Wow! I can't believe it has already been a month! A very busy month. We are getting things ready for the holidays, as well as dealing with a sick boy. Lucas got a cold the beginning of this week, and is definitely on the upswing. But he still isn't himself, so it has been a little stressful. He is much more clingy and fussy, which I understand. I am not very happy when I don't feel good and can't breathe through my nose.
Lucas has tried to throw away the Nose Frida and the saline spray several times. He hates when I suck his nose out, even though it makes him feel better! So I think he wants to get rid of them! For those of you who don't know, a Nose Frida is a disgusting, gross invention that you use to suck the snot out of your child's nose using a tube and your mouth. If you don't have a baby who can't breathe, can't sleep because he can't suck his binky, and can't eat because he can't breathe and nurse at the same time, you would NEVER consider using it. But, if you do have a sick baby, you will LOVE this thing because it works about 93769 times better than the traditional bulb syringe, which does NOTHING.
Anyways, here are a few more things that Lucas can do now that he is 15 months old!
Can answer:
What does a
wolf say? (throws his head back and howls)
cat say? Mow Mow Mow
bird say? tweet tweet tweet
sheep say? baaa
Santa say? oh ho ho
Are you bat man?
"ah bah bah" (said in a gravelly Christian Bale as batman sounding voice)
Can point to his or your
eyes (says Eye)
nose
lips
tongue
cheeks
chin (says chin)
ears
hair
belly
bellybutton
feet
hands
neck
Can complete a simple puzzle (needs some help, but if he doesn't get frustrated he can do it himself)
Finds his shoes when asked, helps take them off.
Helps throw things away when asked, puts things in the hamper, out of the dryer, and puts clothes away with help.
A bunch more things that I can't think of, but this is a good snapshot of his abilities right now!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Lucas at 14 Months
I feel like Lucas just keeps learning new things and surprising us with what he can do. So, I wanted to make a post about all the things Lucas can do at 14 months old. The months are starting to blend together, and I want to remember when he did these things!
Lucas can say:
Dada= Daddy
Mama= Mommy
Dah= Dog
Bah= Ball
buh= Bye bye
Tuh Tuh= Tanner!
Ah= Apple
He can tell you what these animals say:
Dog= woof woof woof
Duck= cak cak cak
Cow= mmmmmooo
Lion= RAWR
Fish= smacks lips like a bubble sound
Monkey= Ooh Ooh
He signs these words
More
Help!
Mickey Mouse (pats his head where the ears are)
Goldfish (shakes his hand like he's shaking the bag)
Hungry/Eat
Stinky (waves his hand like he smelled somethings stinky)
Cold
He can run! walk backwards, climb up on the dining room chair, go down a slide by himself, climb the curved ladder at the park, turn my ipad on, and go down small steps by himself (like the step off our front door. He listens to directions and follows them (sometimes.) He will throw his dirty diaper away for me when I ask him to. He will shut the door or the dishwasher. He will go get his shoes. He will help take off his jacket or clothes. He helps put on his socks. He puts laundry from the dryer into the basket, and then hands it to me to fold.
He does a million things every day that amaze me when I think about what he could do just a few months ago. It is crazy to think that he hasn't been walking more than 3 months and he is now running all over the place. It all goes by so fast. I can't wait to see what he does next :)
Lucas can say:
Dada= Daddy
Mama= Mommy
Dah= Dog
Bah= Ball
buh= Bye bye
Tuh Tuh= Tanner!
Ah= Apple
He can tell you what these animals say:
Dog= woof woof woof
Duck= cak cak cak
Cow= mmmmmooo
Lion= RAWR
Fish= smacks lips like a bubble sound
Monkey= Ooh Ooh
He signs these words
More
Help!
Mickey Mouse (pats his head where the ears are)
Goldfish (shakes his hand like he's shaking the bag)
Hungry/Eat
Stinky (waves his hand like he smelled somethings stinky)
Cold
He can run! walk backwards, climb up on the dining room chair, go down a slide by himself, climb the curved ladder at the park, turn my ipad on, and go down small steps by himself (like the step off our front door. He listens to directions and follows them (sometimes.) He will throw his dirty diaper away for me when I ask him to. He will shut the door or the dishwasher. He will go get his shoes. He will help take off his jacket or clothes. He helps put on his socks. He puts laundry from the dryer into the basket, and then hands it to me to fold.
He does a million things every day that amaze me when I think about what he could do just a few months ago. It is crazy to think that he hasn't been walking more than 3 months and he is now running all over the place. It all goes by so fast. I can't wait to see what he does next :)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sleep Again :)
Lucas is taking a nap right now. He went to sleep at 12:15 and will hopefully be asleep until around 3! He has been bouncing between taking one and two naps each day. It depends on when he wakes up in the morning. If he wakes up at 6-6:30 and won't go back to sleep, it is a two nap day. He is exhausted by 10:00 and needs a nap. He will sleep til around 12, and then take another one from around 3:30 to 4:30. But if he sleeps in until at least 8, he can make it until noon, and take one long nap. Normally this is around 3 hours long.
I love that he is finally a good sleeper!! It is so nice to be able to to count on that time for myself to get things done and relax a little. I remember when he would ONLY take a nap while I held him. He didn't take a nap in his crib until he was 6 months old. So I had a long time when I had no free time at all. Not that I would have done it differently, but I now appreciate my free time a lot more.
Lucas is sleeping really well at night, still. He goes to sleep around 8 pm and normally doesn't wake up until around 4:30 or 5. He takes a bottle and goes back to sleep until 6 or today it was 8:45! It just depends on the day. But I am getting solid hours of sleep, and I hadn't gotten more than maybe 4 solid hours for a year. Wow, between that and the coffee I started drinking again, I feel like I can get anything done now! Now I just need to find projects to keep me busy while Little Man sleeps :)
I love that he is finally a good sleeper!! It is so nice to be able to to count on that time for myself to get things done and relax a little. I remember when he would ONLY take a nap while I held him. He didn't take a nap in his crib until he was 6 months old. So I had a long time when I had no free time at all. Not that I would have done it differently, but I now appreciate my free time a lot more.
