We Can't Move to Maine (or Oregon)

There are entirely too many Lucys in those two states. How do I know? I just searched the baby name database on the Social Security Administration's website (www.ssa.gov). You should check it out. It's really fun. You can search the top 100 baby names for each state. We played a game of guessing which states would have the most Lucys, and we were right on! I guessed Oregon and Seth guessed Maine. Lucy is the #56 top name in Maine, and 60-something in Oregon. So to avoid having Lucy be known as "Lucy R., not to be confused with Lucy S., Lucy F., Lucy W. or Lucy A.," we cannot move to Maine or Oregon. End of story. But the good news is that we're a-okay in Louisiana! It doesn't even break the Top 100 there--woo hoo! Apparently Emma, Ava, Isabella and Madison are top choices across all states. Who knew the ssa.gov website could so fun? Not us!

This is a good segue into our next poll, which is, what should Lucy's nickname be? Not that she needs one, but as you know, in Louisiana, EVERYONE has a nickname, especially in the Roussel and Brignac families. Here's a sampling of my favorites: Coonie, Nootzie, Rabbit, Logger (but pronounced Lah-ga), Footy, T-[fill-in-the-blank-with-your-mama's-or-daddy's-name], Skeezic, Z.B. (or other initials not at all related to your actual initials), Hawk, and well, you get the picture. I am not kidding people. If I mentioned your name, don't be offended. It's like you're a little bit famous--you made the blog! So, we could go with a logical choice here, like: Lou Rou, Luce, Lou Beth or Lucy Beth. OR, we could call her P.K., which stands for Petite Kevin, since she looks like her pawpaw Kevin, or t-Kev ("t" is also short for petite). Or we could go with an animal: Bee (since she attacks flowers) or Dolphin (she does squeal and smile a lot). Or do you have a better suggestion? Please write in with other suggestions. By the way, the Lincoln/Vietnam memorials won the last poll, so the Roussel fam will be off to take a picture or video later ths week - stay tuned!

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I can post about Lucy's busy weekend of socializing! On Friday, Lucy met her boyfriend Sam (and his parents) for Happy Hour. Everyone had a wonderful time. Sam was dancing, Lucy was laughing and the rest of us were drinking beer and eating pizza. On Saturday, Lucy and I met up with Allison A. (from law school) and her husband Christian. It's been ages since we've seen each other so it was GREAT to catch up! Congrats to them as they are expecting baby #1 on Jan. 27! Lucy is excited to have another little friend! :) Today, Lucy and I headed over to Jenelle to see her new place in D.C. Mollie and Jenelle entertained Lucy for hours, and Lucy was sad to leave. As for poor Seth, he's been busy studying. But only 8 days til the test!

P.S.--Seth doesn't know the difference between a chicken and a duck. Lucy's bathrobe has a DUCK on it, not a CHICKEN. Now doesn't that make more sense? Maybe duck should be another nickname choice....

Less than 2 weeks until anesthesia boards!

Crap! So much to study... so much stress! Similar to Chrissy's bar I think. So, the anesthesia boards are less than 2 weeks away. We are still trying to sell the house and preparing to move. So much going on right now in the Roussel household, but we will survive. I took a nice study break this evening with Chrissy & Lucy. Here are a few pictures of Lucy after her bath with her chicken robe (thanks Jessica & Rob - we finally got a few pictures in it) and then a video Chrissy and I made tonight(we may have been a little tipsy). Isn't our little girl such a cutie! Knock on wood, Lucy has slept for 12+ hours the last 3 nights (probably due to her new found love of solid food, especially rice cereal). It's crazy how much time Chrissy and I have gotten to spend together since she has been sleeping so well. Anyhow, enjoy the pictures and video. If you haven't seen the Lucy vs. flower videos, you have to scroll down - they are some of the funniest we've posted yet! Enjoy and good night!

Lucy v. the Flower, Round II

In Lucy v. the Flower, Round II, Lucy is victorious! Check it out! Have you ever seen a 5 month old so focused on taking down a totally unsuspecting, smiling flower? It's insane. That's our determined little girl. She is gonna be a force to be reckoned with!

Oh no you didn't, flower!

