four years ago

First time on the swings at the park! She's a bit perplexed...and then was very busy watching 'the big kids'.
Playing with her friend Rachel...that pony is just too adorable to resist!
Reading Dad's Mens Health...
Yummy teether...

Ash Wednesday is the marker of our first official date...as we sat in church on Wednesday night with Luci I couldn't help but think about our first date four years ago. We went to mass, and during the 'peace be with you' Clay kissed me on the forehead...it was such a sweet gesture. And now here we are...four years later...in Texas...with our sweet, sweet Luci. How blessed!

Weaned

It is with mixed emotions that I can report Luci is, for the most part, weaned. Over the last 3 or 4 weeks I've been cutting out a feeding every few days...and then I cut to down to just morning & night. I nursed her Sunday morning, and then again tonight while I counted to 100 on each side...knowing it will be our last session...trying to stop myself from crying. Since before she was born my nursing goal was to make it 6 months. In the first 3 weeks I wanted to quit every single minute. For the next 9 weeks I wanted to quit every morning at 4am when I woke up so engorged I had to pump...even though my sweet baby was sleeping...I couldn't sleep because I hurt so bad. Then around week 12 everything got easier...just like everyone said it would. And 12 weeks to 6 months flew by...and now I'm not so sure that I want to stop. In fact, I'm pretty sure right this minute I don't want to stop. But I know the reason I want to continue is not because I'm anti-formula, but because I want her to keep needing me...I kind of want her to stay dependent on me. And I think that is probably a bit unhealthy...so I'm stickin with my plan...despite some tears (mine). The worse part is that I know this is just the first of many steps of independence...I hope it gets easier.

The LONGEST week in a LONG time

But I sure do love this baby...
Hanging in her 18month jammies from Grandma Rosonke...playing with her favorite toy! It sings "I look in the mirror & who do I see...I see sweet little wonderful me!!!"

Ugh...Clay has been gone now since Monday on a stint with the Navy...thankfully he's back tomorrow around 4pm if his flights go well. Between the rash, re-washing everything we own 4 times (it is worth it if it gets rid of this rash), weaning (and therefore cleaning a seemingly endless stream of bottles & bottle parts), feeding solids to a baby who doesn't want them (twice a day now) and surviving a sleep strike it has been a long week. Luckily I have great friends to talk to & hang out with so I don't become too much of a baby talking blubbering idiot. I'm just realizing now that a brief political conversation on Thursday night over pizza was the intellectual high point of my week...thanks Lawrence Family! Luci also had a great time on Thursday night. She seemed to have discovered Clara! Sweet, sweet Clara grinned & giggled as Luci pulled on her nose, cheeks, lips, and yanked out her hair! In fact, Luci was so enthralled with Clara that I managed to sneakily feed her the most solid food she's ever eaten in one sitting...an entire container of bananas!

It is funny....when Clay is gone from 2-4 days I'm totally fine...I get random stuff done...watch TV shows he doesn't like, and eat junk he doesn't eat...and before I know it he is back! But this week on Thursday afternoon I really started to lose it. I guess all of that stir craziness made me pretty productive though; I purchased 'the only other car seat you'll ever need' for Luci (the Radian 80...it is good until she's 80lbs!), and some Target bookshelves for her room that I had to drive half way across Houston to find. I also put said book shelves together! We went for a long walk this morning with hiking boots (breakin them in for the Grand Canyon in April) and have been hanging out this afternoon doing more laundry. If she ever goes to sleep...and therefore wakes up pleasant...we'll hit the park for our first adventure on the swings before dinner. Although it is getting late so maybe that will be our pass-the-time activity tomorrow waiting for Clay.

Remember in my 6 month notes when I said she was going down for naps without crying?!?!? HA! I should have known it was a ruse....our baby...sleep!?! NEVER! She was just gearing up for a sleep strike! Who wants to sleep when there is endless sitting up that can be done!?!?! It goes something like this...tired, yawning baby...sleep sack, paci, books, song...squirming begins before I even put her in the crib...immediately upon being put down on her back she screams...she rolls over...she sits up. She squeals in delight. I've given up trying to get her to lay back down. I just make sure she can see her paci & a spare, and then I leave. Then for the next 30 minutes she hangs out...talks...plays her mobile music (mobile friends had to go back the farm...otherwise she'd be yanking on them & eating them)...and then cries. And then HOWLS. And then WAILS. After 5 to 10 minutes of this wailing I start to fear a leg is stuck or her rash is back or her head has fallen off...and I go in...and she is sitting up...always in the same corner...SCREAMING. She doesn't even stop when I lay her down & give her a paci...both of which..btw...have inevitably been flung to the floor in some hard to spot place...maybe under the crib...maybe not...maybe in the curtains...maybe not. Yesterday the fun started at 5a...she screamed off & on (more on) until about 6:20a when I gave her a bottle that caused her to fall asleep. A brief 40 minutes later she was ready to start her day while I was ready to call it a day.

