Lucy's 7 Months!

     Well, its that time again. The 15th of the month and October means Lucy is now 7 months old! Our little girl is quite the busy body and so talkative. I love watching learn something new everyday and figure out all the things she is now capable of doing on her own.
    The biggest accomplishment this month has been the introduction of food. Being the daughter of two food lovers, Lucy was understandably very interested in food. We started with bananas and have tried sweet potatoes, avocado, summer squash, butternut squash, applesauce, yogurt, and, her favorite yet, pumpkin! She is also feeding herself water out of a sippy cup.

    Not long after "Ma Ma" came "Ba Ba" and "V v v v" and finally "Da Da." It has become her favorite word so far and it seems the others have completely left her vocabulary. I started saying Da Da whenever Jameson came in the door from work and I honestly think she is associating him with the name. At least she says Mummmmm when she cries!

     Lucy had her first trip to the pumpkin patch in early October. She helped us pick out our pumpkins, rode in the wagon, and even had her picture taken as a goat!

    
    Lucy now sits in the bath tub by herself and still LOVES taking a bath. Her bath toys may have become her new favorite things to play with since they are a soft rubber and they go straight in the mouth.

    
   Also new this month, Lucy has started waving and mouthing "Bye Bye." Her most famous wave so far was during her baptism as we stood up front and she waved to the congregation :) She also leans in for kisses, but watch out for that tongue!
   Lucy's sleep habits have been all over the place this month. For almost a week she was up 4-5 times a night nursing and for a few nights even stayed awake for a couple of hours. Within the past week, however, she has gotten back to normal and only gets up once, maybe twice, and spends most of the night in her bassinet. I'm guessing that period of unrest was due to.....
   A BUDDING TOOTH! It hasn't peeked through yet but there is a definite white bubble on her lower gum line, right up front, her right of center. I check it everyday because I know it won't be long and now can even feel the ridges on top.
   Lucy is a pro at sitting up on her own and has started kicking one leg under and pushing herself forward to try and get to us. I am certain that crawling is right around the corner. Better get my running legs warmed up!
    Everyday I am thankful to be her mom and be home with her to catch every moment. She is growing and changing so much but continues to be the same happy, loving baby she has been since the beginning. She loves to laugh and make other people laugh and is truly a pleasure to be around. She smiles at everyone we meet, even the nurses who give her shots. My heart is so full...

Making it Work

    Let me preface by saying I know how extremely lucky our family is that I get to stay home with Lucy. Taking the leap of faith to move to one income when your family is expanding is SCARY! Somehow when we had two incomes we still managed to have very tight months. Looking back now I wonder where in the world did that other half of our money go? Now almost all months are very tight but it's funny how things seem to just work out when you are convinced you are doing the right thing for your family.
    Hopefully one day we won't have this obstacle but for now it's our life and we are figuring out how to make it work. Sometimes it's funny to see how we have been able to stretch our money. To look back and see that we have now made it 4 months on just Jameson's paycheck feels like a huge accomplishment. Sometimes, though, it feels more like a struggle. I am a huge worrier. I like to think I have gotten better being with Jameson but sometimes it likes to rear its ugly head and I'm left in tears wondering how in the world are we going to pay all of our bills. These are the times I look at Lucy and know everything is going to be ok. Nothing can take away the past 7 months I have been home with her. No amount of money would make me want to leave her with someone else everyday.
    Since I was a little girl it has been my dream to be a mama. So now I can honestly say, I AM LIVING MY DREAM. As with any dream, there are sacrifices and a shifting of priorities. Jameson and I have lost time together. He is being such a strong leader for this family by working overtime every week and picking up odd jobs from family and friends. He cuts lawns, builds cornhole boards, paints, shovels snow at business parks in the winter, and is pretty much willing to do anything and everything to keep me home. So, although I am not contributing financially, I have figured out ways to MAKE IT WORK!

We cloth diaper! I have written about it in the past here but this saves us soooo much money.

And I love the puffy little hiney it gives Lucy ;)

We breastfeed! We have started introducing fruits and vegetables but I
 make them all out of the food Jameson and I eat anyway. I can only imagine
 how much we have saved over using formula.

Lucy is a consignment shop baby. I would say 90% of her clothes are either hand me downs

or consignment shop finds. Babies in Bloom is right up the street so we stop in frequently.

