Mally's Birthday

Mally's Birth Story

We had scheduled our induction date for Monday, 12/20 at 6am. Everything was set. My mom drove up on the Wednesday night prior, Jon was off of work, and I was more than ready to be done being pregnant for awhile. On Saturday, we had a full day of running errands and spending the day together. That night, Lucy got sick, but we thought it was just something she ate. She felt better the next day, so we didn't think anything of it. 

Sunday night was a restless night. I was too excited to sleep, and something just didn't feel right. At 3am, I started having the same symptoms that Lucy had.... it was the stomach flu. GROSS! I debated whether or not I could fake it, and have them continue with the induction or cancel it all together. After about an hour, I called the doctor on call and canceled. I spent the morning in bed, and was later joined by Jon, who also came down with it later in the afternoon. Thankfully my mom was here to take care of Lucy because we were both out of commission!

That night, I realized I hadn't felt Mally move all day. After calling the birthing center and talking with them about it, we decided to brave the snow and head to the hospital to get monitored. Everything checked out fine, and they determined the mild contractions I was having to being so dehydrated from the flu. We listened to the sweet sound of the heart beat and ate ice chips for about an hour, and then headed home for the night. 

The next morning, Jon woke up with Lucy and they played in the living room. I was laying in bed watching the clock... every ten minutes.... every eight minutes... every seven minutes. The contractions were getting closer together and very strong. Jon came in to get a quick snooze, and I took a shower. As soon as I got out of the shower, I told him to get the bags in the van. We were going. 

On the way to the hospital, the contractions were getting very close. They were coming strong every three to four minutes. We cranked up the radio and I tried to sing through them, but it just wasn't working. The only song I remember singing was Starship's Build This Dream Together song from the 80s movie Mannequin. 

We got to the hospital, whisked up to the birthing center, and hooked up to the monitors in a flash! As soon as I laid down, they checked me, and I was 6cm and fully effaced. They said they weren't sure if I had time for an epidural, but thankfully the anesthesiologist was an angel and hurried right on up to our room. The epidural numbed my belly, but not much of anything else.

The next time the nurse checked me, she paged the doctor, and it was time to push. About ten long, agonizing minutes later, we heard Mallory Mae's little cry and she was born! She looked so perfect!! Everything happened so fast, it was kind of surreal to see her for the first time. There is nothing quite like that moment when you meet the person you've become so close to for the past 39 weeks. Amazing. 

She is here!

After canceling the induction on 12/20 due to the nasty stomach flu, she decided to come on her own the very next day. I was fortunate enough to labor at home all morning and still get to the hospital just in time for her birth. She has the sweetest little face, the cutest little nose, and the longest fingers and toes of any baby I have ever seen. We are so blessed!

A hat a day..

I am crocheting a hat a day for Mally Mae. I am so anxious to get things moving and to meet this little child that is pushing my ribs apart.

During these last few days as a family of three, I can't help but think about how our family is going to change so much when Mallory is born. I think I am equal parts excited and nervous to bring her home. Will she be like Lucy? Will she be an easy baby?? Will Lucy have a hard time accepting her? There are just so many questions that can't be answered until she's here and settled in our house.

Hurry up, Mally!

Winter wonderland

It started snowing during Lucy's nap yesterday. Jon and I thought it was a good idea to have her really play in the snow for the first time. Last year, she was just too little to be out in it. When she woke up, we began the process of bundling her up. The snow pants, snow boots, fleece, big puffy jacket, scarf, hat, AND mittens all took awhile to get on, but I think she stayed warm.  We got her outside, and the wind blew some snow in her face. She was DONE. I don't blame her. Jon and I are both not fans of this nasty white stuff...  After a few minutes outside, we were all back inside peeling the layers of clothing off. It was worth a shot..

The suspense! Oh, the suspense!

It's killing me!!!

We have our induction date set for 12/20 at 6:00am (they moved the time up an hour), but at our last appointment I was dilated 3cms and was told.. "any day now..." by the doctor. "Any day now" would be fine if Jon was home, or at least in the same time zone!

Will she come early?? Will she wait until the 20th?? Will I loose my mind trying to predict this???

Three cheers!!!

We went to the doctor today, and I am 3 cms dilated!! Wooo Hooo!!!

Any day now.....

She loves her pockets!

