Survived the First Year

Well, we have almost done it.  As of Thursday we will have managed to keep our Lucy alive for a whole year.  I guess our job is done.  Whew.  Wait, you mean we’re not done?  Oh well, I guess we’ll just keep going.   

Lucy at one year old is a happy kid.  She’s right on target with being a bit clingy to mommy, but she’s also good at independent play and is happy at her day care with her friends.  It is strange to think that a one year old would have friends, but she and Conner, who is much older (13 months), really seem to connect and play together.   Maybe it’s because they are developmentally very similar and enjoy the same things, but it is sweet to see them sit and make each other laugh.  I’ve been trying to be friendly with his mom, but we don’t seem to have the same connection.  There is another girl/mom combo at school that is more interactive and it is possible if Lucy and Lily become buddies that the moms might too. 

Lucy is weaning herself from the bottle.  She no longer has a bottle at bedtime and we are gradually decreasing the amount of formula she is drinking.  Soon we will start to do bottles of milk instead of formula.    My anxiety about transitioning to healthy foods that we make for her is lessening.   Each time I come up with a new combo that she likes it pleases me.  Soon she’ll be eating most of the stuff we eat. 

Personality wise, Lucy seems to be a playful and bright kid.  She’s not drawing pictures of advanced math algorithms or anything, but she clearly understands the things we’re saying to her.   Her understanding of basic things like no, yes, up, bring, share, eat, all done, leave it alone, and more are spot on.  It’s nice to be able to talk to her and it really seems like she’s taking it in.   She plays well alone, loves to play with others, and she certainly knows how to flirt.  Every trip to the grocery store is like a parade, she waves at all the people until they wave back. 

In the morning, when time allows Lucy gets to come into bed with us.  I’m sure this is common for most parents as it’s an easy was to keep that linger in bed for 15-20 minutes in the morning routine and spend time with the little ones when they are the most rested.  After the infant phase where she just laid there, she explored the nook we created for her.  Open handed pats on daddy, then on mommy,  and back to daddy were common.  She learned VERY quickly that a yank of the fuzzy hair on daddy’s chest caused him to cry and cover up like a turtle.  Thankfully, the hair pulling era seems to be over.   Now she actively crawls, flops and hops around.  She’ll stop for a brief moment to give a full body hug to whichever parent is the most available. It’s a quick snuggle and then she’s up again.  If only baby energy could be harnessed to power the world.

We took a road trip this past weekend and she did very well in the car.  The trip down was a little bit harder, but it messed with her bedtime routine.  She was awake far longer in the car than she would have been had she been in a bed.  We wore her out the next day, she played and played and explored at Auntie Jenny’s house.   Lew, who is 5, has all sorts of wonderful toys – blocks and things that stack, things that make noise, and she was busy all day.  Auntie Jenny also pulled out some wonderful things that Lucy’s dad had to play with too.  Someone has been doing some eBay purchases and acquired the Fisher Price Airport, the airplane and a fancy street scene.  They didn’t have all the people, but Lucy, Lew, Jenny and Jason had a great time.

A road trip was probably a crazy idea considering that we will be having a house full of guests this next weekend, but alas, the lure of visiting with friends can't be denied.  I can clean the house later this week.