We have family in Raleigh!

Jeff and I are pretty excited that we now have family in Raleigh (well, Cary). Jeff's cousin's family - Mike, Jill, Max and Ben - just moved down from Virginia last week. Max is 4 and Ben is 2. We've been to their house twice since they moved down... Tyson even has an open invitation since the boys love him so much. Lucas loves Max and Ben... and all of their cool toys. The three of them are cute together. Max must think Lucas is a tiny baby because each time we've been there he has picked Lucas up and carried him to me a few times. He can only pick him up under the arm pits and Lucas's feet are only about 1/2 inch off the ground. Ben is the one that Lucas seems most interested in. Both times we've been there he's jibber-jabbered something that sounded like what Ben was saying. Tonight Lucas pushed Ben, a gesture he reserves for his closest friends. I was about to get on to him, but before I could, Ben pushed him right back and knocked him on his bottom. He didn't cry, but looked shocked that someone had done that to him. Good, maybe he'll learn his lesson! Here are the three partners in crime...

Pullen Park with SaSa and Grandpa

SaSa and Grandpa are in town! We showed Lucas pictures of them this week and he seemed to easily remember who SaSa, Grandpa and Scott were. He's been very friendly with them since he woke up this morning and saw that they were here (well, Scott arrives tonight).

Jeff had to work this morning, so we took Lucas to Pullen Park to ride the boats, train and carousel. He had been on the boats with Ty before, but remember that the pictures showed him being not too sure about them. This time he only made it around one time before he cried to be rescued. He did the sign for "all done". The train and the carousel were a success. After the rides he enjoyed feeding the ducks cheerios. He's such a sweet boy.

He cries out "ma-ma" in this video. I really, really love it when he says this! Usually it's demanding like, "ma-MUH!". He also says "dad", but it sounds like "dahhhh!?".

A Weekend with Daddy

I flew to Atlanta this weekend for a bridal shower and was gone about 30 hours. Jeff, Lucas and Tyson held down the fort while I was away. It was the first time that Jeff had to take care of Lucas by himself. Jeff said that Lucas behaved perfectly and they had a great time. I think that it's very clear now that mommy is the one with separation anxiety, not Lucas!

So this is how the weekend went...

I started getting anxious on Friday afternoon. These were some of the thoughts going through my restless mind while trying to go to sleep that night.

Thought #1: "Oh no. What if Lucas starts running a fever. The thermometer needs new batteries... and where is the Tylenol? Mental note - make sure Tylenol is in the cabinet where it should be. Worst case Jeff can go buy some new Tylenol."

(Note that there have been no fevers for as long as I can remember).

Thought #2: "What if Lucas doesn't like the broccoli, carrots, chicken or pear that I washed, cubed, cooked and stored in plastic containers for him? What if he doesn't eat while I'm gone? Worst case Jeff feeds him goldfish all weekend."

Thought #3: "Oh dang, I meant to trim Lucas's fingernails today."

Thought #4: "Did I remember to wash and neatly set out all of the sippy cups?"

Thought #5: "It's after midnight and I have to wake up at 5am!"

Needless to say, I was a nervous nelly all morning. I was secretly hoping that Lucas would wake up sick so that I wouldn't have to go. As I pulled away in the car I realized that I had committed. My heart was so heavy as I flew away from Raleigh towards Atlanta. "How could Lucas survive without me? I shouldn't leave while I'm still nursing. Poor Lucas."

I called Jeff at 10:30am to see how the morning was going. I was so relieved when Jeff told me that they had had a great morning so far. Lucas woke up happy and ate a good breakfast. I asked Jeff if he asked for milk and Jeff said that he was walking around the house with one of my bras doing the sign for "milk". What a smart little guy.

After breakfast they were off to Kindermusik class. Jeff wasn't looking forward to it because he hadn't been to this new class and was afraid it was going to be super cheesy with singing and dancing with other moms and dads. It made me smile when he said that he actually enjoyed the class and that Lucas participated perfectly. The teacher told Jeff that I would be jealous that he did so well without me there. (Remember that there are 3yr olds in the class, so Lucas is learning to sit still and participate with the rest of the older kids). Jeff said it was so cute when Lucas kept reaching for some lady's hand after they did "Ring Around the Rosy".

The rest of the weekend went just as well. Jeff asked Lucas at 12:30 if he was tired and Lucas put his hand on the side of his head to indicate that he was ready for a nap. Jeff said that he was rocking Lucas and stopped because he thought he was asleep. Lucas was still awake, however, and would do the sign for "more" without opening his eyes to tell Jeff he wanted more rocking. That night it got even sweeter. Lucas indicated that he wanted to get in the crib with him by pointing at the crib and doing "more". When Jeff put him in the crib he plopped down on his back and showed Jeff the "more" sign again. Jeff knew that he wanted him to get in the crib with him, so he did. Instead of nursing him, obviously, he rubbed his back and sang to him. Jeff said if he would stop rubbing his back that Lucas would do "more". When he woke up at his usual 1am time Jeff just brought him to our bed and they slept soundly until 7am.

I got home at about noon on Sunday, just in time to put Lucas down for his nap. I had a great weekend with 2 of my best friends from college, Mandy and Lauren. Mandy is getting married on New Year's Eve, so we were throwing her a shower. After I realized that Lucas was fine without me I relaxed and really had a good time. The bonus was that I got to sleep 7 hours straight that night.

Last night Lucas asked Jeff to put him to sleep. I was in shock, but then Jeff brought Lucas out and said that he had gone to the door and said "Mama". Whew!

Daddy's Boy

Lucas was definitley a mommy's boy for the first 17 months of his life. Lately, however, he's really been having a good time with his dad. He copies Jeff when he's working on something, as you can see in the picture below. They also have a new game that they play together. It's really just Jeff chasing Lucas, but Lucas always initiates it by looking at Jeff, doing the sign for "more", and saying "uh, uh, uh". When he realizes that he's gotten Jeff's attention he takes off like a bullet, giggling the whole time. Sometimes he asks to play this game over and over and over. Jeff hasn't said no yet... I think he loves it that Lucas is old enough to really play with him.

Bathroom

Lucas has mastered the sign for "bathroom". The sign is putting your thumb in between your pointer finger and middle finger and then rotating your wrist. Lucas does it when he goes to the bathroom, when he sees us go into the bathroom and when he sees dog poop on our walks. If I can teach him to show me the sign before he goes to the bathroom it will make potty training a lot easier. It's already gotten easier, however, because he shows me the sign after he poops and I can change his diaper before he sits in it. Since diaper changes are apparently torture for a toddler, this saves us all a lot of grief.

Farmer's Market Breakfast

On new friends and next door neighbors, Ele and Will, invited us to join them for breakfast at the Farmer's Market last Sunday morning. I love going out for breakfast, but we hardly ever do it, so this was a nice treat. The restaurant at the FM is awesome... very country with lots of animals painted on the walls and tractors out front for Lucas to see. I made Will sit next to Lucas because Lucas really likes him and we needed all of the entertainment we could get since Lucas quickly gets bored in restaurants. He did pretty well, only getting restless the last 15 minutes or so.

Happy Birthday Tyson!

Our sweet baby, Tyson, is 4 years old today! We love him so much... he's such a part of the family. Jeff and I both call him our best friend. He greets us at the door with such enthusiasm every time we walk through it. He sneaks into Lucas's room when I'm putting him to sleep and curls up in the rocker to fall asleep. He sleeps right beside Jeff and me at night, usually hogging more than his share of the bed. If we're playing with Lucas he'll run and grab his stuffed Grinch so that we'll play with him too. He sits patiently beneath Lucas's high chair during every meal, waiting for scraps. He plays rough with Jeff and me, but knocks it down several notches when he's playing with Lucas... he knows he's a baby. We love you punkin'head....

