New favorite video, teeth, and stairs... oh my!

I love the part of this video when Lucy is in the middle of making her funny noise and realizes I'm taping her.  It's such a cute, happy part of Lucy that I love to see.  This was the night that my mom and aunt were visiting and she was hamming it up for them for a while before bed.

This is just her being cute and looking all big and stuff.  It's not the best shot to see this, but you can kind of tell that her front teeth are coming in as well as her bottom ones.

One day Lucy started chewing on my shoes (yuck!) so I threw them up on our bottom step so she couldn't get to them.  But this girl, with her determination, quickly pushed herself up that step.  Then, I took my shoes and threw them all the way up, and before I knew it she crawled up every step all by herself!  She does something new everyday it seems like!

My 3rd 26th birthday

Two things about my birthday:

1. I turned 26 for the third time!  Last year on my birthday, Ryan made a "26" with the candles on my cake and when I corrected him, he said "wait, aren't you turning 26?" Nope, it was 27.  haha.  So this year, as a joke, he made a 26 with the candles again and just said I will always be 26. ;)

2. I am SO terrible at remembering people's birthdays and feel like I am constantly giving belated birthday wishes.  For that reason, I secretly hope every year that people will forget to wish me a happy birthday until a few days after my birthday so that I won't feel bad if (I mean, when) I do it to them, too. :)  Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case this year. haha.

Anyway, I had my 28th birthday this last Monday and it was great!  I love birthdays at this age because it's not about the presents and more just about having a fun day and hearing from people.  Ryan was able to take a half day off of work, which was SO nice, especially being a Monday.  As soon as he got home, we ran to Easton to see a movie and then spent a little time shopping afterwards.  Then, we came home and my good friend Marci came over with her two kids and watched Lucy while Ryan and I went out to dinner at Red Robin, where I got my free birthday meal!  When we came home, we put Lucy to bed and then ate double fudge brownie ice cream and it was great.

I also wanted to mention that my mom and aunt came and visited the week before my birthday.  They brought me a Boston Creme Pie chocolate cake and some flowers, and then took me shopping and to lunch the next day (but really I should say we took Lucy shopping because we only bought her clothes!  She needed it).  And it was also the only day I took birthday pictures, so here you go:

Nine Months

This last month has been good, bad, and interesting.  I feel like we reverted back to the first few months where she is fussy a majority of the time and not sleeping well, either.  There have been moments where I've felt like  I'm back in the "newborn-walking-zombie" phase, but thankfully I don't feel that way all the time.  I assumed it was teething, reflux, and a cold causing the problems, but it just seemed odd that it was causing her to be so upset for the amount of time she has been.  I mentioned it to her doctor at her 9-month well check and he told me that she is right on track with babies that were fussy/colicky the first few months and that right around month 9 many tend to get this way again for a while.  He also mentioned that it makes separation anxiety even worse and they will just fuss anytime mom is not holding them even when we are at home by ourselves, which, hoooooly moly, is that ever true.  Anyway, despite all of that, there have been some reached milestones and happy moments as well.  Here's her stats and info at nine months:

Length: 29 inches (91%)

Weight: 18 lbs. 5.5 oz. (went from 21% to 41%!  Woohoo!  She's a growing girl!)

Head: 17 in. (26%... yet somehow none of her headbands fit anymore?!  I'm sad about this fact)