So...for many, many reasons...I can't wait for my love to return. I miss his handsome face, seeing the way he looks at the Pea & giggles in delight when she does something goofy, his desire to take on the much needed mission of childproofing our home, his randomly intellectual conversations, his more & more frequent angry outbursts disparaging Hilary, and our daily discussions of what in the world we are going to do if Continental merges with United...or if they don't...or if they do...or if they don't...

HE = High Efficiency

Lots of questions regarding HE....we have a High Efficiency washing machine...which requires special High Efficiecy detergent (aka Tide Free HE) because it uses so much less water. I know...we are green wannabies...

Culprit???

Clay suggested I buy a new thing of Tide Free since the rash sprang up after we did a bunch of laundry using a jug we just purchased...even though we've always used Tide Free. So I did that today...and just realized this last detergent we've been using isn't HE!! I've read the regular Tide Free is for 40 gallons of water, and ours uses much less...leaving soap in the clothes!!

Needless to say I'm currently re-washing EVERYTHING with Tide Free HE!!

I should have known...I've been super itchy too...but thinking it was just sympathy itching!

Rash :(

All better Monday morning!
We might have a gymnast on our hands...this is her way of working into a seated position.
Monday afternoon...swollen eye :(
Booohoooooo
Tuesday morning...we are heading to the doctor!

Ugh...since Saturday we have been battling a terrible, red, bumpy, itchy, angry rash. Originally we thought it was just an eczema flare up...but it soon progressed and we were very confused. It started on Saturday morning...I noticed the fold/crease of her neck was bright red. It got progressively worse until Saturday night when we started to panic. Luckily some good advice from Dr. Brooke & Luci's grandma's helped. Sunday it seemed to be on the mend, and it looked even better Monday morning...so I decided an appt with the pediatrician wasn't necessary. So of course, at 5pm when she woke up from her nap her eye had a huge welt/hive under it. And by this morning our poor baby's eye was almost swollen shut. After 100 calls between 7:57 and 8:05, I finally got through and made an appt for 11:30a. Unfortunately her symptoms are a bit confusing, but Dr. Bhakta is treating it as 'contact dermatitis'. Aka an allergic reaction from coming into contact with something....but what?? It also may be a viral infection that is manifesting as a rash, but he doesn't think so. For now we are treating with Benadryl, a steroid cream for her body and hydrocortizone for her face until we talk again tomorrow. In the meantime I'm re-tracing my steps since Friday, trying to figure out what in the world may have caused this. The rash was just on her neck & up, but now it is all over her body with the exception of her diaper area...the part that is always covered.

And this is just funny....she is very adept at putting her paci in...unless I'm recording it! Pardon my baby voice...

Six Months!

Hmmm...it seems as though she's interested in the new big girl carseat I'm in the process of picking out...
Gotta get my hands on it!!

Wow...I cannot believe our baby is 6 months old today! She is growing & developing by leaps & bounds every single day.

She can sit on her own now for as long as she wants to...and get herself down onto her back if she wants to. She can't quite get into the sitting up position on her own yet but she is working VERY hard on it...during play time & nap time. She gets up on all fours and then sticks one leg out to the side and tries to sit back.

Crawling is still eluding her...she is SO close...rocking...picking up each knee, and each hand...just not in the coordinated motion required to move forward. However this doesn't stop her from getting her to wherever she wants to go.

Random things I want to remember...

-I'm transitioning out the 6/9M gear and bringing on the 12M gear.

-I've started to wean...I'm down to 3 nursing sessions, 2 bottles & a bit of solid food once a day.

-EVERYTHING goes in her mouth...with a hilarious ferociousness.

-She often watches what is on TV...much to our chagrin.

-Her new favorite toy is a mirror that Grandma & Grandpa Rosonke got her. It does animal sounds & sings a fun baby song.

-She made her way to the DVR yesterday, and the laptop today.

-She just started to take interest in the cats after we got back from Iowa.

-She still loves the bath & loves to play with her duck & other fun animals from Uncle Keith & Aunt Lee.

-She is just starting to giggle at random things she does herself.

-Clay turned her upside down a couple of days ago & now she keeps trying to turn her head upside down on her own...it is SO funny!

-Her diapers are starting to smell a bit now that she is eating food! And she is going less frequently.

-She responds REALLY well to YAAAAAAYYYYYY!! I can get her to eat with yay, not cry when she tips over, and smile no matter what when I say YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY. And I've started to say it to adults...and then I feel very silly.

-Her happy face is this HUGE open mouth grin.

-She really only gets fussy when she gets tired.

-She is getting better with naps...she rarely cries now when we put her down now. Some naps are longer, but most are still 40 minutes are so. She takes anywhere from 2-4 naps per day.

-She LOVES to kick her feet...on her back, on her belly, in the bath...even if it is hitting a toy or something hard!

-She still has her little bald spot, and patches of eczema on the backs of her calves. We are also still fighting the drool rash on her chin & cheeks.

Whew!

In her crib at Grandma & Grandpa Pierses. It was great!
Luci meeting cousin Kylie for the first time...they hit it off!
Love my baby!!
Happy with Grandpa Pierse.
Family photo!

