the lucy project—3 years old

what can i say about three-year-old lucy? in a word, lucy is spunky. there is so much spunk, so much independence, so much sass that it oozes out when i give her a squeeze. hello kitty bows and sparkly shoes one day, demands to be batman (and NOT batgirl or batwoman) the next, she keeps life interesting and hones my diplomatic skills constantly. she will determinedly take a stand that is completely wrong and will defend it to the death, with no other evidence than "it is how i say it is!" but then there are times when she knows a losing battle, and will give in with a dramatic, "alriiiiiight..." you never know what you're going to get. never.

lucy can turn on her sweetness, particularly when dealing with her "babies", but she can also turn it off just as easily. she loves all her animals and dolls and takes care of them with lots of love and hugs (when she's not throwing them in the air or slamming them into the ground).
she loves to sing and dance and will make up songs and dance around in the most charming way. her version of "let it go" always makes me smile.
lucy's favorite foods are: pizza (with pepperoni), noodles that she can dip in sauce, cheesy tacos, carrots, and fruit. though, if you try to predict what she will or won't eat on any day, you will surely fail. when her plate is completely emptied without a battle, i feel as though i ought to buy a lottery ticket.
we are still trying to convince her to use the potty without success. i feel like she will do it in her own time, but in the meantime i am anxious to have it happen. it's the kind of thing that i think can only be successful if she's really on board, and lucy is rarely on board for the long haul, even when m&ms are involved.
no matter what she throws my way, i'm always glad we've got a lucy. she is a treasure.

the stats:

height - 37 inches (50th percentile)

weight - 27.19 lbs (15th percentile)

pooh boots, for posterity

the lucy project—lucy @ 2

for the past month or so i've been thinking about the post i wrote about sam when he was two, and the list of all the fun, quirky things that he was doing at that age. i've been thinking that i wanted to do the same for lucy, but every time i sat down to the computer, i just didn't know how to put lucy into words. or maybe it was that there just seemed to be a lot of words, because even though lu is a small person, she's got a lot of personality, and trying to cram all that into one list felt like trying to cram a whale into a tin can (not easy). however, i've decided to make an attempt, if only because not making an attempt means that i'd have nothing to reminisce over later on.

things i want to remember about lucy at two:

- the sparkly shoes. the red sparkly shoes that came from cousin alice are the footwear of choice these days and are definitely a hallmark of lucy's style. sometimes she adds a hat (sometimes daddy's so she can be "tiny daddy", sometimes mommy's, sometimes the felt bucket that she refers to as the "toothpaste hat"), or her pink blanket (if she's a "cold princess"), and frequently there are sunglasses involved, but mostly it's all about the shoes. and they are so VERY important. also adding to the girly factor, her favorite color is pink. if we can't find the "happy airplane" shirt, the "daddy angel" onesie, a buckeye shirt, or the darth vader tee, i better be able to dig up something pink, otherwise "naked" will be the outfit of the day.

- the puzzles. we are puzzled daily. she's very fond of one or two in particular, and as soon as she gets the last piece in we have to break it apart so we can do it again (and again, and again). my favorite part is the "ta-da!" at the end.

- speaking of ta-da's, there are lots of words. i'd do a count of her vocabulary, but there are really too many to keep track of. several people have commented on her verbal-ness, but considering the company she keeps (sam), it's no wonder that she's got a lot to say. also, one does not get the nickname "tiny tyrant" without being able to instruct her subjects about what they should (or shouldn't) be doing. the girl knows what she wants, and for better or worse, she will let you know what that is.

- that when lucy plays with action figures, everyone gives hugs and kisses. sure, they also knock each other down (they ARE action figures), but it's also likely that there will be a few hugs and kisses thrown in, and it makes me smile every time i see the riddler or doctor doom giving robin a nice wet one. i don't know if it's a "girl" thing or a lucy thing, but there is a lot of lovin' to be had with this little lady.

