Butter Ball

Our nightly routine is for Lucas to sit on the counter and help me cook dinner. He gets a little task like putting cut up veggies into a bowl. I looked away for one second yesterday and Lucas got into the butter and rubbed it on his belly like he does with the soap in the bathtub. I think it was a ploy to take a sink bath, his second of the day, because I had no other choice but to wash him down. Smart little guy.

Mama

Lucas's favorite word now is "ma-ma". He clearly says it and it's great!

A Common Thread

We saw Lucas's intense personality for the first time when he was about 20 hours old. I remember it clearly because we had walked down the hall of the hospital to visit with Sara and Ross, who had just delivered little Naomi a few hours earlier. Until that time, which was about 10pm on April 4th, Lucas had been sleeping and nursing peacefully. All of a sudden he started crying and cried for about 2 hours. We thought it was because he was swaddled too tightly or because he was hungry. He repeated this the next night about the same time.

For the next five weeks he was a pretty easy baby. Jeff and I wondered what all of the fuss was about. Right at five weeks, however, Lucas developed a witching hour every evening... then two hours, then three, etc. That's when that dumb doctor we used to go to told us that he had reflux and put him on medicine for a few weeks. Looking back, I'm pretty sure all of this was just Lucas's intense personality developing, although we did see a calmer Lucas around three months, so maybe there was a little reflux/colic.

When Lucas and I used to go to play group I would feel a little insecure because Lucas was the only baby out of the five that would cry. He hated the group picture and would scream almost every time. Then he hated the car seat and would scream on the way home. I was afraid that he'd develop into a grumpy child and then adult because I had neglected to do something "right". When Lucas started communicating he got a lot happier and calmer and these fears subsided. I could see that the love that we had poured onto Lucas was having an effect. He became this sweet, loving, curious and happy baby.

I'm writing all of this because recently I've been reminded of those feelings that I had in playgroup when Lucas was an infant - insecurity that I'm not doing the "right" things...

Since we've moved Lucas and I have been getting together with his friends Charles and Christopher a few times a week from 5-6pm. I am seeing the same intense personality from Lucas that I saw when he was younger. This time it's in the form of wanting everything that Christopher our Charles has. At our house it is the most noticeable. Lucas doesn't want anyone to touch his toys and watches everyone like a hawk to make sure they don't. If they do then he runs over screaming and grabbing things away. Charles looks surprised, but fights back, holding onto his toy with both hands and telling Lucas "me, me, me" or "no, no, no". Christopher is used to a nice, peaceful environment, so he gets his feelings hurt and cries.

Of course I tell Lucas that he needs to share, but I don't see immediate results yet, so there goes my mind running away with thoughts of Lucas kicking and hitting on the playground and not having any friends. The logical side of me knows that this won't happen. We'll teach Lucas to treat others with love and respect and he'll be fine, but at the end of a long day it's hard to think logically. And, in Lucas's defense, he has Sophie (3.5 yrs old) at our house everyday and they act like siblings, fighting over toys and the giving hugs and kisses.

I'm happy that Lucas has so much energy, but just like Dr. Wiles said at one of our first visits, we just need to teach him how to properly channel it. We're trying!

A Jog and A Bug

On Saturday we met our friend Jessi at Lake Johnson for a little jog of about 3 miles while SaSa and Lucas went for a stroll. Jessi and Jeff have signed up for a sprint triathlon in Wilmington at the end of September. Lucas and I participated in this event in 2005 (Lucas was in my belly), so we're just going to be cheering this year. I, however, do need some motivation and am considering signing up for a half marathon that will be held in Wilmington in November (Maybe I'll feel more pressure to do this now that I've blogged about it). The most I've ever run is 6 miles, so it will be a challenge. My friend Holly did a marathon a few years ago and trained using a program where you run/walk/run/walk, so it's not as hard on your body. I'll do this if I decide to enter the race.

Now for the bug portion of the post...

Notice the bright shirt Lucas was wearing in the first picture. Later that day, after Lucas was attacked by a bug (mosquito?), I read that mosquitoes like bright colors because it looks like a flower. Poor little Lucas was outside while we were planting some flowers and all of a sudden he started screaming. We stripped his clothes off immediately and found 14 bug bites!! Something got stuck in his shirt and went to town on his little baby skin. He took a long nap and the welts were gone when he woke up. That afternoon I was hesitant to let him go outside, but he loves it so much that I decided he could if he wore light color, long sleeves and long pants. I guess the downside of all of these trees that I love are the mosquitoes.

Does anyone have any suggestions for safe insect repellents for kids?

A Great Time with SaSa

SaSa came and visited us last Thursday through Sunday. It was SO GREAT. Lucas quickly re-bonded with her and so I got some time to unpack, go to a movie with Jeff, and even take a 2 hour nap one day.

It seems like most of our time was spent eating or preparing to eat. SaSa has a sweet tooth like me, so we made a few stops at the coffee shop and got some pastries a few times as little treats. The NC State Farmer's Market is close by, so we loaded up on fruit and veggies and just enjoyed eating really good food. SaSa even made us blackberry cobbler. Hmmm, wish I had some of that right now.

When Jeff and I came home from our date night we found Lucas and SaSa in her bedroom, camped out watching Baby Einstein. Lucas had been deprived for a week because we hadn't hooked up the DVD player yet. SaSa hooked it up for him and made a little pallet on the floor for them. She propped up a pillow and told Lucas that that was his spot. When I walked in on them he was as limp as a noodle on that pillow - don't see him that relaxed very often! SaSa's room was upstairs, so now he goes to the bottom of the stairs and does the sign for "more" as he looks up the stairs. Kristin let him climb the stairs today and thought he was coming to Jeff and me, but instead he went right into SaSa's room and pointed at the t.v. I know he loves those DVDs, but I bet he also misses cuddling with SaSa!

Baby Einstein Slumber Party

Relaxing with SaSa

A wagon ride with SaSa

Our Little Girl

This is the outfit that Lucas wore in the 1 year photos that Wendy took at the park. Twice in one day last week he was referred to as a little girl! The first person said that she thought his outfit was a dress and that's why she thought he was a girl. His hair is getting a little longer though. I bet if we have a little girl next that she is bald for the first two years!

Highchair Strike

In the morning when I try to put Lucas in his highchair for breakfast he arches his back and screams. We tried sitting him at the table and he looked quite proud of himself. He thinks it's fun to spin around in the seat and look out the back, so we need to get a booster seat or something. Little turkey.

Solution?

Maybe this is the answer to getting Charles and Lucas to sleep through the night.

"Shanda" is where I draw the line.

I really like my name, but when we were choosing a name for Lucas I made sure that we chose one that was easy to pronounce... especially since his last name is tricky (Schroeder sounds like shray-der).

Rarely, rarely, rarely does anyone get my name right. Maybe I speak to fast or have a southern draw. Not sure. You'd think the most common mispronunciation would be Shannon, but actually there is a tie between Shana (shay-na) and Shawna. I'm used to these and sometimes correct the person and sometimes not. The CORRECT way to pronounce my name is to have it ryhme with banana, hannah, or savannah.

Last night I was walking in our neighborhood and said hello to someone that I had met a few days ago. She responded with, "Hi Shanda!"

I immediately started thinking about this post :-)

15 Month Well Visit

Lucas Bryant is 15 months old now! Yesterday we went to see Dr. Wiles and Nurse Janet for a checkup and a couple of shots. Here are Lucas's current stats:

Weight: 23.6 lbs, which is 35% among boys his age

Length: 31 inches, which is 50%

Head Circum: 18 and 3/8 in, which is 40%

This would lead one to believe that he is long and lean, which surprised Jeff and me. Lucas looks so stocky to us. Either way, he's continuing to grow along the same curve and the doctor said these #s looked great and Lucas's development is excellent (a mom loves to hear this).

