8 Months and Counting!

I don't have great deal to say, but wanted to share some photos of how much Lucy has changed  these last 8 months.

Lucy was just 5lb 4oz when she came home from the hospital, now at 8 months she weighs just over 17lbs!

Just 2 days old

8 months old!

She's been a pretty good sleeper. She started sleeping her own room at 7 weeks and through night. Although sleeping through the night has not stayed consistent which is to be expected! We've recently started the "cry it out" method to help Lucy go down to bed at night. We resisted for a long time because we couldn't bare the thought of putting her down upset. However, we decided to try with a twist. On the first night we left her crying for 3 minutes and then went in to her for no longer than 2 minutes. If she continued to cry we'd leave her a further 5 minutes and then go in again, then so and so forth. The first night it took nearly 45 minutes to settle. Since then she's usually asleep in less than 5 minutes!

3 weeks old

3 weeks old

4 weeks old, finally out of tiny baby size!

7 weeks, look who much bigger I am in the bouncer!

3 months old, going for my first swim

4 months and feeling quite serious

5  months

6 months!

7 months old, GO BULLDOGS!

Nearly 8 months

8 months and getting ready to take on the world!

Food Glorious Food

As parents you quickly discover that with every decision you make it will always feel like there are a ½ dozen other options you could go with (and the people that will tell you all about them too!). As Lucy approached 6 months we were preparing to do the “all natural, make your own baby food” route. However, the idea of Baby Led Weaning (BLW) kept popping up. Myke was actually the first to bring it up and push for it. Your question is probably the same that mine was….. “what is it”?

Getting ready for her first meal!

Baby led weaning is a method of introducing food to your baby without purees, mush or lumps. Simply put, baby eats what Mummy & Daddy eat. Initially the focus isn’t on getting her nutrition from solids, but just getting to enjoy it. We were slightly skeptical at first but as we talked to others that had done we were sold.

Here are the benefits that sold us on BLW:

-         Lucy eats with us at dinner – this literally transformed our lives as Myke and I are now able to enjoy our food while Lucy enjoys hers!

-         We don’t have to make separate meals, Lucy eats what we eat. The only difference is how we season our food and how long we cook it for.

-         Lucy's hand-eye coordination has improved dramatically since starting eat along with her gross and fine motor skills. She can now pick things up between her fingers instead of using her whole hand to grasp it.

-         She’s never choked – one of the thoughts with BLW is that babies are less likely to choke because they get a chance to handle it first (this allows baby to understand the shape, texture before it goes in their mouth) rather than being spoon fed by a parent.

-         By eating with us it is giving Lucy the opportunity to try lots of different foods and discouraging an attitude of “kid vs grown-up” food.

-         It also means that Myke & I have to stay consistent and healthy in our own diet!

We got ourselves started by reading these books by Gill Rapely and Tracey Murkett.  

Baby Led Weaning: Helping Your Baby Love Good Food 

The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook: Over 130 Recipes For The Whole Family To Enjoy

There are some foods to continue avoiding until the age of 1 (like honey). The main change came in our food preparation. Meat needs to be fully cooked, vegetables need to be soft, and salt needs to be excluded. We’ve learned to use other seasonings or add salt to our own later. We cut food into strips that she can handle it easily.

Lucy’s first meal was Ratatouille (peppers, zucchini and eggplant) with pasta & chicken.

Lovin the Ratatouille!

Valentines Dinner with Daddy (and Mummy)

Other foods Lucy has tried: salad, spinach, green beans, broccoli, beef & noodles, mashed/baked potatoes, steak, chicken, guacamole, fish, meatloaf, cabbage, corn, scrambled eggs, banana, grapes, mushrooms, French fries, tortilla, bbq chicken, grits, bread, macaroni & cheese, oatmeal…

So far her favorite is any kind of green vegetable, but then she’s never turned anything down either! 

Mac n Cheese, Grits, Bread & Spinach

Chips & Guacamole

Beef & Noodles

America, America!

We recently finished our 3 week holiday to the States. While there we got the chance to travel and visit with our family & friends. Our time away was split into 4 different trips: Gatlinburg, TN; Athens, GA; Gastonia, NC and of course, Holland, OH.

But first we had the plane journey. Anyone who has ever traveled with an infant will know that the plane trip is perhaps the most arduous part of a holiday. However, we were extremely blessed as Lucy was a complete star! During take-off and landing she laughed and giggled the whole time.