Lucy stocked up at the Kohl's Black Friday sale this year! After yet another growth spurt, we needed to get our 20 month old some 3T clothing. All of her shirts were beginning to look like belly shirts, and her pants were high waters. We solved that little problem with some super cute clothes at a super great price! I love when we save more than we spend in a transaction... ahhh... such a good feeling!

Her favorite items we bought her her two hoodies. Jon showed her how to put her hands in her pockets, and that was all she wanted to do! It was so funny to see her walk around the house with her little hands tucked in her sweat shirt. I think we might need to run back and get the other two prints they had. I can already tell I'll be washing these constantly...

Lucy's vocabulary is exploding more and more every day. It's rarely quiet in this house, and I love it. She is linking words together to form 3-4 word sentences already! It's nice to be able to communicate with her a little bit more effectively.

Jon was home during the week of Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful week for sure! After being gone nearly all of the month, it was so refreshing to see his face every morning and every night. Lucy was loving every minute of having both of us home. Today is his first day back at work, and she keeps finding things that belong to Jon and putting them by the door to the garage for when he gets home. So far, her collection includes a baseball hat, one sneaker, and a dirty sock from the laundry.

While Jon was home, we were able to get so much done for Mally's arrival. I can comfortably say that if I went into labor right now (hopefully not until 12/20), we'd be ready to go!

36 weeks... 19 days to go!

We are 36 weeks! I have a countdown on our family fridge calendar, and we are only 19 days away from meeting little Mally. I can't even describe how excited, anxious, nervous, and thrilled I am to have two little girls soon.

I think because this is our second rodeo, I am more prepared for the birth and her homecoming. It seemed with Goose, I was worried about things that really didn't matter. Hopefully Mally's transition to the house will be easier and less stressful!

Mally has been spending the last few days tossing and turning from side to side. Sometimes I think my water will break when she moves with such force. I have an appointment on Friday, and it will be interesting to see if all the contractions have led to any further dilation... it's getting closer!

The crunch heard around the world...

This past Tuesday was horrible. We were deep cleaning and rearranging the living room for Mally's arrival, and Lucy was playing and climbing on the scattered furniture. She was walking past the coffee table, tripped on the leg, and face planted right into the corner of the wooden glider rocking chair. Jon and I both heard a crunching sound when she hit.

I picked her up, and she was stiff as a board and shaking. It immediately started swelling and turning an array of nasty colors. We put shoes on and left for Urgent Care (because of course nothing like this can happen during your pediatrician's office hours, right??).

After xraying her sweet little face, they said that it wasn't broken, just bruised and swollen. We took her home, gave her Tylenol and watched her like a hawk. The UC doctor said to follow up with her pediatrician on Friday (today).

We just got back from the follow up appointment, and everything looks great. Her septum is straight! Had it been crooked, she would have had to have been put under and had it reset. THANKFULLY that is not the case! For now, it just looks like she's been in a a UFC cage match, but it's getting better every day.

birthday fun

The big 2-7! The birthday excitement started early with Goose. Never a dull moment in the morning at our house!

Mally Mae

We had our 32 week appointment this week, and everything looks great. She is measuring a week ahead of schedule, but the doc wasn't too concerned about that. So.. if everything goes as planned, we should be inducing on 12/20! :) I like that birthday - 12/20/10... it has a nice look to it.

hats, hats, hats, hats

 I have been knitting up a storm! So far, I've made ten hats, and there's no sign of stopping just yet. Last week at Michael's, Lucy picked out these lovely colors for her hat. What's cuter than an 18 month old in a pink/purple hat with a huge pom pom??? A NEWBORN with a pink/purple hat with a huge pom pom. So, Mally and Lucy will be sporting matching hats this winter. Be on the lookout for a seriously cute Christmas card picture in December. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Skin

I usually don't talk about products on the blog, but I am so amazed at how much Lucy's skin has changed in the past two weeks, that I HAVE to say something!

Lucy had really bad eczema when she was little. We were very diligent with the nightly routine of Aquaphor and hydrocortizone cream. It was manageable, and went from small spots to completely gone by the time of her first birthday. Then I started using Johnson and Johnson Bedtime Lotion for her nightly rub downs, thinking that it would help her sleep better.

