Saturday, September 15, 2012

Happy 6 months Lucy Jane!

These monthly post seem to be coming faster and faster (although some of that might have to do with the fact that it takes me until halfway through the month to get them written).  Either way, September 7th marked half a year for my sweet girl!  I'm not ready to wrap my head around the fact that we're halfway to her first birthday; although I have already starting planning her party :)  Lucy is certainly changing before our eyes--in honor of her 6 month birthday she decided to start sitting up independently on her own.  This is my favorite milestone--once you can just set your baby down anywhere, life changes dramatically in my opinion.  Need to pull something out of the oven but you have a baby on your hip?  You don't have to search all over for some baby holding contraption to set her in...just plop her in the middle of the kitchen floor for a second.  Need to run into Kroger for 2 things and don't want to strap on the Bjorn and carry a wildly thrashing baby on your person?  Plop her into the cart, cause she can sit now!! I will enjoy my happy sitting baby for now, because this girl is so motivated to move I have no doubt she'll be crawling by next month-time to start babyproofing and mopping the floors more regularly :(

Lucy has also become quite the chatterbox, she loves to "yell" and squeal as loudly as she can.  Just this week she started in with nonstop "dadadadadada".  Johnny likes to think this is her first word---sorry buddy not quite.  She has become a huge fan of pattycake and peek-a-boo-a sure way to get huge giggles.  Her favorite person in the world? Big brother Hank.  She gives him bigger smiles and laughs than anyone.  If she's ever upset I will ask Hank to make Lucy happy and he just gets in her face and makes a big funny face at her and she'll be in hysterics immediately . No one else has this effect on her, but I can see his love for his sister waning as she has started showing interest in chewing on his trains.  I'll hear him yelling at her "no baby Lucy, you NEVER chew on Percy or his frieght!"  I'll ask him to share with her and he'll hand her some tiny piece of track to hold on to, and as soon as it goes in her mouth? he's done with sharing!

Eating solids has been slow go with Lucy.  We had some problems tolerating solids for a while, some food allergy concerns, but things have finally picked up and started progressing!  She ate half a jar of sweet potatoes last night!  Sleeping through the night?? not by my definition, but probably by the "experts" definition.  She typically sleeps from 8-4:30 or 5 and then wakes up to eat and will fall back asleep until about 6-630.  I have a hard time falling back asleep, but generally doze off just before I hear her cooing in her bed or Hank bounding in ready to start his day.  I long for the day that I can get a full 10 hours of sleep!  She's a great napper though--a morning nap for 1-1 1/2 hours and an afternoon nap for about 2 hours (typically this still overlaps with Hank's afternoon nap, and he still sleeps 2-3 hours every day!).  The other most awesome feature that she has that I didn't know existed--she puts herself to sleep!  I feed her, give her the paci and put her in bed wide awake.  I'll hear her chatter for a second and next thing I know she's out!  No rocking, no swinging, no sleep training, no cry it out, no nursing to sleep...its WONDERFUL!

She had her 6 month check up this week and had to get 4 shots!  (call me mean, but I tacked on the flu shot to her other 3-what can I say? I'm pro-vax!)  She took it like a champ like she always does, and once we got home you would have never known.  She's still maintaining her petite frame, and is growing perfectly!

Long and lean just like her dad.
Height: 26.25 59th
Weight: 13 lbs 9 oz 11th
Head: 17 inches 78th


She loves her jumper now-just like her brother did!


Waiting for the train to head to the Dragon Con Parade--I love this picture because it is so typical.  Lucy is staring right at Hank, and Hank is staring at the train tracks.  Me? I just look exhausted :)


 The "baby basket" since she's not 100% stable with sitting she loves to sit in her laundry basket with all her toys.  Perfect!

"Hank go watch your sister" This is pretty typically playtime--she thinks nothing of being a firetruck launch pad.




 
Until next month sweet girl.....

Monday, September 10, 2012

Family vacation take 2-The Poconos

Still working on catching up from our summer happenings!  10 days after we returned from the OBX with one side of the family, we packed up the car and rooftop carrier again and took off on a 15 hour road trip to the Poconos for a family wedding with the other side of the family!  Despite the miles logged across the country and back...and back again...I am so glad we made the trip!  The absolute best part was that we got to meet our niece Eliza for the first time (she's already 10 months old!).  Hank and Lucy loved meeting their cousin and of course we loved spending time with Aunt Susie and Uncle Kevin.  The wedding was held in a gorgeous lake resort where we all stayed in quaint little cabins along the lake.  The whole place was rather "retro summer camp-dirty dancing-esque" if that makes any sense to anyone :)  I loved it-rowboats, lake swimming, tetherball, old fashioned see-saws, horseshoes, and huge adirondack chairs along the lake.  I'll let the pictures show the rest....














Tuesday, September 4, 2012

First Ever Day of School

How can I have a preschooler already?  I mean the signs are all there--he's potty trained, counting, identifying letters and shapes, asking "why" every other question, wanting to play with his friends every day, and learning to manipulate his parents! 

When I put "first day of school" of the calendar for the first time in our house this year it brought such nostalgia reminding me of all the "first days" I had and how excited I always was to return to school.  The trips to the over-crowded school supply aisles at Wal Mart with my dad, the anticipation of going up to the school to see who my teacher was and who my classmates would be, and shopping for a new school wardrobe with my mom at Uptons and Marshalls :)  On one hand I am so excited for Hank to head out into the world on his own and start creating a place in the world outside of our home, on the other hand I miss him terribly on the two mornings a week he is gone and I feel like a part of myself is missing.  The house is so quiet, and even Lucy seems distressed when she can't locate her brother running amuck.  

The first day of school has been a highly anticipated day in our ouse since we had to register him way back in January.  I got teary eyed just thinking about it over the past few months, and pushed the idea out of my mind.  Although, I knew my hard headed little man needed some preparation to adjust to the idea so we went out and bought a backpack and a lunchbox, we drove by his school  frequently to "get excited".  

The first day arrived, and he was so excited!  I was actually a little shocked as he is generally very resistant to change and I assumed we would have some difficulty with the big life change.  Well, that excitement wore off and we had a rough 3 weeks with lots of crying/anxiety surrounding school days despite the fact that his teachers told me that he did great and he came home everyday chatting up a storm about his new friends and the day's activities.  Hank has been home with a nanny since he was born, so this was a huge change for him to be dropped off somewhere.    Like his father, Hank is always thinking, I can see the wheels turning all the time, but he internalizes everything like his dad.  So, ole mom never really knows what's going on in those heads, but I can be sure there is a lot being processed all the time-I could see his little head in overdrive trying to wrap his head around school, but he said very little to me about it. 

 After 3 weeks of screaming at drop off, constantly telling me "i don't like school", and generally a lot of anxiety for me, hjust woke up one morning and said "I like to go to school, but I just miss you, and dad, and Baby Lucy".  That's my little man!  After we talked about it, he just flipped a switch and since then-school is great!  and mom is soooo relieved as I didn't think I could survive a whole year of whining/crying on Tues/Thurs mornings.  

So school is great-I'm still not used to the idea, but on the outside I'm very happy for Hank.  The first week a good friend of mine who also has a little one starting school for the first time this year sent me an email and said to me  "Here's to our children growing up and learning to fly with their own wings. It won't ever be easy, but we can do it because we love them enough to let them" ...ain't that the truth?









Lilypie First Birthday tickers