Fall is here and so is Lukas' 1st birthday!

Fall is here and so is cute hat season! Fall is my favorite season and October my favorite month. October is both my birthday and Lukas' birthday. Right now we are finalizing plans or Lukas' first birthday party and we are so excited to celebrate with our family and a few friends. Tomorrow is Lukas' actual first birthday. We plan to go to the zoo, lunch with daddy and perhaps even have a cupcake for dessert. We'll see...

Lukas is a Walker!

Just 4 days shy of his 1st birthday, Lukas took his first steps -- 4 to be exact. It was a bit of an accident - he didn't mean to. I brought out one of his bday presents for him to play with, a standing activity center. He was standing with no hands playing with his new toy and I moved it about 2 feet away. And he just walked right over to it! I think it may be a while before he does it again. Maybe. Seeing him walking, turning 1. Such happy times!

Long Weekend in Santa Cruz

We just had a wonderful long weekend in Santa Cruz. Although the weather has started to turn to fall, we still had some sunshine on Saturday. We went to our favorite restaurant in Soquel for lunch called Main Street Garden. They have amazing outdoor seating in the back looking out at their huge garden that backs up to the creek. We enjoyed a yummy pizza from their outdoor pizza oven. Lukas did a little eating and a lot of playing (including eating tanbark). Andrew and I were able to relax and enjoy our sweet little guy. I can't remember the last time we had a 2 hour lunch! After lunch I convinced Andrew to take us for a drive up the hill to Kennolyn where we had our wedding reception 5 years ago. It was Lukas' first time there! We were excited to walk around the grounds and reminisce about our special day. Andrew took a photo of me and Lukas on the lawn. I remember taking a LOT of photos on that lawn on our wedding day too (: Then we walked over to the sales office where there was a huge framed photo of us in the window and another huge photo inside. I was hoping Andrew would take it for me but he did not. Andrew had to head home to work on Sunday but Lukas and I had a nice day Monday going for walks, watching dolphins and searching endlessly for Jordi. Jordi is Lukas' first "name" that he has learned and it is so cute. Also, Lukas just started saying "up" today. He loves to babble too although we have no idea what he is saying!

11 months old!

Holy cow! Where has time gone? Our little tiny baby boy is no longer tiny and hardly a baby anymore. Lukas brings us more joy and laughter with each day. Right now, he is a very huggy boy and starting to give us sloppy, wet kisses on the cheek. He also LOVES to share his bottle, toys & food with Mommy, Daddy & Jordi. Tonight I watched as he fed peas, one kernel at a time to Jordi. Lukas has mastered crawling on his hands and knees and is FAST! He can also cruise around on furniture, kitchen appliances, even the screen door. And he loves to practice his walking. Gone are the days when I could leave him in the living room to grab a quick shower. Lukas has also outgrown his crazy nap strikes. Now he takes a very dependable 1 hour nap in the morning and 2 hour nap in the afternoon. It has made life so much easier, mostly because he is well rested and happy! Lukas' favorite toys continue to be things that aren't toys; my makeup case and their contents, kitchen utensils, spice bottles, empty plastic containers and magazines or manuals. We are often puzzled by his choices since he has plenty of toys to play with. I guess it's a sign that he is learning about the world around him. Clapping and waving are also fairly new skills. Just this week, he began clapping in time to music -- now THAT I think is impressive! Most of all, I love seeing Lukas' growing sense of humor and the love he has not only for us, but for other members of our family. Papa Choo Choo, Opa and Grande have been so generous in helping us with Lukas this year. What they probably weren't expecting was how much of a bond would form between them. Lukas has never cried when I walked out the door, leaving him with one of his grandparents. Lukas & Jordi are also becoming fast friends, equally bothering and entertaining one another. Lukas tries to avoid Jordi's licks while Jordi tries to avoid the inevitable ear tug. I'm pretty proud of Jordi for learning to put up with this abuse and wait for me to help him. This week, I started working from home which means I get to spend a lot more time with Lukas. After a really really hard year, all is right with the world.

Swimming at McGeorge Pool!

Lukas enjoyed the Mcgeorge School of Law Pool which Andrew has access to as an alum. Glad we get something tangible and fun out of all that very expensive law school tuition! It is so nice to have a "neighborhood" pool to go to. We were able to load up the BOB and walk there as a family. This was Lukas' first time in a full size pool and he loved it! I was really proud of how well he did -- I think we will have to do some swim lessons in the fall.