Yesterday, we went to Return to Oz, Honeysuckle, and Bellies, Babies and Beyond and ended up with seven dresses, two pair of pants, two sweaters, three tops, and two sleepers. How much did we spend? $82! Yes, $82 is alot of money but her fall wardrobe is now complete. Four of the things

had original tags, two are our favorite Janie and Jack brand, and one was something

 I almost bought at full price at the outlets last week but got for $4, with the tags still attached.

  We stock up during sales and freeze. It is really important both to Jameson and I

 that we eat organically grown meat. Yes, it's more expensive but neither of us has

 been to the doctor with a sickness in the 2 years since we have started. It's a priority

we are willing to shift things around to accomplish. 

We shop at the Amish Market. Have you ever been? Not only is it CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP,

its fun to go too. Cheese is at least 30% cheaper than at the store and the spices are even more than

that. Dry goods are a huge bargain and the candy shop has more variety than any store I

have every visited around here. Mini Reeses Pieces Cookies anyone?

Obviously there are many other steps we take to save money. Jameson cuts his hair at home. We have basic cable, no Tivo or DVR for us! We only go out to eat, or drink, for special occasions (happy hour half price appetizers, thank you). We only have one new car. One night's dinner is the next day's packed lunch.

   I so often hear, "I wish I could stay home with my kids." We are lucky. We are also making sacrifices. We are learning, every day, and making it work.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

 
   2 years ago today, Jameson and I started our own family. 10/10/09. After three and a half years of dating, including a year of planning, we finally made the walk that would establish ourselves as husband and wife. Everyone always says that the planning process goes so fast. Not to me. The day could not come soon enough and I constantly found myself wanting to fast forward. The anticipation of being his wife, of finally living in the house we had been throwing ourselves into renovating, of making a public vow to stand by his side for the rest of my life, of waking up to my best friend every morning was some of the most real emotion I have ever felt.
    I had no problem sleeping the night before our wedding. What was there to worry about? The planning was done, the friends and family were here, and I was marrying my best friend. I had no reservations giving him my full heart knowing it would be in safe keeping. We had seen each other at our best and worst and loved each other fully, recognizing our own and acknowledging each others' shortcomings. We wanted to be together regardless. We never wanted a "break" from each other. Never wanted to keep things from the other. We looked to each other for entertainment, affection, advice, and a sense of home.
    Luckily, Jameson liked helping me plan the wedding since he had worked at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club for several years. He arranged the DJ, the photographer, and helped me pick the cake, the florist, the decorations, the music. Just as everything leading up to the wedding and everything since the wedding, we did it together.
    The day finally came and all I cared about was that at the end of the day, I wanted to be married to Jameson. All the other details could blow up in my face but as long as I was his wife, it would be the best day of my life up to then. I had cried almost daily the entire year leading up to 10/10 because I was so happy. Music was the death of me. I would show up at work with mascara running down my face because of something I heard on the radio. Daydreams were a disaster too. I would picture the doors of the church opening and him standing at the altar and suddenly be drenched in tears. Funny that when the time came, I hardly cried. It felt so RIGHT.

 The reception was something we have wished to relive multiple times since. Both of our families like to party, and party we did! The food was delicious of course, the toasts made us both cry, and the night went too fast. Luckily we had an amazing photographer who helps us go back to the night every time we look at pictures.

   People told us if we could make it through our first year we would be set. People said if we could make it through renovating a house we could make it through anything. Well we did and here we are. Neither one of us could have imagined being at this place only two years in. Three tropical trips, two years, one house, one dog, one income, and one beautiful baby girl. We certainly have made the first two years full of memories. When things get hard, when we forget we are living our dream, I look at these pictures. On that day we had no idea what was in store for us, in two years, twenty years, or 50 years. All I know is there is no one else I want to wake up to every morning and go to sleep with every night. No one else I want my children to call "Daddy." No one else I want to spend the rest of my life showing how much they are loved. He is "that voice I want to hear, some day when I am 90. That wooden rocking chair I want rocking right beside me." Thank you for the two most fulfilling and exciting years of my life Jameson. I can't wait to see what else is in store for us and to keep living our story everyday. I love you.

Food Fun!

 The day Lucy turned 6 months old we began introducing and experimenting with food. We will continue to breastfeed through the first year but I was really excited for this to start since food is a big part of our family's everyday life. I had known since the beginning that I wanted to make her food with fresh fruits and vegetables just like Jameson and I eat. I also knew I didn't want to follow cultural norms (shocker, I know) and start with rice cereal at 4 months. I really didn't feel it was necessary to introduce anything that early since Lucy was steadily gaining weight and I had some reservations about rice cereal. I did not want to give Lucy something just to fill her up that was nothing but empty calories with absolutely no nutritional value. I know that rice cereals are fortified with iron which supposedly breastfed babies need but if that was the case I would rather her receive iron through natural sources in food. So, at six months we set Lucy in her high chair, snapped on a bib, for the first time in her life, and grabbed the camera.