Lucas is sleeping really well at night, still. He goes to sleep around 8 pm and normally doesn't wake up until around 4:30 or 5. He takes a bottle and goes back to sleep until 6 or today it was 8:45! It just depends on the day. But I am getting solid hours of sleep, and I hadn't gotten more than maybe 4 solid hours for a year. Wow, between that and the coffee I started drinking again, I feel like I can get anything done now! Now I just need to find projects to keep me busy while Little Man sleeps :)
Friday, October 26, 2012
Fun With MeMe
This past week, my mom was able to fly out to spend some time with us! It is always nice to have company, especially company that does laundry :) hehe And we had a great time. Lucas loves his MeMe. He was so happy to wake up and see her the first morning, and each morning that she was here. He would run to her and put his arms up for her to pick him up. He really loves her and the feeling is mutual.
While my mom was here, I got a ton of stuff done! I was able to make the growth chart that I have been wanting to make Lucas, a wall hanging for the living room, painted Lucas's room, and a bunch of other little things. She definitely motivates me to be busy, and it was great letting her spend time with Lucas while I get things done. Everybody was happy. Here are a few pictures from her time with us!
While my mom was here, I got a ton of stuff done! I was able to make the growth chart that I have been wanting to make Lucas, a wall hanging for the living room, painted Lucas's room, and a bunch of other little things. She definitely motivates me to be busy, and it was great letting her spend time with Lucas while I get things done. Everybody was happy. Here are a few pictures from her time with us!
At the pumpkin patch!
Reading a story.
First trip to the Train Museum!
Choo Choo!
Lucas's new room!
The wall hanging I made Lucas :)
I am very blessed to have my mom as my mother, and now Lucas is blessed to have her as his MeMe. She is my role model and I hope I can be as good a mom as she has been to me. Love you Mom!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Year One Photos
During the first year of Lucas's life, we have gotten professional pictures taken twice. Once when he was six months old, at Sears, and once when he turned one. The six month pictures were very nice, and I love them. But I wanted some realllly nice pictures for when Lucas turned one. I figured that since we only took professional pictures occasionally, we could splurge on them this time. Also, I love pictures. I love decorating with them, looking back at them, and I see money invested into awesome photos as money well spent.
So we found a new photographer in the area, Holly Gannett. She just moved here, as her husband is a new T1 instructor. I loved the pictures she had on her site, and thought she had a beautiful style. (www.hg-pd.com) We had a one hour shoot with her, but really it only took about 20 minutes to get a ton of amazing pictures. Lucas was a little ham and seemed to love getting his picture taken. Here are a few of my favorite ones, and that is saying something because I love them all!
So we found a new photographer in the area, Holly Gannett. She just moved here, as her husband is a new T1 instructor. I loved the pictures she had on her site, and thought she had a beautiful style. (www.hg-pd.com) We had a one hour shoot with her, but really it only took about 20 minutes to get a ton of amazing pictures. Lucas was a little ham and seemed to love getting his picture taken. Here are a few of my favorite ones, and that is saying something because I love them all!
Thank you Holly Gannett for the amazing pictures of our family. I am so happy with how they turned out, and will cherish them.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Pro Life
Becoming a mother has given me insights and thoughts that I previously never had. It has also strengthened some of the ideas and beliefs I've always understood. One topic that has been in the forefront of my mind the past few days is the right to life or the right to choose. With the presidential election this year, the debates, and all the political discussion that seems to permeate our society, I've been thinking about the two sides of this issue.
My belief that life is precious and worth protecting has been strengthened since becoming a mother, and watching my son grow inside of me. I felt the first flutters of movement at 14 weeks, which is very early. Most states allow you to get an abortion between 20 to 24 weeks into your pregnancy. It baffles me how people don't think that this tiny, moving baby with a heartbeat isn't alive yet at 20 weeks. I honestly cannot understand.
My biggest disagreement with people that claim to be "Pro Choice" is that it is the mother's right to choose if her baby lives or dies because it is her body. No. It was the mother's right to choose to have sex. Period. I realize that many people having sex are not trying to create a new life, but any time that you have sex, the possibility is inherently there. So every woman has the right to choose if they want to have sex. I understand that there are extreme circumstances like rape, incest, and even when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. But these are not the usual reasons that people have abortions, and shouldn't be used to defend other circumstances such as the mother not wanting a baby.
So really, if you want to say that it is the right of the mother to choose because it is her body, I disagree. It seems, with this logic, that it is the right of the unborn baby, because it is really their body. And since they can't speak for themselves, I am going to just guess that they want to live.
Amillia Taylor was born at 21 weeks 6 days and survived. She is now 18 months old.
This is a picture of her tiny feet held by the doctor who delivered her. ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021034/The-tiniest-survivor-How-miracle-baby-born-weeks-legal-abortion-limit-clung-life-odds.html)
She will hopefully go on to live a full life. I just don't see how we can allow other babies to be aborted within weeks of this baby's delivery.
This topic has been weighing heavily on me as I watch the presidential debates, and think about where our country is going. Above all, I know that my vote this year is the one thing that I can do to help get our country on the path I want it to be. And now, I need to go give my baby a big hug and kiss.
My belief that life is precious and worth protecting has been strengthened since becoming a mother, and watching my son grow inside of me. I felt the first flutters of movement at 14 weeks, which is very early. Most states allow you to get an abortion between 20 to 24 weeks into your pregnancy. It baffles me how people don't think that this tiny, moving baby with a heartbeat isn't alive yet at 20 weeks. I honestly cannot understand.
My biggest disagreement with people that claim to be "Pro Choice" is that it is the mother's right to choose if her baby lives or dies because it is her body. No. It was the mother's right to choose to have sex. Period. I realize that many people having sex are not trying to create a new life, but any time that you have sex, the possibility is inherently there. So every woman has the right to choose if they want to have sex. I understand that there are extreme circumstances like rape, incest, and even when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. But these are not the usual reasons that people have abortions, and shouldn't be used to defend other circumstances such as the mother not wanting a baby.
