lucy is 20 months!

can you believe i'm still going with this? yeah, me neither. anyhow, on to the pics...







new talents include--

~bartering. as in "lucy, you may have one cookie." "TWO, mommy. TWO!" (said with a quite serious face, i might add). 

~helping mommy & actually being kinda helpful. fetching diapers and wipes, tossing out trash, putting away laundry. that kind of thing.

~falling asleep in her own room, in her own crib, all by her self after being tucked in. a true labor of love for over a year and a half, but i'm proud to say we never "cried it out" and the girl has learned how to happily put herself to sleep. 

~adding words like "mozzarella," "chamomile," and "predicament" to her vocabulary. there's really nothing she can't repeat back when asked, but hearing her say certain words such as these is just a hoot. 

~throwing tantrums. she's going on two and is not afraid to show it, people!

~recounting the days events in toddler-speak: carm boz came day, member mommy? carrets in der!

(that's "the farm box came today, remember mommy? there were carrots in there!" for those of you who don't speak toddler-ese. 

ah, we love her. cheers!

lucy is 18 months!!!

one and a half! it was slim pickings on photos this time around--the girl won't sit still for a second, and when she does, she's shooting her mama a sad face that says "can i get up yet?" or maybe it was just her serious cowboy face--don't mess with me. who can tell?

new talents include:

~ marching (inspired by the laurie berkner song "we are the dinosaurs.")

~ telling all the dogs in the neighborhood that they are "naughty." well, it's true, they are.

~ getting "cozy" with daddy--which basically entails burying him in a pile of blankets, pillows and books

~ learning the difference between garbage, recycle and compost

~ giving out hugs--nice, strong ones

~ reading to maizy

~ stringing words together--"read to me," "lucy high chair," mama all done," etc.

she's total cuteness. as always, you know?

pumpkin patch photos, as promised...

we went to farmer's john's pumpkin patch in half moon bay again this year. no jumpy houses, no carnival rides. just loads of pumpkins, a hay tower, a tractor to climb on--good old fashioned fun. much unlike the patch located in the strip mall by our house... which charges an entrance fee? what the heck is that about?

here's our little cowboy. i did end up ordering the crocheted boots from disliltreasures on etsy. they shipped quickly and are very cute. we didn't bring them to the pumpkin patch because we didn't want them to get ruined--they are big enough to enjoy as slippers for most of the winter, i think. anyway, photos of those boots to come tonight. a happy & safe halloween to all!

lucy is 16 months... and a giveaway!

recent accomplishments include:

~using the potty chair while we're at home

~going down the big, twisty slide at the park all by herself

~putting away her bath toys (don't try to help--it'll just make her mad)

~taking looooong afternoon naps in her crib, instead of in her carseat (big achievement, people)

~helping to feed the dog

~climbing in and out of her high chair (and atop the kitchen table) unassisted

~rattling off words like watermelon, tortilla, chalk, milk, make, broom, apple, ice, post office, silly, hot, warm, cold, swim, naked, etc--this girl has a vocabulary!

~being "nice" to our dog and cat (does anybody remember elmyra from tiny toons--yeah, lucy's "nice" is kind of like that). 

cheers to lucy... 

and on to the giveaway! i spent the bulk of lucy's naptime today making hair clips for her, seeing as how she's lost (or chewed apart) all of the ones that i made her before. i might have gone a little overboard--maybe?

someone tell me why it is that when i put one or two clips in lucy's hair, she won't leave them in for more than a few moments, yet when i put 30 clips in lucy's hair, she won't let me take a single one out? she must be officially a toddler. anyhow, as a belated blog-a-versary (300 posts!) and as a celebration of lucy's 16th month birthday, simply leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win a set of 4 coordinating hair clippies, handmade with love and zeal by your loyal blogger. winning entry will be chosen by random number generator on the morning of the 4th. good luck! and if you're stuck for words, would you mind telling me if valleybaby #2 is going to be a boy or a girl? i'm getting kind of impatient over here, with all of this waiting it out... 

lucy is 15 months!

we're just back from a delightful mini-vacation, celebrating jeremy & my 5-year wedding anniversary, along with lucy's 15 month birthday. we had tons of fun soaking up the sunshine and playing in the river in california's gold country. just the three of us--well, four if you count the little one kicking me in my ribs all day long--and it was truly a wonderful little escape. more photos to come as i get them organized. 

so what's lucy up to these days? new talents include: 

~"trotting." she's not quite at a galloping run yet, but this girl is picking up some real speed. 

