Babies cry. They just do. And the lesson I keep having to learn over and over is that this is just what they do and they can seriously handle it. She won't harbor resentment, she won't be mad at me, she won't feel neglected or sad. She'll live. Case in point: This morning I was in the shower and over the sound of the water I could hear Lydia crying. She had woken up and was not feeling particularly patient this morning. I began to rush and quickly rinse my hair and finish my shower, all the while hearing poor Lydia cry louder and louder for someone to come and hold her. I jumped out of the shower, grabbed my towel and ran to her, hair dripping a bit, looked into her bed saying "Lydia, sweetheart I'm here!" and do you know what she did??? My poor sad neglected little baby... She SMILED at me. A HUGE smile. She totally recovered - instantly. What a chump I am! She was FINE! She was crying for attention - true - and she sincerely was ready to get up and wanted to know where we were - true - but was my little baby girl sad and feeling neglected and abandoned and unloved? She SO TOTALLY was NOT. The instant smile and ceasing of tears proved that. It was a funny moment. I love that smile. And the quickness of its arrival when I looked into her bed with wet, dripping hair may have almost convinced me now that she cries to communicate and nothing more about 95% of the time. I'm such a new mom.

We took this picture ourselves while waiting for Daddy to come home!

Ladies and gentlemen, we may have a thumb sucker on our hands. This is one of her new favorite things to do.

Lydia can hold toys now! She still needs a little help from us... She doesn't pick them up on her own quite yet. We place a toy or rattle in her hand and she'll instinctively grip it. She used to drop it right away, but now she holds it for a long time and moves it all around and seems to really enjoy it!! Go Lydia! Also in development news, she can also roll over on to one side now!

Well, Mommy started back to work last week and Lydia again proved she is the best baby in the whole world... She's been sleeping through the night!!!! It's like she knew Mommy needed more sleep. Such a sweetie pie. She still wakes up several times during the night and needs a little help getting back to sleep, but she does it every time! Altogether she's been sleeping about 7 hours a night (although all of the little wake-ups probably total a good hour of being awake, at least). I'm so proud and grateful! The morning routine is tricky, but Oliver and I are a good team and we're making it work. Here's a sample morning:

4:30 AM Lydia is stirring and thinking about breakfast. Mommy gives her the pacifier, strokes her head and begs her to go back to sleep for a little bit longer.

5:00 AM Alarm goes off. Mommy and Daddy each go take a shower. Lydia is stirring, making little noises and thinking about breakfast.

5:15 AM Mommy brushes her teeth, begins her make-up and hurredly tries to get as much accomplished before the forthcoming and inevitable cry that says "I'm finished being patient and I want to get up!"

5:30 AM Lydia is ready to get up. Daddy changes her diaper and her outfit. (Lydia is really happy in the morning. She smiles a LOT and is playful on the changing table. She's so happy to see Daddy!)

5:45 AM Mommy feeds Lydia. Lydia is happy! Daddy gathers Mommy's breast pump supplies, the diaper bag and the super important cup of coffee and makes sure everything is ready to go out the door. He's a huge help!

6:10 AM Lydia is propped up in her Boppy on our bed, hanging out while Mommy gets dressed and finishes her hair. Lydia loves to watch the ceiling fan...it's pretty entertaining.

6:15 AM Daddy puts all of our stuff in the car, kisses us goodbye and heads off to work.

6:30 AM Lydia is in her carseat and we're ready to leave for Omi's house! She usually falls asleep on the way there. She's ready for her morning nap.

6:55 AM Greetings to Omi! Guten Morgen! Lydia has arrived and is ready for a great day with her grandmother.

7:00 AM Mommy heads to the office and is there by 7:30.

Lydia has been doing very well during the day. Her Omi is doing a fantastic job and we have so much security knowing Lydia is in such good, loving hands. What an enormous blessing!

Oh P.S. I forgot to complete the timeline...

7:30 AM - 4:00 PM Mommy tries desperately to stay awake at work and figure out what the heck is going on there after a 3 month absence. Wow, and I thought I was tired before!

4:45 PM Oliver picks Lydia up and brings her home to me! I have missed her!!!

Sorry we haven't posted anything lately! Stay tuned! (I started back to work this week... Speaks for itself, right?)

So cute! Lydia was talking to us today. She's been making a lot of new noises lately, each of them very cute. (I never knew that babies actually say "goo-goo" and "ga-ga"!) This afternoon she "talked" to us for a good 10 minutes or so, fist in mouth. The above video is pretty short, because it's difficult to upload longer videos, but it's a sample for you anyway! She's such a cutie.

Lydia is a huge soccer fan. Or maybe it's her Daddy who is the big fan, but he's working on her. (She owns a pink soccer ball already.) Here she is "watching" the game with Oliver. (Go Germany!!)