Lucy's 3 year old birthday list

Tomorrow our Lucy Joy turns three! Despite being smack dab in the middle of two brothers, she is all girl. Unicorns, ponies, pink, and glitter... that is our girl. We don't do huge birthdays in our family and try to keep the gifts at a minimum but I did want to share some fun things Lucy girl is getting on her special day. Since we have grandparents on both sides and aunts and uncles who also give gifts, I try to send her top list items to family so we don't end up with a million toys. Let's face it, birthdays can overwhelming for little ones (read the Berenstain Bears book Too Much Birthday!) and they are perfectly happy with a few new toys/games/items vs 20 that they never end up playing with. Below is what Lucy will be opening up tomorrow, a mix of stuff from mom and dad and family members. I love knowing what other kiddos are enjoying and playing with so I can get ideas!

Shape Sorting Cupcakes ($13)

Pinkalicious Storybook Set ($9)

Click N Play Makeup Set ($9)

Unicorn Beanie Boo ($8)

Kids Hair Chalk ($6)

Lucy is also getting/got.....

• Two hand me down nightgowns (Belle and Elsa) from cousin Embry, she is going to be so excited!
• New Play-Doh from her Aunt Tomi.... my kids are pros at drying out PlayDoh so to have back up is great.
• A doll stroller from Aunt Cori....she got it 2 weeks ago and won't let it out of her sight! 
• Real makeup....Lucy knows what's real and what's pretend and even though I know she will LOVE her Click N Play Makeup, I grabbed some real makeup brushes, eye shadow applicators, and eye shadow pallets all from the Dollar Tree. This will only be used on special occasion and I know she will be in heaven.
• Unicorn coloring book and smock... this came from my aunt who knows her so well! She (and Ford) have already colored in it.
• A talking baby doll from her Abuela....Lucy is in such a baby phase right now and often goes to bed with at least 3-4 babies. A girl can never have enough dolls!

Lucy 24 months

Lucy girl turned TWO years old last week and it still doesn't feel real! I snapped some pictures of her in her Pottery Barn Kids chair (I took her monthly pictures as a baby in it), I want to do it for each of her birthdays until she is 18. We had such a fun time celebrating our girl and I wanted to document what she is up to these days below...

• 27lb (56th%), 34.5in (69th%), head circumference 19.25in (85th%)
• We went to Lucy's 2 year well check this afternoon and nothing really to report. She was freaked out from the time we got there because she knew they were going to look in her ears (a few double ear infections have scarred her) but she seemed to calm down a bit...until her shot. Hoping we don't have to go back until her 3 year well check, yeah right!
• Lucy wears 18 month, 24 month, and 2T clothes, size 4 shoes, and size 3 or 4 diapers. 
• Lucy still continues to be my best sleeper! Bedtime is 7-7:30 depending on her nap and she sleeps 12-13 hours in her crib, in a sleepsack. My plan is to keep her in her crib for another year because she loves it and seems to have no desire to have a big girl bed but we all know how that can change quickly. She sleeps with her two soft little blanket loveys, 2 My Little Ponies, 1 baby doll, 1 Beanie Baby, 1 soft baby, and usually a piece or 2 of play food. She is a little hoarder in her crib! I have a little pillow in her crib that she just started using but not every night. She still wears a traditional Halo sleepsack so no climbing out anytime soon.
• Lucy is VERY verbal! She says 4-5 word sentences and blows us away with her vocabulary. We have some favorite words and phrases of hers- "Giddy CYYYING" "Haka" (chocolate) "I Wuff You". She is such a silly girl and loves saying things to make us laugh. Her newest phrase is "I don't like it!" and that's not fun. She says her brothers' names so good and calls herself "Wucy". I can't get enough of her little voice.
• She went to the dentist for the second time last week and was sassy but did great. Her teeth are super close together and at a cross bite (under bite) which is not surprising because that's exactly how Ford's are. No 2 year molars yet but she didn't get her 1 year molars until right before 18 months. She loves brushing her teeth and we've been trying to do it twice a day.
• Lucy sings her who night time song, Bye Oh Bye Oh Baby. Mommy is a lady. Daddy is a gentleman, and Lucy is a big girl.
• The moment we sit down for dinner she clasps her hands and says PRAY!
• She and Ford are buds lately and I love it. They know exactly to push each others buttons (and do it often) but they are also playing together so much more. Thank you Lord, this is why you have kiddos close together! They love coloring and crafting together and also playing house/kitchen.
• Lucy loves coloring and drawing and play dough.
• Her favorite toys are her ponies, her babies, her new Little People dollhouse, bubbles, Wedgits, Cozy Coupe, puzzles, cars.
• She loves to dress up and dance in circles to music. 
• She is obsessed with her Mimi and Papa, not a surprise!
• Lucy is a horrible eater and very picky. She has about 10 things she actually eats and most of them are forms of cheese. Her favorite foods are eggs, breakfast tacos, quesadillas, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, bananas, yogurt, cottage cheese, and any carb or sweet. She loves milk and drinks about 3 cups a day. I have to shove her Juice Plus gummies into her mouth everyday and she won't swallow them for at least an hour, gross. I know she will like certain foods but she just refuses to try, sigh. 
• She also has no desire to use the potty... she talks about it ALL the time and talks about her Minnie Mouse undies but so far no action. Hoping we can tackle that in the fall.
• She loves Mickey/Minnie, Cailou, Bubble Guppies... actually pretty much any show.
• She is a whiz on the iPad, it is crazy! She is so beyond all the baby games and loves Ford's spelling and word games!
• She recognizes pretty much every single letter (thank you iPad!) and knows all of her colors and body parts. She also knows so many animals!
• Lucy LOVES reading books and I can often find her in her room reading by herself if I am doing something with the boys. Her favorite books are Pinkilicious, Chocolate Me, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Good Night Moon, Jesus Story Book Bible, Little Critter books, She finishes lots of the sentences in books.
• Lucy got her ears pierced 3 months ago and still loves them! She got a pearl necklace for her birthday and loves wearing it along with a pearl bracelet, such a girlie girl. 

