Happy Valentines Day!

Downward Dog Baby!

I LOVE LOVE it when Lucas does his yoga pose :) It's super cute and now he'll do it whenever I sing-songy say, "upside down!"

Dogs and Trucks and Balls, Oh My!

Heaven, Lucas-style...
If Lucas ever saw this in real life I think we'd get some huge leg pumping, double-handed pointing, panting, squealing! :)

Friends

Bodhi loves to walk, Lucas loves to ride. I think we've found a good partnership here! :)

Hmmm. Sufyan loves to walk too. Lucas is really liking this.
Take me to the kitty!
I love this photo because it looks like they're having a conversation and Sufyan is talking with his hands!


What just happened here!? Look at those great expressions!

We're going to the zoo zoo zoo, how about you?

Wow! We love the Austin zoo! It's tiny but it's so great and so different from one you'd find in a big city. Most of the animals here are rescues, their habitats are huge and extend to very close proximity to the visitors, the paths are all dirt trails, peacocks and roosters roam free through the grounds, and there's lots of picnic tables for lovely lunches with great surroundings. Lucas enjoyed seeing all the animals but these were his favorite features of the visit:

15 months

For those of you who ask for this sort of info, here are his stats:
Height: 30.5 inches (30th percentile)
Weight: 19 lb 13 oz (off the chart... more about that in a minute)
Clothing size: t-shirts: 9-12 m. onesies/pants/: 12-18 m.

So, his last Dr. appt revealed further dropping in his weight percentiles. We know there can be some normal weight loss when baby starts crawling or walking, but for a baby who started out at 75% while born 3 weeks early, his steady drop down the charts between his 6th month and 12 month check up had me a little worried if not our doctor. Laith and I decided to start loading on extra fats and calories to get our Mr. Skinny to gain some weight. Everything was buttered and had cheese added to it. We were confident that by his 15 month appt he'd be heavy enough to turn his carseat around to front-facing (20 pounds) and that he'd begin climbing back up the charts in growth. We were wrong. Lucas had gained only 3 oz since his 12 month appt. I gained 10 lbs. :) The doctor has given us roughly a month to get him to gain a whole pound just so that he can get to the zeroth percentile (!) So, now, with our increased resolve to fatten our son, instead of that sweet baby smell, our little Lucas smells like butter when you sniff his head. :) I'll let you know how he fares after his follow-up appt the first week of March!

Now on to the fun stuff... So much developmental growth happened during month 14 that I'm really excited about the fun in store with our just-turned-15-month old! He just learned how to walk independently and has also just begun one-handed overhand throwing. It's kind of funny to peak in at him at night and see his 6 or 7 stuffed animals that we put in his crib are now clear on the other side of the room. He also has a new interest in utensils and is doing a great job with adult size spoons and self-feeding. He can point to what he wants to eat in the fridge even though it may look different once prepared (like eggs), and he can help with some basic tasks (besides swiffering :) ) like stirring, wiping down counters and windows, and putting toys away (for a few seconds). His favorite things to do are: visiting neighbor doggies, anything that has to do with trucks, buses or heavy construction equipment, playing with a ball, getting into small boxes and containers, and exploring electronics (like the alarm clock and boom box). In other words, he's 100% boy. :)

A Day In the Life of Lucas

Catching up on December... these photos were all taken between Dec 1st and 23rd. After this we move on to 2009, where Lucas rings in the new year with his first steps! Thar's right, he's walking! Video coming soon.
Here's a typical day for Lucas:

1. Wake up and do some cleaning

2. Play in room





3. Do my exercises

4. Eat lunch

5. Take a nap in the stroller

6.Play outside on the swing


7. Visit with my friend Sufyan



8. Welcome Daddy home!

9. Take a bath

10. Read a book

Sleepytime. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Laughing Lucas

Here's what happens when Lucas starts to get tired... :)