Lucie: Walking and Talking (Months 10 and 11)

I am telling my self I will not feel guilty for missing recording all of her 10 month milestones on time… but really, too much has been going on!

Lets back track… During month nine Lucie started taking a few steps. We have been crawling for a few months now, and with crawling came pulling up. I knew it would be soon that she would start walking. Sure enough during month 10 she has really taken off! She will walk between rooms sometimes now! It amazes me how quickly she has learned, and even though she falls sometimes, I am proud of her for always getting right back up!

foot in motion, santa baby 

She has also been talking more. The current words in her vocabulary are "heyyyy" "dada" "mama" "baba" "puuhhhhhoooooopf (poop)" and WOOF. She said no for a day but now just shakes her head bank and forth.

But,back to the woof. She is OBSESSED with DOGS. obsessed. And the only questions she can really answer right now are "what's the puppy dog say?" "wooof woof" or "where's puppy?" at which point she will look around in circles and attempt to find the stuffed dog. All of this is so funny because we don't even have (or want) a dog. Maybe eventually. She is around dogs at her grandparents' homes, so I guess thats where the obsession stems from. I'm not sure. Today I caught her barking towards the window when she saw someone walking their dog. It's too much.

"Dog enthusiast" is not the only new trait added to Lulu's monthly resume. She has also made friends with her shadow. Let me explain. Every morning when Lucie wakes up I bring her to bed in hopes that she will go back to sleep. And every morning, she stands up, pokes her daddy in the face, and then climbs to the top of the bead and pulls herself up on the headboard. This is where she sees her shadow- against the wall behind the headboard. She gets so excited when she sees the shadow that she pulls on the headboard, smacks the shadow, and laughs. she proceeds to do this until one of us flips on the overhead light, making the shadow disappear.

Other new hobbies include high fives(which are apparently hilarious), waving bye bye, and giving kisses on demand. (but only to puppy. she won't kiss mommy or daddy yet.) She also tries to share everything she has…. food, sippy cup, and her pacifier. She will try to put any of these things in your mouth. Yes, Lucie, mama really wants to try some of your pacifier! Silly Baby!

Another new hobby is singing in the car. She has been singing along for entire car rides lately, which is hilarious to hear. Sometimes i promise it sounds like she is trying to sing along, even though she obviously doesn't know any of the words. I think she reallllly likes Christmas music.

She is seriously cracking us up lately. Which is good, because when she's not being a little hambone she's definitely been fussy. We went through this a couple months ago when she cut her first 4 teeth. Now the next 4 are coming in, and she gets a little bit grouchy. I am hoping these 4 will come through soon so she will cheer up!

I have no idea how much she weighs or anything like that. She's tall, and not so chunky anymore. She's in 12-18 month clothing and I'm about to graduate her to size 4 diapers… the 3's just aren't holding it anymore.

With my school semester over (PTL!!!!!) and the Christmas decorations up, I'm starting to feel like we finally have some free time to relax without feeling bad about the school work I'm missing. Going to school with the baby has seriously been hard. When we found out I was pregnant we talked about what I should do in regards to school -- at that point I was just finishing my first of three years. We decided it would be best if I could go ahead and finish up the school, but I had no idea of what I was signing up for!! Any first time mom knows how hard it can be to juggle the baby….. not to mention the family, the house, and full time working and pumping, all on limited sleep. Not for the faint of heart! Adding school on top of that left me wondering what day it was more often than not. I am so thankful to have such a supportive husband and family who have encouraged me, watched Lucie, etc. this whole semester. With just one semester left, I am soooo looking forward to the end of grad school. I am supposed to have an independent study and an online class this spring, which, knock on wood, should be much more manageable. I really appreciate everyone who has encouraged me with school, especially these last 4 weeks.

The next post I will likely make will be for Lucie's 1st Birthday (Which is only a month away now- happy/sad)
:)

Katie

we used puppy as a bribe to make her look outside

playing outside in the fall

trick or treat- bumblebee! 

not a happy camper- but i guarantee she is warm

10 ms old

with her bff's  emmeline and norah kate

the grinch with emmeline

trying to steal mom's coffee…it's empty no worries

thanksgiving selfie

puppy sweater… and a tape measure…very safe.

playing with the tree. and puppy.

dressed up in my new coat and hat. 

9 months in ... 9 months out !

 I am writing this sitting in my car in my driveway because I don't want to wake the baby by bringing her inside... I hate interrupted nap times!!! Anyways--- 

Our sweet Lucienne is 9 months old today. She is such a big girl and is getting sweeter by the day. She is crawling - pulling up- and letting go! It's a waiting game from here. She's ready to move and will follow me around the house from room to room. I've caught her at the bottom of the stairs twice so a baby gate is in our future.

Poor girl went to her check up today and got her blood drawn and a shot. She cried and cried. And cried. They are testing her blood for lead as a precaution since our home is an older one. 

