Ten Months

what a happy girl...ten months old! she is a CLIMBER.
being silly with her friend the bear...lots of giggling going on during this photo shoot.
us with Luci's cousin Kylie at her graduation open house.
we made friends at the park next to the open house! luci wanted to climb the bars...if we had given her more time there I'm certain she'd have figured it out!

Holy moly I can't believe this baby is ten months old. On one had it seems like forever ago that I was pregnant, and I can't even remember what life was like without her...and on the other hand I can't believe my new itty bitty baby is getting so close to her first birthday...I know it will be here before I know it! I read a quote once about parenting that said the days are long but the years are fast...I couldn't have said it better myself.

I wrote lots of tidbits on the last post, so I'll just note a few things here re: Luci @ 10 months.

-she waves all the time, to people, cats, other kiddos...

-toes are the only body part she can consistently identify

-she knows Clay is her dad, and that I am her mom

-she is ALWAYS on the lookout for the cats...she loves them!

-food is SUCH an issue...I'm just worried she's not getting enough veggies...purees are history...bread is king

-she still drinks 6oz bottles 4x per day

-she usually takes 2 hour naps 2x per day, still in her medium sleep sack

-she no longer sleeps at all when we travel...which makes for more exhausted parents than exhausted luci

-she'll drink cold water now out of her sippy cup if she is thirsty...and when she is done with it she throws it as hard as she can

-she will take between 1-4 steps now unassisted, but still gets down & crawls when she really wants to get somewhere

-having Dad chase her up the stairs is her new favorite past time...did we mention she is a CLIMBER

-she is in size 4 pampers

-she really likes to 'read' her books

-she makes lots & lots of sounds now...baaa...maaa..mmmm..dadadad & faaaa...thhh...come to mind

-she is in 12-18 month clothes

-we just got a new pair of Pediped's...size 6-12 month

-she LOVES to play peak-a-boo

happenings

All last week...wanting OUT of her high chair the minute we walk toward it...NO MOM...I will NOT eat those STUPID purees...
I said NO! What part of NO don't you understand, Mom??!??!?!Mom got wise...strips...the girl wants strips! Yay for strips! She's lovin the sweet potato strips!Or fruit that she can hold...she just wants control! There is a banana in this little fruit mesh filter... Playing in the Radian 80 before it head to the closet...despite its claims, it was NOT the last car seat we ever needed...

Food. I've been consumed by what to feed this child now for a week or two. Last week she screamed & cried every time I put her in her high chair. Ugh. She has taken to rejecting 95% of pureed vegetables. Depending on her mood, she might eat pureed sweet potatoes or carrots. There is not a chance she'll eat pureed peas, green beans, squash or any kind of vegetable blend. Her new favorite food is toast; I cut it into super skinny but long strips & she LOVES it. I think she likes that it has a handle of sorts, and I know that she is pleased to be feeding herself. She also just loves bread...but the strip shape did seem to appeal to her...so I've been turning everything I can into strips. Cucumber strips. Roasted sweet potato strips (also known as sweet potato oven fries). Steamed carrot strips (next time I'm buying the matchstick carrots...they'll be perfect). She'll also eat steamed peas, but will not eat mushed up corn. I'm hoping to try roast parsnip strips next week. She likes cheese. One day I made her a cheese quesadilla with a whole wheat pita. She loved it SO much she put about 4 bites in at once & it got so globbed up in her mouth I had to dig it out. She was NOT happy. So we'll hold off on another quesadilla until she's a little better at the chew/swallow thing. She loves fruit now, especially applesauce and bananas. She also loves the Yo-Baby yogurt, particularly the peach & pear blends.

Walking. Oh man, she is SO close. For the last few days there have been moments where she is standing independently, wants to get from point a to b, and we see her wheels churning...and then she sits down & crawls over. She is a walkin fool behind her push toys, on furniture and while holding our hands. I do think it will be just a matter of weeks, or maybe even days from now & she'll be everywhere. Everyone keeps telling me some weight will just fall off me when this happens. I'm looking forward to that ;).

Teeth. She's had a low grade fever & has been fussy for a few days off & on now, so I expect to see another tooth any day.

