a little bit of Lucy

 -Lucy loves her babies. She has three of them. She pretends to feed them, kisses them, gets them naked, and loves them deeply. Sometimes I have to rock Lucy and her babies to sleep, too cute. 

-Lucy is loving. She gives kisses, smiles, hugs and genuinely loves us. She is such a light in our lives as well as others. Lucy is different and I love it. I cherish and relish in the love she blessed other with. She kisses her Aunties/Uncles and Grandparents with ease. She also kisses animals in books and pictures of animals at the zoo. We are working on not kissing everything, but the love she gives is wonderful. 

 

-We made her a tent for Christmas and she loves it. She eats snacks in it, reads books inside of it, plays with toys, chases Asher thru it and fills it with laughter. 

 

-Lucy is busy. I wonder what her mind is thinking most of the day. She plays by herself and smiles, squeals, giggles and mimicks running or jumping with her toys. Her mind is a wonderful thing. Busy girl. We play with little people, then clean up and play with blocks, then clean up and play with her balls...on and on all day. 

 

-Lucy has been repeating words lately.  It is so cute to hear her try to say so many words. She has a huge vocabulary already, but she seems to be repeating more and more. 

 

-Lucy's sign language has exploded and I can't get enough of it. We know lots of animals and she is learning them as fast as I can teach them. Some of my favorites are penguin, rhino, and wolf. 

 

-Lucy eats all the time but not a lot at once. She is getting better at trying new food but usually pretends to try it and says mmmmm then say no thanks. She eats her staples...cheese, tortillas, yogurt, bread, berries, bananas, actually any fruit, raisins, nutrigrain bars...probably her weakest attribute is her finicky eating habits. I'm hoping it is a phase. We keep offering things and giving her a chance. Frustrating but I can't change anything. 

 

-I love this little girl so much. I had no idea how much motherhood would change me. I have more respect for my mother and all mothers. Being a momma to this beautiful little lady is such a blessing. It is wonderful to watch her grow and discover the world on her own. I can't believe the way she can tug at my heart and melt me. I hope to help give Lucy direction, discipline and live a life worth modeling. I hope she always knows that I love her and will love her unconditionally. 

 

sledding!

Dave and I took Lucy to the park and went sledding. It was only 1 degree outside but she loved it!

 

snow day

Lucy wasn't very happen in her snowsuit... Christmas Story ring a bell?

But she asked to go to the park and enjoyed swinging once she got over the initial shock of walking while looking like   a pink-marshmallow-oompa-loompa 
 

 

 
 

Merry Christmas!

Seasons Greetings friends and family,

 We hope this letter finds you well and that 2014 was a year of good health and great joy.  For the Otten clan it has been a year of growth and fun.

 Gwen continues to work as a respiratory therapist. She has cut back on her hours since going back to work and has enjoyed the opportunity to spend most days home with Lucy. She also has run three half marathons.

Lucy has changed dramatically over the past year. She is now a walker, a talker, and an opinionated young girl. Watching her grow has been such a blessing to us both. She loves animals, going to the park, reading, listening to music and dancing, and being naked! She has a sweet heart and loves a good snuggle and kisses. She is a good sleeper and listener. She is a very good communicator between her sign language and large vocabulary for a 13 month old. She seems to get smarter on a daily basis. Being parents has been a truly incredible experience and we look forward to seeing Lucy’s continued growth.

 Lucy and her parents had other fun opportunities in 2014. Lucy was a good traveler during our trips to Phoenix, Charlotte, and Steamboat Springs. She enjoyed numerous camping, hiking, and fishing trips. She cheered her mom and dad on from the sidelines of numerous Ultimate Frisbee games.  Dave is in the midst of his third year of emergency medicine residency. As expected, he continues to spend a ridiculous amount of time at work, but generally finds it rewarding. He has taken on a more senior role in the department and has enjoyed the greater autonomy and the opportunity to supervise and teach other residents and students.

We hope that 2014 was good to you, and we pray that 2015 will be even better.  

Merry Christmas! 

  Love,

  David, Gwen, and Lucy

officially a walker

Oh my goodness, my baby is gone. Lucy is now a toddler and a full blown walker. 

 

She has been walking for about a month now, but this past week she walked around 3/4 of the zoo (by herself!). No hand holding or help from mom and dad. I feel like she is so much bigger now that she is officially walking more than being held or crawling. Crazy! 

 

walking!

 About a week ago, Lucy started walking more. For a while she has had the ability to walk but lacked the confidence. Lucy still enjoys a hand to walk with and will zoom crawl if needed but she is getting good on her feet! It is so cute but she seems too little to be walking. 

 
 

This little nugget amazes me everyday. I can't imagine what her little mind is thinking. She is always busy. She likes to sort things, which is fascinating to watch. She has been helping stack blocks, follows direction (not all, but a lot), loves books, hits up the park daily and blows kisses often. Lately, we have been asking her to help put things away and it is crazy when you can tell her something and she comprehends it, the completes the action. 

