Lucy-is-ums

What a month we have had!  Lucy had croup earlier this month with a fever for a week and a cough for over two.  The fever and cough got worse at night, so we had many sleepless nights of rough coughing and reading stories in the bathroom with the shower running on hot so Lucy could benefit from the steam.  Our bathroom counter looked like a chemistry lab with every natural cold remedy known to me lined up from honey to vitamin D, probiotics, fish oil, apple cider vinegar for foot soaks, homeopathic cough syrups, tea and tons of Kleenex.  During Lucy's sickness she became addicted to watching TV and her favorites included Dora, Clifford and Sesame Street.  Now that she is better, Lucy is having a hard time with 'healthy' TV limits.  This is new for us, as before Lucy was sick she really didn't mind TV and had no problem turning it off herself or turning it off when she was asked.  It seems we have entered a whole new phase that I'm guessing will be here to stay.

Lucy has discovered feelings this month.  Maybe this was triggered by her sickness, but either way she has become very descriptive of her moods.  The other day she woke up and told me, "Mom, I feel cranky."  And boy was she right!  She also will whine and tell us several times a day, "I want to watch Clifford...because I'm so sad!"  Or, when we agree to let her watch Clifford, "I'm so cited!!"   Even better, the other day Lucy was standing on her tiptoes, peering out of the window and told me, "Mom, I'm just so happy."  When I asked her why, she told me, "Because it snowed!"  But probably the pinnacle of her new found understanding of feelings is how she understands feelings in others now too.  When Will and I were having an emotional moment about Luke, Lucy went and got me a Kleenex and while she was wiping my face she sweetly asked me, "Mom, do you want some candy to make you feel better?"

Along with Lucy's expanded emotional vocabulary she has also become quite knowledgeable about time.  The days of the week are used in her conversations as are minutes and hours.  When asked if she would like to go to the park she now responds, "Um, I might be busy.  How about Friday?"  The other day Will asked her to hold his hand while we crossed a parking lot and she responded, "I can't Dad, my hands are busy."  She even has included dates, times and appointments into her conversations about Simone.  "Mom, I can't go to the library on Tuesday because Simone has an appointment at 9:30."  When it is time to get ready to go somewhere, Lucy will tell me in a sad voice, "I can't go mom.  Simone is sick.  I have to stay with her so she won't be lonely."
 
I made Lucy a baby carrier for her dolls this past month.  I was going to give it to her for Christmas but well, I got tired of carrying a doll every time we went somewhere.  I mean, my hands are full enough with a baby, a toddler and all of their accessories.  The baby carrier is working out nicely.

Now when we go for walks or hikes, Lucy has her baby in her carrier, and I have Emma in mine.  The picture below is a replica of what it looks like when I go shopping.  Just picture the doll Babsie who is in the carrier as Emma, and the doll Huggums who is in the shopping cart as Lucy.  Oh, and picture Lucy as me, but with shoes on.

Lucy is still talking about her imaginary friend.  In last month's blog post I misspoke about his name and called him Hevnah.  I will make another attempt to write it, but it is hard to get the proper spelling from someone who according to Lucy, "lives far away.  You have to go on a plane to be there in heaven, at school."  His name is Heinkon and the other day Lucy refused to let me get her out of her car seat when we arrived home because Heinkon was coming for her.  I was at a loss on how to respond to this so I left her there for a while.  When I came back I asked her if she was still waiting on Heinkon and she told me that "he's still at school mom.  You better get me out."  Heinkon alternates between being her brother and her friend.  Fortunately she has a real life sister to play with, and the two of them play very nicely together still.  I am bracing myself for the day Emma has an opinion about Lucy taking her toys away, but until then, I am enjoying their sweet interactions.  I found them the other day playing together in our office closet.

Favorite Lucy-isms this month include:
-When asked a question she will respond, "I can't know" whether she knows the answer or not.
-She calls a bean bag chair a "bean bang" chair
-When trying really hard to do something like carrying a heavy object she will say, "All my might!"
-When she is begging for something she wants, she will say "but I want it so badly!"
-When I warned her about wiping snot in her eye and how it could cause pink eye, she got super excited and started jumping up and down saying, "I want a pink eye!  I want a pink eye!"  So then I told her that I was joking about pink eye, and that actually her eye would turn the color of snot and she stopped.
-When Lucy was baking with me she asked if she could put the "poke of salt in it."  It took me a moment to realize she was talking about a "pinch of salt."
-Lucy loves a song she calls "Dancing Queen" and begs us to watch it on YouTube.  It took several days before we figured out she was talking about "Come on Eileen."  She watches the Dexy's Midnight Runners version and even dances with her hands behind her back just like them.
-Lucy has entered the WHY stage.  For everything she now asks WHY.  If you have any tips on how to end a 'why' conversation, please let me know.
-The other day Will was washing Lucy up without his shirt on.  Lucy looked at his chest and said sweetly, "Dad, I like your boobs!  I've never seen that color before!"
-When I was at the chiropractor's laying on my back getting an adjustment Lucy came over to me and started unbuttoning my shirt.  When I brushed her hands off she kept opening the buttons.  Finally, I asked her what she was doing and she told me, "Mom, let's get some air in there."

Below is a picture of Lucy on Will's shoulders at our annual downtown Christmas lighting ceremony.  It was cold, rainy and way too crowded, but Lucy had a blast.

It is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas!