Week in Photos (29 & 30/52)

The last two weeks have been pretty great, lots of family time, visits to the splash pad (which is always a huge hit with the little man), reading and lounging around the house with shirt or pants (on Lucas that is lol).

We capped off this week with a dinner celebration for my mother-in-law's birthday at the Mandarin, where my little dapper dude partook in his first chicken wing, which like most things he eats, he loved.  He has some new teeth trying to make an appearance and he was just going to town on those poor wing bone.

My days are filled with tons of activities for the Lucas, and boy does this kid keep me on my toes lately, since he literally never stops until he passes out for naps and bedtime.  When he wakes up its like he downed an energizer battery in his sleep, cause he is always raring to go, running around, and off discovering new things.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as I am!

Wordless Wednesday - Bubbles!

There isn't anything more adorable than seeing your child excited about the most simplest of things like bubbles!  This happened over the weekend, when it was so hot and Lucas spent most of it in a diaper, and not much else.  When the water feature his nonna bought him couldn't grab his attention he spent literally half an hour just running into the bubbles from the cheapest bubble machine his father bought him.

Its in moments like these that I just take a step back and enjoy watching my little guy experience things with the simplest and purest form of joy, and appreciate how great my life truly is cause of him.

Lucas is 10 Months!

I am having a hard time grasping that Lucas' birthday is a very short two months away.  Obviously I have been planning it already but that is besides the point, my baby is almost a full blown toddler and he makes so many new discoveries and advancements everyday, its enough to make this mama a little misty eyed.

The biggest achievement this month by far has been his walking, and pulling himself to a standing position on his own.  If you haven't checked my post on this last week check it out here it has a great little video if I do say so myself of some clips I've compiled this month.  This new found independence has been great as I find that he entertains himself a lot easier, as he is always out and about discovering, and looking for new things.  Clearly this drives me a little batty sometimes, since he finds ways to discover things he shouldn't but this will be a battle I will be fighting for years to come so I may as well buckle down and accept it.  I have to admit that the only detriment to a having Lucas walking so early is that unlike most parents at this age who can still "contain" their child for longer periods of time in a stroller, I am not so lucky.  A short trip to the mall requires me to allow Lucas to stretch his legs and walk around for a bit, or else he gets super cranky from being cooped in his stroller.  The fact that this kid has boundless amounts of energy doesn't help much.  Don't get me wrong people, I actually am thoroughly enjoying this phase, and it does also lend itself to more freedom on my part, I just miss those times when I would grocery shop and wouldn't have to stop and let Lucas walk down an aisle or two to avoid a meltdown.

Not sure about his weight and height, but he is officially wearing 12 to 18 month clothing, and his appetite has no bound lately.  Breakfast I have to say is his least favourite meal, and it is often a battle to get him to eat anything in one sitting, which results in eating some fruit and toast at the high chair and then maybe a cracker, or more fruit after a morning walk.  We discovered just last week that Lucas can now tolerate yogurt (yay!), but only the drinkable kind, and he is also starting to enjoy and digest certain cheeses.  Dinner is his fave meal, and I think it has something to do with the fact that both the hubby and I are together with him, I get it kid its a little boring when its just mama.  He still has 4 bottles of formula during the day, but he's been fussing for his night bottle the last 2 weeks, not sure if it has something to do with his dinner consumption, and if I should really worry about it...thoughts people.

Lucas has started saying yeah, which is incredibly adorable, since he actually says it in context.  He also says DA (which means give in Portuguese) and surprisingly he also says this one in context, mainly if I am holding something that he wants, mainly a drink (this kid is always thirsty lately).  Another recent discovery is when he's eating, he will mumble MMMM like he's enjoying it, I have a feeling he's copying us since we often say "Mmmm isn't this good Lucas, don't you like it". 

Nothing new to report in his sleep patterns; we just had a rough week when Lucas had another bottom tooth cutting through, but the moment the tooth made its appearance sleep was back to normal, thank God.  I'm a little spoiled with Lucas' sleeping habits the last few months, since we implemented and stuck to our sleep training plan, Lucas has always slept the night, and this was the first time that his teething affected his nighttime sleep. 

Lucas is extremely social, and usually will be shy for the first 2 minutes he meets you, and then next thing you know he's trying to get your attention, wants to be held, or is snatching at your clothing.  He absolutely thrives at his music class with the other kids, and is not afraid to get into their faces and attempts to talk to other children; its so amusing to watch.  He has learned to high five this month, and will do so 2 times in a row, very excitedly. 

