Lucy Happenings!

We had a fun week with Lucy! Our days include playgroups, library storytime, reading books, playing with toys, walks in the stroller, and lots of fun. Our evenings include eating solids (this week we're having cereal and peaches), bathtime, storytime with Daddy, and getting ready for bed!

Here are some pictures from this week's fun:

At Breastfeeding Support Group Lucy loves to play with the other babies.

Playing with a friend, Katie Beth!


Changes are occuring at our house due to our growing baby...
Here is Lucy's Pack n' Play BEFORE...


Here's the Pack n' Play AFTER...

(Notice we have gotten rid of the newborn napper and replaced it with a safe play area!

"Isn't my new play area cool!"


"Daddy's reading me 'If You Give a Mouse a Muffin!' I love this story!"


Playdate with the Sano's at Easton! Jaydn loves to play with Lucy!


I'll end with our smilin', droolin' happy baby girl!

9 Years Ago Today...

....my Mommy and Daddy starting dating! Their first date was at La Roe's in Grand Rapids. It was a hot summer night and Daddy took Mommy to dinner and then fishing on the Maumee River. (Little did she know he isn't the fishing "type!" HA!) Tonight they will celebrate 9 years by going out to dinner with ME! :) Aren't they lucky?!? ;)


In other news...
Our baby is not quite 6 months old and is sitting up like a pro! She's a such a big girl!




"What are you doing back there Mommy?"


"Yum, my hand!"


"That camera is loud!"

Thursday Update!

---Last night Lucy slept in her crib from 9:00 pm - 4:00 am! AHHHHHH! (But I'll be honest and tell you I checked in on her at 1:45 and 3:00 am!)

---Lucy has been coming down with a cold over the last 4 days. This morning she woke up with an extra runny nose and cough. We are going in to Dr. Kern @ 9:45 am just to check her out! We hope she feels better soon!
[*******We're back from the appointment and it looks like Lucy just has a bad cold. Poor thing! But we were glad to hear no ear ache or fever! He did give us some saline drops for her nose and suggested acetaminophen if she is really uncomfortable and fussy. He said she should feel better in 3-5 days.]

---Stacy is due Saturday! We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet Baby Warren! Say a pray for Stacy!

Crib Trials!

For the first 5 months Lucy slept exclusively in the co-sleeper next to our bed. This worked great for us and Lucy! I was able to nurse her or soothe her back to sleep before she ever really woke up. She would normally sleep from 10:00 pm to 8:00 am, waking throughout the night to eat about every 2-4 hours, but never cried or really woke up all night long. I also enjoyed being able to roll over and quickly peek at her throughout the night to "check" on her! (Oh the joys of being a worried Mother!)

But Lucy's sleep habits have started to change. She is now just exhausted after her bath (normally around 7:30) and is ready to go to sleep after nursing. So...we have started a new bedtime routine with Lucy! Now we go for a walk around 7:00ish, then bath around 7:30ish, I nurse her around 8:00ish, and we lay her in her crib, very tired, to fall asleep on her own. Last night the bedtime routine worked like a charm! By 8:45 pm Lucy was sound asleep in her crib, without any tears she fell asleep on her own! Around 11:00 pm she woke up, but Denny was able to rock her back to sleep and lay her back in her crib. Then it wasn't until 1:40 am that she woke up again. At this point I brought her into our bed to nurse her. After nursing, she quickly fell back to sleep and I moved her to the co-sleeper!

It was a great night and it is amazing what a good nights sleep will do for a tired Mommy! HA!

It's Time..

..that I learn to use our nice camera!

I've gotten by using the basic mode on our Canon for awhile. Just recently I decided I wanted to learn how to properly use our camera. Or at least learn the main features! Denny bought a book, when we bought the camera, and I spent an evening reading it. I've learn a little about ISO, f-stop, White Balance, etc. I know that I'm just at the tip of the iceberg but I have to start somewhere!

This evening I practiced my new skills with the prettiest model around :)



She was more than happy to pose for me after a walk around the block!



Denny arrived home from work in time to join the photo shoot! HA!


"Mommy, I think you're getting the hang of the camera!" :)

It is nice to have a baby that is so easily amused by her Mom!

Our Little Napper!

Lucy has begun to take her daily naps on her own! This is a big step for a baby who preferred to nap in someone's arms for the first 5 months of life! And honestly, I didn't mind most days but the new freedom has allowed me to get a few things done around the house! She is still such a little cuddlier!

