13 months

Okay, so I couldn't just stop taking Lucas' monthly photos after doing it a whole year! This one won't be added to the 1-through-12 collage, but I still wanted to have it. :) Isn't he cute?

GrandDad and Lao Lao Visit From Guam!

And a photo we took at their last visit! I'm crazy for those 'watch us grow' type photos. Hopefully we can repeat this one each year! :)

We had a wonderful time with my Dad and Janice while they were visiting us at the end of November. We celebrated Thanksgiving together and Janice's delicious cooking skills saved the day when I managed to both burn and forget ingredients for a labor-intensive homemade apple walnut sausage stuffing. Everyone had a few bites of it but it was probably just to make me feel better. :) The weather was rainy for about half the time but we still had a great time together relaxing at the house, playing outside, reading out on the patio, eating at Whole Foods, and going on walks. I'm so glad Lucas has such great relationships with ALL of his grandparents- he loved playing games with Granddad; and on the night he awoke before Laith and I returned from our date, Janice got him to fall back asleep in her arms (which is a REALLY big deal since Lucas is so particular about his sleep habits/routine). Laith and I had the opportunity to go out on a date twice (!) while Dad and Janice were visiting. Thanks so much guys! :) Also, thank you Janice for reading some stories in Chinese on tape for Lucas and also for bringing us those great language learning materials. We hope to have a multi-lingual kid in no time! :)
Here are our photos from the visit:

More Firsts!

So many changes for our just-turned-one-year-old! In addition to getting two new teeth (#9 and #10... molars!), Lucas' skills are bringing him closer and closer to toddler-land. Just 2 weeks ago I broke out the crayons in hopes for some scribbling. He just wanted to eat them. Now check it out! I think he drew a tiger. :)


He also has performed his first 'downward dog' yoga pose. The classic baby/toddler position. I love it!

Tucson!

So much activity these past several weeks. I'm getting behind again with the blog posts! Especially with all our family visits and all the cute new things Lucas has been learning.

I was so happy to get to spend some time last month with my mom in AZ and that she got to experience all the Lucas-joy that I'm enjoying right now. Lucas warmed up to Meemom right away and especially enjoyed all the birthday toys she had waiting for him: Baby-sized legos, a couple of trucks, a see-and-say and a batman ball! He is so much fun and such a happy baby- especially around animals. By the end of the visit, Sierra was hiding from Lucas- not because he was rough with her at all but because he was too loudly exuberant as he quickly crawled toward her in an effort to either head-butt her or crawl under her- we're not sure what the goal was. :) I need to get more of this dog-related excitement on video. We had a great time relaxing at the house, getting in the hot tub (at a cooler temp setting), going to the playground, and shopping. Lucas loved all the chatting and playtime he got from Meemom. He wishes he could've spent more time there to have the chance to bond with Paul as well but a few days was all we could manage with Lucas' sleepless traveler tendencies. Next visit we'll hopefully have more time with the whole family and he'll certainly be even more fun to be around as he learns new things and gets more communicative. Thanks for the wonderful visit Meemom! And thanks for selecting such great toys, Paul! We love and you and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Grammy's visit and Laith's Secret Talent...

Grammy visited us from WV 2 weeks ago and we had a great time playing, enjoying the weather, relaxing on the patio and eating great meals. Laith and I even got a date night out as Grammy stayed up to be 'on call' should Lucas awake while we were out. Yay! While here, Laith cashed in on his birthday present from his mom and sister Janeen... flying trapeze lessons! Apparently this is one of Laith's hidden natural talents- he was the only one there who had such great form, strength, and fluidity. Check out his moves!

Which Baby is Which?

Daddy? Lucas? Hmmm.

Lucas Sees Kitty

Here's a pretty typical series of events when Lucas first spots a kitty:


He keeps pointing at her until he's practically poking her! So cute!

Firsts

Well, I must say that 12 months is proving to be quite a milestone month for Lucas! Here are some fun new things he's been doing the past 2 weeks:
1. He found my cell phone this morning and rather than trying to eat it or bang it on the couch cushions (where I had left it), he put it to his ear and started babbling and smiling at me!

2. He had his first tantrum. Lucas wanted to stay outside and I picked him up and brought him inside. Much flailing and wailing ensued. However, I must disclose that he slept poorly the night before and it was also naptime so the tiredness was probably a big factor there.

3. Lucas is attaching sounds to objects. I guess that's a convoluted way of saying he has a few first words! I always thought that a first word for a baby would happen like this: "Look at the ball, Lucas! Can you say ball?" and then Lucas would point at it and say "Ba!" or something. But in reality, I think it's a lot more gradual process than that. Last month he started pointing at the neighbors' cats and making "k-t-k-t" sounds. But he would also make that sound when not looking at kitties. Now he almost always uses that sound for showing us the kitties and not for anything else. He also would point to our eyes, noses, and mouths and say "eye". These past few weeks, he has on a number of occasions pointed at our eyes and pictures of eyes in books and said "eye". He's also been really into pointing out light sources to us and then saying "aghh". Now that sound has developed into "lie" for "light". Last night he pointed at our kitchen table lamp and said "lie" unprompted. So, there you have it. Lucas' first words are Kitty, Eye, and Light. Interesting. :)

4. He can get on and off our couches by using a box against the base of it to get up and then he'll turn himself around to lower himself feet-first to get off. Looks like we're ready for phase 2 of baby-proofing the house now that he can climb!

The next "firsts" on the horizon are first haircut (it's now curling over his ears and his collar), first independent steps, and first full night of sleep where he wakes later than 5am. (oh, please let this be on the NEAR horizon-- mommy and daddy would love to get more than 6 hours of sleep for themselves!) . We're enjoying Lucas so much right now and all the new things he's learning and doing. Watching him grow up is so cool and every little accomplishment he makes just amazes us no matter how small it is. Yay Lucas!

Big Baby!

Hmmm. I should have looked at the first 3 photos before taking the 12 month one today at Target (we gave away our bouncer seat shortly after the 6-month photo). I may try again this weekend with his legs crossed and sitting a little lower in the seat so that I don't have to crop out sections of his body to keep everything to scale! Or do you like it this way? Let me know if I need a re-take in the comments. :)

BaBee! Bzzzzzzz

Lucas had two outfits for Halloween. Both $2 Goodwill finds. The bee outfit I've been wearing (as has Laith, Bodie, Cybil and Annie at some point) for the past 5 years. :) We'll splurge on (or take the time to sew) a cuter, more complete-looking costume next year- once he tolerates wearing the outfits for longer than 5 minutes.

Happy Halloween!

A few pics from our MusicTogether class: