Happy Halloween

Whoooo, whooo....

First Hairdo

She looks like Pebbles from the Flintstones

6

I've been trying to get these pictures up for the last month!

Luci started eating solids at five and a half months. I was waiting until she turned six months, but when her bottles kept getting bigger and bigger I realized she was hungry.

She also got a little closer to crawling and she figured out that wherever she wanted to go she could roll there.

Making Music

5

Lucia's first swim. August 2010

She was a little tentative at first, as were we, but soon you could see she loved it.

4 months

Lucia was like a butterfly emerging from her cocoon this month.

(This butterfly was determined to get the nectar from these flowers on our front steps. Thanks Juan for getting these awesome pictures.)

Not only was she in the sling much less (although it is still a great place to take an on the go cat nap) she is really starting to have a personality.

She has favorite toys, Buzz Lightyear...

and her kitty.

She giggles.

"tope"

She makes us laugh.

She discovered her feet.

and they taste good.

And she grew.

This month she also had her first plane ride. OK, make that 4 in 2 days. She met her great Oma, her Uncles "Cereal" and Vic and Auntie Megs, and oldest cousin Sam in her first trip to California.

Look what we found in the garden

3 months

Weighing in at 13 pounds and 25 inches long.

There were lots of firsts and changes this past month...

At the beginning of the month she started to hold onto things if you gv them to her, now she's reaching and grabbing things pretty easily.

She met her Auntie Libby and cousin Vayda. What a great visit!!

(She was already crying, by the way.)

And she started day care. Which means, I went back to work. :( It's as everyone said, harder for mom. She is doing really well there.

And, she started drinking out of a bottle. This really was an accomplishment because she resisted it for weeks before we started day care and a little afterwards too (good thing I work next door!).

Other firsts...

finding her hands. Wow, they are fascinating.

sucking on just her thumb instead of the back of her hand, unless she's really hungry at which time she decides to eat her fist.

putting anything she can reach into her mouth.

rolling from her stomach to her back. Though not yet consistently.

Oh, and she "talks" all of the time!

Her cry changed too. When I'm not in the room I can't always tell if she's crying or laughing.

She sure is getting fun.

2

Lucia is two months old now. And, she coos...

You're Invited

For ice cream, a concert and a play.Godspell this weekend, Juan's in the band.

Trova, next Tuesday.

Ice Cream, all summer.

I've decided that this will be the summer of ice cream, homemade ice cream.

Last Fall I bought an ice cream maker after wanting one since I was about 4, if not sooner. So, after making one batch, apple pie ice cream, that sat in the freezer for a couple of months, I was a little worried that I wouldn't use it. I finally pulled it out again a couple months ago and made a different recipe, coconut ice cream from Daisy Martinez's cookbook (you cannot go wrong with the recipes in that book). I made it at least two more times and at one point declared that it was the only type of ice cream I would make because it was THAT good. I changed my mind though when our mint started growing in abundance and I knew I had to make some mint ice cream. After some internet research I decided to buy The Perfect Scoop.

My first batch of ice cream from that book, mint, came out delicious. We're still working on it, so I haven't tried another one yet but I'm determined to make a lot of ice cream this summer. So if you're close by, or want to take a trip, you are invited to our house for ice cream--the flavor will be a surprise!

Expectations Met

A lot of you know that in September 2008 I had a miscarriage. I've had a difficult time talking about it since it happened, but now that we are on the other side of the experience I feel like it is time.

The loss of that pregnancy was the most disappointing experience I've ever had. I describe it as disappointing because until I began to spot and then saw an empty sac on the sonogram we had begun to dream about the baby we would have. We had discussed names, looked for houses that would suit a family, let the news leak here and there, and bought baby clothes. So when I found out I wasn't pregnant any more and didn't have a clear explanation as to why, sadness took over. I'd known other women who had experienced miscarriage before, some early on like me and others later on when they could see the little child who had died. What I couldn't reconcile at the time was what I was actually mourning. I felt that I couldn't mourn a baby because it happened too soon and what I saw in the picture was emptiness. What I was mourning was simply a feeling, an expectation of what we could have had.