So really, if you want to say that it is the right of the mother to choose because it is her body, I disagree. It seems, with this logic, that it is the right of the unborn baby, because it is really their body. And since they can't speak for themselves, I am going to just guess that they want to live.
Amillia Taylor was born at 21 weeks 6 days and survived. She is now 18 months old.
She will hopefully go on to live a full life. I just don't see how we can allow other babies to be aborted within weeks of this baby's delivery.
This topic has been weighing heavily on me as I watch the presidential debates, and think about where our country is going. Above all, I know that my vote this year is the one thing that I can do to help get our country on the path I want it to be. And now, I need to go give my baby a big hug and kiss.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Sleep.
One of the things that I thought I knew going into motherhood was that I wouldn't be getting as much sleep. I have always been a good sleeper. I used to go to bed every night at 10:00 pm my freshman year of college, which my roommate can confirm, because I had early classes and didn't want to miss sleep. So the idea of going without sleep for awhile was not too exciting to me, but a necessary sacrifice for my baby.
Lucas was a typical newborn, waking up every 3 hours or so to nurse, then needed to be rocked to sleep, and repeat the cycle. He started sleeping longer stretches around 3 months, right around Christmas when we went to Maryland for a few weeks. I think the longest he went was 8 hours, but typically he would go down for about 6 hours, up to eat, down for another 3 hours, then another 3 hours. This all came to an abrupt halt when we got home from our visit.
Right at about 4 months, Lucas started waking up every 3 hours throughout the night. This went on for about a month or two. I read about a "4 month wakeful period" where babies were so much more alert and receptive to stimuli that they weren't nursing as much during the day so they woke up more at night to make up for it. Ok, I can handle a period of bad sleep. But then it went on, and on. By March he was getting up about 4 or 5 times a night, sometimes every hour for stretches of time.
We had moved to San Antonio for Ben's Pilot Instructor's Training and were in an apartment complex at this point. I really felt bad letting him cry when I knew that the neighbor's could hear and it would wake them up. I had never tried to let him "Cry it Out" because he was just too little in my opinion and I didn't think it was developmentally appropriate. By this point, he was 6 months old and probably could have fussed a little more than I let him before I went to soothe and nurse him.
That was another problem, every time he woke up, Lucas wanted to nurse. And since I had just had an alarming doctor's visit where I was told he was in the 6th percentile for his weight, I wanted to let him eat as much as he wanted. So from months 7 to about 10, I really got no sleep. It was completely normal for me to get up with him 3 or 4 times a night to nurse him. He would go right back to sleep, so I would be out of bed about 15 minutes each time.
Finally, when I was home visiting for a few weeks in July and August, he started sleeping a little better. He would only wake up 2 or 3 times a night, and started sleeping longer stretches. Then, when I got back to Oklahoma, I talked to my friend, Lindsey, and we decided that we were both going to let our babies fuss a little bit more when they went to sleep and woke up at night and naps. Neither of us had ever tried to do this, so we gave each other encouragement and updates. ("Lucas cried for 8 minutes and then went to sleep for his nap!")
This really seemed to help Lucas sleep better. He would go down to sleep easier, and stay asleep longer. And when he woke up, he would fuss, but then go back to sleep sometimes. This doesn't mean that he always goes to sleep easily, and never needs to be helped back to sleep, but it was a major improvement.
Right now, he sleeps for about 11 or 12 hours at night, sometimes needing a bottle once. But some nights he doesn't wake up or need me for 12 hours straight. I am actually getting sleep! It only took a year :) but I am finally able to sleep.
With my next baby, I am going to do some things differently. I won't rush in every time I hear them make a noise. I used to hurry to get to Lucas as soon as he fussed at night, because I didn't want to wake up Ben (he was in training) and I thought if Lucas got really upset it would just take longer to put him back to sleep. I think if I had just let him fuss a little, he might have learned how to go back to sleep by himself earlier.
However, I am happy with the way everything worked out. I am a stay a home mom. I didn't have anything that required me to be fully rested and functioning all day. I was able to take naps when Lucas did, if I was tired enough. I didn't have other kids that needed me, and I was able to function with less sleep. I completely understand that other people need their babies to sleep, or have other ways of dealing with their baby, but the way I handled Lucas worked for us. Nothing that anyone could have said would have made me let my infant cry more. I was determined that he needed me, and I got to spend extra time with him. I will never have another first year with Lucas. I won't get to hold him while he naps, or sing him to sleep, or nurse him. But I did that for a year (or part of a year), and while I would have liked more sleep, I wouldn't trade it for 365 nights of 8 hours of straight sleep.
Lucas was a typical newborn, waking up every 3 hours or so to nurse, then needed to be rocked to sleep, and repeat the cycle. He started sleeping longer stretches around 3 months, right around Christmas when we went to Maryland for a few weeks. I think the longest he went was 8 hours, but typically he would go down for about 6 hours, up to eat, down for another 3 hours, then another 3 hours. This all came to an abrupt halt when we got home from our visit.
Right at about 4 months, Lucas started waking up every 3 hours throughout the night. This went on for about a month or two. I read about a "4 month wakeful period" where babies were so much more alert and receptive to stimuli that they weren't nursing as much during the day so they woke up more at night to make up for it. Ok, I can handle a period of bad sleep. But then it went on, and on. By March he was getting up about 4 or 5 times a night, sometimes every hour for stretches of time.
We had moved to San Antonio for Ben's Pilot Instructor's Training and were in an apartment complex at this point. I really felt bad letting him cry when I knew that the neighbor's could hear and it would wake them up. I had never tried to let him "Cry it Out" because he was just too little in my opinion and I didn't think it was developmentally appropriate. By this point, he was 6 months old and probably could have fussed a little more than I let him before I went to soothe and nurse him.
That was another problem, every time he woke up, Lucas wanted to nurse. And since I had just had an alarming doctor's visit where I was told he was in the 6th percentile for his weight, I wanted to let him eat as much as he wanted. So from months 7 to about 10, I really got no sleep. It was completely normal for me to get up with him 3 or 4 times a night to nurse him. He would go right back to sleep, so I would be out of bed about 15 minutes each time.
