Lucy's First "No"

Lucy said "no" for the first time last night.  She had been getting closer and closer with "nee-o, nee-o, nee-o" for the past week or so.



But last night, when I said, "Lucy, come here,"  it was clear and distinct: No!



I thought maybe she was just saying random things?  I convinced myself she wasn't actually saying it in a defiant way.  So I said again, "Lucy, come here."

No!  Followed by happy flapping of her arms and a big grin in my direction.



If you can believe it, I actually repeated this twice more before I finally gave in to the realization: it has begun.  The dread of the coming defiant tantrums and the squeaky cuteness of that little word occurred to me simultaneously, and I somewhat reluctantly proceeded with the necessary correcting/discipline.

As apprehensive as I feel about the coming verbal opposition, it's exciting that she's developing normally into a little kid and beginning to see herself as separate from us - with a will of her own.  And for the first time I glimpse a little hint, from a parent's perspective, of why God would make a people who could choose to love Him or not.  

Colorado Vacation: Part 2

On day 5, we went on a hayride after dinner and roasted marshmallows.

 

We had a little rain that night, but not much. 



The YMCA camp here does a great job with hayrides, but unfortunately it was past Lucy's bedtime, so juggling her extremes of emotion proved to be difficult and frustrating.  



We've gone on a few more hikes since last post.  A small group of us hiked up the mountain where our Cabin is, and it was steep but fun.



Lucy was a pretty good sport.  I had her on the way up, and Daniel carried her on the way down. 



And the view up there was nice.



There's a new park here that is perfect for Lucy.



She loved the swings and kept signing "more" - which was particularly cool to see, because she hasn't signed "more" in a long time, and I was beginning to think she'd forgotten it.



One of the nicest things to do here is to sit on the front porch and watch the hummingbirds.  They are just incredible, and around dusk there are usually 7-8 that cluster around this feeder. 



And when it rains, it's so nice to sit on the porch and watch the drops and hear the thunder up in the mountains.  It's really soothing.



I was glad we got a group photo after Heidi and Dave got here, before Thomas and the Woodwards left.  I thought this one was remarkably good, considering the ages and unpredictability of the kids.



Yesterday we hiked to Bierstadt Lake, and it was a hike.  Switchbacks all the way up in the full sun meant sore legs for me and sunburn for Lucy, but not too much.  Her skin looks pretty normal this morning. 



Bierstadt lake was really pretty and placid.  I think we hiked it back in 2005, too.



I don't usually remember the hikes very well - only the places where we paused to take photos.  Other than the photo ops, the hikes usually seem pretty similar to me.



Daniel carried Lucy on the way home...



...And (bless his soul) changed her diaper when we got to the bottom.  We were both beat.

We're planning a pony ride for Lucy this next week, so I'm hoping she likes that... or at least doesn't hate it.  We'll see.  Miss you, Carrie!! 

Colorado Vacation: Part 1

Okay, trip pictures - here we go!



We began our trip on Friday evening around 7 PM and drove 6 hours to Amarillo.  Lucy woke up every 5-10 minutes to cry, because she hates the car.

But other than that, it was a nice drive.  Turning the car seat to be front-facing helped a little.  A very little.



The next day we left our hotel to see Cadilac Ranch, a really odd sort of landmark in Texas.  I don't really understand the aesthetic... it's a lot of old cars stuck in the ground with spray paint all over them.  But it gets a fair amount of traffic, so either the oddity or the aesthetic must appeal to a lot of people.



Then we  drove several more hours to Dalhart, TX, where there's this charming little park with a merry-go-round and lots of other fun things that are no longer allowed where we live.



I mean, I can see lots of ways to injure yourself on a merry-go-round, but it's sad to think of a whole generation that will never get to play on one.  They were such fun... and such efficient, valuable teachers of centrifugal motion and centripetal force. 



We had a picnic lunch and very much enjoyed not being in the car.



Lucy loves food.



That evening we arrived in Colorado Springs and enjoyed a night at Glen Eyrie, which is a beautiful castle and the headquarters of the Navigators.  We took about a million maternity photos, some of which I already posted.

The next day we finished our journey and arrived at Estes Park.  We are staying in this awesome cabin with a huge wrap-around porch on the 2nd floor.  The weather is gorgeous here, and it's so peaceful outside.



We "hiked" around Sprague lake yesterday and then had a cook-out picnic for dinner.

 

Keeping Lucy from eating the dirt proved to be more difficult than I anticipated, so we took turns holding her.



Papa was so fun.



You have to be prepared for anything when you hold a baby this age - especially an adrenaline junkie like Lucy.



And yesterday we hiked (it was actually a pretty difficult hike) Alberta Falls.



Lucy doesn't like being in the baby pack (shocker, I know).



So after a while, we got her out and put her in the wrap... which was slightly more acceptable to her... but only slightly.



She's sort of a bad sport when it comes to being restricted to a seat, even when the surroundings (by my estimation) should be captivating to her little mind.  What can you do.



I hope she becomes a little more flexible, for her own sake and for ours... but especially ours, because it's miserable riding in the car with her.



So much so that when we've gotten stopped in the national park for construction hold-ups, I've taken to letting her out of her car seat.    



And those are days 1-5 of our vacation!  Will post more photos in a few days...

Maternity Photos for Baby Elliot

Hello from Colorado!



I said I wouldn't post until after we got back from Colorado, but that's a long time when you are in India without your family (miss you, Carrie) - so I'll try to post a few times from here :).



We took some maternity photos at Glen Eyrie, which is a beautiful castle that the Navigators (a non-profit Christian organization) owns in Colorado Springs.



We decided for sure--Lucy's little brother's name is Elliot Simon!  We like it a lot.  If you don't like it, please be kind enough to keep your comments to yourself, because we've quite decided.



The trip is going well, so far.  We took 3 days to come up here, and Lucy was pretty rough in the car.  But we're here at the cabin now (photos to come), and Lucy's slowly adapting to being on vacation.



 

Rough Couple Days and Lucy at Bedtime

I can only now appreciate the pain poor Lucy must have been in last Thursday. 

 

On Sunday afternoon, I came down with the same stomach bug she had. 



And then at about 5 AM the next morning, Daniel started with it, too. 



Wowsa it was a doozy.  I wish it had waited until I was home from work to start, but I suppose I wouldn't have known to be grateful, even if it had. 



Anyways, big thanks to my MIL Becky for whisking Lucy away yesterday, so that Daniel and I could get some much needed rest. 



We are much better now. 



And we are counting the days until our long-awaited vacation to Colorado!  Halleluiah for beating the Texas August heat.



The only things left on the to-do list before we go are to pack, take up all of the flooring in the living room and hallway, and take up the flooring in the 4th bedroom.



No problem.

 

I love Lucy in these jammies.  Daniel does, too.  She looks so old in them.



She still thinks pretending to lick toes is the funniest thing.



...Err... usually she pretends.  Sometimes she makes contact, and then she gets a real reaction.



I probably won't post again until after we get back from Colorado.  So, happy August!  Texans, I hope you stay inside and cool.  Others - be thankful you are not in Texas, because it is 100 deg F at 8PM tonight.  And that's cooler than it was last night at 9 PM, when it was still 104 deg F. 



I'll write again in September! :)