Category: Lydia

Obviously, Lydia’s 8-month update is a little late.  She certainly keeps us on our toes and we were especially busy during the days around her 8-month birthday.  It’s a little tough to remember everything that’s happened in the last six weeks, but they’ve been wonderful weeks! 

She was allergy tested on September 11 and 25 as a follow-up to her reactive skin and the scratch tests revealed eggs, dogs, and milk to be problematic, with eggs and milk especially strong reactions.  She was a trooper through all the poking and prodding and we are coping with the limited diet.  I was eating eggs all along and dairy for about 6 weeks before her test with no problems, but I have mostly happily eliminated those foods from my diet per the allergist’s request.  If nothing else, I can do my part to keep from hypersensitizing her to those foods and we are praying that she will outgrow these allergies in the months to come.  Until then, I have found a vegan egg substitute for baking and I am very thankful for the variety of dairy alternatives on the market.  Rice Dream rice milk, Tofutti vanilla ice cream and “cheese” pizza, Pumpkin Spice Silk soy milk, soy ice cream sandwiches, soy butter…all of these items have turned out to be really good.  Soy cheese is pretty yucky, but I can live without cheese for now.  And FYI, the nurse wanted to get a weight on the 25th, so we sat her on the big people scale (where she sat like such a big girl) and she weighed 16 lbs.!!  I wish I’d had the camera 🙂 

 She has been getting up on her hands and knees for several weeks.  She’ll rock back and forth and has “scooched” forward a couple of times, but mostly she rolls all around to get where she wants to go.  We’ve opened a sleeping bag in the living room to pad the hardwood floors and she is all over that thing 🙂  We were in MD on Oct 9-10 and she tried to crawl for my parents, but she still hasn’t put it all together to move forward independently. Which is just as well…I’m not sure I’m ready for her to be any more mobile!

 For Matt’s 30th, we went to WV to visit Grandpa and Lydia made her first trip to Cabela’s.  She seemed to enjoy Wheeling and Kevin and Ronda drove over from Columbus to meet us for lunch.  It was great to hang out for a few hours and Lydia was super good all weekend.  She really made an impression on her great-grandpa and we have some great pics of the two of them!  She even rode one of the horses…with Daddy’s help, of course!!

The next week, she spent 3 days with Grandma and Grandpa Maxson while we went to a conference.  We were only a short distance out of town, but no kids were allowed.  I pumped every morning for 2 months to save up enough milk and she went through almost all of it.  I am so thankful to have had a pump loaned to me by a friend at church, but after those 2 months (plus trying to pump at the conference to maintain my supply) I will be more than happy never to see that thing again!  Lydia did very well taking bottles and eating her baby food and had lots of fun playing 🙂   And we were sooo happy to have her back when the conference was over!!

A few days later, the two of us made a quick trip to MD to see her other grandparents.  We shopped and visited, visited and shopped.  She played with Uncle Daniel and her “uncle daniel” toy.  We found a toy plane with a mechanic guy (age-appropriate, of course) at the Lego Store when she was just about a month old.  I brought it out a few weeks ago and she loves it!  We also talked to Matt on Skype after we figured out how to load it on Dad’s new laptop.  Our drive home down 95 South was forever long, even though we didn’t leave til 7pm. But we still managed to pull it all together to leave for WV the next afternoon.

On the way, we had an accident just outside Franklin, WV…halfway between Richmond and Berea.  It was our fault, but the other couple was so gracious and God so blessed us through the experience.  No one was hurt and their truck was fine.  They helped us get a motel room and a tow truck and it was really a joy to meet them.  So Lydia had her first car accident and motel stay on Oct. 11.  Dave and Judy drove over from Berea the next morning and helped us take everything out of our Mazda.  We enjoyed the rest of the weekend, especially the “farm” time.  She even got to help Grandpa roast weenies!  She had a different camo outfit for each day and got lots of compliments on her pink onesie/camo bibs ensemble when we took advantage of the beautiful weather and stopped at Seneca Rocks on the way home.  We’ll have pics of the car and Seneca Rocks posted someday.  Our poor car was totaled, but we weren’t really surprised given its age and high miles.  It’s a little sad because it was a good car and took us lots of places through the years…we’ll miss “zoom, zoom”-ing, but God has provided for our needs and we’re content to share the jeep for now, especially with Matt cycling to work some days.  USAA is a great insurance company and we’re so thankful for the ease and efficiency of our dealings with them.  But I can’t stress enough how thankful we are for God’s graciousness to us through this experience.  His hand of mercy and protection was very evident and He has shown us so much about His ways vs. our ways during this time.  And I’ve really enjoyed my conversations with the wife of the couple we hit…I hated to meet under those circumstances, but what a blessing it has been to share with her that night and on the phone the next week 🙂