- that funny thing where she puts rubber bands on her hands and calls them lucy duck and sammy duck (and she's very specific which one is lucy and which is sammy, i tried mixing them up and was sternly corrected). then i have to be mommy and daddy ducks with my hands.

- that she likes to draw people. her people have heads, eyes, mouths, legs (she often calls them "foots"), and usually one arm, and hair. sometimes you can even tell what she's been drawing. i am also instructed regularly to draw family portraits. most recently it was a family portrait of everyone as turtles.

- that she is determined. lucy likes to do things on her own and in her own way. when she got her doll and pink stroller at oglegay, she declared that she was going to walk from our cabin to the playground (which was a walk that i couldn't get sam to do without complains), and darned if she didn't walk all the way there, pushing the little stroller, by herself. 

- lucy is all about the do-it-yourself attitude. she handles a spoon and fork almost as well as sam (sometimes better), and is very close to being able to dress herself (possibly with everything being backwards). she prefers to brush her own teeth (but we force her to get help anyway), and she has figured out how to go up and down the stairs standing up (which occasionally freaks me out). she can definitely do enough climbing to get herself into trouble if not watched, and i have to keep an eye on her at the playground, lest she get in over her head.

- like sam, lucy loves to sing and dance. favorite songs include, "elmo ducks", "man sing", itsy-bitsy spider, baa baa black sheep (sometimes "baa baa pink sheep"), twinkle twinkle little star, and the voltron theme song. i'm sure there are others, including those she makes up on her own.

- she has taken to building cities and playgrounds with wood blocks and sometimes make spaceships with legos that she will zoom around. when she does, i definitely feel like i've been here before. i do believe the ends of her jump rope were rockets this morning.

all in all, lucy is about as awesome as can be. she may be little, but she's definitely a force to be reckoned with. happy second birthday, little lu. you are a precious, precocious, little bear and i love you so!

lucy's stats at two:

height - 34.25 inches (59th percentile)

weight - 21.06lbs (below 3rd percentile)

life is happening, right here

american dagger moth caterpillar crawling up the side of our house

here it is, nearly october, and it's been ages since anything has been put down in the blog. not a word about lucy's birthday parties (she had two), about me quitting my job (i did, and then i didn't), or about sam's adventures in preschool (he started the tuesday after labor day). so, in an effort to catch up, here are the highlights from the past two months:

lu's second birthday cake + lu successfully avoiding the token "messy first birthday cake" photos by using a fork 

(seriously? what one-year-old does this? mine, apparently.)

- the day after lu's first birthday, we packed up the car and left for the family reunion in minnesota. considering the length of the drive (and the ages of our little people), it was relatively painless. we enjoyed a week of playing and cooking and eating and hanging out (and more partying). the worst part of all that travel was having to leave after a week of reveling in the company of all that family (and easy access to lots and lots of swimming), and having to return to real life.

the view from my new office window, right before i quit

- but that's what we did. on monday after returning from vacation, mike and i headed back to work, leaving the kids in the hands of my very capable (and very tired, because they had also driven home from minnesota) parents. 
when i got to work, i officially gave notice that i would be leaving my job at the end of august. it was really hard for me to throw in the towel after being there for twelve years, but it seemed to be the best option for our family (not having to find a new sitter that would meet all of our requirements and still not cost an arm and a leg was the main consideration, of course). so, notice was given, and I spent the day unpacking my office (they had just relocated me to a better office with a great view *sigh*), and trying to wrap up a few projects that needed to be completed before the end of the month. the next day, my boss called to let me know that my resignation was rejected, and that her boss wanted to know if there was some arrangement we could come up with that would still allow me to work for them. i ended up signing an independent contractor agreement which allows me to work from home ten hours a week and i end up having more take-home pay (even with setting aside money for taxes at the end of the year) than i had when i was working twice as many hours and had to pay for childcare and transportation. i did lose any benefits i had retained when going to part-time, but since we are already paying into mike's benefits, it's not a huge loss. i'm still making out better than i would have if i'd simply gone to stay-at-home status. bonus.
the only hitch to working as a contractor was having to buy my own mac and software, but we figured if it needed to be done to continue working, it needed to be done, and we put down the chunk of change (though we'll easily make up the cost within the first few months of my contract) and bought a mac and software. of course we found out a week later that i was going to get my beloved work computer back (they wouldn't allow my personal computer access to the network, and i had network access written in as part of the contract). i now have two macs on my desk, and have done at least one (paid) project on each, so having spent the money wasn't so bad. huzzah.
i started my contract on september ninth, and have yet to have a ten-hours-only week, but i'm enjoying being home (for the most part), and that i still get to be a "working mom" if only in a very small capacity.