Our little chunky monkey also isn't quite as chunky. In the past three months she's only gained about a lb and a half, and has grown almost two inches! She's 20 lbs 14 oz and 28.75 inches long. That's still 90 percentile height, 80 percentile weight, and her head is 95 percent. So she's not exactly small, but is stretching some. This month was exciting celebrating mommy and aunt Lauren's birthdays and aunt Lauren and uncle toms wedding! We also got to visit with family a bunch and are working on getting the new house in order. We went to mommys work today for a quick visit as well, although Lulu was sleepy from the shot. 

My grad school is picking up with midterm assignments coming due. I am thankful for the opportunity to get my masters but am ready to be finished!!!! Patrick is a trooper and has bonding time with Lucie when I'm at class! 

We hope to continue working on the house as soon as the government shutdown is over--- a lot of people have asked me how this affects me. Well, in a nutshell I am working without pay until the government reopens. Gah. I will spare you the rant, but I never want to hear the words shutdown or furlough ever again :(

Hopefully we will be able to start having people over soon too! One of the things we were most excited about in getting a bigger home is having room to entertain, so I am anxiously anticipating having enough order to my chaos to start entertaining. 

I am also hoping to get back into sewing. I haven't spent much time with my machine since lucie was born, but have seen a lot of baby clothes repurposed into bigger more functional clothes. I am starting by seeing pants for lucie and am hoping to make a matching tunic soon!

Hope everyone is doing well and having a happy fall! It's my favorite season :)

Katie

Our shared day

So today was my 26th birthday. And Lucie's 8 months! I love that we were both born on the 10th. So Lucie and I both had celebrations today. We went to dinner and went for an indoor walk around the mall. It was a perfect low key night for my birthday! (Patrick and I celebrated Saturday night at Seviche while my awesome aunt and uncle babysat ;) )

I missed posting for Lucie's 7 months, but I eventually did and you can check out that blog too. Basically, we have been CRAZY busy. Like, could anything else be happening?

This month Lucie has learned to army crawl, go from sitting to crawling and back to sitting, pull herself up in the crib, and on the furniture, and subsequently walk along items. She will let go for a few seconds and then either fall or grab back on. I would say that walking is in her very near future, and crawling may never be her forte. Who knows though! She is still 19 1/2 lbs, and 27 inches. She has slowed her growth and I think that is because she's been "exercising" so much! She's in sz 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothes, is eating fruits veggies and oatmeal, and is still nursing.

Patrick and I bought a home and closed on it last week. So in the past month we sold and closed on our condo, moved, bought and closed on a house. I think this is a world record in how fast someone can buy a house, and it certainly wouldn't have happened without my awesome mortgage banker aunt, title attorney dad, and realtor step mom. We are relieved to finally be moved in and getting settled!

We are also anxiously anticipating Lauren and Tom's wedding at the end of this month! We have been celebrating the upcoming wedding and cant wait!

I am still overwhelmed with the task of decorating the house, however, i am taking my time and trying to find stuff second hand that can be reused  and repurposed! I think this is such a fun challenge! Which means that right now we are living in a hodge podge mess! oh well, one of these days it will all come together :)

School has started back and I have class now 3 nights a week, so things may get more crazy before they calm down. I am trying to make the most of my weekends though, and relax a lot!

I've had a wonderful birthday over the weekend and today. I have such awesome friends, family, and coworkers :) I hope that 26 brings a less eventful year ;)

Katie

Why am I so late writing this?

Well, it's been a whirlwind. In a month we got an offer on the condo, frantically searched for a house and finally picked one after seeing probably 20+ homes, put an offer in on it, moved into it, and are hopefully closing on it soon. Lucie turning 7 months old just happened to be in the midst of this craziness.

Now that we are in our new home, surrounded by all our favorite (boxes)- I guess I can take a minute from unpacking and tell you about lucie being 7 months old-

About a month ago she started sleeping through the night again, horay! This laste up until we moved. Now it seems kinda hit or miss. She's going through this separation anxiety thing. It will turn even the least cuddly of babies: lucie, right into little sloths. She seriously wants to hang on me all day and sometimes in the middle of the night. Trying to remember that this is just her way of showing her love --- 

She really is so sweet these days. We feel so blessed by her and have been taking her on lots of walks. We've made up even more nicknames. Somehow, the ones PK coins seem to stick, so she is now "goofy" "goofienne noelle" and "the goof". These new names fit her personality--- always smiling and acting goofy.

This month Lucie had a couple of play dates with Emme as we went out looking at houses and doing stuff house related. It is fun to watch the girls play and interact as they get older!!

I think we're still holding steady at about 20 lbs. we're eating solids 3 times a day and are significantly decreasing our milk intake. 

We are also on the brink of crawling! It won't be long now! Still no teeth though 😬💗🏡🙊🍼

Half a year old!

Yesterday Lucie turned 6 months old. She is growing like a weed, sitting on her own, and can stand and hold on. She is working on pulling up, but isn't there yet! She's totally hilarious these days; she makes the funniest noises and faces! She is very interactive and loves hanging with Patrick and I. 

