11 Months

Today Lucy is 11 months old! How is this even possible?! 

At 11 months...

- Lucy is getting better at "traveling" or "cruising". She can get from one end of the room to the other, just by holding on to the walls.

- She only takes two naps a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

- She eats everything, and is actually becoming quite the gourmand. 

- She feeds herself and drinks milk from a cup. 

- She claps whenever she hears someone say "Yay!"

- She has four teeth now, two on the bottom and two on top.

- She smiles and waves at strangers wherever we go. 

I can't believe that next month, we will be celebrating this little girl's first birthday!!!

On the Move

These days, Lucy is busy getting into mischief. I turn my back for one second, and she is making a bee-line for an electrical outlet or throwing her food on the ground for the dogs to eat. I can tell she is going to keep us on our toes :)

The Box

Last week, we ordered some furniture. It came to us in a giant box. So this has been sitting in my living room for several days...

It was not supposed to stay. I had planned to cut it up and put it in the recycling bin. But then, Lucy decided to make it her little playhouse... 

So, naturally, we decided that it needed windows, a mail slot, and a door...

This is what the box looks like now. It has great curb appeal, but the interior is seriously lacking. We'll have to do something about that. 

M is on spring break this week. Unfortunately, he will be studying and writing papers the entire time. Turns out that spring break in graduate school isn't as fun as spring break in undergrad, when you could just go to Panama City Beach with the other young, irresponsible people. I never went to Panama City Beach, and actually, it sounds horrible. But I would settle for any beach right now! 

Curing the Winter Blues: Crafting

I am not a very crafty person. I am usually of the opinion that crafts take more time / effort than they are worth. However, after being stuck inside for too many cold afternoons, a craft seems like a brilliant idea. Since we did not feel like venturing outside, we had to be creative, using only what we had lying around the house. I had some old paint swatches, a hole-punch, scissors, and string...

Ta-da! Flag garland!

Meanwhile, Lucy and her dinosaur helped make sure I didn't hang the garland crooked.

By the way, the weather is sunny and in the 60's today. No more winter blues for us. 

Curing the Winter Blues: Nature Walks

It may seem as though there is not much nature to look at in the winter time. The trees are bare, and there are no flowers or interesting plants growing. But, one of the things I've learned living here in Colorado, is that nature is actually at its most beautiful in the winter. Frozen streams, icicles, and snow - it's like being in a fairy tale. 

Lucy and I try to get out of the house every single day. Even if the weather is cold, we try to go on a walk. Some days, we don't make it very far before we have to turn around and go back. But other days, we can walk for hours, taking in the incredible beauty all around. 

Green

Happy Saint Patty's Day to you all! I must confess that we don't really celebrate this holiday. In past years, we've gone to the Saint Patrick's Day parade here in Fort Collins, but since Lucy has been sick, we decided to skip it this year.

Also, it must be noted that I own nothing green. Nothing. Not even a green sock.

On our walk today, Lucy and I spotted these green shoots coming up out of the soil - a sure sign that spring is on its way! I'm sure we'll get more snow before the warm weather is here to stay, but for now we will be soaking up as much outside time as possible. 

Curing the Winter Blues: At the Library

Hey, remember that time I had the Winter Blues? Well, the weather here in Colorado has been consistently lovely since then. No more blizzards or crazy ice storms. (I probably just jinxed it. Sorry.)

There have been a few days that have still been too cold for outside play, so Lucy and I decided to hang out at the local library.

She LOVES the library. Books everywhere, other kids to smile at, so many nooks and crannies to explore. It's basically Lucy's dream come true. We could have stayed all day. 

Our library even offers a little story / activity time for pre-walkers. I took Lucy a few months ago, but she was probably too young to really enjoy it. I think we'll try again as soon as she is feeling better :)

Sick Baby

Yesterday, I took Lucy's temperature to discover that she was running a high fever. The doctor thinks she has roseloa. Apparently, the fever lasts for a few days, and then a red rash takes its place. Poor baby :(

I thought being sick myself was bad. But that was before I became a mom. There is nothing worse than seeing my sick baby. Good thing it's the weekend, and we can snuggle in our pajamas all day. 

Wedding Weekend

 This past weekend, we were in Georgia for my brother's wedding. My father-in law took some pictures throughout the weekend if you'd like to see...

{Rehearsal Dinner at the Shotgun House in Athens, Georgia}

{Wedding Ceremony at Mt. Zion Church in Sparta, Georgia} 

I love my family. I love to see it grow. I love my new sister-in-law and my two little nieces. My heart is so full. 

Congratulations to John and Paige! Love, Morgan, Lauren, and Lucy

Pizza and Pears

Many people have asked me what Lucy eats. I think the more appropriate question would be, what doesn't she eat?

{Lucy enjoying her lunch of pizza and pears}

These days Lucy eats pretty much anything we eat. At meal time, we just let her sample a little bit of everything on our plates. Sometimes she likes what we're having, and sometimes she doesn't. For example, the other day I didn't have time to make dinner, so we ate at Whole Foods while we were there picking up some groceries. I let her try some of my spicy chicken curry, and she did not like it at all. It was so spicy that it made her cry, and I felt like a jerk for feeding it to her in the first place. But then, we were at a sushi place the other day, and she had a little miso soup with tofu. I didn't think she would like it at all, but she loved it. 

It's fun giving her new foods and watching for her reaction. I am impressed by her bravery. She will taste anything once, and sometimes, we can sneak foods she doesn't like into other foods that she does like. For example, she still does not like banana, which I find baffling. However, if I sneak a tiny piece of banana into some yogurt, she will eat it right up. Sneaky mama. 

10 Months

Lucy Jane is 10 months old! She is such a dynamic little person. It's hard to remember life before she came along.

At 10 months...

- Lucy is walking all over the place... as long as she has something to hold on to.

- She can drink out of a cup with a straw all by herself.

- She can feed herself.

- At this point, she eats pretty much anything we eat.

- She has two bottom teeth, and she has one top tooth coming in.

- Last night, she had her very first hair cut. The mullet is gone. RIP, mullet.

As I write this, it is snowing. This weather will always remind me of the freak blizzard we had in May of last year, the day after we brought our Lucy girl home from the hospital. Temperatures had been in the seventies all week, and then, out of nowhere, it started to snow. We were so cozy, and I remember thinking that I was content to stay inside, cuddling my new little girl while the snow fell outside my window. 

Lucy,

We are so thankful for the way you are growing into such a happy, healthy little girl. You bring so much joy to our lives. We love you!