Today she was rubbing her eyes when we were playing on our bed. So I found her booper, favorite blanket, and laid with her on the bed. Within minutes, she was rubbing her face into her blanket, and was asleep!


She slept 1 hour and 45 minutes!


About an hour into her nap she rolled over into this position! This is also her favorite position at night. Rolled over, on her side, almost to her tummy, with her head turned up! It may be the cutest thing I've ever seen :)


But wait...maybe these chubby thighs are the cutest things I've ever seen! (I so wanted to grab them as she lay there sleeping!)

Lucy Hanging Out with the Buckeyes!

While at Nordstrom this evening we ran into some OSU football players! We quickly asked them to pose for a picture with Denny and Lucy! They were so friendly and I think they kinda got a kick out of us acting "star struck" around them!



(Front left-Boom Herron, Back left-Lawrence Wilson, Right-Thaddeus Gibson)

Summer To Do List!

With exactly one month of summer left, I've decided to make a "To Do" list to prioritize the things I want to accomplish before I start back to work. Monday, August 23rd is my first official day back as a "Teacher Work Day!" The first day with students is Wednesday, August 25th.

1. Take Lucy to the pool at least one more time.
2. Attend Breastfeeding group to get advice on breastfeeding/pumping/returning to work!
3. Go through Lucy's dresser and closet to put away clothes she has out grown :( and get out 6 month outfits :)
4. Pump, pump, pump...I want to get my milk storage built up!
5. Garage sale for fall and winter outfits...Lucy's wardrobe just about ends after 6 month size.
6. Have Shannon take Lucy's 6 month photos!
7. Get my haircut. Eyebrows done....hmmm, maybe even a whole spa day! (What do you think Denny?) :)
8. Schedule an eye doctor appointment for me and Lucy.
9. Complete and turn in Lucy's paperwork to register her for Little Village Academy!.
10. Lucy's 6 month checkup with Dr. Kern on August 11th.
11. Go on a date with Denny! :) (maybe 2?!?)
12. Meet Baby Warren! (We hope you arrive soon!)
13. Spend time with Jon, Jenny, and Jackson during this visit to Toledo!
14. Enjoy a little family vacation time during Denny's days off the first week of August!
15. Continue to work on Lucy taking naps not in my arms. And transition to crib naps.
16. Buy Inchbug bottle labels
17. Organize, label, and count to make sure we have enough bottles for child care.
18. Enjoy each and every minute with my baby!
19. Other ideas?!?!

23 Weeks Old!

Our teeny, tiny 6lbs. baby is no longer a newborn! She is already 23 weeks old!


It is hard to believe you almost weight 14 lbs. You have more than doubled your birth weight before being 6 months old!

Your newest joys:
-I love being carried in the Baby Bjorn, facing out of course, so I can check out everything!
-I love playing on my playmat and rolling over and over and over!
-I love my Sophie Girafee! I can squeak her and chew on her for hours:)
-I love jumping in my jumperoo!
-I love playing in my exersaucer. I discover new toys everytime I'm in it!
-I love rolling out of my playyard although Mommy doesn't seem to like this because she is always moving me back onto the mat! HA!
-I love rolling over to my tummy and then holding my head up high!
-I love trying solids at dinner time with Mommy and Daddy. This week I'm trying sweet potatoes! And I think they are pretty good :)
-I love practicing to sit up! At the right moment, I can sit up for 20-30 seconds!

"This is my elephant from Gigi!"


And for the final new JOY!
-I LOVE MY BOOPER! NUK brand only! Mommy and Daddy are really happy about this one! My pacifier makes me happy in the car, during naps, and at night. I just suck away on it and it calms me down quickly. If I have my Aden and Anais blanket and my booper - I'm good to go:)


Just around the corner is Lucy's 6 month birthday! Our dear friend and photographer, Shannon Sano will be taking Lucy's 6 month photos! We are so excited to see her beautiful work again!

*Sadly, this is the end of Lucy's weekly updates. I really enjoyed documenting her growth for the first 24 weeks of her life. But I realize with my return to school in August that I will be quite busy again. Starting at 6 months, I am going to only take photos of L in her crib each month. Don't worry - I promise other weekly photos too! It will be fun to watch her continue to change each month! I hope all you enjoyed the weekly updates for the first 6 months of Lucy's life!

Our God-daughter, Anneliese!

Beautiful Anneliese was baptized this past weekend at St. Rose in Perrysburg!


