Silly Luke

This kid is in the funniest stage. Actually, I think it might be more than just a stage. He genuinely loves to make people laugh at him, and even the slightest encouragement sends his silliness through the roof. I have a feeling he's going to be one of those people who always the ability to make people laugh with very little effort. These pictures are all a little blurry because he never stops moving and it's all I can do to grab my phone and start snapping.

He did this until he ran into a wall. Then got up and put it right back on.

He LOVES walking around in my shoes

"Cleaning" the floor with a baby wipe

Wearing Millie's tutu

Bubs turns one

It's been a crazy, silly, exhausting, amazing year with this little guy in our family. He is a ball of energy, but it sure is fun to look back at pictures of his joyful, smiling face and be grateful to have him in our lives. We love you, Bubs!

Luke the Walker

Luke has started taking a few steps here and there. This video is a terrible example, but I never have a camera ready when he really does it. Sometimes he's totally not in the mood (like the night we took this video). He's getting better and better at it, though he much prefers just to walk all over the house with his hands on the walls--and getting very quick at it, too! It's hard for me to imagine that very soon he'll be every bit as mobile as his big sister. When did he get so big?

Luke at 10 Months

Please believe me when I say that I adore this kid. I mean, seriously, just look at him! He oozes personality and he melts my heart over and over and over again.

With that being said, this kid is driving me bananas! I realize that we were incredibly lucky to have such an easy child first. In fact, I am glad she was first. She helped ease us into this parenting thing, and if she had been really difficult we might not have been quite so anxious to bring another one into the mix so soon. I can't imagine my life without either of these kiddos. But this monkey. . . *sigh*

He is so different from his sister. In some ways it's really fun to see his unique personality. He loves people and flirts with anybody who will pay attention to him. He's laid back and entertains himself quite well much of the time. He's incredibly determined to get what he wants, but doesn't resort to whining for the most part. We can practically see the scientific wheels in his head turning as he drops a toy over and over and over again just to see the results. But unlike Millie the observer, he is a hands-on kind of kid. He wants to examine everything with his hands and then his mouth. Often he crawls around the house with a toy hanging out of his mouth that he didn't want to put down.

Some of Luke's latest talents include:
* Unloading the laundry basket as quickly as possible
* Opening, closing, opening, closing, opening, closing doors
* Unloading cupboards, drawers, bookshelves, dishwasher, you name it
* Pulling out wipes, one at a time, over and over, until there's a big pile that won't go back in the package

Some of his recent obsessions are:
* The toilet--hands down, his favorite toy
* Toilet paper--he digs it out of the trash and EATS it. So gross.
* Eating everything he finds on the floor, especially leaves
* Dropping food off of his high chair just to watch it fall, then screaming to get it back
* CORDS, particularly the vacuum cleaner cord--when he hears it turn on he squeals and comes to chase it
* Splashing in the bath until the floor is drenched (not to mention me)
* Digging in the trash and scattering it around the bathroom floor and tub

I realize that most of this stuff is par for the course for most parents, but we are having to relearn the game this time around. Part of me just can't wait to see what this kid comes up with, and part of me is terrified that he is fulfilling all kinds of stereotypes and I think I might know what's coming. He is a joy and a delight, he and his sister adore each other, and we are at times way in over our heads with this little guy.

Happy Luke

Luke has developed quite a fun personality lately. He is fearless and he loves to laugh. He also discovered he can make a screechy, high-pitched squeal that draws plenty of attention. So he does it ALL. THE. TIME. It's pretty funny to hear, so we usually laugh at him, and he is so pleased that he scrinches up his face and laughs along with us. It's difficult to capture him on camera because every time he sees the camera he does everything in his power to snatch it away from me. One of his new feats is climbing up this slide. I'm still amazed that he managed to get both legs up on it.

I discovered tonight that the bathtub is a perfect barrier to keep the camera thief from foiling my efforts. These kiddos love to take baths, and they really love each other (most of the time).

