Lucy and Drake

Lucy had her four-month check-up and vaccinations today. She was in top show-off form as she smiled and wiggled for the nurses and the doctor. In fact, it was all fun and games until someone stuck her with a needle. Four times. And forced the oral rotavirus vaccine down her throat.
She was maaaad...
She was so mad that after I got her settled down and fed her, while I had her on my shoulder to burp her, she let out a really huge belch...
and projectile vomited across my shoulder, down the back of my shirt, and across the room. It hit the wall and puddled on the floor. I felt really bad for the nurses who had to clean it up. I kept apologizing. I wiped up as best I could, but I smelled baby puke the whole way home. The little turkey didn't get any on herself. And then, she had the nerve to smile at me, after she had done all that damage.
And what did I do? I smiled back at her, of course.
Just like that, all is forgiven.
Yesterday evening, Lucy initiated a little game with me. I was carrying her downstairs, when she spied the Christmas tree on the balcony. She just stared at the colored lights, so I took her to the railing so she could have a closer look. She gave this secret, almost mischievous, smile in the direction of the tree. Then she looked over at me, caught my eye, and grinned so big. I grinned back, laughing, and she quickly turned her face back to the tree. And grinned hugely. Then she quickly turned back to look at me and grin again. She must have done this ten or fifteen times before she got tired of it. It was so charming - I had never seen her initiate a game before.
Yesterday, Drake also initiated a game with Lucy. I was holding her facing me on the sofa. She had just eaten and was sitting up interacting with me. Drake came over to sit beside us and talk to Lucy. He would get up close to her and she would smile and smile at him. He began leaning in close to hug her or kiss her head. She'd make a swipe at him, probably trying to get a good taste of him. As soon as she did this, Drake would lunge backward dramatically, pretending that Lucy had knocked him for a loop. He would lie there on the sofa, pretending to be dazed, while we laughed at him. He did this repeatedly, until finally it was time for him to take his nap.
When we were going through the naptime routine, Drake sat down on the wooden toybox in his and Bart's room to read Lucy and me a book. I stood Lucy on her feet and let her bang her hands on the toybox to explore. While she was standing up, the tantalizing sight of Drake's little foot in its striped sock swinging back and forth so close to her face caught her eye. She went into full attack mode and grabbed his foot. She seized it with both hands and jammed it into her mouth.
Drake howled with laughter, as did I, as Lucy frantically tried to eat his foot. She even growled. From time to time, Drake would get concerned and saying, "That's mine, baby. Let go," reach down and gently pry her hands off his foot. He wasn't concerned enough to move his foot out of her reach, though, and pretty soon his sock was soaked.
Babies have got to be one of the funniest things in Creation.
Sometimes while I'm crooning to her, I'll say, "My Lucy" or "My Lulu", which is one of her nicknames. If Drake hears me, he corrects me by saying, "My Wucy" or "My WuWu". I think this is just so adorable.
Bart's relationship with her is a little different. He loves to kiss her and talk to her. He says she's in love with him and he's going to marry her someday. He is her hero. Lucy thinks everything he does or says is funny and interesting. Bart is still a bit too hyper and antsy to let him hold her unsupervised, but that he tries his best to be gentle around her is evident.
Skylar is Second Mama. She loves holding Lulu - as long as Lulu doesn't start fussing. The moment Lucy's mouth starts to open in a cry or whimper, quick as can be, Skylar notifies me: "Mom, she's starting to fuss!" Which is my cue that Skylar has had enough. I have to keep telling her, "Skylar, babies are going to cry sometimes. That's just what they do." She's a great big sister, though, and a help to me. Over half of our dinners in the past four months, I'm certain, would not have gotten made if Skylar hadn't been willing to hold the baby or entertain her for me while I cooked.
I know absolutely without a doubt that I have been blessed with four amazing children.
I used to think that my life would be a tragic waste if I didn't do something "great" by the time I was thirty. What "great" was, I was never very certain about. I suppose "great" would mean writing a book, making an amazing archaeological discovery, or making a million dollars. Fifteen years ago, I would've been horrified at the thought of not even finishing college. I suppose my fourteen-year-old self would have keeled over in torment at the knowledge that I would have four children before the age of thirty. Back then, I didn't even like kids much.
I know now that I am doing something great. Something that for me is even kind of difficult. It's hard to be patient about finishing college and starting a career. It's hard to know that I don't really have enough spare time in a day to spend working on my writing projects. It's hard to sit still while George has his degree and I don't. It' s really hard to have a million things I want to do in my head, but can't even manage to get a shower before noon (if I'm lucky).
But I also know after nearly ten years of making mistakes and wasting precious time, that there is nothing I "want" to do that can't wait awhile longer. What cannot wait is the children. They grow up so quickly. They need me far more than the archaeological community. And the New York Times Bestseller List is doing just fine without my novel on it.