Luella!

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-12-14T16:49:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving at Uncle George's

We celebrated Turkey Day at my uncle George's house this year with friends and family. It really is my very favorite holiday. Lu gave the mashed potatoes and green beans two thumbs up, but was not a fan of the turkey, the brisket, the squash dressing, or anything else... until we got to dessert! Her sweet tooth is not indulged very often, which is probably a good thing. She was a major cookie monster!

Lu's a mover and a shaker these days. She's walking everywhere and getting into everything, and her favorite place to be at almost all times is outside. She's begun to test limits and throw mini tantrums when she doesn't get her way (recently - having to come inside, not drawing on the walls, not getting to go outside). So far, the tantrums are brief and she's easy to redirect, but if this gets worse I am NOT looking forward to the terrible twos.

Please can I go outside??

She's also adding words and signs to her repertoire faster than we can keep up! Her sign vocabulary - more, please, sleep, hungry, bird, water, nurse, again, diaper.. and words? Well, I'll have to start making a list. There are many many.

One last note - we went to the doc for her 15-month checkup and she's still quite petite (3-10th% for height and weight) but in great health and hitting her milestones in stride. We have much to be thankful for indeed.

After her morning smoothie

More photos coming soon as soon as I have time to download from my camera - including the next yellow chair pic!

Boo! ...and please stay on the trails, sir!

2010-11-05T13:21:00.000-04:00

Lu was a Park Ranger for Halloween! Not to be outdone (although he was - he really had no chance), Allen was a moose! As a park visitor, I rounded up our trio. I know, either I love my work tremendously or it's removed all of my ability to think creatively and come up with other costume ideas!! I hope it's the former, but suspect it might be a little of both! We'll see next year. The good news is that I've got 12 months to plan.

Now - don't be totally distracted by the cuteness of the Halloween costume. There is something else I want to tell you. So be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the most exciting news of all...

Lu's walking! It's been in the works for several weeks now, as she's been cruising for a while and took her first few steps shortly after her 13-month birthday. But it's now official. She's motoring. We're doomed.

Beach Trip and My Favorite Lu Picture Yet

2010-11-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

We took a quick weekend trip Port Aransas a few weeks ago, and it was good for all our souls. Lu wasn't sure how she felt about the sand at first, but once we demonstrated how to use a shovel she decided that beaches are A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Same thing with the waves - they were on her maybe list until we started jumping over the crests. Then, F-U-N.

Luella's Week

2010-11-03T12:37:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, Allen takes care of Luella most weekdays, and he's great about sending me phone pics of their adventures. I thought I'd share some of them with you.

Monday mornings Allen and Lu head to the Austin Children's Museum. It's a super fun space (so I hear) full of interactive exhibits. And on Mondays from 9-noon, it is open only for the 3-and-under crowd! Storytelling, singing, and adventures...

Monday afternoons our nanny/babysitter Christine and her daughter Hazel come over. Lu and Hazel are totally besties.

Tuesday morning Allen and Lu head to Little Gym to play on balance beams and parallel bars. Oh, and to catch bubbles. That's really the highlight. (This pics is not from his phone, but from the time I played hooky to join them!)

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are much less structured but include another visit from C & H, and usually heading out to visit friends. Or making new friends.

Or climbing on the Greenbelt.

Or giving pat-pats to the neighbor's cat.

And then sometimes they just dress up like pirates and play at home.

13-Month Yellow Chair

2010-09-25T21:43:00.004-04:00

Glacier NP

2010-09-23T14:43:00.011-04:00

Mid-September meetings at Glacier National Park. I couldn't bear to leave Lu for the second week in a row, and so my Mom and Dad came along. The weather was a bit chilly (we were there the week before everything shut down for the winter) but Lu had an amazing time playing in the main room at Lake McDonald Lodge, going on hikes, and checking out the totem pole. I think my Mom and Dad might have had a decent time as well.

One Year

2010-09-05T23:06:00.003-04:00

Luella-Lu-Lulu-Bitty-Baby Bug,

A few weeks ago you turned one year old. While you were quite fussy on your actual birthday (teething? dislike of party dresses? who knows) you have made this already very special year a total delight.

So very very much has happened - you've been so many places (from the Pacific to the Atlantic and many stops in between) and met so many people, and been unbelievably happy through most of it. Like, super happy - so much so that it's often the first thing that people comment on when they meet you. Well, that or your beautiful blue eyes. You got those from your Daddy, and probably your extroverted personality as well. You're very silly, and so curious about other people - especially babies and kids. In fact, your favorite toys these days are your baby dolls, which was kind of a surprise to me (come on, what about the cool sock-topus?) but it's awesome to watch your imagination at work when you play.

We've been back in Texas for just over a month now, and you're digging the new house and the big yard. Most importantly, you're now sleeping in your own bed in your own room! This, my love, is progress, even if your dad or I have to come and snuggle you in the wee hours of the morning most nights. I'm not complaining - you're a great snuggler, and I know that I'll be sad when one day you don't need that comfort anymore.

You're also talking up a storm now - you've been saying Mama and Buddy and Baby for a while, but you've recently added Dada, something that sounds sort of like Ranger, and Turtle! (yes, Turtle!)

You have revolutionized our lives, really and truly. You are amazing, and already the most incredible person I've ever met. Happy Birthday.

Love,
Mama

New Masthead

2010-08-06T01:52:00.001-04:00

A note about the beautiful pic in the masthead - this was taken by Bax, my so-artistic-but-doesn't-even-know it brother. More pics from this fun evening and more on flickr.

Eleven

2010-08-06T01:05:00.004-04:00

Without further ado, here's the pic you've all been waiting for... Happy belated 11-month birthday, Lu!

You can find her nine month photo here, seven month photo here, five month photo here, her three month photo here, and her one month photo here.

Newness!

2010-08-04T23:43:00.001-04:00

I am very very happy with the house renovations. Most of all I love the new kitchen, complete with a fancy new dryer. Cute baby not included, in case you're thinking about ordering your own.

First Swim, First Boat Ride

2010-08-03T14:08:00.001-04:00

Another stop on the way to Austin was our favorite little lake in the whole wide world, Club Lake. As we suspected, Lu is a full fledged water baby! She also loved helping Poppa steer the boat.

4 Generations

2010-08-02T13:05:00.000-04:00

So much to tell you about Austin - we're so happy to be back home! AND I know I need to get Lu's 11-month yellow chair pic uploaded. However, you'll have to wait for another post.

On our way down to Austin, we stopped off in Dallas to see family, including my grandmother, Nancyma. She has followed Lu's progress closely, as she was also 4 lbs, 9 oz when she was born! Looks like Lu is following in her tiny footsteps. This pic of Nancyma, Mom, Lu and myself is very special to me.

Movin'

2010-07-22T15:32:00.002-04:00

We've made it to Austin, and we're still in the process of unpacking, but I thought I'd take the time to post a quick photo update. The last few weeks in Knoxville were full of fun (and a few sad goodbyes) - the most exciting thing was that Lu started crawling the week before we left!

Lu is much more interested in moving than anything else these days.


We went swinging for the first time and she LOVED it.

We played in the sprinkler at Noah's house.

We ate and drank at some of our favorite restaurants.

And visited our beloved Market Square farmer's market one last time.

Placeholder, for now

2010-07-15T14:44:00.000-04:00

We're in Texas, on our way to Austin, and I have so many things to post about once we settle in. Lu started crawling last week, she's saying Baby, Mama, and Buddy (well, Buh Buh)... She's pointing and clapping and "putting it in the bucket." She's trying to be a big kid and take just one nap a day... and of course, she's finally a Texas resident!!

More posts and pics coming soon, I promise. And maybe even a video if I can get my act together.

World Cup Fever

2010-07-01T12:48:00.000-04:00

Even though the US has been knocked out, World Cup fever is still alive and well at Casa de McFincher. I'm not sure if all of the soccer games she's been exposed to over the past three weeks will contribute to Lu's love of the game or a pavlovian response when she hears "Goooooaaalll!"

This pic was taken during the last minutes of the US-Ghana game on Saturday. As you might expect, Lu was having a much better time than Allen by this point.

22 Flights!

2010-06-26T00:32:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to note for posterity's sake that Allen and I calculated the total number of flights that Lu's been on in her 10 months... the flight on Thursday from DC to Knoxville brought the total to 22! Wowsers.

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

After 10 days of travel to Maine, DC, and back, we are TIRED! Lu and Allen crashed out for a long afternoon nap today. We're glad to be back home, but are gearing up for the next adventure - the move back to Austin!!

Summering in Maine

2010-06-23T23:14:00.003-04:00

I had work meetings in Acadia National Park last week, and naturally, I brought my entourage. We had a blast playing on the rocks, taking evening strolls along the coast, hiking, and biking. On Saturday, Allen met up with his former climbing partner, who lives in Portland these days, for a bit o' Down East trad climbing.

We rented bikes and went on an awesome bike ride on Sunday morning - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! - with an old friend from grad school who we randomly ran into in Bar Harbor. Lu really enjoyed her spacious trailer, and was particularly fond of going downhill very fast!

One last note - as is apparently her habit, Lu's next pair of teeth finally made their way out into the world (of her mouth, at least) while we were in Maine! I'm trying to get a pic of all four chompers, but haven't been able to swing it yet.

Post-nap wiggles

2010-06-14T02:05:00.001-04:00

Lu's not crawling yet, but she's rolling like a log and scooting around and backwards to wherever she wants to go. This video captures her wiggles post-nap as well as a bit of a tour of the house we're about to leave:

Upside-down

2010-06-10T01:04:00.001-04:00

Lu LOVES to look at the world upside-down. She is constantly arching her back, craning her neck, or otherwise contorting her body to change her view of any room. I'm not exactly sure what this says about what kind of person she'll be, but I suspect she'll be pretty interesting.

This one's for you, Victor...