 We decided to start with bananas but avocados and sweet potatoes are great choices too. I had mashed the banana and mixed in some breast milk so it wasn't completely foreign and to get the consistency right. I also decided to cube some and slightly mash so she could pick it up and feel the texture for herself. Lucy was so excited to finally be trying what she (constantly) saw Jameson and I doing. So in goes the banana...

Not exactly love at first bite but she was willing to keep trying and soon...

 
   Since then, we have added in sweet potatoes, which she LOVED!, avocados, which she LOVED!, and a little taste of squash. I have peaches, squash, and carrots in the freezer to introduce next and am hoping to get some pumpkin soon so I can let her try that. We also have started giving her water in a sippy cup which she has gotten really good at feeding herself. I don't plan on giving her fruit juices since they are soo full of sugar and I would rather her get used to water. Maybe in a few weeks I'll add in some white grape juice.
  I also did some research here and found some homemade alternatives to store bought, boxed rice cereal. So this week I am hoping to make some brown rice powder to make cereal, as well as ground oat powder and barley powder. I am thinking these might be a little bland so I'll probably add in some banana or sweet potatoes to the oats, or any other fruit I have already introduced, and add something to the brown rice too. Hopefully she will like apples so I could make her a little apple, pumpkin oatmeal or something else to mix it up. I also found a recipe for baked apple cereal which I plan on making.
  I am really looking forward to finding out what Lucy likes, and doesn't, and figuring out how to make and mix healthy, nutritious food for her right here at home. Bethenny has some great ideas too on her website. Honestly, have you seen the color of the green beans at the grocery store... yuck! I might post some of the recipes for my own reference for the future once I find which are her favorites. Until then, back to the food processor I go!

Lucy's Baptism

 Yesterday was one of Lucy's big days, her baptism. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by so many of our family and closest friends as they supported Lucy. She is certainly a loved little girl. I had a lot of fun preparing for the reception after the ceremony and really enjoyed the time we all had together. I also really enjoyed getting Lucy dressed and seeing her in the same gown I wore when I was baptised.

 Pastor Mark Farnell performed the baptism during the service at church. Having the same pastor who married Jameson and I now baptise our first baby was something I really treasure. Lucy was very well behaved and even waved to the congregation while we were standing up front :) She was comfortable with Pastor Mark holding her and even cozied in for a snuggle.

    Jameson and I decided not to name godparents for Lucy. With such a supportive extended family, I didn't feel it was necessary to pick two people to be responsible for helping to raise Lucy in the church and foster her spiritual growth. To represent each family we had both my parents and Jameson's parents stand with us.

 After the ceremony, we had a reception at Lucy's grandparents' house. I love planning parties, especially for my little girl. I had made string lanterns and pom-poms to decorate and we had babys breath in mason jars set on doilies for centerpieces. Jameson and I made some of the food but are lucky to have a generous family who rounded out the brunch. I must say Jameson's shrimp and grits were the hit of the party!

  I love anytime we are able to get together with family and friends. But knowing how much all of these people love and support our little family made this day all the more special. Aunt Dolores said it perfectly when she told me, "You have a little angel on your hands."

  On this occasion, my hope for Lucy is to grow up in our church, hearing about God's love and purpose for her, to be encouraged to ask questions, and to one day choose her faith for herself. Jameson and I will do every thing in our power to ensure this child is given every opportunity in life that we can present her, knowing our family will both support and encourage us every step of the way.

6 WHOLE MONTHS!

I don't even want to talk about my baby being six months old. That's half a year. In another half, she'll be one. Yes, I did cry September 15. At least she still likes me to hold her and hasn't made me stop giving her endless kisses that have not let up at all since birth. Despite my emotions, this has been one of the most exciting months to watch. Lucy has taught herself so many new tricks. And, if possible, has become even more vocal. We are learning more and more about our little lady as she really learns how to express herself, and what a lady she is :)

MAJOR DEVELOPMENT... SITTING UP! Lucy and I had been practicing sitting up for weeks but leave it to Uncle Brian to establish it as the new norm. We were having dinner at Brian and Allison's house when Brian set Lucy on the counter and let go. No big deal. Lucy stayed up and has remained that way for 90% of her waking time since. Being locked in the house for Hurricane Irene gave her lots of time to practice...

