Sippy Cup Mess Up

Lucy is in the process of cutting two more teeth (she has one already). While this is very exciting, it is also so trying. Lucy has been a grumpier version of herself and we both feel bad for her and also feel frustrated because there isn't really too much we can do for her. She did really enjoy her first teething biscut yesterday though - it was really yummy and very messy! Last night, Lucy had a rough night. She had trouble falling asleep and kept waking up until around 1:45 when she finally fell asleep in her daddy's arms and then slept through the rest of the night. Poor girl!

In other news... Lucy has been drinking almost all of her formula out of the Nuk trainer sippy cups. They are a little more like a bottle than regular sippy cups and she seems to really enjoy them. Today was the first day we sent her to school with sippy cups - what an exciting step in her development. Well, things didn't go as well as hoped. Apparently, Lucy drank the first sippy cup without issue. When she was given the second cup (around lunchtime) she wasn't so happy, she rejected the cup, tossing it around and crying. After a nap they tried again with the same result, so only yogurt for lunch! Well, then Lucy's teacher decided to use the "back-up bottle" so she would eat. This worked without a hitch. Ms. Steph called to let me know, much to my surprise. Well, it turns out that Ms. Steph was having her lunch when the second cup was given to Lucy and the teacher in the room didn't realize there is a disk between the cup and the nipple, so little Lucy didn't want the cup because no matter how hard she tried, nothing would come out! Brian and I have both done this at home as well, but we figured it out. Sadly, when I gave Lucy a sippy cup for dinner she freaked out, she must have been thinking "oh no, I can't do this again!" With a little help from her momma she realized there was indeed formula in that cup and sucked it down in just minutes! We will try again tomorrow, but I am going to be sure to pack some back-ups so Lucy isn't traumatized two days in a row. Just what a teething girl needed...

The Traveling Burnses - Trip Three (The Final Trip)

Okay, so here it is, the last of segment of the Chronicles of the Traveling Burnses... We cut our Bethany Beach vacation a little short to head on up to Orange County, NY for my high school reunion. Brian, Nana Kathy, Lucy and I left Friday morning for the trip down Memory Lane (well, only memory lane in two of our minds) and to show Brian and Lucy where I grew up. It is hard to believe, but the place really hasn't changed all that much in the past 22 years since we moved! (It was only my 20th reunion, for those who don't know, we moved from NY to DE while I was still in HS, but I took that chance to catch up with old friends). We started out the weekend by heading over to our old house. Our first surprise was that the bridge on Day Road (the main road our cul-de-sac is on) is no longer there and it is all grown over with foilage, so we had to take the long way around. The second surprise was that it was so quiet - when I was young there were kids running around all the time - and there were deer frolicking along the road and running through yards. They have clearly taken over the role we kids had when the place was teeming with kids! Sadly, our old house isn't looking as nice as it once did. The new owners haven't really kept up with things, so it is a little overgrown looking in the yard and somewhat unkempt - good thing we have pictures of how pretty it was when we lived there.

Next we were off to F&J Pizzeria in Washingtonville. I have to say there was no surprise at F&J, the pizza was absolutley delicious! Just the way I remember it being pretty much EVERY Friday night for years and years. Sometimes it is good when things don't change. The town basically looks the same, including my beloved Moffat Library. It is an historic building and we learned on this trip that the windows are real Tiffany Glass.

On Saturday, we had a chance to see some family! John Cahill and Kathy, Tom and Kate Collins came out to meet us since we were so close to their homes. Lucy is pictured up top with Kathy and Kate. It was nice to catch up and Nana Kathy went to lunch with them while the three of us headed over to Washingtonville High School to catch up with some of my old friends and tour the school to check out the new addition. After the tour, we made our way to good old Weir's Ice Cream for an Ice Cream Social. What fun! I must admit, I am not sure that Lucy was all that impressed by what was going on, but that's okay, she is only eight months old!

Saturday night was the reunion - I enjoyed catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a VERY long time and Brian had no trouble finding people to chat with (no surprise there - he is great at that kind of thing). Lucy and Nana stayed at the hotel, it sounds like they had a fun evening playing, laughing and sleeping :-)

I am grateful to Brian and my mom for joining me on this trip down Memory Lane. It was nice to re-connect with long-lost friends and visit some old favorite spots.

This is Moffat Library
one of my favorite places when I was a child...

Brian and Lucy take a rest in the high school auditorium

Lucy is practicing standing at (well on) the podium for all the speeches she will give...

Our Section IX Champion plaque is still hanging in the school lobby - that either means we were really great, or the track team hasn't been as good in the last 20 years...

Here is am with my friend and track-mate Karen
at the Weir's Ice Cream Social.

The Traveling Burnses - Trip Two

So, after a fun trip to Rochester, we came home unpacked and then began packing for our next trip - no rest for the weary! We were headed to South Bethany Beach. We rented a house with plenty of room for the four of us, Nana Jean, Uncle Mark, Aunt Rachael, Collin and Lauren. There was enough floor space for Lauren to show off her crawling style to Lucy and for all of us to stretch out a little. We were a short drive from the beach and boardwalk and had a chance to enjoy sun, sand and some stormy weather too! Luckily each day was sunny and warm, but the evenings brought a few thunderstorms - which was pretty exciting. Lucy was pooped from all the beach fun, so she took lots of naps. Collin made Lucy laugh so hard, big hearty laughs - he is such a comic! Lauren and Lucy had fun playing with someone their own size. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Lucy and Lauren enjoy some beach time under the umbrella!