We used the whole line... the shampoo, body wash, lotion, and sometimes even the massaging gel. I loved the way she smelled, and she was sleeping longer stretches. One night after her bath, Jon brought her out to me and asked if I had noticed a small bump on Lucy's chest. I had not noticed it before, so of course I freaked out. Thankfully she had her 15 month appointment the very next day, so we asked about it then. We were told that it was probably a benign breast bud, but to watch it. (I hate that phrase: "watch it")

We watched, and didn't notice any difference. We took her to her 18 month appointment, and asked her new pediatrician what she thought. She asked if were using any lavender lotions on her. Of course! Hello! They help babies sleep better at night! Well, they can also cause breast buds in babies.

We stopped using the lavender lotions/bath/shampoo and switched to a generic form of Aveeno baby wash. The swelling is completely gone! Within weeks! I'm not sure the science behind it all, but it is definitely something that we will not be using again in our house.

31 weeks with Mallory Mae

We are nearing the end, folks! I am officially the size of a house. Little Mally isn't so little anymore, and her movements are starting to be quite obvious from the outside. Some days it looks like she's trying to squirm her way out of my belly button. Can't wait to meet her! She is feisty already!

Lucy is becoming more aware of the little being in the belly that is going to shake up her world. She is usually pretty sweet when asked about Mally, and will point to my belly or lovingly pat it. Lately though, if she is sitting on my lap and Mally starts moving, Lucy will either push back at her or tell her to "STOP!"

There is still some confusion on my actual due date, so she could arrive anytime between 12/4 and 12/27. I wouldn't mind this at all if I didn't have to orchestrate everything perfectly and arrange for my mom to be up here to watch Lucy and Jon, of course, to be in the same time zone. Cross your fingers everything lines up! I don't want to have Lucy in the delivery room as my coach.....

hodge podge of happenings

• For the last week, we have been battling sickness at our house. Unfortunately, Lucy came down with a nasty cold last week, and it's still going! I am debating on whether to take her in or not tomorrow to see if she has a sinus/ear infection or if it is just that nasty of a bug. She has off/on fevers and a constant stream of mucus pouring out of her nose. Poor thing. The only bright side to all of this is that it's not December and I don't have to worry about her sharing her germs with Mally.

• Mally: Growing and getting stronger every. single. day! Sometimes I wonder if I have three or four babies taking up residence in my abdomen, but I was assured at this week's appointment that she is a one and only. Mallory is quickly becoming just Mally. I really like that nick name. My favorite part of the day with Mally is after Lucy goes to bed. I'm not sure if she feels safer without all the extra noise, but she is in constant motion for about an hour when it's all quiet. I forgot how fun it is to watch your belly contort and move with every roll, punch, and kick. We just love her already!

• Jon is working like crazy right now. We are on day 9 of his trip and we are VERY excited to see him for about 12 hours tomorrow night for supper and bed time. He has a big hunting trip out west this weekend that he's so graciously invited his girls to join in on! We will be leaving Friday after he gets home from work and not returning until Sunday or Monday... hopefully with a deer! He will be hunting on private land this weekend so I'm hoping his chances will be better than the DNR land around here. Cross your fingers! 

• I am obsessed with my new knitting looms. I went to a craft show late last month, and one of the vendors had hundreds of hats. I talked to her about how long it takes her to finish one, and she said she can get one done in 30 minutes. I'm finding that hard to believe since it takes me two solid nights and one afternoon nap to get one finished.I'm really enjoying the process though. I have a feeling everyone will be receiving hats in their stockings this holiday season.

temporary houseguest

Our good friend's dog Charlie is staying with us for six days. Lucy has taken quite a liking to this guy, and is rarely seen without him. It *almost* makes me want to have a dog again.

He is very sweet with Lucy and very tolerant of all of the fairy playing and block stacking that happens on his back. Today I caught her trying to count his teeth. I was pretty taken aback when I saw her little hands in his big mouth, but Charlie just licked her.

Everything is more interesting with him around. Meal times last longer because of all of the food throwing. She will feed him anything off of her plate followed by an enthusiastic "YUMMMMMMMMMMM!" when he eats it. The novelty of that has just not worn off! Bed times are hilarious. Charlie likes to law right by Lucy's crib. For close to an hour all I hear is, "Goooood boooooooooy..... Char yeee? Char yeee....." and on and on and on.