How's that for a title? Lucy has decided that she does not like the smiling flower on her exersaucer toy. Actually, she HATES the flower, as you can see in this video. She has so much to play with on the exersaucer but she always finds this flower and always seems to be super annoyed by it. Maybe it's the flower's constant smile, maybe it's because it's attached... who knows! But she certainly has attacked it on many occasions. So, have fun watching Lucy attack!

Which monument should the Roussel fam go to see one last time?

Apparently, I look like Daddy or a combo of both Mommy and Daddy. Our first poll is now closed and there was a tie as to who I look like more. Mommy got 3 votes, Daddy got 5 votes, and combo Mommy & Daddy got 5 votes, so it was pretty close all around. I guess I got the best of both of them! Now it's time for our 2nd poll. Mommy and Daddy have been to ALL of the DC monumnets A LOT with all of their visitors. But since we don't have much more time in DC, I have convinced them to go one more time. However, Mommy refuses to do them all - she will go to ONE (or maybe two max!) So we want your help to decide which one we should see. Vote this week and let us know, then we'll go take a Roussel family picture by the winning monument. Also, here is another video of me trying applesause. I LOVE rice cereal, but applesauce? Not so much. Maybe I'll get used to it, but as you can see, not yet!

Only 6 weeks until LSU kickoff - GEAUX TIGERS!

That's right folks - LSU FOOTBALL is only 6 weeks away (actually 42 days, 21 hours, 8 minutes, and 33 seconds to be more specific). To mark the countdown, as you have probably noticed, I have changed the background of the blog to purple, so now we will have purple and gold, LSU's colors. The 2008 Tigers are out to defend their NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. That's right all you LSU haters... we are the DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS. So before you go hoop and holler (ie. Amy Glass and others), check yo'self and the number of championship rings your team has in the past 5 years. Last I checked we had TWO! Boo Yaa! Anyway, here are some pictures of Lucy modeling her LSU swimsuit for you (thank you Paw Paw Kevin). Since we'll be back in Baton Rouge this season, Lucy will be sure to make all of the tailgates. She will be in her LSU cheerleader outfit or maybe even still this swimsuit, since I'm sure August 30 will be hot as hell! Also below is a video of Lucy with her cousins telling Uncle Seth hello and cheering for the LSU Tigers.
PS- For those of you who read Chrissy's post about what not to say to your wife, I did tell her twice they looked good and even, but she INSISTED I look CLOSER. She always is telling me I can't see, so I just told her yes, I saw what she meant about being uneven. It's always a trap/catch 22- Damned if ya do, damned if ya don't! From now on I will just say "I love you" as my answer for every question. I'm sure she'll find a way to turn that one on me too...

The Long Road Home and Things You Should Never Say to Your Wife

I'm baaaaaack. And it was a long trip home. You know how I was all nervous about who I'd be sitting next to on the plane? Well, lucky me, I sat next to an eight year old unaccompanied boy. I asked him who he was going to visit and he says "my grandparents. My mom said she needs a break from me. But she WAS pretty upset when I left." I kid you not. He proceeded to ask a million questions during the flight, including whether my iphone had games, whether he needed to pay for his apple juice, etc. etc. He was very nice and cute, even if he was super hyper. Then I get to ATL. And guess what? My flight left the 'Cola late so I am sprinting through the various ATL terminals in a desperate effort to get to my connecting flight. Sprinting--with Lucy jiggling all around in the baby pouch, with my stroller teetering back and forth and bucking up and down, with sweat pours down my face because I have a fever and am sick. The seas of people parted quite easily for me. I guess they could tell from the crazed look on my face that I was a mother on a mission to make her connecting flight. Or maybe they were afraid that the stroller rolling over them would inflict some serious bodily injury. Because I might have hit them if they hadn't moved.

After all that sprinting, I get to my gate only to have the lady refuse to even look up when I ask her is my flight closed. So yeah, I did it. I burst into tears in the middle of the ATL airport. Oh well. I talked to my mom who said maybe I should sit and regroup, which I did. That made me feel better. Well that and a Starbucks smoothie (which was fairly delicious, I must say). I made the next flight and Seth couldn't have been happier to see us. Lucy and I are happy to be home, chilling with Seth. Today the whole fam didn't even get up til after 9. Now if ONLY we could sell our house. Do you want to buy it??? Think about it.

