Tis the season...

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Kyle's extended family. On Saturday/Sunday we hung out with my parents. My dad took photos so we could order some Christmas cards. I must say, getting a baby AND two dogs to all look at the camera at the same time can be a bit trying. I was quite disappointed when I would find a stunning photo of myself, only to notice that Kyle's looking down fixing Lucy's coat, Lucy is trying to grab Reggie, Savannah's sticking out her tongue and Reggie is licking his butt. But hey, at least I look good, right?

After a lot of back and forth, we picked out a photo for our first family Christmas card. We went with a photo without Reggie or Savannah. Though Lucy looks excellent in every photo, we chose one based on how Lucy looks, not momma. (It's ok, I know that everyone will be paying more attention to her anyway). So where's the picture, you ask?

You'll just have to wait... it's coming soon to a mailbox near you!

Mom of the Year (Not)

Report (by the time we get home)

I admit it, I will not be in the running for 2012 "mom of the year".  (or chef of the year - see below)

Lucy's preschool sends out daily reports for each child. Everyday on our way out, I hand Lucy her report, and then I let Lucy eat the report. It usually looks like this:

Happy Baby!

Speaking of eating, Kyle and I tried something new. Top Chef, Ring edition. I read about the idea on an investing/saving blog. We had a near empty fridge (and pantry), and didn't want to spend $ on take out. So, we put Lucy in her exersaucer, and let the games begin. We scramble around the kitchen and in our "quickfire setup" we each present what we have created. Here were our results:

My dish: A play on potato egg salad. I used canned potatoes, french onion spices, egg, and brocolli mixed with mayo. This was served with a side of green beans, frozen corn with cream of celery.
Kyle's dish: Olive oil coated pasta, topped with a baked then seared tilapia. This was served with a side of tomato basil soup with meatballs.

Yummm :)

Busy Week

We had Lucy's 6 month check up on Tuesday!

I remember her "first" 6-month check up. Oh has time flown. Lucy weighed 17.1 pounds and measured 24.5 inches. Her is how she measured up:

Lucy and daddy (pre shots)

Height: 23rd percentile
Weight: 74th percentile
Head Size: 97th percentile

Well, it's a good thing she has all of that hair to cover up her oversized dome :)

Lucy and I with our "Voted" stickers

 

After her checkup we all went and voted. Kyle and I usually vote the same and have very similar political stances. Luckily Lucy agreed with my choices (since she went with me to fill out my ballot).

Dear Lucy - 6 Months

Dear Lucy,
 
Today you are 6 months old!  I am not sure exactly where the time went.  We have loved every minute that we’ve spent with you over your first half-year (even the rare times you get upset!).  Know always that your Mom and Dad love you so, so much.

You’ve had another eventful and busy past month.  You took your first airplane flight.  Mom and Nuna took you to Boston to see your Auntie Chris and Uncle Kevin for Auntie Chris’s birthday.  They were very excited to see you.  Your Uncle Kevin had not met you before.  Uncle Kevin’s parents drove down to see you, and of course, loved you too!  Momma and Nuna said that you did great on the plane and slept most of the way, just like you were a pro at traveling.

You’ve been able to see your grandparents a lot in the past month.  They all jump at the chance to get to watch you for a day or night, and get to spend time with you.  Papa Ring likes to take you with him in the mornings for coffee.  Nana and Nuna both love taking care of you and talking to you.  You have become quite the little talker (we haven’t made out any words yet), and we think Nana and Nuna are a big reason why!  I know Papa Bielick wishes he could see you more (he is working in Pennsylvania), but he did get to hang out with you recently for his birthday.  Plus, I haven’t even mentioned all your other relatives who love when they get to see you.  You were able to see a lot of people at your Aunt Kelly’s baby shower last weekend.  And you even Face-timed on the phone with your Great Aunties the other day!

While I am guessing that your first word will be “Momma” or “Daddy” (fingers crossed!) or “Doggy”, I wouldn’t be too surprised if your first word is “Jump.”  You love to jump! You are always interested in bouncing up and down any way you can.  We have heard that you love a certain jumping toy at your school.  Your favorite teacher, Miss Julie, told me one day that you played (well, jumped) in that toy for 45 minutes.  She said she would normally never keep you in a toy for that long, but you were having so much fun and she didn’t have the heart to lift you out of it!

You are growing and getting more advanced all the time.  You love playing in saucers.  Nana and Nuna each bought one for their houses when they saw how much you like it.  You know how to press the buttons to make music play and turn the knobs and shake the little rattles.  You look very hard at work sometimes.  Much to our fear, there are already times when you are eager to escape our arms and go play.  We knew this day would come but didn’t think it would come so soon!  Luckily for us, there are still plenty of times when you like being held or like cuddling.  You are not crawling yet, but you can definitely scoot and roll your way across (and off) a blanket.  Your Momma has been helping you practice sitting up on your own too.  You are also starting to eat more baby food.  I think your favorites so far are sweet potatoes or mangos.  It is definitely more fun for you when you can grab the spoon yourself, or use your hand and shovel the food in!

I hope one day you enjoy reading this note even half as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Your Mom and I are so proud and thankful for you that it is tough to even put into words.

Love always,

Your Dad