Lucy is TWO!

Lucy Joy is TWO today! I can't believe two years have passed since I laid eyes on my beautiful daughter. Year 2 has been full of change for her but she is a loving big sister, a silly little sister, and a spunky, spirited, and funny little girl. Her vocabulary is incredible and she is physically strong and brave. We love this sweet lady with all of our hearts and cannot wait to celebrate her today! 

Lucy 18 months

One and a half years with our Lucy girl, wow time flies! It is hard to believe that she is going to become a big sister any day now, I can't wait to watch her love on her baby sister. Not gonna lie, we are coming out of a difficult couple of months with Lucy... I forgot how hard the new toddler phase is where they know exactly what they want but can't talk or communicate and can't control their emotions. In the past 2 weeks Lucy's vocabulary has exploded and our sassy girl has started talking so much, it is really fun! Lucy has always been very opinionated and fiesty but she is softening up a bit and I think it's because she can finally tell us how she feels or what she wants. Oh my gosh we just love her so much. She is beautiful beyond belief, cheesy, sweet, sassy, cuddly, and so funny. 

• Lucy had her 18 month well check today with our new pediatrician who we just love! She was chatty and happy and didn't even cry when she got her Dtap vaccine (although she did have a Dum Dum sucker in her mouth). I am happy to report that she is healthy, thriving, and not as small as we thought!
• 23lb 4oz (60th %), 32.5" (73rd %), head 48.1cm (91st %)
• I just got out her fall/winter clothes and put away most of her summer stuff. She wears 12-18 month and 18 month clothes, 12 month onesies, size 3 shoe, cloth diapers during the day and a size 3 or 4 disposable at night. 
• Her hair is getting SO long and light! It reminds me of my color when I was a child and I can't wait to try pig tails on her... for now it is the Pebbles fountain. She also loves her bows and will get them and bring them to me. 
• Lucy and Ford are hilarious together. They are really started to play together which I love and it's so cute to watch. They get into tickle fights and giggle fits and play for 45 minutes in the bath. 
• Lucy can walk up and down the stairs all by herself... she insist on walking like a big girl and holding the rails, this will be helpful when we bring baby home! 
• Lucy has so many new words this month! I was trying to keep track of them on my phone but there are just too many. I am going to write down a few of my favorite little things she says though.
• She now recognizes temperature... Hot! Cold! She blows on her hot food which is adorable. 
• She says "pee pee" and "poo poo" when she goes and I got out the little kid potty and she's been sitting on it every night before bath. She pushes like she's trying but has never gone. It's hard to believe that I potty trained Ford at 21 months.. not sure this girl will be up for it (or that I will be!)
• I use different roller bottles of oils on the kiddos and Lucy will grab them and say OILS! Feet! And try to put them on her feet. 
• She is obsessed with her two loveys lately... they are both basically small blankets and she has to carry them around for an hour after she wakes up.
• Very into her baby dolls this month... which is a good sign! She will carry around 2-3 of them, push them in the shopping cart or stroller, feed them their "bottle", and rock them. I got out the baby bouncers up and downstairs and she loves sitting in them with her babies. I think she will have a hard time sharing those when baby sister comes home. 
• Her favorite thing in the world is rocks.... we can be at a restaurant, at a store, or anywhere outside and she finds a pile of "WOCKS!" and collects them. She is very easily entertained. 