~ stringing words together--'more please mama,' 'where dolly?' 'bad doggie,' etc. you can practically see the wheels turning in her head as she makes these connections--it's amazing. 

~ drawing with chalk on her chalkboard--so far we've convinced her not to draw on the walls!

~helping mommy feed the dog, wipe the floor, pick up toys, etc

~pointing out our car from a lineup in a parking lot--and actually getting it right most of the time

~new signs include "help," "night-night" (even though she already says these words) and "music."

~near mastery of the fork--the spoon remains another story

cheers!

lucy is 14 months...

"but i don't wanna wear the fourth of july hat, mommy!"

"hi, party people!"

"hmmm, 14 months. i'm still little enough to ride in my mini wagon, right?"

"uh, that didn't go so well. maybe i am getting too big..."

"guess i'll carry it instead!"

i can't begin to explain how much this girl changes daily. she's talking up a complete storm--today she said studio. no kidding. i mean, it sounded a lot more like "to-de-ooo" but she got her point across. 

other newly acquired talents (besides holding down a conversation) include: 

~petting the doggie gently (a major milestone--maizy is quite thankful)

~letting us know when she's hungry or thirsty

~waking up earlier than the chickens on a regular basis

~getting through the day without a morning nap

~getting bonifide cases of the giggles

~bombarding me daily with kisses and hugs

~saying and signing "book," then picking one up and pretending to read, babbling on to herself about who knows what. darn cute, especially when she throws in a few animal sounds for good measure:

bok-bok, moooooooo, bababa, nay-nay, woof, oooo-oooo-oooo (monkey), vvvvvvvvv (elephant), meow meow, rarrrrr...  gotta love it. 

cheers!

lucy is 13 months...

i really hadn't planned on keeping up with lucy's monthly photo shoots--then people started asking! so here's to another year of your monthly lucy--brought to you by none other than me, the mama. 

recently acquired talents include: 

~ WALKING! yep, this girl is on the move now, for realsies. photo shoots = a little difficult...

~ making a few different animal sounds--moo, quack, oink, baa, and "cracker" for parrot

~ asking "up" when she wants to be held 

~ climbing in and out of her wagon

~ trying to cuddle with the animals in her books

~ shrieking when she doesn't get her way

~ getting the mail (provided there's someone to lift her up to the mailbox)

~ blowing bubbles in the bathtub

toddlerhood has officially begun. cheers!

p.s. the big flower on lucy's head? her idea, not mine--swear. 

can you believe it? lucy is ONE!!!

lucy's actual birthday was spent at one of our favorite places--a river not too far from our home. we didn't get the best weather for lounging on the beach, but lucy didn't seem to mind at all. a leisurely picnic, a long wagon ride, and a few good-luck sprinkles... what more could a birthday girl want?

newest achievements include: 

~ standing unassisted for longer periods of time

~ signing "more," "kitty," "finished," "chicken," "nurse," "ball," and getting the hang of several others

~ saying "diaper!" (di-da)

~ climbing on nearly everything that she sees (with or without mommy's approval)

~ helping mommy push the wet clothes from the washing machine into the dryer

~ unloading the silverware from the dishwasher and handing it over to be put away

~ eating half of mommy's meal on a regular basis

wow. us new parents are often told that baby and toddler-hood go incredibly fast. what they don't say is that there should be a new term for this phenomenon altogether--fast doesn't begin to describe it. and yet despite this, jeremy and i were just commenting to each other that life before lucy seems like some sort of strange, fictional tale--was there really life before lucy? it seems that she's always been here, crawling around at our feet, giving us kisses and cuddles, standing on the bed between us and banging on the bedroom window while we try to catch a few more zzz's before sunrise. 

i hoped to be able to post pictures of lucy's long-awaited party this weekend, but we've had to postpone because our little birthday girl is sick. nothing too serious, but she wasn't much in the party sprit. we're looking forward to next weekend!

i almost forgot to mention--the party hats pictured above were handmade by us, but lucy's gorgeous, fluffy tutu (also handcrafted) can be purchased here.