2010-06-08T01:08:00.000-04:00

So Allen built this thing in one of our doorways that is meant to help his fingers get stronger so he can climb harder routes. I think Lu's going to sprint right by her old man once her strength to weight ratio is a bit more balanced.

Visits!

2010-06-05T00:46:00.002-04:00

As is evidenced by the fact that I'm just getting around to updating the blog, the end of May and beginning of June were C-R-A-Z-Y times at Casa de McFincher. I had to take my first week-long sans-Lu trip in May in order to attend a work retreat at Yellowstone NP. It was so very hard to be away, but the bison, grizzly bear, wolves, and more all helped me feel a bit better. (Pics from my trip here.) While it wasn't easy for Lu and Allen, my mom came up and helped, which made things much much more bearable. This pic was taken the day after I returned.

Then, just a week after I got back, Allen had to head to Austin to attend the tryouts for the soccer club where he'll be coaching again when we return in July. His mom was already up in Knoxville for the Destination Imagination global finals, and she stayed for an additional week to watch Lu while I was at work and help in general!

Lu had a wonderful time playing with both grandmothers. We are so very very lucky that we have such wonderful families. I'm so glad that we are able to spend time with them now, and am looking forward to more visits when we're back in Texas.

A Sad Goodbye

2010-05-28T19:00:00.003-04:00

Lu's bestest friend in the whole world, Ilan, is moving to Copenhagen by way of North Carolina. We said goodbye to Ilan and his parents Noa and JP today, but are taking "next year in Jerusalem" literally and are planning to meet them in Israel later this year! This pic of the two pals was taken by JP at one of Allen's soccer games a few weeks ago.

9 Months Old!!

2010-05-23T12:33:00.001-04:00

Time for another yellow chair pic!!

You can find her seven month photo here, five month photo here, her three month photo here, and her one month photo here.

Big Mouth Luella

2010-05-14T11:08:00.001-04:00

When we were in Austin for Smithers and Joy's wedding, we ran into Marcia Ball's son, who mentioned that his mother had a song about a girl named Luella. He cautioned us that it might not be the most flattering song... Marcia was inspired to write it when she found the phrase "Why'd you go and tell Luella?" written in the margin of an old hymnal.

We looked it up on YouTube this morning, and it's fantastic!

Happy belated Mother's Day!

2010-05-12T00:17:00.002-04:00

We celebrated Mother's Day with giddy excitement last year while Lu was still in my belly, but this was my first official Mother's Day, and it was fantastic. Ben Sollee just happened to be playing an outdoor show in Knoxville (for real! the timing was incredible!) so we went and Lu not only stayed awake for but enjoyed the whole show! And we went to say thanks afterwards, and she was quite keen to touch his cello... here's hoping that she wants to play it - a lot - for me - in a few years.

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my mom for never really understanding how important Mother's Day is. I know, I know, it's a holiday dreamed up by the greeting card industry, but man oh man! All gifts, cards, flowers, etc aside, it's wonderful to have a day that recognizes what a great thing it is to be a mama. And it's truly an honor to be Lu's.

First Camping Trip!!

2010-05-05T11:46:00.010-04:00

After our time in Texas, we went on our first camping trip since Lu's arrived. We packed up the car and drove into the mountains of West Virginia to camp at the New River Gorge (an NPS unit, of course!).

Despite a rainy night on Saturday, we had a fantastic time hiking, hanging out with friends, and relaxing in the woods. As always, you can find more photos of Lu's adventures on flickr.

Granddaddy, get better!

2010-05-04T11:35:00.001-04:00

We took an unexpected trip to Texas last week to visit my dad ("Granddaddy" to Lu) in the hospital. Dad was very lucky, and I'm glad that we could be there with him and the rest of my family. I think Lu hugs were the best possible medicine for him.

We hope that he's feeling better and getting healthy so that he can keep up with Lu for years to come! (This sweet pic was taken a few weeks ago when we saw him in Austin under less worrisome circumstances.)

Food issues

2010-04-29T11:22:00.004-04:00

At about the same time that her first teeth made their appearance, Lu began to refuse to be spoon-fed. It was a gradual trend, but one that became a full-blown issue by the end of April. (Apparently this is not unheard of: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/baby-refuses-to-eat-food-with-spoon.htm)

So we tried letting her feed herself the pureed fruits and veggies that she'd so loved just a few weeks earlier - to no avail. We finally discovered that she wanted to eat big kid food all by herself. So we gave in. The purees stayed in the freezer and we now toast bread, roast whole carrots, peel whole pears, slice avocados... and Lu loves it.

We've intermittently been trying to reintroduce the spoon to see if she's interested, and lo and behold, she ate pureed sweet potatoes AND peas last night. The only thing that is predictable about this parenting thing is that it's totally unpredictable.

Travels Part 1: TYS-CLT-AUS-CLT-TYS

2010-04-21T11:30:00.001-04:00

It's been quite a while since we updated - my apologies. Life has been a little crazy, and we're just settling back in. The day after we posted the yellow chair pic, we flew to Austin to attend Smithers and Joy's wonderful wedding. Lu's quite a seasoned traveler by now, but we have to work to keep her entertained on flights.

She loved being at the wedding, but insisted shortly after the ceremony ended that she head home to be tucked in bed. Allen stayed to represent the fam, and I popped out after Lu had gone to sleep (thanks to expert babysitters Victor and Kim) to meet the wedding party for some post-reception shuffleboard at the Horseshoe Lounge.

Aside from wedding festivities, we saw lots of friends and family, and that means lots of hugs for Lu. She charmed everyone, including her uncle Warren, her Grandaddy, and even little Eli! We flew back to Knoxville on Tuesday and snuggled the dogs for a few days before our westward adventure!

Travels Part 2: TYS-CLT-LAS-SFO-CLT-TYS

2010-04-21T10:47:00.027-04:00

(That's Knoxville-Charlotte-Las Vegas-San Francisco-Charlotte-Knoxville for those of you who don't traffic in airport codes)
After our amazing time in Austin (we can't wait to move back) we turned our attention to our next adventures in Las Vegas and San Francisco. My youngest brother Baxter turned 21 on April 3, so my family all congregated in Vegas (on Easter weekend no less) to help him celebrate. Since I had to be in San Francisco for work the next week, we had a "weekend layover" in the brightly-lit desert. (Side note: this was my first trip to Vegas. I don't know how to write about it, other than to say I'm glad I've seen it but I'm not in a hurry to go back.)

I'll admit that I really wanted to get a photo of Lu with an Elvis impersonator, but this one of a slot machine at the airport will have to do. This was taken shortly before the airport casino pit boss booted us out for bringing a young 'un into the den of sin and iniquity.

I know we're not supposed to talk about what happened in Vegas, but the city was notable for Lu because her first tooth popped through while we were there! (Bottom left, I think). She also had her first virus and fever, and let's just say that we went through several changes of sheets and towels. However, Lu was a trooper and we were still able to walk around and be overwhelmed by the sights and sounds.

After our celebratory weekend, Mom and Lu and I flew on to San Francisco, where I had a training all week. We had some amazing meals, and took a little time when my training ended on Thursday to check out Golden Gate park and some beautiful San Fran views. We even rode the cable car!

We woke up early on Friday morning for the cross-country flight home, which I admit I'd been dreading as this 6-hour flight was just the two of us. However, Lu was totally charming, and only got a little fussy for about the last hour.

After that long flight, the leg from Charlotte to Knoxville was a piece of cake. She and I were exhausted - I think we slept almost all day on Saturday! It's been a bit difficult to get her schedule reset to
East Coast time, but we're almost there. We made it back just in time to see the dogwoods in full bloom!

Seven months = time for a new yellow chair pic!

2010-03-24T11:14:00.007-04:00

Lu turned seven months old yesterday!! As you may remember, we're taking yellow chair photos each odd month.

You can find her five month photo here, her three month photo here, and her one month photo here.

Hooray Spring!

2010-03-19T16:02:00.009-04:00

When I was growing up, anytime I was feeling bummed out, my mom's Rx was always "you need some sun on your face." It's true. It's amazing what a little sunshine can do, especially when accompanied by warmer temps.

Last night's sleep wasn't much better than the prior nights, but Spring arrived in full force today and we spent a little time hanging out in the front yard, introducing Luella's bare feet to the tickle of grass. We all feel a million times better.

Sleepless in Knoxville

2010-03-18T13:51:00.018-04:00

As those of you who are my facebook friends may already know, we're currently working on transitioning Lu out of our bed and into her crib for nighttime sleeping. By "working on," I mean specifically that tonight will be night 3 of putting her down in her crib instead of our bed (she's been napping in her crib for more than a month).

The first night she woke up about every hour, and I finally relented and took her into bed with me at 4am. Last night she slept longer for the first stretch (til midnight) but then woke up over and over until I gave into the sleep sirens at 3:30. Both nights, even after I brought her to bed with me, she comfort-nursed on and off until sunrise. (Keep in mind that before this transition, she slept most nights from 8-midnight, nursed, and then slept again until around 6, and was up for the day around 7:30).

My fortitude is wavering, friends. I'm going to try again tonight, and am hoping that she feels a little more comfortable and sleeps longer... but I haven't been this sleep-deprived since the first few months. My productivity at work today was, well, not great. And I might not have been as nice to Allen this morning as I'd like to be.

Do you have suggestions or encouragement? I know that baby sleep is an area of vastly differing opinions, and I'm happy to listen to them all... though you should know that I'm not yet at the point where I'm ready to leave her to cry-it-out.

Here are the things we have been doing (many suggested by friends or sleep books I've read):
- Consistent bedtime routine -bath, massage, story, nurse to sleepy, pat down.
- White noise machine turned on just before sleep, and all night long (helps muffle our old-echoey-house noises while Allen and I are still up).
- If she wakes before midnight - try to pat her back to sleep. If she is crying, pick her up until she stops crying and relaxes, and then put her back down (sleepy but awake) and pat her to sleep.
- If she wakes after midnight - same thing, but may nurse her back to sleep if necessary.
- Using a lovey when snuggling and sleeping.

I want this transition to work - she's starting to scoot around in her sleep more and more. Given that she and I've got substantial travel coming up (and hotel beds with no bed rails) I feel like it would be safer for her if she can sleep in cribs while we're on the road. So - I need your help... or maybe just your sympathy.

And since you've read this far, here's a reward... a photo of the rare and ferocious Rolypolynx Lulu-zardius:

Rise and Shine

2010-03-16T13:21:00.000-04:00

Any of you who have been around Lu for at least a day know that she may be at her most delightful when she wakes up - she's happy, excited to engage, and very silly. (I stress the "may" in the last sentence, because she's really delightful 99% of the time).

Last weekend, Allen was out of town and she and I had a girls weekend. These photos were taken just after she woke up from her morning nap.

She's our little sweet potato

2010-03-15T15:58:00.002-04:00

Most of the excitement of the past month has revolved around the introduction of solid foods and the cup (which Lu loves even more than food). So far, her favorites (other than water) are pears and sweet potatoes. Avocados, bananas and peas are tied for a distant third, and rice cereal is dead last (oatmeal, on the other hand, gets two thumbs up). Here are a few choice pics (note the sweet potato smeared into the eyebrows in the second one):

Seasoned traveler

2010-03-14T13:35:00.000-04:00

Lu accompanied me to DC again last week - and Honey Gayle (aka Marsha) met us there to play with Lu while I was at work!

I took this photo during storytime, just before bed.

Good news and bad news

2010-02-25T12:35:00.009-05:00

Lu's 6 month well visit was today and we got good news and bad news!

Good news first: she's growing like a weed, and has finally made it out of the "Low" (meaning, off the bottom of the charts) percentile for length! She's now longer than 17% of her baby peers. Boo-ya! While we'd love her more than anything in the world no matter how big or small she is, it's good to know that her milk-monster-ness is paying off.

...and that brings us to the bad news. You may have noticed that Lu's seemed a bit pale in recent photos. Apparently her rapid growth (combined with her tiny start) depleted her iron stores early and she's a bit anemic. Well, more than a little bit. We're now on a mission to pump her [iron] up through continuing to breastfeed, supplements, fortified cereals, and high-iron foods like sweet potatoes and butternut squash (and meat in a month or so). We head back in 6 weeks for a retest, and hopefully she'll be back up to code by then.

Lu and Ilan

2010-02-24T17:21:00.002-05:00

I think we've posted photos of all of Lu's friends (at least, those in Knoxville) on the blog, except Ilan. Here are Lu and Ilan during brunch on Sunday with their proud papas.

Happy 6-Month Birthday, Lu!

2010-02-23T14:16:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that it's been 6 months already! On Saturday Luella and I took advantage of a sunny day and went to one of Allen's soccer games.

Sunday was a fun day as well - we had brunch/baby play date with some friends and then took a long walk at the park.

Lu's been significantly more fussy and wakeful (at night) the last few days... I think she may be getting a half-birthday tooth very soon!

Te Amo

2010-02-14T15:30:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! Lu loves you!

Yum yum!

2010-02-13T23:09:00.004-05:00

After a couple of weeks of Luella deploying her best sad puppy dog eyes every time Allen and I ate anything, we decided that it was time to try solid food... though I'm not quite sure it's accurate to call it solid. We started just over a week ago with brown rice cereal, and have since added in bananas. She seems to enjoy the bites of yumminess, but definitely prefers to help us with the spoon.

Next up: sweet potatoes!! Mom's favorite!

Brunch + Babies

2010-02-09T21:00:00.003-05:00

Though we love love love going to Sunday brunch at the Tomato Head, Luella wanted to invite all of her pals over to our house last Sunday so that they had more time to hang out and roll around. She invited Elise, Ilan, and Noah (and their parents, so Allen and I didn't get too bored).

We munched on breakfast tacos and let the little ones check each other out. Ilan was recovering from a nasty cold and was unable to make it, but Lu, Elise, and Noah had a blast. Elise is just 5 days younger than Lu, and it was super cool to watch them discover each other.

Exciting Events

2010-01-31T23:31:00.009-05:00

We've had lots of excitement over the past week...

First, Honey Gayle (Allen's mom) arrived on Wednesday, and Lu had a wonderful time playing and snuggling with her until she left on Friday. It's really nice to have an extra set of hands around - especially hands that love Lu and Lu loves. We can't wait to get back to Texas so that we can see family more often.

Luella unveiled a new trick just for Honey Gayle - sitting up! She can't do it for a tremendously long time, but she's able to sit for a little less than a minute before she topples over. She's pretty excited about it too, and gets more stable every time we practice.

And finally, Honey Gayle made it out just in time to miss a big(ish) snow - we got about 4-5 inches this weekend! Lu wasn't really interested in playing, so we made a quick snow angel and did a snow photo shoot. Will have to do until her little hands are big enough to make snowballs!

Happy Lu!

2010-01-24T16:31:00.001-05:00

This picture just makes me smile...

1,2,3,4, FIVE!

2010-01-23T20:19:00.004-05:00

We've decided to make the chair photo an odd-month tradition, and little Lulu turned five months old today! She's getting more and more charming with every day that goes by, and spent the week in DC smiling and flirting with everyone she met. She's rolling over both ways now and still talking up a storm (that is, when she's not slobbering all over whatever is in her hands... or just her hands). We're totally crazy about her.

This being-a-parent-thing is AWESOME!

DC Part Deux

2010-01-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

I headed to DC again this week for work, but Allen was unable to go. So Muffy (my mom) met us there and had a great time (I think) taking care of Luella and seeing a few sights. We had such a good time that we forgot to take pictures, so this one from our trip home over Christmas will have to do. Thanks again, mom! Lu and I both had a great time with you.

Visitors

2010-01-18T16:03:00.001-05:00

My brother Victor and sister-in-law Kim (aka Rainbow) brought a little sunshine our way this weekend! We had a great time showing them around Knoxville and climbing at the Obed. Luella enjoyed the extra snuggles as well!

Luella and Noah

2010-01-13T16:48:00.003-05:00

New Year, New Toys!

2010-01-12T11:05:00.000-05:00

Playing Catch-Up

2010-01-11T20:05:00.004-05:00

I am aware that it has been a very very long time since we’ve posted. To be honest, at this point I’m so overwhelmed by how much we've done (and therefore have to tell you), dear reader, that I don’t know where to begin. However, I’m sitting in the airport in Philadelphia waiting for my flight to board, so I’ve decided to bite the bullet and dive in. I think the best approach is to give you a rundown of all of our activities since I last wrote, and post a few pictures a day for the next few days. Remember, you can find more Luella pics on her flickr page!

We visited Hot Springs Arkansas and drank from the springs! The family – dogs included – walked the Grand Promenade and beautiful Bathhouse Row!
Luella started laughing! Wow! This is a really exciting milestone. We haven’t found something yet that makes her laugh every time we do it so we spend A LOT of time these days making ridiculous faces and noises, hoping to tickle her funnybone!
We visited Denver and Golden, Colorado and drank yummy microbrews! We didn’t get to do much besides our personalized tour of Golden (thanks, Cyndi!) because I was working so much, but it was great to see the Rocky Mountains and dream about skiing!
We visited awesome friends in awesome Austin and ate tacos tacos tacos! We celebrated Allen’s 33rd birthday with great pals, lonestar, and moonlight climbing (climbing was Allen and Victor only)!
We spent a lovely Christmas with our families in Greenville and Dallas, where Luella was the belle of the ball! It was fun to introduce her to family she hadn’t met yet, and she’s got some exciting new favorite toys!
Luella had her 4 month checkup – she’s still growing rapidly and is now up to the 24th percentile in weight (12 lbs, 10 oz). She’s still a short little munchkin (3rd percentile), but has grown 5 inches since she was born!
Luella had her first cold. It was very mild, but it totally disrupted her sleep schedule. Well, that, and the crazy travel and social schedule of the prior two weeks. Oops! This pic was taken when she was sick and we were worried.
We had friends over for a New Year’s Day brunch and Luella hung with cute boys Noah and Ilan.
Allen travelled to Pasadena, California to meet up with my brothers and support the Horns in the BCS National Championship game!
I took my first work trip sans Luella - today, to Philadelphia and back in one day! I think we both survived, though it was no fun at all being so far away.

That’s all my sleep-deprived brain can think of right now. I’ll post more as I remember it, and keep watching for photos!

Bigger Lu!

2009-12-11T15:40:00.004-05:00

Today, and then twelve weeks ago (on Sept 21).
Wowsers!

Little Bit of Trash Talking

2009-12-09T15:02:00.006-05:00

I have no idea where my daughter gets her filthy mouth... must be her mother.

What is that smell?

2009-12-08T09:47:00.006-05:00

Luella's diaper? Nope. That is the scent of liberty and freedom! Last week, Luella and I accompanied Kristen to our nation's capital for her work. We hung out with numerous friends and saw the D.C. sights. Luella traveled very well - Kristen and I, however, looked like obvious rookies. We'll get better. The three of us will get another shot as we travel to Denver - again for Kristen's work - next week. Wish us luck.

Lu's Been Elfed!

2009-12-07T20:47:00.005-05:00

I know this is soooo three Christmases ago, but I couldn't stop myself. Cute? Yes. Creepy? A little... Happy Holidays, y'all!

Rock and Roll

2009-11-27T19:05:00.003-05:00

This is the first video upload. Better than nothing. The videos will get better. Sit tight.

SquidBjorn

2009-11-19T09:50:00.005-05:00

By and large, the damp/grey/cold wintry weather has arrived in Knoxville, but we had a few lovely days last week. We took the opportunity to take Luella and the dogs out to Sequoia Hills, our favorite city park. The sunshine was awesome and Buddy and Ranger had a blast playing in the river and running like mad.