lu and grandparents + sam and mike at the concert (packed tight amongst the sea of concert goers)

- the last weekend in august, we took my parents out to the pixar concert at blossom as belated birthday gifts. it was a great night with good music and the foggiest, most surreal-looking fireworks display i've ever seen. i think john williams would have been more suited to our family (sam knows that music better, particularly star wars), but still, it was a lot of fun.

obligatory first day of school photo

- sam started at the onaway preschool the tuesday after labor day. his teacher, the awesome mrs. k, has sent home good reports so far, and sam seems to really be enjoying his time there and making new friends. we did have one report of too much talking (not surprising), but overall, preschool seems to have been a good decision and sam looks forward to the days he has school.

lucy flipping through her books

- lucy, for her part, is enjoying a little bit of only-child time during the two and a half hours that sam spends at school. most of the time she will play quietly by herself (something she doesn't get to do very often when sam is around), and i'm able to put in an hour or so of work. her two favorite pastimes are looking through her books (it's better if someone reads to her, but she will spend lots of time just looking on her own), and going through the box of hand-me-down shoes that came from cousin alice.
this morning we read our way through a stack of books and would probably have kept going if i hadn't popped some baby einstein in the vcr so that i could go make breakfast. i'm pretty sure that if having a kid that won't let me stop reading to them is my biggest problem, then life is pretty good.
lucy's favorite book right now is "brown bear, brown bear" and we've read it so many times that i can just recite it to her (which lucy thinks is almost as good, and likes that best when she's feeling fussy). i think it's the rhythm that she likes, and we often see her rocking back and forth to the words, but i can also see her mouth trying to imitate what she sees my mouth doing when i say the words. if she finds my recitation fascinating, i find her watching me just as much so.
lucy has also gotten to the point where she is easily cruising around the furniture and seems a bit disappointed when she gets to the end, but not confident enough to try to step out on her own. she can (and frequently does) stand up in the middle of the room without holding on to anything, and she can sway and dance and bop there before sitting down (or more likely plopping down) on her bottom.
she is obsessed with babies, and any book that has a baby in it. since baby is one of her few words, she uses it frequently for things that are clearly not babies (like daddy, for instance). she also enjoys giving lots (and lots) of kisses (which i find incredibly endearing, to say the least).
her new word for today was "stinky", which she heard sam say and then kept trying to repeat over and over. she can also say "taco" and "apple" quite well.

so that, basically, is the wrap-up of the last month and a half (or so). we're looking forward to october (though i'm getting anxious about the impending halloween costume making part of the month—ack!) and the candy corn it will bring. we have a few adventures on the horizon, and hopefully there will be more (timely) updates in the near future.

sam in goggles (because, when all is said and done, who doesn't enjoy a photo of a kid in ridiculously over-sized goggles?)

