Lucy's 9 Months Stats

NOVEMBER 2010

Lucy is 9 months!

Our little lady is growing so fast! She is adorable and we just can't get enough of her! Lucy's personality is coming out more and more each day and it is so wonderful to see who she is! Everywhere we go, people tell us to get her into modeling, but we think her best feature is her sweet demeanor. She is so calm, so loving, so cuddly, so completely perfect, we are just smitten with her!

We took Lucy in for her 9 month check up and even the doctor is smitten with her. The doctor kept trying to stay focused and give us all the info, but she kept getting distracted by Lucy. The doctor kept pausing and saying, "She is just so stunning!", "I think it is her eyes that make her so stunning!", "I never see blue eyes so big! Brown eyes get big, but not blue.", "She is just soooo stunning!", "Does she ever blink?". It was fun to see the doctor trying to stay focused while Lucy was busy wrapping her around her little finger :-)

The doctor also remarked about Lucy's calm (and quiet) demeanor. In fact, Lucy is so quiet that they checked her hearing because she barely makes any noise. Her hearing test came back perfect, I wasn't surprised, the little girl has barely learned how to cry, so I am not surprised that she doesn't babble much.

Lucy's Stats
Height: 28 1/2 inches (81 %)
Weight: 18 lbs 1oz (35%)
Head: 16 1/2 inches (4%)

The doctor said that Lucy is getting too skinny, however if you saw Lucy's thighs you would disagree! The doctor thinks that my breast milk has turned to skim milk and Lucy needs more fat in her diet, so we will be adding more cheese and cottage cheese to her meals.

Likes: Jack, chasing her brother, having her brother chase her, playing in her brother's room, watching Jack do crazy things, basically anything having to do with Jack, cuddling with Mommy or Daddy, the lap of anyone she meets, reading books to herself, baths, staying at hotels, puffs, Tylenol, sweet potatoes, squash and ice cream. Yes, ice cream. I know, I wouldn't let Jack have ice cream until he was 1 year, however, I guess I am a little more relaxed as Lucy has been having ice cream since she was about 6 months old. She loves ice cream even more than she loves cuddling. Her favorites are pudding pops, if anyone is eating one and not sharing, she gets MAD! It is the only time we see her mad outside of her carseat.

Dislikes: the carseat, long car trips, short car trips, putting on her coat and realizing that she will soon be in the carseat on a short or long car trip, having her nose wiped and sleeping through the night.

I am not sure the word "dislike" really describes how Lucy feels about the carseat. I think the word despise fits it better. She screams and screams when placed in the carseat. She hates it. She makes us dread it, too. It is amazing that this calm little peaceful child can turn into a whole other baby when placed in a car! It is truly awful! It started on our trip home from Duluth when she was 7 months old. We stopped over 7 times on what should have been a 2 1/2 hour car trip. We kept stopping thinking that something was wrong, that she was hungry, thirsty, hurting, SOMETHING! But, no, she just didn't want to be strapped down. We stopped so many times trying to help her that the trip home lasted over 6 hours!!! It is her one downfall and boy, does she makes it count! Jack has never had trouble in the car, never. We didn't realize what a blessing that is! We are crossing our fingers that she will be 20 pounds at her 12 month appointment so she can go front facing and hopefully tolerate it better.

Lucy's 6 Month Stats

August 16th, 2010 (yup, I am behind and playing catch-up!)



I made this!

Seriously, I made this!

I grew this little girl in my belly and every little bit of nourishment she has ever received was made by me, those chubby cheeks, that double (or maybe triple!) chin, that pudgy belly and that round little bottom were all made by me. She has not had baby cereal yet, never had formula and I am pretty sure Daddy hasn't been giving her Dippin' Dots. I am just always in awe that I regularly burn toast, sometimes forget to pay bills, never know what day of the week it is, kill houseplants and never remember to water the garden, yet I can literally grow children! Amazing. Primitive feeling. I can't believe I can grow something so perfect.

I would love to take credit for her infectious smile and stunning blue eyes, but even though Daddy didn't grow her, she took ALL of his genes!

Lucy continues to be an absolute joy! She is so mild mannered and always has a smile on her face! When we take her out in public, she shows off and makes us look like good parents ...which is good, because we usually have Jack with us too... who makes us look like bad parents.