Tomorrow is our last full day with this gem of a canine. He will be missed! I think he will be on the play date rotation for quite some time.

movement

Feeling fetal movement just never gets old. Mallory has been exceptionally active the last month or so. I love watching her roll from side to side and try to get comfortable. It's just amazing!

Lucy is becoming more aware of her sister's gymnastics too. She loves to snuggle after nap times, and if she's laying on my belly, she's sure to get jabbed. Lucy usually just pushes back.... I'm not expecting anything different after Mally is born.

Only 12 more weeks!

A FUN Day!

Today was a super fun day. We had our first Kindermusik class in the morning. Jon was able to come with, so Lucy got to have both of us there! We learned about singing high and low and actions to both. There are six other kids in the class that range from 18 months to 3 years. Everyone was pretty well behaved and followed directions, and then there was Lucy. Lucy preferred to be in the middle of all the action, dancing and twirling. It was so fun to see her express herself.

After a quick lunch, we went to Madison to see our friends and have a play date at the Madison Children's Museum. It was the coolest place EVER! There was so much to see and do. We were there for about three hours, and it felt like 30 minutes. Lucy and Ella loved the fish pond the most.

It was such a beautiful day!

she knows...

Lucy has this amazing ability to know when we have something to do. On a typical day at the Whittemore house her naps usually last 1-2 hours, but never any longer than that. On the days that we have to be somewhere in the afternoon, like to the airport to pick up Jon, she will take her sweet time waking up. She took a three hour nap during this picture shoot! I couldn't believe it! Stinker!

Mally's quilt top

Lucy and I made a trip to our favorite store today, Ben Franklin Crafts. That is the best store ever! They have an amazing fabric and yarn selection and they are always  willing to help. LOVE them. Anyway, after browsing through all of the aisles and hearing "pretty!" from Goose in the cart, I found this gem in the fabric department. Precut 5x5 inch squares of super cute fabric for $9! We couldn't pass it up. I thought I would just do a simple nine patch, but after talking to my mom, we decided to do the disappearing nine patch. I'm so proud of how the corners lined up. I do have one flaw in the top, but considering its busyness, I'm sure no one will notice. (at least I hope not!) I'm not sure what I will back it with yet. I'm thinking a light yellow....

Concert

Last week I won tickets to a concert. It was the 1990s boy band Hanson! It just so happened to coincide with Jon's day off, so I called my friend Kate and we were off. Lucy stayed at home with Jon and I hit the town. It was so nice to get out of the house and do something with other adults. I hope we can find a sitter soon so we can both go out at the same time!

Throughout the whole show, I was wondering how Lucy was doing. It was the first night of the bedtime routine without me. I was confident in Jon's abilities, but it was still rough. It was a piece of cake for Goose! When I got home at midnight everyone was snug in their own beds snoring up a storm.

Breaking News....

LUCY

PEED

IN

THE

POTTY!!!!

This might just be my favorite day ever! We got up and talked about potty use, and she actually went! She did it!! She did it!! She did it!! I am quite the proud mom today, and if I wasn't so short on time leaving the house this morning, I might have painted a HUGE sign to hang on our house that says.. "EVERY Whittemore in THIS house knows how to use the BIG GIRL POTTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

(not even kidding...)

Update on the girls...

Lucy got a very special package in the mail last week! It was a package of goodies from her cousin Lizzie! There were several frilly dresses and a great mix of books and toys. We spent all afternoon ooooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the items. This dress was Lucy's favorite. She stood in front of the mirror and twirled for the better part of the afternoon. She is just the best!

She is getting quite the vocabulary. She will tell you what she wants and expects immediate gratification. Her latest words have been: "I know, I know" (when I tell her to be careful), and "MINE!!" The last word could have waited a few more months, but she picked up on that one right away.

Mallory is continuing to grow and grow. She is making herself known by more powerful kicks and punches. It still amazes me that there is another life inside of me. We have an appointment on Wednesday, and I'm eager to hear her little heart beat again and get a definite due date! According to my last ultrasound, I am around 20 weeks, and she'll be here around Christmas!

Introducing...... Mallory Mae!

Lucy is going to be a big sister to a little sister! :) 

Fun with Ella

We had a full day. We started off the morning at Lake Mills Art Festival. It's a juried show, so they had some really great stuff. I walked away with a very cool, light pink stone ring. Lucy had so much fun listening to the live jazz band and pretending to drum with the sticks she found in the park. I can't believe I forgot my camera! I could have gotten some great shots of her dancing to the band. Darn it!

