Lucie at 273 Days (Or 9 months, as some call it)

Lucie Ferghana celebrated her 9-month birthday last weekend at Gooseberry Falls! You can probably see from the pictures that she's got the cuteness factor down! I love the 9-month check up because there are no shots (if you've kept up to date on the previous visits) so it's just weight, height, head circumference, some pokes and flashlights shining around her face, and we were out of there. She still managed to cry through most of the appointment.

"No! Don't take my clothes off! I hate putting on and taking off shirts! Now what are you doing? LAYING ME DOWN?! I NEVER gave authorization for laying me down! WHY IS THIS BED SO COLD?! WAAAAAAAH! Don't stretch me out; I want to kick!" *flail*kick* "Get that thing off my head! WAAAAAAH! And whatever you do, don't put that stick in my mouth. I have a tooth and I know how to use it! Oh yes, and it's always a good idea to shine lights in my eyes. You knew I'd respond well to that. WAAAAAAAH!"

Somehow we were able to get her stats (although we had to double check the height measurement because the nurse-in-training's original measurement came up a half-inch shorter than Lucie's 6-month height measurement. No my baby didn't shrink!) She's a little on the small side: 17 lbs 8 oz (25%) and 28 inches long (65%). This is because although she's started solid foods, most of her calories still come from breast milk and well, since she's begun crawling I can't keep her on for more than 15 minutes. She's very interested in the world around her!

* Lucie's disposition: Despite her angry doctor's appointment, she's overall a very pleasant and easily excitable baby! She flaps her arms and gets what we call "grabby hands" while rotating her feet in little circles when she's excited. This almost always occurs when one of her meals is approaching. She is always laughing and smiling (way more than I remember her serious sister doing). She's not very cuddly (she always wants to be looking around or doing something) but she loves to be carried. In fact, she insists on it after her 4 o'clock meltdown. This makes dinner prep difficult. But I've learned how to make a pretty-mean mac n cheese one-handed :) Despite being a bit of a squiggle worm, she still insists on being swaddled (at least her legs). When she's really tired she'll grab her blankie (which is swaddling her), squish it into her face, and roll onto her side in a sleepy fog.


* Lucie's great accomplishments: Finally after about 6 weeks of waiting, she's crawling. She started getting from sitting to prone about a month ago, and I kept saying, "It will be any day now!" Well about 4o of those days went by where she went from rocking on her haunches to pushing off her arms so she scooted backwards (usually under furniture, like in this picture) to moving forward. She's also finally cut her first tooth! (Also very long in the waiting) She can clap and hit surfaces like a drum. She likes to play patty-cake (she actually does the clapping and patting herself!) She also dances! I didn't believe it at first, but when there's music she gets a groove on!

Also, I have a near-identical picture of Abi in this very same position at around the same age. The difference? Abi was bawling. "I'm stuck under the crib!!!" Lucie was amused. "Hm. I'm under the crib."


* Lucie's social life: Most of her time is spent with her big sister Abigail. For several months we struggled with Abi being stressed out and taking it out on Lucie (poor little tykes) but almost overnight they switched to best pals! If Lucie is cranky, Abi brings her toys or handfuls of Cheerios. Sometimes I find Lucie with nearly puffed out cheeks as Abi keeps packing the Cheerios into her mouth as tight as they will fit. In the car, they will make each other laugh (big belly laughs!). Nothing brings me to tears of joy faster than hearing them laughing together! They love to bounce on the couch or the bed and work themselves into hysterical frenzies. Abi will blow raspberries on Lucie's tummy (when it's accessible) and Lucie will take it all as though she were the most loved baby on the planet (which she very well could be!). They kind of share toys but NEVER sippy cups. God forbid. But that's more of Abi's deal than Lucie's. The only similarity I've come up with between them is their looks. They look a lot alike. And they're both smart. Of course. (What parent says their kid isn't smart?) Other than that they are as different as peas and carrots. Lucie is bright, outgoing, adventurous, dramatic, willful, enthusiastic, easily excited AND easily offended. Abigail is calm, sympathetic, quiet, intelligent, timid, loving, and adorably anal. Lucie has the attention span of a butterfly. Give Abi a stack of books and she could sit on the couch for an hour without a peep. Well, this picture pretty much juxtaposes their complementing personalities.

* Lucie likes: mashed up beans, the jack-in-the-box (which, coincidentally, Abigail HATED for months), going outside (at first), coming back inside, her blankie, ANYTHING EDIBLE (or not), closing the lids on the pop-up animal toy, taking things out of boxes, Patty Cake (she claps on her own and even pats her legs when you "roll it, & pat it"), Itsy-Bitsy Spider, music & dancing, patting drums, digging in daddy's pile of school paraphernalia, books with interesting places to touch, to stick out her tongue for hours, clapping toys together, looking at pictures of family, bouncing, spinning the toy that is essentially teaching her how to unroll the toilet paper roll, getting and giving sloppy kisses, fruit, and trying to use a sippy cup.

* Lucie's dislikes: sitting in grass, getting dressed, getting undressed, getting her diaper changed, being put down, the hour before mealtime, sitting in a stroller for more than 15 minutes, sitting in a car seat for more than 15 minutes, being alone, clothes that hinder her crawling, hats (we've already lost one at the zoo this year), and being sat on by sisters.

Well that's the long and short of it! (Mostly the long of it...but I haven't blogged about Lulu in a while, so I thought it was worth a little effort!) We love our little big baby and we can't wait to see how God develops the personality and gifts he's given her :) Lord help us...