Lucienne Turns One

My baby is one. I can hardly believe it. I know they all grow up so fast but I think this year set the record as being the fastest year ever.

She is a delightful baby. A complete joy and perfect addition to our family. She's quick to smile and easy to stop crying (usually just needs to be in my arms and she's good to go). In her baby blessing Rene blessed her to be a peacemaker...and it worked! I now tell all father's preparing to bless their babies to make sure they mention this word, it's a miracle word!

I LOVE  her little curls.  Fingers crossed she has Rene's hair! They are especially cute when it's really hot out and she's sweaty. And she has stayed brunette!! I now tell people we were never trying for a boy, just for a brunette.


She loves to get reactions, especially from her sisters. I love watching her face in anticipation of having one of her sisters see her latest antic. Sometimes I see her watching them, waiting for them to look at her so she can put on a show. She loves being right in the middle of things and will always position herself accordingly, bum-scooching herself to wear the action is.

She wins, hands down, for the loudest, most ear-piercing scream. My ears actually ring after she screams, and because of the reaction she gets there's always more than one scream in a row. Evelyn loves this the most and will usually join in. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. She also loves to yell, more specifically, she loves to join in the yelling. Even if it's just me yelling that dinner is ready she'll yell right along with me.

She also loves to laugh and has a great fake laugh for when everyone around is laughing.

She has always loved hair. I don't know if this is because my hair is the longest it's ever been but if there's hair anywhere near her she will pull it. I have to remember to have an elastic on my wrist for when I nurse her or else I'm constantly wrestling fistfuls out of her fingers. I looked after a friend's little boy who seemed to love having his hair pulled, a match made in heaven. He would lay his head in her lap and she would go to town on his head. She gets very excited when Roxy or Paris come close and since she's learned to move I have to always watch to make sure they don't get mangled. Audree seems to get the worst of it, especially when they're strapped in the bike trailer together. She's actually taken to wearing hoodies so Lucienne can't get a hold of her hair. She'll often pull at her own hair when going to sleep. I guess she figures since she finds it soothing we must all feel the same.

She hates diaper changes and is my first baby to squirm to get away mid change. Thankfully I always change on the floor so no real danger, just annoying! Especially on the poopy ones.

She loves standing up on things but will cry until someone helps her sit down again. My latest walker (we're still waiting for those first steps) but by now I've learned the longer you can keep them relatively immobile, the better. She does love stairs though and will be entertained forever on one stair, going up and down, up and down, up and down. She also loves doors thresholds and will scooch back and forth over them over and over again.

Her first word is officially bye-bye with the wave to match it. But she'll only say it if someone is actually leaving.

She loves her Daddy and lights up when he comes home. I think she'd break all records for bum-scooching in her race to get to him. And when he picks her up she always looks back to me with the biggest grin on her face.

She loves to drop things...food off her tray (Paris loves this one), anything down the stairs (especially laundry baskets, and if there's laundry in them, bonus), everything out of her crib. She'll grab things out of my hand just to drop them on the floor. Over the side of the couch is even better. Of course, she wants them picked up again so she can throw them again...and being put on the ground is not an option for this game.

She LOVES bathtime, especially if one of her sisters is in to play with her.  She's figured out how to work the nozzles and the plug and of course loves throwing all the toys out of the tub.

She has many nicknames (I knew that would happen when we decided on Lucienne). I call her Lucie or Luce or Lucie-Lu, Audree says Lucie-Goosie, Rene is Lu-Lu. But whatever she's called she's as cute as a button and I love her to bits.