He's mildly obsessed with his mama still, which is fine by me, the feeling is completely mutual.  He adores his nonno, much to chagrin of his nonna he will always run to my father in laws arms first hehe.  I loved seeing him play peek-a-boo with his tia (my little sister Gyselle) this past weekend, and couldn't help but think that it seemed like yesterday when she was the one who needed to be entertained with such childish fare, and now she was looking after him. 

Love his serious face in this outtake.

 

Overall its been an amazing month, and I still thank God everyday for the blessing of being Lucas' mother.

Little Letters (vol.10)

Dear Heat - Its been quite the scorcher this week, so Lucas and I have been cooling down as much as possible with water playing outside, visits to the mall, and playtime at the splash pad, although its been great I could do with a little less heat!

Dear Shirt and Tie - Just bought Lucas his first tie this week for a wedding we have in a few weeks, and I cannot wait to see him in it!

Dear Laundry - you were successfully washed and dried, now if only a fairy could help me fold and put you away...sorry I'm too busy having fun with my little man.

Dear Bachelorette - you used to be my reality guilty pleasure, but its such a snooze fest this season, someone bring back the good old days of trashy tv!

Random Fact - Even though I have been loving this summer, Fall has to be my favourite season of all time, and I'm already dreaming of pumpkin spiced lattes, and taking Lucas to the pumpkin patch!  Bring on the cool times!

Wordless Wednesday - Off he goes!

So about 3 weeks ago Lucas made some huge improvements in his quest to walk, and get around more independently.  Slowly he gained more confidence, until it came to a point where he would crawl to anything that would help him stand just so he could walk around.  He's always had amazing motor skills, and strength, so we weren't really surprised that he would be taking his first steps at 9 months.

 

This week he's been learning to stand on his own, without any assistance from us or furniture, so he's been falling a lot as he gains more balance, and a better understanding of his limits.  I'm telling you the kid would rather be running, sometimes he walks to something so fast in his excitement, that he ends up falling and hitting his head, or legs; he's currently sporting some lovely shiners on his forehead! 

 

We actually didn't use any conventional walkers when teaching Lucas to walk, not because we don't agree with them, we hadn't bought one, and when we were going to borrow one from my sister he was already walking well without.  We simply encouraged the little guy, held his hand, gave him as much free reign as he needed, and he just kind of figured it out himself.  I feel like he had a huge desire to walk, and get around, and to a certain degree it really propelled him in that direction.  Now he doesn't even want to hold our hands sometimes, which kind of makes me sad, but I won't dwell on that right now :(

 

Here's a small video of moments the last three weeks of Lucas discovering his walking legs!



This month Lucas has really become a little boy, the walking has given him so much independence lately, he plays well on his own, and he just loves discovering new things.  Now he walks up to you when he wants something, rushes to door when Gianni gets home, comes and finds me in the kitchen when I'm making dinner.  I'm loving it even if it makes me a tad sad.  This picture encompasses kind of what I'm feeling...pride in seeing my little guy walking, but nostalgic as he walks away.

Overall though I'm a pretty proud mama!

Fave Baby Items (6 to 9 Months)

 

These are just a short list of some of the items that we loved, some starting at 6 months, others even earlier, and will probably continue to be on the top of our list.

1. Munchkin Mesh Teethers/Feeders - These came in handy when we started introducing certain fruits to Lucas, but more so when he was teething.  I still often put an ice cube or two in there and he will walk around with it and just suck for soothing on his poor gums.  Sometimes I even put frozen pieces of fruit , but he's not often a fan of that.

2. Toy/Sippy cup Straps - These were actually a gift from a friend, and I love love them.  We have used them on his stroller to avoid losing a precious toy, and sometimes strap the toys to his high chair at restaurants to avoid said toy from either constantly falling out of reach and to not touch the grimy floors.  I have to say that I haven't used it yet for the sippy cup since I was still until this point really assisting Lucas in drinking from his cup, but he has become more independent in that regard so I have a feeling this will be really handy next time we are out for dinner.  Also I always have an extra strap in my diaper bag just in case!

3. Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat - Everyone in my family has one of these, and with the family growing every year it has become a staple at gatherings so each little one has a place to sit.  We also love this seat for family dinner dates, since I'm not a huge fan of some of the high chairs at eating establishments, we take this with us, and this way Lucas always has a clean and sanitized tray to eat from. 

