Lucy 6 months

A new walk

After six months of walking 1-3 times/week at Capital Lake, it was time to find a new route! Last week I started taking Lucy along the waterfront in Olympia - it's just gorgeous & a great change! As you can see, Lucy thoroughly enjoyed herself on our 4-5 mile adventure.

18 lbs 12 oz!

Oh yes, as she nears 6 months, Miss Lucia is close to 19 lbs! Her last CF Clinic appt went very well, Lucy remains 98-99% for weight & height and then the weight to length ratio (goal >50%) she is 65%!! We are so very happy & thankful for these wonderful numbers. No changes were made at the last appointment - we stopped the hypertonic saline nebulizer treatments after just a few days because of the wet cough they caused. No word yet on when they may restart them, but I'm guessing not for 6 months or more. Dr. Ricker was very pleased & will continue the monthly appointments just to stay on top of things for this first year. Dr. Abdullah (peds GI) feels she's doing great with her weight gain & is happy with the stooling pattern she's developed. We'll see Dr. Abdullah again in 2 months. He's keeping her on Zantac & said she's right inbetween needing 1 or 2 enzymes capsules with her feedings. At this point, if it's a little/snack feed then she gets one but with a big feeding she gets two.

Chowin down some cereal!

This was almost 2 weeks ago when Lucy started on some rice cereal for the first time. She wasn't quite sure what to do with it at first, but figured it out pretty quickly.

She sits!

Wow, Lil' Miss Lucy is developing so quickly! Not only has she mastered the skill of rolling from back to front, she's also quite the little sitter these days! I am so enjoying my time home with her, last week I had a nasty bug, probably the flu... we were so nervous Lucy would catch it, but thankfully... knock on wood... she stayed healthy as ever. Ahhh, the power of breastmilk! ;-)

Pink Overall Photoshoot!

Little Miss Lucy standing for a split second on her own!

Lucy Lu

Clare

A family day!

On SuperBowl Sunday, we typically enjoy a huge family gathering at the Barnes' (Randy's Aunt & Uncle's), but this year we enjoyed a day together just the three of us! We packed up a few things & headed downtown for a walk around Olympia. Randy & I grabbed a coffee at Starbuck's & off we went walking around the lake, up to the capitol & all around. On the way home we picked up a few things at the store & had our own (much healthier than usual) SuperBowl feast while watching the game. I just loved this time together!

Lucy & Ryah

Here are two of my favorite girls! This is Lucy with my good friend Ali's daughter, Ryah. Ali & Ryah helped put on the baby shower for Rashmi last week & Ryah was such a huge help! She was great keeping Lucia entertained while we (especially Ali) worked really hard getting everything setup just so. It was a fantastic day! Without a doubt, the best part of the day was after the shower was over... I'm actually getting teary eyed just thinking of this! Once most of everyone had left, my kind & caring parents were cleaning everything up & I was with Lucy, Ali, Ryah, Meera, Rashmi & of course baby Sutton (still inside Rashmi) just hanging out in my parent's room. We were lounging on the bed & the floor, just talking girl talk & making Lucy pose in silly pictures touching Rashmi's belly. It was the quality heart to heart time that I so rarely get with my closest friends these days - I miss it terribly & cherish it more than they'll ever know! Rashmi lives in DC & Ali's just 45 min away from me in Centralia, but even though we may see eachother from time to time, those real true unrushed, unplanned, quality moments are the ones I really treasure. I love you girls so very much!! Thank you for being you!

A visit from Aunt Jill

Last week we were treated with a special visit from my Aunt Jill! Jill is my mom's sister & someone I've always been very close to. It was a lot of fun to see Jill with Lucia, she was wonderful! She enjoyed being bounced to sleep on the bouncey ball! Thank you so much Aunt Jill, we love you! The girl time was fabulous! =)

Lucy & Grandpa

Oh yes, Lucy loves her Grandpa! My parents have both spent a lot of time with Lucy recently, watching her on days I work & when we've had a few things to go to. They have both learned the tricks work best with Lucia - for instance bouncing on an exercise ball to put her to sleep, or taking her on a walk outside as a "cure all" for any fussiness. My dad even recently did the honors of giving Lucy her enzymes & feeding her bottle. He's always been incredibly good with kids, loving to play outside & get them all riled up... but I never remember him much with little babies - until now! Last Saturday was a big day for us - I helped throw a baby shower for my best friend, Rashmi, at my parent's house. I attempted to be really organized & thought I had my timeline of to-do's perfectly figured out... but as usual, I fell behind. And who was there to rescue Lucy & me? My Dad! He drove up to our house, loaded all of the salad fixings, decorations, Lucy's gear, etc into his vehicle & then drove them there for me so that I could finish getting myself ready, feeding Lucy & then getting there (late) myself! That wasn't all though... during the entire shower, Lucy was with my Dad! She loved her Grandpa time, they went for a walk in the stroller for at least a couple hours - along with our good friend, Deanna Schnatterly. When it was time to eat, he brough Lucy into my parent's bedroom to keep her away from all the guests in the greatroom (still super conscious of having her around people who could have a cold). It was a fantastic day & I can't even begin to tell my Dad thank you for everything! We love you Grandpa!

Always playing catch up...

So, with a smile this adorable... is it any surprise that I don't get much done these days? As a couple of my coworkers reminded me on Facebook last night... I've been a bit behind on the blog lately. There are a couple reasons - first & foremost, I've started back to work in the NICU. Although, those of you who know me well, know that I work as little as possible these days. Randy has stepped into the role of Super Dad & is doing a fabulous job. Not only does he get Lucy ready, do her meds, CPT, feedings, play time, nap time, etc., he also deals with my emotions, ups & downs & general girliness (think I just created a new word...). Technically, I've been working for about over a month now... although I can still count on my fingers how many days I've worked & they're often short shifts. My first day back was filled with fun seeing the friendly familiar faces of my coworkers (who I love dearly), nervousness getting used to computer charting for the first time since my preceptorship at Madigan years ago, & the shock & awe of seeing how tiny our patients in the NICU really are (through the eyes of the mother of an 18lb 3oz baby!). It was my second day that I melted down a bit & my friend Susan (there are many special Susan's in my life!) was there to console me & give me the pep talk I needed to hear at that moment. Although the income is very helpful, the main reason I'm back to work is for the benefits provided by the hospital. I was shocked last week yet again at the cost of healthcare... Lucy's Synagis shots which I fought so hard for her to receive (protect her against RSV)... are known to be expensive & I expected about $2K per shot... boy was I wrong... because she's 18lbs, hers are $8,500 per shot - per month!! They are covered at 90% which makes our copay $850 per month... yikes. Needless to say, I keep things like that in mind while working now & I'm thankful that we're able to have the insurance coverage that we do. Many thanks to all of my coworkers who have been so supportive each day I'm at the hospital & even the days I'm not there - communicating endlessly on Facebook & the blog. Love you all!