Quarterly Love note to my Lucia #3 (Belated-Your nine month marker was on October 29th):

I can only faintly remember a time when we brought you home that happy pink sleepy infant. Today seem to be more toddler than you are an infant. When I wrote the last note I think you had started crawling. Today you walk and talk. Why do you want to grow old so fast, little girl? Momma want more time just cuddling you- warm and soft in my arms.
There are so many wonderful things to enjoy about you these days, however, Lucia. For one, you have SUCH personality. You are always looking for ways to get a reaction from Daddy and I. You look at us, give us your best Jack Nicholson eyebrow raise and grin, then start in with something that makes us come running to prevent certain peril. You are too smart.
Let's review August. In August, I took you to the Iowa State Fair with Miss Cindy and Miss Lindsey from next door. YOU LOVED IT. You loved it mostly for all the animals. You are not afraid of an animal to save your life. I get images of vicious dogs and snarling hogs ready to gobble you up and you giggling and tottling up to them. Let's see... You sat on a horse, you pet pigs, lambs, bunnies, kitties, and of course doggies. You love to subject any defenseless creature to your iron like fisted grip on their unsuspecting fur. You usually send them running yelping away as you sit laughing. I suppose that has something to do with loving to get a reaction out of people. I wonder where you got that from... hmmmm....
August also brought upon your first visit with the Arizona Oberts. Although we didn't spend much time with your Aunt and Uncle as they were very busy with Uncle Mike's class reunion we did get to spend a whole evening with your cousins, Patrick and Aaron. You think they are just great and Patrick is a real ham. He loved goofing off and you love watching him. It was very nice getting your picture with your Aunt and Uncle. I now have a photograph of you as a baby with all your closest family members!
Developmentally speaking, August was filled with laughter, eating solid foods and you started really "cruising" around that time. Sometime in this quarter I know you really started talking. You now can say, "Mama", "More," "Ah'dah' (all done)", "Hi", "Da Da," "Duck" and "Dog"(not to mention you love barking like a dog). You love your rubber duckie mostly because you chew on it's head. September was when you took your real first step without holding onto anything. Today you are up to 5-8 steps before you go boom on your bottom.
In September, Momma was back to work. We went to all the homecoming parades. It was fun watching you clap and bounce to the marching bands. Again, you were not afraid of the loud noises at all. I think it was after one of these parades that your Aunt Melissa gave your first taste of sweet candy... A bit of sour pail kid (do I have that name right?). It was high payback time as I used to feed their Baby Liam ice cream all the time to get him to love me. It works like a charm. September was filled with all kinds of adventuring on farms. You picked apples at least 3 times in September and were able to pet more horses. The weather was awesome and you ate lots of organic in season baby food that Mommy made for you. There were squash, apples, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. Every so often we would go for a walk with your Aunt Genevieve and visit the Public Library and watch Josh play on the downtown playground equipment. We tried to get out whenever we could and felt up to it.
I love to play games, tickle you and watch you crack up. We play a variety of games that you love such as "You're mine!". You crawl away as fast as you can and I grab you and drag you back to me yelling, "You're mine! My Baby!". You think that is great. When I let you get away you turn around and look at me as if to say, "Hey! Where did you go?!" You love patty cake and will start up a game of it either by clapping yourself or by grabbing Mommy's hands and making me clap. Another favorite is tossing you, throwing you or bobbing you up and down or side to side in any manner. You love to play rough. Again, you have no fear.
As we tried to make the house look a little festive for Halloween this year you were a bit "unsure" about a few decorations. Grandma Obert gave us some spooky voice activated or touch activated things that took some getting used to. A witch that cackled sent you grabbing onto me and a couple of singing frogs. You were Okay with the tenor frog but when the littler bass frog sang you cried a bit. Some other things you are not happy about are the vacuum cleaner and our "spot bot" (it's a carpet washer). You scurry away from them like you are running for your life. You can really crawl fast! Secretly, I do enjoy watching you startle from the noise of these contraptions. It's not often that I see that expression from you.
You went trick-or-treating for the first time in a Monkey costume. It was fun but a little stressful on Mommy. Daddy had to work that night and we procrastinated pumpkin carving until that very night. You stayed awake for all the fun. No one had told me that taking kids trick-or-treating was a husbands sport. I was the only Momma in the bunch of the "Shamrock kids". So essentially the cuteness of you was really lost on those guys, they didn't see why you were out there if you couldn't eat the candy and they were really looking for a reason to cajole and enjoy their "walk-tails". We stopped short and got a visit from Aunt Genevieve and Josh. Josh was wearing an Elmo costume and Gen was a pirate. It was very sweet of them to come all the way out to the east side to see you dressed up for Halloween.
Well Lucia, despite what I said about missing the tiny baby you, I'm just beaming with pride that you are who you are. It is the day after elections and, more than ever, I am optimistic about your future. In some ways, I'm jealous that you have the world spread out before you and anything is possible. You are so smart, strong, and hearty. I love watching you take on all your challenges with the single-mindedness of your father mixed with the easy-goingness of your Mom. Its a wonderful combination to be determined but not frustrated when you don't get it perfectly right the first few goes. You just enjoy the trip. Keep enjoying and trying Lucia. You inspire me in so many ways.
Love, Mommy