Lucy playing with her new toy from her cousins, Devon & Easton. It's a big hit!

We got green beans from the farmer's market and Clyde, the cat, had pulled some out of the bowl. His fun with ended when Lucy saw them and took them from him.

It has been another event filled week here at the Villaran house. Lots of changes it seems.

Lucy has been changing like crazy...almost four new teeth (one is not quite poked through). Now she has (almost) ten teeth, which is hard to believe. We just noticed them. She really didn't have as many teething symptoms as she had with the other ones. No drooling at all. She has been practicing making all sorts of interesting sounds with them. Most of the time it seems like she really is talking, carrying on about this and that. She has been practicing standing on almost anything she can, sometimes all by herself. Lots of climbing the stairs too. And she is fast. She also has been playing more with her dollies and stuffed animals, giving them hugs and bites too.

Lucy has been going on lots of walks with both of us, which she really seems to enjoy. Our cats, Penn and Clyde, have been the very patient victims of Lucy practicing being gentle, which is quite the opposite. She grabs them very hard, sometimes by the ear, the tail, or two fists full of fur and skin. We have been reading a lot of "touch and feel" books and she does the same thing with the really furry animals. Mike informed her that she will not be going to a petting zoo anytime in the near future. She has stopped nursing all together too and is now having formula. This has been a gradual but a big transition. It was nice to be able to nurse for so long. We hoped to make it to a year but that just didn't work and that's okay.

Mike has decided on going to the Minnesota School of Barbering for a nine month program, five days a week, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-5. He will be starting there on July 28. They will be long days with the commute. He is excited and nervous about the unknown. Lucy will be returning to daycare 3 1/2 days per week then. That is bittersweet for us all. We are glad for Mike to have a new opportunity to create a business for himself. He has been busy taking care of all kinds of things to make this happen.

The other big event here was an unexpected medical situation with Mike. As we previously wrote, he has been having problems with a sore big toe. He went in to the doctor for this and ended up having a lot of blood drawn to test for different things. Long story short, he collapsed and passed out while walking down a hallway, alone, after the blood draw. The medical staff wouldn't let him drive himself home and my mom ended up coming to get him as they were unable to get a hold of me (which I still feel really bad about). Through these tests, they were able to find that his thyroid is inactive and has been causing a wide variety of symptoms. He will have to take synthetic thyroid for the rest of his life and continue to be monitored. He has some additional tests coming up. I was able to stay home from work the day after as he still wasn't "quite right" from the fall. Luckily, he only had carpet burn on his face but no bruising. He quickly felt better physically, especially a decrease in aches and pains, which have been difficult for him for quite some time.

This past weekend I was treated to a movie, "My Sister's Keeper" from my step-mom, Cheri. It was an unexpected and much appreciated treat. We both had read the book. It is a thought provoking movie about family dynamics and life's challenges. Definitely "a crier".

This weekend I have a bridal shower for a good friend, Nicki, and Mike's brother, Alex, is coming to visit. We may make another trip to the Farmer's Market too. There's usually music there too which Lucy enjoys. No sweet corn yet though. Hope all of you are well and enjoying the summer!!

Climbing the stairs-a favorite activity! With close supervision.

Lucy and I-after an attempt to go swimming. The swarming mosquitoes put a quick

damper on the fun.

She's 11 months already!!