Teething is a messy business

Here is a little video of Lucy chewing on a teething biscuit ("mmmmm!" she exlaims) -- and throwing it on the floor. She also demonstrates her skills in clapping when she is asked "Are you happy?" (thanks to her Nonnie for teaching her that!) and waving "bye bye." My little genius :)

I had another bad cold this week so I sound very stuffy in the video. Lucy had a small cold, but it was accompanied by a cough that acted up at night. We are both on the upswing now, I think!

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving last year...

...and Thanksgiving this year!!! What a difference a year makes!

Lucy looking adorable in her dark purple party dress

Lucy and Daddy snuggling on Friday morning. Gee, I wonder who she gets her coloring from?

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We actually got to have two celebrations because we went to Jeff's parents' house last Sunday for dinner (see video below) and then we went to my parents' house on Cape Cod for dinner on Thursday. As many people know, Jeff and I are "mostly" vegetarian -- I eat fish but never eat meat, and Jeff occasionally eats meat when he is traveling. Both of us eat dairy and eggs. Anyway this means that on Thanksgiving...you guessed it...we eat Tofurkey! This was the second year that we have had it and we think it's pretty good. Maybe it's just because I haven't had meat in well over two years, but I really do think it tastes like turkey. At the very least, it is a decent substitute and it allows us to participate in the dinner without having to eat just mashed potatoes and green beans. Both our moms cooked the stuffing outside the turkey so we were able to eat that as well. We even had vegetarian gravy! After two meals and leftovers, though, I am ok with saying bye-bye to Tofurkey until next Thanksgiving. Maybe Lucy will try some then. This is not to say that she did not participate in the meals this year, though -- she LOVED stuffing and ate all the little stuffing balls that I put on her tray. I joked that I should start making her Stovetop stuffing for dinner -- pretty funny in light of the fact that most of her food is homemade and organic. For now it is, anyway!

Lucy looked soooo pretty in the "party dress" I bought for her to wear on Thanksgiving day. It is dark purple velvet on the top and a lighter purple taffeta on the bottom, with some flowers at the waist. It came with velvet bloomers as well. The dress is size 12 months so it was a little big on her but it looked fine -- except for the bloomers, which were WAY too big and as a result were quite visible under the hemline of the dress. Her new patent leather mary janes were also a bit big, as were her coordinating tights. Oh, well! She looked adorable anyway. I will have her pictures taken wearing this dress when she turns one, though I think I will dispense with the bloomers, tights, and shoes and opt for just Lucy and the dress and her bare little legs...oh and maybe a hair bow :)

I cannot help but think of all the things I am thankful for this year...there are so many! Actually, the things I am most thanful for are not "things" at all.

I am thankful, most of all, for my wonderful family...

For my beautiful daughter, who is truly a miraculous gift from God

For my amazing and loving husband, who is the best companion for me and THE BEST father to Lucy that I ever could have hoped for

For my parents and Jeff's parents, who showed us how to be marvelous parents and who shower Lucy with their affections

For my grandparents, who are experiencing so much joy in being a part of their great-granddaughter's life

For the rest of our families and friends...for our health...

We are truly blessed!

Pigtails :)

Lucy looks so cute in her pigtails today, I just had to post a picture...

Look Who's Talking...

I should also call this post "Guess Who's Walking?" because Lucy Elise took her first two unassisted steps last Friday, Nov. 17! In this little video she is taking some steps but is holding on to the crib rail...mostly she's just doing a lot of chattering!

Enjoy, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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Lucy's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

We went to Lucy's Grammy and Popi's house today for a (pre)Thanksgiving dinner. Here is some video of Lucy sitting in her daddy's old high chair enjoying her new reindeer toy! (Press the right arrow to play.)

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Little Patriot

We saw a few babies out last Sunday with little Pats jerseys on and Jeff said he really wanted to get one for Lucy. Well, wouldn't you know it, the very next day I found one...in T.J. Maxx! It is a size 2T so it's a little bit big but not too bad. And it's a #12 Brady jersey -- my little girl is already showing great taste in men!

Haircut!

We took Lucy for her first haircut last Friday, Nov. 3. The baby mullet/rat tail was just getting WAY too long and was starting to look like we intended for her to have it. So, off we went to "Snip-Its," which is a kids' hair salon. I felt better about the process knowing that it was being handled by a professional...Jeff and I both knew that if we cut it ourselves, I would either blame myself or him if it came out wrong. Lucy looked sooooo cute sitting in the chair. She even had the little smock on like she was a grown-up at a salon :) It took all of about 30 seconds for the stylist to clip off the back and a little bit off the sides. We did not let her touch the top at all -- we didn't even let her undo Lucy's ponytail. We just love her little moptop so much and did not want it cut! They put the mullet pieces into a little plastic bag and attached it to a "Certificate of Bravery" so that we have a momento for her baby book.

