2 months old!

So Lucy turned 8 weeks old on Tuesday, and will be 2 months on Saturday (the strangeness of our calendar system). At any rate, she's continuing to grow and develop. She's really becoming her own little person, expressing herself with her cries and noises, and taking everything in. She's waking up only 1 time a night to feed and goes right back to sleep, which is awesome.

We continue to read her stories- here she is enjoying One fish, two fish.

Sporting the beautiful hat our friend Alainie made for her.
A classic overhead blanket shot (there are some of my sister and I like this).
And a medatative stare from our beautiful daughter.

Finally, here's a video of her "chatting" with Pooh, and her chubby legs.

Spring chick

Our little girl is growing up! Here she is in her first "big girl" outfit for Easter- onesie, sweater, pants and booties.

She's super alert these days, always looking around and wanting to see what's going on. Yesterday she missed two naps because of that! But it also means she's lots of fun and very interactive. She also slept for 7 hours in a row 2 nights last week, and 6 hours last night- hallelujah.

We've found a new carrying method- the moby wrap, which I love. http://www.mobywrap.com. You can face the baby outwards or inwards- great for naps on the go. She likes facing out while I get food ready, etc.


We were so glad that Matt's cousin Sarah could visit last weekend. She charmed Lucy from the start!

Visit from Grandma Judy

We have really been enjoying having Matt's mom with us this week. She's been charming Lucy and has developed her own techniques for calming her down, including showing her a wedding picture of Matt and I (works like a charm most of the time!). Grandma Judy has also been doing a ton of cleaning and cooking some wonderful meals- we're so thankful for her help.

Their first meeting- it was late so Lucy was a little sleepy.

Beautiful grandma and beautiful grandbaby.

More storytime!

We also had dinner with my grandparents this week- here's a great picture of Great-grandma and Lucy.

Lucy is our sunshine on a cloudy day. :)

And here she is getting a hug from her hippo towel.

Storytime and friends (real and stuffed)

It's been a fun week. Lucy is growing every day (she weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces at her doctor's appt today!), is much more alert, and has been smiling at us more and more. Often after nursing she and I will have some quality time, talking to each other and smiling (Elizabeth: I love you! Lucy: gah. Elizabeth: How are you this morning? Lucy: gehh.)

Matt has been wonderful about reading Lucy stories. Here she is enjoying his rendition of "Cat in the Hat".


"I love storytime!"
Our aunt Lee (aka Labor Coach of the Year, Amazing Indispensible Helper in Times of Great Need, and all around fun friend) stopped by to visit on Monday, so we finally have a picture of her with Lucy.

Our friends Heather and Alainie came by to meet the little munchkin yesterday, bringing a delicious dinner and dessert as well. Here is Heather practicing her mom skills (her little girl is due in July!).

Lucy sporting the beautiful hat Alainie knit for her, while Alainie reads "Lentil" to her (one of her in utero nicknames, since Lucy was once the size of a lentil bean).

And now onto the stuffed friends. Lucy continues to enjoy the mobile. Now she reaches out for it with her arms, and gets very excited about the little floating animals.

And to close, another cute picture of our little sweet pea.

You know you're a new parent when...

Top 5 ways you know you're a new parent:

5. Four hours of sleep in a row is a bountiful amount.

4. There are more places for your baby to sit (car seat, bouncy seat, baby swing...) than places for you to sit in your house.

3. "Schedule" has become a foreign word in your vocabulary (along with plans, downtime, etc).

2. You look forward to going to the dentist (as I did last week) as a chance to put your feet up and close your eyes.

And number 1...

1. Nothing delights you more than your little daughter's smile.

Family and Firsts

We had a wonderful few weeks with my mom, and were very sorry to see her go. Her visit was a complete blessing. Here we are with her at church on Sunday.

Among other things, she had the patience of a saint with Lucy, who has been "discovering her voice", to put it mildly.


We had a number of family visit over the past few weeks- it was so fun to have them meet Lucy. All of my uncles and aunts and most of my cousins on my mom's side were able to visit, and my grandparents too. Here is my grandmother with Lucy.

Like father like daughter. Lucy in the super-cute outfit my mom got her- she reminds us of Rumpelstiltskin in it.
Lucy had two firsts in the last few days. I didn't take a picture of the first one- her first "explosive poo", as my sister calls it, so you're spared that sight. Needless to say, it went halfway up her back. The second event was her first real tear (baby tear ducts don't work at first). You can see it glinting on her cheek below.
And to end on a happier note, here is a picture and video of Lucy enjoying her Winnie the Pooh mobile which our small group gave us.

Lucia Elizabeth

Our long-awaited little one has arrived! Lucia Elizabeth was born at 6:13 am on Tuesday, February 5th. It was a long labor, starting Saturday morning and staying pretty consistent from that night on, but my aunt Lee and Matt were great labor coaches, and she was worth it all. Here's a picture of Lucy at the hospital, where we stayed for a few days to recuperate.

Lucy loves having her hands up by her head, especially when she's sleeping.

From an early morning photo shoot.

Some quality dad-daughter time in our new glider chair.

Drying off after Lucy's first bath with a hippo towel from her Grandma Judy.

My mom is here for 2 weeks. Her help has been invaluable. She's been taking the night shift with Lucy, and cooking up a storm, including meals for the freezer. Her Lucy-calming techniques are also unparalleled.

Things are going great so far (we are looking forward to more sleep in the not-too-distant future, hopefully). Lucy is an absolute bundle of joy and we feel very blessed by this new addition to our family. We find her adorable expressions, hand movements, and noises (Matt calls her our squeaky toy) keep us entertained and enthralled. It's amazing to finally meet her after waiting for so many months!