Listening to the surf - the water was way to cold for little Lucy!

Lauren, Uncle Mark and Aunt Rachael getting their feet wet :-)

Sister Time!

Lauren loves the tissue paper from Collin's birthday packages!

The girls play with the help of their dads...Kenzie, Collin and Nana are patiently waiting for a table at Big Fish, but it was certainly worth the wait...

Birthday Boy Collin lost two teeth in South Bethany - check out that grin!

The Traveling Burnses - Trip One

Hello! I am back to finally add some new posts to the blog. We have been very busy people, so look forward to several posts filled with pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Our recent adventures began with a trip to Rochester, NY for Collin and Lauren's baptism. Lucy was very excited to meet her cousins for the first time, and it was about time!

Here is Lucy with Collin and Lauren soon after our arrival at
Aunt Rachael and Uncle Mark's house. Smiles all around!

Aren't the girls so cute together!

Brian and I were also excited to meet
our pretty little niece Lauren!

Lucy also made sure to have plenty of fun with her Poppa!

Collin and Lauren during the ceremony with their parents and godparents. Yep, Brian is up there too - he's the Godfather.

Aunt Marilyn and Scott are keeping Lucy company!

Back at Uncle Mark's and Aunt Rachael's to celebrate!

Lucy poses with the Klines - Brandon, Stacy and Rich,

Julie,

and Doug!

Lucy really enjoyed meeting her family. She was shrieking with delight and had plenty of smiles to go around. We all had a great time in Rochester and left looking forward to our next visit with Uncle Mark, Aunt Rachael, Collin, Lauren and Nana. You won't have to wait too long to hear about the next visit though... Later in the week we were all headed down to Bethany Beach for vacation! I'll share pictures from that trip in my next post.

Munching Away!

Lucy has been eating solid food for almost two months now. We started her off slowly with just oatmeal and rice in the beginning and didn't introduce fruits and veggies until she was 6 months old. Since then our girl sure has expanded her menu! Lucy now has solid food at breakfast and dinner time. She eats rice, oatmeal and wheat cereal. She also eats lots of different fruits and vegetables. So far the only thing we haven't been sure about is sweet potatoes - she didn't seem wild about them. Lucy likes green beans, peas, carrots, winter squash, avocado, pears, banana, peaches and prunes. Now we are crushing fresh or frozen organic produce in the baby food mill - it is a little chunkier and Lucy seems to like that. She has been eating green beans, a peas & carrot mix, blueberries and banana this way so far. We also have lima beans and asparagus to try soon. Lucy is still a little messy and sometimes spitting is a bit of a problem - well, Lucy thinks it is very funny to spit her food. Mommy & Daddy don't think it is very funny. We are glad that she is eating so well though. She has also tried moistened cheerios, which she seems to like, but hasn't yet really figured out how to pick up and put in her mouth herself. We'll keep practicing. Hopefully she will continue to be such a good eater, it is nice to know she is getting so many good nutritious things to eat. Way to go Lucy!

Lucy & Isabel

This past weekend Lucy and I met Heather and Isabel at Longwood Gardens. I love when we get together at Longwood, it is so nice to just walk around and chat while the two girls ride in their strollers. It is also neat to see how much they have both grown and how similar, yet different, they are.

We walked around the whole outdoor garden area and then found a shady spot so the girls could eat lunch and play. Isabel loves being on her belly - she seemed so happy and content examining the grass and exlporing her surroundings. Lucy, on the other hand, does not enjoy being on her tummy, so I was really excited to have gotten this great picture of both girls on their tummies!

It was fun to watch how the girls interact, they were "talking" and reaching out for each other. I envision a sweet friendship between the girls. Lucy also enjoyed investigating the grass with her hands and, of course, her mouth. We are both looking forward to the next time we get to play with Heather and Isabel!

Miss Independent

Happy Independence Day!

We all had a very busy, and fun, weekend. Brian and I had off on Friday, July 3rd. We took Kenzie and Lucy to Hagley Museum. Believe it or not, in all the years I have lived in the area, this was my first visit to Hagley. We toured the house, gardens and stable area. We really didn't see too much of the powder mill area on this trip, Brian and I intend to go back soon. We did make it over to one of the mill areas in time to see them light some gunpowder. The result was a really loud BANG that made all of us jump. Lucy was fine for the first few seconds while the shock set in, then her face got all scrunched up and her lip went out, then she began crying. Luckily, she was quick to return to her normal happy self.

On the 4th we headed over to Nana's to celebrate with the whole family. It was great to have all the little girls together for the first time. Kenzie was there along with the youngsters - Zoe, Ella, Lucy and Quinn! What a full house - I have never seen my mom's house so messy, yet so fun! Lucy was having a blast. She especially enjoyed her cousin Ella. Ella let Lucy touch her face and her hair. She even sat next to Lucy on the porch sofa. Lucy just thought Ella was the best!

There was so much excitement that Lucy was unable to take a nap - she didn't want to miss anything! So, our tired little girl nearly passed out once the car started moving. I thought she would sleep in, but alas, I was wrong. Lucy was up at 6:30 on the dot. No rest for the weary...