The Toothless wonder

While I've got one child preparing to get teeth, I've got one losing teeth.  Sweetly ironic, isn't it?

The Tooth Fairy made her very first visit to the Cibula cottage Wednesday night!

Jack came home from school adorned with a blue plastic tooth necklace around his neck--complete with his first lost tooth inside.

And although, I was absolutely thrilled for my big kid, all I could think was, "oh no, I don't think the tooth fairy is prepared for this".  You see apparently the tooth fairy has been bringing Jack's school friends gifts for their lost teeth.  And apparently, Jack has been expecting the same.  I know, because he has told me so on several occasions.

I was very concerned about how a little teeny tiny fairy could carry gifts E..V...E...R...Y time a tooth fell out.  That would be 60 times among three children.  Surely a little fairy can't do that?  Don't you agree?

Luckily the tooth fairy remembered that she had a stash of gifts {really luckily since Daddy happened to be traveling Wednesday night}.  And though our fairy will be bringing money from here on out, she decided the first lost tooth is indeed very special. And somehow she was able to use all her fairy strength to pull it off.

Jack went to bed with a giant smile and his tooth safely tucked in his special tooth pillow.  He laid it on his nightstand and hoped for the best...a present for his tooth.

Our Tooth Fairy must have snuck in sometime around 10:00, I think I saw a glow flutter by around that time, and she lovingly replaced Jack's first tooth with this....

When I went to wake Jack the next morning for school, he was already wide eyed and toothless staring at his night stand.  He could hardly contain his excitement {even at o' dark thirty in the morning}.  Any Tooth Fairy that is aware of his Lego obsession is a winner with him.

Jack and I could barely read her note and not because of sleepy eyes {although that didn't help}.  Just as we guessed, Jack's Tooth Fairy must be very tiny, her microscopic handwriting was proof of that.  And she kindly explained to us how the first tooth deserves a present and from here forward she can only carry money.  I appreciated her sharing my same philosophy on how future exchanges will go down.

She's a smart little fairy.  And Jack is a very happy toothless wonder.  Gotta love milestones.

{After Maggie recovered from her initial look of horror upon seeing Jack's missing tooth, she's started wiggling every tooth in her mouth, claiming to have a loose tooth too...so adorably Maggie like}

I Love Lucy: 6 Months

Happy Half Birthday baby Lucy!

Just when I thought I couldn't love this little being anymore, she did it to me again.  This month of Lucy's life started out a bit rocky, but has ended seamlessly.  Lu is fun, beautiful, loving, happy, hungry, content, excitable, and a perfectly incredible blend of her bigs.

I put the 6 month birthday right up there with the 4 month mark.  My favorites.  Followed by a fabulous "I dropped my morning nap" 17-19 month birthday.  There is so much to love about 6 months.  My babies are usually sitting {which Lu is}, personalities are blossoming {which Lu's is}, and they start making guest appearances out of the house {which Lu will be soon}.

Life with Lucy gets better every month.  And this is what her sixth month of life looks like...

Eat

I'm pretty sure you noticed the "hungry" in the list of Lucy adjectives up there.  This baby is an eater.  One of the many traits she must have acquired from Jack's same gene pool.

We are still on a four hour schedule and it's working out well for both of us.  I have continued nursing her for each feeding.  I nurse my babies until 6 months, so we will start to wean here soon.  Very bittersweet for me.  I am really ready to have some freedom, but will miss my quiet nursing sessions in her room.  Now that I really think about, with Lucy being the last Cibula baby around here, it's actually very bitter. {sigh}  I keep finding myself postponing the wean, but then being quickly reminded by some life event, that the time has come.

The big change with eating this month has been the addition of solids.  I usually take this much slower, but somehow Lucy just warranted a much speedier version.  I think it all started with her initial dislike of the cereal.  I added a dab of pears within the first week and she devoured it.  I then noticed an improvement in her naps and this was all about the same time I had added the solids.  Possible coincidence, but other signs made it clear to me that she was more than ready.

Before I knew it, we were doing two solids a day.  Once at breakfast and then again at her late afternoon feeding.  I always nurse her first and then offer her the solids.  She finishes off both without so much as a wince.  She gets fruit and cereal at her morning feed and veggies at her afternoon feed.