Lucy's 6 Month Stats

Height: 26 1/2 inches (70%)

Weight: 16.7 lbs (52%)

Head: 16 (5%)

When you look at this little girl's percentages, you would get the idea that she is tall, thin, and has a little pin-head, but to look at her, that last thing you would call her is skinny and I think her head is perfect! Lucy's doctor was very happy with how Lucy is developing, she is ahead of the pack except with babbling. Lucy is a quiet little girl that doesn't have a lot to say! The doctor also said that Lucy's first teeth are on their way and we will see them soon. The scary part of her appointment was when Lucy's doctor said to me, "You do know that this is going to be your busy child, right?" and no, she was NOT talking about Jack (who was leaping from chairs yelling, "I JUMP!"). Huh, what, Lazy Lucy? At that moment, and really at any moment, Lucy was rolling all over the exam table and trying to sit up. I pointed out my son and said, "No, No, No, that is my wild child, there is no way she can be more active than him.". The doctor disagrees and says that Lucy is very active and will prove to be my busy one. Dear Lord, PLEASE help me! When I stopped to think about it, I realized that at that same age, Jack was not rolling around (he rolled over once when he was 4 months old and never did it again until after he was walking!) and he wasn't trying to crawl either. Lucy is always rolling across the floor to get to what she wants to play with and is desperately working on crawling to be able to chase after her brother. Once this girl figures out walking, I am going to be one busy Mama!

Likes: Big Bro Jack, Mommy, Daddy, cuddling, baths, tummy time, rolling all over the floor, reading books, watching Jack purposely fall down over and over again, stroller rides to the park, shopping, zerberts on her tummy, being tickled, being in the exersaucer or jumperoo, and chewing on anything she can get her hands on.

Dislikes: as usual, this is a tough one to figure out. This time she did actually cry for her shots, but I think it was only because they drew blood first, which she hates! Other than that the only time she cries is if she is in her car seat and it is not moving. That includes stoplights! At every stop light she starts to fuss and you have to pump the brakes to keep her from crying. Driving with Lucy is kind of like the movie Speed, only that instead of not letting the bus go below 50mph, we can't stop at stop lights without a bomb going off in the backseat.

Special Skills:

*being absolutely cute and adorable at all times

*making people fall in love with her with just a smile

*an unbelievable tolerance for her older brother's love and affection

*speed roller! She can cross a room in seconds, but only if you aren't actually watching her!

*sitting up

*loving everyone she meets

Lucy's 4 Month Stats

June 22, 2010 (I know, I know, I am waaaaay behind!)

Lucy is 4 months old!

Here are her stats:

Height: 25 inches (73%)

Weight: 14 pounds, 13 ounces (72%)

Head: 39.6 cm (12%)

Likes: Mommy, smiling, tummy time, chewing on toys, stroller rides, rolling over, baths, cuddling and sleeping.

Dislikes: This is always the hard one....hmmmm, what does Lucy not like? Well, usually, I could say shots, but she didn't even cry for her shots this month. She did however cry when they drew blood, so I guess we have one thing she doesn't like.....oh, and she doesn't like being in her car seat if it is not moving, that includes stoplights. At stoplights, she will let out a little "eh, eh" to let us know of her dissatisfaction, but she doesn't actually put much effort into it.

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Lucy continues to be absolutely perfect! I have never met such an easy baby! She has finally started to wake up more and become almost lively! She has started to roll all over the floor and loves to watch her brother run all around her. She occasionally sleeps through the night, but nothing consistent (still, much sooner than her brother did!!!!!). She is rarely seen without a smile (well, I mean if she is actually awake) and we still call her Lazy Lucy--too lazy to even cry!

Lucy at 2 months

Lucy's 2 Month Stats:

Height: 22 1/4 inches (39%)

Weight: 12 lbs, 8 oz (85%)

Head: 14.7 inches (12%)

Likes: Mommy, cuddling, baths, sleeping, her swing and bouncy chair.

Dislikes: Well, since we have only heard her cry a couple of times and they were when she had her shots and had her blood drawn, I would have to say that would top the list....and probably be the only things on her list...oh, wait, she makes fussy noises at stoplights sometimes and she makes an icky face when she takes her vitamins, but other than that she is never sad.

Lucy continues to be an absolute angel! We should have named her Patience, because I have never met a more patient or calm baby! We joke about that her only fault is that she is too easy to forget about, that you get caught up in doing other things and she never reminds you that she is there. We also tease sometimes and call her Lazy Lucy--that she is too lazy to even cry.