Laugh. She has QUITE a sense of humor!! She laughs ALL the time now...it sounds kind of like Ha.Ha.Ha.Ahhat,ahhaat,ahaat. When we aren't down on the floor & playing with her & she wants us to be she crawls over to the stairs and starts to crawl up them. Of course we drop whatever we are doing and run over to the stairs. Then she starts up with her ha..ha...ha..ahaat,ahaaat,ahaat. She thinks the game is super fun!

Books. She's tiring of her non interactive books. She flips the books closed, or starts lunging toward other books. Where is Baby's Belly Button is her new favorite! She laughs at the end every time when we find the baby under the blanket. She also has this Baby Einstein book of neighborhood animals...the cat used to be her favorite...then it was the duck...now it is the mouse!

DVDs. Controversial subject, I know...letting your child watch TV, especially at this age. But let me say regardless of your feelings on this subject, she adores the two I've shown her so far. Both are about animals - one farm animals, one safari animals. It comes in handy when I need to get stuff done in the kitchen...like making her sweet potato strips. I put her in the jumperoo & when she gets bored of the DVD she plays with its toys. When she tires of the toys she watches the DVD. And for the record...Brooke & I watched more TV than any children in the history of the world...and I like to think we turned out just fine :).

Music. She loves to dance. Aunt Brooke got her some personalized cds for her Baptism - they sing her name. Every time they say Luci her little head whips around & she tries to figure out who is talking to her. Cracks us up.

Gear. UGH...will the gear needs ever end? Given that we live in Houston while all of our family and many of our friends live elsewhere, and that we are the ones that can fly for $25 roundtrip pp (non-rev...we are stand-by) we seem to be doing a lot of traveling. This travel will probably increase until we are blessed with #2 (no news to report, just planning ahead), and then it will slow for a bit, only to pick back up...*2. So we are trying to figure out how we can stay sane during our trips...as it has been a challenge. Traveling with her car seat, the Radian 80 (click for details) is MISERABLE. Given our status as traveling fools (Tucson a few weeks ago, going to Indy this weekend, hopefully to Chicago in a few weeks, and then to Iowa in July maybe...just Luci & me) we had to do something about our 22lb car seat that doesn't fit well in an airplane seat. Or in our car, really. I think it will be great when Luci is much older & larger & is forward facing. But for now, this car seat just doesn't work for us. I read TONS of reviews & really did my homework before we bought it. But it just doesn't work for us. So we are now the proud owners of a Britax Diplomat in Taylor. She seems to fit much better in it, and Mom & Dad are delighted by everything about it, except the amount of money it cost. I also just purchased the Baby Sherpa diaper backpack. Clay's very old backpack functions, but not well. It is also on its last leg. So the Baby Sherpa is on its way. I hope we are happy with it, as it wasn't cheap (nothing seems to be). Sadly it won't arrive in time for our trip to Indy. However we will be using our new Maclaren Stroller...the 'lightweight workhorse' of the industry. It can be folded or unfolded with one hand at the end of the jet bridge while the other arm wrestles with a squirmin worm known as Luci. Weighing in at 12lbs, it is lighter & more easy to manipulate than Luci.

Wish us luck travelling tomorrow. We are headed to Indiana for our niece Kylie's high school graduation. Nothing like heading to Indy over Memorial Day Weekend...during the Indy 500...trying to non-rev...with a baby....and a husband/dad fresh off of flying a red-eye in from Anchorage...see how much we love you Kylie?!?!?!?

sweet kisses for the baby

pardon my voice...and the sideways image...anyone know how to change the orientation of a video clip?

Yes, cats & babies

can peacefully exist.

Luci & Tallulah (not pictured here) have been friends for some time now. Luci pulls out Tallulah's fur & pats/pets her (all while I hover & say, gentle Luci, we have to be gentle), and when Tallulah has had enough she simply gets up & moves out of Luci's reach. Milo, on the other hand, has largely practiced avoidance...until yesterday. Twice I saw Luci swipe at Milo...once at his face - and he tolerated it! Not even a motion to swipe back...yes, he moved, but usually he wouldn't even let her get close enough to touch him. And often when Clay & I catch Milo off guard he will swipe...just as a reaction. Somehow both of the cats just seem to know that she is a baby and therefore gets special treatment. Later in the day I snapped these super cute photos...