Finally, when I was home visiting for a few weeks in July and August, he started sleeping a little better. He would only wake up 2 or 3 times a night, and started sleeping longer stretches. Then, when I got back to Oklahoma, I talked to my friend, Lindsey, and we decided that we were both going to let our babies fuss a little bit more when they went to sleep and woke up at night and naps. Neither of us had ever tried to do this, so we gave each other encouragement and updates. ("Lucas cried for 8 minutes and then went to sleep for his nap!")
This really seemed to help Lucas sleep better. He would go down to sleep easier, and stay asleep longer. And when he woke up, he would fuss, but then go back to sleep sometimes. This doesn't mean that he always goes to sleep easily, and never needs to be helped back to sleep, but it was a major improvement.
Right now, he sleeps for about 11 or 12 hours at night, sometimes needing a bottle once. But some nights he doesn't wake up or need me for 12 hours straight. I am actually getting sleep! It only took a year :) but I am finally able to sleep.
With my next baby, I am going to do some things differently. I won't rush in every time I hear them make a noise. I used to hurry to get to Lucas as soon as he fussed at night, because I didn't want to wake up Ben (he was in training) and I thought if Lucas got really upset it would just take longer to put him back to sleep. I think if I had just let him fuss a little, he might have learned how to go back to sleep by himself earlier.
However, I am happy with the way everything worked out. I am a stay a home mom. I didn't have anything that required me to be fully rested and functioning all day. I was able to take naps when Lucas did, if I was tired enough. I didn't have other kids that needed me, and I was able to function with less sleep. I completely understand that other people need their babies to sleep, or have other ways of dealing with their baby, but the way I handled Lucas worked for us. Nothing that anyone could have said would have made me let my infant cry more. I was determined that he needed me, and I got to spend extra time with him. I will never have another first year with Lucas. I won't get to hold him while he naps, or sing him to sleep, or nurse him. But I did that for a year (or part of a year), and while I would have liked more sleep, I wouldn't trade it for 365 nights of 8 hours of straight sleep.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Love Being Lucas's Mama
It seems like my time with Lucas just keeps getting better and better. I have these moments where I am just so happy he is mine I could burst. As he grows, and becomes more independent, sleeps more (finally!), learns new things, and interacts more, he just steals my heart. Then, of course, there are moments when he doesn't get his way, and lets out a banshee scream. Seriously, it is ear piercing, and loud. But the majority of the time I am with him, I am just blown away by the funny little guy that is my son.
He is absolutely in love with Mickey Mouse. If you even say those words, he immediately goes and finds his Mickey and then wants you to put Mickey on the tv or iPad. Ben and I have to refer to MM if we don't want him to watch it at the time, but are talking about Mickey. Of course, we don't always let him watch the show when he wants to. It is normally before a nap or bed, or when I really need a few minutes to put dinner together. But he just loves the show, and mostly the song at the beginning. If he is cranky and about to fall apart in the car or in his stroller during a walk, I can just sing the song and he will calm down. Of course, that means I am walking around our neighborhood singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song. But whatever!
It is just crazy to remember how hard everything was when Lucas was first born, and the first few months. It was a constant struggle to meet all his needs, and I was definitely stressed out about making sure everything was perfect. Now, he is happy and healthy, and I am enjoying the way he adds to everything in my life. I love being his mama.
He is absolutely in love with Mickey Mouse. If you even say those words, he immediately goes and finds his Mickey and then wants you to put Mickey on the tv or iPad. Ben and I have to refer to MM if we don't want him to watch it at the time, but are talking about Mickey. Of course, we don't always let him watch the show when he wants to. It is normally before a nap or bed, or when I really need a few minutes to put dinner together. But he just loves the show, and mostly the song at the beginning. If he is cranky and about to fall apart in the car or in his stroller during a walk, I can just sing the song and he will calm down. Of course, that means I am walking around our neighborhood singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song. But whatever!
It is just crazy to remember how hard everything was when Lucas was first born, and the first few months. It was a constant struggle to meet all his needs, and I was definitely stressed out about making sure everything was perfect. Now, he is happy and healthy, and I am enjoying the way he adds to everything in my life. I love being his mama.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Lucas the Traveller
This past weekend, we drove to Austin, TX for Ben's friend's wedding. He went to the Academy with Ben and is a great guy. Ben was a groomsman, so we got to be part of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was a beautiful wedding of two awesome people who are just perfect together. I'm so glad I got to go be part of it.
That being said, travelling with a one year old, to a formal event, is not the most relaxing thing. The drive was 7.5 hours each way. Luckily, we could drive in one car, unlike our drive to and from San Antonio. Lucas handled the drive down to Austin so well. He never melted down, and only slept about an hour that whole day. He just wasn't interested in napping that afternoon, even though we were in the car. We got to Austin around 5 pm, checked into the hotel, went swimming in the indoor pool, ordered Carabba's to go, and ate in our room. The hotel room was really nice, but it was just a room, not a suite. So we had to sleep in the same room as Lucas. We put his pack and play in the corner and draped the extra duvet and comforter around the sides so he couldn't see out unless he stood up. He slept great! Only woke up once, just like normal.
The next day was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We went shopping at Target in the morning (yay!) and then went back to the room for Lucas's nap. He slept in the room while Ben and I ate lunch in the hallway. It was a little funny sitting in the hallway, watching a movie on an iPad. The maids probably thought we were crazy. He only slept about 1.5 hours and that was his only nap for the day. Yikes! But we went to the rehearsal, about a 20 minute drive from the hotel. Lucas ran around and explored the courtyard and porch of the historic mansion while Ben was rehearsing. Then, we drove about 45 minutes to the restaurant that the rehearsal dinner was going to be held. It was casual and on a lake, so beautiful views. Lucas had fun playing in the gravel for about an hour. The food wasn't served until around 7, which is a lot later than Little Man is used to eating. But he wasn't too upset by this, and ate some fajitas and enchiladas. We ended up leaving around 8:15, driving 30 minutes back to the hotel, and putting Lucas in the bath and bed. The funniest part of the day was when Ben took Lucas's diaper off for the bath. It was FULL of gravel! It had to have been uncomfortable sitting in his carseat! But he never complained.