Lucy loves to look at faces (I said faces, but really she just likes to look at Mommy's) and is beginning to smile a lot! Most of the time we can get her to smile by just talking to her, but she is just beginning to smile when you run your fingers up and down her tummy.

Jack

Jack's 2 year Stats:

Height: 35 1/4 inches (73%)

Weight: 29 lbs (63%)

Likes: Daddy, Frosty the Snowman, mint Oreo blizzards, fried rice, fries, his bike, older kids, Curious George, his Thomas the Train set, snacks, hats and sunglasses, being outside and his absolute favorites are balls-any kind, soccer, football, golf, basketball, baseball, bowling or anything that resembles a ball.

Dislikes: time-outs, any disciplinary measures, anyone other than Mommy holding Lucy and Mommy holding Lucy too much.

Jack's doctor continues to be impressed with how healthy Jack is. Jack has not been to the doctor for other than well-visits for over a year! He only had two colds this winter, we are so lucky to have such a healthy kid!
Jack's doctor was also impressed with his large muscle skills, which was not a big surprise to us, Jack loves any/every sport and practices constantly!
I can't believe that Jack is TWO! He is such a fun and lively little guy and I just cannot imagine life without him. I love that he is in the age where he still loves to give kisses and is so proud of himself for anything he can do by himself.

Growing Girl!

Lucy recently had her two week check-up. Her doctor says she is doing great and is obviously eating well!
Here are her stats:
Height: 21 inches (73%)
Weight: 8lbs, 10oz (56%)
Head: 13 3/4 in (36%)

We were shocked when we saw how much she weighed! When Lucy was born, she weighed 7 lbs, 13oz. When she was two days old, she weighed 7lbs, 7oz. When she was 6 days old, she weighed 7lbs, 11oz. So, "little" Lucy gained almost a pound from the age of 6 days to two weeks! Then, I took her in a couple of days ago (at the age of 3 weeks), and she weighed 9lbs, 7oz!!!!

Lucy continues to be an absolute joy! She is so very, very calm! She has finally learned how to cry, but we have only heard her do it a couple of times. She is extremely tolerant of her brother. Jack loves to give her "high fives" and isn't always gentle when he does it, but she never seems bothered by him. Jack also loves to give her hugs and kisses, again, not always the most gentle.

18 Months

Our little Jack is already 18 months old! Time flies so fast when you are chasing after an active little guy!

18 Month Stats:
Height: 33 1/2 inches (81%)
Weight: 26 pounds, 4oz (55%)
Head: 18 1/4 inches (14%)

Likes: All veggies, bananas, yogurt, pears, playing outside, cookies, dogs, cats, being teased, causing trouble, jumping on beds, brushing his teeth, Tylenol, commercials with dogs and cats, pacifiers, his night-night blanket, Daddy and Mommy.

Dislikes: Being told "No", shots and Daddy going to work.

When we took Jack in for his 18 month appointment, Jack's doctor said that Jack is one of the most healthy kids he has had in a long time. Hopefully that will continue this winter as well!

Since it was Jack's half birthday, I felt that cupcakes were necessary for desert. We bought some at Target and I have learned my lesson not to buy Halloween cupcakes ever again!

15 Months

Jack is already 15 months old!
Here are his stats:

Height: 31 3/4inches (65%)

Weight: 24 lbs, 8oz (47%)

Head: 18 inches (12%)

Likes: dancing, veggies, Thin Mint Cookies, Daddy (and Mommy, but Daddy is favorite), corn on the cob (he even made up his own sign language to tell us he wants it), the neighbor's trampoline, older kids-especially cousin Cale, riding in golf carts, brushing his teeth and performing Evel Knievel type skills.

Dislikes: being told "no", Daddy leaving the room, fresh veggies from Mommy's garden and reading books.

Fun Facts:
* Jack now says about 8 words: Dada, Jay, Daddy, Tickle-Tickle, Duck, Kitty, Cookie and Dog. (Did you notice that he has three words to ask for Jay and none for me?!?!?)
* He will (with great prompting) say Mama, Nana and Papa but he has no idea what those words mean. He will also occasionally repeat a word I say perfectly, but then never say it again.
* He is still a busy little boy, still running, still jumping, still dancing--he prefers to do all of these things on surfaces not meant for such activities--the couch, the rocking chair, his car, the stairs or the top of the slide.
* He is still the best sleeper ever--at bed time we tell him, "Night, Night" and he giggles and runs to his room. We then kiss him goodnight, give him three pacifiers (must be three!), and he smiles and lays down. We then see him 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 hours later! It is unbelievable to think how difficult nights were a year ago (Jack nursed every two hours, day AND night) and now we must admit that he has turned into a pretty easy kid!
* Jack still just has eight teeth, but he has two more that are very close.

