You know you have too many diapers when . . .

We currently have three types of diapers in our home: the regular Pampers, Huggie Swimmers and Huggie Overnights. We had to get the last type because Mr. Lucas was wetting through his diapers at night. I normally have a good sense of which is which, even in a hurried moment to grab one.

Saturday when my sister in law came over with her boys for a swim, I quickly got Lucas ready in what I thought was his swimmer diaper. He was just going in the pool with the diaper and a shirt because his suit was still wet from an earlier swim session.

I got him dressed, put him in the pool and watched as he splashed around and enjoyed his older cousins. A few minutes into the fun, I noticed that his diaper had doubled in size-I thought that was odd.

Then it came to me-I didn't put a swimmer on him, I put an overnight diaper on! It was slowly absorbing water to the point that it was completely saturated! The poor guy was weighed down by this enormous diaper. At least I got to see how much water it will take on. All I could do was laugh. We were barely able to lift Lucas out of the pool-Wendy ended up just taking it off while I stood him up.

It provided some much needed mom humor. I will be sure not to make that mistake again.

Lots of happenings

We seemed to have an OK weekend. Saturday is always rough because of Marc working. Lucas did manage to sleep a bit which meant I got a nap in-imagine that! I was just so tired from the week of work, I have no idea when I will catch up on the sleep. Wendy and the kids came over for a swim and dinner which was nice. I thought that being out in the water and sun would make for a tired Lucas but it didn't seem to work that well. He had cheese pizza for the first time and seemed to enjoy it. It still is a battle with Marc about giving him more table food. We were actually going to order off the children's menu Sunday when we were all out of his mom's birthday dinner but we went to one of the least kid friendly places I know of. So we just ended up feeding him some baby food and then applesauce and crackers. Lucas was good though which is always nice.

A strange thing happened twice Sunday-Lucas actually bit Marc. Once while we were at Giant Eagle and once after dinner. I have no idea why he did it. The only good thing to come out of it was Marc saying, "Well I guess he is ready to start eating more food."

Dear Lucas

You need to sleep! I know that last week things were all mixed up because Mommy had to work late three nights but we are back to normal now that those crazy punk students are back on campus.

There is no reason why you should be up until after 9pm and then get up during the night. You might think it is funny to want to play but Mommy and Daddy don't. You are getting to be a big boy now-you haven't taken a bottle in the middle of the night in MONTHS so you shouldn't be waking up.

I know your teeth might hurt and we give you some medicine whenever that happens.

Everyone would be much happier if you went to bed early and slept through the night.

Can we work on this?

Love, Mommy

Good bye baby days

On Tuesday Lucas attempted to crawl during our PT session. He took a few "steps" forward with his arms and his legs seemed to follow. It was slow and choppy but the closest thing to crawling Lucas has done. Well that was all he needed-on Wednesday he took his first official crawl-and there has been no looking back. Unfortunately I have had to work the last three evenings and have missed most of the fun. Marc said on Wednesday night Lucas came into the kitchen and got to Jeff's water dish. I am sure you can imagine what came next. This morning Lucas went from the family room (with carpet) to the kitchen (linolium) to the dining room (hardwood floors). In each new room, he would slap the floor because he knew the textures and sound were different. Tonight he was so intent on getting to the power strip behind the living room TV that Marc got a real workout. It is incredible to see how fast he went from just rocking to a full fledged crawl. Of course we have to baby proof the house now-as much as we have been waiting for this, I guess we really aren't ready!

Year picture

We did it-well, Lucas really did it. He cooperated for his picture on Saturday. At first he wasn't too happy but he was OK to sit on Marc's lap. The goal was to eventually get him to sit on the floor. We tried a few times and he wasn't going for it. Then the photographer got out a stool and that was all it took. Lucas got off of Marc and started to pound on it-he was having such a good time he didn't realize Dad was gone. She got some really good shots. Of course Lucas had his tongue out most of the time because he is teething again.

When it was time for the cake shots, we stripped him down to his diaper. At first he wasn't sure what to do with it so we put some frosting on his face. We put some in his mouth and he eventually started to grab for the cupcakes. He didn't smash it but made enough of a mess that we had to give him a bath when we got home. While we were picture out the poses we wanted, Lucas fell asleep on my shoulder, drooling away in his sleep. I can't wait to get them back in a week and give them out at his party!

Family Visit

My brother, Craig, and parents came down for a visit on Sunday. My brother is currently in PA school with the Army in San Antonio. The last time he saw Lucas was at Christmas. Hard to believe how much he has changed now. When Lucas saw him come up the porch steps, he got a huge grin on his face. It was great to see. Of course he loves my parents and took to them like he normally does. My brother gave Lucas a cute bongo drum set that lights up and plays music. You can also make it into a ball so Lucas can roll it. He seemed to enjoy it. My brother had never seen the house before and he was amazed at how big it was and the backyard. Craig is a big goofy guy and I hope Lucas gets to know him as he grows up.

Of course we had to show Craig my new favorite show-Wipeout. I laugh so hard at this thing. You should check it out if you are looking for mindless humor. It is on Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC. Check it out. My brother and sister and I all have similar types of humor and true to form, Gaw loved it. I told him I would TiVO it for him from now on and send it to him. He doesn't get much time to watch TV with his class load. My mother thinks we are all a bit strange for enjoying such craziness-there are worse things we could like.