(Here is Luke's scrinchy face. He made it every time he saw the light on the camera turn on. I'm so glad I finally caught it so I can remember how fun he was at this age.)

Busy Life

I have had little time to blog lately (obviously). We have been so busy, and our computer situation is tricky, so it's hard to ever get to sit down and organize pictures, stories, and thoughts. We have had all kinds of milestones in the past weeks, and not a lot of photos with which to document them. 

Potty training turned out to be a big success. It was a pretty rough month because Mark was SO busy at work and I was afraid to leave the house with a child who still needed to learn some bladder control. Finding time to grocery shop was the pits. Even if I just stuck a Pull-up on Millie, I still wanted to give her the chance to use the potty if she needed it. But having to hold her on a toilet while holding Luke in my other arm was exhausting. Bringing my cart into the bathroom isn't always an option, and neither was leaving him outside to wait for us. Then of course it would take about 4 separate trips to the bathroom before there was a success. It's painful just to remember it, but it's getting so much better. I'm so proud of this little girl! We were especially proud of how well she learned to put puzzles together while we kept her in the same room for a few weeks right next to her potty. These puzzles seriously saved our sanity (and probably Millie's as well). 

After weeks of scooting, moving backwards, squirming, and screaming, Luke finally got the hang of crawling. Which was good because I literally walked into a room where I'd heard him scream and couldn't find him because he had backed himself completely underneath the futon. He is happier, and now he loves the freedom to search for electronics to chew on, pull over lamps, pull books off of shelves, eat refrigerator magnets, crawl under the kitchen chairs, and especially open and close doors. One time he closed a bedroom door from the inside and it took me several minutes to get in because he was sitting right next to the door and would not move. He is so incredibly sweet and loving, adores his big sister, loves to be held, enjoys screaming as loud as he can for no apparent reason, and LOVES for us to make him laugh. I'm glad he tolerates it when I can't help but squish him with hugs.

This month has been especially challenging because Mark has been away every week so far for job interviews. The kids miss him like crazy, and I find single parenthood does not suit me at all. So last week I opted to head up to Dallas to spend a few days with some good friends from Ithaca. (If you are reading this, live in Dallas, and knew me in Ithaca but did not get a visit, please forgive me. It was a very short trip, and I knew I couldn't squeeze too much in. We hope to make it back up there again before we leave Houston for a Cornell reunion.) Camilla loved visiting the Children's Aquarium.

She also got a kick out of playing dress up for the first time in her life. The mermaid costume was a little long, but she was very happy to be a ballerina with Norah for most of the night. She even tried hard to coach Norah in the correct method of spinning in circles like a ballerina. I gave up trying to get decent pictures of them as neither one was willing to slow down and look at the camera. Millie loved meeting Norah and Alice and I loved spending time with old friends who never run out of things to talk about. I wish Dallas wan't 4 hours away. *sigh*

The Kids

There's really not much going on around here to report. I'm itching for the holidays to really be here because I feel like it's going to be Camilla's first "real" Christmas. And I get to create the Christmas magic for her. What an exciting (if not a little daunting) prospect! In order to NOT get on Amazon and find more stuff to order--I'm really just about done with my shopping--I'm posting some pictures for the Grandmas. 

First of all, I just love that these two love each other so much. I know there will come a day when they start to fight over toys and such, but for now there is zero animosity between them. I just sat back and snapped pictures of them entertaining each other one day.

I also love that Luke plays with all of the toys that I bought for Camilla that she never appreciated. She was not a mouth-oriented baby. Things did not go into her mouth ever. Luke doesn't like it unless it fits in his mouth. I will not love this when it's food and dirt he finds on the floor, but for now it's toys and Binkies.

Along the same lines, Luke is much more interested in food than Millie was. He has been watching us eat and screaming about it for a few weeks. We gave in and let him have rice cereal. We're holding off on anything else for now because of his allergies (and because his doctor wants us to wait, shhh!), but he's cool with that. He LOVES the stuff and screams until we get him another bite.