Lucas slept great again and the next day was the wedding. Ben got picked up by another groomsman so I could try to get Lucas to take a second nap before going to the wedding, which started at 5:30. He did sleep about 45 minutes, and I was happy with any extra sleep since I knew we would be out much later than normal. The wedding was gorgeous, with so many little details that the bride and groom did themselves. Lucas was great, easily distracted by the snacks I brought, until he saw Daddy up front. Then he wanted to go up there with Daddy. I had to take him to the back because I didn't want him to scream during the vows. But he didn't fuss too much, and was not a distraction during the short ceremony.
The reception immediately followed, and was in a ballroom overlooking the courtyard where the ceremony had taken place. It was pretty hot, even though it was evening at this point, so I let Lucas walk around barefoot. He had a blast wandering around, "talking" to pretty much everyone who saw him. He was definitely a hit, in his little vest and pants outfit, barefoot, and his normal adorable self. Its funny how many people are so open and friendly to my little man. I love that he has this effect on people. We ate a delicious dinner of barbeque, but served beautifully in a buffet, and got to know the other people at our table. They were all Academy guys and their wives. After dinner, the music came on and we danced with the bride and groom. Lucas was, again, a hit. Ben had him on his shoulders at one point, in the middle of everyone dancing. It was so cute, I hope the photographers took a picture.
We partied until 9:15 and I just had to take Lucas home. His normal bedtime is 8:00, and I didn't want the great day to end in a meltdown, when he had been perfect so far. We headed back to the hotel, and went to bed. He never even cried.
The next day we drove home. Lucas was pretty much over the car by about 4 hours into the drive. We stopped at Target in OKC (I'm sensing a trend...) and let him wander around. The last hour and a half in the car wasn't fun, but we made it home.
***End of long story, moral of the story below***
Friday, September 14, 2012
One Year
Looking back on this year, it is amazing how much has changed. I have become so much more confidant in my abilities as a mom. I know that I can handle whatever is thrown at me. I know that Lucas is happy and healthy, and that I will make the best decisions that I can for him. I am so much more relaxed now about big things and little things. Obviously there are some things that I still worry about, but overall I just feel like I have grown so much as a parent and as a person.
Lucas has grown up before our eyes. It is crazy looking at the pictures from month to month, seeing the changes that happened so quickly. One day he was a squishy baby, the next a wriggling infant, and then all of the sudden he was crawling and walking around. I have loved watching him learn and discover new things. He is constantly surprising us and I just can't wait to see what he does next.
So Happy First Birthday to my baby. It has been the best year of my life, not to mention the craziest, most sleepless, most emotional year. I can't imagine my life without my precious little man.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Almost One. (WHAT?!)
How is it possible that almost one year has gone by since we met our perfect little baby? It seems like I was just pregnant and waiting expectantly for labor to start. And now we have this funny, genius, beautiful almost TODDLER. I don't believe it, even though I've been with him every day of the past year. So again, I realize how quickly this is all going by and how much I want to remember the little details. Here are a few "snapshots" of Lucas right now.
Silly Boy-
Lucas is so silly sometimes. He cracks me up every day. He will make the cutest faces, or sing to himself in his carseat. He immitates our voices, the tone and the expression. I will play a game with him where I hide from him and say "Where's Mommy?" in a sing-song voice. He immitates it and then cracks up when I pop out. This can last for 5 minutes or more. He is always smiling, and when he smiles at me, I have to grin back. That is how precious his little face is. He looks for me whenever he is off playing by himself, checking in with me to make sure he's ok. I smile at him and he always gets a huge smile on his face. I realized yesterday that my cheeks hurt in the evening because I had been smiling so much :)
CRAZY Smart. -
I know, I know, everyone says their baby is a genius. But he is! Lucas waves, blows kisses, gives kisses, high fives, and shakes his head no no. Whenever we tell him "no no" he looks at us and shakes his head. He is starting to really listen sometimes. Sometimes being the key word, but hey, a few months ago he wouldn't listen at all. He's only 11 months. He knows what he is not supposed to do, too. He will think about doing something he knows he shouldn't, and he will shake his head. He gives himself away! Then, he sometimes goes ahead and does it anyways, but still!
Lucas knows certain words and will listen when we tell him to do things. We will say "Where is your _______?" And he will go and find things. He knows ball, cookie monster, Einstein (His stuffed puppy), and truck. He knows Momma and Daddy, and says them. He knows MeMe (my mom) and Poppy. I will tell him that we are going to talk to MeMe and he looks for the iPad. (We facetime her.) He is always doing things that show how much he understands and is absorbing and learning. He is such a little sponge!
Well, I could just talk about Lucas forever, but I'm going to stop for now. He is asleep, and Ben is at a solo party, so Mommy gets to relax a bit. Til next time!
Silly Boy-
Lucas is so silly sometimes. He cracks me up every day. He will make the cutest faces, or sing to himself in his carseat. He immitates our voices, the tone and the expression. I will play a game with him where I hide from him and say "Where's Mommy?" in a sing-song voice. He immitates it and then cracks up when I pop out. This can last for 5 minutes or more. He is always smiling, and when he smiles at me, I have to grin back. That is how precious his little face is. He looks for me whenever he is off playing by himself, checking in with me to make sure he's ok. I smile at him and he always gets a huge smile on his face. I realized yesterday that my cheeks hurt in the evening because I had been smiling so much :)
CRAZY Smart. -
I know, I know, everyone says their baby is a genius. But he is! Lucas waves, blows kisses, gives kisses, high fives, and shakes his head no no. Whenever we tell him "no no" he looks at us and shakes his head. He is starting to really listen sometimes. Sometimes being the key word, but hey, a few months ago he wouldn't listen at all. He's only 11 months. He knows what he is not supposed to do, too. He will think about doing something he knows he shouldn't, and he will shake his head. He gives himself away! Then, he sometimes goes ahead and does it anyways, but still!
