"All is fair in love and motherhood."

So. I haven't been here in a while. I've no good excuse other than...well, you know how when you get really into exercising after New Years...and you're such an efficient exerciser that there comes a day when you say, "it won't matter if I skip a day." And then the next day comes and you say, "eh, why not? There's alway tomorrow." Then Abraham Lincoln's booming voice rings in your ears, "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today." Then you remind yourself that, while Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Emancipation and preserved the Union, he never mothered a wild baby whose sole mission in life is to seek out shoes and other unsanitary objects and chew on them. And then you chastise yourself for comparing your daily rituals to Honest Abes' towering achievements. And by the time you stop arguing with yourself, five months have flown by and you haven't written one blog post. 

Ya. Well, that's kind of what happened. So...rather than rehash all the exciting things that have happened over the past five months (a cute, severely teething, almost-walking, 9 month old unfortunately doesn't allow me the time to do so...), I shall start afresh with the current happenings in the Mooney household. Thank you for understanding!

So. Here's 9-month old Lulu now. 

She's basically an adult. And she looks exactly like her dad (especially when she's wearing his specs!). And she took her first steps this week. Four confident strides towards the couch - without falling awkwardly as she usually does - chest puffed out as if she were ready to scream, "FREEDOM!" Thank goodness she hasn't taken more than a couple of steps in a row since. Because I seriously need time to emotionally process the fact that my "baby" is very quickly becoming a "toddler" (queue my weeping heart and aching uterus). 

We also are very quickly realizing that our house is a death trap. Danger everywhere! So severe baby-proofing has happened this week. All those kitschy little trinkets I used to collect from thrift stores? Glass mason jars = unspeakable terrors. Photo frames = weapons lying in wait for a victim. Who told me these things were a good idea?! And then there's our furniture. The coffee table corners were maliciously seeking eyes to poke out...so we got rid of it. The flat screen TV was waiting for a reason to pounce on my unsuspecting offspring. So we mounted it to the wall. 

I suppose these are all good things to think about as a parent...and I also suppose I can only do so much to protect my child who seemingly seeks out precarious predicaments to put herself in. But, I'm amazed (and undeservedly blessed) daily by the fact that that God thought it was a good idea to entrust us with the life of our precious little booger! "Wow...I'm a train-wreck. Thank goodness, God, that You know what You're doing!" has now become my daily (ok, hourly) song of praise!

Anyway, I'm glad to be back and I promise you will hear from me again before Lucie turns 18.  

Love,