In Which Lucy Talks. A Lot.

I initially started this blog as a way to chronicle (hence the name) my life with Bill and the then-upcoming addition of a baby. I had low hopes for my ability to consistently update the blog.

I know myself all too well.

To be fair, I've actually become quite adept at blogging, and I spend most of my time on my other blog, posting for the WCGM Blog, while also being a new contributor to The Philly Moms Blog. It keeps me pretty busy.

Although I don't keep up with this regularly, I do hope to update this blog from time to time mainly for Lucy. Because I love her. And she is awesome. And we don't keep a baby book. And one day we will need this collection of prose to prove Lucy did, in fact, once exist.

Today is January 6, 2010. When I was first born, that sentence would have sounded like the beginning of a science fiction movie. Did really, did we think the world was going to last this long (flashback to "2001: A Space Odyssey")? Anyway. The weather is abominable (literally. I'm pretty sure I saw a Yeti. Or an albino Big Foot) as we endure what Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz is describing as the SECOND BIGGEST SNOW STORM in Philly HISTORY. Until today, December 19's snowstorm ranked second only to the massive blowout we had in the early 90's. So we are hunkering down, enjoying Wii (Bill brought home his school projector, so we are projecting it up on the wall and having a BLAST), eating Monkey Bread and resting comfortably.

Lucy is exactly 18 months old today (well, she will be tomorrow, but does 1 day really matter?). I can't believe time flies so fast. When you have a baby, people tell you all the time, "Enjoy every moment, because it will fly by so fast." And new parents are like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But she cries a lot and I haven't slept in 4 days." But, friends, it's true. It slips away so quickly. And with every moment that passes, I fall more in love with this gift of Lucy.

I was amazed at how much mental and emotional growth happens between 12 and 18 months. Lucy resembles a little girl more so than a baby. She runs, climbs, falls (but not quite yet able to jump). She laughs. I love it when she laughs, and luckily she laughs often. Even as a toddler, her personality is very apparent. She is rambunctious, but sweet. Energetic but snuggly. She is opinionated and sometimes a little bossy. She is adorable.

When Lucy was little, and just starting to coo, someone remarked that she would eventually become one of those non-stop talkers. Even as a cooing baby, she made noises and desperately attempted to communicate all the time. The older she got, the more her inflections mimicked real conversations. Although we didn't speak Baby, Lucy had some very important things to say, and it was obvious. Without words, Lucy could tell you a funny story. Lucy could tell you when she was angry. Lucy could ponder philosophical things.

And now that Lucy is speaking, she truly talks all the time. It started with one or two words close to her first birthday. There was a lull for a few months, and I wondered when she'd being saying more (you know how we first time parents worry). A book I was reading said that between 15 and 18 months, many kids have a language explosion. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I would soon find out.

At 16 months, Lucy had added a few more words to her vocabulary. She earnestly observed others while they spoke. And she attempted more words. But just in the last month, Lucy has catapulted into the realm of Talk. It's amazing! Every day, she says more words. Words that I had no idea she'd ever encountered before. Without any help, she is able to connect words to objects. She is able to communicate what she wants ("Eat! Peese!" "Upppp!" "App-oool!" and the ever favorite "No no no" - always spoken in a set of three).

Toddlers blow my mind. While Lucy is bright and precocious, she is only following the same path worn by babies who have gone before her. Maybe I am just floored by how intricately we are woven, and how obvious that is when we can watch a little bean of a baby turn into a beautiful little girl in the matter of 18 months.

God is good. And I look forward to the opportunity to watch Lucy grow even more over the next year. Decade. Lifetime.

Hopefully more to come in the near future (UPDATES, people! Not babies. Atleast, not quite yet. Famous last words, right?)

I'll leave you with a few recent photos of our Little Boo.

Getting Armpit Flabbers from Daddy.

She is laughing uncontrollably in this picture!

Ready for the Big Snow of January 2010!

Pigtails!

Giving Daddy a "Welcome Home From Work" kiss

through the screen door.

At the WC Public Library for Storytime with Momma

Until next time - stay warm!