Some Things Never Change....

Here is Lucy nearly 7 weeks old - seems like forever ago. She was so tiny and floppy... couldn't climb things, ate nothing but formula... lived in pajamas most of the time...

And here she is back in late January (which would have made her almost 16 months old at the time). As soon as I took this photo I remembered the one above and was amazed at how similar her face looked. In so many ways she is entirely different from that little baby in a pink sleep-n-play, but it's hardly evident by this picture. She must have been getting in touch with her inner infant.


I am bored.

Perched

A new trick Lucy discovered while I was busy in the kitchen...

Bored = Lucy update

I am so bored - I hate this weather. I have no motivation to do anything... I have been wearing "comfy" pants unless it is necessary to do otherwise.

Lucy no longer takes a morning nap at all ever. She will however, spend some time in her crib in the morning so that I can shower before 2:00 PM, thankyou. She takes a good afternoon nap, so this adjustment to her schedule isn't too bad.

Lately she has been quite insistent on taking your hand and leading you to where she wants you to be. She does not give you an option, and if you fail to get up and follow her, she will scream and frown. Most often she will take you to her high chair as a hint she wants to eat. Cute little habit. She has been saying a lot more words lately, like "car", "hat", "cookie", "Elmo" (okay she's been saying that for at least a few weeks), "clock" (but she might miss the L sound... but she IS gesturing toward a CLOCK on the wall), and "flower" - almost. I am still not sold on this one but Ron says he heard her say it, although it was in a whisper. She can put all the oddly shaped puzzle pieces in the correct spots on her Sesame Street puzzle at Grandma's house. She also knows all her colors (to point to the correct one). She likes to hook a purse on her arm like a real lady and push her shopping cart around, throwing her play fruit all over the floor.

So she seems to be getting smarter and smarter each day! We're pretty proud.

Oh, Internet!

This is a chandelier made of Gummy Bears. Mmmm.... here is the matching rug:

Giddyup!

Today Lucy went on the carousel at Rivertown Crossings Mall for the first time. She was tired when we got there, so she had a real serious face at first. However, after a little while she was smiling and having a great time! We'll definitely have to go back!
More Carousel Photos

I Am the "Whistler's Mother"

Lucy can really whistle! A couple weeks ago she did it accidentally, but now she knows she's doing it, although she's very quiet. You might have to listen closely. After I made this video, I noticed she's been getting better and better at it... what a weird thing to accomplish so early!

Get Smart

A couple weeks ago Grandville High School put on the comedy play, Get Smart. Ron and I really enjoyed it, and the kids did a nice job. Then recently, I saw a commercial for a movie version of the old 1960's TV show... one trailer here. Makes me want to stay up and catch it on TV Land.

Here's another preview:

Across the Universe

Last night Ron rented Across the Universe, a movie we've both been very much wanting to see ever since we saw a trailer in the theater. We never made it to the theater to see it, but it came out on DVD this week - yay! We were thinking about just going out and buying it without watching it first, but I am sort of glad we didn't. Let me explain...

First of all, I really did like the movie. The characters were interesting, the plot was decently emotional (even if a little predictable), and of course the musical and visual aspects were wonderful - some scenes were just beautiful. On the other hand, some scenes were highly disturbing to the point of us not really knowing what to make of them - most notably the scene with the song "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite", which is under normal circumstances a decent Beatles song. However, here it reaches new levels of creepiness. I'm still debating whether or not I can actually watch the clip I just linked. I probably will since I'm still trying to make sense of it, and as much as it freaked me out, I have to say it was very creative and strange - and I'm sure the way it made me feel was exactly the response they were looking for. I liked the scene with Bono okay (other than the fact that it led to the creepy Mr. Kite scene)... but actually I think Joe Cocker's character(s) & performance was better. The other thing I liked about the movie is how the characters (and the changes they undergo) and the mood of the movie parallel the Beatles's career...

If you go to the movie's site (link above) you can watch a few clips (non-YouTube) check out "I've Just Seen a Face", which is one of my favorite scenes. In fact, there were several scenes I loved loved loved! I just wanted to warn you that this is not the kind of modern musical that you might be expecting. I can't compare it to anything I've ever seen before! I'm glad we rented, we probably won't buy it, but I definitely want the soundtrack.

