I See You!

We make up games all the time or we will be playing with Lukas and it will turn into a game. One we play over and over. One game we play is...I see you. I put up his linking circle toys to my eyes and tell him "I see you!" He waves his arms up and down then he puts his face forward and I hold them up to his eyes and he looks through them. He then smiles and we do this over and over. He loves it! It's cute he wants to copy me, and he now has been grabbing them for him to hold them up. However, he will grab them and start bringing them to his eyes and they will detour into his mouth. Everything these days goes right into his mouth. He will slobber and drool all over a toy and then he will try to give it to you. I always tell him "thanks buddy!" Then I take it and give it back to him and wipe off my hand. It's all fun and games though!

Happy Screams

Lukas has definitely found his voice. He loves happily screaming at the top of his lungs. Just to do it. It makes me laugh when he does do it. He will be roaming around in his walker and "AHHHHEA UEHHHA!" My funny little boy. His personality is a little bit my husbands and a little bit mine. Just the right amounts! He is quiet sometimes and around people he isn't around all the time, but then when he is comfortable and happy he is noisy and goofy like me! Last night he even sat and did his happy screams after I put him to bed. He was asleep in 10 minutes or so, but it was funny listening to him in the monitor. I probably didn't even need the monitor with how loud he was being.

Busy Busy Holiday Time

I will have more updates on Lukas soon. Once things get back to normal. The holidays seem to have taken over. I have lots of stories and pictures of Lukas and his first Christmas!

Early Christmas

This Saturday we celebrated Christmas with my family early. We needed to do it this way, because my Mom has to work on Christmas. We had a fun time. Lukas was in a fantastic mood and he had a lot of fun too! It was the first time he ever opened presents and he was so excited while opening gifts. He would make happy noises and happily rip off the wrapping paper. Of course after ripping it off he wanted to eat it. I took it away and then he would try to chew on the box it came in. He made out like a little bandit if you ask me. He got this really neat Rainforest activity floor thingy. It has a monkey in the middle and then a spiral ramp to put balls down. On each side it has other animals. One is a hippo and the other is an elephant. He just loves it. He pulls himself up on it and makes all these hyper happy noises. He was having just a blast when we put it together last night. Fun fun!!! He also got some outfits, pajamas, and more toys. He is so funny!

Getting around

Mr. Lukas is starting to get around a little more everyday. He will be sitting there one minute and trying to climb in my lap or over my legs the next. He is so funny when he does move. My friend had a baby a few days before I had Lukas and her baby "army crawls". This is so cute, and I saw Lukas "army crawling" this morning towards his exersaucer. He had great fun hitting his block and slowly moving to it. His legs get all excited and they move all over the place. I think if he could settle down and just move he would actually crawl. Some day he is going to surprise us all and just take off! I will be shocked when he does, but obviously bursting with pride too!

Funny Mac N Cheese

Eating is a new adventure to Lukas! He is now starting to try some finger foods and letting us in on things he likes. He loves veggies the most of everything. However, this weekend he got to try Mac N Cheese. He did a good job of putting it in his mouth too! Using the pincer grasp (that is what they call it!) He is getting better at grabbing those small things and trying to eat them. He still doesn't have any teeth, but he gums things pretty good. When he tried to eat the Mac N Cheese he would put it in his mouth and gum it. He would suck off all the cheese and then spit it out. The faces he made at us were so funny! I would just bust out laughing. He makes the simplest things so funny!

Waving bye bye

Lukas has starting waving bye bye at times. He does not do it all the time, but it is so cute when he does do it. You say "bye bye Lukas" and he will flop his arm up and down a couple times or maybe just once. He will do it at daycare when I drop him off and sometimes at home. It's neat to see him learning that kind of stuff. Next...we need to teach him how to blow a kiss!

I'm in love!

Lukas is such a sweet little guy. He is also so affectionate. I never knew a baby's smile, hug, or kiss could make you feel so awesome! I could have a bad day at work, but when I come home to his smiley face, or he reaches out to me for a hug/kiss it all melts away. His kisses are so messy and funny. He grabs my hair or face and brings me in with his mouth wide open. It cracks me up every time! His hugs though...yeah those are just sweet. He puts his two pudgy arms and hands around my neck or he just leans into me. Ahhh...makes me feel like a million bucks!

Walker = Bad? (A small rant)

Baby walkers have been around for a very long time. My Mom had a walker, I had a walker, and Lukas has a walker. At Lukas's last appointment the doctor was asking me if he uses a baby walker. I told her that he is using one, and then she told me that was a "no, no." Baby walkers aren't a good to use, but an exersaucer is fine. I asked her why, and she told me it was because it messes up with their balance and it's a falling hazard. I do understand the falling hazard, but balance problems. That is a new one. I get so frustrated sometimes trying to listen to the do's and do not's for babies. It's hard to keep up. Some bozo does a study and finds out babies get hurt or sick if they do this or that. Only to find out years later that it was OK all along. I think every parent makes a list of their own do's and do not's. A parent's instinct is pretty good if you ask me. Something might have a certain month or age requirement, but you know your baby would be OK with it. I just take their recommendations as guidelines. Every baby is different and every baby has their own interests, favorites, coordination, and abilities. Needless to say we are still using the walker. We live in a one story house so the falling hazard barely exists, and the balance worry...well I am not going to worry. My balance isn't that bad and I used a walker, as did my husband.

A Baby Changes Everything

I laugh when friends and family say "can you do this/that in your free time?" Free time. Let's define free time. Free time: time available for hobbies and other activities that you enjoy. With a baby there is no such thing as free time. The funny thing about free time is my husband and I used to have tons of it, but it never felt like it. Now that we don't get much, we notice we did have a lot of free time. Lukas pretty much takes up any free time there may be, or I guess you could say he is my activity I enjoy! Once he is asleep for the night the last thing I am thinking about is using that time for hobbies or other activities. I am not complaining at all though. The time I have with Lukas is awesome! I think that at his age it's important to be with him and use my time to be with him, because he grows and changes so fast. Life has definitely changed since last year, and I thank god for my little guy he has blessed our life with so much love and happiness! I wouldn't change a thing!

Chasing Daisy

Ever since Lukas has learned how to maneuver his walker he goes straight for the dogs. Molly our Yellow Lab will simply get up and go into a room that Lukas is not in. However, Daisy our Jack Russell just keeps moving and he will turn and chaser her down in his walker. I don't know if Daisy just thinks this is a fun game, but she never just goes into the other room to get away. Sometimes if Lukas gets close enough he will reach out to give Daisy a kiss and a hug. She does kiss him back too! They really enjoy each other for the time being anyway. Daisy also will bring him balls to throw for her. I do not let him touch her toys though. Not yet anyway. I fear he will try to chew on them himself! Once he understands to throw the ball for her then I will let him. I don't want her toys in his mouth instead of hers.

Lukas's 1st Snow Day

Today we had our first snow day and got to stay home with Lukas. He was fussy in the morning because of teething, but by afternoon he was feeling alot better! He was playing on the floor alot today. He wanted nothing to do with his exersaucer or walker, he wanted to be on the move on his own. He rolled all over the living room and even got over to the Christmas tree. I had to keep moving him. He has some blocks we play with, and he loves to knock them over. I build them up he knocks them down. We made a fun game out of it! The amazing thing that happened today though was him pulling himself up. He was playing next to his exersaucer and he looked at the toys on top for a long time. Then he slowly pulled himself up on his knees and started playing with the stuff on top. I could not believe my eyes! My little guy had pulled himself up...all by himself! So crazy!!! We had a great day though. I liked being snowed in with my guys for a day it was awesome!

Talking to the Water Buffalo

This last weekend we went out to eat with my family. Lukas sat in a highchair and had the time of his life. He played with his keys and teething ring while sitting with all of us. He would get excited and then smack the table with his hand. Well the buffet that we went to has a room that has a bunch of animal heads perched up on the wall. It was so funny because he was seated across from the wall that had a water buffalo on it. He would lean toward it and make "OoooOooo" noises at the water buffalo. Then he would giggle and lean back in "OoOOoooooo" over and over again. It was so funny! He did that for a good 15 or 20 minutes. My Aunt Michele was talking to him saying "maybe we should have great Uncle Mark shoot you something and hang it in your bedroom." He would just smile and laugh at her. So now we ask him...how do you talk to the water buffalo "OooOOOoooOOooo!" Then the silly little guy he is just imitates us! So much fun!

