Hi friends,
This past week, Lucie got her first true taste of Fall in the Big Apple. Temperatures dropped, fleece pj’s and cozy blankets abounded, and apples were picked! We’ve said it before, but we’re just so touched that you still like to read up on how Lucie is doing, and how Los Hickson’s are faring in NYC. Thanks for sticking with us throughout all this time.
It’s surreal to think that this time last year, we had just started to share the news about our pregnancy with others, and that all I wanted was milk, milk, and more milk 24/7!
Lucie got her flu shot last week, and so she also got a weight check. Since the beginning of September, she has gained a whole pound! She is now 13 lbs., 3 oz. and she’s 26 inches long. Speaking of the flu shot, our insurance approved for Lucie to receive Synagis, which helps prevent lung infections during RSV season (respiratory syncytial virus). She will receive one shot per month from November through March. That is a huge win for Lucie Pie! It took several, very long conversations with our insurance company as well as their approved specialty pharmacies to get this set up, so we are very very grateful that she finally got the approval.
Lucie has been amazing us every day. She’s learning to eat her veggies, which is a lot of fun. She is NOT a fan of green peas, she thinks carrots are okay, and she LOVES sweet potatoes. She is a mover and shaker; she wiggles all the time, and rolls over from one side to the other and back again. She absolutely loves her toys, she reaches for them, puts them in her mouth, and bangs them together. Her favorites right now are this one peek a boo toy with four animals that pop up when she hits the buttons, a fun ferris wheel looking toy that sounds like a rattle when she spins it, and most recently, Bess who she is learning to play around with! She sits up really well with our assistance, and is getting stronger to where she can almost sit and prop her hand down for support. She’s not quite there, but it looks like she will be soon. She loves to watch our expressions and is starting to imitate them along with some of our sounds. Her neck control is really great now, so we have decided to set her stroller up without the infant car seat! She is getting so big! I can’t take it!
Lucie’s PT (physical therapy) evaluation was last Thursday. Now we are just waiting for the report to get filed and the recommendation to go through the Early Intervention Agency. We will then be informed of what the new therapy schedule will look like for Lucie-Lyn. The PT evaluation was extremely encouraging. The therapist said that although she could tell that Lucie had weakness in her muscles, ultimately she could see no red flags, and felt that Lucie was right on par with her expected development when compared to her “adjusted age” of about 6 months old. She felt that Lucie would really benefit from the PT and that it could help her continue to make strides in her development, so that she will continue to thrive and ultimately get caught up to her true age.
Every time Lucie shows us something new that she is able to do, I have such a mixed bag of feelings… thankfulness, excitement, hope, and to be honest, relief. (Thank God she can do that.) Since day one, Robby and I have tried our best to not worry about the “what if’s” in Lucie’s development unless there was a potential red flag. That in itself is such an odd place to come from, because it acknowledges that something could be “off” but that we will try not to dwell on that unless it becomes necessary. Given the circumstances, I think it’s the healthiest approach, because it has kept us from getting sucked into the terrifying world of Google and WebMD, and that has been a very good thing. Lucie does work so hard for each accomplishment. I’m thankful that she’s up to the challenge, that she’s willing to put in the work so that her muscles will strengthen, and so that she can continue to grow, develop and explore more and more. In the next few months she should be able to sit up on her own and play with her toys without our support, and I know that that will be due to hours and hours of intentional hard work from our determined little drooler! Her therapist says that drool is a sign of Lucie working hard, and after each session, the Goose is just covered in drool, and so are we! At times I feel a slight swell of sadness that things won’t just come naturally or easily for Lucie Pie, but the wave of JOY that comes when I see her smile and hear her babble absolutely crushes it. Each night when we put her in her crib, we pray for her, and each night I say a prayer of thanks to God for giving us the gift of Lucie, for the privilege it is to get to be her mommy and daddy.
It’s unreal and it’s amazing.
Love, Los Hicksons