Seriously? It's February already?

I really don't know where the time has gone. Life has been incredibly busy, and I am a pathetic blogger. I am thinking after this year is up, I might just resort to posting pictures on Facebook for everyone's Lucy pleasure. This blog thing is just not me. Don't get mad now, I am not trying to spark a controversy. You do your thing, and I'll do mine. Next...

So Lucy has been chattering for awhile now, but she for sure has learned 2 new words in addition to Dada. She says Mama, and BYE. Sometimes she says baba, but BYE is her new favorite word. She loves to wave and say 'bye' all the time - to everyone, everywhere, especially church. She is, apparently, everyone's cute little distraction at mass. Sorry about that! She isn't crawling yet, but it will be any day now, and that is fine. I like her immobile for the time being. But one thing is for certain, she is still the cutest little thing in the world!

Here are some pictures from our snow day today. She likes the taste and texture tremendously!

2010 Came On Too Fast!

The last almost month has been a blur! We even had two weeks off for Christmas, and they seem like long ago. Right now we are in the midst of a bronchial infection; but hopefully it is making its way out. Lucy is in great spirits though, despite her unfortunate pain. I hate winter!

Clapping is her new thing -- all the time and for everything. Mainly only for Mommy and Daddy, though - she doesn't like to show off to others. She is also sitting unassisted pretty well, so that's a plus. I also found out today that the key to calming her down is to put on a Leslie Sansone Walk at Home DVD. You would have thought Leslie was Santa Claus with how gargantuan the smile was that she bestowed upon the walking icon! I created a little walker, that is for sure!

Christmas and New Years were amazing, and all too fast. Visiting so many family members made for a memorable end to 2009. Lucy also received her first white Christmas, so it was extra special. Sadly, out of all the truckloads of presents, I believe her favorite was a chew toy for the dog. Oh well, we know what to get her next year, and Santa gets out easy!

Happy 2010! Or o'10 as hubby likes to say.
Muenster Christmas


Dallas Christmas

Sitting in the wooden baby doll high chair that Great Uncle Larry made. She was very interested in eating all of her gifts.The newly fashioned "old-lady" face. Doesn't she look like a Muppet?

Many a Milestone

So today was a big day for Little Miss Lucy! She went from almost 8 months to 21 overnight it seems. She is so much fun to play with, and she is constantly making us laugh. I can't wait for Christmas - it is going to be so special!

On towards today.... miss diva decided, in between her teething moments, to do 3, maybe 4, pretty big things (at least in babyland). First, Cody and I were lying on the bed with her in the middle, just goofing around. She kept rolling from Daddy to Mommy and back. At one point, she was playing with my face, and then (oh no!) zeroing in on my hair, so as a distraction tactic I said, "Where's Daddy?" To which she rolled over her shoulder, looking at Cody and said, "Dada!" Triumphant applause please, my daughter is a freakin' genius. Of course, after many attempts at repetition and getting nothing but razzing and squeals, she figures why not give them more to talk about? So, she rolled on her tummy, and tucked her legs underneath her, got up on her knees, and "bed crawled" to get Daddy's sunglasses. Not a real crawl, but a start - she knew what to do! Of course, not to stop there, she was resting on her back when Daddy threw his hat over the top of her face. Figuring she would freak out, I panicked. Lucy, had other plans - more of the inspecting nature. She grabbed the hat with both hands, lifted it off her face, and proceeded to read the inside of the hat. She has been grasping objects for awhile, but nothing like this. Pure genius. She gets that from me... not from her Daddy whom makes up words and calls himself the master. Whatever.

Oh, and the 4th thing - she fed herself today! MumMums -- which, coincidentally are going to be my new 15 calorie snack food -- are the new favorite around here. Forget gerber puffs (feel strange in the mouth apparently), we are all about the big honking rice-cake-wannabee. I think we have our new "keep her quiet during church" food. Ahh, success!

My Uncle Mark is the Best!

Uncle Mark - you are so talented! Mommy needs your address please :)

Lucy's First Snow

Happy Birthday Grandma! We love you!


I'm off work today (voluntarily -- I needed a mental health day with all the UIL stress), so wouldn't you know that Lucy and I woke up to this:


So after having a leisurely breakfast in our pajamas and playing for a little while....




