Day Care Triumphs

There's no picture, because Elliot and I weren't there, but Lucy's daily report from day care yesterday included the following:

We had a petting zoo come and they had bunnies, chickens, ducks and a goat - I pet them all! They had a black pony and I went on a ride though very hesitant.

Given Lucy's past performances with animals, we're very impressed that she pet all the animals and even rode the pony, though we sure wish we could have seen it with our own eyes.

Maryland Redux

Lucy, Grammy, and I went to Maryland for a few days to visit my grandparents. We made the same trip last year, but it was completely different with a 17-month-old than it was with a 5-month old.

Lucy loves riding on Grandpa's walker,

enjoyed some quality time with Grandma,

got to meet Aunt Pam (and see Uncle Tom again), did some shopping, and went swimming! She began her pool adventures with some trepidation, but by the end of the first swim, I couldn't keep her out of the pool:

97th Birthday Party

Lucy helped celebrate Granny B's 97th birthday over the weekend. We had a lovely time, complete with birthday cake and a brief spell of running away from everyone outside. Lucy exchanged some greetings with Granny B:



And some hesitant hellos with the ever-enthusiastic Rufus:

Cooling Off

Anyone on the East Coast knows that it hasn't been hot enough in temperature lately for anyone to need cooling off. We've finally had some sun this weekend, and it's been perfect - none of that characteristic heat and humidity we usually have in July. Just warm enough, slightly breezy, and gorgeous.

No, it's Lucy who has needed some emotional cooling off lately. She's reached an age where she needs to blow off some steam and will now usually have a temper tantrum at some point each day. Never, I'm told, at day care. Just with us.

She and I were up in Maine leading up to the 4th, and she had a moment one afternoon. As I gave her some space to calm down at one end of the porch, I did manage to capture the moment, which involved long minutes of staring and no desire for more direct interaction:


Eventually, she decided to show me her belly, which is when I knew she was starting to feel better.

Going for a Drive

Lucy has decided she's sick of being a passenger. We were heading out from Gramps and Mimi's house, and Lucy climbed right into the driver's seat, keys in hand. Just fifteen more years...

Baths are Coming Back

Our most loyal readers know that Lucy has had her ups and downs with bath-time. But that was over a year ago! She sailed along with some mild trepidation about the faucet, but general delight when it came to splashing, bath toys, and hanging out in her birthday suit.

Until she didn't. All of a sudden, Lucy was terrified (a la the farm animals). As soon as she knew what the plan was, she tried to run in the opposite direction, crawl out of the tub, and squirm (and scream) as much as possible. It was a torturous two-person operation that nobody enjoyed.

Slowly, we've been redefining bath time as something we can all enjoy again. It takes a lot longer, but Lucy is not running for the hills anymore. Today, she even played happily with water in Saba and Eema's kitchen sink:


It looks an awful lot like a bath to me...

Show Lucy the Money!

We have lots to report! Lucy has been on her first trip to California, replete with loads of great time with Grammy and Stephanie, In-N-Out burger ketchup (with some french fries), four hours of screaming on the flight out, and an earthquake. Elliot and I even ducked up to San Francisco for Matt and Marika's wedding, leaving Lucy to bond with Grammy for two nights. All in all, it was very nice.

Now, we're back in full swing at home. Lucy is walking up a storm and being very communicative about her wishes, wants, and dislikes. She likes bananas, exploring, and trash cans. She does not like hair accessories, elevated trash cans, or brushing her teeth.

Today, Lucy got some new sneakers with Eema and Saba. She also stole $20 from Saba and thought that was very funny: