Gooooood Night!

Our third good night in a row! Lucy went down at 7:30, ate at 2:30 and came into bed with us at 5:30 to snuggle til 8!
Yesterday we all had a relaxing day around here. We got up and had Lorenzo's for breakfast, Andrew watched movies and I worked on stuff, then Lucy went down a little while and when she woke up we went grocery shopping. Andrew and Lu went for a long walk in the afternoon, and we had sloppy joes for dinner! Once she went down, we finished "Scoop," ate pumpkin pie and hung out. It was a very nice day.
Today we're going to go for a walk this morning, and then we're helping the Langs with their new house. I'm not sure what we're doing, but it will be nice to see them. I think we're going to take the Pack N Play so that Lucy can have a shot at her nap in the afternoon. She's been on such a good schedule that I hate to get her away from it.
We're considering going out for dinner this weekend, but I'm not sure if we're going to. I'm thinking that tomorrow night might be good, since Lucy's routine is going to be a little disrupted today. Maybe an early dinner...

Hahahaha.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Well, it took a long stroller ride to get her down last night, but she slept ALL night long with a ten-minute feed at 3:30. Sigh. Maybe we'll get lucky again tonight!
I also figured out how to manually express milk at 3:30 am, since I was up and awake wondering what was wrong with her. I got 3 ounces! Yay!

You Can't Handle The Truth

Motherhood is kicking my tooshie. I say "tooshie" because good mommies don't say the "B-word." And okay mommies don't say the "A-word," which is really what's being kicked, here...And for that matter, I don't even HAVE a tooshie, because motherhood robs you of your tooshie and leaves in its place a Badonkadonk. What I wouldn't give for a tooshie...
As it happens, the cutest tooshie in the world is being walked around Mayberry right now, because that's the only place she'll sleep. Once 6pm hit and she was screaming with delirious anger, I plopped her in the stroller and she conked out on College Ave. Well, now it's her bedtime and I'm sure she's still napping happily with no regard to the fact that Mommy and Daddy will have to sleep sometime tonight.
Mommy needs a bubble bath and a strawberry margarita. Wouldn't it be nice if strawberry margaritas flowed freely like tap water?
Ok, I have about 10 minutes before my favorite man walks through the door with the little darling. I do have to say, she is 100% committed to her screaming. That's good. I would hate to have a child who never follows through. Adios!

Ugh.

To the blind eye, it would seem like I post more after a bad night. Truth be told, lately we have many more bad nights than good, so if I'm to post at all, you're going to get bad nights first.
Last night, our little angel refused to go to sleep without a stroller ride. She finally fell asleep at 10:45. She then proceeded to wake up 4 times from 11-6:30 to eat. Thank goodness we don't have plans today. I'm one pooped mommy. More later.

Seriously time to update....

Whew, so much going on, so little time to blog!

Well, Andrew and I have decided that it might be a good idea to go into a little business with the t-shirt production. We're going to try a couple of festivals and arts shows and see how they sell and move from there. So far, the response I've gotten is overwhelming, and I think that it would be a pretty big hit. I'll post Bernadette and Jessica just as soon as my honey bun brings the camera in from his truck work tonight.
As we will be running a table at the Burlington Apple Festival, Lucy will be "competing" in the "Baby Apple Dumpling Contest." We found the whole idea hilarious, and we think that there would be nothing better than a participation trophy to display proudly during Dumpling's teen years. So, she will be doing that- I doubt she'll win- we're not really the types to gun for votes all over West Virginia, but it should be very funny nonetheless.
We just got in from the Frostburg Block Party. Biiiiiig fun. We ate pizza and hung out with Suz- that was about it. The Block Party is always this "huge event" and ends up turning into a "have you been saved?" convention starring the local churches and the Frostburg Museum. Always a good time.
I just put Dumpling to bed. She's so funny. She's just so proud of herself, being able to nurse on her own now. She likes to grab my hand and "steer" while she eats. She just loves to roll across the bed and roll back and latch on by herself. She really thinks she's something...
Anyway, I will post pictures soon!