Dr. Wiles always has something great to tell me about how to work with each stage of development. This time he told me that toddlers Lucas's age are "button pushers". He said to imagine that Lucas has a keyboard and he, being a button-pushing-toddler, likes to push the buttons to see what will happen. For example, Lucas may think, "Hmmm, what will happen if I drop this pea onto the floor... well, she said not to do it again, but will happen if I do it again?". Dr. Wiles said our goal should be to make most of the buttons on his keyboard boring so that Lucas will get tired of pushing them. This may sound counter-intuitive, but he said this age likes to get a reaction, so sometimes it's best to give no reaction and they'll get tired of doing whatever they were doing.

This presents a challenge for a new mom who feels the pressure to make her kid be polite and act appropriately, especially in the presence of others. Oh well... each day is a learning experience and I'm sure I'll be inconsistent and say and do the "wrong" things sometimes, but hopefully Lucas gets the big picture and turns out okay.

Lucas was cute during his exam. He liked it when the doctor shined the light in his eyes and showed him the sign for "again" when he turned it off. (Dr. Wiles isn't that impressed with his signing skills and gave no reaction. C'mon!).

Poor Lucas had to be held down by me during the physical exam and the shots. He hates being constrained and so he screamed his head off. It must have been exhausting because he fell asleep on the way home - 2 hours before I expected him to take a nap.

One question that I was worried about was, "How many words can Lucas say?" He can't really say anything that clearly, but he can pretty much communicate anything he wants to us with signs or sounds. I was happy to learn that a word counts even if it sounds nothing like the actual word, just as long as he uses it the same every time. For example, if he says "guh" for the word "hot" then it counts, as long as he uses it the same every time. I think Lucas can say about 10 "words" now.

Ma-ma: doesn't really call me this, but says it sometimes when he is need of something. Usually says it as he's coming towards me with his hands raised and it sounds like "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma".

Da-da: same as mama. doesn't really call Jeff this, but does occasionally.

Woof-woof: Lucas said this at 9 months old, but hasn't really said it in a while.

Uh-oh: Lucas said this at 9 months old, but hasn't really said it in a while.

Choo-Choo: This actually sounds pretty clear. Started saying this a couple of weeks ago at story time at Barnes and Noble with Kristin and Sophie. They have a train table there.

Hey: Says something that sounds like "ay" as he waves his hand at people.

Hot: Sounds like "hah" as he does the sign for "hot" and points to the oven or something else that is hot.

Thanks: Says something that sounds like "tay" when you hand him something.

Down: Doesn't say this much, but sometimes says "duh" when you're holding him while he's squirming to get down.

Milk: Doesn't sound anything like milk, but when he wants to nurse he says "eh-eh-eh-eh" as he comes and lays himself down in my lap. Sometimes it sounds like "me-me-me" and so Kristin said it sounds like he's saying "milk-milk-milk" in a squeaky little baby voice :-)

We love Lucas as a 15 month old. It's our favorite stage, just like each one before!

Lucas is SUCH a boy! I would have been embarrassed to write about this before Lucas, but I guess all modesty goes out the window when you have kids. At least I know the guys that read this blog, and Brittain, will get a kick out of this.

When Lucas passes gas it is audible. He didn't notice for the first year, but lately when he does it he grins at us. We grin back and say, "Lucas pooted!". He likes the reaction and tries to do it again, often successfully, which results in more giggles and grins. If he's having trouble he squats down and holds his breath.

I guess this is just the beginning of toilet humor at our house.

Lucas and Mommy

It has been grossly hot here the past few days. We go outside as much as we can for walks, the park, or the kiddie pool, but it's even too hot for that most of the time... so we had a water activity in the kitchen sink. Lucas loved it and I got to put away the dishes... a win-win.

PS - My sister is bugging me (j/k Jenn) to post pics of the house. Once we get the boxes put away (hopefully this wknd when SaSa is here) I will take some pics. Until then, here are some glimpses of the kitchen. Notice the trees and bushes outside the window! I love having a window to look out of while doing dishes. Ele and Will's house has a beautiful backyard. At night they turn on these white lights that they have strung on a few of the trees - it makes me feel happy to look out at them. Very cozy.