After the fair, we came home to nap and cool down. It was nearly 90 degrees and painfully hot. After naps, we packed up and headed to Cottage Grove to see our friends, Paul and Jenne. They have two little girls who are 2 and 3 months. They are the ages that our kids will be in a few short months. It was interesting to see the dynamic in their household with the new baby and a two year old. Ella is a great big sister, and Chloe is a fantastic baby. Lucy did great with the baby too! She remembered her "gentle touches" and minded Chloe's "eyeshhhh" (eyes).

The kids played for almost six hours. We put a very sleepy Goose in the car and headed home around 9. She transferred from car to crib beautifully, and I'm hoping for a long quiet night.

Dinnertime silliness

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Rockin' the lake

Yesterday our friends, the Mutchelknaus's, invited us to a day on Rock Lake. We had so much fun. Lucy took to the water like it was nothing! Jon splashed around with her for nearly three hours while the baby and I rested in a shady spot. It was the perfect day. Now that we know there is such a clean lake close by, I think we will be regulars there until it freezes over this winter.

I have been having some anxiety over not feeling this baby as much as I did Lucy. When I was carrying Lucy, there would be days where I would be physically exhausted from all of her rolls, punches, and jabs. I know I'm only 19 weeks with this one, but I haven't been feeling regular movements yet. While we were at the lake yesterday, I felt at least three good rolls and a couple jabs. What a relief!

We have our ultrasound on Wednesday! We'll find out if we have a Henry or a ??? (girl's name is still TBD)

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Whittemore Family Vacation 2010

We just got back from five days in the untamed wilds of Alaska. It was so nice to get away from the daily grind, and see some new country. It was a short trip because the first and last days were spent on the plane, but we made the best out of the three we had there.

My favorite thing that we did was hiked up the side of a mountain to look at the Exit Glacier near Seward. It was amazing to see how far the glacier had receded over the years. They marked the path with dated plaques to show the melting.

Lucy got to spend some quality time with her cousins, Vance and Leah. They were awesome with her, and always willing to help. It was fabulous having two 10 year olds around! We miss them already!

Neglectful blogger returns...

Since the last post (a million years ago) a lot has happened. When Lucy does something cool, I always tell myself to remember to blog about it, but I just do not have the energy to sit at the computer at night. This pregnancy has been so different from the last. It may just because I'm chasing an ornery 15 month old around, but I am exhausted! Thankfully Lucy has been a champion napper and sleeping for an hour and a half during the day. It doesn't sound like much, but it's a big improvement from before.

Lucy has a whoppin' 22 word vocabulary right now, and is learning (mimicking) new words every day. She has a funny little voice with funny little facial expressions, and it makes it so hard not to crack up when she answers you. Her favorite words are: tickle, hot dog, ischeeeeee (popsicle), go!, and dada. We had her 15 month check up today, and she is in the 94% for height and the 44% for weight.








It was a sad day at the pediatrician. We had to say good bye to our favorite doctor and nurse, Dr. Franke, and Karen. Since we moved out to the country, it was just too hard to keep doctoring over an hour away. We will miss them so much! Those two ladies got us through so much during those first crazy months of constant crying, excema, and frantic questions. Thankfully, Dr. Franke went to school with some of the pediatricians closer to us, so we got some good referrals. We'll be checking those out doctors out soon, and hopefully making a smooth transition before the next one arrives.

Baby Duece will have his/her gender identified on July 14th. I'm 16.5 weeks now, and s/he is getting more active. I forgot how much of a welcoming distraction those little flutters are. At our 14 week appointment, they were unable to find the heartbeat with the doppler, so I got to have a quick ultrasound. S/he is big already! and cute!

Jon is keeping busy at work, and flying a lot. He just got back from a trip to New York on Sunday, and going back tomorrow just for the day. He'll be home for a day, and then we leave on our Alaskan Adventure until the 6th.

I'm working on a couple projects for the baby. Something was telling me that this baby needed an orange blanket, so I'm crocheting a super soft blanket for him/her. (I can't wait to find out the sex, so I can be more pronoun specific)

Busy, busy, busy

Things have just been so busy around the Whittemore house lately. We just got back from a mini trip to Toledo, OH for almost a week. Jon had recurrent training in one of the jets, so Lucy and I took advantage and got out of WI too.