 
 

I've been slacking on posting so here are some random pictures. 

 
 

 
 

 

14 degrees outside...

And we go to the PARK! Lucy insisted on going to the park today. So we quickly went to swing and enjoy the snow falling but it was cold! Lucy didn't even seem to notice the cold. 

 

 

 

Big girls ask...

...to go SWING!

Lucy was playing in the bathroom this morning as I brushed my teeth and got ready. She was naked, enjoying playing with q-tips, tampons, hair ties and her socks. Yes, I said tampons... Lucy has a million toys but loves to find goodies in the bathroom to play with, throw in the bathtub, pull apart, and put in bags. She also likes to drag her socks around. Anyway, I asked Lucy what she wanted to do this morning and she immediately stopped what she was doing, signed swing, and said "up". Meaning she wanted to go to the park and mom please get me dressed. She put on her clothes, shoes, coat and hat with such excitement. She even sat on the bottom stair as I got my coat and shoes on. Here is a glimpse into her cuteness waiting to go to the park and SWING! And she also loves the big slide... Face first. This girl rocks!

Swing!

 

 

happy day!

Dave and I enjoyed an evening out with Amy and Brent! Yummy food and great company! I'm ready for 30!

 

30 years: 10,957 days

So...here are 30 things about me:

1. I love fruit snacks, like kids fruit snack. 

2. My favorite cookie is oatmeal butterscotch. 

3. I have a love/hate relationship with running but mostly I love it!

4. I promised Dave I would not train for another marathon. (3's the limit)

5. I delivered Lucy without pain meds...lots of encouragement though!

6. I am competitive. More than I realized. 

7. I got my hair highlighted for the first time a few months ago.

8. I have a soft spot for animals...I can't watch those commercials about animal cruelty, it makes me cry. 

9. I visit the zoo (with Lucy) at least once a week.

10. I'm not very up with pop culture, but I love Taylor Swift. 

11. I usually satisfy my cravings, just to get it over with. (Ex. Oreos...buy, devour, end)

12. I cloth diaper Lucy. To save the environment, to save money and bc they are really cute. 

13. I ran 3 half marathons this year... And set two new PRs. 

14. I blog to help me remember. 

15. I can't be still. I need to be going...be active. 

16. Dave can't be still either. Perfect match? Or crazy match? Both!

17. I love my hubby!

18. I love beer. My favorite is Ranger, an IPA from New Belgium. 

19. I'm teaching Lucy (and myself) basic sign language skills. It's amazing to communicate with her. 

20. I need to read more books. 

21. I live in work out clothes and I work in scrubs. I guess, I love comfort. 

22. The age I got married. 

23. I'm grateful for my family. 

24. I'm thankful for my sisters having babies before me... They made my transition into motherhood easier. 

25. Becoming a momma has been amazing. 

26. The human body amazes me. Between running, pregnancy, see Lucy grow, being a respiratory therapist, hearing Dave's stories from the ER, or just seeing all the different people live on this earth... Amazing. 

27. I can't wait to have more kids, scared but excited. 

28. I love dancing. Goofy, jumping, shaking, spinning, in the kitchen, outside, anywhere...but mostly in private or in front of Lucy and Dave. I'm not a good dancer but it brings me joy to play music and dance around with my two favs. 

29. I drink a lot of water and I pee, a lot. 

30. I believe in Jesus. 

Okay, there are 30 random facts about me.  

 

Pumpkin Carving '14

We carved one pumpkin this year and made it an owl. Lucy really likes owls and even says "whoo, whoo" like an owl. 

 
 

love these two

This photo was taken the morning of Lucy's first birthday. A gift to me. Dave and Lucy reading an animal book together melts my heart. Thanks for being awesome you two! I love you both to the moon and back. 

 

Boo at the Zoo

I took Lucy to Boo at the Zoo today. 

 

She had a great time watching the wild animals and wild children. It was crazy at the zoo so we got there early and left in time for Lucy's first nap. Lucy was the cutest little zebra at the zoo. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

birthday gems

A few birthday shots courtesy of Dave's cousin. 

 
 
 
 

I'm a sucker...

Today Lucy saw a stuffed kitty in a store and shouted, "Abbbba, Abbbba"...which is how she says Asher. I picked up the stuffed cat and she reached out, kissed it then snuggled Abbba. 

 

I tried to put it back but she said NO and continued snuggling. Hmmm... Being the tough mom that I am (ha!) I let her keep the cat and bought it (for Christmas). Or at least that is how I justified buying Lucy this 20 dollar stuffed animal. Sorry Dave! We are done for. But she loves it and I love her and I can't say no when Lucy at age one says Abbbba! And snuggled with a stuffy that does look like our kitty. 

 

My name is Gwen and I've been a sucker for about a year. The first step is admitting I'm a sucker.