Milo normally wouldn't be caught within 5 feet of Luci...so I think he's coming around!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms and moms-to-be out there.

Look what my sweet baby made with the help of her dad!

(yes, I cut off all of my hair...it was a not so successful experiment...)
And my handsome husband got me tulips & made a yummy dinner with fixins brought back from a Trader Joe's in Indiana! Man I miss Trader Joe's. Thank you my love!

a few noteworthy items

hi everybody! see me in my shorts? and check out my new baby doll!
silly girl is very excited that there is a puff in that cup! she has to work very hard to get them out!
still workin on gettin a puff... my baby is growing up so fast. look at this big girl. she makes this face often.- Luci now says DaaDaaDaa (not really in reference to her dad though, as much as he might like to think so ;), and BaaBaaBaa.

-She got her first baby doll yesterday. At Clara's house she always has a hold of a baby so I decided it was time for her to have one of her own. She gives it lots of 'kisses'.

-She is starting to understand the names of some things. Ball, baby, toes, belly, Daddy, cat (that was the first sign of recognition) come to mind. She also knows who Grammy is when Grammy is around.

-She always thinks a nap is coming next when we walk into her room. And she'll let us know if she's not happy about it by trying to grab the door as we walk in.

-When she is done with her bottle or sippy cup or snack, she swats it away with a ferociousness...almost like she's mad we don't just know she is done.

-She wore shorts for the first time yesterday while we went to the park. I don't want to put her in shorts at home because I'm afraid she'll get rug burns on her knees from all of her motoring

around.

-She loves to empty things out & knock them over, but isn't interested in putting them back or re-stacking them.

-She dances to music, and likes to move her head from side to side. Not really a nod yes or a shake no, but a sort of goofy side to side movement. I wondered where this was coming from & then I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window the other day while I was being goofy. Sure enough, my head was moving from side to side in the same silly manner!

-She may have taken her first little step without holding onto something yesterday. She was standing, holding onto the piano and I was just a tiny bit away. She let go, kept her right foot planted and moved her left foot maybe 6 inches. Woohoo!

Friday Afternoon

I always get a bit antsy on Friday afternoon. A happy hour...or just some adult interaction...sounds pretty great about now. Friday afternoons used to bring this sense of impending freedom...a freedom that you just don't really ever get as a stay at home mom (or maybe really, any parent). Kind of a bummer. I think the bummer feeling is exaggerated by Clay's sporadic work hours & days. He was home for about 12 hours last night/this morning, and now he's gone until late tomorrow night. He keeps telling me this May schedule is great, but it seems to me that he is gone a lot.

I miss the freedom of the weekend. Don't get me wrong, during the M-F 8a to 5p daily grind when we are just hanging out I'm thrilled with our arrangement. And Clay does get lots of weekends off (like last weekend), but on Friday afternoons when Luci & I are home alone, I get a bit antsy. So we tried a bit of retail therapy this morning...some new kiddo cds for Miss Luci (Knick Knack Paddy Whack anyone? Or is it Nick Nack Paddy Wack?), a few pairs of capris for her (I'm tired of hearing how her pants are too long...yours would be too if you crawled around on the floor all day...pants stretch! try it!), and some snazzy snack traps so we can keep the puffs off the floor. It worked while we were out & about, but now Luci is napping & I'm trying to work. And I'm antsy again.

But I am feeling better, so that is great. Poor Luci is still not eating any solids (except puffs) and is getting a bit weak. She's still feisty, but the falls are more frequent & the tears come quickly. The poops situation remains not so fun...for either of us, I'm sure.

Sick

We are home from Arizona (it was a wonderful wedding...congrats again Brooke & Sunidh), but with a stomach bug. Luci has had loose stools since Saturday, woke up with a bit of vomit in her crib on Sunday, and has been eating less & less culminating yesterday with no solids and only about 4 or 5 oz of formula and a bit of Pedialyte. And yesterday I joined in the fun with 12 hours of vomiting. Fun times. Fortunately we are both feeling a bit better today; she's already had 14 oz of formula and I just ate some mac-n-cheese. We'll see how it sits.

