It’s been so long since we’ve written “an edition”:/news/2007/the-lucy-files-january-30/ of The Lucy Files that some of my notes are in danger of being out of date. She is growing and changing so quickly!
p{color:gray}. Photo: Lucy sports a sweater hand-knit by Ann for some of her turns around the premises.
Lucy is a full-fledged crawler now and has been for several weeks. She is pulling herself up, getting into places she shouldn’t, and generally having a ball. You can tell how much she loves her newfound independence by the big grin she wears while she crawls around. Of course, all of this motion comes with a few bumps every day. It isn’t easy to remember how to coordinate both hands *and* both feet, so periodically Lucy gets a surprise face-plant on the floor, which isn’t fun for anyone. Most of the time she gets over it herself, but sometimes a snuggle is required (and no one around here really minds that!).
Since Lucy doesn’t stay put so easily anymore, we invested in an Ergo baby carrier. I’ve been thinking about getting one of these for several months, and I’m glad we found a “site”:http://myfavoritebabycarrier.com/ with free shipping and a good return policy to give us the extra nudge. It is very comfy for me, and Lucy seems to enjoy riding on my back — at least for a little while. How awesome to be able to carry a load of laundry up the stairs while wearing Lucy on my back! The disadvantage is that Lucy doesn’t have as good a view as she does in the BabyBjörn — but her weight is making the BabyBjörn more and more impractical these days.
Speaking of weight, Lucy is definitely packing it on. She has really taken to eating human food: bananas, peaches, pears, avocado, toast, egg yolk, mango, cheerios, tofu, and yogurt. She just can’t get enough of that yogurt! You should hear her grunts of delight every time Papa spoons it up! I’ve been buying plain whole-milk yogurt and mixing it with some pureed bananas or peaches for flavor, and I must say, it is really good. Sometimes I take a spoonful myself. :)
Adventures on the diaper table include Lucy’s new and alarming desire to flip over and crawl off in mid-diaper change. Luckily, we haven’t had any messy disasters yet, but we are beginning to approach the event with some fear and trepidation. We’ve been working hard at distracting her during the diaper change in an attempt to reduce the wiggles. Some favorite attention-getting toys include the nasal aspirator, Lucy’s “membership card” (some kind of special savings card we got in the mail that Lucy adores), the diaper-cream tube, one of her shoes, and occasionally a clean diaper.
We are very glad to report that Lucy seems to be slowly returning to her old, glorious napping habits. She has been falling asleep much more quickly over the past week or two, and is occasionally taking naps of an hour or more. This is a big relief after weeks of outright nap rebellions or very short, 30-minute naps.
Lucy is definitely growing into more of a little girl. We see new signs of maturity almost every day. Lucy has taken to turning the pages of books (which sometimes makes us read a bit more quickly if she is ready to be done!). She recognized Barney Bear‘s name the other day when Papa was talking about him. She has been enjoying our family hugs, signaling for another one by leaning into Mama or Papa. I think she has been learning about giving kisses, too, but it always comes out as her chewing on my chin. I don’t mind one bit, as long as she doesn’t chomp down too hard with her one little “tooth”:/news/2007/first-tooth/!
Sometimes diaper changes become a 2 adult job! The really poopy ones are when Mo is the wiggliest. This has resulted in poop on me, on the floor (no more changing table use at our home) and his clothes. EWWW. My biggest problem is that cloth diapers generally take some level of cooperation on his part. I’ve actually given in and grabbed a disposable, because it allowed me to get one side fastened, and then go back after the other side after he’d crawled several feet and found something interesting to stop and look at. The real joy awaits us though… when Lucy and Mo have learned to run, then the hardest part of diaper changing is catching them!
I found when Benjamin was at that squirmy diaper-change stage (he’s much better about it now, although he still has his moments), that it was best to change him on the floor so at least if he rolled or something there were no injuries. If he got really bad, I would sit with my legs out and put one leg on each of his arms so he couldn’t flip over. He would scream about it, but it got the job done with no poopy mess on the floor.
Those are great tips!
So interesting that you got the “backpack” It is my only idea for a birthday wish. I can’t decide between it or the kelty. Then I start thinking about it and I come away with…will I really use it? Maybe I am getting old, but I am starting to think I don’t want a gift for my birthday. That is such a mom thing! So would you recommend the Ergo? I am thinking I want one with a frame do you have one with a frame, does anyone out there have one with a frame? Maybe a wagon is better! I dunno.