We are very happy with the result of the haircut. I think it actually makes her look more "baby-ish" because the back of her hair is now even and short like a 9-month-old's should be and not like a Whitesnake fan from the 80's.

Our little ladybug

Well, "Lucy the Ladybug" certainly did have a very full Halloween "season"...here is what we did:

• "Photo shoot" at home in her costume to get picture for her Halloween cards
  
• Party at Jeff's office on Friday
  
• Party at her friend Dylan's house on Sunday
• Party at her daycare on Halloween (Tuesday)
  
• Walk around our neighborhood on Halloween

Our walk around the neighborhood was very cool -- they do it up huge on one of the streets nearby and all of the houses get into the action. One of the houses was made up to look like a big haunted pirate ship. It was really amazing! There were kids and parents everywhere. At that point, Lucy was pretty much "all Halloweened out" -- but I think next year she'll get a real kick out of it all!! I was so glad to see that Halloween still "exists" for the kiddies -- I was afraid that trick-or-treating went away amongst fears of poisoned candy and razor blades (I know that all of that stuff is pretty urban myth anyway, but it seems that people still buy into it). It feels like we live in such a changed world from when I was little that I was glad to see that something so fun and magical still exists. I have such fond childhood memories of Halloween and am so happy that Lucy will have them someday, too!

Lucy's hair

What started as a bit of a little "tail" of hair at the base of Lucy's scalp has developed into a full-on baby mullet! I know I should cut it so that it looks more uniform in the back, but I am hesistant to cut off the hair she was born with. This may sound silly, but I am a very sentimental person. I know I will have to cut it eventually so I should just get it over with I suppose. Whenever the first haircut happens, I will take some pictures, save the hair, etc. so that it feels like a little milestone -- maybe that will make it easier on me.

One definite advantage of her longer locks is that I can give her cute hairstyles. I know that I will still be able to do this after the back is trimmed because we want to keep the top "as is" -- Jeff and I love her mop top and don't want to cut it off by any means. I am posting some pictures of Lucy's various hairdos as well as some shots of the baby mullet. What do people think? Leave it for now or cut it off? I really need some input!!

Finally, a tooth!

Lucy finally cut her first tooth on Oct. 17 -- two days shy of her 9 month "birthday." That makes her a pretty late teether! Of course, being the worry-wart that I am, I had come up with all sorts of things in my mind that could have been wrong with her as the reason for no teeth. Silly, I know! And the internet is VERY bad for situations like this because, well, there is just way too much information out there. Honestly, I looked up "late teething" and saw that it could occur in children with rickets -- so immediately I thought she must have rickets! Anyway in my heart I knew that she was ok and that she would teeth eventually but, still, worry I did! Now I am sure I am going to be in the realm of "be careful what you wish for" because I am sure we have some painful days ahead (and not just for her...she may bite me when she nurses!) I wish I had a picture of the tooth to post but she won't let me get anywhere near her mouth to take one...maybe I will get one soon!

Lucy's world

Here are a few pictures of Lucy's room!

The latest fall fashion...

Look at our silly girl...perhaps we can start a new trend in baby carriers!

Me and my Swiffers

Ok, time for a post that is not all about Lucy! Sadly, I recently realized that I own almost every product made by Swiffer. I think it's what they call the "Swiffer Family of Products." The only thing I am missing is the Swiffer CarpetFlick. I really should get that as well. Here are my Swiffer products, proudly pictured. From left to right:

Swiffer Sweeper (circa 1999 I think -- an antique Swiffer); the Swiffer Duster (just back from a mission to the ceiling fan in my bedroom -- it deserves the Medal of Honor); the Swiffer WetJet (I have cleaning solutions for both bathroom and hardwood floors); and the Swiffer Sweep+Vac.

I am sure that eventually I will discover that Swiffer is owned by a tobacco or fast food company and I will be forced to stop buying their products. Until that time, I clean blissfully unaware.

