A flake

Not a cornflake, or a snowflake. Lately I have just been a flake.

Last Sunday at church we were invited by some dear friends to a barbeque for Memorial Day. Luke was up late on Sunday night and took only a brief nap Monday morning, and consequently was crabby and clingy all morning. The thought of driving 45 minutes each way and being out all day with a cranky Luke began to overwhelm me. So, I called and apologized- we were staying home.

This morning, we were going to go on a hike with some people from church in the Angeles National Forest (north of Pasadena). I had been practicing all week with Luke in the back carrier in preparation. I had the impression that the trail we were taking was light-to- moderate, though long. Well, after reading up on the internet last night about the trail, I found, "Route finding was a bit challenging with many day use trails mixed in with the main trail, washed out sections of trail, and over a half dozen stream crossings (bring waterproof boots even when the water is low)." Umm, what was that?!? Waterproof boots? I don't think that I am going to be able to cross streams with 30lbs of wiggliness on my back. Maybe I should have checked out the route before saying that we would go. Ugh.

I do feel like a flake, but I know that I have to do what is best for Luke- at times just bite the bullet and say that I overestimated. Better me a flake, than Luke an over-tired, unhappy kiddo. Even better, me learning to commit to less and not have to flake out in the first place.

Communication

While we have been communicating with Luke even before he was born, he has been surprising us with a new communication method lately. I have been teaching Luke a little sign language (and learning it myself), and the gestures are sinking in. Tonight at dinner, when he wanted more food, he made the sign for "more." Well, it wasn't perfect, but good enough for us to get the picture. Previously, he had been grunting when he wanted more, and that drove me crazy.

He also signs for "milk," after his bath, as Nathan gets him into his pj's. Yep, he knows the routine. After bath and pj's comes milk! He make the milk sign with both hands and smiles wildly. :) So cute!

He is now also waving and saying "hi," and sometimes will wave bye-bye (no saying bye-bye yet). Today, we were leaving his bedroom, and he turned and waved bye-bye to it.

Ah, these are happy days.

Nine Months (Belated)

Nathan and I have both been super busy, so this post is coming a bit late.

Luke celebrated nine months in the world on Sunday. I can't believe it has been nine months already! He is growing up so fast. This month was an incredible time of growth for him, reaching several milestones. This month Luke:

*learned how to belly crawl
*learned how to wave and say "hi"
*got his upper front teeth
*began to stand holding onto a piece of furniture
*learned how to repeat something mommy or daddy said (see video below)
*began eating by himself
*made playing in the laundry basket a favorite pastime
*began to sleep without a swaddle around his arms

...the list goes on!

Now for some nine month cuteness:

New Things

This morning, Luke and I went yard-saleing. We had a grand time and picked up some amazing deals. One sale had pretty much everything anyone would ever need for children ages 0-5. I picked up some clothes, a Kelty back carrier (which Luke loves!), a deluxe pack-and-play, and a peg perego double stroller. We are having fun today trying out our new items. :)

At the Park

Here is where we go in the afternoons.

Shaking

Earthquakes while pregnant are scary, earthquakes when baby is small and sleeping in another room, are worse.

Luke peacefully slept through the whole thing. Today I am going to go pick up some supplies just to be prepared.

Eating by Himself

Luke shows how he can pick up pieces of cereal and put them into his mouth all by himself. He has also learned how to drink with a sippy cup. Sometimes he gets a bigger gulp than he wants and makes a funny face. The shaking that you see is him kicking his feet- a happy dance. :)

He is learning so much and getting so big!

Nature Walks

There are two things that make my day "at home" with Luke work. First is our morning walk, and second is our late afternoon trip to the park.

It has become part of our morning routine to take a 30-45 minute walk in the Wetlands. Luke still is not very fond of his stroller, but my back is equally opposed to carrying his 23lbs around. Instead of giving up on walking, I thought that I would try something to help him like being in the stroller. If we come across a "safe" sort of plant (not poisonous or prickly), I stop and let him touch the flower, leaf, plant, etc.. I also tell him about the item he is touching- "Look at the pretty white flower... See the beautiful iris." (I need to learn the names of the plants around us) He loves touching the plants, and does so ever so gently. Truly, I believe that Luke is a very gentle boy. He does not think to smack or grab anything.

Occasionally, I give him a leaf to hold onto while we walk too. This makes for one VERY happy little boy. He waves it up and down like it is a little trophy. It is so fun to see him explore his little world.

The late afternoon is the hardest part of the day for both of us, so I began taking Luke to the little park just down the street from us. It is kind of a funny park- it is pretty small, the grass is not real, it has a cushy rubber pad under the whole place. It is in a posh neighborhood that is probably too expensive for any real families to afford (even though the advertising signs show lots of kids, I mostly see single professionals or rich, old married couples), so all the kids from our neighborhood walk over to play there.

Luke loves to sit on the grass and watch the older kids play. He also enjoys sitting in the tunnels while I play peek-a-boo with him. Sometimes I catch him just staring out at the clouds in the distance.

Sweet

This afternoon, I went to Baskin Robbins to get their new 88c soft serve ice cream cone. I was holding Luke in one arm and the cone in the other. The cone was very large and it fell. Sad, I thought. Well, it was 88c.

As I put Luke into the car, a man came out of the shop and asked if he could please buy me a new ice cream cone. I declined, and then said yes when he persisted. He came back out with the bright, shiny new cone and said happy Mother's day.

That was unexpected and sweet. It reminded me how far 88c and a few kind words can go.

New Shoes

Now that Luke is crawling/scooting, I really want him to wear shoes to protect his feet. My dilemma? Baby shoes are expensive(!) and his feet are too deep and wide for many of them.

Also, if I bought some of the cute, expensive, or even not-so-expensive shoes, they have a bunch of patterns and designs on the tops that won't match any of his outfits. Really, alligators are nice, but they don't match his clothes. I want a nice pair of brown shoes that will be comfy and go with what he is wearing. I have brown shoes, black shoes, tennis shoes, etc... and since they are simple, they go with many outfits.

The solution came as I was watching a little boy at playgroup crawl around in some soft, brown corduroy shoes. THAT was what I needed! They were cute and functional and perfect for a baby who was crawling around. I asked his mother where she found them and she told me that another mom who lived near her made them. Made them? You can make baby shoes? Yes, and she only paid about $12 for them.

Later, I found a free pattern online and went to Jo-Ann's for my supplies. Here is the result:


Also, while perusing Etsy, a website carrying beautiful handmade items by small time crafters, I began to dream of setting up my own shop with baby shoes. They are so much fun to make and you can use all sorts of materials from cotton to suede to leather. If anyone is interested in a pair, let me know- I'll make you a deal. :)

Times are Changing

Luke is into everything now. I am in the process of completely turning over our house. Yesterday he showed me that he is no longer content to sit and play with his toys- he wants to move!!

It is s fun to see him learn new skills. He is so pleased with himself (most of the time- when he is not tired).

He is also still getting those upper teeth-I see four coming in. His favorite teether is currently a watermelon rind.

On the Move

Yep. Luke is under the table right now. I did not put him there, I put him on his play mat. Time to start baby proofing!