A month and some odd days have passed since we last updated your blog, and, boy, did we have quite a time! Between multiple playdates (of sorts) with an old friend that led to a new level in cuteness, to a harried but fulfilling visit to your extended family in Pennsylvania for the holidays, to the double ear infection (which has all but healed) and case of asthmatic bronchitis (mama–and pregnazone and ambuterol–said “knock you [the infection] out!”) that made this past week a largely sleepless and groggy one that we don’t want to repeat any time soon (except tonight, as you noshed some horseradish-less super duper mac ‘n cheese and oh-so-cutely squealed as you knocked over the tower that I built in your honor with your new alphabet blocks).
You’re days away from your first steps as you cross the threshold from infantdom to toddlerhood—it’s as if only days have passed since you joined us on that balmy evening last December. This is a sign of your impending independence—not that everything else wasn’t a sign, because it was, like birth, babbling, rolling, sitting, and crawling were—and we could not be more eager to learn more about who you are. You have a captivated audience. The liveliness practically dances from those magnificent, maternally inspired eyes; every calculated utterance and motion, is a testament to your unfaltering drive to experience all there is to experience.
And yet you have your father’s patience. Every fit of inconsolable whininess, just a ruse to temper the perfection of demeanor that is your birthright. You never let the little things get to you—and, at your age, there are no “big things” with which you must yet contend, so you’re in a pretty good spot, little Lulu.
You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762
Oh, my dear Lulu, how you are growing, changing, and evolving! From a mushy, squishy, ever-so-adorable-yet-ridiculously-helpless newborn to an amazingly independent, almost-11-month-old, bright-eyed girl. You are beyond words.
You are smiling all the time, rolling, and crawling (and you’re not just inch-worming it anymore; you are on your hands and knees!).
On a balmy September afternoon, our little family set off from our home base in Spartanburg, SC for a long drive (Google Maps put it at 9.5 hours… the trusty, but eternally finicky GPS quoted us at 8 hours) which would eventually land us oceanside on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Hatteras Village, to be specific) in a beautiful rental house with Granny, Popsy, and Uncle Malachi. Yes, the Lohmans invited us to share the renewal of their OBX-in-September tradition, which, after the beautiful week we had (suspense = over), we hope will continue, at least until Lulu’s in Kindergarten!
Our little Lulu is quite the busy bean. Grammy and Pop Pop arrived last Saturday (following the famed 10 hour drive from PA with 6 hours through the great state of Virginia!) to shower our almost-nine-month-old with hugs, kisses, adoration, and quite a few gifts. Stay tuned to Lulu’s Flickr for pictures of all of her new loot; toys, clothing (including a very interesting coat for the winter), a walker, and a high chair, to name a few. Grammy and Pop Pop also bought us a new grill for outside (and a new George Forman grill for inside), a new coffeemaker, a new surround sound receiver, new dishes… one must wonder who is more spoiled… Lulu or her parents!! Thanks Grammy and Pop Pop!
Yes, it is the truth. Our little Lulu is mobile. Well, sort of. She sort of needs motivation, something interesting and not-too-close-but-not-toooo-far-away to decide to crawl. And it’s not crawling either. It’s more like tummy carpet sliding.
I had a fever this past weekend. It hit 102.5! Mom freaked out, so we all piled into the car and went to Minor Care. The people there were pretty nice, except for that one really mean lady with a needle who poked me! Why would poke someone with a face as cute as this!?
If I were you, lady, I’d be so sad and guilty, I’d probably quit my job. But I understand. The economy sucks. I mean… the economy is really bad right now. (Sorry, Mom, but I’m learning bad words like that from you. Pop Pop said if you don’t clean up your language, my first word is going to be a bad one.)
Mom and Dad stayed home Monday and Tuesday to take care of me, and now I’m all better! I was so happy to get back to daycare and see the other beans, and I know Mom and Dad were thrilled to get away from daytime TV. I missed playing with other kids. I’m what Mom calls an “Extra Vert.” I don’t know what that means, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with smiling, laughing, and playing with other beans.
I’m still not sleeping through the night, though. I know Mom and Dad are so tired of being woken up at all hours of the night. Sorry, guys, but I’m still a little miserable. I’ll be better soon.
I better get off the computer and back to the daycare before they notice I’m gone! I just want Mom and Dad to know I love them! Thanks for taking care of me!
Hey, Dad, get me more of that Turkey Tetrazzini dinner! That stuff is awesome!
Well now, it has been quite awhile since we’ve updated, now hasn’t it? Lulu’s six-month birthday has come and gone (as has another trip to Pennsylvania and my first extended leave from my girls–SIX DAYS is far too many!) and, as you’ll notice in her Flickr photostream, the little mushy thing that we brought home in December 2008 is neither very mushy or little anymore. At her most recent immunization appointment (7/15/09), she weighed in at 19 lbs and some ounces, towered over her former self at 28 and three-quarters inches, and took her third round of vaccines like a champ, crying briefly then sleeping sweetly for the duration of the afternoon.
Instead of lamenting our lack of updates (or delivering yet another acknowledgment that this site needs some freshening up [maybe for her one-year birthday!!]), I’ll take the next few days to recap the last couple months in as few words as possible.
So many people have been asking me who my photographer is. “Who did those Easter pictures of Lucidia? She’s so beautiful, and your photographer really caught that beauty.” “Who took those belly shots while you were pregnant?” “Beautifully stunning maternity photos!” “Where did you get those ‘LuLu at 2 weeks old’ shots? Gorgeous!”
Well, dear readers, I certainly haven’t been keeping it a secret that Detra Dowling of Dowling Photography is an amazing photographer with a keen eye for detail and the patience of a saint! She really cares about the people she’s photographing, she works with you, and makes sure she captures truth and beauty in every shot. She certainly knows how to get the most out of each photo shoot, even with an uncooperative baby!
So, Detra, thank you so much for everything. We will certainly be using your services for years to come.
By the way, I still need you to sign this photograph!
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