In other news, there are about a million things you should NOT say to your wife, and Seth has said many (read: 214,632) of them. Today he said another--I came home from getting my crazy eyebrows done and lo and behold, they STILL look crazy because the woman made one brow shorter than the other. UGH. So, men blog readers, when you wife is complaining about that and just generally in a bad mood about it, do NOT closely study her face and then say, "yeah, they are REALLY uneven." Because your wife will not be happy about it because she can't fix it. She has to just wait til they grow out. Instead of being honest, you should say: "oh they look exactly the same shape to me. Really." In the interests of full disclosure, I should probably mention that Seth DID initially say, "oh, they look fine." Now, here's the hard part, men blog-readers: when your wife insists that you look really closely, you must still lie! Lie, lie, lie! She does not want you to tell the truth. Don't do it! You would think that after almost ten years of bad haircuts and brows, Seth would know this. But no.

Well, me and my wonky brows are going to go watch some t.v., so good night, friends and fam.

Roussel Disco & the Presidential campaign- you will die laughing!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Hold on to your seats! Otherwise, you are gonna fall on the floor laughing at this video! (sorry it takes a few seconds to load) I saw this site (jibjab.com) on msnbc.com today and just had to put it on the blog. I have seen other websites like these before but never with disco dancing. Below, there is also one about the presidential campaign, featuring Lucy at the end. Hope you enjoy!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Home tonight

Woo hoo! Lucy & Chrissy are back in route to D.C. Just wanted to congratulate Chrissy for actually booking a return ticket home this time. As some of you may remember, on our last trip to Louisiana/Florida, Chrissy stayed a few extra days so we didn't book our flights together. The night before she was to fly home, she was trying to check in online only to find out she never booked a flight home. It was a $200 mistake, but pretty comical, nonetheless. Anyway, I'm excited about seeing them both, since they've been gone for 5 days. I'm probably most just excited to get to play with Lucy and take a break from the books. I'll post pictures later tonight.

Back from the semi-dead

Helloooo!! I owe many of you emails, so you have my apologies for not replying yet. I promise I'll do so tomorrow. Well, I am happy to report I'm back from the semi-dead. Okay, that may be just a tad dramatic, but I was seriously under the weather. My sinuses hurt so bad it felt like someone was just standing on my face. In steel toe stilleto heels. Really. But enough about me and my sinuses.

As Seth wrote, we are in FL. We were in LA over the weekend for Meagan's shower. Meagan got all kinds of fun baby stuff! She got quite a number of towels, so baby Roussel sure will be dry! Meagan is due in mid-Sept. She is absolutely glowing and looks fantastic. She's not finding out the sex, so Lucy doesn't know if she's going to have a little boy or girl cousin to play with. We are all thinking it's going to be a boy, based on our totally unscientific theories and speculations. There is one thing that's certain--this baby will be coming during the football season. Sorry Marc! ;) Lucy loved visiting with all the female Brignac/Roussel relatives. She was very happily passed from person to person. Every once in a while she'd look at me and smile but otherwise just sat there and soaked up all the attention. Mawmaw Patty loved every minute of it and got some quality Luce-time in on Saturday. On Sunday, Lucy got to visit with mawmaw Patty more, pawpaw Jose, uncle Jeffrey, uncle Marc, and then visited pawpaw Kevin. Uncle Jeff just got back from Zambia, Africa. Welcome home, Jeff! Lucy can't wait to wear the little t-shirt he brought her. Lucy was so excited to see him and Marc. She was grinning at Marc, and I am wondering it had anything to do with the fact Marc and Seth look very similar. Who knows. Lucy also loved visiting with pawpaw Kevin. Have you seen the picture of Lucy and pawpaw Kevin on this blog? I think maybe we should've included Kevin as a possible option in the "who does Lucy look like" poll, because she really looks a LOT like him. Sonja and Allison, I think I missed you both in B.R. this weekend--so sorry. I was seriously under the weather and there was not a free minute. But I am sure we will see both of you soon!