We spent our first week in the Smokey Mountains in a 8+ person cabin with the rest of the King Family. We spent our days relaxing at the cabin, seeing the mountains, shopping at the outlets, the Dixie Stampede, Ripley’s Aquarium and of course in the hot tub!

The road through the Smokies

Cades Cove

Hanging out in the Penguin Enclosure

Daddy & Aunt Sarah being silly

Puleeeaassse let me take one home!

Finding Nemo......

Myke, Lucy & I then traveled on to Athens, GA to stay with our friends, the Klaymans, and visit the Athens Link Fellowship (our sister church). We had a great weekend with Sarah, her Mom Kelly, and Emily Anne (Keenan was unfortunately away for the weekend). Last summer Sarah & her husband Keenan spent 6 weeks in Dunfermline. Sarah was just at the beginning of her pregnancy and I was nearing the end of mine. So it was exciting for Lucy & Emily Anne to come together! We were also blessed to spend time with the Athens Link. A more welcoming and hospitable group people you’re never more likely to meet, unless of course its our own church family here in Dunfermline, lol! We were absolutely blessed by the people of Athens Link and look forward to seeing them again.

The next leg of our journey was particularly sweet for me as we traveled to Gastonia, NC where my friend of 17 years lives with her family. Now if I had no shame I would put up "then and now" photos of Diana and I, but I’ll just leave that to the imagination. Diana and I have walked through a lot of life together and with 5 years having passed since our last visit it was well over due.

Hanging out at Diana's

We completed our last week in Ohio. Traveling back through North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia added nicely to Myke & Lucy number of states visited (we had already done Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee & Georgia). We were able to visit with many family and friends, most of whom were meeting Lucy for the first time.

Lucy & Great Grandma Nell

4 Generations

Crazy Cousins!

Yes Jaden you are related to that little Scottish Girl!

I'm ready to go Dad!

It was a whirlwind vacation and after driving over 1600 miles and 8000 miles on a plane we are back to home sweet home.

Our journey

Eight

On Friday (5th October) Lucy turned 8 weeks old! So I thought that I would share 8 things that have happened or been learned since our beautiful girl joined the world!

4 days old

1. SLEEP.....everyone says "sleep when the baby sleeps" but no one ever mentions how difficult that can be! Fortunately, Lucy is now able to sleep up to 8 hours a night and typically sleeps about 6-8 hours, 3-4 nights during the week.

2 weeks + 6 days

2. I (Abby) was unable to drive for 6 WEEKS!!! While I was certainly not up to it the majority of that time I was very happy to get behind the wheel again. We're so thankful for all our friends who came to visit or take us out....we couldn't have made it without you!

3 weeks + 3 days

3. Being able to do normal things i.e. go to the store or church and spend time out with friends with Lucy is an amazing blessing....she is our new normal!

4 weeks + 6 days

4. Myke and I both work in jobs that have warped our sense of "normal" conversations....having a baby does this as well!!!

5 weeks + 2 days

5. Sasha has done amazingly well. While I was in hospital she desperately missed me, so much that when Myke held the phone up to her on speaker she began purring when she heard me! Sasha has even become a bit protective of Lucy. The day we brought Lucy home, we placed her in the moses basket and sat looking at her. Later, Myke went back to the room and found Sasha staring into the empty basket as if to say "where'd she go"?

6 weeks

6. Lucy moved into her own room at 7 weeks old and loves it! She is now sleeping in her cotbed.

7 weeks + 4 days

7. Laughter is the best medicine! Recently, Lucy was having a particularly fussy night. When she finally got the wind out it wasn't just a burp, it was a proper MAN SIZED belch! I was so stunned and surprised that I actually jumped. But that wasn't the end....next thing I knew a fountain of white was flying towards me and lets just say I found it many places! My response....laugh hysterically.

8 weeks old!!!

8. A Good Man.....more specifically, my hubby. I'm going to end this by unashamedly bragging on my man! There is no way that I could have made it through a medical emergency, major surgery, a new baby, emotional chaos, sleepless nights, a dirty house (lol!) etc without him! There are a lot of different beliefs about whether there is only one person for you or you get choices etc....all I know is that God knew exactly the man that I needed as a husband. I am so thankful for you, MYKE BROWN!!!