Finally, Luke is sitting on his own these days. He's getting pretty good at it, but the stubborn little stinker still won't roll from his tummy to his back. Go figure. 

And to even things out, here's Camilla. She has recently gotten very excited about having her picture taken and hams it up for the camera as much as possible. Or maybe she's just really happy to be eating Mickey Mouse cheese and drinking from a Dora cup. She's such a sweet, happy little girl lately, and we are really enjoying the stages of both of these kiddos these days. 

Our Spooky Halloween

I've been really excited for the holidays this year because Camilla is at an age where she really gets things. I know she's going to be much more aware of the magic and probably remember it for awhile. We've spent the whole month talking up Halloween. She has been so excited to dress us as Minnie Mouse and for Baby Luke to dress up as a Chili Pepper. (When asked, she has responded that Mommy is going to be a Waterfall and Daddy is going to be a Bee. We have no idea where she came up with these costume ideas.) She was thrilled to carve our pumpkins the night before Halloween.

The day of Halloween, Millie wore her costume all day. She couldn't stop talking about going to a party at the church. She kept trying to get us to leave hours before the Trunk or Treat started. We decided to stop at my Grandma's house first so she could see the kiddos in their costumes. Millie was off the wall hyper by this point, and that was before she'd really had any candy. She could not sit still and was all over Gigi's house when she usually stays within arm's reach of me. She climbed up on a chair and stood there for a little bit, and I decided she should get down before she knocked something over. As I moved over to help her get down, all of a sudden she just fell backwards and hit her head on the brick fireplace. I grabbed her to calm her down and assess the damage and found that there was blood. Grandma got some towels for us, and Mark held one on her head. She bled through it in a few minutes. We decided it was time to head to the ER.

Luke screamed the whole way to the hospital (he was starving) and Millie sat silently in my lap while I pressed a towel to her head. And despite the chaos and the horrible timing of it all, Mark and I just felt the worst about the fact that she was going to miss her party. She'd stopped bleeding by the time we got there, so we knew it probably wasn't too serious, but we wanted to make sure there was no concussion or anything. One hour and a $150 copay later, we left the hospital with one staple in the back of Millie's head. You can kind of see it in this picture, so feel free to skip if that stuff grosses you out.

At this point, we knew the Trunk or Treat should be over, but we went to the church anyways in hopes that it had gone over time. It was getting dark and the parking lot had almost emptied when we arrived, and I didn't really recognize anybody. We had to find a way to give Millie some sort of Halloween. So I jumped out of the car and walked to the small group of stragglers to ask if they would give our daughter candy if I supplied them with some. And of course all the emotions of a difficult night finally boiled over the minute I opened my mouth, and I just bawled while I tried to explain what had happened and what we needed. And all of these kind people took pity on the crazy crying woman and hounded Camilla when she climbed out of the car. They filled her purple pumpkin bucket with candy from their own buckets and told her what a pretty Minnie Mouse she was. She was too overwhelmed to say Trick or Treat, but she didn't really need to. I was so grateful for such a small gesture on their parts to salvage Halloween for a 2-year old who had to miss her party. It's moments like those that make me grateful to be a part of a church family full of good people who are friends even though we may not all know each other well. 

Luke lucked out and didn't have to wear his rather warm Chili Pepper costume on a rather warm October evening. He actually kind of had a good night because Momma held him the entire time which she usually doesn't have time to do. He was really a trooper--the whole night could have been even worse had he been in a bad mood. But I did make sure to do a little photo shoot with him the next morning since there's nothing cuter than a baby in a ridiculous costume. 

Uh Oh. . .

Guess it's time to start using the seat belt. Bummer.

