Are you the Hangover Baby?

If you saw the Hangover, you might have noticed the adorable baby who wears a little blue cap throughout the film. Lukas has a similar hat which we have been forced to put on his head 24 hours a day. Seems Lukas likes to scratch his head in his sleep, when he plays, when he eats (which I'd like to think means he is going to grow up to be a scientist or mad professor or something intellectual). We started laughing when we saw him smiling in his little "Hangover Baby" hat last night. Daddy took the photos and Mommy kept him giggling. This is what we do now on Saturday nights...

Foxy!

Auntie Mandy gave Lukas this adorable onesie and cozy sweatpants last week. He spent about 30 minutes just chilling on the couch today. Lukas loved looking at me tidy up the house, talking to himself and smiling. What a big boy! He was very proud of himself for sitting up so long on his own, as you can see in his content smile.

Thank you Grande and Papa Choo Choo!

My parents came up to Sacramento for an afternoon to watch the Luke man. We got to see a movie at the Tower Theater -- Broken Embraces -- the new Almodovar movie. Lukas had so much fun with his visitors he didn't want to take a nap. Hence the tired face in these photos with Papa Choo Choo. Lukas is our social butterfly. In fact, he is talking to "that boy in the mirror" as I type this blog post! Who is that little boy Lukas?

Talara Holiday Dinner

Every year our friend Julie coordinates a holiday dinner for our UC Davis college dorm friends (The Talara Crew). We were really lucky to make so many wonderful friends through our freshman dorm experience. All of us continue to have great fun together even 9 years after graduating! Julie cooked up an incredible feast and we had fun grilling Anirudh about his new fiancee (who he proposed to after 3 months of dating in India!). Cory and Susan just had a little boy, Cooper on November 4th so it was lots of fun for the two baby boys to meet for the first time! It is always fun to be with our Talara dorm friends - I can't wait for our next get together.

Jealous Much Jordi?

So Jordi has been an amazing dog considering the lack of attention, exercise and respect he gets in what used to be his castle. At one time he was known on Sherman Way as the Prince of All Dogs - that is until he was displaced by Prince Lukas. I have to hand it to Jordi - he has handled it all with a lot of grace. But he lets us know he's jealous every now and then. Like yesterday when I took Lukas out of his carseat and Jordi climbed right in. Oh Jordi. You are still the Prince of All Dogs in my heart. Just wait until Lukas hits the terrible twos and starts preschool. Things will go back to normal someday...

Teething & Tara's Visit

We are convinced that Lukas is teething. Papa Choo Choo was the first one to notice the signs. Lukas has been drooling, chewing on his fingers constantly and much fussier at night than usual. It has been an art form getting Lukas to go to bed for a nap or for the night. As you can see, he is wearing quite a bit of drool on his shirt! Yesterday our friend Tara took a break from her grueling work schedule to come over and have a visit. Not only is she a hardworking lawyer but she is also great with kids. Lukas was really happy sitting in her lap during our visit. I hope work brings her to Sacramento more often so we can catch up!

All of Andrew's Hard Work

Andrew has been working on the backyard for the past three months. He rototilled the dirt, added nutrients, trenched, got a sprinkler plan, ordered sprinkler parts and installed them and then covered up the area with dirt. He also figured out getting the plumbing done. It's amazing how much work he has put into this project. Here are the before photos of the yard ready for sod. Stay tuned for the after photos on Tuesday! I know Jordi and Lukas will enjoy the lawn for many years to come. Thank you Andrew!

Mommy Gets to Have Fun Too

Andrew may have the coolest games but Mommy definitely knows the songs that make Lukas smile. His favorites are "Pop Goes the Weasel" (I only sing the first verse - have you ever looked at the lyrics for the entire song? Sooo not kid appropriate) and Patty Cake. He especially likes it when I draw the "B" on his chest when saying "and mark it with a B" with lots of enthusiasm. These songs also stop crying spells in their tracks. It's so fun to sing and play with Lukas - smiles are THE BEST reward for being a parent.

Lukas' Favorite Game - Airplane

Andrew has discovered his role as a father - to be the fun parent. He and Lukas play "airplane" on a nightly basis now. It consists of Andrew standing Lukas up and then lowering him until he is parallel with the floor. Not only does Lukas grunt and grin like a little man, but he also strengthens those neck muscles. It's really fun to watch Andrew and Lukas bond through their new little game.

Lukas loves his Aunt Janet

Aunt Janet came up to visit Lukas before she returns to LA. She definitely has the touch - Lukas loves all the attention he gets from his Aunt Janet. We are so excited that she may be moving back to Northern California this summer when she starts grad school. It will be great to have her around more and for Lukas to have more time with his Aunt as he grows up! Congrats Janet on getting accepted to San Jose State!

Happy New Year!

Andrew, Lukas and I spent the New Years weekend in beautiful Santa Cruz. I will admit, it was not the most eventful New Years we have had. Andrew had a terrible cold, I was totally wiped out from the holidays and we barely left the house. But the sun was shining for most of the weekend, we watched lots of movies and I had a Whole Foods down the street at my disposal so it wasn't all bad. Jordi was in heaven as he got a walk every day and got lots of attention from all the dog loving Santa Cruz hippies. He definitely had an extra spring in his step during our stay. Saturday afternoon we went to the chapel for 4pm mass. It was really special to take Lukas to the place where his parents and Meditz grandparents were married. We also introduced Lukas to the sisters after mass - they thought he was pretty cute. Lukas' favorite activity of the weekend was hanging out on the deck his daddy built with views of big beach. The sounds of barking dogs and rolling waves made him feel right at home. On our last day we finally ventured out and got lunch at Olita's on the pier. Lobster and tilapia tacos with tons of sunshine and beautiful views of West Cliff - what could be better? Lukas spent the long lunch taking a nap in the sun. After lunch we checked out the seals who were making quite a raucous! Seals are sort of weiner doglike we decided...