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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Today, my sweet Lucy girl is two years old, which she likes to tell anyone who asks. Words cannot express how profoundly this little person has changed our lives. Even at the age of two, Lucy is brave, adventurous, brilliant, and funny. She is deeply passionate and caring, qualities I believe she gets from her daddy. She has also inherited his easy laughter and love for people. I am so excited to watch her grow, to see the woman she will become, and I am honored that God has allowed me the privilege of being her mama. 


A while ago, I asked Lucy how she would like to celebrate her birthday. She informed me that she would like chocolate milk and pizza, and that she would like to go to the zoo. So, that's precisely what we did...



Chasing the peacocks... Flannery O'Connor would be proud.



On the merry-go-round! She loved it so much, that she cried when the ride was over.





Someone liked her cake.


Happy Birthday, Lucy! We love you so very much!


 P.S. Lucy's birth story... Can't believe this happened two years ago!

Saturday, April 25, 2015

25 Weeks... and a lot of heartburn.

I am very pregnant.



Lucy wanted to pose with me, but she did not understand that she was supposed to look into the mirror.



I am dressed up to go to a friend's baby shower. I do not dress this way every day. In fact, I have not worn real pants in about three months, and now I remember why. Putting (non-maternity) pants on while pregnant is like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube. There are some things that are just too much work. 

Baby Sister is approximately the size of a rutabaga, 1.7 pounds and 9 inches long. Her nostrils and vocals cords are developing... All the better for waking Mama up in the middle of the night for some milk. :) I have still been feeling pretty great, popping Tums every night to fight off that heartburn. I am trying to walk a lot, as that seemed to help with Lucy's labor and delivery. Thankfully, I don't have the back pain I suffered from with Lucy. That's a welcome bonus.



My friend Kelly gets into town today, and I can't wait to see her! She is pregnant with her first little one, a boy, and I am sure our time together will involve a lot of "shop talk" regarding Snoogles and maternity clothes and how much we miss wine.





Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Big Girl Bed

Lucy has started sleeping in a big girl bed. How is this even possible?


Morning hair...


Little monkey jumping on the bed...


As with every transition, we took cues from Lucy to make sure that she was ready before we moved her from her crib and into a big girl bed. The very first night we tried it, she kept getting out and playing with her toys, so we just plopped her back in her crib. The second night we tried it, we only had to put her back in bed once or twice before she fell fast asleep. The third night, she went right to bed without getting up once. And it's been pretty much the same for nap times, too.

Before making the switch, I talked with other moms and was given this very helpful advice...

- Keep the crib in the room, just in case. We gave Lucy the choice to sleep in her crib or her big girl bed. Guess which one she chose! Rather than forcing the transition, it was nice to allow her to make the decision herself. 

- Transition slowly by starting with just naps or just bed times in the big kid bed. We decided to do bed time first, since that's usually when Lucy is more tired and less likely to get up and play. When she did so well at bed time, we tried putting her down in her big girl bed for nap time, too. Since she was already used to it, she did pretty well! 

- If possible, wait until child expresses an interest. Lucy has been obsessed with big kid beds for months. Every time we go to friends' houses, she climbs into her friends' big kid beds and pretends to go to sleep. When we went to Ikea, she spent at least an hour in the children's section, trying out all the different toddler beds. 

- Make it fun. We let Lucy help pick out her big girl bed, as well as some new bedding. We let her decide which stuffed animals / toys she wanted to have in her bed with her. This helped her feel involved in the process and made it fun for her, too. 


As easy as it was for Lucy to make the transition, it was actually much more difficult for me. I thought it would take months for her to adjust to a big girl bed. I did not expect the transition to happen so immediately, for her to sleep through the night and wake up at her usual time with no tears or fuss. It made me realize how grown-up she is, that she is not a baby any more. Obviously, I am so proud of her, and I am thankful for her independent spirit, but at the same time, the sight of that empty crib just brings tears to my eyes. Kleenex, please. 



24 Weeks



At 24 weeks, Baby Girl is about the size of an eggplant, 1.5 lbs. and 8.5 inches long. I feel like my bump is HUGE compared to this same time in my pregnancy with Lucy. Maybe you can't tell the difference, but I certainly can. Baby Sister loves to move around in the evenings before bed. It feels like she's doing somersaults. M has even felt her kick once or twice. 

I am starting to feel overwhelmed when I think about everything going on between now and Baby Girl's arrival. Most of these things are unrelated to Baby - M's school schedule, our summer plans, potty-training Lucy. I am so excited for Baby Sister to arrive, for life to slow down as we adjust to becoming a family of four. 


On another note, Lucy has officially made the transition from crib to big girl bed! More on that in another post.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

22 Weeks

Here we are at Week 22! I decided to snap a bump photo while I was dressed up for Easter Sunday, wearing something other than black leggings...




At 22 weeks, Baby Girl is about the size of a spaghetti squash, 1 lb. and 8 inches long. Can't believe we are already in the pounds! She now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and probably even some hair on her head. Judging from the way my heartburn has been picking up this week, I'd say there's a good chance she'll be born with a head full of hair, just like her sister. 

I am starting to feel much pregnant-er. I have a really hard time bending over to pick things up, and my feet are starting to disappear. Goodbye, toes. See you in August!


Happy Easter!

Last Easter, I was in the hospital, and the year before last, I was heavily pregnant with Lucy. This Easter was significantly better. We had breakfast, and Lucy broke into her Easter basket. Then we went to church to worship our risen Savior. After church, we had lunch with some of our dear Denver friends. There was even a little Easter egg hunt for the kiddos. Lucy had the best time hunting eggs. I think she is a natural...


Lucy and her sweet friend, Gretchen





And... distracted by the fun ride.








All that egg hunting can really wear a person out...


Happy Easter!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today! Alleluia!


Friday, April 3, 2015

Friends Come to Town

This past week, we enjoyed a visit from our good friends Bonne, Kyle, and Ezra. Lucy loved little Ezra so much, and we got a nice little preview of how she will handle a younger sibling...



Unsurprisingly, Lucy was quite bossy. She took it upon herself to make sure that Ezra did not climb on the dog beds, telling him "No!", as if she were a little mama. Also, she could not pronounce his name, so she took to calling him "Engine". Not sure how she got "Engine" from Ezra, but OK. She also seemed very territorial at first, and she did not like the fact that Ezra got to sit in her Bumbo seat or play with her toy kitchen.

By the time our friends had to leave, Lucy was very attached to "Engine". She called him "cute" and gave him lots of hugs and head pats. She was also much better about sharing toys by the end of the visit. I think she was actually sad to see him go.


By the time Ezra had to leave, they were basically best friends!

It was so much fun watching Lucy and Ezra interact, and we so enjoyed having our friends in town! Now that Lucy has had some practice being a big sister, I think she might be ready for Baby Sister's arrival.

Happy Good Friday!