I AM SO MAD

Ok, bad news first. Tomorrow was supposed to be a major day of celebration in our home, but since FSU is terribly disorganized and has LOATHSOME procedures that they fail to share with their students, that will not be happening. We stood in line for an hour this morning only to be told that because Andrew is a grad student, his financial aid has to be "pushed through manually." Right. Just like it WASN'T last semester or the two before that. In previous semester there have been other hiccups, but this one takes the cake. I was tempted to stand around and ask questions and let Lucy yell a little longer, but I controlled myself and my tears and we left. Andrew is out walking with her to let me steam in peace. So, maybe by the end of the week we'll have better news. I hate FSU.

Good news now. Lucy slept 15 HOURS last night! She went down at 7pm and Andrew and I had a nice dinner and watched a movie, and then we stayed up til 2am doing our individual projects and chatting. We fell asleep watching The Majestic, and Lucy woke up to eat around 4:30 or so. At 7 we brought her to bed with us and she nursed for a few seconds and then snuggled up to Daddy until 10am! It was such a nice way to spend our Sunday morning. She's been super cheerful all day and was a very good girl through all of Mass. Tonight we're heading to Keyser for some time with the Twiggs, and tomorrow we'll officially start ironing this thing out with FSU. Sigh. I need to clean now.

Llewellyn Moves In.

Meet Llewellyn! He's the first monster in a series of kiddie tees known as the "T-Party." Llewellyn will be moving in with Christian, who will be the first ever owner of a T-Party Monster. So stinkin' cute!

Yippee!

Today is a good day. Maybe one of my best in a very long time.
Lucy slept last night! She didn't sleep through the night, but she only woke up twice! Of course, she fell asleep via screaming fit at 10, so....oh well. She went down at 10, which I think was due to Aunt Suz's visit- way too overstimulated. I'm betting tonight will be very smooth. She ate at 2:30, and again at 4:30, and slept til 8! Woo!!
We got up and got dressed this morning, and then we walked to the bank and down to the school to buy Andrew's books for the semester. We stopped by Res Life to see Miss Bonnie and Miss Susie- Lucy loves them!
It turned out to be blistering hot today, which is not cool at all. I thought I was going to have a nice, foggy walk and that it would be nice and cool. No dice. I was sweating like crazy coming back up that hill! Ugh!

"Mixables! The Grape Fruit Drink!"

LOL, I'm dying here. There are two little girls next door who have been trying to sell "Mixables, The Grape Fruit Drink" all afternoon. I finally went out there to buy a cup and they were jumping around and screaming and pumping their fists into the air, yelling "Yesss! First Customer!" Their mom was sitting there and said, "They said I can't buy any- thank you so much!" So cute. Andrew will be home soon and can buy more.

Night 6 and Other News

Well, Night 6 was...the same as usual. I did, however, nurse her when she really woke up, about 3 times, and she seemed happier. I think she's in a major growth spurt. Lucy isn't much of a comfort nurser, and usually only wants to nurse if she's hungry, so I went on her cues and just fed her when she got up. She was a much more chipper girl today, and I think that tonight I might just crash on the couch, turn off the monitor and not jump up to her squeaks. I think that whatever it is, she's starting to come out of it.
We went to Wal-Mart this morning, just to wander around and kill some time. We came back this afternoon and waited for the plumber, and Lucy is down for a nap after a good long wrestle. Aunt Suz will be here tonight, and I'd like Lu to stay up later, so I'm hoping she naps for a good long time. I'm not sure it'll make much difference. It seems like 8pm is her bedtime regardless of her nap schedule. Lucy is just such a funny kid. She's so serious about hitting milestones, sticking to her routine and getting down to the business of growing up. She's so direct and cut-and-dry. She's been that way since the day she was born. I remember her looking around when they pulled her out of me, as if she was thinking, "Mm-hmm, okay, I can work with this." She's just so determined. When I put her down for her nap today, she just refused. She never does that. But today, she wanted to fall asleep on my shoulder, something she hasn't done since she was about 2 weeks old. She's a back sleeper. Not today! She just kept at it until I put her where she wanted to be and she could do her thing.
She's turning into such an interesting person. She loves it when I tell stories in different voices, and she loves it when I yell. This could be a big problem. On the other hand, she doesn't like it when "people" yell. She realized today that she loves it when I talk into her belly, so we did that for a good while.
I think we're going to start solids in a couple weeks. This will be Daddy's department. I think he'll like doing her dinners a lot. We're going to start with rice cereal, but I think that'll be enough to keep her occupied. I think she's going to love solids. This will be a big step in her plan for world domination. All great leaders use utensils!

