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. (more…)
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!). (more…)
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!
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!
Lucidia is turning into a little jetsetter. For Memorial Day weekend, we were up and at ‘em, seeing everyone we could. We saw Granny, Grammy, Popsy, Pop Pop, uncles, and Danny, Jill, Colleen, Dorian, Ryan, and Aunt Kathy! We, however, did not see the Gorski side of the family yet again! And it breaks my heart. So we are going to try to get up there for the Gorski Reunion on July 3rd. Lucidia needs to meet her family! There just isn’t enough time in the day, and airline tickets are through the roof!
Speaking of the roof:
We here in SC replaced our roof and windows, and Dad is putting in a nice floor in the bonus room, which will eventually be Lulu’s playroom. Yes, we have been busy with home improvements for our little one.
HOWEVER
As of last night, our air conditioning unit decided to DIE. So now we need to replace that, too. Oh, the joys of home ownership. It never ends. (And it’s going to be 90 degrees today.)
So Gorskis, get ready to meet the newest addition to the family in July. She is so cute, she will melt your heart in the hot summer sun or in the coldest of winter months. We can’t wait to see you all!
I love planes. Man, planes are so cool. They’re big, you sit in them, and they take you to places way faster than a car can. How cool is technology?
Mom and Dad are taking me to PA this weekend to see my family. I’m going to see Grammy and Pop Pop, Granny and Popsy, all my uncles (except Uncle David in Korea), and I hope to see the Gorski side. Poor Mom misses that side of the family. I think she really wants to see everyone. She said something the other day about how she hasn’t seen them in so long and misses spending Christmas up there, so I think this is really for her. The fact that she gets to show me off to these people is just a bonus.
Yes, it’s true. I rolled over for the first time tonight as Mom and Dad watched Trailer Park Boys.
They were so excited, Mom jumped up and started clapping while Dad ran to get the camera. They’re way too excited about this rolling stuff. I could do it way before I actually did it. I just figured I’d do it tonight so Mom and Dad would be happy. I love seeing them smile. Plus, I don’t have clothing on right now, so that’s super cool.
I just wanted to watch Trailer Park Boys. I like Ricky.
I have no idea how it happened, but you are now four months old. Four. That’s many days and weeks old. Almost too many. (You’re really four months and four days old, but who’s counting?)
When you were born, I told your father that we have a new clock, a new way to tell time—and it’s terrifying because I wonder if I’ll always want to slow it down, rewind it, to just stop time for a moment and admire you. But then I think If you’re this cool now, imagine what it’s going to be like when I can have complete, coherent conversations with you. What can I learn from you?
You were a newborn once, I swear to you (and myself) that you were. You were 8 pounds, 6.6 ounces, and you were mushy and happy and serene. You’re now eating rice cereal, refusing any kind of formula, you love apple juice (just like I did when I was a kid), and smiling. Oh, those smiles. There is one smile, though, I have yet to photograph, and I doubt I’ll ever get to. You give it only to me. It’s the smile very few people in life ever get to experience, like the kind where a long-lost lover returns, and you smile because your world just brightened up. It’s a subconscious, instantaneous smile of recognition, I think. You give it to me when I come to get you in the middle of the night when you’re cooing over the monitor, conversing happily with shadows, or when we get ready to nurse. (That’s when you also do “big eyes” and make an “Oooh!” sound.) Please remember to give me that smile just once in awhile when you’re a teenager, ok? It’ll help me put things in context.
