13 Months

Hard to believe Lucy is 13 months old already! I'm not going to do the monthly photos anymore, but I'll give little updates each month on what she's up to.

Lucy:

• weighs 26 pounds and is 31.5 inches long - both 90th percentile.
• toddles around like crazy! It only took her a couple of weeks to really get it down.
• loves watermelon.
• has two new front teeth up top, and two more working their way in.
• is getting more hair and even some curls in the back.
• recently had peanut butter and it's a hit.
• knows what the brush is for and likes to "brush" her hair.
• has gone swimming in her little pool a couple of times and seems to like it - so much that she sat in it with her regular clothes on one night!
• babbles with a lot of inflection and expression.
• startles us every once in awhile by repeating something we say, clear as day.
• likes to dance, and seems particularly fond of blues music.
• switched to whole milk with no problems and is now totally on cups - no bottles!
• loves the Violet stuffed dog she got for her birthday.
• had her one-year photo shoot and did GREAT!
• is crazy about shoes - hers or anyone else's. She carries them around.
• will hand things to people, but doesn't always let go.
• loves to be the center of attention and totally hams it up!

This is a First (and Hopefully the Last)

Tonight after dinner I was getting ready to bathe Lucy. I still do it in the kitchen sink, because I find that the tub is frankly a pain in the butt, so I'm prolonging it as long as possible. Plus, being somewhat confined is not a bad thing for a wiggly one-year-old.

I stripped her down right in the livingroom, diaper and all. Let me just tell you, this kid loves to be naked. It's like suddenly she's really, truly free...like that flowy dress she had on all afternoon was just too confining, and she's got to let loose. Does she run around the room? No.

She giggles.

It is the funniest thing, and tonight was no exception. She stood there in the corner, looking at me, giggling uncontrollably, waving her arms in the air and bouncing up and down. It was a riot, and we all got the giggles. She wouldn't come out from the corner behind the chair, so Husband and Brandon couldn't see her, only I could from my spot sitting on the floor. She would stop, be silent for a moment, look at me with that glint in her eye, then start giggling again.

This was repeated a few times. As I watched her I giggled and waited with anticipation for that peal of laughter after she "teased" me by staring me down. But then I saw it. In that moment of silence, there it was. It cannot be mistaken for anything else.

It was The Poop Face.

No sooner did I spring into action than she delivered the prize, laid the egg, whatever you want to call it. Right there on the carpet. I was gagging and giggling at the same time. Gaggling.

The episode was brief, and could have been a lot worse, but the final salt in the wound came in the form of Husband's "I told you so." Because you see, almost immediately after I had stripped her down moments before, she tooted (it's that whole letting loose thing I guess). Husband commented that pooping in the bath would be better than pooping on the carpet.

Touche.

Happy Father's Day!

From two kids who don't have any of their dad's genes at all. Not a bit.

Play Ball!

Thursday night Husband took me to a Twins game at the new ballpark, Target Field. This was an anniversary/birthday gift, and we had a fabulous time. Before the game we had dinner at one of our old favorites, The Loon, and I have to say it was nice to see Downtown hustling and bustling, and it was nice to be in the midst of it again too! Since we moved out to the 'burbs we don't get down there as much, and we both commented that we have to remember some of the great restaurants when we're thinking of places to go.

The Twins lost, but the game was great. The stadium is fabulous. Any place that holds over 40,000 people is obviously big, but yet it feels intimate. I guess it may be the way it's nestled into Downtown, but it really feels like a community space. The concourses are open so you always feel like a part of the game even when you're not in your seat, and in fact for several innings we were wandering around and catching up with our brother-in-law Troy, who was also at the game. It's got a great Minnesota feel, from the limestone exterior to the food offerings. Many local favorite restaurants are represented, and there is also a state fair booth where the the food is served on a stick or a little paper canoe. I heard someone say "I'm going to get a pretzel, some cheese curds, and a Polish." How much more Minnesota could you get, really?

I rounded out that picture by developing a pretty comfortable buzz on locally-brewed Grainbelt Premium. I laughed, and I cheered, and I had a great time. The best part though, was having a night out with my husband. We don't get to do that often enough. Thanks, babe - Michael Cuddyer has nothing on you! :)

"Is My Hair Garbage or Organics?"

At our house, we recycle organics, so sometimes there is a question of what goes where. Brandon asked the title question today because of this:

That's right, a mohawk. The Hopkins rugby team played in the state championship today, and I guess the mohawk worked, because they WON! Although we did decide that the new hairdo makes Brandon more difficult to pick out on the field...we were getting used to seeing that full head of red hair!