I am now 14 weeks pregnant with this little being, and it is zapping every ounce of energy out of me. I had a weird case of vertigo for about a week last week. Other than that, I haven't felt too bad...just TIRED! Yesterday we had an appointment, and couldn't find his little heartbeat with the doppler. They had to get the ultrasound machine out to verify that everything was ok. Sure enough, it was. He was just sleeping in a position that made it heard to track his little beat. Little stinker!

Lucy is growing so fast. She is adding words to her vocabulary nearly every day. It's amazing. She loves to wave at everyone and will offer a cheesy smile to anyone that waves back. She is becoming more and more of a Daddy's girl. Yesterday when Jon left for his trip, she lunged at him to give him a huge hug, and wouldn't let go. She sat by the service door to the garage and cried for about fifteen minutes. Poor thing!

Jon is taking three summer courses, and then one this fall....then DONE! Lucy is helping him as much as possible....

Lack of posting

I just realized that I have been a horrible blogger and have neglected it for what seems like forever. We've been busy, Lucy's been crazy, Jon's been out of town, and I've been growing a baby! Yep! Whittemore 2.0 is due 12/11/10! This little energy sucker is taking every ounce out of me. I forgot how hard the first trimester was. I thought it would be easier this time around since I stay home with Lucy, but it is still kicking my behind. Chasing a toddler around is hard work some days.

Lucy is continuing to learn words. It seems like she picks a new one up every day. They are not really clear yet, but I can certainly tell what they are. Another big milestone in her life is that she is completely weaned! I truly never thought I'd see the day, but finally at 13 months, she decided it was time. Thankfully, it was an easy transition for both of us. I'm proud to say that we had a successful go at it. My goal was for her to never have a bottle and we did it!

It's hard to believe that in six short months, this little lady will be a big sister. I am anxiously awaiting the tender touches, sweet kisses, and soft words she will give to her sibling. I'm sure there will be the trying times, but I am so ready for us to be a family of four.

Monkey!

Lucy is such a climber these days. We were at our friends' house the other day (thanks, Kate!) and Lucy was all about the stairs! We do not have any stairs in our house, so this was definitely new to her. She was a pro!

Her other favorite past time these days has been climbing on the coffee table, open dishwasher lid, diaper boxes, bumbo seat, etc. She is just all over the place!

Here is a little sample. The fish must have been very interesting that day, because she just couldn't get enough of them. When I was loading the dishwasher after lunch, I turned my back for literally ONE second, and found this. Those fish were surely petrified when they saw those chubby toddler hands going in for a  shake. Lucy couldn't have been happier about her little trick...

spotted wonder

Today Lucy went to Sarah's house to play while I went to the dermatologist. Since 2003, I have been developing weird skin discolorations on my torso and most recently, my arms. I've been to several doctors in several states, and no one has been able to come up with a definitive answer on why my entire chest, stomach, and hips are covered in big bruise-like spots. They did yet another round of "hole punch" biopsies on three different sites. I'm really hoping when I go back in two weeks to get the stitches out that they know the reason why I'm turning colors. It's so frustrating!

Lucy was at Sarah's for almost three hours by the time I got back to town. According to Sarah, she did not cry once! I was greeted with a smile and a wave and then she was off to continue playing. Considering this is like the third time we've left her with a sitter (this was the longest), she did awesome! She was pretty worn out by the time dinner rolled around. She had been on two walks totaling 5.25 miles, played with three toddlers for three hours, and did not have an afternoon nap. I am crossing my fingers that I won't see her until around 7am!

Toddlers ROCK!

It seems like in the past month Lucy has taken serious advances in everything. She is no longer just walking, she's running. Jon was gone for a couple days last week, and was so surprised when he got home to find her running to her room and back out to the living room. She is fast! We were outside playing with the neighbor boy today, and she was almost able to keep up with him. He's 19 months old and in constant motion. It is so nice to have a walking toddler now. The best part is - perfect timing for summer! Thanks, Lucy!