The picture above was taken at my parent's house. Jack loved the duck and the duck liked to follow Jack around too. It was very sweet to watch the two of them wander through the gardens!

12 Month Stats

Today, we took Jack in for his 12 Month appointment. Here are his stats:

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Height: 30 3/4 inches (80%)

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Weight: 22lbs, 4oz (42%)

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Head: 17 3/4 inches (16%)

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Likes: cupcakes, the park (especially the swing and slide), Mommy's shoes (still favors the black and white polka dot high heels), Motrin and Tylenol, Daddy (and Mommy, but currently prefers Daddy to play with), dancing, throwing food on the floor, bathtime, snacks, the whack-a-daddy stick, running around, "cooking" (if you give him a bowl and a spoon, he will stir forever! Then, hand him a towel and he will wash the dish! I think he spends too much time with Mommy in the kitchen!) and anything cleaning related--the vacuum, the Swiffer, the broom and feather duster to name a few.
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Dislikes: being told "No", diaper changes, Daddy leaving the room, peaches, Cheerios (this also includes Cheerio dust--if you have a snack WITH Cheerios in it and just pick out the Cheerios, Jack can taste the remnants and will refuse to eat it), not being able to hold a spoon if you are holding one and too many car trips in one weekend.
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Special Skills: "So Big", signs for "eat" and "more"--he will actually do the sign for eat unprompted, claps (unfortunately, his clapping and signing for more are identical), he made up his own sign for wanting his pacifier--unfortunately it looks the same as "eat" (Every time we would tell him "night-night" he would start doing the sign for eat. We thought he was just trying to delay bedtime, but then he pointed at his nuk and did the sign!) can kick a ball, clucks his tongue, likes to make sniffing noises (!), can do almost all of his consonant sounds and all of his vowels, can say ma-ma (however he has no idea that is me), mimics facial movements, waves bye-bye, can climb stairs, can throw and roll a ball to you and cause lots and lots of trouble. Oh, and if you yodel, he will do the "woo-hoo" at the end. (I am Norwegian if that helps you figure that last one out.)

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Jack's doctor said that his motor skills as well as verbal skills were quite advanced. (Forgive me, but this is my blog, so give me a few moments to brag, after all, I not only grew this child, but I am raising him.) The doctor was actually very impressed by Jack RUNNING in circles around the office and happily playing. He said that the only thing that Jack is not advanced on (again, this IS my blog and my child) is his teeth. He currently has four teeth on the bottom and the corners of two on the top and two more about to come in. So, it looks like he will catch up soon. The visit ended with a couple of shots and a hemoglobin test. The hemoglobin test showed that Jack's iron levels are low, so we will be trying to get that up and we will be going in for a recheck of that in one month. The doctor suggested Cheerios (they are high in iron), but Jack is one of the few children in existence that hates Cheerios. Any suggestions for other high iron foods would be appreciated. Our current plan is to go back to doing his vitamin/iron supplement daily. We were doing it every other day at bath time, so we will just have to modify that and see if it takes care of the problem.

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The doctor also asked about Jack's daily schedule. He was very surprised to hear how much Jack sleeps. Jack sleeps 13 hours at night, wakes up around 8:30am (this morning it was actually 9:15am), takes a nap from 10-11am, another nap from 1:30-3:30pm and yet another nap from 5-6pm. He then goes down for the night at 7:30pm. The kid sleeps more now than he did when he was a newborn! Until he was 9 months old, he never had a nap that was over 30 minutes! This just shows how much he runs a day, not only am I and his guardian angels exhausted at the end of the day, but he wears himself out too! Oh, and a quick little story about his activity level--Jack and I were visiting a friend the other day and I was going on and on complaining about how "busy" and wild Jack is. When I finally stopped to take a breath, she said, "Stacey, he is your child...What did you expect?!?!?!" Huh, I hadn't thought of it that way before. When I told Jay this story, he said, "I have been thinking that, but I didn't want to tell you that". I guess Jack gets more from me than I thought.