(Technically the Bjorn is supposed to be buttoned down so that the baby's head can't move around but Lu prefers to be able to look around a bit more, so we keep it out, squid-style.)

Mr. Mom

2009-11-17T09:11:00.010-05:00

My maternity leave ended yesterday, and Allen is now in charge of Lu during the day. He's enthusiastic about his new adventure as a stay-at-home dad!

I'm sad that I'll have less time to snuggle and play with Luella, but feel very lucky that we're able to swing a schedule that allows each of us to spend time with her and work. I'm working from 8-4 each day while Allen takes care of her. I'm continuing to breastfeed so I'll pump while I'm at work and we'll have lunch together as often as possible. Allen is still coaching in the evenings and on weekends, so I'm on bedtime duty and weekend care. The trick is finding time that all three of us can be together, but Allen's season is winding down so we'll have at least a month or so of downtime.

And we've been alerted that her adoring public wants more posts and more pics. We'll work on that. In the meantime, enjoy a few new photos of the little one. (She's in the process of rolling over in the third pic. I'm still working on getting the video up, promise)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:20:00.001-04:00

Go Pirates!

2009-10-30T23:23:00.001-04:00

Lu attended her first soccer game tonight! We drove down to south-central Tennessee to watch the Southwestern University Pirates (Allen's alma mater) play against the Sewanee Tigers. The good guys won 2-1! It was great to see head coach Don Gregory and cheer on the team. Lu was a hit and the team decided to bobble-head just like her in the photo.

The Many Faces of Luella

2009-10-29T16:33:00.005-04:00

Grandmothers are getting aggressive about asking for pictures, and the one of poor Lu getting her frenulum clipped just isn't doing it for me. We need to end today with a happier post, so here it is. My beautiful girl.

(P.S. Mom - did you know that if you click on the photo a larger version opens up?)

(P.P.S. For more Luella pics, check out her set on Flickr.)

Frenulum? I hardly knew'em!

2009-10-29T11:36:00.007-04:00

Today was the day that Kristen has been dreading - poor little Luella had her frenulum clipped! For those of you that are unfamiliar with what a frenulum is: it is the oral tissue that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. If it extends too far toward the tip of the tongue it causes a condition referred to as "tongue tie." Being tongue tied can cause difficulty nursing (which we are not really having) and speech problems down the road, not to mention the inability to lick an ice cream cone! After a consultation with a pediatric ENT wherein he pronounced her tongue tie "moderately severe," we decided to go ahead with the procedure while she's still young enough (and the frenulum thin enough) that the clipping is a relatively simple procedure. (Waiting until toddler age or older requires stitches and sometimes general anesthesia)

So, this morning we set the alarm for 5:45 to ensure that Luella was able to get a little nibble before she was forced to fast prior to the procedure. We rolled into the doctor's office at 8:15 and they stuck Lu in a cozy backboard papoose, lifted her tongue, applied a topical anesthetic, and - snippy snippy. Mom opted to sit this out in the hall, so Dad watched and did some creative camera work (sorry for the crappy photog - trying to be like an undercover, investigative reporter). When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, all was fine. After the doc applied pressure to her tongue for 1 minute, Kristen came in and Lu breastfed like a champ. I think that Kristen was more affected by the procedure than little Lulu was. To make sure all was well, Luellabelle and I took momma K-mizz out for ice cream.

"I swear, I swear , I do declare...

2009-10-18T15:13:00.011-04:00

.
... that my first Gourds show was an ass ton of fun," says Lulu.

She got all dudded up in her cute clothes (read: overalls), made sure that she had her noise canceling ear muffs and a little spending money for snacks and what-not. We took the scenic, one hour drive up to Morristown, TN to catch the boys at the Rose Center. It was a rip roaring good time, even though little Lulabelle slept though three-quarters of it - guess the ear protection worked!

Afterwards, Luella Marie demanded to go back and hang with the gents. (Don't you dare call her a Backstage Betty!) As always, they were kind and allowed for a few photo ops. We cannot wait for the Spring - hopefully the sun and our favorite Austin band will return!

Rollin!

2009-10-11T14:14:00.008-04:00

I know I haven't posted yet about our trip back to Texas to introduce Luella to family and attend my brother's wedding (to an amazing gal), but I promise I'll do so soon! I'm waiting for pics from the wedding - we were so caught up in the festivities that we forgot to take our own. Suffice to say we had an amazing time and miss everyone already. I'll write more about the trip sometime in the next few days.

In the meantime, I wanted to post because we've had an exciting week of milestones. On Friday, Luella smiled at me for the first time! She's been very stingy with them since, but it was just beautiful and I can't wait for more.

And today, Luella turned 7 weeks old AND rolled from her stomach to her back during tummy time! This picture was taken just afterwards. Hooray!

And I'm not the only one excited about tummy time - the dogs are totally digging the fact that Luella is spending more time playing on the floor! (Don't worry, they're always supervised, and actually won't even go near her unless we invite them.)

