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.