Night 5 Of The Great Sleep Strike of '07

Ah, well...it's still in full swing, ladies and gents. Last night was a whopper!

7:45- Andrew takes Lu out for a walk so we can keep her up til at LEAST 8:30.
8:10- They come back. Lucy is fast asleep. I wake her up and drag her around awake until 8:30.
8:30- She goes down right away, like always.
10:48- We go to bed, and I plan to set my alarm to dreamfeed her at midnight to get her through to 5 or so without eating. My plan, per Grandma, is to fill her up around midnight and then let her fuss for a few minutes when she wakes up, and then pacify her and let her put herself to sleep. Excellent plan.
1:11- I wake up and realize I did not feed her at midnight. Since I'm up and she's wiggling around, I feed her while she's sleeping and put her back to bed.
1:30- Up. Pacify, back down.
2:00- Up. Pacify, back down.
2:30- Up. Pacify, back down.
3:00- Up. Pacify, back down.
3:30- Up. Pacify, back down.
4:00- Up. Pacify, back down.
4:30- Up. Pacify, back down. As I'm drifting to sleep for my next 20 minute snooze, I think to myself, "I totally forgot to let her fuss at all, all night long." Mad at myself, I go back to sleep.
4:46- Lucy comes to bed with us to nurse. Sleeps like a champ til 7:15.
7:15- Up to play with Mommy, who closely resembles the walking dead.
8:30- Nursing and Naptime with Mommy
10:30- Up for lunch and visit with Aunt Suz.
1:30- Naptime.

Now Daddy might be coming home sick. Mommy is going to try to snooze for a few minutes. Tootles, y'all.

A Tuesday to end all Tuesdays.

So today was Kindermusik orientation, so we get all dressed up in our cutest outfits to go to Allegany College to meet Miss Ann.

Lucy sat up all by herself for Miss Ann!

She had SUCH a good time!

When we got home, she spent a little while pulling clothes out of her bin, and Mommy was very impressed that she was standing up by herself for so long! So proud Mommy turned on the flash to get a better picture....

...and had to catch Lucy as she knocked her head on the floor...she recovered.

After Daddy got home and ate dinner, Lucy spent some more time practicing her sitting.

and playing with Mama.

Andrew & Lucy went on a walk, leaving late (~745pm) in hopes of keeping Lucy up later than her usual 730pm bedtime so that she'd sleep more at night. Andrew decided to walk to the library to return some movies...

... about 1/2 way to the library Lucy was completely out while sitting upright in the backpack on Andrew's back. Here's a picture of her demise. Sleep is just too wonderful for her to resist!!!

Note: She did not sleep better.

Can't Take It Anymore....

Last night was night four in the Sleep Strike of 2007. Lucy was up every hour from 10pm to 6:30am. I got an hour and a half of sleep when Andrew brought her to bed at 6:30 and she nursed and slept next to me til 8. That was my longest stretch of sleep since Thursday. I'm delirious. When will this end??

Chiquita BaLucy!

What A Weekend!

Well, on Saturday morning, Daddy and Lu went out for a nice long walk and came back and slept till 11am. Those two could sleep the entire day away!

We got Lucy all prettied up and ready for Grandma and Grandpa C's visit! She looked so pretty in her little blue dress! It's very soft and comfortable because her Mama wore this same dress years ago, so it's been broken in! Here is Lucy VERY EXCITED over Baby Mozart! Woo!

Such a silly girl. She could spend all day wiggling and screaming!

She went down for a little nap, and when she woke up, our company was here and she played with Grandma for the afternoon while Mama cooked dinner. I made Over Barbequed Chicken, Pilaf, Caesar Salad, Rolls and Chocolate Cake.

Andrew had been asking me to make a "fun cake," so I told him if he designed it I would decorate it however he wanted. This is what he came up with:

On Sunday, we went to Daddy's company picnic! This picture isn't especially good, but it does show Lucy's pretty picnic outfit. Love those little saddle shoes!

This picture came out so clear and cute!