Crazy Hair

2009-09-24T16:50:00.004-04:00

This was taken an hour or so after Luella's bath. Her hair always looks crazy just after being shampooed. It doesn't stay that way for long - the top of her head gets kissed a million times a day, and the fluff gets tamed very quickly.

Her eyes are starting to lighten up, and it looks like she's going to have Allen's blue eyes. They're beautiful!

Little Big

2009-09-22T18:22:00.002-04:00

She may not fit in our living room chairs yet, but Luella is growing up fast! We had our one-month doctor's appointment today, and she now weighs 7 pounds and is 18 and 3/4 inches long!

For those of you who don't like to do math, she's just over 50% heavier than she was four weeks ago! Woohoo!!

Music and Milk

2009-09-10T18:08:00.007-04:00

Luella's music appreciation lessons have officially begun! While we play recorded music for her all the time (her favorite musician is currently Ben Sollee, and we're working on getting posters for the walls of her bassinet) today Allen finally picked up the mandolin for the first time since she joined the outside world. She LOVED it! She sat there, eyes open and totally alert, listening until he finally had to put the mando away and head to work.

Also, she's still eating and sleeping well. In fact, she usually eats so well that nursing sends her into a stupor. She's been making us laugh by pulling away from the breast and falling back onto the pillow to pass out, limbs akimbo. I think she's a bit melodramatic, but the effect is impressive. Note the growing double chin - we hope to have a chubby baby on our hands very soon!

Where's Luella???

2009-09-02T10:34:00.004-04:00

Can anyone find the little bitty in the photo? Don't look too long - might cause seizures.

Sleepyhead

2009-08-31T14:36:00.002-04:00

Home Sweet Home

2009-08-29T13:37:00.003-04:00

Luella's been released from the NICU for good behavior with time served! Now she has to start teaching us how to be her parents!

Thanks again to everyone for all of your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers.

NIC-me? NIC-U!

2009-08-26T13:29:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone,

As most of you know, Little Miss Luella Marie Fincher-McConnell arrived in style early on the morning of Sunday, August 23rd! The birth was all natural, totally amazing, and very fast - we arrived at the hospital at 11:30 on Saturday night and she was born into a pool of relaxing warm water at 2:15 am!

She is beautiful and perfect but very very small - she weighed 4 pounds 9 ounces, and was 17 inches long at birth. After a few hours in the room with us, it became clear that she was not big enough to keep herself warm, and her blood sugar started falling as her body attempted to find fat to warm itself. She was admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at 7 am, and she's been working on getting bigger with a little help for the last few days.

She's made awesome progress - she's no longer on an IV, her isolette (incubator) is getting closer to room temperature, she's breastfeeding like a champ (my milk came in last night), going through diapers like they're going out of style, and they removed her NG tube (for supplemented formula/calories) today! She has also inherited her dad's inability to keep still, and is a strong little wiggleworm already!

Her bilirubin has been high for a couple of days, so she's spending a lot of time under the light, but her levels are falling bit by bit (also earning her her first nickname - LiLu Biliru). We hope to bring her home on Friday or Saturday. We're still in the hospital for now, though it looks like they may discharge me tonight. If that's the case, we'll be spending a lot of time hanging out in the NICU so that we can continue to breastfeed and hold her until she's ready to go.

Allen and I are doing well. It's been a crazy and at times scary ride, but we're feeling really really happy that she's here and really good about her prognosis... and of course a little sleep deprived. We've learned a powerful lesson in taking things one step at a time, recognizing the limits of our control, and at the same time advocating for our little one. We've been helped tremendously by Allen's mom and my parents, who all arrived on Sunday to meet Luella and help us navigate these past few days.

Thanks to everyone who has sent well wishes. We're very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family, and we can't wait to introduce little Luella to you all once we're settled in at home. Please continue to send Luella your good vibes, thoughts and/or prayers.

Visit to Texas and Practice Makes Perfect

2009-07-18T14:06:00.000-04:00

We spent last weekend in Texas visiting with and being showered by dear friends and family. It was great to see everyone, and we're much better prepared for Luella's arrival!

We also got the stroller a few weeks ago from Poppa and Honey Gayle (Fincher grandparents), and the dogs have been learning how to jog with the giant orange machine. Allen's gotten some pretty funny looks when folks realize that he's jogging sans baby.

Sneak Peek

2009-07-05T19:58:00.003-04:00

I've had a few questions about what Luella's nursery will look like. Here's the fabric combo that we're using for all things cottony and soft:

I'll let you in on a silly secret - a few friends of mine have emphasized the importance of having getting-ready-for-bed routines, and I'm already excited about saying goodnight to each of the jungle animals as we put her to bed. Goodnight, Mrs. Hippo! Goodnight, Giraffe! Goodnight, Mr. Lion! Goodnight, Crocodile! ... and so on and so forth. Totally silly, I know.

Last note - for those of you who are curious, it's all Alexander Henry fabric, I got it from Ladybutton Fabrics, and their customer service is amazing!

Coming Soon...

2009-07-02T16:05:00.002-04:00

...around September 5th, to be exact. Look out, world!