where has the time gone?  In some ways, it feels like only weeks ago that she was born...yet, those first few weeks and months seemed to stretch on forever, and the last several months have just flown by.  Whenever I see newborns, I am amazed at how tiny they are, and think back to when Lucy was that little.  She has a lot more in common with a toddler now than a newborn.  Some snapshots of her (very big!) personality at ten months:

• She is VERY curious and intense, interested in exploring and handling anything she can get her hands on.  She crawls all over the place and pulls up on anything that's the right height, but she is still somewhat cautious - she likes pulling up on Mommy the most, since she knows I will always help support her and eventually pick her up.
• Along those lines...she is rather sensitive, usually crying (and sometimes REALLY crying) if she falls and bumps her head on anything.  Sometimes she even cries when she just falls and doesn't really even hit anything.  Perhaps that's a little of my own fault, for picking her up and cuddling her after her falls - she knows crying gets my attention!
• She LOVES puppies and monkeys - especially puppies, as she will even stop whatever she's doing to smile at the TV if a dog happens to come on. 
• Ryan and I always say she's going to be an interior designer: whenever we go into a new room or building, she gazes around with an almost frightening intensity, seemingly evaluating every square inch.  She knows the words "fan", "beam", "light", "window", and "door".  (And "mommy", "daddy", "monkey", "bottle", and a few others...but the architectural words seem to command the most attention. lol)
• She is a mommy's girl, but loves playtime with daddy - especially making goofy faces and being bounced/thrown up in the air.  She is also somewhat of an extrovert when we're in public, staring people down until they acknowledge her, and then flashing them her winning smile and/or waving.  (She loves to wave!)

Happy 10 Months, my little Lucybug!  Keep laughing, exploring, growing...but maybe slow down just a little bit? :)

In other news...welcome to my new blog!  I hope to post here at least once or twice a week (who knows...maybe it will be more, or maybe less) to keep you updated with news about life in our little family.  I'm a bit of a rookie at this blog stuff, so bear with me as I might be messing around with some formatting things for awhile.

And now, back to March Madness and my miserably failing bracket.  (If you're participating, hopefully you're doing better!)

Peace in Christ,

Nicole