She is also getting much better at communication. She is mimicking voice inflection and a syllables of words. My favorite thing she says right now is "tickle, tickle, tickle!" when we play Monsters on the bed. (it's a silly game that involves saying 'I'm gonna get you!' over and over again, catching her, and tickling the daylights out of her) I really don't think there is any sweeter sound than that cute little voice saying "tickle, tickle, tickle!!!" back at you.

Jon is gone this week. He's in Cabo San Lucas enjoying the sunshine! Lucky! I am sure he will be amazed at how much she's changed over this week.

chickens

Yesterday we took Lucy to the little petting zoo up the street. They have all kinds of farm animals. Most of them are in cages, but the chickens, bunnies, and peacocks roam free. Lucy was pretty excited when she saw the chickens.

She is getting very independent now. It's kind of nice not having to hold her or have her in a stroller! She wants to walk everywhere and check everything out. Thankfully the animals are used to being fed when visitors walk in, so they are all very friendly. Even when a screeching toddler is running after them!

We are planning on a quick trip on Saturday. We are going with two 3 year olds and an 18 month old. Should be fun to see all the levels of excitement.

hair management

Lucy's hair has always been an issue with me. I wanted it to grow as fast as possible so I could put it in little pigtails or ponies. The only part that was growing was the top half, and with two cowlicks positioned on either side of her forehead, it was just hard to manage. Jon and I are not a fan of the big oversized flowery head bands that seem to be all the rage right now. I've tried various barrettes with no luck. They just would not stay in place, and they were pulling her hair out when I would take them out. OUCH!  The other night, I put Lucy to bed promptly at 7, and got to work. By the way, how in the world would this be comfortable? I debated on moving her, but decided if she was in pain, she'd move herself. Silly girl.

I had picked up some snap barrettes at Sally's awhile ago, but did not have a chance to do anything with them. I pulled them out of the closet along with some scrap fabric. I came up with a simple solution. A fabric covered barrette with rolled fabric on the underside and a few French knots. They turned out really nice and the best part is - they stay in place!!! The hardest part was waiting for her to wake up the next morning to try them out on her sweet little head.

tatting

About a month ago I was talking to my mom, and she had mentioned that she was learning to to shuttle tat. I had an immediate interest. At our very next visit, we went to Hobby Lobby (my favorite store in the world) and got the supplies. It's quite addicting! I use a needle to tat, because the shuttle just does not feel natural to me. I am totally enjoying this process, and I can't wait to get better at it!

This is a medallion I made using thread from Lisbeth. They have such high quality products. Love them! I am either going to use this for baby bootie embellishment or a hair clip for Lucy.

constant motion

Ever since Lucy started walking, she hasn't stopped. She is constantly wanting down. Today we were in the driveway watching the storm roll in (because that is what you do when you live in a town of 688 people), and she would not stay in the garage! Dispite the raindrops falling on her head, she was more than excited to travel to the end of the driveway and back.

She is still pretty wobbly and takes a lot of falls. I like how she always keeps her hands out for safety. She is so funny...

 

 Not so fast, Little one. She thinks it is hilarious to be caught and brought back to her starting point. We were in Office Max the other day, and I'm pretty sure she ran down the same aisle at least ten times.

She got a new spring jacket at Target. It's one of my favorites!

summer toes

Jon and I painted Lucy's toes this morning. It was so nice outside and if she was going to be barefoot, I wanted her to have pretty piggies. She sat pretty still, and then we read stories to give them a chance to dry. It worked out well!

This picture was taken after playing and walking through the grass, so her feet are pretty dirty. I was a little worried with how she would respond to grass, but she hasn't had a problem with it. She just loves to be outside. We had a few jail breaks this morning while the screen door was open. She made it out to the edge of the porch very quickly. She is such a speedy little toddler!

Kitty!!!

Lucy loves her kitties! Her version of the word kitty comes out "kkkkkkccchhhhhhh!", but we all know what she means. We got her the Planet Earth dvds for her birthday and today she made the noise when the pumas were on. Basically everything with four legs, a tail, and a slightly furry coat gets an enthusiastic point and a loud "kkkkkkccchhhhhhh!"

It was so nice today. We took Lucy on a stroll through the woods. She enjoyed the walk and had lots to say on the way. It was almost as if she was telling us how the world worked. It's pretty neat hearing it from her perspective.

We got four ghost shrimp for her little aquarium today. I let her name them, and they are all named "Up." It's pretty convenient since they all look alike.