Lucas's New Friend, Colin

Cord Obsession

Lucas has lots of toys, but he insists on playing with adult things such as cords, cds, and pens. When we unpacked there was a box that we set aside as the box to hold all misc cords, cables, and wires. Lucas selected the cord below and, no matter how many times we put it away, he always seems to find it. If he sees it sitting up on a shelf he points to it, does "more", and makes his little "uh-uh-uh" sound.

Also in the picture below is Lucas in his casual, college-boy-like pj's. All of his were dirty one night so he wore a pair of sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt... it was cute.

Nanny Update

Lucas is doing pretty well with his new nanny, Kate. She's been here three weeks. The first week I scheduled an outing with all three of us each morning so that Lucas could get used to her. The outings were 20 min at the park or 20 min at the library storytime. I'm glad that I did that transition and didn't just leave him with someone he didn't know, but it was tough. He does not do well when I'm around, which is understandable. I think he fears me leaving and so he gets really clingy and whiny. If I'm not around, however, he's just fine. Our new routine takes this into consideration. This is what we do each day:

8:30: Kate arrives.

8:45: I put Lucas in his carseat and Kate takes him to the park that is 1 mile away and in our neighborhood.

10:45: Kate and Lucas return and I make sure I stay upstairs at my desk so that Lucas can't see me.

11:00-12:30: Kate and Lucas do activities such as play outside with his sandbox, play in the gravel next door, color and paint at kitchen table, or watch Baby Einstein/Wiggles.

12:30: Jeff and I eat lunch with Lucas.

12:45-1:00 I put Lucas down for a nap.

4:00: Lucas wakes up.

4:30-5:00: We usually go to the park.

7:00-7:30: Cook and eat dinner.

8:00ish: bath and then play

9:00ish: bed

1:00: nurse

5:00: nurse

7:00: wake up for the day, breakfast, get dressed, play until Kate arrives.

Little ham in new his new pj's (those are bears).

Silly Lucas

Our little turkey is getting to be really fun. It's pretty easy to get him to laugh hysterically... we just have to act silly. The past few nights after bath he and Jeff play this game where they take turns hitting the ball into this toy. On one of Jeff's turns he raised his hand up high and made a funny "hi-yah" sound as he hit the ball. Lucas thought it was the funniest thing ever.
Notice his hair. It's getting pretty long, but not at an even pace. I think we'll get a little trim, mostly to his left side, this weekend. I want it long and shaggy, but it needs to be cleaned up.

I am Lucas's Mama

I've been saying this to myself a lot lately. A couple of weeks ago I had a few breakdowns where I would cry "for no reason". When Jeff would ask me what was wrong I would blurt out that I felt stretched. I felt like I had too much on my plate. I felt like I wasn't doing anything that well - I was doing a lot of things just okay. I am a mother, wife, daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, friend, employee, neighbor, etc. Of all of those things, I felt like the only thing I was doing pretty well was being a mother, and on days when Lucas tested me I would question that.

One night, after one of those days, I was laying in bed pondering, praying, meditating, thinking... whatever you want to call it. All of a sudden it dawned on me. The words just came into my head, "I am Lucas's Mama." I realized that I can be all of the things that I want to be, but just not all at once. "Life is a marathon, not a sprint" (not sure who said this). I will have a perfectly clean house one day, but it may not be until all of the kids have moved out of the house. I can volunteer in my community one day, just not that much right now. I can go on week long trips with my husband to places we dream of visiting, just not right now. I can call all of my friends that I haven't talked to in months, just maybe not this week. Right now I am Lucas's mama and that is my priority. Lucas won't need as much of my attention one day, probably sooner than I really want, and I'll have time to be good at some of my other roles.

I'm sure that everyone reading this feels the same way sometimes. May you find comfort in knowing that you're not alone.

One, Twooooo, THREE!

Or, as Lucas says it, "Uh, ooooooohh, EE!"

Jeff and I have a somewhat dangerous (but fun) game that we've created with Lucas. It started when he and Jeff took swimming lessons. Jeff would sit him on the side of the pool and count to three and then Lucas would jump to him. Lucas took this game out of the pool and would jump in our arms anytime he was sitting on the edge of a surface. Now Lucas counts along with us and then jumps. He does it at the playground when he is standing at the top of the slide (we're working on teaching him to slide down instead), when he is sitting on the kitchen island, and when he is standing on the couch.

