Happy 3 Years!

We celebrated our three year anniversary this week. Lucy spent her second night out away from us (last week was her first night out, staying with Mimi and Tim while we went out to a nice dinner at Ruth's Chris... thanks mom!) and Ben and I headed downtown to Military Park and the canal for a picnic. It was a nice night out, planned by Ben, and fun to go back to the place where Ben proposed about 4 years ago. I of course missed Lucy, but Grandma and Grandpa Wehner said she did great without us.

As Ben and I talked on our date, we couldn't help but think about how our lives have changed so much in just four years... 2006 - engaged, 2007 - wedding, 2008 - married, 2009 - married + Ruthie, 2010 - married + Ruthie + Lucy. Our family certainly has multiplied over the last couple years! I asked Ben if he ever missed not having a dog and a kid, after all, it's easy to get jealous when you hear about friends planning a 2.5 week road trip and other friends planning a move to the Grand Cayman... but we both agreed, we couldn't imagine our lives with out either of our daughters. And despite some of the sacrifices we've had to make (and the furniture that has been ruined!) we wouldn't want it any other way. While our lives are extremely different than they were 4 years ago, they are so much more full. We truly are a family.

College Visit Weekend

Lucy's first trips to IU and Purdue... I couldn't help but think how ticked Ben and I would be if she went to Purdue... eww yuck, maybe we'd threaten not to pay for it?

zonked

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More bath time fun

I love snuggling Lucy up in her towel after the bath, she usually needs her paciy for a little bit after, just to get calmed down, but I was able to get some pictures without it too!

1 Month Stats

Went to the doctor yesterday - Lucy is measuring in at 9 lbs 10 oz (61%) and 22 inches long (83%). All is healthy with Lucy, doctor said baby acne and dry scalp are just cosmetic and will go away eventually. Doctor said to keep waking her at 5 hours to feed her for the next 2 weeks and then can stretch the night out to 6 hours. I know it's important to listen to the doctor but I'm a little frustrated by this - I know Lucy will sleep longer if I let her and she seems to be gaining weight just fine, so I think I might just do 5 hours for the next week, then at 6 weeks let her sleep longer. If she isn't waking up, I don't want to force her to anymore!

Lucy is starting to get a little more gassy and a little more fussy this week - doctor warned this might happen as she poops less (but still has lots of gas) and as she becomes more aware of the world (and becomes overstimulated). She is still overall a really happy baby.

Had our first out of town visitors this weekend - Katie and Brent came to meet Lucy and visit for the weekend. I was so happy that as usual, Lucy was happy to go along with our schedules and allowed us to enjoy the company of the Kruithof's!

Couple shots from a photo shoot with Erin, professional photographer in training

1 Month

Lucy is 1 month today! The time has gone so fast, I can't believe it's been one month already. These past couple weeks Lucy has changed so much. She's getting bigger and taller, and has gotten a little case of baby acne (which I'm told goes away on it's on around 3 months). Her personality is also beginning to show. A couple days ago I was playing and smiling at Lucy when all of the sudden she gave me this huge smile back... it was amazing. She smiles and coos every day now, and it is the best feeling in the world. She also has gotten into an awesome routine. I seriously couldn't ask for a better baby. Lucy is sleeping 5 hours at a time now, at night (and would sleep longer, but I wake her up to eat), and during the day she eats, plays and naps like clockwork. This has made my days so much easier and more predictable. I now know when I can be places and when people can come over (she eats at almost the same time every day) and when I can have time to get chores done. Lastly we have gotten out a bit more - Lucy has been to Grace, out to eat and over to some friends and family members' houses. It's been great for us to get out of the house and slowly get back into the swing of things. And Lucy doesn't seem to mind one bit!

A friend asked me last night what has surprised me most about motherhood... I thought that was a good question to write about. One thing that amazed me is the way my heart has changed. I know it sounds cliche but I really never knew I could love something so much. I've held babies before, and it's been nice, but when I hold Lucy I just feel complete. I never knew a baby could bring so much joy. Before when I would hold a baby, I would wonder what you do with it all day - but now with Lucy we talk, laugh, sing, read books, take walks and interact... even if it's usually me doing a majority of it! I love just being with her.

I think the other thing that surprised me is the feeding schedule! I knew babies ate a lot, but I didn't realize just how much it was until I had Lucy. She eats 7-8 times a day, for 30-40 minutes. Add in burping her and changing her diaper as part of the routine and you've got a full 8 hour day just in her feeding routine. Who ever said being a mom isn't a full time job!?!

We head to the doctor Monday - weight and height stats to come then!

Tummy Time!

Lucy is so strong! She's been holding her head up since day one! Here she is practicing... (around 3 weeks)

Happy Easter

Lucy's first Easter... we didn't make it to church (wanted to avoid all the crowds) but headed over to my grandparents to celebrate with the family.

Bath Time Fun

Mommy Accomplishments

It's amazing how things that make you feel proud change once you become a mom. I used to be motivated by sales and keeping clients happy... now I get excited by changing dirty diapers and the number of times Lucy eats during the day.

Here are some other things I feel accomplished about as a mom:

1. Sleeping when Lucy is sleeping - the first night we brought her home from the hospital, I was too scared to fall asleep, I kept thinking something might happen to her if I shut my eyes... now I feel much more comfortable and am able to rest well with her by my side!

2. Leaving the room - I'm finally making use of the baby monitor and actually feel ok jumping into the shower while Lucy is sleeping (granted I make the shower extremely short and check on her as soon as I get out, but hey... I'm making baby steps)

3. My fat baby - Lucy started out at 8lbs 6ozs and went down to 7lbs 11ozs when we brought her to her first doctor appt. The doctor wanted to make sure I fed her frequently to get her back up to her birth weight so these first weeks at home with Lucy have been all about eating! We went to the doctor yesterday to make sure she is bulking up and I'm happy to say she is a whooping 8lbs 11ozs - she had gained 12 ounces since our last appointment!

4. Getting 5 hours of sleep - since Lucy finally gained her weight back (and then some) the doctor said I could now let her sleep a little longer through the night. She said to set my alarm for 5 hours, but that Lucy would probably wake up around 3.5-4 hours to eat. Last night was our first night trying this out, I set my alarm for 5 hours and of course my little angel slept the whole time! We got so lucky... Lucy loves to sleep! She didn't wake up until I starting changing her diaper and messing with her to get her to eat.

5. Mommy/Baby outings - after taking Lucy to the pediatrician on my own, I felt brave enough to take her to Target the next week. My time was limited (there's no telling when my little tyrant will wake up and demand food) but we made it to the store, shopped and back home with no crying!

6. Lucy's first bath - we gave Lucy her first real bath this past week and she loved it, unfortunately she was a little fussy once we took her out so I didn't get a good picture, but will take one next time!