On a side note, Andrew may have tucked a PBR or 2 into the stroller so we'd have drinks poolside...no big vacations for us this summer, but this was as close to Mexico as we've gotten in a while!

4th of July

We spent Lukas' first 4th of July with Ann, Kathy, Jerry and Jeannie in Santa Cruz. Kathy and Ann spoiled us by making dinner both nights we were down. It was so nice not to have to do anything!! Lukas was right at home with his family and loved all the attention. His Opa helped us out a lot that weekend. I hope we make it back every year for the 4th!

Solids

A picture is worth a thousand words! Lukas is still unsure if he likes solids. His favorite foods are peas & brown rice, pears and bananas from the jar. We have also given homemade sweet potatoes and yogurt a try this week and he has liked both. He was not such a fan of the quinoa and zucchini I made for him from scratch tonight. Nor did he like the very expensive organic blueberries I painstakingly boiled and made a syrup out of for him.In fact, he spit both of them all over me. Oh well. I tried Lukas. No one will ever say I didn't try to feed you healthy, wholesome food!

Lukas & Dada

Andrew and Lukas have a really amazing bond. They not only look alike but Lukas lights up when his dada walks into the room. And Andrew lights up too. I love watching these two together.

Crawling

Lukas has mastered his army crawl over the past several weeks. He loves to follow us around the house, ask to be picked up and then ask to be put down again so he can crawl some more. One of his favorite things to do in the morning is to crawl over to Jordi's house and say good morning. Not so sure how much Jordi enjoys sharing the floor with Lukas. He seems a bit annoyed by the whole thing. But he is very protective when Lukas is on the floor and our neighbors dogs come over to play. He pretends to be annoyed but really loves Lukas. I have a feeling these two are going to start getting into a lot of trouble together!

Our little swinger

Yesterday Andrew left for Seattle for work and Lukas and I decided to have a little evening activity at the park. He enjoyed the swing and then eating a little bit of sand. I can't wait to go back to the same park so we can enjoy the wading pool. Sacramento is such a great place to live with all the parks. I've been waiting to have a little baby boy to go to the park with for a long time. I'm a happy mama.

Happy 8 Month Birthday Lukas! And Happy 1st Father's Day Andrew!

Lukas turned 8 months old today. Where has the time gone? Here are some fun facts about our little sweet pea:

He has 6 teeth, 4 on the bottom and 2 on top (there is a gap between the top 2 teeth that is SO CUTE!)
Just started crawling on Wednesday! (military style, on his stomach). His Opa was the first one to see him crawl.
Lukas can transition from sitting to laying on his belly
Says Dada & Mama
Recognizes familiar faces
Jumps VERY high in his jumperoo
Loves playing with blocks
Likes books, likes chewing on them even more
Enjoys baby foods -- peas, pears, bananas and rice cereal are his favorites.
Gives really great hugs, especially in the morning
Does not mind mommy giving him lots of kisses
Has a budding sense of humor -- does things that he thinks are funny, laughs and then we laugh because he is laughing. Lukas is really great fun.
Travels so well in the car - we were on the road for 7 hours today. What a trooper!
Is one of the most content and happy babies. We are REALLY lucky.

Today we went to Amador to celebrate Andrew's first Father's Day. What a great family outing we had. I can't wait to go back for another picnic. No messy cleanup after lunch - love that!

Lukas in his baby pool!

Summer has arrived in Sacramento. And all over Northern California as well. Which means it is time to a. stay inside all day OR b. partake in water activities. Today I picked up a little inflatable baby pool, threw on a swim diaper and Lukas' swim trunks and made the best of our hot hot Sacramento weather. Lukas adores kicking his feet and playing with his new water toys. We had to wait until 6pm though when the sun wasn't too strong. Wouldn't want to burn that big, bald head of his. Andrew is thrilled to FINALLY have an excuse to have a baby pool. He also had one in his early 20's...

A Much Needed Escape!

Andrew & I decided we really needed to get out and get on the road this weekend. I have been cooped up for the past couple weeks, recovering from the shingles. Which means I have barely left the house and gotten quite the case of cabin fever. I'm sure Lukas has been bored to tears. Not even a trip to the grocery store or coffee shop to break up our day. So we hit the road -- I made a stop at my parents so they could see Lukas. Then I continued on to Santa Cruz where we had nothing but sunshine and cool breezes. It felt SO good to be out and about. And as usual, Lukas was a great baby on the drive down, our dinner out in Soquel and our little hike on West Cliff. Despite the setbacks, at the end of the day I am grateful for all we have. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have our baby boy, someone who I dreamed about for many years and who is finally here. We love you Lukas - thank you for making me a mother, Andrew a father and all of us a family.