Little Lu is an extremely messy eater.  Now, this she acquired from Maggie's same gene pool.  I give her a bite off the spoon and she follows it with a thumb, a finger, and sometimes even a whole fist in her mouth.  It can get very frustrating {for the feeder that is}.  It's an absolute mess.  Come bath time, I find food behind her ears, in her eyebrows, in her neck rolls.  Gross yes, but because it's Lucy, I somehow find it very amusingly cute.

Each feeding is like a time warp for me.  I have flashbacks of Jack, when Lucy gives me the two handed fists and grunts as if to say, 'hurry up, I want more'.  And then I have flashbacks of Maggie with the hand in the mouth mess.  My Lulu is two for the price of one and I love her for that.

So far her favorite fruit seems to be pears and her favorite veggie is carrots.  The carrots really get her excited {go figure}...feet kicking, grunting, and lots of hand fists for those spoonfuls.  I live for carrot afternoons...her excitement is way cute!

Activity

With all of that eating, Lucy has plenty of energy for activity time.  I can finally say, she is up {and happily up} for the appropriate time needed to be on our four hour schedule.

She is awake for about 1 1/2 hours after her first feed and then two hours between the others.  It's wonderful to have her playing and interacting with the family for a longer period of time.  I can really see Jack and Maggie welcoming her as their sibling and genuinely trying to play with her now.

Some of Lucy's staple favorite activities have remained the same and a few have shifted to the back burner.  She still loves walks outside {whenever we can get some decent weather}, playing with toys on the carpet {in sitting position!}, her round activity center, books {for about 5 minutes}, and of course, her bath {which she is sitting up in now!}.

But, above all, I think her favorite activity might be watching her bigs play.  I am continually amazed by Lucy's strength, but nothing like when she sees Jack and Maggie playing and wants to join in.  Lucy wiggles, jumps in my arms, and practically leaps from my lap trying to get closer to them.  Super baby at her finest.  It's pretty incredible.

No one can get Lucy laughing quit like Maggie either.  Lucy is completely enamored with her big sister.  All it takes is a few giggles from Maggie and Lu is belling laughing herself.  Another thing that get's little Lu going is when Maggie hops or jumps.  So funny to watch Lucy's delighted expression and hear her sweet laughs.

If Lucy isn't laughing, she's babbling or squealing.  She is definitely a vocal little one.  And it's by far the yummiest sound to my ears.  I could listen to her for endless periods of time.

One of those activities that fell off the favorite list this month is tummy time...not good.  I have to fight her on this one and it's not fun.  The other is her play mat.  Lulu is all about being upright and absolutely not missing a thing.  And unfortunately those two activities aren't conducive to that.

During Lucy's activity time, I really see so much personality emerging.  She is an incredible blend of Jack and Maggie.  It's hard to believe that those two personalities could merge in any form, but Lucy has perfected it.  She is smart and independent like Jack, but at the same time sweet and happy just like Maggie.

She has also brought her own personality traits to the mix.  One being, she is a very content little gal.  It doesn't take much to keep her at ease {which I love with our busy lives}.  I truly believe, Lucy is happiest just being with or near us.  And we feel the exact same about her.

Sleep

Lucy is definitely not the best sleeper of my babies.  However, it's all relative {I have amazing sleepers}.  So with that being said, she is still great at her zzzz's, just not quite as amazing as my other two were at this age {if my memory serves me correctly}.

Lu gives me a good 12-13 hours every night.  Wonderful, huh? I give her a final 'night night' kiss at 7:30 pm and don't see her beautiful smile again until 8:00 am the next morning.

She naps three times a day...two full naps and an evening cat nap.

Her naps were extremely rocky at the beginning of her 6th month of life.  {hence the reference at the start of this post}.  She was waking mid-nap and having a terrible time settling back down.  We went in the first few days and shush-patted her.  It only seemed to make matters worse. {which was also the case with Jack as an infant}  I finally just had to make the decision to let her CIO {I'm putting the abbreviation here so I won't get chastised-I figure if you recognize the abbreviation, you've done it}.  It was tough, yes.  But, after three days or so, it seemed Lucy was learning to put herself back to sleep.  I'm thinking we were dealing with the 45 minute intruder...{ugh, hate that guy}.

During this time, we also started solids.  Possible coincidence.  Hmmm...we will never know.

However, naps definitely improved for the second half of this month.  We still have a bad one now and then, but for the most part baby Lucy sleeps a solid 1 1/2-2 hours for her first two naps and about an hour for her pm catnap.

Lucy almost always wakes up with a giant gummy grin.  I love it!  It sure makes mornings wonderful {and that says a lot coming from someone who is NOT a morning person}.  Of course, she is ready to nurse immediately, but right after that she is back to her lovely self.