project lucy—12 months

things i want to remember about one-year-old lucy:
- she will eat a mountain of peas or green beans while waiting for dinner as if it was chocolate chips, or fishy crackers, or grapes. she is my all-star veggie eater and seems to be reinforcing sam's hypothesis that girls eat vegetables and boys eat sausage (except that she eats sausage too).
- she dances to everything (and nothing), and it's awesome. she will also sing if sam is singing, and sometimes for no reason at all.
- she loves stuffed animals, particularly her bear "ed" who gets lots of hugs and kisses on his fuzzy little head.
- she is currently obsessed with babies and loves to point out any "beebees" she sees (this includes sam's ironman action figure and a lego robot that sam made, and sometimes daddy).
- she also enjoys pointing out windows ("dow") and doors ("dow") as well as lights now.
- she also enjoys pointing out daddy (and grandpa).
- i could've sworn she said spongebob today when the tv was on.
- she likes to unload things (toys out of her basket or recycling out of the bin, it doesn't matter), and sometimes she even puts it back when she's done (or at least a little bit).
- she still puts all kinds of crazy stuff in her mouth, but i think she's getting a little better about it, at least, she pauses now if we say "no".
- in the last few weeks since she turned one she's been doing new things by leaps and bounds. she climbs stairs (and the step-stool) with ease and confidence (but she can't get down, so she'll sit and yell until someone comes to the rescue). she will shake her head yes, and make the sign for more, and "peas, peas" in response to my asking "yes, please?" it's kind of adorable.
- she definitely has opinions on things, and she will let us know if things are not happening in the way she wants them to happen (and loudly). 
- she is the perfect person to snuggle up with in the evening, and my favorite person to be out and about with as she is very easy going and enjoys being charming for others.
- and speaking of charming, she crawled up to me today, planted a kiss on my shoulder, and then gave me a mega-watt smile and a hug. she knows how to capture my heart, bigtime.

the lucy project—month 11

month 11 was a big one for lucy. in the last four weeks, she has:

• gotten three more top teeth, which followed the first one on the left one after the other toward the right. they all seemed to be coming in almost at the same time, which didn't seem to bother her much during the day, but made sleeping a bit difficult for a few nights. we actually fed her tylenol once when she was particularly miserable, but beyond that, it wasn't so bad. so now she's got a total of six working chompers (all the better to eat birthday cake with, right?) unfortunately, she still thinks that she ought to be putting anything and everything into her mouth (gross!) she particularly enjoys finding my hairs (or pulling them out of my head) and putting them in her mouth (double gross). i can't figure out why anyone would want to put hairs in their mouth, i'm constantly trying to keep from getting them in mine.
• started crawling—for real. she can get around really well now, which means we're living in a baby-gate environment again. she hasn't attempted going up the stairs yet, so that's a plus. the biggest issue is sam moving the gates and not telling anyone that they're not secured anymore. so far we haven't had any incidents. i'm hoping our luck holds out. in the meantime, she enjoys traveling around the house on her own, and following us around as we do things here and there.
• started pulling up to stand on her own. it took her a while to feel confident enough to give this a shot, but now she does it really well. convincing sam that she doesn't need helping all the time is still a bit of an issue (such a helpful older brother!), but she handles all the assistance with grace (screeching at the top of her lungs).
• become obsessed with the remotes. i think i need to locate sam's remote (the one with no batteries that doesn't work a single thing).
• started pointing out the lights and saying "aye". yesterday we were shopping for groceries and she randomly started pointing and saying "aye!" i think she feels very clever for having figured this out.
• i'm pretty sure she was trying to say baby the other day (just like sam with the yo-baby yogurt). she kept saying, "beee beee beee." it was pretty cute (of course).
• started to make this grin when she thinks something is funny where she opens her mouth and crinkles her nose. i tried to get a photo of it, but she's so wiggly that getting a clear shot is practically impossible.

we're now counting down the days until she turns into a "years kid" (as sam puts it). i'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that she's almost a year old. it seems like just a few weeks ago that i brought her little, tiny self home. a few weeks and a million diapers ago, that is.

the lucy project—month 10

lucy at 10 months old:

• likes to snack on rice krispies. yes, plain old rice krispies. she's figured out that if she gets her fingers wet, they stick. so she'll put out her little pointer finger and catch one on the tip and then put it in her mouth. she'll sit and eat a whole pile of them this way. it's very cute. plus it makes a great distraction while i'm trying to get dinner made.
• is still eating like a champ. she consistently amazes me with her willingness to try just about anything i dangle in front of her little mouth. last weekend she ate a bunch of mom's three bean salad, despite the vingary dressing (i don't think sam would've done that at her age). and the tuesday before that she put a ginormous (well, relatively ginormous) piece of watermelon in her mouth before i could cut it up for her. i thought maybe she'd have a little trouble with it, but no, she handled it. and quickly too! her most recent favorites: chocolate chip cookies (duh), ice cream (double duh, and there might be some crying when it's gone), and raisins (i believe she would eat raisins all day long if i let her).
• is recently doing this yoga move where she puts her head down on the floor while sitting with her legs in front of her, and then gives a great big smile. my little yogi. it reminds me of sam tilting his head and giving his "i'm turning on my cuteness" smile.
• has discovered the "let's drop this on the floor and see if someone will pick it up for me" game. she loves it. me, not so much.
• has started to roll a ball back and forth with me
• can turn off her own light switch (as long as someone is holding her there to do it, of course)
• likes to brush her own teeth (she recently got her own real toothbrush)
• and speaking of teeth, is attempting to sprout a third one on top (though oddly, it doesn't appear to be one of the front two)
• every once in a while will make motions like she's going to go crawling across the floor, or pull herself up to stand holding onto the coffee table. i've never actually seen her do it yet though.
• will start clapping her hands when she hears me start to sing "if you're happy and you know it" and will click her tongue if she hears me sing the "bingo" song (that's the noise i make when i leave out letters)
• has actually been going to bed in her very own crib and will typically stay there until 1 or 2am, but i have to put her down on her side. i almost always find her on her back when she wakes up.
• will sit and play and play as long as sam is in the same room with her (he doesn't even have to be playing with her, just there making noises or describing the "game" he's made up in excruciating detail. that boy is magic. also his imagination is tremendous.)
• is overall such a sweet, charming little person. i'm still not sure how i got so lucky to have TWO amazing children. probably better not to question it, but just enjoy.

happy monday—a few videos to perk up your day

i know i've posted this one of sam on facebook, but i want to spread it around because it's awesome.

and here's one of sam speeding off on his bike. i want to remember him with his legs pumping like crazy. every time he goes zooming off, i think it's the cutest thing ever. (i don't usually worry about the zooming because he's been trained to stop at the corners and wait for a grown-up. sometimes he gets off his bike and stands with his arms out waiting for a hug.)

and here are a couple of videos of lucy being lucy. i love how she does that hop and slide thing in the jumpster. she doesn't get a whole lot of time in there much anymore (i even took it down last week so we could build a tent in the doorway).

project lucy—month 9

9 month stats for bitty bean: 14lbs 15oz (5.4%) and 26.75in (18.02%)

lucy, despite her bitty stature is shaping up to be just as big a personality as her big brother. bullet points for the little miss at 9 months:

