Well Hello Dr. Ferber! Wait, Weren't You Just Here?

Ok, so our fantastic trip to Seattle last week was not without collateral damage. First of all, we all got sick (thanks Aunt Alison!). Second, Lucia's body clock was all out of whack which meant erratic naps and frequent night wakings. Drat. That's ok, after a week of letting her night nurse (she was sick and we're softies) Dr. Ferber came back for the weekend and now all is right again. Since I have failed to upload the video from Alison's graduation, you'll have to settle for some Lucy cuteness instead. Sorry Al. Also, if you can't make it out in the picture, Lucy's t-shirt says "If I'm Not Happy, Nobody's Happy" which couldn't be more true.

A PhD, a JD and Boatload of Expectation...

Just kidding Lucia. You can be whatever you want to be... so long as you promise to take care of your moms in our dotage. Enough about me, this post is all about Aunt Alison's amazing accomplishment! This weekend brought us to Seattle once again - this time to celebrate the culmination of Alison's 43 years of post-grad study. On Saturday she was awarded her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington with a specialty in something to do with kids and stuff (guess who does not have her PhD?). Lucia was an absolute rock star throughout the entire 2+ hour ceremony and didn't cry once - not even a peep! I suppose that makes up for her lousy flight out to Seattle (Mama Mer flew with her solo, so I guess that means Lucy missed me??). Anyway, we had great visit - albeit a short one - and Lucia just loved spending time with Aunt Alison, Uncle Brendan, Aunt Julie and Uncle Sean. Once I figure out how to upload Alison's speech from our video camera, I'll be sure to post it so you can all marvel at what a poised, whip-smart, funny and over all wonderful person our lil Alison has become. Jeez, I sound like I've hit my dotage now.

P.S. Do you know how to keep a lawyer from talking? Lucy does :-)

For Lucia, Dinner is a Contact Sport...

In order to truly appreciate the beauty(?) of this photo, click on it to enlarge the image and see if you can guess what Lucia had for dinner tonight. If you said Cheerios, a teething biscuit, sweet potatoes and a piece of Mama Mer's burnt hot dog bun, give yourself a high-five champ! Not to sound like a broken record, but this girl loves her food. I mean, realllllly loves her food. Even the non-edible monkey variety.

We're gearing up for another cross-country trip to Seattle at the end of the week, so here's hoping she stays this cheerful out there. Hm, what are the chances??

Scarface and The Perp...

Lucia received an unpleasant lesson in physics on Friday. For those of you who can't recall your high school science, Newton's third law of motion states: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Well, Lucy found out that by grabbing a cat's fur, yes, the cat will in fact grab back... or in this case swat. Where was Mama Fran you may ask? She was watching with amusement as her daughter explored the world around her. Clearly, when Lucy got to the cat my reaction time was a bit off. From the other room Meredith heard, "Oh no" then a Lucy whimper, then a Lucy scream. I tried to get a picture of the aftermath, but it didn't photograph well (which is good, since it's only a tiny surface scratch). At any rate, I thought this pic of her looked menacing - "Yeah, I have a scratch on my face. Whatcha lookin' at??"

The name of the perpetrator will remain out of the press for now... but here's an anonymous head shot of the perp in question.

BBQs and Buddies - The Essence of Memorial Day Weekend

Lucia had a very full dance card during her first Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday she went to Connecticut to meet her friend Annie (seen here in matching outfits) who is the daughter of our dear friend Jessica (aka Schindler). Annie is only 10 days older than Lucia, yet as you can see by the photos - if these two were boxers, Lucia would be fighting in the heavyweight division... not that there's anything wrong with that honey. Schindler's parents hosted an amazing BBQ complete with lobster, steak and key lime pie. It was the perfect way to kick off a 3-day weekend. Then on Sunday Lucia was kind enough to let her moms socialize at another BBQ with some local pals - a rare and wonderful occurrence. And on Monday, Lucia played host to her own BBQ with her friend Miles coming to pay a visit.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Lucia was in a GREAT mood and loved being out and about. She is turning into quite the social butterfly. If I do nothing else right as a parent, and let's face it - it's entirely possible... I hope to teach Lucia that the company of good friends and grilled meat are two of the greatest gifts on earth.

What, Me Worry?

Of course not. The only thing Lucia has to worry about is which adoring grandparent will spoil her more. In the grand scheme of things, not a bad problem to have. Today's video clips feature Lucia's grandmothers (Nonne and Mimi respectively) teaching her about the finer things in life - music and food. Who is luckier than this kid??

They Laugh Alike, They Walk Alike...

Is there anything better than cousins? Something closer than a friend, but not as close (and therefore not as pesky) as a sibling. Lucia is very fortunate to have two wonderful cousins - Anthony (2 yrs.) and Brianna (5 months) - with whom she will no doubt conspire to torture her parents. For now though, they are all sweet and innocent and helpful. Watch how Anthony graciously offers to teach Lucia and Brianna the ABCs (more or less).