Julia, Ellie, Lucy, and I enjoyed getting Anneliese into her beautiful gown and bonnet!


She is a beautiful baby and it was such a special day!


Denny and I are proud to be her godparents. We are eager to guide her through her faith journey!


Maybe Lucy and Anneliese can go to Vacation Bible School together someday!


After the baptism, Julia and Craig, hosted a lunch at Carranor. We had a great meal and enjoyed spending the afternoon with family!

God Bless you, Anneliese!

Prunes!

Poor Lucy has been eating prunes instead of oatmeal cereal. While she definitely liked the oatmeal cereal better than the prunes, after a few bites she was even diving for a bite of prunes!

Here's a picture of her first time having prunes.

"Really Mom, can I just have the oatmeal back?"

She WENT!!!

…and boy, oh boy, did she go! HAHAHA!

Today at noon I met the Schildmeyers, the family I use to nanny for, at Panera at Easton! As I pulled in the parking lot I heard IT! Yes, I was very happy to hear IT because it had been 5 days since she had gone but I also knew I was in for some trouble. I pulled Lucy out of her carseat and sure enough it was quite the scene. She literally had poop ALL OVER! It filled her diaper and diaper cover. It cover the back of her dress. It was all over her back, arms, and legs! It filled the bottom of the carseat! AHHHH!

So here I am in the Easton parking lot trying to figure out how to clean my baby in the backseat of the car. I found a blanket in the back seat and I put everything poopy inside it as to try and prevent getting poop all over my car! I then gave Lucy a "bath" with wipes…literally from her head to her toes….she was a MESS!

15 minutes later Lucy was in a clean outfit, clean diaper, and smiling away. We were heading into Panera for lunch and I felt like I could conquer anything after that! Then just as we walked in she spit up the prunes I had fed her earlier that morning. AHH! So now her light pink outfit had a nasty purple stain all down the front. Oh well! The visit with the Schildmeyers was a blast and they adored Lucy! We had a great talk and lots of fun catching up! But wow, what a day!

*Lucy will now be moving to vegetables and we will try the cereals again when she's back to normal :)

Ch-ch-ch-changing...

Lucy is just 5 1/2 months old but she is quite the busy body now. She cannot be left alone for 5 seconds or she will scoot forward, roll over, or grab something she shouldn't!

Just a week ago I could cook dinner, unload the dishwasher, make lunch, etc and Lucy was so happy to play under her Baby Einstein Playyard! She loved to look at the lights and hold her toes! :)

Her favorite thing to do was grab and play with the yellow parrot!

Well…dun-dun-dun…
TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

After 5 seconds she will be rolled over with her arm stuck under her body!

"What Mom, is there a problem?"

"Don't worry Mom, I can get my arm free!"

"And I can even suck on my hand, while balancing my head up!"



Oh Miss Lucy, Mommy and Daddy love watching you grow and change every single day. We are sad to see our little newborn baby disappear but are excited to see our baby learn new things!

Well, I think she LIKES it!

Lucy is doing just great with the baby cereal!

It is the cutest thing to watch her eat her "dinner!" I normally warm the breast milk as I make dinner. Then when Denny gets home, around 6:00, I mix the cereal and breast milk and he feeds her while I finish dinner. Lucy normally plays in her exersaucer or sits in her Boppy with us while we eat dinner! She is really starting to get the hang of this "eating" thing!

As the spoon gets close she leans forward...


…then she opens her mouth to get as much in as possible…

…finally she closes her lips on the spoon sucking the cereal in!

She is starting to get the hang of it and doesn't spit as much out as before! :)

***I've already come to realize that cloth bibs are way too much work when a baby is learning to eat! They are COVERED in cereal after each feeding. So, I bought Lucy a few new bibs today at Target that just wipe clean. We plan to try one out tonight! :)

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to The Pool We Go!

This past weekend was really HOT! So on Sunday we decided to take Lucy to the New Albany Pool!



At first Lucy wasn't so sure about it…

"Please don't put my toes in that cold water! "

She enjoyed being held and walked around the pool.



With booper in mouth, she held on tight to Daddy's shirt!


After awhile she warmed up to the pool and enjoyed standing in the zero-entry baby pool!



Aunt Megan joined us for the fun!


Mommy and Daddy can't wait to take you to the pool again soon!

***Note to self: Do not wear a bikini when you are breastfeeding.
Wow! Va…va…voom!