On another note Made is finally getting tooth #3. Lucy is so like Maddy in her developmental phases it surprises me. Maddy has always been slower than others with physical changes (other than weight) but very fast on cognitive changes. I see this is also true for Lucy. I hope see is as happy and joyful as Maddy, it really makes you realize God’s joy in us, huh.
Sorry for running on. We miss and love you all.
-katrina
I can’t believe I miss-spelled maddy (made), I am a nut!
To my loves on North Saint Louis…
You cannot know how much your photos and writing mean to me each and every day. It is my moment to learn about important things going on in your lives – and my opportunity to look at Lucia (and any other family member who happens to be caught in the frame) for as long as I like. I marvel at your circle of friends who have formed that circle around you, bringing your lives into their hearts and ideas and love. How fortunate you are! I thank you for sharing your activities and smiles and concerns with me (and everyone) because it makes me feel like I am part of your up-to-the-minutes lives AND I LOVE THAT MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY. I send you my love…
Katrina — We have both the Ergo and a frame-backpack (from Snugli). You can see it in action in “these”:/news/2006/first-backpack-ride/ “three”:/news/2006/backpack-buddies/ “shots”:/news/2006/big-world-little-baby/ from the archives. I love it a lot, but Ann’s less than crazy about it, saying it’s not too comfortable for her. (I’m not sure that isn’t just a strap-adjustment issue, though.)
Gramps — Thanks for the love! And right back atcha. We can’t wait to see you tomorrow night (though I know it’s not as much fun without Lucy). :)
Hi Katrina,
The frame backpack has been really useful for us this winter — we can just pop Lucy in her polar bear suit, put her in the backpack, and wear her around with our coats on too. The Ergo wouldn’t work as well with a coat, but as Jon says, I find it much more comfy than the backpack carrier. But (again as Jon says) I might not have it adjusted right. With the backpack, Lucy has a good view, but she can pull my hair (which I don’t like). In the Ergo, Lucy can’t reach my hair but doesn’t have as good of a view!
This “website”:http://myfavoritebabycarrier.com/ I got the Ergo from is great because there is a 90-day return policy, and you can return it within that time even if you use it several times and it gets grubby but you just don’t like it.
I hope you have a great birthday! If you are really stuck for a birthday idea, you should ask for a gift certificate to get a massage! that always makes me happy. :)
Grandpa Boyd, we’re always so glad to hear from you at our Boyds’ Nest!
Katrina – when Benjamin was Maddy’s age I found my sling to be really handy. I ordered it from http://www.lucky-baby.com but you could probably sew one yourself just as easily (it doesn’t have any rings or anything to adjust it with, you order one based on your size so if fits). Anyway, what I loved about the sling (which I used to carry Benjamin on my hip) was that it was so easy to put him in and out of and it could be folded up very small to take with us. For walks I would use the stroller rather than a carrier – he was just too heavy, especially when I was pregnant. Once he started walking really well (by 13 months he was running), one of our favorite things to do was to go walking down the sidewalks of our neighborhood – I would just stay very close to him so he wouldn’t run toward the road or something like that.
While some may say it’s inhumane the baby leash is invaluable once they can walk. I used mine with Kaia so much as she was a runner. Going for a walk, in the store, at the fairgrounds. She was able to be her own person, and I was able to make sure she stayed nearby. Another great tool is AngelAlert (I think that’s the name) You wear one half, child wears the other. If your child goes so many feet away, the alarm goes off. This doesn’t work well if you are in a group though. At the Oregon Aquarium Kaia would take off with a grandma or papa, and I would beep until I caught up to them.
I was able to teach Benjamin to hold my hand at a pretty young age (around 14 months). We would go walking in our neighborhood (which has very little traffic) and when we would cross the road I would take his hand. Inevitably, about half-way across he would try and pull his hand away at which point I would say, “You can either hold my hand or I’m going to carry you”. At first I always ended up carrying him, but once he figured out that hand holding was the only way he got to stay down, he would hold on without protest. We also practiced at the mall (in the middle of the day when there aren’t many people there), since I figured it to be a fairly safe place for him to learn. I still wouldn’t go walking through a parking lot holding his hand in case he got away, but it works well for many places (church, the mall, our neighborhood, etc.)