You Got Some 'Splainin To Do

When I was pregnant with our Lucy, we had a much harder time finding a name that we liked than we did with Olivia -- I went into the hospital with a list of at least 10 approved names for her, waiting until she was two days old to decide Olivia was the right fit. When C suggested naming Lucy after his grandmother, I loved the name but was a little hesitant to name a child Lucy Hall since it sounds so much like Lucy Ball, the famous actress. I said more than once before she was born that if our child came out with red hair we would have to find another name. Well, we have a strawberry blonde Lucy, and I can't imagine calling her anything else.

One hundred years ago today, the woman who made our child's name famous was born.

Not for nothing, but I think my Lucy is cuter.

At any rate, if you weren't born by the time she died, here are some things you may not know about Lucille Ball:
--Lucy's Broadway stage name (where she got her start) was Dianne Belmont
-- she was registered to vote as a Communist
--she had rheumatoid arthritis
--Lucy was not a real red-head
--Lucy gave birth to her son the same day that Lucy Ricardo (her character) gave birth on the show

And 10 weeks into her life, here are some things you may not know about our Lucille Hall:
--when she gets super mad and cries, tears pool in her ears
--she sleeps 8 hours straight at night (yay!)
--she grew 2.5 inches from her one month check up to her two month check up
--she is not registered to vote
--Lucy's stage name is Chunkachunk

Meeting Aunt E

Alternate Title:
Trying to Photograph Two Babies, A Photo Essay in Futility

Honey should have stopped after this photo, but I think she believed she could do better.







Cooper never moved. I’m not sure he even blinked.

We Grow Big Babies

This is Cooper and Lucy together when Lucy is two weeks old. Cooper was born in December, so he is …. almost exactly 6 months old in these photos. To be fair, Cooper started out tiny, but Lucy won’t take long to catch up to him.

Olivia wanted to get in there and lay with the babies – she looks like a giant compared to them! I can’t get over how she went from being my baby to this sassy little girl the second her sister was born.

The Scariest Three Days of Our Lives

After three quiet and relatively restful days in the hospital, C and I brought Lucy home and looked forward to spending Memorial Day weekend getting settled into a new routine. Saturday morning Lucy started to develop some gunk in one of her eyes, and my mom suggested that we call in to the pediatrician’s office and ask about it. The nurse who answered our call suggested we take her to the ER because of how young she was – infections can be so dangerous in babies that new – so less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital, we were back there again.

After sitting in the ER for a few hours, we saw a doctor. We happened to change a diaper while she was there and Lucy had developed a diaper rash (that we now think was a reaction to the wipes we used). The combination of the eye gunk and the rash made the doctor suspect the worst – a serious infection – and she immediately sent us to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Mobile. We were terrified and exhausted when we finally got admitted and in our room on Saturday night.

Lucy was poked and prodded with needles and finally hooked up to an IV – she was dehydrated because she had hardly eaten all day – and they started running fluids, antibiotics and antivirals around the clock. We sat in the hospital for three long days as we waited for the results of her cultures to return. Because she was so tiny, it was very difficult to stabilize the IV, and Lucy’[s squirming would bend the needle after about 24 hours. She had one in her hand, her foot and finally, in her head. That one turned out to be the best one because her squirming didn’t affect it. Tuesday morning we received the fantastic news that Lucy was perfectly healthy and had blocked tear ducts, something that 1 in 4 babies are born with.

I’m posting this because I want Lucy to be able to see this when she is older. My mom has noticed that I tend to be more protective of Lucy (as compared to Olivia at the same age) so if that continues, maybe these photos will help her understand why.

Friends Like Family

Lucy, my dear child, I hope one day you know the people in these photos and how much they loved you before you were even born. Our sweet, sweet neighbors became our friends when Olivia was a little more than a year old, and they have been just as excited about Lucy’s arrival as our family.

This is “Oh-ie” as we call her (Big Olivia). I think she loves babies more than any other child I have ever met, and our Olivia thinks this is her best friend who is always at her beck and call.

Oh-ie’s big sister, Maddie, and Momma, Jennifer. I don’t know what I would do without this family.

Meeting The Fam

Lucy had lots of visitors at the hospital those first couple of days, so here she is meeting her family. I know there is a picture of her with Pops, but I don’t have it (send it to me so I can put it up, Pops).

Hey Honey!

Sneaking a peek at Pappy.

Snuggling with Gran.

Gran and the girls

Momma and Lucy both catching some shut eye – I crocheted the blanket she’s wrapped in for her

Lucy and Daddy spending some quality time together

Yes, We Love Lucy

I realize this has taken me quite a while to post, but I’ve had my hands full for the last 8 or so weeks. Quite literally, most of the time, so when you’re all grown up and wondering why it took so long to get this up here, Lucy, it’s because you wouldn’t let me put you down and it’s tough to type while holding a baby.

Lucille Caroline was born at 1:40 in the afternoon on May 24, 2011. She came out with beautiful strawberry blonde hair and the longest fingers and toes you have ever seen.

This is the first picture my mom (Honey) took of Lucy. C got a few photos of her in the operating room, but he still hasn’t downloaded them from his iphone to the computer.

Here are Big and Little Sister meeting for the first time. It was well into Olivia’s nap time, and she was a real trooper all day.

Look at those cheeks!

Olivia is helping to adjust my bed in the background – she had me going up and down about 15 seconds after she walked into the room.

So sweet and peaceful – Lucy is the best baby.

Momma and Lucy.

Do you see what I mean? Look at that hair! I swore if she came into this world with red hair we would have to come up with another name for her, but Lucy fit her perfectly.

Yes, we love Lucy!