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

2nd Quarterly Love note to Lucia



Hello my little monkey! Happy 6 Months! I call you "monkey" now because you grab, move and discover like a curious George and, sometimes, it gets you into trouble where you end up in tears. But Hey! that's Okay... its all part of learning...



May marked the end of Mommy's school year and by then we were really in the habit of taking long walks everyday after I got home from work! Until, one morning I left to go on a hike with Liam, Mae and Aunt Melissa when I fell down and hurt my legs! I got stitches in one knee and sprained my other foot! So that was the end of that for awhile. We are just starting to brave the steamy hot and humid summer air of Iowa for a few walks a week. You sit quietly. I never know what you're doing because you sit up looking out on the world while I fret to make sure the sun isn't beating down on your little eyes and bald head.

I had my first night of worry with you the night after you received your four month vaccinations. You spiked a fever that night and looked like you were feeling miserable. I stayed up with a lump in my throat while you slept it off and nursed like a good baby. It didn't take long for you to heal and before I knew it you started flipping and rolling over during tummy time! You couldn't crawl where you wanted to go but you got there with your new "rolling" technique. You were so dead set on becoming increasingly independent that you even started grabbing your pacifier with your hand and putting it in your mouth. You are so savvy with that Binky now that you pull it out, switch hands with it, chew on the handle, then turn it around to suck on it all by yourself.

I noticed you were just all smiles all the time and you really recognized people (esp. Grandma Obert) in May. You would strain your neck to see those you love and even today you do everything in your power to get their attention.You also finally go to meet your Aunt Kim. You took to her instantaneously. You love her drawling southern accent and sweet smiles. She was very happy to meet you too! Since then the two of you have gotten to visit a few more times.

The biggest May event was your 2nd cousin's, Liz, wedding. Daddy, you and I packed up with Grandma and Grandpa Obert and headed off to Cincinnati, Ohio! It was your first long car ride and you had Mommy and Daddy to keep you company the whole way there and back. You met all your extended Wuenneman and Obert family! Everyone thought you were a sweet baby and you even got a few moments with your Great Aunt Marsha who lives in California and to dance with Daddy and Mommy before falling asleep in your car seat. We covered you with a blanket from your Aunt Marsha and hid you under the table in attempt to ward off some of the loud music while we enjoyed the rest of the evening. We stayed at your Great Uncle Bernie's in his camping RV. That was perfect because G-ma and G-pa Obert just pulled theirs right up behind it and we had our own little Corral! We woke up as early as we wanted and sat outside drinking coffee that G-pa Ob. had made in their RV! Uncle Bernie also made a famous Wuennemann breakfast complete with Goetta and Biscuits 'n' Gravy. Soon, baby you will be old enough to enjoy a Wuennamann breakfast too!

This trip was also an opportunity for you to meet your Great Grandmother! She held you while we took a four generation of women portrait. You are the only daughter of mine (so far) and I am the only daughter of your Grandma Obert who is the only daughter of your Great Grandma- pretty special! Your Great Grandma is one of a set of triplets (three girls). That means somewhere in there it runs in the family so "Watch out!".



You really turned into a summer party animal when June kicked in. You are so playful. You started sticking tongue out at Daddy to get a rise out of him. Today, you figured out that if you stick your tongue out at people and it makes them laugh. You have since expanded your attention seeking behavior to blowing raspberries (which I dutifully mop up your spit from), clicking your tongue and blowing an occasional kiss.

I suppose you picked up that people needed a little cheering up that month because in June our dear hometown of Iowa City was plagued with flooding. You're Grandma Olson lives in Cedar Rapids and they seemed to get the worst of it. So we all buckled down. Your neighbor friend Randy went sandbagging. Daddy spent extra time trying to get to work on I80. You and I holed up again just like the storms of February and weathered it until things improved. As soon as the highways reopened you and I packed up and headed for Cedar Falls to lift a small amount of burden from our city's resources.