This new position has given Lucy lots of new opportunities. She can explore her love of music through the piano...

While I LOVE wearing Lucy on me in the bjorn or the moby wrap, hauling around 20 extra pounds only lasts so long. So now...

Lucy also attended her second wedding and loved the music and dancing. Mommy loved dressing her...

On the day she turned 6 months, and one day before my birthday, Lucy said her first word... MAMA! No amount of coaxing could ever get it out of her but while Jameson and I were making dinner and Lucy was busy playing we suddenly heard the most beautiful little voice say the most beautiful little word. She has said it several times since and now when she cries it's more of a "Muuuuuummmmmmmm." Don't worry, everyday we are working hard on "Da Da."

Lucy has also learned the "little indian" trick and makes the "Ahhh" noise while i pat my hand over her mouth. She even tries to do it herself and gets her little hand just rolling over her mouth, love. Similarly, Lucy has started giving kisses and likes to grab us by the face and open her mouth for a nice wet one. Sometimes she gets overly excited and shakes her head back and forth to make sure we know how much she loves us. It may be one of my most favorite new tricks. She gets the shaking from me, sometimes we just can't hold in all of our emotions ;)

Lucy is still being breastfed but will start trying some fruits and vegetables this month. She has been showing interest in food and has been getting up more than she was during the night so I am thinking she is ready. If she is anything like her mommy and daddy she will love it!

Lucy, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of all the things you are teaching yourself to do. We love being able to show you new things and watch you make them your own. We love your voice, your interest in music, and how you are able to show us you love us. We are so excited to see the changes in the next six months, as long as we still get to hold you and shower you with kisses. Love, Mommy.

Breaking the Rules

Jameson and I are very new at this parenting thing. We don't claim any expertise, whatsoever. We are surrounded by some awesome examples of very different parenting styles which we are able to use, or not, as we see appropriate. For us, though, I have found we are better at breaking most of the conventional parenting "rules" than we are at following them.

1. Lucy sleeps in bed with us. Not all night, though I would be fine with it if she did. From the first night home Lucy has been the littlest spoon in the bed and we would not have it any other way. I love the feel of her little belly on my side and her hand on my chest. I love waking up with her smiling at me and being able to cuddle her as one of the first moments of my day. When she's 12, I bet she won't so for now I'll take every night with her. It hasn't interrupted my sleep, it hasn't negatively affected Jameson and I, I haven't rolled over on my baby and, now, sometimes she likes to sleep on her own.

2. I don't let Lucy cry it out. I never really understood the concept of crying it out, especially before three months. Obviously, if they are crying they are telling you they need something. Maybe its to be held, which as a stay at home mom I consider one of my major responsibilities. When Lucy was new I would rock her to sleep then lay her in her crib for her nap. I think as a parent you know when your baby is sleepy and I liked knowing I could rock her and she could go to sleep peacefully instead of screaming until she passed out. Now, most nights when we see she is ready for bed, we lay her in her bassinet and she goes to sleep without a peep.

3. I never have enforced a strict schedule. I understand this is a huge luxury and a perk of being home with her. I also realize as we have more kids I probably will have to set some specifics but for now I am loving the flexibility we have. Some days Lucy wakes up at 7:30, some days at 9. Our day unfolds from there. I don't get bent out of shape if she isn't ready for her morning nap at 10 sharp. Without me imposing a schedule on her, she has begun developing one on her own. This goes part in parcel with the no crying it out in my opinion.

4. I let her nurse to sleep. Again, she won't do it when she's 12. I figure I have at most one year of this special bond with her and if it can relax her and let her drift to sleep peacefully I am all for it. Not to be confused with me being a human pacifier. Once she is out, she is off.

5. Forget tummy time. It was horrible, for both of us. Sure I tried it when the books said to start and she would be fine for about 15 seconds. Then the screaming would start. The way I saw it, I probably wouldn't like being face down to a blanket either with no way to get it out of my face. We skipped it. Was her development delayed? I think no.

For now, this is what works for us. We are happy, with each other and Lucy. Lucy is happy, with herself, us, and our family. We are loving parenting. We really don't want time away from Lucy. We are a family and that is how we spend our time, together.

"Remind yourself that you are doing the most important job in the whole world. You are nurturing a new life. Your baby will not be a baby for long, but the way you care for her now will help her become the loving, caring person you want her to be someday." Dr. Sears