29 is so last year...

Well, yesterday I turned the big 3-0! It really does blow my mind that I'm thirty. Seriously, life is short...and goes by so quickly! I spent last week celebrating in St. Martin with some amazing ladies...I'll post more about that trip later! We had such a wonderful, relaxing time! I got home late on Saturday night and I could hardly wait for Sunday morning so I could see my little lady. I missed her so much while I was away (8 full days), but she was in good hands with her daddy! Really, he was super dad and did such a great job holding down the fort while I was away. I had an amazing day yesterday spending time with Josh and Lucy and catching up on everything that happened over the past week. She is just the best birthday present I could ask for...

And look who is taking a few steps here and there!!

Last night we celebrated with family and close friends at mom's house! I wish I would have taken more pics, but here are a few that were snapped...

For my birthday, Josh gave me landscaping! I know that sounds so romantic...but it's really what I wanted! I've been wanting our back yard landscaped since the boys ripped out the decking a few years ago. Josh was so sweet and saved all the money he made from designing a website to give me this...

This area is really shaded so grass will not grow there. Eventually, we'll put playground mulch down when Lucy is old enough for a play set....

I love how everything turned out...it makes our little backyard look so much better! Thank you Josh!! A HUGE thanks to all of my family and friends who made me feel so loved and celebrated yesterday!! I am tremendously blessed and love you all! So long to my twenties...hello THIRTY!!!!!!!!

11 months...

Hello 11 months!!! How can it be?! This month was full of changes and a few rough days, but all in all it was another amazing month with our precious baby girl!

Lucy sleep schedule is still the same. Wake up between 7:30/7:45am. Morning nap from 10am-11:30am. Afternoon nap from 2:30pm-4pm. Down for bed at 8am. We are so thankful that she is a good sleeper!

She is still eating 4 times a day. Bottle/breakfast right when she wakes up, bottle/lunch after her morning nap, bottle/snack after her afternoon nap and dinner around 6:30/7pm, followed by a bottle right before bedtime. She drinks about 6oz of formula each time she gets a bottle. She will not take baby food anymore. This started about 3 weeks ago right after I just restocked our pantry with tons of baby food, of course! She is great at eating table food and she will eat just about anything we put in front of her. She is a pretty consistent eater, but some meals are better than others. She usually eats the most/best at dinner time. Blueberries, strawberries, grapes, bananas, cheese, green beans, turkey, chicken and black beans are some of her favorite foods. She moans when she is eating something she really likes...it's pretty funny! Sister girl likes her groceries!

Lucy cut 2 new teeth this month....1 on top and 1 on bottom. She now has 4 on the top and 3 on the bottom. She is wearing size 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

She is a fast little crawler now and can stand/balance on her own. She took her first steps on the evening of October 16th at G and Pops' house. She took 4 consecutive steps twice that evening. Granny and Grandad (Lucy's great grandparents) were there too....everyone when nuts when she did it! It was so much fun! I'm sure we'll have a walker soon! She loves to cruise along the couch and ottomans, push her walker around the house and she can walk pretty fast when we are holding her hands. Lucy LOVES when Josh and I play chase with her...it totally cracks her up and gets her so excited! Lucy does not like to fall. When she falls, she totally loses it...whether it hurt or not. I think it just scares her. So, because of this, she is very cautious and it can take her a little while to warm up to new surroundings. She is also still not a big fan of loud noises or loud people...again, she will lose it if something/someone is too loud for her sensitive little ears...for example, the eruption that occurred when she took her first steps!! :)

Lucy learned how to give five (albeit with closed hands) this month...it's too cute! She still waves and claps all of the time. The first thing she does when I wake her up in the morning is wave to Chloe and Kaci...she loves her puppy dogs! She also learned how to drink from a straw this month. She was quite proud of herself when she figured this out....and now all she wants to do is drink from my cup! Lucy can say: Hi, Uh Oh, Aggie, Dog, Ball, Dadda and Momma. When she wants something, she'll point to it and say ah, ah, ah. Lucy thoroughly enjoys opening and closing cabinet doors and drawers...I think it's time to finally get our house baby proofed!

