4th

Lucy spent her second Fourth of July at her grandparents’ house on Lake Chautauqua in western New York with her extended family.She was fortunate enough to get a front-row seat for the parade in Mayville, and was the guest of honor (and pulled by her aunt Christine) in the parade around Shorelands.Lucy enjoyed the fireworks (which she called “boom boom boom”) over the lake and got to play with the Delsandro kids in grandma and coach’s backyard.She also enjoyed a trip to Midway State Park where so rode the train and carousel. Later in the day she took a ride on coach’s sailboat. On her last night in New York, Lucy ate at Guppy’s, a Flinn family favorite. She’s already stockpiling patriotic outfits for next year!

LA Trip

Lucy flew across the country at the end of June to visit all her new friends in Los Angeles.

She stayed at Uncle Mitch’s house where she read lots of books and swam every day in what is now officially “Lucy’s Pool.”

She hung out in Santa Monica with Vanessa at her candy store A Real Treat Candy Boutique and dipped her toes in the Pacific Ocean (which was a little cold for her East Coast sensibilities). She preferred playing in the sand and on the playground.

Lucy finally met Rosie Shafran and Cary Pedante and had a lot of fun in Cary’s backyard. She especially loved the Pedantes’ hammock!

She also met Gia and Rocco Donatelli, and was only a little intimidated by her showbiz-famous friends.

18 Months

Lucy has reached the 18-month milestone. The last few months have certainly been eventful, with lots of holidays and play time with friends and family.Lucy did not care for the chilly weather and snow in January.
While Lucy wasn’t exactly feeling the love on Valentine’s Day, she enjoyed her first St. Patrick’s Day parade, and even met her second cousin Peter Newberry that same weekend.
2016 brought an early Easter, and Lucy’s second meeting with the Easter Bunny went better than her second meeting with Santa last December.For Christmas Lucy got a year-long membership to Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh, and she loves meeting her friends there for play time. Her favorite activities are driving the bus, ambulance, and convertible.Lucy had lots of fun Easter weekend going on an Easter egg hunt and hanging out with Mimi and Pop-Pop.She’s spent time at a “tiny tumblers” class at a local gymnastics center and a music-based play space in Durham, and is a big fan of our local parks, especially the swings and slides (both of which she refers to as “whees”).Lucy’s also become a regular at the Container Store (where mom spends a good deal of time), and the employees have taken quite a shine to their youngest shopper.While she isn’t quite picking out her own clothes just yet, Lucy selects her own hair bows (another favorite word) on a daily basis.At her 18-month checkup, Lucy weighed in at 24 pounds (68th percentile) and 31.75 inches tall (49th).

Winter Break 2016

In February, Lucy escaped the cold and icy weather and took her first trip to Key Largo to visit her Grandma and Grandpa. Mimi came along too! She loved the sand, the sunsets, and especially the pool at Kawama. She dined at some of the Keys’ finest eateries (including Lorelei and Alabama Jack’s), took her first kayak ride, and got to see dolphins and fish at Island Dolphin Care.Lucy took full advantage of the playground outside Grandma and Grandpa’s condo and took great delight in watching fish swim under our feet at the Pilot House. She can’t wait to go back next winter!

15 Months

As Lucy reached 15 months, she’s grown into quite the little chatterbox. Her favorite phrases are “uh-oh!” (usually after she throws something onto the floor) and “what’s this?” (when she brings us a toy, a book, or something she found on the floor).

Lucy’s favorite activities involve climbing onto the couch, sitting for a moment, then climbing down. Then repeating the whole process all over again. And again. She’s also figured out that the most efficient way down the stairs is to slide backward on her stomach.

It took us a while to figure out that when she was head-butting her baby doll, she was giving it “kisses.” So now when she gives “kisses,” it means we’re going to get head-butted (albeit gently). She’s also learned how to blow kisses, which is less painful to everyone involved.

Lucy is much more aware of herself and her surroundings, and when asked, she can point to her heart, her fingers, and her toes. She’s begun taking Sprout Songs music classes on Saturday mornings (learning rhythm) and Parent & Me yoga (learning… well, how to run around and mess with other participants’ yoga mats).Lucy getting her teeth examined by the dentist. Dr. Abernathy said Lucy’s teeth are perfect!

Lucy at Sprout Songs music class.

One of Lucy’s favorite pastimes is reading books.

While Lucy loves healthy foods like vegetables and beans, every once in a while she likes to load up on carbs.

At 15 months Lucy is 23.5 pounds (77%) and 30 inches tall (30%).

Christmas 2015

Lucy was far more engaged in her second Christmas than her first. She was joined by her entire family to unwrap presents in Raleigh, and her gifts included her first tool set, a dump truck, lots of bath toys, a basketball hoop, and some fancy new sneakers.

She attended Christmas Day mass at St. Raphael and had her first taste of Mimi’s lasagna (as well as the Flinn family tradition of Christmas party-crackers) on Christmas Eve. She also enjoyed taking ornaments off of the tree.

‘Tis the Season

Even though the highs were in the 60s during the first weekend of December, Lucy helped pick out a Christmas tree.

When it cooled down the following evening she visited the Holiday Express at Pullen Park in downtown Raleigh, where she took her first rides on a carousel (of which she was definitely not a fan) and a train (which she liked much better).

Thankful

We are so thankful to have this little turkey! Lucy spent her second Thanksgiving at the home of her friend Sam Erikson. She enjoyed a veritable smorgasbord of vegeterian side dishes (stuffing, sweet potatoes, brussels spouts, and of course, mashed potatoes) and even kept most of her food on her tray.

She did not partake in dessert, but she did spend some quality time in the playroom and even took advantage of the warm weather to enjoy the outdoors.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus

Lucy got an up-close-and-personal view of the Raleigh Christmas parade from the headquarters of the Junior League of Raleigh, where she met Mrs. Claus.

That evening she had a meeting with Mr. Claus himself, and although she wore the proper attire, she was less than thrilled with old St. Nick.

Happy Halloween!

While Lucy was two weeks old at Halloween last year, this year was her first in costume. She went as a crazy cat lady with her sweats, glasses-on-a-chain, and cat purse (and of course, a number of stuffed kittens stitched to her clothes). While her movement was hindered by all that gear, she didn’t seem to mind and was a good sport about indulging her mom and dad. She didn’t trick or treat (maybe next year), but she helped hand out candy!