Happy Valentine's Day

Piles of Tissues!

Over the past few days I have been fighting a cold. It started out as a sore throat (the usual first sign for me) and then moved upstairs to my head, where it has made me miserable for the past two days. This morning I finally feel like it's beginning to fade. Lucy has some slight slight symptoms but doesn't seem to be acting any differently. Ron has a sore throat for one day and drank water all day, and it went away. Blah.

Anyway, so it's been a while since I posted anything and I don't really feel like spending much time down here in the basement, so I'm gonna make it bullet-point quick:

• Friday night we went to the Fish Fry at the VFW Hall in Walker... ate some good fish, and saw a few friends.
  
• Saturday Ron worked all day and I hung out at my parents' house.
• Sunday church was canceled due to weather! We spent most of the day lounging around and I let Ron take care of most parental duties so I could be a baby and rest. Watched part of the Grammies.
  
• Monday was a snow day - the 5th one of the year! We finally finished the mudroom flooring, all but the stair nose which wasn't going well. It looks so much nicer in there now! We still have to dispose of the old linoleum, which is leaning up against the side of the garage...
  

Cable Guy, Bloody Dog, Dented Toddler

Why is it when you order cable television they give you a time frame and you get thinking, be ready, 'cause he's going to BE HERE between 8:00 and 10:00 AM! Then he calls and is running late, and finally at 11:45 arrives and does his job... plus as an added bonus I got to hear about his tattoos, his brain aneurysm/spinal tap, his bungee jumping experience, and how many male and female cousins he has respectively, on his mom's and dad's sides of the family.

Well, I'm patient and he was a nice guy... perhaps a bit slow since he mistook the road Division in Grandville for Division Ave in Grand Rapids, making his first appointment this morning extra late. Whoops. Anyway, we are no longer limited to three and-a-half channels, and all with NO RABBIT EARS. The future is NOW!

Meanwhile Killian ripped a claw out her paw by catching it on a baby gate and was bleeding on the unfinished portion of our mudroom (we are halfway done installing the wood laminate flooring in there). Poor doggy. Ron is taking her to the vet this afternoon for a trim (of the remaining claws) and bandaging.

After lunch Lucy fell onto a miniature Poang chair (seriously, she's quite good at walking, but gets a little clumsy when she's tired. I know it sounds like I'm making excuses because wasn't there another recent blog post about her falling on her face? Hmm... I think there was! In all fairness I don't blog about any of the times she walks around all day without injuring herself...), which put a tiny dent in her forehead which was already turning bruise-colored by the time I gave her the Tylenol. The dent is gone, but I think it's going to turn into a big purple bump... cute.

After an Awkward Pause and Confused Look, I'd say, "she's a girl"...

When Lucy was little (well, she's still little, but I mean really little) she did not have as much hair as some of her little infant girl friends. Of course we think she's been beautiful since day one, but it would always sting just a bit when strangers would say things like, "hi little fella!" or "what a big boy!". Nevermind the fact that she's been swathed in pink and purple to compensate for her lack of luxurious locks. Only now do I really feel that her hair makes her look decidedly feminine, but I still hesitate to dress her in something that doesn't clearly feature flowers, or noticeable amounts of pink or purple (and I think others can agree that gets a little sickening after a while).

But Katie just sent me a link to a site that I wish I would have known about a year ago: Brilliant Bows, which has a huge selection of bows and clips for baby girls with even the finest trace of hair, and they're guaranteed to stay in. They still might be good for Lucy, since she doesn't have tons of hair yet, and what she does have is quite fine. I was never a big fan of the stretchy headband because they left weird textured imprints on Lucy's head (even if they weren't tight), so this is a good alternative to that option, especially for those still sporting peach fuzz.

Lawn Mower Accident

Yesterday after lunch Lucy was playing around in the great room, mainly pushing her toy lawn mower. She turned quickly and fell on her face, so I got up to pick her up (I knew she'd start screaming any second, since it looked like a bad fall). Sure enough she took a deep breath with her mouth wide open and let out a high pitched scream of pain. I inspected her face and didn't know where she hurt herself, but she put her hand up to her mouth. So, I put my finger just inside her lips and pulled it out - and she was bleeding! Eeek! I was so afraid she loosened a tooth... I couldn't see anything in there, and she wasn't letting me pull her upper lip up (shocking).