• Besides the two bottom teeth that were in last month, Lucy now has one of her front top teeth in and five more all coming in at the same time on top.  Needless to say, we've had constant drooling and gnawing on everything over here! 
• Unfortunately, teething causes reflux to flare up way worse, so that's another major issue again... which also causes sleeping and eating problems.
• Speaking of eating, Lucy gave up solids.  She was doing so well for a while, but now she will only drink bottles again.  On a good day I can get her to eat a few bites of rice cereal before she spits it out and grabs the bowl and throws it all over.  Funny girl- she has her preferences, I guess.  Thankfully this is not a huge concern right now since she's gaining a lot of weight still.
• Sleeping is hit and miss these days.  Some nights she will do awesome and sleep 11+ hours, and then some nights she'll be up every hour.  Naps are the same way, too... either she'll take two 2-hour naps or she will take two 20-minute naps.  You never know what you're going to get until it happens.  But on a positive note, she broke her sleeping PR last night and slept for 12 hours and 45 minutes and only woke up once!  I was in SLEEPING HEAVEN when it was almost 8am and I was just getting out of bed for the day (and given the circumstances of the day, I expected her to be up all night, so, pleasant surprise!).  The last time that happened was probably 10 months ago... you know, before Lucy was born.  Woohoo!
• One day Lucy learned to sit up on her own from crawling/laying down, which was a welcomed shock to me since I didn't even know that was something to expect at that age, and then the very next day she was pulling herself up on everything!  The number of bumps and bruises she has received have now significantly increased, but we're still so excited that she is so mobile and can get around to things she wants!
• Separation anxiety is at.its.worst!!  She will smile, laugh, and put on a show for anyone around, as long as I am holding her.  If anyone so dares to even come close to her though, she'll cry her eyes out and then be scared of them the rest of the day. It's kind of funny, but a little exhausting at the same time since she has to be next to/on me anywhere we go.  I am trying not to accommodate this all the time so that she can grow out of it quicker, but at the same time, I can't just let her scream while I'm at every gathering or I won't be invited anymore. :)  But hey, at least I know she likes me! ha.
• On this same note though, she doesn't mind being around little kids very much.  Sometimes it's a little too much for her, but often she will let them touch her and play with her without crying too much.  We go to the pool a lot with my friend Marci, and Lucy loves her two kids, Mya and Ty.  She smiles and laughs when we see them and will reach out and try to touch them. The other day at the park, there is a big swing that looks like a seat, and she sat in both of their laps swinging for a long time.  That's progress, right?
• She loves to read books.  She's been able to pay attention to some here and there in the past, but now she will sit and let me read her 5 in a row without trying to just rip them or eat them!
• Her immune system rocks!  I have had a bad cold for a few days and was sure she'd get it, which she did a few days later.  For one day it was really bad, and the doctor told me it was a virus and that it had to run its course for a few weeks, but it only took about a day and a half!  This has happened another time or two as well.  We count it a blessing every time because I am sure that it would mean no sleep.
• She says "mama" and "dada"!  She said "mama" last month too, but I'm sure it was just a sound to her.  Now it's definitely directed at me and Ryan gets a definite "dada" now.  It's kind of the cutest thing ever.  Also, I love how when I hear the garage door open I will say to Lucy "guess who's home?" and immediately she will turn and face where Ryan comes in with a HUGE smile on her face just waiting for him.  As soon as she hears the door knob jiggling open, she's giggling and gasping with excitement and by the time she actually sees him, she's bouncing and reaching her arms up for him to pick her up. The first item on their daddy/daughter evening agenda is usually "flying," which she looooves.

Just doing some typical Saturday morning chores:

Boxes are way cooler than actual toys, apparently.  So are tv remotes, cell phones, and computers.

I love this picture below because it perfectly shows Lucy's "determined face" where her tongue is out, her eyes are fixed on their target, and she takes a big breath and dives forward for whatever it is she wants.

Some vids of the gooster

As I typed the title of this post, I realized just how much we use little nicknames for Lucy.  I hardly even notice anymore until my nephew started calling her "gooser" and my friend's little girl started calling her "Lucy goosie" and "Lucy Lu."

This video shows one of Lucy's first times crawling.  She loves to move over to where the carpet meets the kitchen or entryway floor and hit it with her hand since it makes a noise.
 

For some reason Lucy loves to explore her voice every time I feed her.  It's cute unless she starts to spit food all over me and her and the floor.  Okay, it's still cute even then.  Here she is chatting away:


This funny girl is apprehensive about touching grass- she doesn't get upset, she just doesn't know what to think about it.  Notice her foot in this video that always quickly moves if it comes in contact with grass.  At my friend's house tonight, I sat her on the grass in their yard and she lifted up one whole leg until it got tired and then she switched to the other leg.  When I picked her up she kept her legs straight out still so it would be far away from the grass.


Lucy has been figuring out how to make all sort of noises these days, and on this particular afternoon she figured this one out while Ryan was bouncing her.

Our typical summer Sunday evening

We love the direction our house faces because the backyard is shaded in afternoon/evenings.  We love to take out a blanket and some chairs on the grass and just hang out all evening.  It's awesome because Lucy loves being outside and will stay happy for SO much longer if we are outdoors.  And it often involved popsicles. :)  

This was Lucy's first taste of a popsicle, followed by her reaction.  Despite the scrunched face, she loved it:

 This particular Sunday we skyped with some family too (hence the ipad).  Also, Ryan had a painful kidney stone the day before (hence the large water bottle).