• She says "No" a lot and scrunches her face.... girlfriend knows what she wants and is very vocal about it. 
• She is becoming a better eater, praise the Lord! I've started just putting new foods on her table repeatedly and eventually she will try them. She loves scrambled eggs, bananas, grapes, cheese, chicken, all carbs, cottage cheese, yogurt, burgers. 
• She sees pictures of herself and pats her chest and says "ME!"
• She says Mama, Dada, Mimi, Papa, and certain words for Tomi, Ford, and James but not really anything recognizeable. She also recognizes people in photos on the wall. 
• She is pretty physical with Ford... slaps and pinches him when she is mad....and when I get onto her she will walk up to him and say "OWWIE" and hug and kiss him. Obviously I don't want her to bully him but it is so cute to see her apologize!
• We've started to do time out with her and she is livid when we do it. 
• She will respond to questions with "Good".... How was your nap Lucy? "Good"
• She is a little daddy's girl. She will run in to our room at the morning and say "Hi Dada!"
• She knows all of her body parts and says the words... hair, head, eyes, nose, teeth, ears, belly, toes... she loves totally flashing her belly button lately
• She loves hats and glasses and will put them on and say HAT! GASSSS!
• She is obsessed with books lately. We have a big upstairs with a game room and media room and have been spending a lot of time up here lately and often times I will find her in her room on her rocking chair reading books. She asks for specific books too "Bow Bar" for Brown Bear, "Moon!" for Goodnight Moon. She has a few other favorites that we read every single night. 
• She saw the movie Finding Nemo in our car the other day and said MEMO! I was shocked because she doesn't watch movies in our car because she's rear facing and I'm not sure she's ever seen the movie.
• She is such a little dancing queen... she dances even when there is no music! But we can really get her going if we start dancing and she loves it.
• She sings too... we sing Bye Oh Baby every night after prayers when we lay her in her crib and she will sing "Byeeee Byeeee" and lay her head down. 
• She loves putting on everyone else's shoes and walking around laughing. She says shoes and socks, it is pretty darn cute.
• She started carrying around this little tiny princess purse she got for her birthday and putting rocks in it. She says "PUR!" and knows exactly what to do with it.
• She is obsessed with jewelry and calls it "PEEEETY" for pretties. I am going to get her ears pierced in a few months because she is obsessed with mine and it is the first thing she asks for in the morning, "Mama ear?" and points to my ears. 
• I was at the grocery store just grabbing fruit yesterday and as I bagged apples she grabbed one and said APPLE! She also grabbed a muffin yesterday morning and said Muffin! Seriously new words every single day

Lucy Joy 15 Months

Lucy Joy! I cannot believe we are at your first big milestone past 1 year old. Baby hood is behind you and we are fully immersed in toddler hood (the good, the bad, the ugly). I felt like a did a good job of savoring the first months with you because I knew how quickly it flew by but now I feel like I blinked and you're a walking, talking, sassy, little thing. Your personality is SO much different than your brothers and we are enjoying watching you develop into your own little lady. You are tiny but tough. Sweet but oh so sassy and opinionated. I am seeing a lot of what I assume I was like as a little girl in you and it makes me smile (and also get gray hairs hehe). Jon and I look at you and seriously get our breath taken away because you are just such a flawless, beautiful little girl... I know we will blink and you'll be 15 and fending off all the boys. We love your strong and girly personality Lucy girl!