Lucas knows certain words and will listen when we tell him to do things. We will say "Where is your _______?" And he will go and find things. He knows ball, cookie monster, Einstein (His stuffed puppy), and truck. He knows Momma and Daddy, and says them. He knows MeMe (my mom) and Poppy. I will tell him that we are going to talk to MeMe and he looks for the iPad. (We facetime her.) He is always doing things that show how much he understands and is absorbing and learning. He is such a little sponge!
Well, I could just talk about Lucas forever, but I'm going to stop for now. He is asleep, and Ben is at a solo party, so Mommy gets to relax a bit. Til next time!
Friday, June 1, 2012
A Few of Lucas's Favorite Things
There are a few things that little man finds hysterical or just really likes right now. I thought I would write them down so I dont forget down the road.
1. When you drop something. He finds this so funny. Jenn was out here a few weeks ago and she dropped his nook. She tried to catch it a couple times as it was falling. Well, Lucas thought this was the funniest thing ever. He cracked up. And now, whenever we pretend to drop something and try to catch it, he still cracks up.
2. The pool. Loves it. He gets excited if we even walk down to get the mail because we have to walk by the pool. He especially loves the waterfall in the pool. He will kick himself in his little floaty to try to get to the waterfall.
3. Stinky feet! We smell his feet and say PU stinky feet!! He cracks up.
4. When mom or dad crawls around on the floor with him. He thinks it is great when we get down on the floor and crawl around. He will follow us or we will try to get him. He will go from his room all the way out to the living room or kitchen.
5. Ben's patches on his flight suit. Lucas has recently figured out how to rip them off. They are Velcroed on, so they make a satisfying noise. And then he has the patch. You can't get much better than that.
6. Real food. He wants whatever we are having. We will try to give him little pieces of things like bread, soft pretzels, rice, rice crispies, pears, etc. He would much rather have what the grown ups are eating than his baby food.
Lots of other things make him happy and he comes up with new things all the time. But right now, these are a few of his favorite things. :)
1. When you drop something. He finds this so funny. Jenn was out here a few weeks ago and she dropped his nook. She tried to catch it a couple times as it was falling. Well, Lucas thought this was the funniest thing ever. He cracked up. And now, whenever we pretend to drop something and try to catch it, he still cracks up.
2. The pool. Loves it. He gets excited if we even walk down to get the mail because we have to walk by the pool. He especially loves the waterfall in the pool. He will kick himself in his little floaty to try to get to the waterfall.
3. Stinky feet! We smell his feet and say PU stinky feet!! He cracks up.
4. When mom or dad crawls around on the floor with him. He thinks it is great when we get down on the floor and crawl around. He will follow us or we will try to get him. He will go from his room all the way out to the living room or kitchen.
5. Ben's patches on his flight suit. Lucas has recently figured out how to rip them off. They are Velcroed on, so they make a satisfying noise. And then he has the patch. You can't get much better than that.
6. Real food. He wants whatever we are having. We will try to give him little pieces of things like bread, soft pretzels, rice, rice crispies, pears, etc. He would much rather have what the grown ups are eating than his baby food.
Lots of other things make him happy and he comes up with new things all the time. But right now, these are a few of his favorite things. :)
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Reasons I'm Excited to Go Home
Well, our time here in San Antonio is coming to a close. Ben will probably be finishing up his training in 2 or 3 weeks. My mom is going to fly out here to drive back with me and lucas to Oklahoma. (thank goodness!!) I will miss the many restaurants, stores, and things to do here in San Antonio, but here are the reasons I am soo excited to go back to enid:
Not an apartment-- Our house in Oklahoma is a HOUSE! I do not understand how people with kids live in apartments. The apartment we have in Texas has nice amenities, but there are so many things I cannot stand. I hate being able to hear the people that live below us talking, what they are watcng on tv, and their dog barking constantly. I thought this was annoying, until the people moved in above us! They have a toddler and a huge dog. We can now hear them walking around, and whenever the dog jumps down off furniture or maybe just runs fast? we h a huge crash. It sounds like someone is banging on our ceiling. Normally this happens right when Lucas goes down for a nap, or when he goes to sleep for the night. Fun times. I cannot wait to have our own, quiet house back!
Decorating-- We moved into our new house on base in January. We will be living there for around 3 years. I feel like we can really make this house into our home now. We can paint, baby proof!, decorate, and relax in this house without having to worry that we will have to take it all down in a few months. I'm excited to make this house our own, starting with adding to the patio when we get back!!
Our stuff-- I want to have our things back. We had to leave almost all our things in Oklahoma when we came here because we could only bring what fit in our cars. It will be nice to have our things back again.
Friends-- I was very lucky that one of my friends from enid moved down here when we did, so at least I had one person to hang out with. But I am very much looking forward to catching up with old friends in Enid, as well as making new friends with the other IP's wives. Lucas loves seeing people and enjoys going out and doing things. I want him to be used to playing with other kids and interacting with other adults. Being back in Enid, I will be taking him to play group once a week, story time, and play dates.
All in all, I am definitely glad we had the opportunity to come to San antonio. I would not have wanted to be away from Ben for months if it wasnt necessary. And we got to do things like see the Alamo, go to sea world, eat out at lots of places, and go to the zoo. But I am happy to go back to our home in Oklahoma.
Not an apartment-- Our house in Oklahoma is a HOUSE! I do not understand how people with kids live in apartments. The apartment we have in Texas has nice amenities, but there are so many things I cannot stand. I hate being able to hear the people that live below us talking, what they are watcng on tv, and their dog barking constantly. I thought this was annoying, until the people moved in above us! They have a toddler and a huge dog. We can now hear them walking around, and whenever the dog jumps down off furniture or maybe just runs fast? we h a huge crash. It sounds like someone is banging on our ceiling. Normally this happens right when Lucas goes down for a nap, or when he goes to sleep for the night. Fun times. I cannot wait to have our own, quiet house back!