Luke is 4 months

Luke is 4 months old. It has gone by so fast, but at times felt like it would drag on forever. We've had a few bumps along the way, but we've had time to get to know each other now. Time to sort out which foods mom should not eat if I don't want to deal with a hysterical baby in the middle of the night. Time to learn some sleeping patterns and adjust to less sleep. Time to interact with a very sweet, smiley, snuggly baby. And I ADORE him. This motherhood business is tough, but I think I have the sweetest, cutest, most wonderful children in the world (and not just because I'm supposed to say that). 

A few things about Luke:

Loves to sit up in the Bumbo, bouncers, etc. Most especially loves to stand as much as we'll humor him. All of which make him puke all over the place.

Rolls over from back to front. And then gets ticked off because he's stuck on his tummy.

Goes to sleep fairly easily, but still wakes up 2-3 times per night

Is starting to like toys, especially this thing that Camilla never liked

Loves music, his green "Nonie", and our undivided attention

Would not survive without the Binky

Is fascinated by his toes, and loves to hold them now (but I don't have a picture) 

Laughs. Oh that adorable laugh! He's really starting to enjoy his big sister.

Luke Lately

Much to my relief, Luke has finally accepted his crib as his official bed. We'll spend much less money on swing batteries and we'll get better quality sleep having our bed back to ourselves. He hated his crib from the moment we tried to stick him in it the day he came home from the hospital, so this is a huge step forward. Also, much to my great surprise, he prefers that we just put him in there and walk away rather than spend time rocking, nursing, or any other form of winding down. We DO have to make sure the binky is firmly placed in his mouth (and come back to replace it if it falls out) which tends to lead to short naps and annoyingly frequent trips to his room, but for now we're just grateful for the progress.

Luke has also moved out of our room, but that means he lives in the computer room. So I'll be blogging less, and I can't access pictures as easily. He's getting so big and strong! He HATES when we lay him down anywhere, even the bouncy chair. If his head is resting against anything he'll pull it away and hold it up himself--so well that we let him sit in the Jumperoo for a few minutes every day, and he loves it. He much prefers to be held upright and facing out so he can see everything. Or alternatively, he's very happy to sit in my lap facing me so we can smile and talk to each other. He is ridiculously sweet when he just wants to chat. It's a little annoying to hear him wake up after a 30 minute nap, but when I walk in and he smiles up at me it's hard to stay annoyed. In fact it's hard to want to do anything but pick him up and snuggle him when he just wants some face time.

Luke had his 2 month appointment a bit late because of our trip to Utah. He seriously looks more like he's 6 months old, and his doctor has told me more than once that he's going to eat us out of house and home someday. I have a friend who has small babies, and she jokes that she makes skim milk. I've decided I must make whole milk. At 2 1/2 months, Luke weighs 15 lbs 7 oz, though that probably doesn't mean much to you unless you have a baby around the same age right now. He's around the 95th percentile for height and weight, and 75th for head size. (I'm actually a little surprised by the head size. Camilla's head has always been off the charts, so that sounds so small to me! It's nice that we don't have to worry quite as much about whether shirts will fit over his head.)

I am not one of those people that claims that life with a newborn is wonderful and exciting. It has been such a difficult road for me, and I have had a lot of frustrating moments that I'm not proud of. But I do love these two kids of mine so much, and am grateful for each of their personalities that mesh so well in our family. Things get a little easier every day, and I develop more patience and self-sacrifice than I thought imaginable before I became a mother. Camilla has been the sweetest big sister imaginable and sweet baby Luke's smiles melt my heart and make up for a bit of the exhaustion and frustration.

Cousins

We spent a week in Utah and Millie and Luke got to meet their cousins for the first time. My kiddos are on the big end of the spectrum, and their cousins are both on the small end. So it was funny to line them up in size order and see the difference--especially since the boys are only 2 1/2 weeks apart. I kind of enjoyed this whole series, so you get to see them all. Here are Cruz (about 7 weeks), Luke (2 months), Paisley (19 months), and Camilla (2 years, 3 months) :