• 21 lb 8oz (55th %), 30.75" (58th %), Head 47.3 cm (88th %)
• Lucy was a champ at her well check today and is healthy and thriving. She had a double ear infection 2 weeks ago and it is healed. She showed off for the doctor by pointing to body parts and saying their names. She got 2 shots and cried for a few seconds (okay screamed her head off) and then was fine with snacks and stickers. 
• Lucy girl started walking about 13.5 months old. She barely took any practice steps and just went for it. Now at 15 months she is basically running. It's not weird to see her running circles around the house holding the most random things (Ford's underwear, anyone's shoes, embroidery thread, essential oils, play food).
• Sleeps 7p-7a, sometimes later. I tried to drop her to 1 nap right after 14 months and it was going good for a week and then she got a double ear infection and we went back to 2 naps and now we are just going with the flow. She naps for a total of 2-3 hours, sometimes 1 nap if we have stuff going on, sometimes 2 if we are home. She sleeps with 2 soft baby dolls, 2 loveys, a small blanket, her pillow, and a giraffe. And usually brings a random piece of play food or a dinosaur with her to bed. 
• She still has the tiniest little newborn feet ever. Wears 0-6 month shoes, some size 2 fit her (Toms and Natives). She wears mostly 12 month clothing... 12 month onesies, 9 and 12 month rompers, 12 and 18 month shorts (cloth diaper booty!). 
• Lots of talking! Her most popular words are: more, dada, mama, banana, ball, goggles, book, shoes, Ernie, uh oh, dog, all done, basketball, different body parts. She has full conversations of baby talk and it's hilarious, she definitely tries to reason with us. She uses correct facial expressions and mannerisms. She is going to be the kiddo who tries to sweeten her way out of things. 
• She answers questions, yes and no. Most things are no. 
• She knows most of her body parts... eyes, ears, hair, mouth, teeth, nose, belly, toes. She loves pointing them out on other people and saying them. 
• She isn't the best eater...in fact she is so darn picky. She likes about 10 things total and eats those well, but refuses to try anything new. The only fruit she likes is bananas and could live on cheese and carbs... couldn't we all. She drinks a lot of whole milk and eats meats pretty well (depending on the day and her attitude). Lately I've been giving her peanut butter on a spoon for lunch because she refuses everything else. Hey it's protein! 
• She loves books but is very picky about what we read. I will try reading 8 different books before she decides she likes one. Right now she's into Goodnight Moon and A You're Adorable.
• She is a dancing machine! She dances every time she hears music and will dance on command.
• She started singing in the past month and it's adorable. We sing a special song before bed called Bye Oh Bye Oh Baby and she says "byeeee byeeeeee".
• Her favorite toy right now is dinosaurs. We have dinosaur magnets and she walks around all day holding them and saying "RAWWRRR". We got Ford a dinosaur set "from Lucy" for his birthday in a few weeks, I know they will both love them.
• She is obsessed with the play kitchen upstairs and will play for an hour by herself. She is busy going from the food to the fridge to the grill to the shopping cart. 
• Jumps on our kiddie trampoline with a handle bar
• She is a shoe girl, she loves shoes of all kind. I keep a basket for kids shoes in our room and I can put her in front of it while I get ready and she plays for a solid amount of time. 
• I started doing her hair in pony tails everyday right after she turned 1. Her hair is SO long, even though it may not look like it in pictures. When it is wet it goes down her back and it's so long in the front but I don't want to cut bangs. She is really good when we do her hair with a comb and loves her bows. 
• We went to her first movie at a theater last week (with the exception of a few last summer when she was a newborn). Let's just say we won't be taking this lady to a movie for awhile. She loved the popcorn but was up, down and into everything. 
• She and Ford are so adorable together. They play together really well and get each other laughing. She is still pretty darn sassy to him and pinches/swats him occasionally which really hurts his feelings... she is fiesty y'all.
• We go to the pool multiple times a week and she has a ball. I love going to this one pool that has a covered, zero depth baby pool with a ledge that she can play in. She hates her floatie but has no fear so I have to watch her like a hawk. I think she will be full on swimming next summer. 

