Leona Lane

ONE YEAR OF LUCY

Month One: Sleepy and Sweet Month Two: Easy and Smiley Month Three: Awesome and Difficult Month Four: Stationary and Giggly Month Five: Cute and Wakeful Month Six: Fussy and Hungry Month Seven: Independent and Challenging. Month Eight: Curious and Active Month Nine: Perfect and Content Month Ten: Chatty and Playful Month Eleven: Silly and Fast 

Month Twelve: I love this baby girl to pieces. She is in fact, no longer a baby, since she's a year old! But she's not a toddler yet, because she's still not walking. She stands up really well, and all by herself! To her Dad's excitement, she is a great little squatter; up and down she goes without holding onto a thing. She's even taken a couple of first steps, but seems content to crawl everywhere since she's such an expert.

I feel that in the last month, Lucy has grown up so much. She is so aware of her surroundings, and starting to understand our words. When I read a book to her, she can point to the dog and the cat, and she LOVES to hear me say animal sounds. She has started to clap and wave good-bye and give hugs on demand. That's just the best. She's has grown into such a happy and sweet girl and we are so in love! On another note, she has started to exhibit a little attitude. She deliberately throws her eggs when she is finished with breakfast. At her birthday yesterday, she did a lot of fake crying when she couldn't hold a balloon.

I am a little nervous for this next year, but I'm excited too! There will probably be lots more food throwing and fake crying, but there will also be lots more hugs and kisses too. I am thrilled that Lucy will be walking and talking soon. Year Two will be an adventure!

ELEVEN MONTHS

Only one month left before my baby girl has a big birthday! This little eleven month milestone really knocks my socks off because I really can't believe that it all happened like this so fast. Just a year ago I was 36 weeks pregnant, 2 cm dilated and wishing and praying that this girl would be born SOON so that I could finally walk again. I remember last summer so vividly that if feels like yesterday. Yet I also feel like it was a lifetime ago, because so much has changed in our lives since our little girl made her debut. With that said, here is her little monthly update...

-Lucy is crawling like a champ. She is fast! Just about the same day she learned to crawl, she also pulled herself up to stand. Already she isn't comfortable on all fours; she wants to see the world from her two feet. So far she stands up and down next to the couch or chairs, but no cruising yet. Just yesterday she started taking tiny steps with her toy shopping cart, so who knows how fast she will be walking!

-Lucy eats EVERYTHING!! Cheese, tomatos, chicken, tortellini, fruits, vegetables and more. One day she would not eat swiss cheese, but otherwise there is nothing she doesn't like. Matt calls her our little "Hoover."

-Her personality has really come out this month! She makes silly faces constantly and her laugh is just so contageous.

-Her favorite toys are several small plastic balls. She carries them everywhere with her! (You will see a green one in her photo this month.) She loves to hide them all over the house, so they get lost often, but we are also finding them in lots of strange places, mostly in the couch.

-I don't want to make this too personal, but I can't talk about this month accurately without talking about nursing. I am sad to say, that Lucy is almost done! She hardly takes a bottle anymore during the day because she would rather eat real food. I still pump at work two times a day, but because she doesn't nurse well at home, I am hardly getting anything. We are still doing a morning and a night feed, and just a little during the day. At the end of this month I won't be pumping anymore, so she will be nursing even less! I have to figure out a way of supplementation for her, possibly with real milk. This is a huge source of stress for me because breast milk is just so dang reliable. I don't have to worry about it! When she drinks milk I will be constantly worried about allergies, inflammation, etc. I know that this weaning process is super normal, but it is still really hard. I miss my tiny one who needs Mom only! Despite all this, I'm really excited to throw that pump out the window! (Not literally.)

-After our little photo shoot, Lucy decided to say hello to the cat. :) She has a deep and true affection for all things "kitty", especially using our poor cats as pillows and playthings.

Thanks for following along with these monthly posts! I know I will write more posts about my girl and certainly one about her first birthday. Yet, I can't imagine I will be writing such monthly posts as "Thirteen months", "Fourteen months" etc. I know I will be documenting her life and photographing her regularly but I haven't decided on a format quite yet. The chalkboard has been working quite well for these photos under a year, but as she grows it wont be very practical. So long story, short, thanks for reading the last monthly post! We will see what is next! 

TEN MONTHS

Today as I am writing this and tomorrow as you read this, my baby girl turned TEN MONTHS!!! This month, or rather this past week, has been full of many changes!

-Lucy takes two naps now, at least most of the time. The disappearance of the third nap has been awesome because it gives us more time in the late afternoon and evening to PLAY.

