One more post for the day.

My favorite picture to date of Lucy:

and....

I found the sunhat!! It was twisted up in a similarly colored shirt in the laundry basket. Phew! Thank goodness!

warms the heart

Today Jon came home from a five day trip. Although it hasn't been his longest time away, this one felt like an eternity. When Lucy saw Jon poke his head in the backseat this afternoon, her face broke into the biggest happiest smile I have ever seen on that little girl! Those little moments just make my heart want to explode!

Lost...

Dear Pink Sunhat,

Please come out of hiding. I remember seeing you in our bedroom sometime last week. You are nowhere to be found now, and it's frustrating the daylights out of me. Lucy REALLY wants to go swimming tomorrow.

Love,
The Mom

Today Lucy and I were supposed to go to the pool with our new friends Liz and her daughter Sophie. Liz was going to call me when Sophie woke up from her nap, so I had some time to get everything ready for our excursion. We both had our swimsuits on, sunscreen applied, and bags packed. I went to grab the hat, and I could not find it ANYwhere! I tore the whole house apart, and nothing. It's like it just grew legs and walked out of our house! While I am searching the house for this stupid hat, Lucy fell asleep. Liz called, Sophie was awake, and now I had a sleeping child, so we decided to just scrap it. Hopefully I will have fresh eyes tomorrow and the hat will turn up.

Here's a picture of Lucy all dressed up and nowhere to go.. :(

Sleeping.

Lucy has never been a fan of sleep. We have succumbed to the world of Co-Sleeping. When I was pregnant with Lucy, I was completely against having her in our bed at night. My thought was that she would go to sleep in her crib around 7 at night and I would pick her up at 7 the next morning. I never thought I would be awake all night, every night for four months straight.

We have started a routine that begins around 6pm. She gets her Rice Cereal, then a bath with Johnson's Calming Wash, a massage with the Calming Lotion, and then it's bed time. This routine usually lasts around 2 hours. After she is good and sleepy, she moves in our bed. Why? Because it's easier. I will fully take the blame if she turns out weird, but for right now, I'm doing this to survive.

Instead of moving her into our bed tonight, she slept for a couple hours in the crib. She woke up and I tried to let her cry it out, but it just didn't happen. I caved and brought her into bed with me. She did something that shocked the heck out me! She rolled over on her tummy, pushed her torso up with her chubby little arms, and looked for me! I said, "No Lucy. It's bedtime now." And she turned her head and laid it down and fell back to sleep!

So I know she is capable of sleeping on her own. We are making progress!

germanfest 09

Yesterday we took Goose to her first festival! We went to Germanfest. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. We got there around 3 and stayed until almost 10! They had bands at 3 different stages playing polka music. Lucy was in the front pack most of the time, and she loved dancing with her dad. :)

Later in the evening they did an air show. One of Jon's favorite pilots, Shawn Tucker, was there with his by-plane (? I think I'm spelling that correctly) It was really neat seeing the planes do the flips, turns, and free falls in the air. There were a couple of really loud jets that zoomed by. Lucy and I hung out in the bathroom while those were going on. I don't think her little ears are quite ready for those big noises yet.

We got home, gave Lucy a bath, and hit the hay. I think all of that fresh air wore her out. I know I was tired!

4 months old!

Lucy is now 4 months old! We had her well-child check up this Wednesday, and here are her stats: 15.4 pounds and 25.5 inches long! She's growing like a weed. We're already in 6 month clothing now. It is really sad to put away all of the newborn, 0-3, 3-6 month clothing already. It just doesn't seem like she could have ever been that little!

We started with rice cereal last week. She does really well with the spoon. The first time was a bit messy and drawn out, but we're working on being quick and efficient! She is also rolling around a lot more now. When I lay her on the floor she will scoot around in a circle. It's so fun watching her realize that she can move.

I wish we could be closer to you all to share her! We love you!
Jon, Mary & Lucy Beth

about mommy..

This blog is about Lu, but I couldn't help but share my happy news! Throughout my pregnancy, I would step on the scale backwards at my monthly appointments. I didn't want my increasing weight to be a frustration or distraction from this process. I was blissfully unaware that I put on 65 pounds in those short 40 weeks until I went to the doctor last week. The nurse calmly said, "You do realize that you gained about twice the recommended weight, right?" :)

I am currently down 52 pounds from the day I delivered!!!!! I know that 7.5 of it was Goose, but still! 52 pounds! I have 13 to go until my pre-pregnancy weight, but I am going to try to loose another 20. Woo Hooo!!

friends...

We had a very nice surprise guest yesterday!! My friend Aileen and her husband, David drove through Milwaukee with their 2 month old little boy, Aiden!! It was SO nice to see them! Our visit was much too short, but it was great.

Aiden is such a sweet little boy. His hair is absolutely to die for!! Lucy kept looking at him while they were hanging out on the blanket. I'm sure she was thinking.. 'how can I get some of that hair?!?' Hopefully she'll catch up to Aiden someday!

It was so nice to get out of the house for dinner and conversation. Lucy and I have been laying low this week due to a mild case of mastitis. BOO!! This was a much welcomed break!

Come back soon, Aiden! Lucy misses you!

Question for the Veterans..

Lucy is starting to get mobile now. While making breakfast this morning, I laid her on the floor (on a blanket with toys and such) and within a few short minutes she had turned herself 90 degrees. I think she was trying to see the television because Veggie Tales was on this morning. :) She is also rolling onto her side, rolling from belly to back, and has very good head/neck control.

My question is this: Did you put your children on their tummies for naps/bedtime?

I am TERRIFIED of SIDS. The thought of it makes me literally go into a panic. We fell asleep on the couch together today, and she was laying on her stomach on my chest. We slept in a deep sleep for about two hours. Maybe the reason why she isn't sleeping well at night is because she isn't comfortable on her back?? Maybe I should try to put her on her stomach?

We have her appointment on the 22nd. I'll ask the pediatrician then, but I just wanted to get some input from all of you! :)

a real update

After looking through the blog, I realize I've been very lazy lately and only posting pictures! A lot has changed in the past couple of weeks! Lucy has found her feet! She was laying on Jon's lap about a week ago and she reached down and pulled them almost to her mouth! She's pretty flexible. They aren't as entertaining for her as I hoped they would be. She'll grab at them, but will not hold on to them.

Lucy has also figured out her Baby Einstein jumper! In the video below you can see her spin the frog. She also loves to "talk" to the flower and the sun. She's very vocal. Last night Jon and I had her in bed. We pretended to be asleep, and she babbled for about twenty minutes before she finally closed her eyes.

The one thing Miss Goose needs to work on is SLEEPING!!!! She does alright some nights, and then horrible the next. We just don't get it. I wish she was consistently doing one or the other so I could plan better! At 3.5 months old, she has already almost eliminated her morning nap. I was not aware that happened so quickly! She's full of surprises. She surprised me today by POUTING for the first time. I thought it was a fluke, but she stuck her little bottom lip out three different times. :( That is about enough to make my heart break!

We have her 4 month check up on the 22nd. I can't wait to see how much she has gained since her last appointment. It was just this week that I picked her up and actually though.. "OMG! You ARE getting heavy!!!!!"

It's very fun to watch her grow and develop her own personality. We just love her to pieces!

Hope all is well with everyone! We miss our families sooo much! Give yourself a hug from Jon and me!! :)

Love,
The Whittemores

PS: What post would be complete without pictures?? :)

she's growing!!!

It's crazy to see comparison shots like this. She's growing and changing so fast!