Picture this:
You spend your whole life
learning to say no.
And then:
A small human
who looks like you
comes along,
and all that practice?
Yeah, it’s gone.
Out the window.
With the wind.
And you find:
You don’t even care.
Because, truly, who could
say no to that face?
Summer around here is watermelon season.
Lucy approves.
…when we do it together.
These two, y’all. I’ve never seen two creatures more determined to be best friends.
“…then you didn’t say no, Mama.”
Guess I’d better get used to this, huh? (But honestly, it’s fine. Everything in that drawer is plastic. At least, it is now. 😉)
Behold!
A declaration (not so bold):
This girl is
a queen
with or without
a crown.
(But truth be told –
and certainly as seen –
a little
decoration
never hurt anyone,
and is quite clearly
very fun.)
Or so they say. I think practice, more importantly, makes fun, especially when it comes to music. There’s really nothing in the world quite like sitting down with cool people and making good noise.
And y’all, I am so happy and proud to report that Lucy agrees.
A little musician in the making. 😊 My heart is so happy.
(But we never did quite figure out how to play the song we were working on, because Lucy just really needed to strum on the instruments instead. Which, honestly, was so much better.)
Lucy has inherited, it seems, many things from me. My temper, my stubbornness, my curiosity, the shape of my eyes, my sleeping habits. We discover something new every day – some little look or mannerism – and it’s fascinating and funny and wonderful. Most wonderful of all?
Lucy loves music.
Musical toys have always been her favorite.
She’s super intrigued by my dad’s guitar and mandolin.
She likes it when I sing to her.
It’s been so lovely, to share music with my baby. And I knew that when we moved, we’d finally have the space for something I’ve always wanted, something that would bring even more music into our home.
It got here over the weekend.
And, y’all, it’s a big hit.
I am over the moon. Lucy and I agree: This is the best new toy ever.
Today, in the further adventures of Merlin and Weird Hairless Cat –
These two, y’all. They sure do keep us entertained. 😊
The baby likes the nighttime!
But…not really for sleep.
Oh, she’ll catch the occasional wink
and then wake,
like it’s time to play.
And daytime naps?
Well, maybe?
Nah – there’s just too much to do and say,
too many good messes to make.
Yeah, we’re all going a little crazy.
Except, of course, the baby.
I’ll start with the good news, right up front:
As of now, it appears that Lucy is not, in fact, allergic to peanut butter or eggs!
Y’all, I am so relieved. I was ready to hear the opposite news, and ready to make the subsequent lifestyle changes, and I know we would have managed just fine, as many people do. But I’m really glad that we don’t have to do that.
The sort of not great news is this:
The allergist thinks that what we saw was a contact reaction, and Lucy has really sensitive skin.
Apparently, this is quite common in very young children, and he was not concerned. We do need to be careful, though, and until she’s a little older and neater, if we’re feeding eggs, peanut butter, or other allergens or irritants, we should feed them to her, rather than letting her feed herself. (Lucy will NOT like that, but it will be fine.)
The allergy test itself was super interesting. Did you know that these tests have a 50% false positive rate? I didn’t. Or that they are 97% accurate when they come out negative? I didn’t know that either. Lucy actually reacted to everything, even the negative control, but the doctor was able to measure anyway, and was not worried at all. It was very reassuring, and we got some good advice for introducing allergens in the future. (Happy to share, if anyone is interested or curious!)
Lucy did not enjoy the tests, and still has some little marks on her back, but she was back to herself within a few minutes. And today she’s just doing her usual stuff. All’s good here. Just ask the napping people:
So, that’s that for now. And hopefully for good. Being a parent really is a whole new world!
A Virginia Writer's Diary 