Stats & Beauty

All that eating,  exercise, and sleep makes for a growing baby...

Weight 14lbs 9oz
Height 26 in

Amazing to watch my little Lu grow {even the third time around}!  Yes, she is a long and lean little thing.  A first for me.  But, the DR seems to think Lucy will plump right back up with the addition of her solids {which she told me to double-I had a feeling I should do that but, I couldn't decide if Lu was just trying to over eat or actually needed it--now I know}

Lucy is still in a size 2 diaper and we are trying to wait until warmer weather to transition out of her current 6-9 month clothes.  It's getting tight though {literally}.

I recently pulled a girl's bin out of the attic of 9-12 month clothes to find they were all for warm weather.  And unfortunately, I don't think Lu will be fitting in them for the entirety of the summer.  Oh well, looks like I will be getting baby girl some new clothes.  {I actually already have...just rationalizing it in writing}.

Other than size, not much has changed in Lucy's appearance. We are still trying to figure out what color hair she will have.  Some days I am positive she is going to be a brunette and then others I find the sun hitting her hair in just the right way that I think I see blonde coming in.

Her eyes are still a beautiful grey blue and her lashes insanely long and dark.  Lucy's skin seems to be on the fairer side like mine and Jack's.  And I still swear that she looks the most beautiful in pink.

Her cheeks are deliciously chubby and most especially precious with they are nice and rosy.  We fight a  rash on her chin almost on a daily basis.  Between the drool and raspberry blowing it's no wonder.  Aquaphor has become our new best friend {and the retouch tool in iphoto}.

So that's my littlest Lu at 6 months.  Fabulous, isn't she?  And as always, lovely to the core.  I find no better word to describe her.

Happy Half Birthday Lucy Lu!  And just in case we haven't mentioned it lately...we absolutely adore you!

{We do birthdays up right around here.  Even half birthdays...peas, a candle, and a half birthday song...only the best for my littlest.}

Discover The Dinosaurs

We surprised Jack, and kind of Maggie, this weekend.  I say, 'kind of Maggie' because it really wasn't  her thing.  We thought Jack truly deserved it after working so hard at karate, baseball and school here lately.  Not to mention, he's my extra set of hands these days.  Being the oldest is hard work, "Jack will you grab me a diaper?, Jack will you get Maggie some milk?, "Jack will you help Maggie put on her pjs?", "Jack will you...?".  See what I mean.

So we told the kids we were going to dinner.  After 45 minutes in the car they started to get a little suspicious.  Not to mention, I narrated the trip with, "geez, I'm as hungry as a dinosaur" and "this line of cars is as long as a T-Rex tail" over and over again.

We drove north of the city to Discover The Dinosaurs.  It wasn't so far north that it should have taken 45 minutes, but that's rush hour traffic for you.  Against all my parenting principles I finally turned on a movie to divert their suspicion {and impatience}.

When we arrived, both kids had a look of bewilderment on their face.  Jack had requested pizza and the Trade Center certainly didn't resemble any pizza joint he had ever seen before.  After walking inside, turning in our tickets, and reading the giant Jurassic Journey sign, they still weren't getting it.

I finally broke the news with, "surprise!, we tricked you, we are really going to a dinosaur show!".  As you can imagine, Jack was thrilled.  Like this is the best night of my life thrilled.  Maggie had more of an expression of, 'oh' followed by, "are there any princesses here?".

It took Maggie a nice warm up of about 20 minutes, but by the Stegosaurus bone display she was digging it.  If I had to guess her brother's exuberance had something to do with it.

Upon arrival we were given a Scavenger Hunt sheet to complete.  We were able to turn it in at the end for a prize.  Jack thought the prize was a trip to the DinoStore.  {which we graciously gave in to}  We did a lot of exploring.  All of the dinosaurs were real working machines.  There were buttons to push to make them roar and move.

It was pretty loud in there and very dark.  Jack loved every bit of it.  And he requested, yes he requested, a picture with nearly every dino.

This is where Maggie finally came out of her shell stroller.  Maybe it was because bones don't roar.  Either way, Jack was very excited to have a fellow explorer by his side.

The dino dig was a huge success for both kids.  They may have stayed there all evening if I didn't tell them about the play area at the end of journey.

And this is when we really couldn't get them out of there and I really was getting as 'hungry as a dinosaur'.  We did dino bounce houses, a dino mechanical ride, a giant dino slide {which I had the pleasure of joining the kids for}, and a dino maze.