4. Baby Einstein Videos - I have always loved this series (and the follow up Little Einstein that now airs on Disney Junior).  When my little sister was growing up I bought her these and she loved them, and I'm glad to say that Lucas is equally enthused by them.  We are still on the level one videos, which are usually soothing music, with wonderful nature and stimulating images, Lucas already recognizes some of the characters, namely the sheep, he smiles and starts talking to the tv whenever he appears.  Lucas' tv viewing is limited, so I try to pic programs that will enrich his vocabulary and brain activity, that being said, he watches the Einstein video for about half an hour, usually before his morning nap, and he is always playing at the same time, so not completely focused entirely on the screen.

5. Baby Einstein Aquarium - As you can tell I have a propensity for Einstein products.  We installed this in Lucas' crib around the time we started sleep training, and initially it did nothing for the little guy, nor was he very interested in during the day, but now its a godsend!  It helps soothe the little guy during nap time, and the star at the front is large enough that Lucas often puts the thing on himself in the middle of the night if he wakes up. 

6. Anais Swaddling Blankets - These were also a gift when Lucas was born, and they are great!  They are larger than the conventional swaddling blankets, which since the little guy is quite the mover when he sleeps it ensures that he is always (or at least almost always hehe) covered during the night.  They are also quite thin, which is also another reason why they are hit in this house, since Lucas inherited his father's propensity to be hot, and he sweats a lot when he sleeps, he really needs something that isn't heavy on his body.

7. Dr. Browns Bottles - I know there are several moms out there that hate the extra contraptions that these bottles have, but I also there are an equal amount of moms who swear by the these due to those same extra pieces, and I'm one of them.  Do they make washing bottles more of a chore, yes I'm not going to lie, but Lucas had the habit of inhaling his formula and other bottles would cause hiccups, and more than the usual spit up, and we found that these bottles really helped due to the vent air system.  They are also known for diminishing colics, and I'm not sure if they are one of the reasons, I'm not going to claim that without proof, but Lucas never had colics, I'm just saying.

8. Stackable Cups - Lucas has his fair share of toys, what with parents who don't want to deprive him, and grandparents, that are only too willing to add to his collection.  These are perhaps the first toy that he actually started playing with, and not just putting in his mouth.  It was, and still is a joy to see him watch us stack them up for him, only so he can come and tear it down.  We have now started to show him how to stack them, and always pointing to the colours, these also have lovely animal imprints at the bottom, which we also always point out.  Overall a great stimulating toy, that will eventually continue to be of use when we seriously start learning colours.

9. Baby Breeza Steam and Blender - This is a great item for moms out there who are making their own baby food.  It steams, and blends all in one, so you can put whatever item you are making set the timer and walk away, and once everything is ready and cooled it has a convenient spout to pour it into freezable cubes (a full containers worth of food conveniently fills a tray of 4 ounce baby freezer cubes).  Even now that Lucas is eating mostly what we eat, this has still come in handy for fruit concoctions and smoothies, and steaming small amounts of veggies for lunch.

10. AngelCare Video Monitor - By far the best money I spent on a baby item!  These are not cheap, but if you are a slightly neurotic, and worrywart mom like me, no piece of equipment if going to bring the kind of peace of mind like this one.  It has a SIDS prevention care pad that you install underneath the mattress that monitors your child's heart rate, and an alarm will go off if the heart stops, or even if it detects any sort of discrepancy.  When we first moved Lucas to the crib at 3 months, we realized he has a small case of sleep apnea (which has since gone away), there were a few nights when he would stop breathing for a fraction of a second between breaths, and every time it happened the alarm went off!  Also I love being able to just see him in the middle of the night from the comfort of my own bed, and this was an amazing asset when we were sleep training, I could see he was fine, and did not need to rush to him unnecessarily.  Its expensive (almost $400), but I would recommend it to anyone!

 

Week in Photos (28/52)

 

This has to be the poorest week of photos ever, but I have a great explanation...I was just living in the moment and enjoying life.

 

I just made a choice to savour the little things this week, and not always take out my phone and document it.  I just sat and watched the cuteness that is my little man as he walks and explores his new found independence.  Sat on the front porch or in the back yard with the family with iced coffees.  Did a little crafting when possible.  Spent extra time cuddling Lucas, and soothing his poor little gums as he deals with another tooth ripping through. 

 

Overall I just lived this week, and took all the mental pictures I will ever need.