Oh Happy Day!

Lukas said "Mama" today. Now if only I could figure out how to get videos on this blog!

Quality time with Sophie

Today my Dad took this super cute photo of Lukas. We thought Lukas was done with teething for a while but we were wrong. It started again today -- hence he spent lots of time chewing away on Sophie the Giraffe. Best teething toy on the market!

Our Little Sitter

Lukas has been sitting for a while with support. But within the past few days, he's been able to sit without any support. He can even correct himself when he starts to tip over. It's so fun to play with his stacking cups while he sits. If I bang two together, he will copy me. Perhaps he is destined to be a drummer?

Lazy Spring Sunday

Today we had a really nice, quiet day as a family. We started the day with a walk and brunch. Then we came back to the house for nap time. Afterward I played with Lukas in the house. We moved our playing outside to the grass so Lukas could watch his Daddy work on the patio. Lukas is fascinated by yard work, especially if his Daddy is the one doing it! We've been giving Lukas more and more time on his tummy lately. He is building up his strength to start crawling in the next month or so...

Six Month Appointment

Somehow we missed Lukas' six month doctor's appointment. Between Andrew going to the ER, his trip to New York, me starting a new job and our 3rd cold of the season it slipped through the cracks. So Lukas had his six month appointment today, just 3 days shy of his 7 month birthday. He weighs just over 18 lbs. (45th percentile) and is 28 1/2 inches long (92nd percentile). He can scoot backwards on the hardwood floors and is able to maneuver himself to go where he needs to. It isn't crawling but it is movement for sure! Lukas is also really good at sitting independently, although we still have to sit close by just in case he starts to tip over. He still only has 2 teeth (on the bottom) but the 3rd tooth is about to break through (on the top).

Talking for Papa Choo Choo

Today Papa Choo Choo came up to Sacramento to watch Lukas. When he walked in the house Lukas flashed a big smile -- and was all smiles throughout the day. He went on one of his famous napping strikes so unfortunately my Dad didn't get a break. When I got home Lukas pointed to his two teeth and said "teeth" loud and clear. Strange coincidence? Or one very smart baby? I think the latter. Papa Choo Choo was pretty impressed too.

Lukas in the laundry basket

I don't know why we bother buying "real" toys for Lukas. He prefers toys of the homemade variety!

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Just a few days before Andrew's birthday, Lukas said "Dadda" which is his official first word. Once he saw our reaction, he kept saying it over and over again. Even if I suggest he say "Mama" he still says "Dada." You can tell Lukas is really excited to be able to communicate with us using his new word. A few days before Andrew's real birthday we sang happy birthday and had cake right before Lukas went to bed. Lots to celebrate this year for Andrew. This was his first birthday in 5 years without being in the middle of finals. So we actually celebrated for about a week - he deserved it!

Lukas & Sienna's Baptism

On March 21st, Lukas and his cousin Sienna were baptised at St. Anselm's church in Ross, CA. Deacon Bernard O'Hallovan conducted the baptism. Lukas' godparents were Mike Meditz and Janet Lovitt. We loved that Lukas could wear a baptism gown that belonged to Andrew's family. He looked awfully cute in it and was so smiley during the ceremony. At one point, I noticed that Lukas was staring at the Deacon as he spoke, almost as if he understood what he was saying. After the ceremony we went to Cori's parent's house for lunch and time with family and friends. It was a lovely day and one that Andrew's mother would have loved. We certainly missed her on that day but were so happy to have so many other family members and friends with us. It was a day of celebration of all that is good and hopeful in our lives, so much of which has to do with the new generation of children in the family.

Family Time

What else is there to do on a Sunday in Sacramento than have a dance party? Lukas thinks it is hilarious when Mommy dances. And he loves special time with Daddy. Lukas will try to imitate our dance moves - it is quite impressive. If you look closely enough, it looks like he is doing the moon walk...

Tooth!

Hi y'all. Just thought I'd show you a picture of my tooth. Can you see it? There is actually a 2nd one coming in next to the one you can see. I'm crying right now because it hurts and I don't want to take my nap. Can someone please bring my mommy a cocktail? Love, Lukas

Time with Grande and Papa Choo Choo