Lucia the First

Lucy is now a smiley, drooly, lovable, playful five-month-old. I have nicknamed her "the inspector" because she must grab, finger, taste-test, and stroke anything and everything that dares to lie within a foot of her reach. In fact, it's getting extra-difficult to get anything done while holding her because she will fight her hardest to get at whatever I am working on. Lucy has doused the computer keyboard in drool, licked and gnawed on every spatula and wooden spoon we own, and left a pile of twisted, shredded, and mangled napkins in the center of our dining room table. She leaves no survivors. She is vicious. I have been applying Mederma to a scratch she bequeathed to me while attacking my face. Should I wear my hair down, it is only a matter of time before it is transformed into a knotted, mangy mess that is damp with drool from being harassed by the petite one.

Despite all this, she is such a joy!

I compiled a quick list about Lucy to commemorate the little person she is now at the tender age of five months.

1. She needs to grasp onto my hand while nursing. It's so sweet and cute despite preventing me from being productive while feeding her. I love that it forces me to enjoy bonding with her while she nurses.

2. Her favorite toy is a Buzz Lightyear action figure and this stuffed lady bug that she gnaws on constantly.

3. Her favorite person besides her parents is probably Matthew. She is obsessed with him. She thinks he's hilarious. He could be sitting there staring blankly at the wall and she'll start laughing at him. It's so sweet and Matthew laps it up. In fact, I think the only reason she is so obsessed with the Buzz Lightyear action figure is because Matthew is the one who first gave it to her.

4. When she is angry or upset, she wrings her feet together. She's done that since she was about a week old.

5. She is all about trying solid foods. Whenever we sit at the table, she'll fuss and I'll end up holding her on my lap and all she wants to do is attack my plate, my fork, and whatever is on my plate. The other day, she tried a curried squash soup and thought it was the best thing ever. I don't know if curry is the best spice to give her at this moment in her life, so I resisted allowing her to gorge on more.

6. She is obsessed with cloths, napkins, handkerchiefs, and anything of that sort. She gets really excited if you wave one in front of her face. Baby Matthew had a similar obsession and we think that's why he ultimately became so attached to Monkey.

7. She loves the outdoors in general - but especially busy playgrounds. She loves watching all the kids run about and play. She gets so excited - almost as if she is itching to join them too! However, the sound of feet crunching through leaves brings her to tears.

8. Speaking of playgrounds, she loves to swing. I've put her in a baby swing at the park with Emma and she will laugh and laugh each time she is pushed. It's the cutest thing - I wish I had a fancy phone so I could have recorded a quick video to share. Unfortunately, she's not a fan of her little baby swing at home. Sigh.

9. She is still a major stinker and wakes up about 2-3 times a night. I have not had a full night's rest since before she was born...the evening of May 16th to be precise. But whose counting?

10. Her hair is an unruly, tangled mess most of the time. I try to keep it at bay with the use of clips and combs, but it's pretty useless. But I love that she still has so much hair!

11. She is scared of loud noises, the shrieking of her siblings fighting, and the garage door opening and closing. She also always wakes up very upset almost as if she was just in the middle of a nightmare. She just seems so insecure most of the time!

12. If she wets or soils her diaper, she wants it changed immediately. IMMEDIATELY!

13. She can be surprisingly quick moving. If I am holding her while working on another task, I have to keep a watchful eye on her because she will pounce on whatever object catches her eye and have it covered in slobber before you have a chance to react. More than once while working on a shopping list, I have absent-mindedly brought the pen close to my chin while I pondering what to write next only to suddenly find it plucked from my grasp by Lucy's incriminating chubby fist. She's a baby ninja.

14. Somewhere, somehow...a baby is always watching. You ever have that feeling like you are being watched? I get that feeling all the time. Then, I'll look up and see that my chunky monkey is staring at me with an eager, wide-mouth, toothless grin just waiting for me to acknowledge her. Brightens my day every single time!

15. We sing her the theme song from "Sofia the First" only we change the lyric to "Lucia the First." If you  have no idea what I'm talking about, look it up on YouTube. It's become her personal anthem. She loves it.

16. Paul has given her the nickname "Chunkles".

17. She is fascinated with her toes. After a diapering, they preoccupy her for a whopping five minutes - just enough time to quickly scrub a toilet or fold a load of laundry.

Lucy is certainly a blessing to our family! My favorite part about having three little kids is how in the morning, Matthew and Emma will wander into my bedroom way too early because they want to give their sister a hug and a kiss. "Please may I see Lucia?" Emma will inquire. Little Lucy is one lucky baby to be so loved.