10 Months Old

I missed posting these when Lucy was 9 months.  So, this is a 9 and 10 (almost 11) month update.  Lucy is such a happy little baby.  I often get comments about her easy going nature.  She is happy to just go along with whatever we are doing.  She rides in her stroller happily as long as we are moving.      

She can stand up in the middle of the floor all by herself.  But, she is not taking any steps by herself.  She is getting more and more interested in walking while we hold her hands.  But, she would much rather just crawl wherever she wants.  She also cruises around all the furniture and likes to get into whatever the big kids are getting into.  She has also started walking on her knees.  It makes me laugh to see her shuffling across the floor on her knees.
(Sorry about the fussiness, I think she was a sleepy little girl who went to bed shortly after.)

She can climb up the stairs in about 2 seconds.  I try to keep a gate up at the bottom of the stairs.  But, if I haven't and all of a sudden things seem pretty quiet downstairs, then I will check the top of the stairs.  And sure enough, she is sitting right at the top with a big grin on her face.  She doesn't ever try to come down on her own.  She only likes to be carried down the stairs.  So, I don't worry too much about her falling down.     

She gets so excited to see Oliver and Madeline when she wakes up.  She loves playing near them.  And they love her too.  But, her favorite person right now is Andrew.  She will cry if he hands her back to me.  She hears when he gets home in the evenings and goes straight towards him and cries when he leaves in the mornings if she is awake.  

She has started using signs.  She does the sign for "baby" and "fish" very clearly.  The rest of her signs seem to look the same.  But, she is trying "butterfly" and "more".

She has 8 teeth and has had them for a long time.  I just felt one of her top molars popping through.  So, that will make 9 very soon.  She eats food like she has had all of her teeth for years.  She still loves to eat anything she can put in her mouth.  Crocs are a favorite.  As well as sticks, mulch and carpet fibers.  

She's got this great laugh right now.  It is kind of a evil belly laugh.  I need to try to get a video of it.  

She is such a big copy cat.  When ever the kids make noises, she copies them.  She clicks her tongue like them.  Laughs like them.  Claps with them.  Tonight while I was putting Oliver to bed, I would snuggle my head on his belly and then told Lucy to snuggle.  She would lay her head on Oliver's belly too.  It was sweet and made Oliver giggle hysterically.  

It is fun to have a conversation with her because she shakes her head, "yes" and "no" a lot.  So, she is kind of like a magic 8 ball.  You can ask her lots of questions and she will give you different answers by shaking her head.  "Lucy, did you go poopy in your pants?"  Shakes head "no".  "Lucy, is mommy so pretty?"  Shakes head "yes".   See, it could be great entertainment.   

She really enjoys books now.  She likes to eat them.  But, she also likes us to read them to her and flip through the pictures.  

She is sleeping and eating great.  For the most part, she sleeps through the night.  She still wakes up occasionally.  She is still nursing great.  But, she also eats solid food really well.    

Lulu, I can't believe you are almost a year old.  This year is flying by.  You are such a joy to our family.  You make us smile and laugh.  And everyone just adores you.  

Silly, Sad, Happy!

This is from back in June.  But, I never posted it.  We went for a walk with our good friends and neighbors, Jacob and Levi and their mommy, Kristin.    

Michigan

We just got back from vacation on Wednesday night.  Ok well, I guess that was a week ago now.  I am having some bad real-world reentry syndrome.  I'm not sure what is going on.  A certain 2 year old is pushing the limits on everything and I think it is pushing me over the edge.  It's a good thing he is so cute and funny.  I thought the kids were going to have a hard time coming home and not having so many friends/cousins to play with.  But, I think it is me that is having a hard time with not having so many friends for them to play with.  On top of that, it is July 4th and our fireworks were cancelled because of the giant storm we had last Friday.  Seriously...first world problems.  Well, I am just asking for forgiveness, praying lots and moving on.  I'll get the hang of this real world stuff again.  

Anyways, I guess it means it was a great vacation if we are having a hard time adjusting back to the real world.  We spent a week up in Michigan with these wonderful people above.  That's Andrew's awesome family.  His mom's sister, Donna, husband, Roger and their 2 kids and families.  It makes for a very fun and entertaining time.  

Lucy was eying the John Deere.      

Look how happy she is!  She's such a big girl.  10 months old now.  

Sophie offered to push Madeline around on it since the battery was pretty much dead.

2 days after we left, most of the family flew down to Guatemala for a missions trip.  They are doing a vacation Bible school for kids down there.  We helped, and I use that term pretty loosely, put together a color bead necklace craft for the kids to do.  It was the least we could do after kicking Aunt Donna and Roger out of their house for the week before they left the country.  

We had a great time eating popsicles, tubing, wakeboarding, boating, bon firing (pretty sure that isn't a word) and swimming.  

This hammock entertained the kids for hours.  

I love this girl.  She's getting so big too.  

I love Oliver too.  Just want to clarify that after saying he's been pushing the limits.  

See why I am having vacation withdrawal?  Look at all the entertainers.  It's hard to remember being 8 - 15 years old.  But, they never seem to get tired of playing on the trampoline, playing hide-and-seek for hours or pretending to be scared when Oliver says "boo" for the 4,339,383rd time.   

Oliver can even get all these big boys to play Ring Around the Rosie.  Cute stuff, people.   

Madeline loved swimming out to the dock all by herself.  She had a life jacket on.  But, she didn't need/want us to swim her out there.  She just paddled her little self out and back.  I think she will be swimming all by herself by the end of this summer.   She wants to really bad.  

Not only did we have a great time at Green Lake (where Andrew's aunt and uncle live), we headed out to Lake Michigan one day as well and had a blast.  We even got in the water.  It wasn't as cold as I remember.  

After dinner we went back down to the beach to take some pictures and hang out.  Ezra and Madeline had the best time making a bridge between these ottomans and jumping off them.  I asked Madeline to jump off so I could take her picture.  And she jumped off and did this flip.  She's crazy sometimes.   

Noah played his guitar and sang praise songs.  

And Andrew taught everyone the poke game.  

We actually managed a quick family picture.  

 And one of all the cousins together.  

We had a great time in Michigan.  We look forward to it every year.  Andrew's family are some of the most generous people I have ever met, his parents included.  And we are so grateful for their hospitality.  Now I'm off to find some 10 year olds that want to live with us.  Know anyone?