Decorating-- We moved into our new house on base in January. We will be living there for around 3 years. I feel like we can really make this house into our home now. We can paint, baby proof!, decorate, and relax in this house without having to worry that we will have to take it all down in a few months. I'm excited to make this house our own, starting with adding to the patio when we get back!!
Our stuff-- I want to have our things back. We had to leave almost all our things in Oklahoma when we came here because we could only bring what fit in our cars. It will be nice to have our things back again.
Friends-- I was very lucky that one of my friends from enid moved down here when we did, so at least I had one person to hang out with. But I am very much looking forward to catching up with old friends in Enid, as well as making new friends with the other IP's wives. Lucas loves seeing people and enjoys going out and doing things. I want him to be used to playing with other kids and interacting with other adults. Being back in Enid, I will be taking him to play group once a week, story time, and play dates.
All in all, I am definitely glad we had the opportunity to come to San antonio. I would not have wanted to be away from Ben for months if it wasnt necessary. And we got to do things like see the Alamo, go to sea world, eat out at lots of places, and go to the zoo. But I am happy to go back to our home in Oklahoma.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Going Jack Jack
While we were home for Christmas, my mom coined the phrase "going Jack Jack" in regard to Lucas. When he would get really upset, he would cry until he turned red. If he didn't turn red, he wasn't really that upset. If he did, he was going Jack Jack. If you haven't seen the movie The Incredibles, it comes from there. At the end of the movie, the baby, Jack Jack, goes ballistic, and shows his super powers. One of them is bursting into flames and then turning into a red demon baby.
Here is a clip of part of it
http://kled-animations.blogspot.com/2010/10/pixar-short-jack-jack-attack.html
Anyways, Lucas does not go Jack Jack very often, in fact he hasn't done it in a long time. The time that my mom refers to as the worst Jack Jack was when we were down in Florida in February. I got a stomach ache and my mom and aunt Donna took Lucas with them to pick Jenn up from the airport. He was fine for awhile but then he had a huge meltdown in the car. They said he cried for about 40 minutes before he finally fell asleep. He has never cried that long in his life, mainly because he calms down when I am with him. So this was his classic Jack Jack attack that my mom and aunt refer to.
I still think it is a funny reference for anyone with a baby who has a melt down every once in a while. Just wanted to make sure I remember this so I can tease the little man about it when he is a big boy!
Here is a clip of part of it
http://kled-animations.blogspot.com/2010/10/pixar-short-jack-jack-attack.html
Anyways, Lucas does not go Jack Jack very often, in fact he hasn't done it in a long time. The time that my mom refers to as the worst Jack Jack was when we were down in Florida in February. I got a stomach ache and my mom and aunt Donna took Lucas with them to pick Jenn up from the airport. He was fine for awhile but then he had a huge meltdown in the car. They said he cried for about 40 minutes before he finally fell asleep. He has never cried that long in his life, mainly because he calms down when I am with him. So this was his classic Jack Jack attack that my mom and aunt refer to.
I still think it is a funny reference for anyone with a baby who has a melt down every once in a while. Just wanted to make sure I remember this so I can tease the little man about it when he is a big boy!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10 for April
Since it's the beginning of a new month, I decided to write do a post idea I got from a friend's blog. It will be ten things about this past month!
1. Lucas's first Easter was this month! The Easter bunny found him in San Antonio :) He will probably be more excited about it next year, but it was still a lot of fun this year.
2. My parents came out for Easter, which made it even better. They got to spend time with their favorite grandson, I got to relax a little! And Lucas was happy to see MiMi and Poppy. He definitely recognized my mom, whom he saw in late February, but was a little unsure about my dad at first. That lasted about the first hour, and then he decided that poppy must be ok if we were all happy to have him here. I can't wait to see them again!
3. Lucas is on the move! He started crawling. First, it was army crawling all over the place. As in, from his room to the kitchen. He just started crawling on his hands and knees in the past few days. For now he is only doing that for a few feet, then reverting to army crawling. He is faster at army crawling now, but I'm sure it won't be long til he is crawling around on all fours. It is scary having him so mobile, but also a relief. He would get so frustrated before he could move himself around. He would want something he couldn't reach and do his skydiving arch and scream. So now he just goes and gets what he wants. But I definitely have to watch him constantly! He is a little stinker and is so curious about everything that he will find trouble anywhere!
4. Our friends from Enid moved down to San antonio! One of my good fiends from Vance came down in the middle of April with her son Tanner. Her husband is in the same training as Ben, so they are only here for a few months like we are. They are living in the same apartment complex as us! So we get to hang out with them a lot. It is so nice having someone I know down here now! Plus, lucas has a buddy too! Tanner is exactly 3 months younger than Lucas. They will be together back at Vance until they are almost 4 years old! Crazy. I'm very happy to have them with us now and for the next few years :)
5. Our favorite tv show is The Big Bang Theory. Favorite quote from this month "Howard, that's the nicest thing I've ever heard anyone say. And it came out of you!" -Penny
6. I realized this month that one year ago, I was struggling to finish my graduate year at WVU. It was a crazy time for me, and I cannot believe it has only been one year. It seems like a lifetime ago. I'm happy to be where I am now, instead of where I was then. Although I miss my friends in west virginia like crazy!!
7. I tried a new recipe from a book Aunt Donne gave me for Chocolate Lovers Cake. It was amazing. Let me know if you want to try it out.
8. Lucas is now taking all of his naps in his crib! This is extremely different to what he was doing a month ago. Up u til recently, he would take most of his naps while being held, in the car seat, or taking a nap with mommy. I was alright with this because I am a stay at home mom and love holding him :) So I didn't work too hard to change the situation. But I decided that he was getting Older, and I also think his falling asleep and staying asleep for naps helps him sleep at night. We gradually started shifting nap time to the pack and play, first one nap a day, then two, now all of them. I miss snuggling with him sometimes, but I can always nap with him one day if I really want to. This new arrangement gives me more free time than I have had in months! It is so nice to be able to get a few things done or just relax a little. I'm happy I had my time to snuggle with him but also happy to have time to myself now.
