Right Happy All the Time

Lucy is in-right, outright, upright, downright happy most of the time. Actually, she is most happy when she is able to be in, out, up, and down. She is very energetic. She is not only walking but running and attempting to jump. She knows the word "jump" from bathtime and swimming at the pool, where she has started jumping to me in the water. Her water skills are quickly improving. For a few months, I've supported her with my forearm under her chest and let her kick as I move her around the pool. I think it has helped her learn how to balance herself in the water. Recently, she has been kicking so well that she sometimes swims over my arm. She then promptly goes under and then bobs to the surface by the time I can get my hands on her again. She is surprised but not upset when she goes under. She is also getting used to putting the back of her head in water. I'm hoping that by the end of next semester I can try to get her to float on her back and to dog paddle a bit. She's not ready yet, but she's developing necessary skills to do both. Not all of her time at the pool is spent in the water. She also likes walking around the outside of the pool and exploring. She knows not to touch the drains in the floor. She looks at them as she walks by and shakes her head, remembering that she has been told "no" many times. She also wants to climb onto the starting blocks, but she hasn't tried recently. She's heard "no" to that many times as well. She is allowed to climb on the bleachers. She has to go slow and careful, and I stay nearby, but she loves to climb. And since they're metal bleachers, they make fun sounds when she stomps on them and beats the seats like a drum. She also likes to help the lifeguards sweep water from the decks. She's very friendly and very helpful.

Occasionally, she's hangry, angry because hungry. Matt and I aren't people to readily use newly-minted words, but "hangry" is exactly what Lucy is sometimes. If she is unhappy, feed her and watch her mood change before your eyes. She also fusses when sleepy or hurt, and she's started crying when she dirties a diaper; but for the most part, she's a happy kid. She bounces back very quickly from physical pain. She may be bruised or bleeding, but a hug or a Dum-Dum sucker (after shots at the doctor's office, mostly) will put her to rights in seconds. And I'm thrilled that she realizes that she has a dirty diaper. She has never cared what was in her diaper or how long it had been there. We've never had to do middle-of-the-night diaper changes because wet diapers didn't wake her. I have wondered how we were going to get a kid who never noticed that she had already soiled a diaper to realize she needed to go to the bathroom so that we could potty train her. So her crying when she dirties a diaper is a great step in the right direction.

For the most part Lucy is also a friendly kid. She will talk to nearly anyone. She doesn't want to be touched by everyone, but she'll often talk. She goes through little shy phases, but they pass. She especially likes other kids. She gets very excited, throws her arms up, and squeals. Unfortunately, this scares many kids, and they run from her, which makes Lucy cry. We're practicing waving and saying "hi" instead of screaming and gesturing wildly. She remembers it sometimes, and sometimes she even acts coy while saying "hi." We go to Rhyme Time at the library every Tuesday, and she gets to play with other kids. She always plays well with them. She is occasionally aggressively friendly, but she isn't mean or selfish, and she is fairly careful about not accidentally hurting people. She also plays with a little girl at church. Lucy shares toys and drinks with her (but not cookies) and tries to read her stories. It's pretty cute.

She is also independent and likes playing alone. Sometimes large groups turn her off, and she goes somewhere by herself to play. I think she's a jolly little creature, and I enjoy her immensely most of the time.

15-Month Appointment & St Lucy's Day Celebration

Lucy's 15-month check-up was today. She is now 31.75 inches long (87%) and 22 lbs., 6 oz. (67%). She's not as comparatively huge as she was at her last appointment, but she's a healthy-sized girl. They also retested her lead levels, and they were normal this time. I think it helps that she's not putting things in her mouth as often. She got three shots. She was not happy about anything that happened after we got into the exam room. I think she remembers past visits. She fought being measured. She batted away stethoscopes. She writhed as they gave her the shots. Fortunately, Matt was with us this time and helped hang onto her as she fought. I'm not sure I could have handled her alone. She's fine now, napping peacefully. We go again in three months. She did get her first prescription today, an ointment for the eczema on her face. She has been a very healthy child so far.

We held a small "name day" party last Saturday, Dec. 13, which is St. Lucia's Day. The day is a big deal in some countries like Sweden, which has various traditions. One tradition is that a girl wears an evergreen crown with lighted candles on it. Last year I made one for Lucy out of a little wreath and a string of battery-powered lights from Dollar Tree. It's pretty cool for a $2 crown, and it still works, so we used it again this year. The crown with lights is part of the St. Lucia legend. St. Lucia (who may or may not be a real person) was taking supplies to Christians hiding in the catacombs. She needed to take a lamp to light her way, but she wanted to carry two armfuls of supplies. Her solution was a crown that lit her way and freed up her hands. I love this story. Lucia wanted to help with both hands, and so she invented head-wear to solve her problem. I'd love for my Lucy to be someone who wants to help with both hands and is open to solving problems creatively. Here are some pictures from our celebration.

St. Lucia's Day - 2013

St. Lucia's Day - 2014

She rode on the kitchen cart. It was one of her favorite activities.

She also liked playing with the battery-powered candles on the tables.

Candles in and out of the holders like little puzzle pieces.

And she let Susie play with her, too.

How We Sleep Now

Sleep has been an issue for us for most of Lucy's life, but it's getting much, much better. When we had company for Thanksgiving, Lucy and I slept with Matt in our big bed. I slept so much better in the big bed that I became determined to sleep there all the time. And for the most part it's worked. I put Lucy to sleep on a mattress on the floor of her room. Sometimes she nurses to sleep, and sometimes she plays after nursing and then puts herself to sleep. I then go to bed in my room. If she wakes, she talks or cries, and I go see what she needs. I typically get her back to sleep with just cuddling. Recently, she's had a cold, and cuddles don't cut it, so she's nursed in the middle of the night once or twice. The other day she slept 8 hours straight! I gave her a little milk, and she slept a few more hours. It was wonderful. I had an entire night of sleep in a comfortable bed and then got some things done before she got up in the morning. It has taken a long time, but I'm pretty glad that I didn't torture her or me with "cry-it-out sleep training." It might work for some people, but I think she and I are too sensitive for that method. She just needed to grow into a new sleep habit. She's now able to get up and find me when she needs me, so she's not as afraid for me to leave her alone in her bed. We've still got a ways to go before she's where I want her to be, but I'm enjoying the recent success and sleep.