The Playground

Lucas, Tyson and I walked to the playground in our neighborhood on Friday morning. As you can see from the way Lucas was dressed, it was a chilly morning. Today it is a hot, muggy day again...hurry up fall weather! We had fun at the playground...Tyson probably had the most fun...

Our street...

Arriving at the playground...(Tyson got tired)

I turned around for 1 sec and Tyson had climbed the stairs and was ready to play...

Just posing...not big enough to slide down by himself yet...

The boys with Mommy...

Exersaucer Video

I'll say again how amazing it is how quickly babies learn. Yesterday Lucas was just standing in his Exersaucer and playing with the toys....today he is jumping and bouncing around like crazy. Gina kind of taught him how to move like this - she stood in front of him and said, "Ready? Ready? Go!"...and then she would run in place and move her arms like she was running. She said the first time she did that Lucas reacted this way...


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Big Boy PJ's

Yesterday Lucas felt much better, but I still kept him home from play group to give him an extra day of rest. He stayed in his big boy pj's all day. Here is a short video of him playing - he has been trying to chew the head off of that giraffe...perhaps another sign of teething?


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First Cold

Lucas got his first cold a few days ago. At first I thought it was teething, and it still may be related, but there are no teeth to show for it yet. He's just been stuffy, snotty, and had a little fever yesterday. Now I don't feel well - yuck.

This morning we had to go for a walk since the weather is beautiful today. It was cool and breezy, so Lucas got to break out his winter wear. This is a 6-12 month outfit. He got it before he was born and I remember thinking that it would be forever before he fit into it....



 

Happy Birthday Tyson

Tyson turned 3 years old today! Instead of the traditional birthday cake, Tyson enjoyed a burger made just for him...

Dad lighting the candles...

"Happy Birthday Dear Tyson..." Dad removing the candles...
"Yum, I can't wait until my next birthday!"

Tyson after his birthday dinner...

First Kindermusik Class

This morning Lucas and I went to his first Kindermusik class (Jeff will hopefully be convinced to go next week since there was one other dad there). I was a little worried that he was too young, but it was great and he seemed to really enjoy it. He may even be the perfect age because the mobile babies were sometimes preoccupied with moving and didn't pay attention..but Lucas will be doing that soon too.

The class went like this - we got there 10 min early so that we could socialize with the other mommies and babies. Other than Lucas at 5 months old, there was a 6 week old boy, a 7 month old girl and a 1 year old girl. The instructor, Miss Vanessa, had some "instruments" (bells) for the babies to play with. Lucas was so interested in his first instrument that he sat up by himself for a whole 15 min! That is the first time that he's sat up for more than a couple of min. I wonder if it helped that the 7 month old little girl was sitting up right next to him?

After socializing we started the class by singing a "hello" song, which included going around the room and inserting every baby's name into the song. As we were singing we were told to sway, bounce, skip, etc with our baby. Then we laid the babies on their backs and practiced intentional touch as we sang to them. And the class went on like this, incorporating music into everything we did. Lucas seemed to love looking at the other mommies and babies, and I can see how music is going to be a good developmental tool for us.

Lucas with his first instrument

Lucas with his new friend, Hannah

Hannah crawling away with all of the instruments

Lucas giving Miss Vanessa a hug good-bye

Baby Swing

Lucas went to Charles's house yesterday with Jeff and me. There was a park within walking distance, so we all walked down and let the boys swing on the baby swings for the first time. Charles and Lucas both loved it...they were both smiling and laughing...

"Dad, I'm not sure about this..."

Dad pushing Lucas for the first time...

"Hey, this isn't bad..."

Mark and Jeff with the babies...

Swinging in unison...

"I love to swing!"

Play Group

Here are the babies in black and white...and Tyson too...




 

First Babysitting Experience

Last night Jeff and I went to dinner and left Lucas with a sitter, our neighbors, for the first time. They have been offering to give us a night out for a long time, so we finally took them up on it (not sure if you can call a 90 min dinner a "night out", but it was a good start). I planned the afternoon so that Lucas ate and slept at just the right times, and ran around like crazy gathering all of his things that I thought he would need. I guess it paid off because he apparently had a fun time. They said that he didn't fuss or cry, and almost fell asleep on the couch watching cartoons. When Jeff and I came to pick him up, he was playing with a toy, and it took him a couple of minutes to even notice that we were there! When we got him home he was in a really playful mood, so maybe he was happy to see us after all. We were proud of him for being able to hang out with "strangers" for a few hours...but I hear that the separation anxiety starts around 7 months...

Playing with Tyson

"Hey Tyson, want to play?"

"Um, it's not cool to take all of my toys..."

"Fine, I'll just take it back right now!"

Sitting Up

Look at that posture!

uh-oh!

Tummy Time

Lucas is making progress towards mobility each week. This week he can push up a little higher than last week and can stay that way longer. He can pivot 360 degrees if you keep putting toys a little further out of his reach. When he gets tired he goes back to his Superman pose...

Waking up from nap...

Gina just took these pics as Lucas was waking up from his morning nap. We took his bumper out this weekend, because I was tired of looking at it, and I think he enjoys being able to see out. He got his chubby legs caught in the bars yesterday, however, so I may have to put the bumper back in....

Sleepy Boys

Lucas loves to sleep in the twin bed in his room. Today he woke up hungry from a nap so after eating, he finished his nap in the bed. I wonder why I can't just get rails for this bed and sell the crib? I'll probably understand why in a couple of months when he is crawling. Anyway, sweet little Tyson is always close by...

Duck Tub

Lucas took a bath, for the first time, in his rubber duckie tub today. He's still a little small for it, but in a few weeks when he can sit up well, he'll really have a good time in it...

Labor Day

We had a great time in Asheville last weekend. We hiked and ate really well, including lots of desserts and snacks - my favorite thing about vacations. Since neither Jeff or Sandy will pose for a picture (they always blink), here are some pics of everyone else....

Tyson even got to go on vacation....

Lucas hiking with his Uncle Scott

Can you tell that they're related?

The Squealer

This may first appear like a fussy little baby, but he is actually communicating with me..."Mommy, get me out of this thing!"



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5 Months Old

Baby Lucas is 5 months old today. The 5th month was even more fun than the 4th month. It's so cool how Lucas is learning and changing every day. The big event this month was that he started eating solids and is loving every bite...last night he cried after he took his last bite of cereal. His pose of the month is pushing up on his arms, like the pictures show below. He just really learned to do this...most of the time he balances on his belly while his arms and legs move like crazy...he looks like a sky diver. He's working on sitting up, but can only balance for about 5 seconds before falling forward or to the side. His sounds of the month have been high pitched squeals. I think when he does this he is telling us that he is bored or mad. The nights of no sleep only lasted for 6 nights. Now he is back to his normal routine of going down around 8pm and waking up every 3-4 hours to eat. Here are some 5 month pictures....

Go Jackets!

Georgia Tech has a big game tomorrow. We'll be cheering them on from Asheville - we're driving there today to meet up with Sandy and Scott. Have a great Labor Day wknd...