On Monday it was on to FL with grandma and grandpa Fox. Lucy and I hung out at the hospital on Monday while my dad had a minor surgery (all went well with it). Other than that, our time was filled with visiting grandma and grandpa, uncle Michael and aunt Sarah, aunt Liz, and Lucy's four cousins--Anna (5 y.o.), Grace (3 y.o.), Porter (3 y.o.) and Julia (6.5 months). This is the first time all five of them have been together, so you can count on plenty of pictures soon! They swam in the pool all day. Lucy was doing laps and going off the diving board. Okay, just kidding. But you know what did really happen that was funny? Porter and Grace were riding my parents' black-lab-wonder-dog Maggie across the pool. Like, holding on to her back and letting her carry them across the pool. It was hilarious. Anyway, we are heading home tomorrow, which is good because Seth's ladies are really missing him. But I'm glad to hear that Seth has been studying LOTS while we've been away! He thanks everyone for their prayers and novenas.

Well, everyone, pray that our flights tomorrow are uneventful. I just checked and they're totally full, so some poor soul is going to be stuck sitting next to me and Luce. Let's hope she takes lots of naps!

Seth is home alone

Don't you just love this picture? Chrissy caught it on her iphone one morning this past week, just after Lucy woke up!

Sorry it's been a few days without a post. Chrissy and Lucy are currently down in Louisiana and Florida until Wednesday and I'm holding down the fort here in Virginia. The trip to Louisiana was to attend Aunt Meagan's wonderful baby shower yesterday and Chrissy and Lucy both really wanted to go. Today it was visiting time with MawMaw Patty and then PawPaw Kevin and then on to Pensacola with Grandma and Grandpa Fox, who also made it in for Meagan's shower. Unfortunately, Chrissy has been SICK AS A DOG with a horrible sinus/throat infection and has nearly lost her voice. Lucy actually had it first, starting last Wednesday or Thursday, and proceeded to pass it on to both Chrissy and myself. Fortunately, Lucy just had a few sniffles and not much more, but Chrissy and I have been nearly incapacitated. I'm on the mend, but Chrissy is still struggling and finally got some antibiotics today. So hopefully, she'll be feeling better soon. Chrissy had an exciting last week of work here in DC this week - well, I guess exciting isn't the best word... maybe I should say eventful. She put in a lot of hours Thursday and Friday but finally got to turn in her crackberry, laptop, and keys, which I think was a big relief. I'm really proud of her - it was a crazy hectic job at times, but she did a great job and overall enjoyed working there. We will both be unemployed for the next 7 weeks, so that is exciting. Although we will have no income, it will be nice to just take a break. If you can call it that - with my boards and the move to Baton Rouge looming, I don't know exactly how relaxing it will really be. We still have a lot going on here - still working on selling the house, still trying to decide about movers/studying at least 8 hours a day, etc. We did find a house to rent in Baton Rouge which is great news. It is a huge 3BR/3BA house with a nice big deck and yard and only a block away from the LSU lakes (Cloverdale Ave. for those of you who know Baton Rouge). Can you say hello LSU football season! Kickoff is only 48 days away, by the way. What else is new? Not too much. Since my girls have been out of town, I have just been studying for my anesthesiology boards which I take 3 weeks from tomorrow. Your prayers are requested and appreciated. It's getting a little stressful, with so much stuff to review, but hopefully I can get through all of the stuff I need to. Well, that's all for this post. Hopefully Chrissy will be feeling better soon and hopefully I'll pass this damn test!

Here are a few pictures from earlier this week:

The thunder from down under!

The other day the Roussel fam made a trip to Chrissy's office to gather some of her belongings (diplomas, photos, etc) and while Chrissy was cleaning up her desk, I was trying to entertain Lucy. We took a few pictures, then I decided to try to get a video of her laughing, since she was in a jolly mood. Below is what I captured. If you turn your volume up and ignore my panting noises (which Chrissy seems to find equally amusing) you will hear her let one rip/squirt right toward the end of the video. Then she gets this frozen look on her face - it's my new favorite video of her! Man, she's really gonna love seeing this when she is older... especially after I tell her we put it on the blog too! Enjoy!

