A Girl and her Dog

Lucy loves Shorty. Or, as my students would write, LOOOVES her. The extra letters are for emphasis. I think.

Anyway, I got these shots the other day when Lucy wasn't feeling well. Shorty made her happy when I could not.

Mmmm, Dinner

As you can see, Lucy just does not care about etiquette, nor apparently taste. Here she is eating in her high chair, totally nude, and with a delicious buffet that included sushi, applesauce, yogurt, buttered bread, and ketchup. All mixed. Who's on their way for dinner?

Really?

Lucy has been sick for a couple of weeks now with a couple of different viruses. The latest is a respiratory something, likely RSV, as we had a play-date with a couple of little girls who now both have it. I called the doctor and asked if I should bring Lucy in for the swab test. They told me there was no need to test her for RSV, though I should bring her in if she can't breath and turns blue. Thanks to our helpful pediatrician for this round of great advice.

This afternoon Lucy got coughing so hard she choked and gagged and threw up. After I stripped off her stinky clothes she went right over to her potty and put her head inside and started coughing again. Has she ever seen anyone get sick in a toilet? Or is this just an obvious connection that I wouldn't otherwise though was obvious?

Note: she didn't actually throw up in the toilet, just all over me, so this I think was just for show to make me feel better after being puked on again.

1.5

Lucy is 18 months, one and a half years old today. On the one hand it seems as though it's just not possible for her to be that old, but on the other hand I can't imagine life without her either. When she was born I couldn't think about her being anything but a tiny helpless baby. Now, I can hardly remember it (and thank goodness for that). She's quickly approaching big girl status: she is communicating and repeats words after we tell her them, she feeds herself in her high chair, she finds and (almost) puts on her own shoes in the morning, she knows how to sit on the potty. Above all she understands almost everything we say to her. Pretty amazing my girl, pretty amazing.

Higher and Higher

Yesterday I spent the whole day pulling Lucy off things she shouldn't be climbing on. Eric tells me he was a holy terror as a kid, remembers climbing on ceiling-high rafters over the living room of the house they lived in until he was five. I think like just about everything else, Lucy will take after Eric on this one too. She's got no fear of going up. Coming down? A bit of a different story, but that doesn't stop her.

We started off the morning with Lucy climbing into her own high chair for breakfast. No mistaking the hunger signs here. Feed me Seymour.

She climbed onto and off of her potty in the bathroom, plus onto the big potty and then even tried to get into the tub a couple of times.

Up one stool with easy access to the counter.

And the stool on the other side for good measure.

Onto her activity table to reach the light switches. Lights on, lights off.

From the arm of the couch into the window frame. With her feet on the sill she waves to the neighbors.

Up onto the computer desk (from a rolling office chair) to watch her favorite Wiggles video on youtube. Toot toot chugga chugga.

And like a trick rider onto the back of her bouncing zebra. This can only be accomplished with shoes on because her socks slide right off his plastic saddle. We know this because she tried.

And finally, for good measure after her bath, a trip onto the desk and then over the arm of the couch to land on Shorty.

Am I in trouble or what?

Christmas

At last, the 3rd and final installment in our Christmas extravaganza (though this is only because on our last family celebration with Mammy York & co. I forgot to bring my camera).

We spent Christmas day with my family in Waterville, and as anyone may imagine there was not a more excited grandmother around than Lucy's Grandma. We arrived to the usual buffet of Christmas-type food and gifts under the tree. We were fortunate to have Ryan and Grace with us after about 3pm, they were able to fly in from Minneapolis on Christmas Eve and spend time with both their families. As always mom put on a great day for us.

Grandma with Lucy, talking on the phone, probably about how cute Lucy is / how much she loves Lucy / something absolutely adorable Lucy just did / etc.


Opening gifts ....

gifts ....

gifts ....

and more gifts! It was fun because Lucy really got the hang of the opening thing this year and was excited about what she found inside. Lots of fun toys and books!

Lucy can tell you that Santa says "Oh Oh". We've added him to the list of noises.

After a long and exhausting day, after a long and exhausting week full of parties and presents everyone just needs a little rest.

Santa 2009

Christmas morning Lucy came downstairs to find a pile of presents on a new desk left by Santa. She was intrigued, participated in the opening of said gifts, and sat at her new desk. We didn't put up a tree this year, so the gifts were left under our wreath on the door. Though my friend from school Emilie told me firmly she didn't approve of us not having a tree, our space constraints really dictate a lot of what we do here in this mini-house. In our dream house? Sure, we have a huge tree to put all the gifts under.

I think having a pile of presents was a little overwhelming. Lucy did better with one at a time.

It was great fun to open these up because Santa had wrapped them so long ago nobody could remember what he had brought! A surprise for all!

It's pretty thrilling to get some new little people when you're little.