I think Jack may have told Clay and I "thank you for tonight" at least every other display and then about five more times in the play area.  It certainly made my issues with the dirtiness and the clientele well worth it.  I must note a really large bottle of hand sanitizer is a must.

Aside from that, it really was a wonderful family outing.  And just like Jack said, "this is one of the best nights of my life".   Adore that dino loving boy!

I {heart} My Valentines

We have been lovin' a little Valentines around here.  

We started the month with some decorating.  Maggie was on hand to help me hang these precious pseudo candy hearts down the steps leading to the basement and into the playroom.  And I adore how they surrounded Clay and I 's engagement pictures. Coincidence at it's finest.

I put my Type A file on the shelf to allow Maggie to decorate as she see fit. {and no, my walls aren't this puke green/beige--excuse the awful lighting}

Hearts were sporadically placed in some places and bunched in others.  With the highest being about 3 feet up, courtesy of my favorite 3 year old.

But, the best part?  The way Maggie adored the "marry me" heart.  She read it to anyone who came over and then to us if there wasn't a new face to share it with. 'This hawrt says marwwee me', followed by her signature Maggie smile and courtsy.

Have I mentioned that she walks around with a box of Clay and I's wedding pictures?  Well, she does.  And it's precious to listen to her narrate each photo.  I on the other hand cringe looking at them.  Not a big fan of hurricane weddings, big fan of the man in the pictures though {if you were there you know what I mean}.

Needless to say, Valentine's Day is right up my Love Bug's alley.  So, when I suggested we bake Valentine cookies a few days before, guess who was the first in the kitchen...

And Love Bug #2 joined us.  Here she is sharing my secret ingredients.

The best part was the decorating according to my kiddos.  Jack made a guest appearance for the fun part.  {and he didn't even argue when he saw pink icing}  All in the name of love.

This was Jack's masterpiece Valentine cookie.  Basically his only cookie.  He used 80% of our decorating ingredients on it and then upon completion headed backed to his Legos.  Good thing I have a back up baker waiting in the wings.  My oldest seems to have semi-retired.

We shared the love this holiday with these adorable Hot Chocolate baskets for the kid's teachers. So easy and very inexpensive {an idea begged, borrowed and stolen with a twist}.  Maggie had a fun {and very messy} time making the stir spoons with me.  And those are heart marshmallows in that cellophane bag...way sweet.

On V day the kids woke up to their doors covered in "We Love..." hearts.  It was a much needed time of reflection for me as I thought of all the reasons Clay and I love each of them.  The kid's seriously adored this and Maggie had me read her hearts to her at least 14 times that day.

This was Jack's door...

Maggie's...

And Lucy's...

If you noticed, yes, Jack had the most.  I knew he would count and the girl's wouldn't so why not let him feel the most loved.  He deserves it living with all these girls.

After a celebratory day at school {which means Maggie came home with way too much Valentine junk loot}, she loved on Lucy for a bit.  Both girls enjoyed play time in my favorite room in the house.  How fitting that we were surrounded by pink on this day of love.

Maggie set up story time for all of her animals and Lucy watched on longingly.

Two girly loves are better than one if I do say so...

Happy Valentine's Day to all!  XOXO

Suddenly Sitting

It really did just happen out of no where.  Suddenly.  

There I was one day, behind Lucy, letting her use me as a brace and I noticed, 'she doesn't need me'.  I let go of her and woo hoo, she was...sitting. 

This is by far my happiest milestone--a sitting baby.  I'm sure you Momma's out there can agree with that.

I can sit her down, surround her with toys {and often siblings} and she is a happy babe.  I haven't yet gained the confidence to sit her on the hardwoods or tile without the Boppy around her.  Nor have I gained the confidence to schedule her "sitting photo session".  But, rug play time sure is nice for my aching back and bones.

And can I please note how fabulous it is to play with my darling baby girl while looking at that sweet face? No more overhead views.  I get the giant blue eyes, irresistible chubby cheeks, and the endless drool.  Who could ask for more?  Not I.

Mmmm...pure love.  Little Lu suddenly got a whole lot sweeter.

And!, she found her toes this month.  Something about babies finding their toes gets me every time.  So stinking precious!  I could watch Lucy for hours play with those little tootsies {if I only had hours to spare}.

Rice Cereal...Maybe

We start rice cereal with Lucy this week.  And this is usually where I add how my baby was so ready and loved it.  Well, not this time.