Lucy's baptism

Lucy was baptised last Sunday, September 17, at Grace Episcopal Church in Newton. It was a wonderful ceremony -- very spiritual and meaningful. Everyone at the church was so nice and welcoming to us and they loved meeting Lucy! She was a good girl for most of the service -- she started to cry when the baptism part of it began, of course! But she was just bored and the minute she spotted the other baby being baptised, she quieted down and started smiling :) She looked so beautiful in her long white dress and her hat. After the service, there was a little reception at the church (which is where everyone greeted her). It was so cute to see her crawling around on the floor (well, trying to crawl -- it was tough to do with the dress!) and playing with the children. After the church we came back to our place to have a little party. I kept it very small, with just our parents and Lucy's Godparents (my friend Laura and Jeff's brother Kevin, plus Laura's husband J.R.) in attendance. I changed her into a yellow dress with smocking -- there were duckies sewn into the smocking, which matched the ducky bracelet from her Grammy and Popi that she wore for the first time that day. I decorated the house with all yellow and pink flowers and even tied yellow gingham ribbons around the champagne flutes! I love doing things like that and it is all the more meaningful to do it for my daughter. We took lots of pictures, of course (and J.R. kindly got the whole thing on video). I am really glad we waited to baptise her at 8 months -- it wasn't intentional really, but it worked out so well because she was so alert and seemed to really enjoy her special day!

Lucy the World Traveler

Jeff, Lucy and I traveled to Scotland from August 29 - September 6! It was Lucy's first trip abroad and she did amazingly well. She slept on the plane almost the entire way over, which was a great relief to us. She even got a stamp in her adorable little passport - the first of many, we hope!

We spent the first two nights of the trip in Edinburgh, visiting sights such as Edinburgh Castle, the Scotch Whisky Heritage Center, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It was my third visit to Edinburgh and it was so much fun to be there with Jeff and Lucy. It is beautiful there and just amazing to see the castle sitting up on top of a hill right in the middle of it all. Lucy seemed to have a lot of fun looking at the sites. She loves people-watching, so that made it easy! I had bought some new fall clothes for her and had a lot of fun dressing her up in them for our days out.

After our visit to Edinburgh, we headed about an hour north to Pertshire and the town of New Scone, where we had rented a cottage for 5 nights. It was a perfect "homebase" for us as we explored the breathtaking countryside. We took a bunch of daytrips but tried not to do anything too far because we wanted to limit Lucy's time in the car. Most of our trips were less than an hour's drive, which worked out very well because she generally slept on the way to and from our destinations but was awake while we were visiting the sights. Among other places, we visited Scone Palace, Stirling Castle, St. Andrews, and the Glenturret Distillery (Scotland's oldest). The scenery was gorgeous everywhere - rolling hills, mountains, rivers, and lots and lots of sheep!!! Lucy really loved seeing all the animals. In addition to all the cool places we visited, we really enjoyed spending time together in the cottage. It was so nice to get away and be together for a week, no matter where we were!

We all had such a great time that we are already thinking about where we'll go next summer...France? Italy? Scandanavia?

A busy weekend!

This was a big "grandparent" weekend for our little family! It was Laura (Lucy's Godmother) and J.R.'s wedding on Saturday night, August 19. It was beautiful! Because I was a bridesmaid, we went to the rehearsal and dinner on Friday night. Jeff's parents (Lucy's Grammy & Popi) came to watch her while we went. She went with them to the playground at Pierce School and then was a very good girl, going to to sleep without too much fuss. We had a lot of fun at the rehearsal dinner and knew that Lucy was in very capable hands!

On Saturday, Lucy and Jeff dropped me off at Laura's sister Sarah's house in the morning so that I could get ready with the bridal party. Lucy loved seeing her Auntie Laura on her wedding day! Lucy and Jeff then spent a few hours together at home before my parents (Lucy's Nonna and Nonno) arrived from New York for grandparent shift #2. They had a great time with her while Jeff and I had a blast at the wedding. They said she took a bit more time to settle for the night, but being the little champ she is, Lucy rose to the occassion and went to sleep like a good girl. It was wonderful for me to have two nights out without a single worry. Thanks so much to all the grandparents!!!

On Sunday Lucy and I headed to Cape Cod with my parents to see my grandparents (Lucy's Greatnana and Greatpoppa). We took her to Smuggler's Beach in South Yarmouth in the early evening and had a great time. She loved sitting in the sand, watching the ocean, and dipping her feet in the water! On Sunday we drove along Route 6A on our way back to Boston and stopped at the Matakeese Wharf restaurant for lunch with a view of the harbor. Lucy was very well-behaved -- I think she is really getting the hang of eating out and sitting in a high chair.

One big "skill" (if we can call it that!) that Lucy learned this weekend is blowing raspberries non-stop for about 20 minutes at a clip. She has known how to blow them for a while, but now they are very loud and she gets her whole face into it and KEEPS doing it. It is absolutely hysterical but also sounds really rude, which I guess just makes it all the more funny!

It was a busy weekend with lots of changes in her routine, but my little Lulabella did so well! We're planning on a nice quiet week ahead so that she gets back on schedule...before we blow it all to heck with our trip to Scotland! Only one week from now!