Last night we were in the process of putting post-bath diaper and PJ's on. Lucas had run out of his room and was in the family room with Jeff and Tyson. I came around the corner just in time to see Jeff sitting with his back against the couch watching t.v., Tyson laying beside him, and Lucas standing on the couch behind him. As I rounded the corner I heard Lucas say, "Uh, ooooooohh", and then as I heard "EE!" I saw my naked son, with his arms raised high in the air, free fall from the couch down right on top of his brother, Tyson. If there had been judges present he would have gotten a perfect 10 for his form. Unfortunately there were no judges there, but we were happy that Tyson was there to break his fall (sorry Tyson). We thought Lucas knew that we had to be paying attention when he started counting... guess not. Hopefully he learned his lesson, although there weren't many tears, so maybe not.

17 Month Pictures

It wasn't intentional, but we took the boys for pics yesterday on Lucas's 17 month old birthday. I have never done this with Lucas, so it was interesting. There were two people from the studio - one taking the pictures and one making the kids laugh. There were lots of toy props for the boys to play with, and the people were pretty fast, so I think we may try it again.

Lucas is so hilarious to Jeff and me right now. He's either running around giggling, screaming, and acting like a nut, or he's very serious. I said it before and I'll say it again, Lucas is "very" everything. We just love our 17 month old turkey. We've been saying lately, "Lucas is so cool". He is his own little person with his own thoughts, emotions, agendas and ideas. We're really enjoying this age.

Ty and Lucas have such different personalities and they are evident in these pictures. Ty is a very easy going and happy baby. Lucas is not so easy going and doesn't show his happiness in the same way that Ty does. He doesn't just hand his smiles out to anyone.

Little cousins.

"Um, seriously dude. Do you expect me to laugh at that monkey?"

"Mom, is this almost over?"

Finally, a tiny smile :-)

Little stinker.

I just love this face!

Sweet baby.

There we go. Very professional pose, Lucas.

Sweet little Ty.

Loving the camera!

Jenn and I took a picture with the two boys, but it just looked so cheesy and posed. I don't like this picture either, but I figured I'd include a picture of Lucas and me, for journaling sake.

Both boys loved the beach this summer, so had to have this shot.

Finally, the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech pictures.

(Neil, thanks for the cute t-shirts)

Pullen Park

Jenn and I took the boys to a park called Pullen Park today. It was so much fun. This park had a carousel, train, and little boats for babies to ride in. There is also the usual stuff like sand and swings. Jenn and I said that we'd try and make another trip here before the leave. Mr. Lucas was very serious today. You can't tell from the pictures, but he really had a good time. When the train ride was over he quietly looked did the sign for "more". When the carousel ride was over, that was different story. He screamed and kicked as we walked away from the ride.

Jenn playing with the boys.

See what I mean? So serious.

Cute little side profile.

Deep thoughts.

Ty was a little serious too, at first.

Then we put him on the swings...

... and he loved it!

"Swings are okay".

Mr. Serious on the boats.

"Mom, this ride is for little kids."

Just crusin' around.

"Geez, is this ride almost over?"

Mr. Serious on the horsey.

Jenn and Baby Ty.

Group shots are nearly impossible with two toddlers.

Ty is Here!

Jenn and Ty flew in today and we are so excited to have them! Ty is 14 months old, so just a couple of months younger than Lucas. We have lots of parks and other fun things to visit while they are here. We just figured out, however, that we'll have a small window to play each day. Ty sleeps from 10am-noon and then Lucas sleeps from about 1-4pm (ty also naps then), so we'll have to be very efficient with our morning and afternoon outings. That's okay, it gives Jenn and me plenty of time to hang out!

Ty had on his game day shirt today. Lucas also had his GT shirt on that Uncle Neil bought for him, but I couldn't get a picture of the both of them... until we turned on the water for the bath.