I was not prepared for Lucy's reaction.  Not even a little bit.

Lu is a pretty solid eater {no pun intended}.  I was for sure that she would love it.  I knew she was ready.

However, there is no truth in the third baby is the easiest.  Yes, she is easy in many ways and lovely in even more.  But, she is still her own little person and has her own way of doing things.

For baby number three it took four whole days to get this cereal thing down.  Not bad, but certainly, not easy.

On Day One, I nursed her and then put her in the high chair at her 3:30 feeding.  I was seriously excited, 'she's going to love this'.

I dipped the spoon in the bowl, gently put it in her mouth and this is what she did...

 There was no love about it.

I gave up three spoonfuls and three disgusted looks later.

Day Two, I tried again.  This time I added breast milk and mixed it more liquidy {is that a word?}  I think that may have backfired.  She took it in and after bite number two she screamed...and screamed some more.  Lucy doesn't scream often, but when she does...pass the ear plugs.

I was at a loss.  Was it the taste or was it too much like milk and it wasn't coming fast enough?  So, I did a little experiment.  I poured the remainder in a bottle and handed it to her.

She chugged it.  Hmmm...so it wasn't the taste or the texture.  Little Lu is just a very impatient eater {just like her brother was}.  More, more, more, and faster, faster, faster.


By Day Three, I wasn't going to let Lucy pull a fast one on me again.  It was time she learned patience.  No bottle.  Just a spoon...and one bite at a time.

Towards the end of the feeding, with lots of reminders from me to 'be patient', we were making progress.

And that brings me to glorious Day Four.  Lucy gleefully anticipated her cereal {with a dash of pear mixed in}.  She made happy grunts during her feeding, swallowed pretty nicely, and waited patiently for each and every bite.

We officially have a rice cereal eating baby at our house.  I'm certain everything from here on out will be easy with her {wink wink}, right?.

In Loving Memory

I have put off writing this post for fear of flooding my keyboard with tears.  {and that may still happen even with the postponement}  But, I feel it is time.

I lost my Uncle Jim to diabetes the second week in December. If you know my family, we are small, but we are extremely close.

It came as a complete shock.  My family and I were not prepared for such a tragedy, but who really is.  After receiving the news, I spent the first few hours in complete shock.  Yes, I cried, but I also denied it in my mind.

After reality set in I was over come with grief and an over abundance of concern.  I worried about my Grandma losing her only son, my Mom losing her best friend and brother, and thought about how my widowed Uncle had left behind, Jon, who is only a college kid.

I was sick with grief for days.  Only when I was united with my family for the funeral did I feel some sense of relief.  We were all so saddened, but sad together is better than alone.

Jon decided his father should be layed to rest in Kentucky, a place my Uncle Jim grew up in and loved.  He was buried next to my Grandpa.  I imagine those two are having a grand ol' time in heaven together.

Because my Uncle resided in Florida {right across the street from us} for nearly 20 years, we also held a memorial service and celebration of his life in Florida.  It was on what would have been his 53rd birthday, February 2nd.  It was heart warming to see how loved he was.  {and exhausting to travel with an infant for the second time in a just a few weeks}

The past couple months have been trying.  There was certainly a dark cloud that hung over Christmas this past year.  The new year started slowly and sadly.  And now, two months later, I still find myself welling up with tears every night when I pray for him.

My Uncle was truly a wonderful man.  He was honest.  He was humble {almost to a fault}.  He was kind, caring and so generous.  He was a man of strong faith.

He knew how to fix anything {that's why everyone always had a 'Honey Do' list waiting for him when he came to visit}.  And he was extremely intelligent.  Ask any question and he had the right answer.  There is no doubt that he could have been a Trivia champ, not that I ever played it with him.  I did, however, play Pictionary with him a few times...and I won.

Uncle Jim was the first to take one of my babies out of my arms when we saw him.  He loved kids.  He loved my kids.  He was Jack's Godfather and Uncle Jim to all three of them.

I honestly don't know life without him.  Sure, I've known him since I entered this world.  But, I mean I don't know life without seeing him on our trips to Florida, spending holidays together, or catching up on the phone.

I miss his voice, his gentle laugh, and his smirky smile.

Life will never be the same without him.  How could it be? But, I hold tight to his memory. I take solace in knowing that he is the happiest he has ever been right now.  He's well and will never be lonely again.  And I know he is watching over my children, as any angel would.

All My Love Uncle Jim.