Things have been relatively quiet since then.  On a side note, Lydia is favoring fruits, but overall eats well.  She eats 2-3 4 oz.(Stage 2) jars per day (plus nursing and a few sips of water from her sippy cup).  Her faves are Apples & Blueberries, Carrot/Apple/Mango, and Apples & Chicken.  She also really likes Pineapple Glazed Ham and continues to enjoy regular fruits and veggies.  She’s not so keen on some of the chicken combos and she’s started clamming up for some of the veggies, too, but we’ll get through it 🙂 

I’m sure there are things I’ve forgotten, but I’ll consult her first-year calendar (where I try to record everything) and include that information with the next update.  She has her 9-Month dr.visit on Nov. 13, so I’ve got some time to get organized before I write another post!  She’s getting “Soo Big” (as her grandparents would say as they hold her arms up) and I am so excited that God has allowed me the privilege of being Lydia’s Mommy.  I’m excited to see how God will grow our little girl, and us, in the next few weeks and I’ll do my best to share any interesting news in a timely manner!!

 

Obviously, it’s been a couple of weeks since Lydia turned 7 months, but better late than never!  She is growing up soo fast.  She sits up so well and propels herself forward in her walker (in case anyone is worried, we have a single-story house).  She also continues to be VERY curious!!  Our little Lydia is one nosy girl, always reaching for things and trying to figure stuff out.  She can be a little rotten…crying when she doesn’t get her way or coughing to get our attention, but mostly she’s as sweet as can be :^)

She sleeps well most of the time and is enjoying “real” food more and more.  Her hair is a pretty shade of brown and is really filling in nicely, and her eyes are such an interesting shade of blue.  Right now, she loves to chew on her toes, tags (on toys, blankets, clothes, etc.), and remote controls!  She continues to be a good traveler and a generally happy, good-natured little person. 

A couple of weeks ago, our little one managed to pull herself up!!  She was sitting in my lap on the floor in front of the filing cabinet while I filed some papers.  She grabbed the edge of the drawer and pulled herself right up.  I guess her nosy-ness is serving its purpose 😉  She kept doing it, and even showed off for Matt when he got home from his bike ride.  She doesn’t seem interested in crawling or pulling up in general, but I know it’s only a matter of time.

We took her to an allergist last week to try to figure out some of her ongoing allergy issues (as indicated by skin reactions).  She was AWESOME during the entire appt., never fussed or cried at all.  He tested her for several things, with dogs and egg whites being the only positive results.  So I’m egg-free currently and we return in another week for a follow-up and some additional testing.  We have seen God’s hand of protection on her so far and He has blessed her with great coping skills through all of her skin trials and dr visits.  We’re praying for no further allergies to be revealed and for her to outgrow her current problems.  But whatever happens, we know that He is in control and that parenthood is an amazing opportunity for growth, patience, and blessing as we trust Him through each moment. 

One of these days, I’ll get caught up on posting her pictures.  And maybe I’ll even blog more regularly.  Then again…

 

 

 

 

Lydia had another great check-up on Monday (8/6).  Dr. Mussman was very pleased with her growth and development and she’s right on track 🙂

Her measurements are as follows… Weight = 14 lb 7 oz     Length = 25 1/2″     Head Circumference = 17 1/2″

She also did pretty well with the latest round of shots.  Just a few brief wails as she was stuck and back to normal as soon as Matt picked her up.  She ran a little fever and was pretty quiet/tired that evening and the next day, but by Wednesday she was back to her cheerful, busy (nosy) self! 

God has blessed us greatly with her sweet, curious nature and her strong, healthy body.  Even with her allergy issues (so far, dairy and strawberries) we have seen His hand of mercy and we are so thankful for how He has protected her and given us the wisdom and strength to love and care for her as she grows!!

It is amazing how quickly these first 6 months have gone.  We have gone through quite a lot together and I am in awe of God’s design for families and how He created us (children and parents) with such a capacity to love, learn, and grow!

Lydia continues to be such a happy little thing.  She is always sharing “smilies” and has also taken to freely giving raspberries 😉  She takes great pride in sticking out her tongue and blowing away.

She has completely mastered rolling from her back to her stomach, but only to the right!  She teases us every now and then by leaning to the left, but never quite follows through.  And once she makes it to her tummy, she is content to play for a bit before crying to be rescued.  I guess she’s decided it’s easier to have someone else flip her back 🙂  As for the directional preference, friends have said it’s beacuse she’s a good conservative baby…and Matt’s so proud!

 Lydia continues to thrive and explore.  She’s very healthy and is working on mastering the whole spoon thing.  She seems to enjoy her rice cereal, LOVES applesauce (she’s a Maxson!), and has tolerated green beans.  In the next few weeks, she’ll get to taste sweet potatoes and pears…YUM!!  And she gets to taste some of the finer things in life from time to time.  Last week, Matt and I had Oreos and he gave he one to play with.  She started licking and gumming it, and Matt took it away before it got too soggy and started to fall apart.  Well, she was one unhappy little girl!  She started wailing in protest and looking at us so pitifully as we ate our cookies.  We’ll have to watch out for her sweet tooth, but she also gets to taste other things.  She’s licked on chicken, lemon, cocktail sauce, french fries, and pineapple among other things.  It’s important that she have a well-rounded palate 🙂

 It is so much fun to watch her and play with her during this stage.  She is VERY curious and loves to investigate everything.  Food, toys, papers, mommy’s hair…it’s all fair game.  She doesn’t want to hang out over my shoulder any more.  She turns to face out and reaches for anything nearby.  Lydia is sooo nosy lately, but it’s so funny and so neat to see.  She’s always looking, touching, and tasting, and you can practically see the gears turning when those bright blue eyes get all wide and serious.  She’s really working hard to make connections and figure everything out.  Her little hands are constantly busy as she manipulates objects of all shapes and sizes…though she seems particularly fascinated with things like utensils, laundry, computer stuff, and the remotes (and, of course, her hands and feet).  And if she gets bored with something (be it an object or her location) or you’re not paying enough attention to her, she starts doing this fake-y cough.  It’s so cute to be there as she learns how to communicate in ways other than crying or fussing.  She laughs, coos, squeals, and babbles up a storm these days.  She’s never been too fussy or difficult, but she’s growing into such a sweet, well-adjusted little girl.

Lydia is just about to master sitting up.  Once we get her situated, she’s able to balance herself a little bit  longer every time.  And the way she reaches for stuff when she’ on her tummy, it may not be all that long until she starts working on scooting and crawling.  The one thing we’re really waiting on at this point is teeth.  She’s been drooling and chewing on her hands for a couple of months (and she’s got the chapped cheeks to prove it), but nothing yet.  I was a late teether, so we may be waiting a while longer, but that’s okay 🙂

To celebrate her 6-month birthday, Matt and I (along with his mom), took Lydia to Virginia Beach.  She traveled very well and hardly fussed the whole day.  We slathered her with sun screen and sat in the shade of a pop-up tent/canopy.  The beach wasn’t all that busy and the breeze was so refreshing.  She got to play with sand and Matt held her in the surf so she could get her legs splashed.  She slept through getting rinsed off at the boardwalk shower and took another nap on my wet shoulder.  I was pretty worried about the sand and salt water, but she seemed to enjoy the whole experience and Matt’s calmness is a wonderful balance to the “hyper mommy” that shows up occasionally.  We’re ready to go back one day this fall!

I’ll be posting pictures of all our adventures soon 🙂

While Matt is enjoying his Thailand experience, Lydia and I are back in Ohio to visit friends and family.  It has been so exciting to introduce Lydia to her Great-Grandma Prather!  They have hit it off very well and it is so sweet to watch them together.  Lydia did pretty well during the LONG drive from Richmond to Columbus and we had a great visit with Ronda (and Kevin) the last couple of days.  Ronda came with us to Gran’s yesterday so we could take the four-generation picture my mom and grandma have both been anxious to get.  I hadn’t thought much about it, but after seeing it printed and in the special Four Generations frame she had, I was really excited.  What a blessing to see the women of our family all together like that!  I’m now enjoying letting Lydia and Grandma get to know each other over the next couple of days 🙂

On a side note, I had the privilege to attend our old church this morning and there were several people giving testimonies about recent missions experiences.  I was so blessed by the work God is doing in that body!  Several youth spoke and their spiritual maturity and heart for others was truly awesome.  And the many others who shared inspired and challenged the congregation to look for opportunities to minister in the community, state, country, and around the world!!  I even got to share about what God has done in the life of our family in the two years since we left 🙂  Words cannot express the joy I feel in seeing familiar faces developing a passion for missions and daring to walk in obedience regardless of where that takes them!!

Lydia “shore” takes after her Grandpa M…and her mommy, too.  Dave and I both enjoy chips quite a lot, and Lydia has been exposed to chips plenty of times.  Matt often lets her smell them or hold them, but today she took it to a whole new level!  Matt is on his way to Thailand and Lydia and I came up to have lunch with his parents after church.  She has been expressing more interest in food…watching intently, sticking out her tongue, licking her lips, reaching for stuff, etc…  She watched us eat taco salad and  Judy picked her up and handed her a large tortilla chip to explore when we were finished.  Lydia put that thing right to her mouth and started eating practice.  When Judy took it away, my little girl just started licking her lips and fingers and reaching for more.  She did it again a few times, much to our amusement (and we have pics galore).  Once I thought she’d played enough, I wrapped up the chips and she tracked the bag the entire time.  I even moved it bag and forth and she followed it the whole time!  And she then practiced drinking from a real glass.  Judy held it to her mouth and she licked all over the rim!  She was so funny, but it won’t be long before she’s doing those things for real!!

Is it possible that my tiny little one is already 5 months old??  She is so happy and sweet, loves to laugh and play with people and toys, and is growing bigger by the minute!  In the last few weeks, she has discovered how to roll over and amuses herself greatly when she does.  Though she mostly rolls from her back to her stomach using her right side, it’s only a matter of time before she figures out how to roll the other direction.  Lydia has also started rice cereal.  She had some very watery stuff on Monday and really handled it quite well.  She was sucking on the spoon and then grabbing it to play.  We gave her a little more last night and she seemed to enjoy it.  As we were having chicken for dinner, she was staring intently and reaching, so Matt let her hold and lick on a big chicken bone!  She really went for it and it’ll be interesting to see what she does next.  The other big thing was her first trip to the pool.  We slathered her in sunscreen and decked her out in a t-shirt, swim diaper, and matching hat.  Matt even got her a cool float to ride in.  She was one very unhappy camper the first few minutes.  But after a break and some snuggle time with Grandpa, we took her back into the water and she really seemed to enjoy it!!  For all of these precious moments and so many more, we have plenty of pics that will be posted in the not too distant future.

She does so many cute things all the time, but most of all I love to see her smile ad hear her precious laugh 🙂  God has been growing us individually and as a family during these past months and we have been so blessed through our ongoing adventures with Lydia!!

 

Our little “Lyds” is thriving…though we didn’t need a dr to tell us that!  She is 24 1/2 inches long, weighs 12 1/2 pounds, and her head circumference is 16 1/4 inches.  Dr. Soltys was very pleased with her growth and Lydia is right on track developmentally.  All I can say is, to God be the glory!!  He has blessed her with a healthy body and a sweet spirit…and has given us the wisdom, patience, and strength to face each day as parents.

She wasn’t too thrilled about all the shots, but recovered quickly.  And she continues to be happy and curious…which is well-documented in the dozens of pictures waiting to be posted.  But they’ll be up soon…as will more updates!!

Even though my 16-yr-old cousin loves to argue that this is not actually a birthday, I am playing the “mommy card” and rejoicing that Lydia has reached the milestone of 4 months (we even had brownies yesterday to celebrate…apparently regular brownies (no chocolate chunks, etc.) have absolutely no dairy)!!  She is happy and  healthy, and it so amazing to watch her grow and change a little every day.  Lyds, as she has been dubbed by the aforementioned cousin, is curious and playful, and generally pretty content.  Before she was born, I prayed and meditated on Phil 4:11 (…whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content)…my heart was that she be comfortable with people other than mommy and not suffer separation anxiety, but God has seen fit to bless her with a personality that is generally cheerful and relaxed.  I certainly won’t try to say that she never cries or never wants just me, but, for the most part, she is sweet and well-adjusted.

 Over the last week, she has really started to explore more.  She is looking around more intently and using her hands and fingers very purposely.  While she still loves to chew on her hands and fingers, she is using them more and more to grasp objects and “play”…drawing things closer to her eyes, waving items around to see and hear what they do, putting things in her mouth.  Yesterday, I held out her rattle and she grabbed it and alternately “chewed” (gummed/licked) all over it and waved it around.  Today, I put a fabric book (about penguins!) in her hands and she waved it around, felt the fabric and tried to turn pages.  She has been doing some of these activites for a while, but it’s really in the past few days that her focus has sharpened and she has actively pursued and played with her toys.  It doesn’t hurt that she sits up when propped against her boppy pillow.  She’s no longer just reaching for stuff dangling over her, but manipulating things however she chooses.  And I think she’s thoroughly enjoying that new freedom…I know I am thrilled to be watching it!

 We are truly blessed and awed by the privilege God has granted us to be Lydia’s parents!!!

 

 

 

 

Lydia is growing sooo fast!  We had lunch with “Daddy” and some friends today before running a couple of errands.  She fell asleep very sweetly and snoozed through both of our post-lunch stops.  She woke up when we got home and I took her out of her seat and laid her on her activity mat so I could wash my hands and put a couple of things away before she ate.  She was playing happily and I sat down at the computer for a minute.  She was out of my line of sight and when I stood up to get her, she had rolled all the way over onto her tummy!!  For the very first time…and not even 16 weeks old!!!  Needless to say, I am so excited to watch her grow and learn/do new things and we are so blessed in our precious Lydia:)