Luciana - 11 months

I mentioned in the last monthly post that Luci was taking just a few steps on her own. Well, no sooner that I typed those words - she was a full-blown walker. It was crazy how fast she transitioned into walking, and without much trouble. So now she is running. Keeping up with her is a chore these days. When we go somewhere, she gets bored of the stroller, refuses to be held, and wants to walk on her own. It's quite challenging.

While at work, I tend to call the house at around 12 noon, which is when I am pumping. I am told by whoever is watching her that when the phone rings she calls out "MAMA!" Smart girl! Her other favorite word is "ni-ni" which translate into "night, night." If we ask her to go night, night, she runs over to a pillow, or a cushion, or a stuffed animal, or a lap, then she places her head down and yells "ni, ni!" It's so adorable. She is also saying "Dada" and "Uh, oh." Another cute thing she does now is wave and blow kisses on command. Also, when you ask her "what does Mama say?," she responds waving her pointer finger saying "na, na, na."

I had the day off on Friday and I took her to the zoo with a friend and her daughter. My friend's daughter is 4, and she was teaching Luci about how the lions roar by roaring herself. Luci gave it her best effort and tried to roar too...she did a pretty good job. Her favorite was the aquarium, especially the penguins.

The past 4 days have been beautiful here, so we have been taking advantage of the weather and have been spending a lot of time outside. She just runs around the yard and the driveway as she laughs, smiles, and screams in delight. Due to the exertion of energy, she totally crashes at night. She falls asleep before she can even finish her bedtime bottle.

We have a busy month ahead of us - in addition to her birthday, we have my birthday, John's birthday, Easter, a surprise birthday party for John's grandmother (who is turning 90!), and hopefully the demolition of our kitchen!

It's hard to imagine that she will be celebrating her 1st birthday in a month...where did the time go? The only thing that I am looking forward to is - no.more.pumping!

Here are pictures from last month:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3668285009/a=40662473_40662473/

On the first day of Spring...

...we FINALLY took our Christmas lights down.




Yes, I am ashamed to admit that.

I swear - she's me!

Every time someone looks at Luci, they automatically say "she is all her father." Even people who have never seen John say this.

And I know why.

Me - dark hair, dark eyes

Luci - light hair, blue eyes.

The only thing that I can obviously claim is the shape of her eyes...the size - totally me.

However, what a lot of people don't know is that I was blond until I was about 5 or 6, and my baby pictures totally prove that she actually looks like ME! You can judge for yourself.

What do you think?

So Happy!

I did it...I lost all of the pregnancy weight, plus a few extra pounds.

I was really frustrated with not being able to lose that weight. I had been running during the late summer and early fall, but I tore my left medial meniscus (the cartilage on the inside of my left knee). The orthopedic surgeon didn't think that surgery was necessary (thank goodness), so instead he injected my knee and it has been better ever since. However, I had to promise him to take a few months off in terms of running. Since I want to avoid surgery at all costs, I actually listened to him (medical professionals are the worst patients, and I am guilty of this as well).

So I had to do something that I have NEVER done in my life - go. on. a. diet. I have a few friends on Weight Watchers who had great success, so I decided to give it a try.

Success!

I started on New Years Day - totally cliche, I know, but I was desperate for a new start.

15 pounds later, I feel good, and I think that I look pretty good too. Most importantly - ALL of my clothes fit again...even clothes that didn't fit before the pregnancy.

Now that the sun is emerging, I am going to start running. Couch to 5K is my plan again. I have taken 5 months off, which I think should be enough. My knee is no longer chronically swollen and doesn't hurt anymore, plus I don't notice the "slipping" as much.

I just hope that I can maintain this weight now...time will tell!

Jake - Episode 9

PUKE!

That's all I have to say for now.