Here is little BabaLu in her Mei Tai carrier that her Grandma Jen and I made last week. She really seems to like it, and I love the Elvis panel! Now I know why they charge $85 for one of these puppies. It was seriously labor intensive, but neither of us are really serious sewers, so it might have been easier with a real pattern and a little more practice. I laid out the pieces and kept the vision alive while Mom did the stitching. It's definitely a 2-person project! But, it will last until she's a toddler, and it's SO comfortable and easy to use! We love it!

Oh, a funny thing happened at the picnic. See, Lucy now has some carseat issues we're working to overcome, and I was a little nervous about our three-hour drive home the other day, and Mom said, "You know, you really ought to invest in a portable DVD player eventually, so that she has a distraction." I was so tempted to price them before our drive so that Lucy could watch Baby Mozart if things got super dicey, but I thought, "Well, that's just not in the budget. I really don't NEED it, and we have other things going on right now. No baby needs a portable DVD player." At the picnic, there was a raffle, and we won a PORTABLE DVD PLAYER! Crazy...God is so good to us. We played with it last night and it's so fun! It'll be nice to have when she's a little older. We do a LOT of driving, so I'm glad we won it!

Here is Lucy at Signatures yesterday afternoon for a light lunch with Grandma and Grandpa. Lucy loves Rocky Gap, but I don't think she cares much about Jack Nicklaus or his stupid golf course.

Andrew and I at Rocky Gap.

We forgot Andrew's truck at Canal Place last night, so Lucy and I had to get up at 6am to drive him to Cumberland to pick it up, and then we came back here for an early morning walk while the carpets were cleaned. We went to the library and found lots of books and movies, and took a long walk in the fog. Living in the mountains means lots and lots of fog! Yuck! I liked this stop sign!

Here is Lucy at Comcast while I figured out the THREE bills we got in the mail. Turns out switching your service to a new address means a triple bill. Ugh.

The Week In Pictures

Well, Lucy and I finished out the week very nicely. We met Daddy in Washington D.C. on Wednesday- she was not the best traveler, but she was fun nonetheless. Here she is pooped beyond belief at the Archives. The rest of our day is on Mom's blog here.

On Thursday we went to April and Tim's to meet Christian! He is so cute; I could just squeeze him forever! I had forgotten how shaky and wobbly brand-new little babies are!

I am so in love. He's just so kissable!

Lucy didn't know what to think of him...I don't think she knew they made people smaller than her...

I was so excited!

Lucy and her whacky Grandpa!

They have so much fun together!

I love this picture!

The happy family at Lake Habib.

Grandma and Lucy!

Andrew and Dad swimming.

And today is Andrew's company picnic, so I will make sure to take lots of pictures. Lucy is in the cutest outfit today. Oh my goodness she's so adorable! Also, say a prayer that we sell the truck today! Wouldn't that be wonderful!

A happy, happy life.

Since I haven't posted pics in quite awhile, I thought I'd get the weekend pictures together too. Here is Lucy and Dad playing with her maracas. She loves those things!

Lucy at the laundromat!

Lucy loves her backpack!

Lucy and Mama enjoying the sunshine!

Andrew working on Bonnie.

Andrew and Lucy's 6am walk.

Lucy's early morning layup!

Half-Court Lucy!

Lucy napping after her very strenuous walk with Dad.

Proof that Mama's milk is the good stuff!

Lucy playing in her saucer. She just loves it!

Her little smile just cracks me up. She's learning very quickly to pose for the camera!

She looks so much like her Daddy!

Lu and Aunt Jenna at Chili's!

Lucy and Aunt Em!

Lucy and her cousin Alison- Lucy is Alison's little carbon copy- I can't believe how much they look alike!

Lucy and Alison horsing around!

Lucy playing with Aunt Lisa

Lucy playing in Uncle Paul's bedroom- he's a very good babysitter, for a 5-year-old!

Lucy loves Paul- she could stare at him for hours!

Lucy after 30 minutes in Paul's room.

Lucy kicking those little legs!

Lucy and Mama (And April in the background!)

Lucy's favorite part of swimming was chewing on the handle of her floaty boat...

Poolside Lucy!

Steakhouse Lucy!

Mom and Nina at Sakura

April at Sakura just before going into labor!!