Utah trip

Lucy and I went to Utah at the (very) last minute from June 16-26th.  My good friend, Nicole, had a free ticket that had to be used by a certain date and she couldn't use it and offered to me (thanks again, Nicole)!  Because of flight availability at the last minute, I had to be gone for 10 days, which was a little longer than I wanted at first but it ended up being the perfect amount of time.  In fact, I didn't even get to see everyone that I was hoping to (but that's what happens when you don't have much notice).  Everything worked out so perfectly because I got to see friends and family that I probably won't see for a while, be there for Lynlee's 1st birthday, swim a few times, eat good food, as well as be there for my good friend and old roommate, Laura's, wedding!  I just wish that I had pulled out my camera a little more... as usual.

Lucy was amazing on all 4 flights!  Couldn't have asked it to go any better!

Splash Pad

A few weeks ago my friend Marci and I decided to take our kids and venture over to the Scioto Mile, which is a new part of downtown Columbus that has a pretty walk, restaurants, and an awesome fountain/splash pad.  It was a hot day and we went during an activity for kids, so there were a lot of people, and a lot of fun activities, as well as free ice cream. :)  It was fun to explore a new place  outside of our usual community pool, and it also works out great that we all fit in Marci's SUV, so we can chat while the kids sleep in the back!

Great Grandma Harlan

Several weeks ago we went up to Cleveland while Ryan was out of town and Lucy got to play with her Great Grandma Harlan.  I love that my grandma loves babies and little kids so much, especially her own great grandkids.  It's fun to see her smile and become totally engrossed in them the whole time we're there.  It just so happens that today (July 5th) is her 81st birthday! (Please ignore the bad lighting).

Lucy vs. Food

We finally got a high chair for Lucy which was necessary considering I had been feeding her in her swing in our living room until that point and she's gotten to a point where she thinks it's more fun to play with the food than eat it.  These pictures show our daily battle with food:

"Maybe the high chair will taste better?"

" Can I bite it off? Nope."

 "Maybe the spoon will make it taste better.  But only if I hold it."

 "Not the case.  At least it helps me put the carrots to good use by spreading it all over my face and neck though."

 "And now I'll laugh because I won the battle."

Another grammy visit

Rewind to about a month ago (yep, I'm a little behind) in June.  My mom came down to visit for a few days and we had so much fun enjoying the nice hot sunny weather.  My mom took Lucy on walks in the morning while I got ready, we went to the pool, we barbequed, you know.... the usual summer stuff.  It was fun having her here.

Seven months

Four days ago, Lucy turned 7 months.  This is, by far, my favorite month!  Each month has definitely gotten better, yet it's still been far from super enjoyable and stress free.  However, things have seriously taken a 180 and are so good.  This is what I've been waiting for, and if I'm being completely honest here, this is the first time I can really say I enjoy this mothering stuff a lot.  Before I had Lucy, most moms told me that by three months, things would be great again, so we're only 4 months behind but at least we made it. :) Here's a little bit about Lucy at 7 months: 

• Had her first real cold, and definitely hates the blue snot sucker thing.
• Sleeps for 10.5 hours straight, wakes up for a few minutes until I put her paci back in, and then sleeps for another hour.  Same deal every night. 
• Absolutely must be holding something soft on the side of her face to fall asleep.  We think this little quirk is so cute.  If she woke up and is a little fussy, you can just put her blanket up next to her cheek and she will grab it and fall asleep.  If she doesn't have anything, her little hands will be going a mile a minute searching for something until she gets it.
• One of Ryan's and my favorite things to do these days is to check on her right before we go to bed.  There's not much cuter than a calm, sleeping baby.
• I think I mentioned this before, but Lucy always crosses her little ankles, whether being held, sitting, or laying, they automatically cross a lot of times.
• She is SO squirmy and rolls like crazy.  It's fun to watch her do, except during diaper changes.
• Stranger anxiety is at its worst!  She will totally smile and laugh at anyone but as soon as they try and hold her, it's quite the opposite.  At least I know she loves me. :)
• She can sit all by herself for quite a while, however, I still feel like I have to be by her side because when she falls, even pillows don't help.  She had a nice big bruise on her cheek for a while as proof of that. 
• We tried taking her off of her reflux medicine but after just two days, she was already struggling to eat again. 
• For some reason she hates to eat anything but bottles. If you catch her right at the right time, she might take a few bites of some veggies, but only if you're lucky.  Pretty sure this needs to change soon for her own health.
• Lucy loves being outside.  If we ever need her to settle down, we can take her outside and it all stops.  She loves to go on little walks just along the sidewalk of our house.  There are a few trees and since they are new, they are still short, and she likes to grab the leaves and branches and examine them closely. 
• She also loves to go to the pool, thank goodness! Then again, I've only really taken her in the kiddie pool, which is a lot warmer than the big one.
• This girl babbles and baby-talks up a storm these days, but thinks that it's the most fun to practice conversation during all 3 hours of church.  Sometimes I wonder why we even go anymore. :)  Ryan and I just laugh when we look at the other babies her exact age around church and they are all sleeping in their parents arms or sitting contentedly in their car seats.  I've come to the conclusion that they are not real... they have to be dolls or something.

Columbus Zoo

This last week my friend Marci invited us to the zoo with them.  They have season passes and we used guest passes.  It was super fun!  The kids were so good and since the day before we went wasn't good weather, it was great to get out of the house for so long.  Lucy and I both needed it.

 

Holding hands already... I totally approve this since we love Ty-guy. :)

This picture is proof that it was a successful and fun outing.  All three kids zonked out before we even left the parking lot!

Thanks for a fun day!!