Oh, and my camera battery is dead. And the charger is missing. Once we are all feeling human again I'll get to posting about the fun weekend...although without photos from my camera...the battery was dead...

Thanks Again!

Miss you already Grammy...good thing I'll see you tomorrow at Aunt Brooke's! Please excuse my pj's and paci...I woke up at 5:30a to say good-bye...and then I stayed up! Miss you too Great Aunt Debra...good thing we were fast friends...because before I knew it, you were gone! Come visit again soon!

Nine Months!!

On Friday, April 25th our Pea was 9 months old...oh how time flies. To think she's been on 'the outside' now as long as she was on 'the inside' is kind of crazy. Luci spent her 9 month birthday with her Grammy and her Great Aunt Debra...and boy did they spoil her! While Clay & I were in Mexico celebrating at our dear friend Erica's wedding (congrats again Er & Michael!) Mom & Debra were showering our baby with fun toys & adorable girly clothes. Apparently Luci was mistaken for a little boy and that was all the incentive they needed to hit the mall for some super cute girly wear!

On April 24th...the morning before we left.
She's just itchin to get her hands on some books...
Looking at her pretty bear this morning...I was trying to get a better front shot...not sure it worked...She was totally ready to nose dive off of the chair...
This one would have been PERFECT...except I was a second too late...


Notes at nine months...
-This baby brings us more joy than we thought possible...we are absolutely, positively, enthralled and in love with our daughter.

-Weight: 19lbs, 10oz (50-75%); Height: 29.5 inches (95th%); Head: 18 inches (90th%)
-She's doing lots of independent standing...even playing with toys while standing.
-She loves to push laundry baskets, boxes, push toys, and her highchair all over the house.
-She cruises on furniture from one piece to another.
-She is really into pinching at the moment, and loves to pull her dad's arm & leg hair.
-She falls down & gets 'hurt' several times a day. Right now she has a bruise on her forehead, her ear, behind her ear, and all up & down her legs. She's a rough & tumble kinda kid.
-Her favorite food, by far, is a Cheerio.
-She's still drinking 6oz of milk 4x/day. She also drinks water from a sippy cup throughout the day, but tends to choke on it or not get enough.
-She can hold her bottle, but tends to not get the angle right...although this morning she had less trouble.
-She is in size 4 pampers, but still needs the sensitive newborn wipes. Until I bought some tougher wipes (designed for babies eating solids...if you catch my drift) her diaper area was the least problematic area of her skin...so we've switched back.
-She seems to have a bit of a reaction to strawberries, so we won't try them again for awhile.
-She eats solids 3x/day; fruit & cereal for breakfast, a veggie for lunch, and some type of 'dinner' combo for dinner. She also eats Cheerios anytime we will let her.
-Grammy swears she shook her head no the other night when asked if she was ready to get out of the bathtub.
-She may have shook her head yes this morning when I asked her if she wanted more Cheerios...I'm not sure yet...have to see it repeated to be confident with this new head shaking ability...

-She is big on putting her thumbs together & looking at them (think itsy bitsy spider)
-She gives these huge, slobbery open mouth kisses to her favorite people...

An interesting note on me as a mom of 9 months...I've started to use baby tones, words & phrases with adults...and it doesn't occur to me that it is inappropriate until it is out my mouth...examples include:
-saying 'yaaaayyyy' to my boss & friends when we get some good news
-calling things 'silly' when they disappoint or hurt to lessen the impact...this weekend we were lamenting the luck of the Cubs...to which I replied...'silly Cubs'
-or a non-verbal example...I tried to take the hand of a 2 year old this weekend in Mexico even though I didn't really know her (she was with the wedding group though)...because it seemed that she was looking for a hand to hold...

-Clay LOVES to dance with his Pea...and he already lamenting the day when Luci won't want to dance with him
-and both Clay & I look at kids when we are without our Luci with love now...and pity their parents during meltdowns instead of giving them that look of 'control your child'....