-Lucy started crawling this week! I am beyond thrilled and beyond terrified. Our house is somewhat baby-proofed, but still has a long way to go. Just today Lucy discovered that the glass doors on the fireplace OPEN...something that I forgot myself long ago.

-Lucy says five words: Mama. Daddy. Kitty. Doggy. Uh oh. She is also babbling up a storm, "advanced babble," they call it in the baby books.

-Lucy's first tooth has erupted this week. She has not been super fussy, so I was suprised to see it there. She has been a bit fussy in other ways, going through a bit of a sleep regression, but I think that had more to do with the imminent crawling than the tooth.

-Lucy's favorite toys are: sunglasses, turkey baster and Mom's sparkly wallet. She also loves cords, shoes and the keyboard we gave her to distract from the lap top.

I thought I should mention that this month these photos were so fun to take! So far each month has been harder and harder, with Lucy's increasing mobility and tendency to turn over and erase my chalkboard. But this time Lucy seemed to understand that I was taking her photo and she was such a good little model! She gave me some beautiful smiles and some silly faces too. I just love my little girl and this is the BEST AGE.

Nine Months

Maybe I say this every month, but seriously, time has just flown! I can't believe that my little girl is already three-quarters of a year old. Crazy! I have to say that this has been the best month yet. At this age, Lucy is not crawling yet, but she is super close! She sits really well and can get to her hands and knees but still ends up on her belly. Still, she certainly finds a way to get around! This girl loves to roll all over the place. She has the desire to go-go-go, so I think she will be crawling soon.

She is still eating everything that we offer her, but her new favorite food is puffs! She does not have any teeth yet, so we are not giving her true solids. I am so glad we found these puffs because she has learned to feed herself. It is the cutest thing to watch her grab them and put them in her mouth. Giving her puffs also buys us about 20 minutes of peace and quiet. They are perfect for meal times or when we just want to get something done. (Now we have to be careful not to give her too many!)

Lucy is seriously such a good girl. She eats well, naps well, and sleeps well at night. (It's been a great month, folks!) I feel like we have truly turned a corner. She has her moments, of course, but overall is a really easy, fun, smiley baby. I truly love spending time with her! I try to let her play by herself as much as possible and it is so fun to hear her chatter away to herself and to her stuffed animals. I can't wait to hear her little voice say real words. We like to think that she says "Daddy","Mama" and "Kitty" but really we have no idea if she really means what she is saying. :)

The one challenge we are facing is a little bit of separation anxiety. It is totally normal at this age for kids to cry when their mom or dad leaves, but it still makes it really hard when it happens to us! Fortunately Lucy is surrounded by people that love her, Grandma, Justine, and various Aunts and Uncles. She is a lucky little girl, and so very, very loved.

So there you have it! A sappy little update about our nine-month old. I can't believe that summer is here and we are three months away from her first birthday! I love you my dear girl!

EIGHT MONTHS

Wow. Eight months. The time has flown! When Lucy was a newborn and I heard "eight months" I would always think of a really old baby! I could hardly imagine that she would ever get so old. And now, here she is! Eight months old and thriving.

Where to begin? Lucy is doing great. She sits by herself and can rotate all around to play wherever she wants. She even goes down on her hands and tries to crawl forward to grab something. Sometimes she rocks like that, but she's not on her knees, she's bent over her feet. I'm not sure if this is a precurser to crawling, or not. In any case, I imagine that she will be moving soon.

Lucy loves to eat! So far everything we have given her, she loves. We mostly give her pureed veggies and fruit. We have also given her avocado and chicken. One time this week we gave her a taste our our vegetable smoothie and she gave us the most disgusted face! But then she leaned in to take another bite. I have to say it is quite a relief that she eats willingly. She loves to hold a spoon of her own as I feed her in her bumbo (we don't have a high chair yet.)

What I am loving the most is that it is beautiful outside lately! I've been taking Lucy on lots of walks and also give her a chance to sit and play in the grass. She loves the sunshine! I think summer with a little one will be lots of fun.

The sweetest thing is how much this girl loves her Mama. When I go into her room to get her each morning, she always greets me with a smile and kicks with excitement. Then she gives me a big hug and usually a "kiss" on the nose. She is also quite excited when she sees me when I come home from work, and always greets me with open arms. This little girl is just the sweetest, and I love her to peices!

And there Lucy goes to grab the chalkboard. Each month I think this will be the last one that I can do this, but this month I really mean it. My girl is getting more and more curious and active! I hope at nine months she will lay still for a second for a photo!