When I cook dinner Lucas becomes a velcro baby, demanding to be held. I've been sitting him on the countertops (I know, be careful) and letting him help me prepare dinner. We had a salad this night. I would tear the leaves off of the bunch and let him put them into the spinner. When we put the top on the spinner he started banging on the top - what it must look like I'm doing when I'm pushing it to make it spin. Then he helped to put the lettuce in the bowls and set the table. It takes much longer this way, but I figure if he's going to be sitting on my hip that he might as well help!

Jeff and I love our new house, but we love the neighborhood and the things it has to offer just as much. One thing that I can't wait to explore more is the Greenway.

"The Greenway became a reality in March 1974 after the City of Raleigh became concerned over rapid growth and urbanization. The agency responded with the Greenway master plan which permitted urban development while preserving Raleigh’s characteristic natural beauty. The idea has developed into a 54 mile – 3000 acre system and continues to grow. "

Currently there are are about 20 trail segments across the city. I think the ultimate plan is to have them connect so that you can travel these 50 miles or so without having to get off of one trail and look for the next one.

We explored the Fallon Creek Trail last week for the first time. I'm so thankful for all of these trails and trees!

Lucas, Tyson and Mommy

The windows in our new house are all too high for Tyson to see out of without standing or sitting on something. Even though it may not be the best arrangement of our family room furniture, we had to put a chair by the window for Tyson. He is so loyal. When we come home we are certain to see his fuzzy little face staring out the window waiting on us.

Here is another gift from Grandpa and SaSa (minus the bowls). Lucas loves it, of course. He'd be as happy as a pig in mud if he could stay out in the backyard all day long. We're trying to grow grass, so it gets pretty messy.

Thanks for the leggo dump truck, Ty! I love it!

- Lucas

Thanks for the travel carrying case, Tip Top. I love it!

- Tyson

Grandpa Schroeder came to visit us last week. It was a HUGE help to have him here and help out with the move. We wished SaSa could have been here, but she couldn't get off work and will come this week instead.

Lucas was clingy the first few days at our new house, so I told Jeff to tell his dad that Lucas may not warm up to him on this visit and not to get his feelings hurt. I was shocked when Lucas seemed to recognize his grandpa and almost instantly acted as if he were around all the time. I think it helped that Grandpa brought Lucas a gift - his very first matchbox car. Lucas played with it so much that we bought him a track for it the next day.

Grandpa and Lucas were backseat buddies during Grandpa's visit.

Three generations

Lucas loves his grandpa!

We closed on our new house on 6/28 and handed the townhouse key over to our tenant on 7/4. We thought we were pretty much moved out on 6/28, but it's amazing how all of the little things add up. It felt like we would never be moved out. At first I was sad about leaving the townhouse. I kept thinking of all of the things we did in each room. By the end, however, I was glad to hand over the keys. I'd probably be more sad if we were selling it. We have another year, at least, before we have to say good-bye to Mizner Lane.

Lucas helping to clean the family room in the townhouse.

One final nap in his nursery.
He was such a trooper those few days when we were unsettled.

I had him lying on his towel in his old nursery and just scooped them both up when it was time to leave.
He was pooped from a long morning of cleaning.

The Stack Meister

It's funny how all kids have different interests. Lucas is clearly into stacking things, while some of his friends the same age are into trains and cars. This pic is from our first day in the new house. Lucas was doing great at keeping busy while we unpacked boxes. We hadn't gotten to the spices yet, so he found something else to stack...

He got up to 6 before the toppled over.

Mary Poppins, are you out there?

I guess all good things must come to an end. Kristin is getting married at the end of August and told us last week that she has decided that she wants to stay home and not work anymore. Her husband wants her to stay home and she says she still wants to work. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was that the drive, with her move and our's, has increased from 3 min to 35 min. I can't say I really blame her. So, the search is on for a new nanny for Lucas. Gina and Kristin have raised the bar really high for this next nanny. I have several interviews later this week. Here is the ad that I posted on Craigslist. Wish us luck!

