Life at 143 days old

143 days old = a sleep schedule!! I am catching a glimpse of what it will be like to get back into a routine as we have gotten into a pretty consistent sleep and nap schedule - 7 pm to 7 am, 9 am, and a few afternoon naps - and life is good!  Being someone who needs routine, I had high hopes that my daughter would follow in my footsteps and so far, so good.  Our life over the past few weeks has been consumed with trying to get Lucy into a consistent morning nap schedule and although there are still some tears and plenty of rolling over in the crib, which leads to more tears, we are getting into a routine which makes both mommy and baby happy! Now, if I could just convince Lucy that 4 am is not an ideal time for breakfast! 

Outside of napping, Lucy is ball of energy.  The below picture says it all - being 143 days old is really fun!!  (Along with some random photos from the week.) 

Joe has been letting Lucy play with our utensils when he cooks - time to buy some age-appropriate toys

Daddy reads to Lucy every night, she loves to help turn the pages

And Miles always enjoys a good bedtime story - look how attentive he is!

Cheering on the Bears with Doug and Erin

Where did Cutler go?!

My Oh My, A Butterfly

We had a great, busy weekend that ended with a trip to the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum to see the Butterfly Haven.  It was so fascinating!!! There were thousands of butterflies flying around the room, and all the kids were having so much fun chasing them and using their Nature Museum butterfly guides to figure out which kinds they were.  I think I had more fun than the kids - but we had a great time taking Lucy to the museum to see them.  Being 4 months old, she slept through a lot of the visit but we bought a family membership so I am sure I will be taking her back many times this year :)  As we were walking in, we learned that there was a cockroach feeding that we were missing.  Guess we will have to catch that exhibit next time!

The rest of our weekend was really busy - Joe went on a "man date" with a friend to one of the restaurants that has been on his bucket list since it opened, Alinea.  It was 20-plus courses and the best meal he has ever had! Much better than the dinner I cooked last week, which he gave an A to for effort, but a C- for taste :(  The next night I went on a "date" with my best friend. Amy, and we drank way too many mojitos but had such a great time catching up.  The best part about living in the city is that there are cabs to drive us mojito-lovers around!  

We also had a sleepover with Abigail, Caitlin, Beth and Rob.  It was so much fun, we put the "little ones" to bed and Abigail stayed up late with us, watching cartoons and playing fun games like having Uncle Joe toss Abigail's blanket into the kitchen and then running to get it so he could do it again, and again.  We also had a very lively goldfish toss contest until Uncle Joe got too full of eating them!  Love the simplicity of what it takes to keep Abigail entertained! We had a blast with our little nieces :)

Other than that, life has just been busy and so much fun!  Lucy and I started a new class on Tuesdays at Kindermusik, which I love.  It is a great class that focuses on development through music, sign language and movement. I love the class because everything they say, they also sign so the kiddies are picking it up really quickly and I am learning it quickly too!  Lucy is the youngest in the class, but really keeps up well and loves the bubbles at the end of class :)  Random pics from the week below, really in no special order!

Lucy with her oversized bandage after mommy clipped her skin while cutting nails.  Wonder when she is old enough to go to the corner salon for a mani?

A visit from Aunt Katie this week

The cousins, all smiles!

The morning after shot! One big happy family - Beth looks good with a 3rd!

Daddy and Lucy checking out turtles at the museum 

I love this! I was having so much fun looking at the butterflies.  Lucy was more interested in Joe. 

Apparently butterflies like oranges. Look at those big butterflies eating!

I love sweet potatoes! Yummy!

mmmmmmm.......

Rice cereal!  Lucy started on her first round of solid food this week with some delicious rice cereal!  We considered her first serving to be a success as there were no tears, fussing or spit up!  I guess you can't get too messy when your serving is a total of one tablespoon!  It is a big milestone in this house as Joe has big plans for our little monkey once she can start sharing some of our foods with us.  So, we are starting with rice cereal and next week Lucy gets to try some vegetables.  Stay Tuned!!

On the topic of introducing foods in our house, a story to share that made me laugh.  Miles gets cheese in his bowl every morning to help him eat his food before Joe takes him to day care.  Well, we ran out of cheese so Joe told me this morning he stirred some chicken broth into his food and "and seasoned it with salt."  So glad to hear that Miles' breakfast was properly seasoned!!

 Yummy!

The classic baby food shot!

  

Our Ordinary Weekend

Life is back to "normal" after the holidays and we are loving it!  The holiday decorations have been taken down - and as much as we miss our little artificial tree (yes, I am a Muskovich, and had an artificial tree and loved it!) - we were happy when the final crate made it down to storage until next year.  With all the holiday parties and events over, we had what most would consider a very boring weekend and loved every minute of it!

On Friday, Lucy and I met Beth and the girls at the Garfield Park Conservatory and it was great!!  The conservatory has so many different spaces filled with trees, plants, water fountains and a children's slide that Abigail went down again, and again, and again.....giving Beth and me and our babes some time to hang out! Being inside the Conservatory is like being in the tropics in the middle of winter.  It was such a fun afternoon!

On Saturday, we took Lucy to the French Market in the city.  It was just like being in a market in Paris with lots of stands for sandwiches, pastries and coffee.  Joe found a stand that served only french fries and beer so was in heaven.  We had fun taking Lucy around the market, hoping that she starts to like the french culture very early on so we can take her to our favorite city!  We then met friends and one of Lucy's oldest friends, Isla (they have been friends for 2 months) out for dinner in the city.  The babies slept right through their first dinner together but the adults had a great time!

Overall, it was a pretty uneventful weekend but exactly what we needed!

Just a random pic but I thought Lucy looked so old with her hair pulled to the side

Ugh, these pictures are getting in the way of my TV watching!  What's the score?

The Wennerstrom gals as the Conservatory - trying to share the single-seat stroller

This slide is the coolest!

Lucy hanging out with mom in front of a fish pond

Bonjour!  At the French Market

Daddy treating himself to some pastries

Have a great week!

Happy 4 Months Lucy and Happy New Year!

Four months ago today we welcomed little Lucy to our lives - and oh how much our lives have changed so quickly.  Although I have many favorite things about Lucy - watching Lucy wake up is one of my favorite moments of every day.  After she opens her eyes and sees Joe or me, she gets the BIGGEST smile and starts to laugh.  It is the sweetest moment to start the day with.  I hope this lasts forever, but something tells me that she will not always wake up to me with a smile on her face.  We are seeing more of her personality every day.  She is such a happy, calm baby that goes with the flow.  Just like mom, right?  Truly, she is a dream baby and we remind ourselves of that every day!

We love you Lucy so much!! Happy 4 month birthday!!!  

Others pics from the week:

Lucy got this cute swimsuit from Grandma Kathy but it was too cold to wear it in Florida.  But, not too cold to take a bath in!

Cheering on dad's Vikings.  

Just hanging out in my crib

This Baby Einstein Center from Grandma Chris and Grandpa Bill is amazing!  This is what my hair looks like before mommy styles it and covers it with a bow.  

Enjoying my first sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's

You are so funny, Grandma!