So, I loaded her into the car seat and went to the pediatrician. Stupidly, I didn't call first, and when I got there I learned that none of the doctors were in at that location. I went all the way from my house to Ivanrest/Prairie in Grandville for NOTHING! Of course it didn't matter because before we even arrived Lucy was jabbering and happy in the backseat, oblivious to the blood on her chin and collar. I felt pretty stupid because there seemed to be no reason for her to see a doctor at that point... but when it happened I didn't know how bad it was, and I wasn't going to sit around at home to find out just how long it was going to bleed.

Since the bleeding stopped and she seemed to feel fine, I just went home, gave her some Tylenol and put her down for a nap. She still has all her teeth, and I got the stains out of her purple shirt. I never thought seeing my child's blood would freak me out that much... but I think it was partly because I couldn't actually see what was wrong, as opposed to a bad scrape on the knee. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later to our little Stumbelina.

Lost in 8:15

The other night I saw this on TV and thought it was pretty good... since it seems like watching the DVD's to catch up would be just way too time consuming for me... tell me, Lost fans, does this really do it justice? Am I ready to jump into the obsession now?

Stolen

I stole this from Dooce, but I had to link this news clip for anyone who might not visit her site frequently enough. It's actually from WZZM 13 - right here in West Michigan.

And I Don't Even Have to Clean Up...

Last night Ron and I went to a Super Bowl party at our friends' house, where we got to enjoy lots of good food, lots of wild kids, and an amazing theater room... at first Lucy was a clearly nervous and didn't want to leave my side, but after she ate some food, and got used to the surroundings, she had a great time. There were millions of new toys for her to check out, and she managed not to get trampled by the stampede of kids - mostly very energetic little boys. We stayed until 8:45 (which is way past her bedtime) but she was doing so well, and was still smiling and playing happily well past halftime. We decided to pack it up and head home, skipped her bathtime, and she fell asleep almost immediately. Ron and I stayed up to watch the remainder of the game, and we were both very happy to see the Giants pull off the upset!

I was hoping her late party night would result in Lucy sleeping in a bit... no such luck. Then this morning I took her to Play to Learn at Bauer Elementary. She was a little bit tired when we got there, and also a bit clingy, but eventually explored a bit, looked at new books, tried to eat some fake waffles, and during snack time crammed approximately 35 Goldfish crackers into her mouth at once. I tried to stop her but she was just way too fast and determined! This lead to a Play-dough factory of cheesy slime oozing out of her mouth. She couldn't even close her lips completely around the mass of crackers. I tried to catch some of it with a baby wipe, but it's hard when she's reaching for the crackers on another plate, and arching her back to slide out of the little elementary school chair she was sitting in. Anyone have any idea how I can teach her to regulate her food intake? I just figure she has to learn the hard way.

It was also nice to finally see Dylan and Ella Terpstra in REAL LIFE, although I have gotten to see some of their antics on Katie's Blog. Katie is also doing what she can to give her kids more of a social outlet (and perhaps herself too!). Ella is only about a month and a half younger than Lucy, so it would be cool if they could learn to play together nicely.

On top of all this, Lucy did better than ever at the church nursery on Sunday, and I got to actually sit through the entire service without having to go in part way to remind her that I didn't just abandon her forever in a room full of strangers. I peeked at her once through the window and saw her drinking someone's juice... I just hope that someone wasn't upset about it. I didn't see anyone screaming, so I assume it was alright. The nursery person gave me a thumbs-up sign and I left without Lucy noticing me. She's getting the hang of it!

Background

I changed my obnoxious bright fuchsia background... basically by saving the background image and altering it on Photoshop, putting it on our Smugmug in an inconspicuous place, and then linking to that image in the HTML for the template. I can change the color to anything quite easily... and after a couple trials (dark purple, teal...) I have settled on this dusty red color. I am sure Ron will show me how I can do it directly from our computer... All I know is I don't have to squint at the screen now.

Kiss Hello

Kiss from Mindy on Vimeo.