Craigslist Ad

Hello! My husband and I are looking for a nanny to care for our 17 month old son. We will be moving near 5 Points in a few weeks and our current nanny will only be able to stay with us through mid-August.

Here are some things that may help you decide if we may be a good fit for you.

- we're open to having you bring your child to our home

- both my husband and I work from home, but we'll be working upstairs and won't be involved much if you are only working 4 hours in the morning.

- my husband and I are laid back and not very schedule oriented.

- our style of parenting is Attachment Parenting, which just means, among other things, that we are very responsive to our son, we respect his requests, we discipline with love and caring, I still nurse him, and he sleeps with us. I'm listing these things because I interviewed a nanny this weekend that had very different beliefs about how to raise a child, which was okay, but I think that if we are different in these fundamental ways then we are probably not a good fit.

- we are teaching our son a few signs so that he can communicate more easily with us and his other caregivers. He can sign: more, eat, thank you, ball, mama, daddy, nanny, please, all done, bath, and a few more that we find help with day to day activities.

- he loves to play outside, go to park, go to museum, go to library. We have 3 parks within walking distance and a library and museum within short driving distance. I would want to to get to know the nanny first, but eventually would be okay with driving short distances.

- we have a 15lb shih tzu that you'll love. he doesn't shed, so don't worry about allergies. you won't need to care for him.

- we have a fenced in backyard.

- our son will have eaten breakfast by the time you arrive, but will need a snack mid-morning

- our son is walking/running. there's still a little baby in him, but he's pretty much a toddler

- we're looking for someone who can commit for a year or more

- we are looking for someone that can enrich our son's life, love him, laugh with him, play with him, and did I say love him? :-)

If our family sounds like a good fit, please email me at the address above. We look forward to having you around!

Moving Day

We're all packed up and ready to move... well, mostly packed, but very ready. We can't wait to sleep in our new house for the first time tonight. Here is a map of the move.

I added a few extra posts below since it may be a few days until we get everything hooked up.

Lucas and His Spices

I promise that he has blocks and other toys!!!

Backyard Fun

My view from the kitchen of Lucas having fun with Kristin and Sophie.

Ewww! A worm.

Last Day at the Pool with Friends

Our new neighborhood doesn't have a pool. We'll really miss this pool because it is new and super nice, but there are a few public pools that we'll be able to visit. Charles and Christopher came over a couple of days ago to get in one last swim.

Charles and Lucas

... and Christopher makes 3!

Too busy for a picture.

Finally a shot without that bright green shirt!

Silly sign for Cold

The other night we had ice cream after dinner and we showed Lucas the sign for cold. He thought it was so funny for some reason. When we did the sign we said, "brrrrrr", so when he did it he made a growling sound and then burst into giggles. Now it's a game with him and Jeff at the dinner table... they take turns and there is lots of giggling.

Pretzels and Peanut Butter - Yum!

Our Sweet Friend, Tyson

Tyson has yet to see our new house. We feel bad that the home that he's know his whole life will change in a few days and he has no clue! Our townhouse has windows beside the front door and windows low enough in the front upstairs and downstairs room for him to look out and wait for us to come home. We're going to have to put a box under the window in our new house so that he has a place to sit and look out the window.

Tyson would never admit it (if he could talk), but he and Lucas are good friends. When Lucas sees him in the morning he sucks in his breath and points to him with a big smile on his face. Sometimes he gets so excited that he hits Tyson. When he does this we say, "We don't hit Tyson. We love him. He's our best friend and we give him kisses. Nice Tyson." Then Lucas pats him gently and gives him a kiss on the head. When he gives kisses he makes the noise, mmmm-muh.