...we had to go experience the snow for ourselves!

Not the prettiest snow in the world, but snow none-the-less, which as you can see she was trying to eat. We tend to get more snow than the metroplex, being an hour north, so Lucy will get to experience this strange white stuff quite a bit over the next few months. It's going to be so much fun!

7 months plus

As I am writing this as my sister-in-law is having contractions and might be giving me a new niece or nephew anytime soon! It is exciting to think about a new person entering our lives - and Lucy is getting her first cousin younger than her (that I know of - Cody's family is HUGE!). It is weird to think that a little over 7 months ago, I was in Tina's position... wondering whether or not I would have a boy or a girl, if he/she was healthy, and had 10 toes - hey, I got 2 out of 3! Lucy was the perfect gift. She is definitely a diva, and she gets that from me :) But we wouldn't have it any other way.

The silent reflux, which we thought was over, is far from not. We weaned her medicine from twice a day to once a day since she was 6 months old... and then we went cold turkey for one whole day. Talk about nightmare! That's why she's been fussy for the past month - tummy troubles. So, back on the meds we go, and I'm okay with that. As long as she is feeling great, we will do medicine until the cows come home -- which you never know when that will be here in M-town.

Sharing some adorable family pictures over the past few weeks, including the Sacred Heart Parish picnic, and Lucy's first encounter with the Claus. It's been a fun ride.



Here is the grandparents with all the grandchildren -- my side of the family. Isn't my tree awesome?!?!

My adorable family - even Cody.
My three super cute nieces!


And crazy Sammy posing for the camera.

Not quite sure what to think about the big guy....

Lucy telling Santa that Mommy wants a smaller waistline for Christmas... I don't think Santa quite understands...

Time is Flying By

Bye Bye Miracle Blanket. We loved you so, but alas, your time is up. Hooray for swaddleless-tummy sleeping!



The month of October was one big ol' One-Act-Play-Blur! Life was pretty hectic around the Klement household until play competition was over, and Lucy adjusted quite nicely. Now it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us. I am, however, looking forward to the highly anticipated 5-day Thanksgiving break :) A definite perk to the educational system. Of course, as soon as that is over with, we have UIL competition and midterms beckoning prior to the even more anticipatory 2 week Christmas Break - I can hear the angels singing now!! I feel like a kid counting days until Santa comes - my present officially comes December 18th at 1:00pm!!

We had Lucy's sweet webbed baby toes x-rayed last week(the 2nd and 3rd toe on her right foot). We found out there is no bone fusion, so the surgery would be entirely cosmetic. I used to be extremely pro-sugery, but the more I think about it, I would not be setting the best example for my daughter. What I mean is, what kind of parent would I be by "fixing" my daughter's natural beauty at such an early age. It won't impede her walking, and it is hardly noticeable. Heck, we didn't even notice it until she was 3 days old. The more research I do, the more fun facts I find out about people with webbed toes. Apparently it is very common in the celebrity world - there have even been scientific studies linking syndactyly to fame and fortune! It is also known as "twin toes", which I think is an ironically adorable name. I feel that this feature is really a blessing in disguise. It will make Lucy a strong and unique individual with a special gift from God. We have a surgery date set, but you can pretty much guess the direction we are heading towards - and no, this was not anything driven by my husband (who is leaving the decision up to me)... it's just how I feel. Who am I to deprive my daughter of her God-given beauty and individuality? I know kids can be cruel, but this Mommy fully intends to raise her daughter to overcome adversity. My momma raised me right (when all those kids made fun of my weight), and I am a better person because of it. Hmm, guess I just made up my mind!

On another note, we took Lucy to Bowie Trade Days last weekend, and she loved it. They have tons of animals (chickens, rabbits, pigs, etc.), but she loved all the puppies everywhere. It was her first real time to ride in the "big girl" part of the stroller, and she loved officially seeing the world, not riding on top of it. This might end up being a monthly occurrence, because Mommy loves to shop, and it is a quick 20-minute away adventure. See you again on December 13th, Bowie!

Shopping with Grandma Charlotte and Daddy at Bowie Trade Days
"Daddy! You promised Mommy we could get a puppy my size!"