We returned just in time for you to attend your first birthday Party! You met all of Liam's friends and family. Birthday party's are exhausting, however, and you soon decided you had enough and I tried soothing you from all the excitement. I have since noticed that you are easily swept away with excitement making you hyper and fussy. You value and need your quiet time. While you are able to sleep with the television going and people talking you are so much happier when your day is broken up by calm quiet times.


When you wake up - IT IS TIME TO MOVE. In June you whipped through all the stages of crawling. At first you were scooting your self around with your feet. Then you would do this move that I called your "Kneeling Triangle" Yoga pose. Where you would be on all fours and lift your arm up and then turn your head to look up at your hand. Little did I know that was in preparation for the use of your arms. One day after doing "Triangle" you set that arm down on the ground then put the other one in front of it and you were crawling!


You crawled your way right into July. I didn't know that babies could crawl before they could sit up but you did. Not to worry, though. Because you sat up soon enough this month. And as if all that wasn't enough- you have already started pulling yourself up to standing. Then just today you took your first self-supported steps in your pack 'n' play. I'm beginning to think you're moving much too quickly on these milestones. Nonetheless, you are focused, determined, and single minded when you have set a goal. Looking at you when you are moving around on the floor, I can tell that you love to work on things and are very motivated. You get that from your Daddy. You do like to take breaks and when you do it is usually spent sucking on your own toes. Something I marvel at this display of awesome flexibility that you are exercising so well at the moment!

It was this month of July that you also began eating your solids- rice cereal, squash, tastes of what ever mommy will share (like ice cream, Popsicles, Gelato, yogurt, mashed potatoes), and we are on sweet potatoes at the moment. I meant to do a week of oatmeal but I forgot and started in on the potatoes. You are also doing so well drinking from a sippy cup and you can even suck water from a straw after a little reacquainting yourself with the mechanism each time. I was surprised and impressed as I watched you close your little lips around that straw and suck in the water. How do you figure these things out so quickly?

Mommy and Daddy really whooped it up for Fourth of July this year. I guess we were just ready and excited to show off our beautiful girl and happy home to friends and neighbors. It was lots of fun and you spent time with Grandmas and Grandpas. They came to watch you come down the street in the "Shamrock Drive Fourth of July Bike and Stroller Parade." Grandma Obert pointed out that next year someone should explain the difference between a parade and a race because those kiddos lapped us and zoomed by as we "strolled" down the street.

You also had your first profession portrait taken at JCPenny. You were SUCH a good girl and smiled and tried to tolerate all the over stimulation and being rushed. Mommy also got a fever and stomach flu that day so it was extra tough on us. While Mommy has suffered from all her ailments you have managed to stay healthy. Other than your clogged tear duct, gas and allergies, you remain a strong and hardy little bugger.

We don't cuddle like we did your first three months. You even sleep in your crib now without a blink of an eyelash from you! It was time and I think we both sleep sounder because of it. You were just to "mobile" to stay in the co-sleeper anymore. Your temperament, personality, curiosity, and sense of humor is really starting to bloom. I'm just happy to be along for the ride and enjoy watching you develop.

While it was harder on Mommy and Daddy's pocketbooks I'm glad I was able to spend this time with you this summer. I might have missed all these milestones you accomplished this month. Maybe that's why you blew through them so quickly so that I wouldn't miss them before my return to work next month. Anyway, I loved seeing it and I love you. We have more readjustments ahead of us with teething, going back to work, and running after a baby who is 8 months old and walking around getting into things. Although, part of me knows it's going to be hard and exhausting another part of me can't wait!

You are a very special sweet girl. My sweet Lucia.

love,
Your Mommy (through thick and thin)

1st Quarterly Love note to Lucia -

(3 Months Old)

We moved to Shamrock Dr. when I was one month pregnant with you. Your Grandma Olson started bringing barrel loads of Kent's musty old memorabilia to our home. I stared and stared at those pictures and studied each report card and award as if I was looking into what kind of person you might become. Daddy hung all his old swim warm up suits in your closet in case someday you might need them to swim in. After all, they already say Olson on the back.