Tyson's favorite game is "this is mine". We take a toy, or anything else really, and wave it in front of him as we say "this is mine." He attacks and we drag him around the room with the toy in his mouth. He and Lucas play their version of this game, but Tyson knows that he's a baby and isn't is as aggressive. Lucas will often initiate the game by grabbing a raw hide, sticking it in Tyson's face, and then running away with it.

I just wanted to update on our first baby is doing. Here are some cute pics.

Best Friends

"Will you guys please just leave me alone?"

"mmmmmm - muh!"

Sweet baby

Sign for Eat

Lucas is so cute with his signing lately. The latest one that he has mastered is the sign for eat.

On Friday he hadn't eaten that much all day, but since he's still nursing I don't ever worry much about that. I offer him 3 meals and 2 snacks. He usually eats a few bites, but often gives me the sign for "all done" a few minutes into the meal. I am trying to respect his wishes, so we end the meal then. Anyway, we were at the pool and a family that we didn't know ordered some burgers and fries for dinner. When Lucas saw them he got out of the pool and walked toward them pointing at them and doing the sign for "eat" and making an "uh-uh-uh" noise, which means that he wants something. I tried to re-direct him, but he was insisting that he was hungry. Luckily we did know someone else sitting nearby and they gave him a french fry, and then another and another.

It's moments like these when I can relate to a saying I heard recently, "I was a great parent before I had kids."

I have another story that I like regarding his new favorite sign. The three of us went to the grocery store this weekend. Jeff was pushing Lucas in the cart and had stopped near an ad for pretzels. We heard his "uh-uh-uh" noise and looked over to see him pointing at the pretzel and doing the sign for "eat". Oh, it was the cutest thing ever! Of course I opened up those pretzels and gave him one.

Sign for Thank You

We are working on the signs for please and thank you. We've been spending more time on "thank you", but Lucas is a little confused. Whenever he hands me something I tell him thank you and do the sign, so now he thinks that he should do this sign whenever he hands us something. The other day he brought one of my shoes over to Jeff, sat it down by his foot, quickly did the sign for thank you, and ran away. He'll get it eventually.

Sign for I love you

We have also been working on the sign for I love you. The link here only shows the "love-you" part, but we add in the "I" by pointing to our eyes. When we do the sign we say, "IIIIIIII, luvvvvv, YOU". Lucas giggles and points back at us. Yesterday he surprised us by mimicking the intonation. A few times it sounded like he got lucky and almost said "love" the same way we did. It was another awesome parenting moment.

Science Saturday

The day started around 7am. We snoozed in bed for a few minutes, but had to get up as soon as Lucas decided we were done being lazy. Lucas and I had breakfast while Jeff went for a bike ride (have I mentioned he's training for his first sprint triathlon?). Then I got Lucas ready while Jeff got ready, and then they were out the door for their first Daddy and Lucas Saturday morning field trip. This week they visited the Museum of Life and Science in Durham.

We carefully packed the diaper bag with diapers, wipes, snacks for Lucas, snacks for Jeff, a binky and an emergency empty container of chap stick (in case Lucas lost it at any point... chap stick fascinates him). None of that was necessary though - they had a great time. Jeff said that they road the train first and Lucas got a kick out of that. Then they visited the Butterfly House, which had hundreds of butterflies flying around. Then they checked out the playground, the Music Exhibit, the Insecterium, the Weather Exhibit, and the Farmyard. Jeff's favorite was the Insecterium and Lucas's favorite was the Weather Exhibit.

Who needs a neighborhood pool?

Lucas got this cool little pool for his birthday, but I'm just now getting around to setting it up for him. You hook the hose up to it and water sprays up out of little holes to give a fountain effect. It really wasn't working right because something is up with our water pressure, but Lucas had a ball. He stayed outside for over an hour and would have stayed longer if I let him. It looked really lame to me, but he really enjoyed filling up the cups and then pouring them out. I thought that I could relax a few minutes while he played, but then he figured out that it was more fun if mommy held the blue cup while he poured water into it. Here is he asking to play our new game, "blue cup-orange cup".