Lucy 1st Year Videos

Below you will find two videos, the top one is Lucy's Project 365 video and the bottom is a compilation of videos I took her first year of life. I hope they bring you as much joy as they do for us!

Lucy 12 months

Yesterday our Lucy Joy turned 12 months old! Hard to believe that one whole year has gone by since she came out at a tiny (to us) 7lbs 6oz, looking like the sweetest most feminine version of her big brother. Lucy's life started out so blissfully. I remember thinking to myself, when is the sh*t going to hit the fan? And it never did. She slept beautifully, ate like a champ, and was smiley, happy, and content. She is the perfect addition to our family and I can't imagine life without our spunky girl. She has become more and more cuddly the older she gets and she is quite the talker. I cannot wait for each month to come, watching her grow into her personality. She may be small but she sure is mighty! You can see her birthday bluebonnet pictures here and her birthday party post here. Here is Lucy's 12 month update.

It's my birthday I can cry if it I want to.... I literally scooped her out of her crib from her nap and took these. 

Monthly stickers via Lucy Darling // Headband via BellaMoza

• 19lbs 3oz (taken at pedi 2 weeks ago for a sick visit, will update after her well check next week).
• First ear infection. Lucy was tugging at her ear and miserable following a bad/long cold so I took her in and she had a single ear infection. 3 days later she was even more miserable and after 3 hours of non stop crying, I took her back in. Her original Amoxicillin prescription wasn't working and she had a double ear infection. She was put on Augmentin and it helped so quickly. I am very thankful we got to almost a year without an ear infection. 
• Sleeps 7p-7a with 2 naps a day, 8:30a and 1:30p. Both around 1.5-2 hours in length. She is such a good sleeper and loves her crib and loveys. She has two baby dolls in there and will play for a half hour before standing up in her crib.
• Wears mostly 12 month clothes, some 9 month. She is finally fitting into a size 2 shoe, big milestone for her microscopic feet. 
• Cloth diapers during the day, size 3 disposable at night.
• She isn't walking yet but she is getting brave. She loves standing up and cruising and even standing on her own for a few seconds. She zooms around pushing her shopping cart or baby stroller and loves to walk holding our hands. Ford didn't walk until 12.5 months but I think Lucy will be later. 
• She climbs on everything, she is fearless! Couches, pillows, stairs. She is fast!
• She is a pretty picky eater when it comes to trying new things but the food she likes, she eats a lot of. Loves bananas, yogurt, pouches, quesadillas, cheese sticks, PB&J, all carbs, egg casserole. She loved her birthday cupcake... not a surprise.
• We were officially done nursing the week before her birthday and she hasn't looked back! At 11 months I cut down to a morning and before bed nurse and then 2 weeks later cut the bedtime feed. She was fussy the first day we didn't nurse in the morning but then moved on. She drinks about 16-20oz of whole milk a day. 
• She is a total copy cat! If you laugh, she fake laughs. She fake coughs too. She learned how to blow on food watching us and will mock Jon as he sips his coffee. 
• She loves her baby dolls, especially her soft Stella baby she got for her birthday that Ford and Embry named Cici. She rocks them and says "ahhh" and feeds them bottles. 
• She points at everything! It is adorable and she acts like she is trying to tell you the most interesting thing ever.
• She is quite chatty this month, lots of babble. She says mama, dada, more, and occasionally words we tell her to say "NANA" for banana, etc. Ernie thinks he is the king of our house and barks at every car that drives by so I pretty much say "STOP" 100 times a day. Well now Lucy looks sternly and says "STA!!!!". 
• If you tell her no... she looks at you and says "na naaaaa"
• She has such a sassy personality. She is sweet and cuddly but very opinionated. We call her Miss Offended Lady because if you wipe her nose or set her down, she is soooo offended.
• She and Ford sit next to each other in the car and she is a little toot most of the time and puts her feet in his face and grabs him. They are pretty darn cute together and get each other going too. The best! She moved into her rear facing Diono Radian this month and is much happier in it. 
• Working on blowing kisses, so sweet
• She loves going on walks and is super chill in the stroller.
• Loves swinging at the park and digging in the sand or dirt. 
• She loves crawling through our play tunnel and going inside the tents and forts Jon and Ford build.
• Loves the play kitchen upstairs and it keeps her very occupied! She can be needy at times but for the most part she is such a good little independent player. I love that I can sit in our family room and watch the kiddos play together quietly in the downstairs playroom.
• She loves the cozy coupe and thinks she is such a big girl sitting in it!
• She knows a few body parts... her hair, eyes, and toes. 
• She tries to put up 1 finger when you say "How old are you". 