Lucy's little personality has really started to come out! When she likes or doesn't like something, she will definitely let you know! Yikes...typical girl, I guess?! She can be shy/hesitant around new people, but eventually she will warm up to them. She is normally very happy, but we've had several rough days this month with small tantrums and moodiness. She also had a rough week or so with the hand, foot and mouth virus. I didn't realize she had this until I finally took her to the doctor a few weeks ago (because I was about to lose my mind) and found out she had painful ulcers in her mouth! Poor girl! And now we're dealing with allergies and a sinus infection. Hopefully we'll be back to normal soon!

Happy 11 months Lucy Kate! What an honor it is to be your mommy. You are my delight and fill my life with so much JOY! Know that you are deeply loved, sweet one! Let the 1st birthday party planning begin....

These monthly photo shoots are getting harder and harder now that Lucy is mobile!

Lucy's first school project...

Lucy (and I) had a school assignment to decorate a pink butterfly. Lucy decided she wanted her butterfly to have a little texture, so we got out the tissue paper this afternoon and starting shredding! Lucy really had a great time....it kept her entertained for about 15 minutes!

The paci was essential for this project so the tissue paper didn't go in the mouth!

Lucy recently started standing on her own!
Even Chloe joined in on the fun...

Our finished product! Isn't it beautiful?!

Sippin' from a straw...

Lucy figured out how to drink from a straw this afternoon! I think she drank more water today than she ever has. Her clothes were soaked, but at least we had some fun! She likes to chew on the end of it too...just like her momma!

{There is water in that cup...not Diet Dr. Pepper. Promise.}

Hugs (Hits) and Kisses from Eleanor...

Carnival Bust...

We were really excited to go to the St. Ann's Carnival this afternoon with The Rectors....however, it was quite the bust. It was way too hot outside for the girls and the petting zoo (which was the only activity we could really do with babies) wasn't open yet, so we didn't last long! Next year will hopefully be more successful when the girls are a little older...and we'll definitely go at night!

My two favorite little ladies...

Checking out the animals...

And, we're done...

She can't sleep without her bear...

{She doesn't really sleep with bear in her crib....but she probably would if I let her!}

Sleeping beauty...

Baby girl was sleeping hard when I went to wake her up from her morning nap. So peaceful...and such a sweet reminder of God's goodness. I could watch her sleep forever...

First Day of "School"...

Today we officially started our new schedule for the fall! I'm now working on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a little from home when needed on Wednesdays and Fridays (since returning from maternity leave in January, I've been working 3 days a week in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays). While I'm at work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lucy will be at my mother-in-law's preschool in the baby class from 9am-2pm. We hired an awesome nanny who will pick Lucy up from school at 2pm and bring her to our house for her afternoon nap and stay with her until Josh or I get home at 5pm. It really is a great set-up! Change is definitely a good thing, but it can be hard. I was a little anxious this morning, but Lucy did GREAT when I dropped her off! She didn't shed one tear when I left...and neither did I! She napped and ate well at school and she did wonderful with Kaylyn this afternoon. I know it will take a couple of weeks for us all to adjust to our new routine, but I think it's going to work out really well. And I'm so excited that I get one more day at home with Lucy!

A+ student right here! :)

I didn't have my flash on when we got to school, so none of the pictures I took of Lucy and her teachers turned out...bummer!

Fun with friends...

We had a fun filled day with friends on Saturday! Jamie, William, Liz and Reed came over for an afternoon play date. The last time the three of us were together at my house, I shared the news that we were expecting. Now, all three of us have babies! Things sure have changed since our high school days!

William Womack (7 mo) | Lucy (10 mo) | Reed Griffin (4 mo)

Sorry Josh Womack...but, how cute does your son look?! :)

After church on Saturday night, the Simmons came over to hang out...Lucy and Owen had a great time playing together!