feeling feisty

Google Definition: feist·y/ˈfīstē/

Adjective:

Having or showing exuberance and strong determination. Touchy and aggressive.

Yeah, that's about right.

Do you have days where you want to take on the world and all of its problems? I am feeling very aggressive today. Maybe it is the conversation I had with my insurance company today. They kind of make me want to restructure the entire health system. Or at least the insurance company organization. Betwixt crying and praying, I  was very angered by our insurance's companies ability to give me a straight and consistent answer to my question. I know I rant about this at least once or twice every month or so. It is probably the most frustrating part of my life. So I will stop. Nobody likes hearing about frustrating things...

I am also feeling quite relieved today, which doesn't fit into the definition of feisty. Oh well. Yesterday was the science fair I organize. I survived. Enough said. And the director of the Governor School is still insisting that we stay in Virginia forever, so I would say he was pleased with the outcome. Now I can breath a little more slowly, and enjoy some more Lucy time. Which brings me to the next topic.

Lucy is 9 months today! Yes, I am actually posting about her on the day that she turns another month old. Are you not so proud? Jimmy reminded me. Funny, I am really good at remember so many things, and Lucy age just totally takes me by surprise. Do they always grow this fast? It is incredible. We celebrated Lucy's 9 month mark by going for a 5 mile run, her in the stroller. She was awesome, and I made it quite manageably without dying. In fact the weather was so fantastic, that I almost felt like doing more but there was a tree in the way, so I had to turn around. We also ate Ben and Jerry's, well Jimmy and I ate Ben and Jerry's (it was free!) and Lucy played with all of her adoring fans at the Law School. Then Lucy and I had a play date outside with one of her church friends. Glorious Virginia weather! Can you believe we were driving in a snow storm on Sunday?

Now I am exhausted and apparently somewhat feisty. I don't know if I have ever thought I would use that word to describe myself. We all have our days...

Figures...

It figures that I am sick this Monday. Lucy just got over her cold. She still has a nasty cough, but her face is not longer covered in snot. I however can't swallow very well, and all I really want to do is sleep.

On the bright side it is a perfect day to stay inside in sleep...kind of. Virginia and North Carolina just had is first big snow fall of the season. And yes, I think their winter season is almost over. We had the great luck of travelling back from NC during this storm. The roads were bad, but even worse because several cars were not very capable of driving on them. I feel kind of bad, now that I think about it, but Jimmy and I only got through our trip by making fun of all the awful driving skills being displayed. 

So Lucy and I are going to play outside in the snow. I don't care if I am sick. It is Lucy first real snow storm. While we were in NH and MA there weren't any real good snow storms, nothing that stayed around. We did get her a snow suit, it would be nice to use it. 

Sometime I just want chocolate

and that is what I got after one very long day.....

Thank you Relief Society!

New things

I am not really good at doing a little blurb whenever Lucy hits another month mark. By the time I realize she is another month old she has already starting getting closer to the next month.

But to keep you updated, I am going to give you some quick facts about Lucy, regardless of the fact that she is 8 and 1/2 months and not some whole numbered month.

Lucy really loves to crawl, and especially towards paper because she really likes that too. She likes avocado and banana, and doesn't mind rice and beans if it is slightly flavored by other flavors like avocado...yes, she really loves avocado. She likes it when we sing, and even sits still during the hymns in church. That is the only time she will sit still, the rest of the time she is trying to eat the paper program.

 She sleeps through the night (which I REALLY love!), and will not deviate from her waking time. She goes to sleep at 6:30 pm and wakes up between 6:00-6:30 am. If she goes to bed later, she still wakes up at 6:00 am. We like it that she is a morning person.

She likes going for hikes, whether is be on our backs on in the stroller. We found out if you give her a stick to hold she will NOT let go. She waves it, tries to eat it, and curiously studies it, but will not let it go. She is such a curious child.

She likes to climb (on boxes). This in combination with her adequate skill of pulling herself up puts in me in a state of constant fear. She is becoming much more stable, but sometimes when she finds something on the couch she will hold it with both hands and forget she is not holding on to anything. Next thing we know she is on the ground. She also travels the entire perimeter of our living room, reaching from couch to side table to book shelf to coffee table to t.v. center and to book shelf. It is pretty amazing to watch, albeit a little nerve racking.

And I will end with her newest thing, a front tooth. We have been watching this tooth for weeks. It was on the surface of her gums for at least two weeks, just hanging out right beneath the gum line. Today when I did my daily check to see if it had come through I felt a very large sharp object in my baby's mouth. As weird as it is for me to feel, I can only imagine how she must feel. Now she can chew from both the top and bottom. All day she has been biting and grinding her teeth together (Am I the only one who hates the sound of grinding teeth?!). Now she has 3 teeth.

And that is what is new with Lucy.

Happy 8.36 months Lucy!

sometimes it takes several shots to get THE picture

Vacuum...

sickness slows me down...

Well, I think it is time for some new pictures. So here we go. This all might be a little disjointed, but an update nonetheless. 

We do in fact have a very mobile baby these days. I think Jimmy decided it would be easier for Lucy if all her toys were in one place, and it would also slow her down a bit if they were all attached to her. So he  made her this "utility belt." A good solid amount of her toys were attached, and she wore it for at least 5 minutes. Impressed? I think so...

I have realized that things like blenders, the food processor and the vacuum are very amusing to Lucy. In fact it is often a way to get her to stop yelling, if that is the mood she is in. I am not sure if this was the case when I turned on the vacuum this day, but she was definitely amused and very curious. She climbed right up next to it and found that toward the back end a large stream of air shoots out. It is not easy to see in this picture, but it was pretty hilarious to watch. Her wispy hair danced in the breeze and she loved it! I have a video as well, but videos aren't uploading well. I will try to get it up sooner or later.

On Thursdays I take Lucy for a run on the Chessie trail. It is flat and easy to do with a stroller. Yes, I am a wimp. Regardless, as I am putting the stroller back in the car I set her on the ground to watch. I took these treasures the other day. Lucy always seems so big when I am holding her, but in these pictures she seems so small. And gosh I love her purple fleece, even though it is still too big!

And lastly, and this is the most current picture, Lucy is sick. Runny nose, nasty cough, the works. She is trying to be happy, as seen in this picture, but she is so terribly exhausted. Today she would pant and wheeze every time she would try to get up to standing. You could tell she had to work so much harder to get where she wanted to go. We are hoping for a quick recovery so we can have our energetic happy Lucy back. Either way, sick or healthy, she is still ridiculously cute.