9. While my mom and dad were here, we went to the Alamo again. It is a neat place to go, since I have read about it and heard about it in history forever. However, Ben is unconvinced that it is something to celebrate. He doesn't understand why we are celebrating the taking of land from other people. Which is a valid question. But probably not something to ask while surrounded by very proud Texans. Haha. We had fun though, and it is a beautiful, historic place to see in San Antonio.
10. This is the longest post I've done do far! I decided that as an incentive to myself to keep posting, I am going to get a nice cover that has a keyboard in it for my iPad once I do 10 posts. It is a little hard typing on my iPad, NAND I don't have a computer down here. So it will be nice to have a normal keyboard! Hopefully that happens soon, so I better get to work posting :)
1. Lucas's first Easter was this month! The Easter bunny found him in San Antonio :) He will probably be more excited about it next year, but it was still a lot of fun this year.
2. My parents came out for Easter, which made it even better. They got to spend time with their favorite grandson, I got to relax a little! And Lucas was happy to see MiMi and Poppy. He definitely recognized my mom, whom he saw in late February, but was a little unsure about my dad at first. That lasted about the first hour, and then he decided that poppy must be ok if we were all happy to have him here. I can't wait to see them again!
3. Lucas is on the move! He started crawling. First, it was army crawling all over the place. As in, from his room to the kitchen. He just started crawling on his hands and knees in the past few days. For now he is only doing that for a few feet, then reverting to army crawling. He is faster at army crawling now, but I'm sure it won't be long til he is crawling around on all fours. It is scary having him so mobile, but also a relief. He would get so frustrated before he could move himself around. He would want something he couldn't reach and do his skydiving arch and scream. So now he just goes and gets what he wants. But I definitely have to watch him constantly! He is a little stinker and is so curious about everything that he will find trouble anywhere!
4. Our friends from Enid moved down to San antonio! One of my good fiends from Vance came down in the middle of April with her son Tanner. Her husband is in the same training as Ben, so they are only here for a few months like we are. They are living in the same apartment complex as us! So we get to hang out with them a lot. It is so nice having someone I know down here now! Plus, lucas has a buddy too! Tanner is exactly 3 months younger than Lucas. They will be together back at Vance until they are almost 4 years old! Crazy. I'm very happy to have them with us now and for the next few years :)
5. Our favorite tv show is The Big Bang Theory. Favorite quote from this month "Howard, that's the nicest thing I've ever heard anyone say. And it came out of you!" -Penny
6. I realized this month that one year ago, I was struggling to finish my graduate year at WVU. It was a crazy time for me, and I cannot believe it has only been one year. It seems like a lifetime ago. I'm happy to be where I am now, instead of where I was then. Although I miss my friends in west virginia like crazy!!
7. I tried a new recipe from a book Aunt Donne gave me for Chocolate Lovers Cake. It was amazing. Let me know if you want to try it out.
8. Lucas is now taking all of his naps in his crib! This is extremely different to what he was doing a month ago. Up u til recently, he would take most of his naps while being held, in the car seat, or taking a nap with mommy. I was alright with this because I am a stay at home mom and love holding him :) So I didn't work too hard to change the situation. But I decided that he was getting Older, and I also think his falling asleep and staying asleep for naps helps him sleep at night. We gradually started shifting nap time to the pack and play, first one nap a day, then two, now all of them. I miss snuggling with him sometimes, but I can always nap with him one day if I really want to. This new arrangement gives me more free time than I have had in months! It is so nice to be able to get a few things done or just relax a little. I'm happy I had my time to snuggle with him but also happy to have time to myself now.
9. While my mom and dad were here, we went to the Alamo again. It is a neat place to go, since I have read about it and heard about it in history forever. However, Ben is unconvinced that it is something to celebrate. He doesn't understand why we are celebrating the taking of land from other people. Which is a valid question. But probably not something to ask while surrounded by very proud Texans. Haha. We had fun though, and it is a beautiful, historic place to see in San Antonio.
10. This is the longest post I've done do far! I decided that as an incentive to myself to keep posting, I am going to get a nice cover that has a keyboard in it for my iPad once I do 10 posts. It is a little hard typing on my iPad, NAND I don't have a computer down here. So it will be nice to have a normal keyboard! Hopefully that happens soon, so I better get to work posting :)
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wow! So much has happened since my first (and last) post on here! I must admit, blogging while pregnant and finishing my graduate year was a major fail. But I have decided to give it another try. I want to be able to look back on this and remember some of the things that happened when Lucas was little, and not mix everything up! So here is a quick snapshot of what our lives are like right now.
Lucas is almost 8 months old. Which is not possible. It seems like he should still be a newborn baby, which is what every parent says, but you don't realize how true it is until your own baby starts getting big! He is so much fun right now, he is getting more and more mobile and curious. He is interested in everything. He notices little things right away, like the corner covers on the coffee table. We put them on one night after he went to bed and the next morning he was trying to get them off within the first 2 minutes of being in the living room. He babbles a lot now mostly saying bababa, which Ben tries to change to Dadada. That way he will be saying Dada :) Lucas still doesn't sleep through the night, but he has improved a lot. He will sleep for 3 or 4 hours at a time now, but still gos back to getting up every two hours if he is over tired or not feeling well. There is so much more to say about my little man, but I will leave it there for now!
We are currently living in San Antonio, Texas. Ben is in training at Randolph AFB called PIT (pilot instructor training). This will teach him how to teach others how to fly the T6. He is doing really good so far, and continues to work hard. He definitely gets more time off during the day than he did during pilot training so we are taking advantage of that and spending lots of family time together. We should be going back to Oklahoma in July. San Antonio is great because there is so much to do, but it is weird living somewhere for only 4 months. It is hard to feel settled here.
Well, that's all for now. Lucas just woke up from his nap and we are going to baby story time with our friends Lindsey and Tanner! Hope to write more soon!
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