I labored long into the night of January 28th, 2008 and on into January 29th. Daddy got us to the hospital just in time for you to be born. Your Aunt Sara was on-call all night to help Mommy labor. Your Aunt Genevieve and her were at the hospital within moments of your birth to welcome you. You burst into the world promptly on your due date with vigor and purpose and that was to feed and grow strong and healthy. That you did, baby. You amazed us all with your neck and back that was holding you up within your first couple of weeks. You spoiled Mommy and Daddy with how agreeable you were to breastfeeding and sleeping without a fuss the whole first month! Your smile can easily and I can't remember a time when you didn't recognize your mommy and daddy's voice and turn to look for us.

We became three and settled into family life full of all the love and warmth possible during that brutal month of February and late January with all it's ice storms and snow-ins. We simply didn't leave the house and cuddled up together.

Your Grandma Obert managed to make it here despite the whether and she got to know you and cooked for us for a nice amount of time. When she left we all felt it had gone too fast. She loved singing, "Strut Miss Lucy" to you "all day long." Grandpa Obert poked you in the chest with his big thick Obert finger when he say you and you actually smiled at him when he did that after only being alive for one week. Your Grandpa Olson was excited to meet his "Miss Obedelilah," as he had decided on this name for you already. He wasn't comfortable holding you until you were about two months old but you were each very curious of each other. Grandma Olson thought how delicate you were and how precious life is when she looked at you.

Your Uncle JR visited you EVERY possible opportunity those first few weeks. We were all so curious to know, "Who is she? What is she like?". He held you and you made us laugh with your "googly eyes" faces. JR mused that he makes us go googly for him. You certainly knew how to make some very unladylike faces and sounds. You snort, fart and burp with the best and worst of them. You snort the most when you are angry or hungry. You also head-banged the first month when you wanted to eat which seemed like always. Daddy was proud of your headbanging as he is an avid metal music fan. The rest of the Iowa City Family came every change they could get to see you and could NOT wait for their chance to hold you and get to know you.

I really came to love our cuddle naps. I worried Daddy when we started falling asleep together during feeding times. Now he's used to it. I love our mornings when you have just finished a morning meal and Daddy turns over and the three of us just curl into each other smiling and adoring with kisses for everyone.

Its true you are your daddy's little girl. When you are busting out with a screamfest Daddy just looks at you and says, "What's the matter Mini-me?". He identifies with your plight. Sometime around 6 weeks it became apparent that things were getting more complicated. The stress of your new digestive system was catching up to all of us especially while Mommy got more comfortable eating unhealthily. However, it was manageable and we even went and visited your Uncle Chris' family in Seattle. We did great. We were there five days and you and your cousin Madeleine were very curious of each other. You both worked hard to keep up with us grown ups as we carted you off to parks, zoos, restaurants, shops, and had parties. One of those mornings you and I just hid away in our room to catch up on rest and feeding.

The ride home was much more difficult as we were without your Grandma Obert who has been helping us the entire trip. You did great but something happened to Mommy when we got home. I came down with a very bad fever and my knee gave out. You cried very hard as if you knew things weren't right. Our feeding situation was altered which changed your habits of feeding and we embarked on a rocky patch. Its getting better and I became very stealth about switching out your pacifier for me when you least suspected it and that seems to work. Daddy suggested I just pump and that we go to bottle but I'm not ready to give up that special bonding time with you. It's too important to me and I hope for you as well right now and I'm suspicious of the instant gratification of the bottle. So while we were getting more and more sleep during the nighttime before our big trip and my return to work it seems we have backpedaled a bit in that department. Nonetheless, I was willing to tough it out until things turned around. And turn around they did. I read in a book that you were engaging in a "nursing strike". It ended gradually and today you nurse with the same enthusiasm as the day you were born.

