HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!!!

We hope you have a most wonderful birthday full of happy thoughts, relaxation, and delicious cake! Can't wait to see you again next week! :)

Water baby

Lucy and I are enrolled in the Water Babies I class at the YMCA on Saturdays through May, and we are having a great time! She is precious is her cherry ruffled swimsuit and she seems to like most of the activities (especially "jumping in" from the side of the pool); the only thing we're not really digging on too much is having to put our whole face in the water. I lived for the swimming pool in the summer while growing up and even swam laps when I was pregnant with Lucy, so I'm hoping she'll pick up my love of the water. 2026 Olympics here we come!

Sunshine day

Nana and Michelle got to accompany us to our cute little neighborhood park to watch Lucy in action on the swings. It was a beautiful spring evening and it was so nice to enjoy walking around barefoot in the warm sand. We sat Lucy on our laps while riding the tire swing, "big swings", and the slides, but her favorite activity by far is going it alone (with the push from a sweet aunt) in the baby swing. She loves it -- swings her feet like crazy while giggling up a storm. I think we have a future lover of theme park rides on our hands.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Nana and Aunt Michelle came down to visit us last weekend and we all had such a great time! The Owen girls did lots of fun shopping for Lucy's summer wardrobe, ate some great south Louisiana food (and got to celebrate Mom's belated birthday), went to see a movie (my first in a really long time), engaged in a fierce Phase 10 competition, and played with Lucy until we wore her little self out. They kept Lucy at home while I worked -- not only was it a real treat for me to be able to walk out of the door with nothing but a warm cup of coffee, but it was also a special time for Lucy to be showered with love from two ladies that live too far away!

Nana and Michelle were excellent chefs, babysitters, and housekeepers (THANK YOU!) while they were here & we are really missing their smiles and warmth already!

I'm a big kid now

Lucy had her 9-month checkup today, and we have a very healthy baby on our hands! We are slowly progressing into trying different types and textures of solid food (baby yogurt and puffed cereal are some new favorites thus far), and are working on crawling. Lucy's only pushing off with one foot when she lifts her stomach off the ground, so she ends up moving around in a circle and never can quite seem to get that toy that she was after. It's pretty cute. And as you can see in the picture, she's finally gotten her bottom two teeth even though they haven't completely busted through the surface yet. She is getting big so fast that I find myself wanting to freeze these moments in time just a little bit longer. Sigh... Here are our new stats.

• Length: 28 in = 75th percentile


• Weight: 21.3 lbs = 75th to 90th percentile (and also equals a new car seat soon)


• Head circumference: 18 1/4 cm = 95th percentile (our pediatrician measured both of our heads to compare; apparently mine is average and Andrew's the one with the fat head!)

Lovey

This is Lucy and "bunny lovey" enjoying a nap together on St. Patrick's Day. She likes to sleep with her arms around lovey or with it beside her face -- so sweet! Thanks to tips from the sneaky mommies I know, I recently purchased a second lovey to work into the rotation so it is equally soft and worn in case something should happen to the original . :)

Fish face

Lucy's had a bit of the chest crud for a while now, so we finally took her to the doctor about a week ago and it turns out that she had bronchiolitis. Never heard of it? Me neither! Turns out that it's a virus/lung infection affecting the 2 and under set, and apparently it has been making the rounds in Baton Rouge. We had to do a couple of breathing treatments in the doctor's office to see if the crud would respond (the alternative -- taking Lucy to the hospital. Yikes!). Thankfully it did and we were sent home with our very own nebulizer to do the breathing treatments every 4 hrs.

As you can imagine, trying to get a 8-month old to sit still while listening to the roar of a loud machine and wearing a mask (albeit a cute one called Bubbles the Fish) that emits steam is not the world's most pleasant task. :) Andrew affectionaly dubbed Lucy "fish face" every time she had to participate in this torture. We are now down to one or treatments a day and luckily she's feeling much better. Many thanks to Boogie for coming down to help us last week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIA GABBY!

Feliz cumpleanos, vieja! :) Best wishes for abundant love, joy, health, and success as you begin a brand new decade. We miss you and hope to see you again soon!

Southland in the springtime

Our new "midnight green" shutters for the house finally came in last weekend, so Lucy and I grabbed some toys and a blanket and enjoyed the springtime sunshine while Andrew expertly hung them up. Lucy and Evie together are quite the draw -- I think half the neighborhood stopped by to say hello to them (probably because of Lucy's cute little sun hat). She loves being outside and taking everything in -- literally. She managed to stick a few leaves and blades of grass in her mouth when I wasn't looking. :) We are ready for this schizophrenic weather to make up its mind and stay warm already!

Chillin' with the Chaneys

Lucy and I had a super fun afternoon getting to visit with our friends Candace, Zeke (2 yrs), and Anna Grace (4 yrs) during our recent visit to Shreveport. Despite the considerable age difference between Lucy and her older friends, they all got along pretty well and had a blast -- lots of banging on things and giggles! Anna Grace was an especially gracious host, bringing out all of her special toys for Lucy to play with and trying really hard to entertain her. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that she is plotting really hard for a baby sister. :) Thanks again for having us over -- we can't wait to do it again soon!

Powers Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence

CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT & KATIE! One of my most wonderful and sweet friends from high school finally decided to tie the knot with her fiance Scott, and I couldn't be happier for her. They had a small family ceremony and reception in Scott's hometown of Chicago in late December, so her parents threw them a party over Mardi Gras weekend to celebrate the joyous occasion. Katie is an extraordinary person -- so giving towards her friends and family, loyal, passionate about her work as a health-conscious chef, and a devoted pet mommy. I love her dearly and am so happy to see her follow her bliss! Thanks for including us in your merriment!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The king and queen of Mardi Gras

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Yes, being residents of south Louisiana has some perks (great food among the biggest) and one of them is getting off of work/school for the Mardi Gras "holiday." We decided to head up to Shreveport this year during our break to catch up with many of our old friends. Our first stop was to a double birthday party to celebrate King Hank Richard and Queen Audrey Welch as they turned 1! Aunt Katie came with us (she and I got to enjoy a very entertaining stroll along the parade route while Lucy slept in the stroller) and we all got to enjoy some king cake, jambalaya, and good beer.

Later that night I met up with my friends from high school thanks to the social gathering skills of one Lisa Chesson Colquitt! She and Chloe Kilman are my two oldest friends (we date back to the 6th grade) and it was so great to see them and everyone else again. Every cliche about "old friends" is true -- it really does warm the heart and relax the soul to be with people that know your history and love you for who you are.

They make beautiful music together

We had a big day yesterday -- Andrew and I finally got a chance to get out and play some tennis together while Lucy slept in the stroller, we had a great lunch and Lucy got to sit in a high chair at the restaurant like a big girl, and then we came home to tackle a bit of a spring cleaning. While I sat on the floor of the office/spare room/music studio and updated our file cabinet with documents from the last year or so, Andrew and Lucy had a musical playdate. He entertained us with the trumpet and guitar while she rolled around and played with Christmas wrapping paper on the bed (also part of the cleaning bit), then she helped him "play" the piano keyboard for a while. This suited her just fine as we are highly into banging on things these days. :) Check out our future prodigy in all her shining glory below.