• eats like cah-razy. seriously. even our daycare provider has commented on her ability to pack it in. and she is still eating anything and everything. each day is a taste adventure, and she is totally in. she has had guac and beans from chipotle, and decided they were awesome (we train early). i'm amazed at what she can manage with her one, lonely, little tooth.
• and speaking of eating, she has discovered how to stuff her own face in the last week or so. her favorite finger foods are cheerios, bread, pieces of waffle, cinnamon teddy grahams, and pieces of pear.
• she has discovered that she can scoot around on her bottom on the hardwood and linoleum floors by pushing with her hands or grabbing onto things and pulling, so she's slightly more mobile these days. i am trying to curb her enthusiasm for harassing the plants. she has also tried pulling up to stand using the coffee (and ended up bonking her head, silly little bear).
• she still loves to be sung to, and will do some of the motions to itsy-bitsy spider on occassion (see above photo).
• she's a hot sleeper. she wakes from naps with a sweaty little head, my "sweaty spaghetti".
• is just getting over her first bout of croup, which has left us all a little more sleep deprived than normal (except for sam, who is as rambunctious as ever).
• does a lot of talking and makes lots of sounds. we frequently hear "dada", "mama", "buhbuh", "goodgood", and something that sounds a lot like sam's rocket noise (she likes to use this noise when flying transformers around, or just about any other toy).
• lucy also can wave hi and bye, though she rarely does it on command. she usually reserves this skill for sammy, daddy, her mirror friend, and occasionally grandparents. smiles are also a little bit reserved, but she passes out curious glances by the ton (lots of people comment on her "big eyes" as she examines the world around her).

lucy is such a wonderful, curious, cheerful little person. a little sunshine in a rosy-cheeked package!

project lucy—month 8

this is lucy at eight months old. she's quite the awesome little person (despite the fact that she's a lousy sleeper). there haven't been big, monumental changes since my last update (probably because i waited so long to do her seven month post), but she's definitely keeping us busy (at three o'clock in the morning, no less).

i'm constantly marveling at the differences between sam and lucy (well, not in the looks department, of course). at eight months sam was all over the place crawling and cruising around the furniture. for the most part, lucy is fairly content to stay where she's put. i tried getting her down on all fours the other day, but despite the fact that she rocked back and forth, she was not happy about that situation. at eight months sam had at least four teeth, but lucy has only sprouted one so far (and even that one is taking it's time poking it's way up). she's also not exactly huge in the size department and can easily fit into 3–6 month onesies (depending on how stuffed her diaper is). i think lucy is just interested in doing things in her own time. i keep telling her that it's okay to not grow up too quickly, i really don't mind.

project lucy—month 7

at seven months old lucy can now sit confidently and is making attempts to try to scoot or crawl (mostly ending up with her face-first or falling over on the floor). she will happily sit and play on her own for 20 minutes at a time (or until she decides to make an unsuccessful attempt at an escape). she still has no interest in being on her tummy, so the occasional flops onto her belly leave her rather upset, and she will do her best to roll over asap.
her favorite toy is her xylophone, though she is also highly entertained by rattles and trucks, but watching sam turn on his silly makes her smile and laugh more than any toy can. she is still tasting everything, and typically has a plethora of chew toys (or a star wars action figure) at her disposal . 
she is definitely a fan of music and likes being sung to (particularly at diaper change times when she needs a bit of distraction). she's also very talkative and will babble loudly (often in church).
she is still eating everything she can wrap her little toothless mouth around, so figuring out what her favorite food is is basically impossible. so far she has tried: pears, peaches, apples, prunes, bananas, avocados, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, black beans, red beans, green beans, yogurt, lentils, cheerios and oatmeal. if only she could get beyond the spitting up. i'm still waiting hopefully for the end of that phase.
she likes being read to, and playing with her friend in the mirror. yesterday we read a book with little mirrors in it, and each time i turned the page, she leaned forward toward the mirror and put her mouth on it, and then sat back up. i think she was giving the cute baby kisses. it was adorable.
she still doesn't sleep through the night, but she does spend several hours a night in her own bed. our pre-bedtime snuggles is one of my favorite parts of the day, so i usually hold and feed her until she drops off to sleep and then put her down. i suppose i could sleep train her and let her cry, but i figure she's going to be too old for snuggles soon, and i'd much rather enjoy this time with her instead.
lucy is extremely curious and enjoys being part of the action. i think this is one of her main obstacles to sleeping, as she doesn't really want to miss anything. her best naps happen when she's riding around in the ergo, and i'm fine with that, since having her near makes me just about as happy as can be.