Who does Lucy look like more?

Our good friends, Jessica and Rob, are doing a poll on their blog asking who their handsome little boy Sam looks like more. We're going to be copycats - thanks for the great idea! So, who do you think Lucy favors more in appearance? Seth or Chrissy? Maybe both, maybe neither? Let us know in our totally anonymous and unscientific poll at the right. We'll do this for a few days then move on to more fun polls for all of our blog viewers. Vote today! If you think she doesn't look like either of us, post a comment to let us know who you think she looks like!

Happy Birthday, Maryellen! And Late Happy Birthday, Liz!

Happy Birthday to my smart, beautiful, and funny sisters, Liz and Maryellen! Well, the birthday wishes are late for Liz but I think she will forgive me. She is so busy with her three little ones that I'm not sure she has ever read the blog! Maryellen, I hope your birthday is filled with lots of laughter and fun. Sorry the picture above is a little old (from your wedding weekend, Maryellen), I had to find one in which I didn't look like a pregnant whale. To get your birthday started, here is a video of Lucy we took last night that is guaranteed to make you laugh!

Who's Writing What

Seth created a sign-in for me so there should be no confusion as to which one of us created a particular post. I know, I know, I bet you were totally at a loss as to who wrote the posts about LSU sports. I am such a sports junkie.

I Hate Crib Sheets--and Other Random Stuff about Our Weekend

I hate crib sheets. With a passion. I cannot overstate that. I know that they have to have the elastic all the way around so that the sheets don't come undone, but that infinity elastic makes changing the sheets practically impossible. When I was changing Lucy's sheets after a huge diaper blowout at 3 am the other night, I got into a smack down with the crib mattress. I almost ended up taking the mattress out of the crib entirely and wrestling it to the ground to show it who was boss. But I resisted. Maybe because it was 3 am and I was tired. And I bet you're thinking, wow, she's really crazy to be changing Lucy's sheets at 3 am, but you could smell Lucy's blowout diaper from down the hall, so changing the sheets was a necessity. Seriously. That's all I have to say for now.

Oh wait, I will fill you in on the rest of our weekend. It was totally relaxing and great, except for the fact that poor Lucy has a little cold. We had to suction out her nose at 4 in the morning last night. She was NOT happy with us. But then, as Seth and I discussed, neither one of us would be too happy if we were awakened by someone suctioning out our noses at 4 am. I hope her cold goes away soon. Today we went out to lunch with Jenelle and her fiance, Sam. I didn't mention that our dress shopping excursion with Jenelle was successful and that she now has a wedding dress. Yay! Anyway, Sam and Lucy were excited to meet each other. That's pretty much it for the Roussel house. I am gearing up for my last week of work. Til the next post, be well and good night!

Lucy's 1st 4th of July

Here's a few pictures (and a video) from the 4th! We had a great day. Started off the morning along the Potomac in Alexandria with a family trip to "Stroller Strides," Chrissy's weekday bootcamp aerobic class with Lucy. Since it was a holiday, it was "bring your husband day". In the afternoon, we headed over to Rob & Jessica's BBQ. This is where we took our pictures and videos below. It was a nice and laid back afternoon, minus the few sprinkles. We planned on hitting downtown DC for the fireworks on Chrissy's work rooftop, but it just didn't happen. Lucy was out, Chrissy was tired, and the storm clouds were still lingering, so we just stayed home with a movie. Enjoy the pictures and happy belated 4th of July weekend!

Lucy sets off a "firework" in her diaper!

Mommy & Lucy at the BBQ.

Daddy and Lucy play outside.

Lucy tests out Sam's Bebe pod.

Lucy & Sam lounge for a bit.

Celebrating in Style

As you saw from Seth's post, he is officially done. Woo hoo! Can you believe he can remember his first day of kindergarten? I sure can't. Remember my own, I mean. But I guess it's not a stretch for him to say it was a hot August day. It was, after all, August in Baton Rouge.