Our 3 weeks of family visiting has come to an end. Luci has now been to both Iowa and Indiana to visit her loving grandparents. The flights to & from Indy went well for her...the flight home was challenging for her parents, but she was just fine due to the constant entertainment we provided. On the way home she had 2 poopy diapers and the airplane did NOT have a changing table...ahhh...the fun. So I actually put her down on my seat & managed to change it that way, but she barely fit & this certainly won't be an option next time we fly...so we are still brainstorming how to handle this...any suggestions?

After her 3:50am wake up call on Friday she was remarkably good natured most of the day. That night was a different story...she cried off & on from midnight until 5am...more on than off...and nothing was soothing her. Around 5am I decided co-sleeping was better than no sleeping...so for the first time ever I slept next to my baby on a bed. Luckily not all of the nights were like that.

On Saturday Clay & I left Luci overnight for the first time (well, my first time) as we headed to Chicago for our friends Liz & Craig's engagement party. I irrationally cried before we left, and for about an hour after we left...thank goodness Amanda was able to give me a pep talk or I may have may have asked Clay to turn the car around. We got to Chicago in time to take a bit of a nap (Clay napped, I closed my eyes and saw & heard Luci crying the night before), and then went out for dinner with Jen & Paul. It was SO great to be back in the city & hanging out like old times. The engagement party was so much fun we even went out a bit afterwards. I drank more than I have in well over a year and didn't feel super great on Sunday. Nonetheless we got up & went to church and made it out for brunch with Holly, Kristin & Jamie. I started to freak out a bit on Sunday morning but Holly talked me down from that one. I was still anxious to get back though...the drive back to Indy seemed to take FOREVER. When we got there Luci was in the highchair...she looked at me like it was no big deal...then got a HUGE smile...then burst into tears!! I missed her terribly, but just like Grandma Pierse had told me she would be, she was fine. The night was a big step for me mentally & emotionally...and Clay & I really had an opportunity to talk & reconnect a bit...it was great for us. So thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Pierse and to all of our Chicago peeps for making it such a great night.

Great Grandma & Grandpa Rosonke

We had a wonderful visit with Great Grandma & Grandpa Rosonke. They came back from Iowa with us & stayed until we left on Friday for Indiana. Visiting the Butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science.

Luci & Great Grandma got along quite well and we can't wait for them to come back next year!

New Tricks!

Sitting!
Sippy cup!

Sweet Potatoes!
She knows she's onto something...she's just not quite sure what!

She spends lots of time with her face down in her blanket or the carpet...not sure if she likes the way it feels, or if she's resting?Getting so close!!

Rockin...

This happy grin is a familiar sight (we are so blessed!) She's still got the drool going on...
and she still loves to eat her monkey.
Playing with Aunt Brookie.

Luci is getting up onto her hands & knees pretty regularly now, and has even started to rock! She is great at pushing herself backwards, but has yet to make it forward with the crawling motion. Today I looked away for 30 seconds, and before I knew it she had made her way onto the tile in front of the fireplace. It won't be long now...

Sweet Peas

Sweet Peas!

Since Luci just never took to rice cereal, we decided just to move onto veggies. Yesterday she tried her first bite of sweet peas...and while she didn't love them, she did like them more than rice ceral!

Her cough is getting worse...boo. Dr. Brooke tells me 'she's fine' though. She doesn't sound so fine to her mama :(

Home Again

I love this picture!! Her face describes the travel part of our week perfectly!! Happy with Pop Pop

Hanging out with Aunt Tammy! Visiting with extended cousins (second or third?) Rachel and Hailey.
Great Grandpa Halvorson holding his LRP-y!!

Well we made it from Houston to Iowa via Minneapolis & back...and we are happy to be home again! We left for Iowa on 12/31 very early in the morning. Luci was up at 3am so we just stayed up & headed to the airport for our flight. We had picked the very first flight because it was about 80% empty...which meant that the 3 of us could sit together. We were quite a sight dragging our luggage, car seat & baby through the airport & then the airplane. Not a hand, shoulder or back went unused....thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn. Our Luci was a champ! She did really, really well on both the flight & the 2.5 hour drive...we couldn't have asked for any better behavior. The way home was a different story though...our flight ended up taking about 1.5 hours longer than planned and our poor baby cried for the last 45 minutes of the flight. As Clay said, we were those people. When we arrived home Monday night I've never been so relieved. Luci was thrilled to see her toys & kick around the floor.

Unfortunately I think she brought home a little bug. Poor baby is so hoarse that when she tries to squeal nothing comes out. She's also had a rough couple of nights...which means SUPER rough nights for Clay & me. I think she's working on some teeth too...as Clay likes to say...it is always something!

My Grandma & Grandpa Rosonke came back with us to get out of the Iowa winter for a few weeks. Last year when they came the weather was terrible, but this year it seems to be cooperating. Luci is enjoying the extra sets of loving arms & smiling faces!

Clay & I were thrilled to see snow and experience a bit of proper winter! We even took Baylee and her bf Drew skiing one of the days! Overall it was wonderful trip, and we were all thrilled to spend time with Grandma & Grandpa Rosonke, Aunt Baylee as well as Great Grandparents, Great Aunts & Uncles, and second & third cousins. Thanks for a wonderful visit!