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Also, as a side note, we wil begin the process of weaning soon (as in this week or next). I mention this only because I am proud of myself for being able to breastfeed this long. When I was pregnant, I planned on breastfeeding Jack for 6 months. Then, when he was born, I thought we would be lucky to make it to two weeks. At two weeks, I thought maybe we could make it to two months. Then at two months I decided that I could probably go for two more. At four months, everything seemed much better, so I decided to try to get to six months. At six months, I (Jay too, however he just agrees with what ever I say when it comes to this subject) thought if this is working, why stop? With Jay and I both being lactose intolerant and that I had to have hypo-allergenic formula mixed by the pharmacist when I was a baby, I knew that finding a formula would not be an easy task and that it would also be a very expensive task as I doubt he would handle the normal formulas. So, Jack is now one year old and has NEVER had a drop of formula (again, I only say that because it is an accomplishment, not that I am judging other moms). I honestly feel a little guilty about stopping now. The surgeon general says "Lucky is the baby that is breastfed to age two" (and you know me, must follow "rules") and so I am torn about stopping now. I feel that he is ready and I am ready so I guess we will end it soon. Bring on the Bahama Mama's!

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Thanks for letting me go on and on about how special we think Jack is. Hopefully you haven't had your gag reflex kick in and you will still be friends with me.

9 month stats

9 Month Update

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Stats:

Height- 29 1/2 inches (86%)

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Weight- 20lbs 4oz (45%)

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Head- 17 1/2 inches (25%)

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The doctor says that he thinks that Jack will be tall like Jay, but have a "slight" frame like me. (I could have kissed the doctor for telling me that I have a slight frame!)

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Likes: Yogurt, Lasagna, bread, peas, green beans, any snacks, Mommy's shoes, bath-time, remotes, phones, anything that is not intended for a baby to play with, walking around furniture, causing trouble, being naked, anyone holding food, the bathroom and playing baby Foosball.

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Dislikes: Fruit, diaper changes, getting his face washed, people that don't share food and people that don't understand that boys are meant to get into trouble.

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A lot has changed in the last month! Just a few weeks ago, Jay was asking if I was ready for another baby (yeah, right!) and just last night Jay was saying that we can't have anymore because Jack would either attack them or eat them! Whenever people are around Jack, we hear the phrase, "Wow, Jack is kind of a little wild man isn't he!?!". When Jack was still "in-utero", I used to think he needed Ritalin...now I know it!

Jack is cruising around the furniture and is even taking a few steps by himself! We think he will probably be walking by March! (I really think it will be by Valentine's day, but I am giving him a little grace period.)

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In this picture, Jack has gotten into my closet and is playing with my shoes (AGAIN!). Jay is a little concerned that Jack's favorite ones to play with are my black and white polka-dot high heels! (And no, I never even wear them, but I can't throw them out, who knows when I might have a need for them again!)

6 Month Stats

Little Man Jack turned 6 months old today!
I am truly amazed at how fast time can fly and how much a baby can change! Six months ago, I was holding an 8lb 9oz, 21 inches, black haired, itty-bitty baby boy. Now I see an almost blond, big boy sitting up and laughing all the time.
His newest trick is trying to pull himself up in the bath tub. He can pull himself up far enough that his feet will fly out from underneath him and he will end up holding on to the side of his tub for dear life. His other favorite thing to do in the bath tub is to play with his froggie toy. Unfortunately, he isn't always the brightest, and will try to pick up the frog with his mouth (like bobbing for apples). When he does this, he continues to breath through his nose.
He then will cough and sputter while I am having a heart attack! Jay and I have gotten better at preventing this, once we figured out what he was doing.
Tonight, Jack tried a sippy cup of water for the first time...not a big surprise, he loved it! He would rather we held it for him like a bottle, but hopefully he will get better at it soon.

6 month stats:
Height: 27 3/4inches (89%)
Weight: 18lbs, 8oz (70%)
Head: 17 inches (34%)

Likes: Mommy, Daddy, being outside, bath time, being tickled, vitamins, cereal, squash, applesauce, pears, chewing on anything, Tylenol, mommy and daddy's bed, jumping, sitting up and his exersaucer.

Dislikes: Shots, new people, being on his tummy, bananas, sweet potatoes, naps and sleeping alone.