I'm sharing this now because after my miscarriage it seemed that every woman I met had a similar story. Some had later gone on to have children and others had not. But I didn't want to hear their stories then, it made it all hurt so much more to know how secretive the experience is in our society. What I heard wasn't their empathy, it was an unintended message that I shouldn't be sad because it happens to everyone and I'd get over it.

As I write this I am questioning my own motivations. I guess my reason for sharing this story is because I don't think that miscarriage is something to hide and also to say that experiencing the loss of an expectation, dream, or hope is something worthy of mourning. Being afraid of trying again for fear of it all happening again is also natural and can take time to get over.

Lucia was born exactly one year after the due date for the first pregnancy. She probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for a conversation I had with a friend who was pregnant last summer. We had both experienced miscarriages the year before and her healthy, round belly made me realize that it was possible to try again. I needed a year to recover from the sadness and to build the courage to face the possibility of loss again.

Hanging out with Auntie Rachel

Thanks for your visit Rachel! We had such a good time and you were so much help. We look forward to your next visit!

Check Rachel's blog for more great pictures from her visit.

She's 1...

month.

The last month has largely been a blur, but looking back it's been amazing too. To see how much she has changed in so little time is really incredible. Luchee (as her papa calls her) has gained 1 pound and 4 ounces from her birth weight, and grown at least 2 inches. Sweet Pea (as her mama sometimes calls her) has also stretched out and is no longer a wrinkled and curled up newborn. Lucy girl (another name I've given her) has grown out of some of her newborn clothes and is wearing 3 month size sleepers, this is largely due to the fact that she has inherited her mother's feet with ridiculously long toes). Our mija smiles, though we're not always sure why, coos, and imitates shapes we make with our mouths and, best of all, is spending more awake time not crying or eating (every minute is precious).

We, her mama and papa, have learned that crying is ok, even in public. That going outside, for drives or walks, in a sling or in a stroller, quiets the la Lucia (as her cousin Nael calls her) in seconds and makes for the best naps (for baby, not for mom though). Singing is a good way to keep everyone calm. And, Buddy (another name Juan has for her) likes nothing more than eating.

Isn't sweet Lucia great? I think we'll keep her.

My Mini Yogi

Lucia's first tummy time.

Look, here she is doing the

alabhasana (Locust Pose). One of my favorites.

I also thought I'd post a picture to show you how the cats are coping with the new baby. It's kinda nice to see them taking care of each other like they used to when we first got them.

On Saturday March 20 at 8:42 pm

Lucia Evelyn was born. (Yes, just 5 hours and 16 minutes after my last post.) She's so beautiful and we are so lucky to have her.

Lucia came out hand first, ready to conquer the world.

Sunday morning we watched her as she quietly watched the sunrise out the window. It's been hard to take our eyes off her since the moment she emerged.

Monday we got to leave the hospital and the constant interruptions and bring her to her new home. Since then the days and nights have been a blur. We spend the hours figuring out sleeping, eating, diapering and cleaning. And her room no longer looks like the spotless pictures I took a few days ago.

In the days since she was born, Lucia has also had the opportunity to meet her Oma Lynda, her Nano, her Tia Natalie, and her cousin Nathanael. And, her pets, Caramelo, Bollito and Cookie.

Everyone loves her, but how could they not... look at her.

I know there are many more people anxious to meet her. Thank you to everyone who has called, emailed, sent gifts and flowers. It is spring all around us.

Lucia Evelyn, 7 lbs, 7 oz; 20.5 in.

P.S. Congrats to Katie, Aunt Teddie, Uncle Cereal (Sergio) and Cousin Rita who guessed the right birthday. Katie was only off by one hour and Rita had the right day and was only off by one ounce.

P.P.S. Check Juan's Facebook page for more pictures. I will also try to get the pictures up on my Flickr feed.