Happy Friday

Lots of posts this week...hope all you email receivers don't mind! Clay can't download photos from email, but he can check the blog...so this is the only way he gets to see his Pea!

She wants to 'drink' her bottle by herself, but really that means she wants to watch the milk spray out all over the floor, and then smear it into the carpet. Thus the cap remains on. Our camera has this bright orange light that always makes her close her eyes! This is a great shot of her teeth though.
Too busy for photos...it is playtime!
Look at her toes! This kid does this funniest things with her toes. They never rest!

We had a rough night last night...she went to bed at 8p, was up at 9p, 10p, 2:30a, & 6:40a before finally getting up at 7:40a. No fever, so maybe she's just getting a cold? Or working on those top teeth?

I'm more than ready for Clay & Mom to arrive on Sunday. I miss adult interaction...like this morning...I want to discuss with someone how it is that Willard Scott doesn't age!?!?!? Seriously, I watch him in high def & he looks exactly the same as he did when I was little!

Miss you & love you Clay...we can't wait to see you. Be very safe.

hi Dad

we miss you. thanks for calling tonight.
again, practicing the back arching technique... playing with burp cloths & a sweatshirt
she wore the monkey shirt today just to take a fun photo for Dad...
guess what she was workin on...

we miss you & love you! be very, very safe ;)

Wednesday dose of Luci

Hi Dad!
we miss you & love you!!
xoxoxo

communication

We miss Dad already... Trying to get a nice shot to send to Dad for his daily dose of Luci...
Illustrating the back arching technique....
Not holding still....not even for a second!
See my teeth? See the bruise in the middle of my forehead?

Luci is communicating with us more & more everyday. No words or sounds yet (my money is on cat or dad for her first word), but she is definitely getting her point across. Here are a few examples...

Cheerios: The girl LOVES her some Cheerios. When we put her in the highchair, she immediately starts arching her back, kicking her legs, and fussing/whining...it escalates when she sees the box of Cheerios...but when she receives said Cheerios...she loudly communicates her pleasure with an MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM & a big grin as she gums them up.

Contraband (cords, remotes, DVR buttons, DVD buttons, the laptop, Mom's flip flops, anything she isn't supposed to have): I say, "Luci, [insert object] isn't for babies...ducks are for babies...let's play with the duck!" and then I take away the contraband item...and she arches her back, kicks her feet, throws her head back, and starts crying...real crying...with tears! For awhile it was amusing, but it is getting old...her hard, hard noggin hit my jaw so many times yesterday I had a headache. How do you deal with tantrums from an 8 month old?!?!

Cats: She adores the cats. She giggles at first sight of them, talks to them by saying 'oh, oh, oh', and has even started to giggle at photos of cats in her book while pounding on the book with her palm (as if to pet them, I think). She also does this silly snort/laugh thing at them. Cracks me up...but not so much Tallulah & Milo.

Diaper Changes: Good heavens...SUCH an ordeal! She tries to sit up, roll over & crawl off of the changing table...all while kicking her feet non-stop every single time now. Oh, and not to mention the whining/fussing/crying that takes place the SECOND you try to lay her back. Needless to say there really has been poops poops everywhere as a result. It seems that proper planning is the key...I must find a VERY interesting toy to occupy her or it is a mess!

Light switches & bottles: These are things she wants to touch the minute she sees them. She does her usual whining/fussing, but she also lunges for them...like leaps out of your arms to get to them...we must hold on very tight...

One of the biggest struggles we have these days is NAFOD (per her dad)...or to us non military folk...no apparent fear of death. She is FEARLESS. She'd climb off stairs headfirst onto the cement floor, jump/push herself loose in the pool and sink to the bottom (she put her face in the water about 10 times in 30 minutes yesterday at our swim class...and sputtered & choked every time!), jump out of the stroller, crawl right off the sofa, and climb up her parents to get out of their grasp...and she's getting stronger & stronger everyday. Clay laughed earlier this week & said he was certain this was God showing His sense of humor...I wanted to say, what about her very safe mom!?!?! I want her to be a very safe hermit type like me, not an adrenaline junky like her dad!