So on Monday, Seth's last day of residency, we celebrated in style by dining at PF Chang's. I mean, after 25 years of education, what restaurant pops into your mind instantly? Of course, PF Chang's. Well, not really but we were paralyzed by indecision so that's where we went. Kind of like Chevy's. So, we decide to order champagne because I LOVE champagne and we figured, why not, we DO have something to celebrate. So apparently no one ever orders champagne at PF Chang's. Ever. Ever. In fact, I wonder if they just went down the street to the liquor store to buy it. It took forever and then finally the manager came over and opened the champange and was all showy with it. Then he asked if we were celebrating something to which Seth quickly says "no" because he is embarrassed we ordered champagne at PF Chang's and I simultaneously say "yes! he just finished his residency!" So the manager is like, "oh, that's great, congrats. Please have some of our new mini-desserts on me." And I like, thanks manager! Little did he know I was already planning on ordering several mini desserts. I am really liking this mini dessert trend. You don't feel guilty about getting dessert when it's the size of a shot. Lucy slept through the entire dinner and it sort of felt like we were alone, pre-baby. It was fun. We talked about all the possible vacations we could take in August but will not take. I will try not to get all sentimental here but I am so proud of Seth. I can't believe he's done. I remember way back when I met him and he was premed, along with half of LSU. Little did I know what was in store for him or for me--stressing about the MCAT, getting in to med school, passing step 1, 2, and 3, matching for residency, making it through residency, and now, passing the boards. The years have just flown by and I can't believe it's here. So congrats, Seth. You did it. And I am happy that I was with you every step of the way (or most steps, anyway, some I could've skipped ;)).

I am just realizing I totally forgot to thank Jenny and Jeff G. for babysitting for Seth's graduation dinner thing. Lucy behaved herself and didn't scare them out of having kids. Thank goodness b.c when they do have kids they will be super-cute. So thank you thank you thank you, Jenny and Jeff!

Check out this HILARIOUS blog!!!

If you want to laugh out loud, you have to check out my friend Ginny's blog! Ginny is a friend of mine from Tulane Law, and a lawyer in Texas. She and her husband, Jeff, welcomed in super precious baby Paige, on April Fool's Day this year! Anyhow, Ginny's blog is sooooooo funny. Lots of great stories about being a new mother, lots of dish on reality TV, celebrity news, and just general crazy life events! She really does an awesome job. Last week, I nominated her for the best blog in an online contest. She should/will totally win! Anyway, her stories bring many laughs to the Roussel household so check her site out when you have a sec! Also,
Seth tried to link her blog on the right handed sidebar, but in case the link doesn't work, just go to http://prebabyblabber.blogspot.com. We also added our great friends' (Jessica and Rob) blog all about their adorable new baby Sam, born on March 24th. And of course, then Seth added some LSU message board sports site. If you have a site or blog you'd like us to link just let us know!

After 25 years of formal education, I am DONE!

It was August 1983, a hot Louisiana day, and I started my 1st day of kindergarten at Most Blessed Sacrament School in Baton Rouge, La. Nearly 25 years later, I have just finished up my anesthesiology residency at Georgetown in Washington, D.C. DONE! FINITO! COMPLETE! It's all a bit surreal! I can't believe I am finally no longer a student. Well, technically I guess the last 4 years I haven't really been a student, just a lowly overworked & underpaid resident. But it is exhilarating to finally be done and moving on to my first REAL job. You know, the one most people get after college or high school. It's been a LONG road, but I think it will all pay off! Now, I'm busy studying for the boards - August 4th - YIKES! Well, I'm back to studying. Just a quick break to let everyone know that after all (the premed classes, the MCAT, med school, the boards, & residency), Chrissy and I made it through it. And it feels FRICKIN' GREAT! Thanks to everyone reading this who has helped me along the way- I really appreciate your support.

Some videos from the past few days for you to enjoy!

Lucy attempts rice cereal!
Someone finds her tongue!
Lucy sits up- with her Bumbo seat!

Lucy's June 2008 Slideshow

The Lucy Slideshow for June is done! It should be streaming above but if you are having trouble seeing it click on the white picture box link below. It's a long one but she is just too cute we were having trouble eliminating pictures! Our little girl just keeps getting bigger and bigger! She is so much fun! Enjoy the captions, from Lucy's perspective.

lucy june