I went back to work a few weeks ago and I was worried that I would miss you too much but it seems to be a positive for both of us. We get a break from one another, you get to know Daddy on a more one on one basis and our next door neighbor, Cindy, comes and watches you for a couple of hours everyday. She's such a great and willing sitter and was even available to sit with you one evening as well! You love her and you coo and smile at her voice. Between you and me, Lucia, your Daddy has thrived since your birth. I say this without a smidge of jealousy, "You have taught him the meaning of Love," without a doubt. He cares for you like no other person and I think through that love he has learned to bring his love of life and himself to a new and greater level. I love watching you two- those eyes, the shape of your head, the shape of your mouths- mirror images. I'm glad for it and prayed you would look like your daddy. He looks at you proudly and says, "You love your Daddy? Yeah... Daddy takes care of you."

It was Daddy who recognized first how much you love to stand up. During those "colic weeks" we tried everything to help soothe you during difficult times. I started "bicycling" your legs. I found that sometimes its what you need to toot out those annoying gas bubbles. Grandma Obert thinks that its all of that bicycling that made your legs so strong for now all you ever want to do is stand. Today you bicycle your own legs and toot with comfort and ease. No one can sit you down because you pop right up into the standing position. You have to stand and look around at everything. There will be no loafing or dilly-dallying on your clock. You even like to be waddled across the floor while you practice stepping and jumping off the floor. Mommy went ahead and bought you a jumper. For a time, we put you in it and you are swimming in it and your toes barely touch the ground. We put towels in to steady you and you enjoy just hanging out for small amounts of time in the standing position. Today you really bop around in there and like it most of all. Daddy says standing is your, "Off button."

All this while, you have been suffering from conjunctivitis in the tear duct (not the eye itself). The doctor's thought it was just your clogged tear duct and that it would resolve itself but after almost three months of it I finally had to put my foot down about a more aggressive therapy or approach then wiping your eyes and hoping for the best. So everyday we massage the sides of your little nose and wipe your eye with a warm damp washcloth and I administer eye drops twice a day. I'm anxious for a morning when I'm not sad to find your eye half or entirely glued shut. You smile and endure our fussing over your eye but I'm sorry for picking on you all the same.

You love your hands and intensely shove them in your mouth and suck away at them. Sometimes I don't catch you in time and you gag yourself. That makes Mommy laugh. You like sucking your hands so much that you try to shove your hands in even when I'm nursing you. That frustrates you and me both. Its just like you to try to complicate matters!

You amaze me day after day. You started singing "Each of us is a flower" with me by matching my pitch when I sing "Suuuuunnnn shining over me!", "Mooooooon cool me with your night" I often break out laughing when you do this and you stop and give me your flirty eyes and raise your eyebrows at me when I do this. That just makes me laugh harder.

Cabbage Patch dolls were my favorite toy when I was a little girl. I would wrap them up tight in blankets and put them to sleep. Little did I know I could put this into such good use as a mother. Every night at 8 pm you fuss only to be wrapped up and put in bed. Within moments you are snoozing away. I also didn't know that my own little girl would also have a cute round outie bellybutton just like a living Cabbage Patch doll. However, Lucia, I promise to be a lot nicer of a Mommy to you than I was to my dolls. I'm afraid that Eldon and the bunch may have had some harsher punishment as part of Katy Obert's 8 year old Cabbage Patch Family.

I love walking outside with you in your stroller. When we go for our walks you either sleep, talk with me and smile at me or look on silently. My favorite is when you reach out and hold onto the sides of the stroller like you are on your throne. When you do that I march and declare (when no one is around), "All hail Queen Lucia! She is Queen of all her domain! Make way for Queen Lucia!" You think that is hilarious.

This letter is to you Lucia but it is published for all the world to see and is etched into the lining of cyberspace. Perhaps, someday when you least expect it you will be able to pull it up along with what I hope to be a quarterly report of each year of your life for many years to come. Mommy is infamous for starting projects and leaving them to the wind but I know that if there is one thing in my life that will rejuvenate and regenerate with each moment we share it is my love and interest in every moment of your life. I'm fascinated by each flicker of expression that comes over your face and don't want to miss a moment of it. You have captured and melted my heart and the heart of many since that fateful blizzard day in January. Thank you for forcing your way into this world. You are the best and happiest thing in my world.

I love you forever,

Mommy