Funny baby

Lukas loves to have fun and laugh. He laughs at you when you tickles his belly or neck, and he will giggle at the dogs. What is really strange is that when he has a "dirty diaper" and I mean "dirty" and you are changing him...he thinks it is so funny. You open up the diaper and are taken back from the smell and you say to him "whew buddy" and he just busts out laughing! This happens with ever "dirty" diaper. He just laughs at the mess and I think that is the boy coming out in him! What a silly little boy!

My Gummybear!

Yesterday Lukas's daycare lady called me and said "I can see his teeth, but they are still a little bit down in the gums!" She thinks he will be a late tooth popper, and we feel the same way. My husband didn't get a tooth until he was around 11 months old and I was 7 or 8 months old when I got my first tooth. It has been frustrating, but these teeth are giving him heck all ready. Thank goodness it's not all the time though. He gets breaks here and there from the teething. So when he smiles it's all gums you see. He is my gummy bear and what a cute gummy bear I have! I think it will be nice when he does get some teeth, because then he can get to try more foods. I have already started introducing different things to him that are mushy. He can gum and chew things up pretty good. He even tries to chew his cereal sometimes...what a funny little boy! When he does get some teeth then he won't be my gummy bear anymore, but for now he is!

Eat some snow

Sunday it snowed in our town and I thought what a great thing to introduce to my little guy! So I went outside and made a small snowball and brought it inside to Lukas. He was so excited. He touched it and made his excited noises and then grabbed the snowball. After he grabbed the snowball he ate it! He put the whole snowball in his mouth and gave my husband and I a very strange look. It melted in no time flat, but what a funny first for him. He did love the snow though, his reaction reminded me of how excited I used to get when it would snow. Next year will be fun too! We can take him sledding and play in the snow outside a little. It's funny how your child brings out the child in you!

Smacking his gums

Lukas is an eater...and he definitely loves to eat! When we would feed him as a newborn his whole body would go limp. It was like we drugged our child when we were feeding him. He just got so relaxed and happy while eating. Now that he is getting a little older he still loves to eat. He doesn't get relaxed like he used to. He sits in his highchair and bobs his foot and bangs his hands happily on his highchair tray. He will open his mouth and just wait for the spoon to come to his mouth. He loves it all except peaches, bananas, and pineapple stuff. He gages and it looks like he is going to throw up when he eats those fruits, what a strange little boy huh? He likes what he likes! When my husband and I are eating he will sit there and grumble at us and eye our food. He is so interested in what we are eating he smacks his gums wanting our food. He has no teeth yet, so I am a bit worried about giving him things to try. However, I think he could gum on some of the things. I will have to take him on new food adventures and see how that goes. It will be interesting seeing what foods will be his favorites!

G-Grandma's Birthday!

Last night Chris, Lukas, and I went to my Grandma's 87th birthday party! Lukas was in a great mood from the time we got there until we left. He got to eat supper at the table with all of us in Grandma Kim's highchair she has for him. He ate his cereal, squash, and applesauce along with us eating our sloppy joes and potato salad. He happily banged his hands on the highchair tray and made happy noises like he always does when he eats. My Grandma is such a sweet lady, and she just thinks the world of Lukas! She sat and talked to him and he even gave her a "Lukas kiss" which is basically an open mouth kiss. I call her G-Grandma to Lukas, because she is his Great Grandma. I am hoping it will help him tell the difference between his 'Grandmas' and 'Great Grandma'. G-Grandma got to sit with him while he was grabbing his feet and playing with them. She looked to be really enjoying herself, I am glad Lukas could bring out those giggles in her! We then put him in his exersaucer and he was bouncing around having just a grand time! G-Grandma sat there and talked to him and played with him the rest of the time. Lukas is very lucky to have her for a G-Grandma, she is the world's best G-Grandma!

Messy cup...I mean sippy cup

Mr. Lukas is starting to learn how to use a sippy cup. I went out and bought him a little blue "spill proof" sippy cup. Which isn't spill proof...not if you shake the cup and then all the contents come flying out. We will give Lukas a little bit of juice or water in the cup and then that's when it gets messy. He will put it up to his mouth, but he doesn't realize he needs to tip the cup up to get anything out. So he sits there and chews on the spout. After he gets bored that is when the shaking comes into play. He will grab the handles and shake the cup all over or tip it upside down and hit it on his highchair. While all of this is happening he is making dribbly messes all over. He thinks it's pretty funny. He is darn cute when he does it, but darn if that thing isn't messy!