Trip to New York

We went to New York this past weekend. We left after Lucy went to bed on Friday night, which actually worked out pretty well because she slept the entire car ride. On Saturday we went to New Canaan, CT for a memorial service for Jeff's great aunt who passed away in April at the age of 95. Although it was a memorial service is was really a celebration of her life and family. Everyone was so happy to meet Lucy and she was very well behaved throughout the service and the reception that followed it at the Darien Country Club.

We got a real thrill on Saturday afternoon when Lucy really started laughing for the first time. We had heard lot of giggles from her before, but on Saturday we got full-on belly laughs. It happened when my mom pulled out one of those party blower things. Well Miss Lucy thought it was just the funniest thing ever! Jeff was so happy to hear his little girl laughing that I think he almost cried :)

On Saturday night we went out to Legal Sea Foods in White Plains with my parents. Jeff's parents couldn't make it because Julie was sick...we really missed her! Lucy was again very well-behaved, though it was a bit hard for her to sit still in such a busy restaurant. We have found that a spoon has huge entertainment value so we let her play with one until it fell (inevitably) on the floor.

Lucy also had a great time playing in her little pool at my parents' house. She didn't love getting into it at first but once she was in she really seemed to enjoy splashing in the water and chasing after her little blue lobster wind-up toy! As always it was a great visit and Lucy was so lucky to see 5 of her grandparents (including her Greatgrandma) this weekend. She can't wait to see her Greatnana and Greatpoppa next weekend on Cape Cod!

New camera

It was my birthday on Tuesday, and Jeff's was last Friday. We gave each other a joint gift this year -- a new digital camera. Our old one still worked fine but the shutter reaction time was pretty slow, we got lots of red eye, etc. We take SO many pictures these days that we figured a new camera would come in handy. Today I am posting a few pictures I took of Lucy with it. I think they are pretty good!

Lucy tried greenbeans tonight for the first time and she LOVED them. She ate them all and was still hungry so she also had some avocado. I am making all of her baby food (except the cereals, which we buy prepared from Earth's Best Organics brand). I am using all organic fruits and vegetables and I feel really good about what she is eating. I am sure that some days she'll eat all sorts of junk and it will break my heart (...something along the lines of "How can you eat THAT? After I made you organic babyfood from scratch!), but for now I am glad I am getting her off to a good start and teaching her to like good, fresh, healthy foods. Now I really look forward to introducing new foods to her "lineup." So far we have oatmeal and multigrain cereal as well as sweet potatoes, avocado and now green beans. I think on Monday (after the 4 day waiting period that is supposed to follow any new food introduction) I will let her have either her first fruit (I know, avocado is a fruit, but it doesn't taste like one!) or I will introduce yogurt. It will be fun to give her yogurt with yummy things like banana and pears mixed in! Now if only I could make my diet as healthy as hers...

My little shopper!

This photo is so cute, I just had to post it! Lucy had a lot of fun yesterday goofing around with my little white handbag. I think I'll be in for some real trouble when she starts asking for a credit card...at age 4!

Still no teeth!

Heatwave

The temperature in Boston is over 100 degrees today! Very hot and humid so we're at home with the air conditioners blaring. Lucy is in her doorway jumper right now and loving it. We actually don't have the air conditioner on here in the office -- don't want to blow the circuit -- but it's ok for a few minutes.

We ventured over to Healthworks today. It's a very nice all-women gym that I am thinking of joining. The best part is that they provide babysitting for only $12 for 2.5 hours! I had tried to do "stroller fit" class with Lucy when she was younger but found that it was not at all relaxing to work out with her in tow. So Healthworks seems perfect. I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then checked on her before doing some weights -- then checked on her again before hitting the sauna and shower. When I went to pick her up she was sleeping so I treated myself to a veggie sandwich from the cafe before I got her. It was so nice!!

Lucy added sweet potatoes to her diet last week. They did not go over as well as oatmeal, which she loves, but still she eats them and it makes me feel good that she is getting the vitamins (of course, she is getting plenty of them from breastmilk still, but I am glad she is learning to eat good food). We went to her 6-month doctor's appointment on Monday and she "checked out" perfectly :) She is 27.5 inches (90th pecentile for her age!!) and 16 pounds, 14 ounces (75th percentile). I am so happy to know that I am raising a happy and healthy baby. They don't come with instuction manuals so really you just hope the doctor doesn't take one look at your baby and say "oh no, you're doing it all wrong!!"

Up and down she is jumping right now...she loves it! She is also blowing noises -- she takes the back of her hand and puts in front of her mouth, then pats her fingers make a "wuh wuh wuh" sound. It looks very cute when she does it! She is also still very fond of blowing raspberries with her tongue (even though she has moved on to bigger and better things).

Time to go seek some air conditioning!!