things i want to remember forever #2

your first joke! about a month ago...we were smooshing around in bed while daddy was at work. i was lying on my back, trying to feed you. you were breastfeeding for a little while, then unlatching and climbing me like a jungle gym, and then returning for more milky. you unlatched from my breast and crawled down to my stomach. you latched on to my stomach, sucked a few times, looked up at me, and laughed. then you latched on to my knee, sucked, looked at me, and cracked up again.

Field Trip!

My friend from high school, Maureen, was in town this week. So we took a field trip to the Met. I was surprised at how quickly Lucy took to Maureen...usually she's wary of people she doesn't know touching her. But Lucy gladly let Maureen hold her while she grabbed at Maureen's necklace and coat buttons. She even let Maureen play with her while I went to the bathroom, out of her sight! Maureen has a special kind of baby magic, and she'll be a beautiful mom someday.


Here Lucy and I are in an Assyrian temple. We were exploring the Central Asian gallery, on the hunt for art from Kazakhstan. We didn't find any Arts of My Baby's Peoples, but we did find an elderly European man who shook Lucy's hands while crowing, "I have found the most beautiful work of art in the whole museum!"

I was, of course, on the lookout for anything boobs related. (I really have turned into my mom!) There were many boobsy artifacts to choose from, but this was my favorite. I want my own boobs jars! (Jugs? Ha!) I loved the wooden figures in the Arts of Africa gallery. The women's breasts were shaped almost like faucets. Breastfeeding has certainly given me a newfound fascination with breasts!

I let Lucy down from the carrier so she could stretch her legs and explore the museum on her own terms. She couldn't see much art from there, but she did notice her shadow for the first time. As she crawled towards it, it crawled away from her, until she pinned it against the wall with her forehead.

Lucy was the only baby loose in the museum. She charmed all the visitors, especially an older lady with a walker that Lucy tried to pounce on. One man walked past her and laughed, "Starting her young, good for you!" I thought it was a riot to walk around the exhibits with Maureen, while Lucy followed a few feet behind. Now that she's mobile she can participate in our lives on a new level, and I adore it.

I'm beginning to get a glimpse of what having Lucy as a daughter will be like as she gets older. One mom I know, whose daughter is 3, said that she doesn't feel like a mom. Instead she feels like she has a tiny friend, a silly little playmate to skip through life and make glitter paintings with. I can't wait for that. I see it sometimes already...like when Lucy clowns around, trying to make me laugh by smashing her face against mine or diving around in bed. I love Lucy at this age, but I still can't wait to see her at 2, and 3, and really every age forever. I just can't wait to watch her as she grows up and becomes more and more her.

things i want to remember forever #1

in our dark bedroom, quiet but for the whoosh of the fan, helping you fall asleep. you breastfed softly and then rolled away. i watched for a moment as you stirred, not quite sleeping. i curled up around you, my stomach to your back, just like we were when you were still in me. i nuzzled my face into the back of your head, and felt the warmth radiating towards me. your hair was sweaty, it smelled like sunshine and the earth. we laid together, breathing together, until you were sleeping and i was left lying in the dark, overwhelmed with love.

Field Trip!

Tim dragged us to the Museum of Natural History today. I was nervous about how Lucy would handle it, but she was a champ. She napped on the subway and woke up ready to go!

Can kangaroos nurse while they're wearing their babies? I can!

Games with Daddy!

Tim really wanted to see the giant whale. But the whale section was closed for a special event, so we saw dinosaurs...

And...something with curly horns.

We walked through the Asian and African Peoples exhibits, looking for some babywearing mamas, but couldn't find any. Really, women didn't babywear in Asia and Africa? Speaking of which, my mom just got Lucy a baby book with pictures of babywearing around the world. It makes my heart happy! And Lucy likes to read it on the potty.

Lucy had so much fun at the museum! This is the first field trip she's been on that she seemed to appreciate. She kept trying to dive out of my arms to get closer to the exhibits. We let her stand up at a few exhibits, and she banged on the glass with so much excitement. She even gave her biggest seal of approval--a super fast arm bounce while yelling "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!"

So we didn't see any whales, but we had a great time.

Oh blog, you make me feel guilty

I know I should post more, but I'm busy mothering! I feel so guilty for not recording every single moment of every day. Lucy's babyhood is passing us by so quickly. That's what everyone says, right? "It goes by so quickly!" What they don't tell you is how much that hurts! She's growing up so fast, and it's heartbreaking. Can you tell by my level of introspection that Lucy has been asleep for hours now? It's nice when she gives me a long enough break that I can start to miss her, and reflect on my life with her...

Here's what we've been up to...Lucy and I went back to St. Louis to visit my family. It was a great visit, and while we were there Lucy learned how to pull herself up to standing! She was so cute at first--wobbly in the middle like she was hula hooping. Now she's standing up for most of the day, so she's very stable. It's so different so see my baby upright! She can crawl really fast now too. There should be a word for "crawl running," right? Lucy crawl runs across the room whenever she sees something exciting, and it's adorable. She's cruising around the furniture, too.

Tim's parents came for a visit. Last time they were here, Lucy just cried or looked around. Now she's making faces, laughing, zooming around the room, and playing games. And speaking of games, Christmas came early here! Lucy has a ton of new toys to keep her entertained and help her learn Russian. She thinks the Russian books are so so funny, every time she opens one she cracks up. Her sense of humor is really developing! Making Lucy laugh is the sweetest thing in the world.

It's been so long, and I have so many new pictures! It's so hard to choose just a few, but I'll try:


Happy!

Not happy!