Lucy Joy Is One!

As of 8:21am this morning, our sweet Lucy girl is 1 year old. From a 7lb 6oz little peanut to a spunky, sassy, smiley tiny little lady. God knew that our family needed a little Lucy. She just lights up any room when she enters and it's not unusual for a handful of people to come up and talk to her and comment on how beautiful and happy she is when we are out. She is just a little gem. She is the perfect mix of independent and sassy...yet cuddly and lovable. I never knew how much I wanted a daughter until Lucy became mine. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past year, being her mama and have loved how relaxed, confident, and calm I have been. Being a second time mama has been one of the sweetest experiences and I pray that I get to see Lucy become a big sister in her second year of life. Jon and I are constantly praying over our children that God would use them to do something big in their lives and in addition to that, I pray that Lucy Joy knows how cherished, wanted, known, and loved she is in Christ. I pray that the next year of her life she learns to say her prayers, raises her hands at kids worship at church, and wants to read her bible everyday like her big brother. Today is bittersweet because I look back at newborn pictures of Lucy and miss how tiny she is, but I wouldn't trade her fun and silly personality where we are now for the world. Life is a lot of fun right how with the #HartLittles, Jon and I love being their parents! We had Lucy's birthday party last weekend and are celebrating with family today. Thank you for loving our girl so well, she sure is easy to love! Now for Lucy's birthday pictures that I have been dying to share. We took them a month ago in a field of flowers in our neighborhood and I feel like Lucy has already changed! Thank you for such a JOY filled year sweet girly, we can't wait to watch you grow!

Pictures via Melanie Wright Photography. 

Lucy's 1st Birthday Party

It's hard to believe that in just 2 days, our Lucy girl will be 1 year old. We had the best weekend celebrating our girl with family and friends, it couldn't have been sweeter. The whole day I just felt relaxed and joyful, knowing how many people love and care for our girl and our family just makes me heart feel so full and happy. I basically started planning her birthday party before she was 6 months old because I love coming up with ideas, crafting, being on the lookout for good deals, etc. The theme was floral/pink/mint/gold which is the decor in her room. A big money saving tip for planning a 1st birthday is just to make it the theme of your kiddos nursery. I didn't really buy much for decor and just stripped things off of her walls and shelves to decorate. I found the daintiest floral napkins at IKEA and bought baby pink plates at the Dollar Tree. The gold Happy Birthday sign was $4.99 at Hobby Lobby and I bought a lot from the Target Dollar Spot. We hosted a brunch and served egg casseroles, kolaches, donuts, fruit, cheese tray, and desserts. It's funny comparing Ford's birthday to Lucy's. Ford's we had a bunch of adults and little babies so I didn't feel the need to plan activities but Lucy's was tons of toddlers and preschoolers so we had a bounce house and painting station for the kiddos. Ford had so much fun! Lucy was such a happy girl the day of her party... she cuddled with anyone who held her, kept her headband on, and scarfed down egg casserole. She loved her cake, opposite of big brother, and got mad when it was gone (I took half of the cupcake away because such a tiny girl doesn't need so much sugar!). We requested no gifts but a few people brought some and she loved tearing through the tissue paper and shaking the bags. My parents and siblings stayed over to help clean up while the kids napped and we had dinner at Lucy's Fried Chicken on Lake Travis... gorgeous views and delicious food! Thank you so much for celebrating our Lucy girl, even through a computer screen. It is so much fun to have so many people cheering for our family whether it be our children's milestones or our upcoming adoption. It brings my heart so much joy to see how much JOY Lucy girl brings to so many.

Now for a picture overload.. and videos at the bottom.

My dress is Comfy and Chic Boutique

Lucy's bubble is Smocked Auctions

Lucy's headband is BellaMoza

Lucy's birthday hat is Dainty Couture