This month we started solids almost every day. Oatmeal is Lucie's favorite. She likes fruit too! She eats a lot, which brings me to my next topic...

We went to the pediatrician today and got her stats. She's 19 lbs (95%) 27 inches (90%) and her head circumference is 95% as well. She's a healthy girl, and the doc gave a good report. 

Lucie attended her first wedding reception this month for her aunt moo and uncle bear. She looked cute in her little dress, but was a little overwhelmed by so many people!!

Today was Lucie's first time swimming. So she had a big day. She had lots of fun playing in the pool with daddy!

Happy July!!

Katie Patrick and Lucie 

Will being 5 months old make her magically sleep?

I hope so. But I suspect not. I guess we will find out in the morning. What happened to my good little sleeper? The one who slept from 7-7?

Did I overfeed her? Is she legitimately hungry at midnight and again at 3 and again at 6? Will she ever sleep again?Should I make her cry it out? Is the world ENDING???

Ok. maybe thats a slight over-reaction. Or maybe not.  I mean everyone's baby goes through the dreaded 4 month sleep regression. . . . . Riiight?

I really hope she starts sleeping better. But for right now I am just happy that she's my little chunky monkey lovely Lucie baby. She's happy, mostly. And healthy. (Except for that one spurt of allergies) And she goes on  diatribes telling daddy and me about her day and everything else. We laugh at her when she talks because its just so funny. This past weekend her voice all of a sudden took a raspy turn and she started to sound like Lord Voldemort. I hope she's over that now and that it was just a function of the aforementioned allergies.

(Who could resist these rolls?)

Ok allergies. I say allergies. The doctor says she's too young to have allergies. That's funny, because I'm pretty sure she has them. If you had seen her- itchy watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing.....
I guess not allergies. So, a cold? Maybe. Ugh. I'm still thinking allergies.

Just this past weekend we started giving LuLu oatmeal! She loves it. L-O-V-E-S it. Reaches for the bowl and bounces up and down in her bumbo waiting for the next spoonful. Which is good. Because I have been feeling the pressure breastfeeding a 16+ lb 5 month old who never turns down food, and solid food is going to be my best friend!!!

Lucie has moved up to mostly 6 to 9 month clothes, and is excited to put all of her 6-9 month clothes to use. She's still wearing some 3-6 month dresses. It seems like, so far she has grown out of the 0-3 month clothes at 2 months, and the 3-6 month clothes at 5 months. Will be interesting to see if she grows out of the 6-9 at 8 months?! She is wearing size 2 diapers still, but is getting ready to be in size 3. I think we may stay in size 3 for a while after this since they are 16-28 lbs.

We went on a dinner and shopping date with our friend, Emme and Mrs. Katie. Our daddies were camping. We learned all about Anthropolgie home goods.

We're doing pretty well and are looking forward to our aunts Meaghan and Lauren getting married this summer! What a fun summer it will be.

Here's a 5 month pic: Not a very great shot, but this squirmy wouldn't sit still and smile at the same time. In this particular pic her daddy is trying to make her smile, and she's just looking at him like, "It's 6:30 in the morning. Yeah, right."




XO
Katie

1 year ago today....

One year ago today started out like any other day. I went to work, then went to target, then came home and, Surprise!

We found out that a baby was on the way! Well, I found out. Patrick was off practicing for graduation at Bellarmine when he received my frantic, not- so- calm phone call.

Tomorrow our little Lucie will be 4 months old! It's crazy how much can change in a year. We feel so blessed to have her and never fathomed we could love this sweet pea so much! Her arrival has helped us slow down and enjoy life more. God's timing was perfect on sending Lucie. What a joy she is...

This month has brought many changes in the life of Lucie. She started spending most days at one of her grandma's or Mrs. Amber's house. I think she's really getting used to being away from home and liking seeing someone new each day. Thursdays are my favorite days. On Thursdays Lucie and I spend the whole day together. We play, go shopping, go for lunch dates, and, of course, nap. Lucie was born on a Thursday, and I think it's fitting that Thursday ended up being my day off.

This month Lucie started out learning to talk more. She babbles all the time. Her personality continues to develop, and she loves when Patrick comes home and makes funny faces for her. We noticed about halfway through the month that she is doing really well standing and sitting with just a little support. We started using the jumparoo and she really likes it. We have to put a pillow underneath, though, because she's not yet big enough to touch the ground.

Yesterday, Lucie FINALLY rolled over! I feel like I've been waiting forever for this first movement milestone. She did it several times yesterday and again today so it isn't a fluke! You would think she graduated from Harvard; I'm one proud mama.

She went to the pediatrician's office today. She is growing up nice and big. She weighs 15 lbs 1 oz and is 25 inches long! Thats 75% weight and 80% in height! Starting solids is just around the corner! She's also doing great sleeping through the night, usually about 730pm-630am. This has allowed for me to start running again :) Knock on wood-- I hope she keeps it up!

Our condo is still for sale, so if you know of anyone looking, please send them our way!


XO,
KLK