Reciting Books

For some reason Paulie and I almost always push our time out running errands beyond Lucy's limit. There's always just one more thing to get done while we're out. As a result, we usually have a crying, tired, fussy Lucy on the way home. If she's not too worn out, playing Viva la Vida by Coldplay will usually quiet her down. Her Uncle Joe used to sing this to her on our vacation this past summer to stop her from crying. She must remember because it usually still works! 

But, sometimes even Coldplay can't calm Lucy. That's when Paulie and I start reciting her favorite books that we read her at home. (Peek-A Who?, Where is Baby's Belly Button, Grow Up!, Just Like Daddy- - These work like a charm!) Sometimes we alternate reciting books, and sometimes we do it cooperatively. The trick is to recite them in the exact voice you read them in. After finishing one recitation, you've got about 15 seconds until the crying starts back up. Then you move right in to the next story.  These recitations can usually last from about Herndon and West until we get home. If the crying starts before that point, and all four books have already been recited,  you kind of have to start reciting them again in crazier voices to keep her attention. By them time we get to our neighborhood, I'm sure our neighbors hear crazy noises coming from our car. But at least they can't hear crying! 

Socks, Socks, Socks

One of Lucy's newest obsessions is to take her socks off and put them in her mouth. It doesn't matter where we are, how long her socks are, or how cold it is outside, she always takes the socks off. Luckily, Chelsey was able to catch it on video a few weeks ago. If only we could catch all of her cute habits on video.

Lucy's 1st Election

Lucy took part in her first election today! She was bundled up in her car seat and very content to just watch everyone as we waited in line to vote. She had a brief episode of making her loud, grunting sound repeatedly to show that boredom was beginning to set in, but luckily daddy was able to distract her with some fancy rocking skills!

Lucy the Ladybug!

Lucy's first Halloween was so fun! Her Grandmommy mailed her her first costume, a cute little ladybug outfit! It had been sitting on her bookshelf all washed and ready to be worn for her first Halloween. We packed it up and headed to our friend's house for a yummy dinner before trick-or-treating. Once dinner was over and it was time to get going, we put on Lucy's costume. I really think she knew she was finally putting on her outfit like the other kids had on. She started kicking her legs and waving her arms and got the biggest smile on her face! So cute!!! We got her loaded in her stroller and headed out with the mass of parents and strollers trying to keep up with the kids racing door to door. Lucy had such a blast. She loved looking at all the Halloween decorations and interacting with all the kids. She definitely has her dad's social personality! She didn't get to bed until almost midnight. I'm sure she had lots of happy, ladybug dreams!







So Lucy is definitely growing up in one of the dorkiest families around. I'm sure she'll learn to appreciate it one day! We'll have to get Lucy some matching Vans soon so she can fit right in!

The Nighttime Routine

Lately our family has started a new nighttime routine. At about 7 P.M., Chelsey feeds Lucy, causing her to fall asleep. She then proceeds to put her in the crib. At this point in the routine, Chels and I begin celebrating because we know this will be the time that Lucy finally stays asleep. Before the celebration is over, Lucy begins crying wildly in her crib. This causes one of us to pick her up, and try to rock her back to sleep. This cycle continues until at last 10 P.M. every night (It's happening as I write). We end our routine by silently zoning out on the computers for a half hour before going to bed. The nighttime routine is not my favorite part of the day, but I always seem to forget about it when Lucy wakes up in the morning with a big smile on her face.

Naptime is Over!

Waking up from a nap with a camera in your face...

The Climb to the Crawl

I've been sensing lately that Lucy will soon be starting to crawl! It's definitely about time to get our house Lucy proofed. I think we've been saying that for many weeks, but I'm sure baby proofing will soon finally make it to the top of our to-do list. Here's her progression to the soon to come crawling. I can't believe how fast time goes by...

Lucy's 1st Halloween Party

Tonight we went to Lucy's 1st Halloween party. It was a cute pumpkin carving party put on by our friends Sarah and Brian. Here is Lucy carving her first pumpkin.

She did need a little help from her daddy, but, as you can see, her pumpkin turned out quite cute!

And here we all are posing with the first pumpkin!

Lucy ended her night by playing with her Halloween tutu. I'm sure she will have many more interesting get-ups created by her mom in the holidays to come!