Two months!

Girlfriend is growing big and strong, weighing in at 12 lbs 10 oz (90th %) and measuring 24.25 inches (97th %)! Here, on the morning of her 2nd month birthday, she happily wears her "monkey suit" and matching monkey shoes (thanks Kim and Mannie and Lucas)! Click on the pic if you want to see the monkeys up close. I know you can't see the shoes, but trust us, they are adorable.

A visit from Grandpa this past week was a special treat for all three of us. Lucy enjoyed his funny faces, his attempts at stealing her sugar, and a bottle feeding from an old (if rusty) pro. This next photo is called "spit bubbles for grandpa" and it demonstrates one of Lucy's recent favorite tricks.
So, about the first week of school and childcare. We really have a great arrangement. Mom is staying home Tuesdays and Thursdays (and trying to get some work done during naps) and Dad is staying home on Fridays (trying to get some naps done during naps). This leaves only Monday and Wednesday for the sitter. Chris was a librarian at Creighton with Nathan, but is currently staying at home with her now 20 month old, Ruby. Chris and Matt and Ruby are great friends, and we are so so lucky that Chris and Ruby are willing and able to help us out with Lucy this semester. After a bumpy start with Lucy not wanting to take the bottle from Chris (despite weeks of practice taking it from Nathan), everyone seems to have settled in. Chris is an excellent mom and Ruby likes having Baby Lucy around. Although there were a few tears on Tuesday during the 2.5 hour "dry run" (more from Sheri than Lucy), we seem to be adjusting to the arrangement.

Truth be told, Sheri thought it was nice to be at work and starting classes and feeling kind of "normal" again. But it was also hard to know that someone else was caring for Lucy, even though we love and trust Chris completely. Other working moms just smile and say, "yep--that's how it is, get used to it." And we think we're going to be fine. Although we complain about the fact that the U.S. has such paltry (unpaid) parental leave compared to many European countries that pay parents to stay home for a year or two, we know that we have it good by U.S. standards. Lots of working moms have to drop their babies off at a daycare center at 7am and pick them up at 6pm five days a week, so we are extremely fortunate to have worked out a part time schedule for Lucy's first six months. We've been on the waiting list for Creighton's highly regarded daycare center since before Sheri was pregnant, and are told there's a good chance Lucy can get in by January. We're keeping our fingers crossed for that, but in the meantime are just trying to appreciate our current situation.

We don't want Lucy to "forget" about her bottle skills during her days with Sheri, so we try to get some extra practice in now and then. Here's Grandpa taking his turn:
These last few pics are Sheri's attempts at artistry. Below, Lucy shows off another skill she's been working hard at since birth:
Luckily, she was on Sheri's lap and the camera was in reach when she managed to get that confounded thumb in her mouth and keep it there for more than 3 seconds. Her fingers, fists, and thumbs usually flail about despite her persistant attempts to get them in her mouth and make them stay there. She's getting better and better at it lately. Our little girl is growing up ; )

This final picture is one of Sheri's new favorites and another attempt at artistry. We'll call it "My two sweeties enjoying a Saturday morning snooze": Hope everyone is doing well. Come see us soon!