Happenings

What a week! Luci has been pushing around/walking behind all sorts of things this week...diaper boxes, toy pianos, laundry baskets...so we decided to get her the real deal and sprung for a $20 push & ride toy at Target. It converts to a ride on toy once she learns to walk...but it is a bit rickety (sadly you don't get much for $20 these days) so it requires more balance...which we are hoping is a good thing?

Another big event was our first "Mommy & Me Swim Class." It doesn't teach the kiddos to swim (obviously), but it attempts to get them comfortable with the pool. We signed up for the class with our mommy & baby friends Christina & Rachel...and it is just the 4 of us in the class! So Christina & I are enjoying each others singing voices, as most of the class is singing & moving your baby accordingly...think hokey-pokey in the water. Luci was fine as long as I was holding her tight, but she was skeptical of anything resembling the assisted back float...no kick, kick, kicking for her in the water just yet! Pardon Dad's closed eyes...every time I took a photo he blinked!

In other news, this week I started making homemade baby food for Luci. It seemed like a good idea because she is ready for thicker textures & more finger foods (besides puffs & Cheerios). I went out and bought some kiddy cookbooks (with the Christmas gift card from Uncle Ben, thanks Uncle Ben!), an electronic food mill, a steamer (just a stockpot kind for the stove) and some freezer storage accessories. Three hours and about 3 days worth of food later, I decided this business was for the birds. We calculated out that I saved $6 for 3 days worth of food by making it at home. Which...had I just worked those three hours...well...let's just say I'd have earned more than $6. So I'm going to give the whole homemade food thing another week (maybe there is a learning curve that will lead to a reduction on time spent?) but so far I'm not sold. And the worst part was that Luci has refused to each green food for the first time since we introduced it to her... I think maybe it will just take awhile to get used to the thicker texture.

Today we helped our friend Caroline celebrate her 3rd birthday! The party was at a place called 7 Acre Wood and featured a petting zoo & pony rides! Luci didn't really 'ride' the pony, but she did sit on him & seemed to think it was (as her Grandpa Pierse would say) "interesting." Happy Birthday Caroline!

Clay was home a few extra days this week while he waited for the pink eye infection to run its course. We had a wonderful week with lots of family time, which was great because Clay will be doing another stint with the Navy next week for 7 days. We will miss him!

Texas Bluebonnets

The bluebonnet is the Texas State Flower...so being the proud Texans we are...had to join the masses...



Or click here if you get the posts emailed to you!

2008-04-01 Luci Pierse

Taking a photo of your child in the bluebonnets is just one of those things you do down here...like getting a photo with Santa at Christmas time. It was really hot & humid that day (shocking), and Luci was skeptical at best. Not professional photos by any means, but they'll work for this year.

I just wanted to say another Thank You to Luci's Grandma & Grandpa Pierse. Luci clearly thrived while we were gone, and while it makes me feel a little un-needed, it is also a bit liberating. The trip was great for Clay & I (I recommend an alone trip to all new parents) and I know Luci loved the time with Grandma & Grandpa. And soon enough Grammy Rosonke (and Granpy, you are MORE than welcome too...although we understand it is planting season...or Aunt Deb...we heard a rumor you might be able to play!!) will get her special time with Luci as Clay & I take another trip...this time to Mexico for our friend Erica's wedding. While the GC was awesome & I would like to do something like that again, the beach & an all inclusive resort is a little more my speed....

YAY!

I MADE IT IN & OUT OF THE GRAND CANYON. WITH AN 18LB PACK.

Not to toot my own horn here, but this was no small feat. We hiked down 9.8miles and went from 6890 feet in elevation down to 2450 feet. And then back up again the next day! The way down was ROUGH. It was tough getting used to the pack, and it was even tougher to make sure that each foot placement wasn't going to lead to a broken or sprained ankle. Trekking poles saved the day...they kept me balanced when my body wasn't up to the job. The first bit of the trail was icy & that lead to exhausted legs & joints just 3 miles into the 9.8 mile hike. Somehow when we got to the half way point I decided the hardest part was over and my spirit was up! Then a short 1.5 miles later just as we were starting 'Devil's Corkscrew' I twisted my ankle a bit & my spirit plummeted. I didn't think I could make it back up any distance, yet I couldn't imagine getting all the way to the campground knowing we had almost 4 miles to go! I sat down, pouted a bit, and then got back up & kept going after some encouragement to turn around from Clay. He knows me so well ;)

We got to the campground around 4:30p, set up the tent quickly, and rushed to the 'steak dinner' we had signed up for at the Phantom Ranch (a hotel at the river). We were a bit late & my steak was still mooing...so that left something to be desired. Next time we'll just have a backpacker meal (yes, I said next time). Sleeping in the tent was surprisingly okay & comfortable...and somehow even kind of fun. We were plenty warm and the sound of a rushing stream right next to our campsite should have lulled us right to sleep...but we were a bit freaked out about getting out the next day given that it took much longer to hike down than we thought it would. The next morning we started out about 7am (later than we intended, but it didn't get light until 6ish).

We worried needlessly! Somehow the first 5 miles FLEW by!! By 10am we were at the half way point!! I was starvin marvin by then, so we had a backpacker meal...BIG MISTAKE. I got back up, put my pack on, and felt like I was going to throw up. I had eaten too much (big surprise, huh ;)! The next 1.5 miles and 1100 feet up to the 3 mile rest house were the worst of the entire trip. Ugh...it was really, really, really hot & awful. I told Clay I was never, ever doing this again, and that this was NOT my idea of fun. He was very sweet, encouraging & patient. After a 30 minute rest at the 3 mile rest house I started to feel better & we were off again. The next 1.5 miles to the 1.5 mile rest house was only 800 feet of elevation, and it wasn't so bad. Shortly before the rest house I recognized someone coming down the trail...a guy I went to high school with!! I said, "Jeremy Haskovec", and he said, "Brittnee Rosonke". GET OUT. Crazy small world huh?!?!?! He was on the way down, and given we were almost back out so we didn't chat long, just talked about how bonkers it was to run into each other in the Grand Canyon!

We saw the 1.5 mile rest house and were so excited to get out that after a short bathroom break we just kept on 'pickin em up & puttin em down'. Finally, at 4pm, we excited the canyon. I've never been so relieved in my life...

Random notes...
-Lots of mule trains go down the trail...and they poop EVERYWHERE! Clay's little diddy was, "poops, poops, everywhere, poops, poops on my boots".
-Note to self...NEVER CARRY AN 18LB PACK UP OR DOWNHILL FOR 10 MILES AGAIN.
-I want to remember how proud I am of this body of mine. Sure I wish it was a little leaner (or maybe a lot leaner), but how astonishing that a short 8 months ago I had a baby & destroyed all of my core muscles, and yet somehow, I made it 10 miles...downhill...then uphill...with a pack...with only sore calves! Every time my mind started to pout about not wanting to be there anymore, I would remind myself of a comment that a clerk in the general store made to us...he said the trip was 70% mental, 30% physical. And for me that was totally the case. Sure, I was dirty & tired, but how remarkable that my body was just fine...I kept reminding myself how blessed I am to have a healthy body...and that I needed to 'man up' and keep on truckin. If my body could handle this task then certainly my mind could.
-Leave it to me to bring the camera battery charger, but to forget to actually charge the battery...and of course, it died Friday morning....so photos are sadly limited. That being said, I've posted our few photos (or click here if you get this emailed to you):

2008-04-06 Grand Canyon

Luci notes...
She changed so much in the 3 nights & 4 days we were gone! She's quite a bit more giggly, has gained some serious strength in her legs, and is eating more than ever! She's also quite a dancer! :) She obviously had a WONDERFUL time with her Grandma & Grandpa Pierse...when I came down to say hi on Sunday morning (for the first time since Tuesday late afternoon), she was skeptical of me & perfectly content to stay with Grandma. She also has perfected a cry that appears real (it even has tears), but is just because she is mad. I can see her spirited little eyes looking out through the tears wondering...will this work?