 Then comes bath time, which Ryan is always in charge of, and Lucy loves to snuggle up to him after she is all warm in her towel.  It's funny because she kicks like crazy when you take her out of the water until she is all wrapped up in her towel and as soon as you pick her up she just stays like that in your arms as content as can be.

 ...unless you're trying to take a picture of it, and then she busts out of it all and goes crazy. :)

A good night and Goodnight!

Bed head

Lucy's hair is finally long enough to sport some awesome bed head in the mornings and after naps.  I love it for now... until the knots start coming. :)

Eight months

Yesterday Lucy turned eight months!  I can hardly believe it.  This last month has been equally as awesome as the previous one.  She's a fun girl!  Here's a little bit about Lucy at eight months:

• Crawling!  She started this about a week ago but she has yet to figure out how to use her legs in this endeavor.  She will just have her legs stiff and straight out behind her and use her arms to pull her body everywhere.  She's been getting up on her knees and rocking a bit the last day or two so I think she's on the verge of really getting the hang of it.
• One of her favorite things to do now is pull herself through our living room over to where the kitchen floor starts and pat her hand on the floor.  She likes that it's a new feel and makes a loud noise. :)
• Her reflux flared up pretty bad again and I think it's from all of this crawling-without-legs business because her little tummy has so much pressure on it now.  The doctor just had me double her dosage of medicine to help (from 2.5ml to 5ml).  I hope she grows out of this soon- for both her health's sake and our budget- the meds aren't super cheap!
• Lucy loves to babble like crazy and I love it!  She will sit and "talk" to me for like 20 minutes every morning after I feed her.  Lately she's been exploring her super high-pitched voice but softly and it's so cute to hear.  She always looks so shocked and happy when she realized those noises came from her.  haha. 
• Struggling with naps these days.  They're not lasting very long, which is making her tired and a bit cranky in between.  Not sure what to do about it and not really worrying about it either... one less thing to stress about and I'm sure it will fix itself sometime.  As long as she's still sleeping through the night, which she is, I'm fine.
• When I read books to Lucy now, she actually listens and looks at each page instead of just trying to get the whole thing in her mouth at once.  We need more books now because I'm sick of the same 5 we always read.
• The nicknames that have really stuck are: The Gooster (if we're talking about her), or Gooser, Goosie Girl, and Loose-Goose.  It sounds weird, but seems totally normal to us now.  I actually called her 'Lucy' the other day and it seemed odd for a second.  haha.
• Lucy can finally eat more solids such as puffs and yogurt melts without choking and, as of the last couple days, can grab them from my hand and get them into her mouth most of the time.  She is also drinking water from a sippy cup at dinner time.  It keeps her thoroughly entertained while Ryan and I eat.
• Loves the pool, which is great since we go on an almost-daily basis.  The best part is that she grew into her floatie (that we're borrowing- thanks, Marci!) a little more and loves floating around the big pool so I don't have to stick to just the kiddie pool.  All three of us love going as a family on the weekends.
• Lucy is becoming a bit more cuddly these days and obviously I LOVE it!  Sometimes when she's sitting on my lap just reading or playing with toys, she will lean into me and just "hug" me for a minute.  Sometimes it's just because she's tired... but I'll take it anyway!
• She still doesn't like her car seat but she is getting so much better at putting up with being in it and tagging along for errands, which makes things a bit less stressful.
• I almost forgot- she waves hi and bye!  It's kind of the cutest thing ever.  She sticks out her arm straight and flicks her wrist up and down while her fingers form a fist.  Love it.
• Also, she totally just ate a corner of a cardboard box as I was writing this post.  Add that to her list of food.  And my mom-of-the-year credentials.  

I realize that to most people, these pictures are kind of all the same, but I liked them all because there are little things about each one that I, as her mom, love.  So, they all get posted!  I also realize that she is not wearing any head decor, which goes against everything I believe in as far as baby girls are concerned... unless it's a million degrees outside with a billion percent humidity, in which case all headbands go out the window because who has the energy to go back inside and get it?  Not I.