So they were all here for about 4 hours and then left. My parents will be back in two weeks for the big guy's birthday but I am not sure when we will see Uncle Gaw again. We sure do miss him!

First Hair Cut

We took the plunge and cut Lucas' hair. Ever since he lost his newborn hair (spikey and black) and his baby hair (fine and blond) grew in, he had a curl on the top of his head. It was quite cute. As his hair got longer, he lost some of the curl. His hair was so long the other night, it was hanging in his eyes. I suggested we just trim that piece and maybe the curl would come back. Marc did a great job while I took pictures.

Lucas looks so different now-Marc immediately said that he looks more like a toddler with the trim. I have to admit after living with the new do for a few days, he does look older.

Marc also attempted to trim the hair around Lucas' ears but that will need to be professionally trimmed. It was starting to grow over his ears and I didn't want people to start thinking he was an elf. At least now he will look a bit more kept for the second attempt at his birthday picture.

Fisher Price Little People

I have become obsessed with the Little People Toy Line from Fisher Price. My sister's kids loved them and now I am slowly buying playsets off ebay. My latest craze was finding the farm that played Old Mac Donald. Since Lucas loves this song and it is his party theme, I thought it would be adorable to get it for him and even use it as a center piece. Whenever I would find one for sale, I would email the seller and see if was the version that played the song. Luckily I found one and last night I won it! It should be here in the next few days.

It is fun to look at all the "vintage" pieces-the ones that were made of wood that I played with growing up. We had the tutor house, the farm, the hospital, the school house and Sesame Street. I remember playing with the house boat, the parking garage, the airport and the castle but I think our friends had those. The good old days.

Last night Lucas was digging through his toys to find the little people animals. He was holding onto the penguin and would pick up other animals, look at it, hit it against the penguin and then toss it. It was as if he was trying to find a match. He finally settled on a whale and played with them for a while. At least he picked two animals that share similar environments!

No year picture for Lucas

Sunday we had an appointment at Target for Lucas' year picture. Our hope was to get them done early so we could have them for his birthday party. Lucas had a pretty good morning; he took a nap, ate lunch, got all dressed in his new outfit. We got to Target with some time to spare-things were looking good! Then we went into the studio. The woman taking the pictures got two in and Lucas started to cry-with real tears. He generally does not get that upset! He didn't want to sit on the floor. Marc tried holding him-nothing seemed to work. I was crushed. We took him out and rescheduled for Saturday. Lucas was fine-he started to smile at the woman and played with some of the clipboards at the check in desk. So we went back in-thinking maybe it had passed. Nope-Mr. Miserible was back. I have no idea what set him off. He normally loves getting his picture taken and this was the same studio we used for his 6 month picture. Let's hope Saturday goes a little better. If not, Lucas will have to have his year picture taken at home and who knows how that will turn out!

Lucas is a Young Toddler

This morning Lucas officially became a young toddler-he moved to that room at daycare. As soon as Marc signed him into his old room, one of the teachers came over to get him. Lucas started to play with some balls-he loves to play with balls and is getting pretty good at throwing them. I know he will be in awe of how much the older kids move. Maybe he will get moving then too!

Marc had a harder time with this than Lucas did. He called and filled me in on all the happenings-I think the phone call lasted longer than any of the activities he was describing actually did!

He was amazed that they have a schedule-I reminded him that we were told that at the meeting we went to in May. Now tonight I need to remember to get all that info out and review it. I already know I need to bring in a blanket for Lucas. Good thing we have plenty of those!

Good luck Lucas-enjoy your first day in your new room. Remember to play nice and show them how good you are. I can't wait to pick you up and hear all about the neat things you did.

Favorite Toys-His Toes

This morning Lucas woke up a little after 4am-normally I would have been annoyed by this but considering I had been up since 2am, it just gave me something to do besides lay in bed and wish myself asleep. He was awake and not happy. I figured it was a teething issue again. I got him out of the crib and he was OK to sit on my lap as I rocked him. A few minutes later I noticed he was swinging his leg and looking at his toes. Then he started to spread his toes apart and curl them under. I guess he never knew they could do this. It was neat to watch him explore the cause and effect of his actions. At one point he also looked up at me with an expression like, "Oh, you are the one holding me," then went back to his toes. I don't find many things cute at 4am but I have to admit, this did melt my heart a little.

My boys

Last night Lucas and Marc went shopping for an outfit for Lucas to wear for his year picture this weekend. I can already tell these two are going to have some grand adventures in the coming years. Marc came home with two bags of outfits he thought were cute-I laughed when he said it was so hard to not come home with more things for the big guy. Now he knows how I feel anytime I go out! Marc did pick some nice things-not necessarily for his picture but Lucas can use them all the same. He said that Lucas tried to help and was interested in getting his hands on anything near the cash registers. I am sure the clerks were thrilled to have the ocopus boy reaching for their stuff.

I love to see these two out together, without me. I know that Marc loves to spend that time with him and I know Lucas likes it too. Of course I swear Marc gave him pure sugar while they were out because Lucas was so hyper after his bottle-our crack baby was back.

Happy 11 month Birthday Lucas

Wow! 11 months old. I can't believe how close you are to the HUGE milestone of being a year. You are so close to crawling it hurts to watch. But you have figured out how to bounce your way around the room. Like Poppa said last night, "You'll do it when you are ready. Leave the kid alone!" We made another trip to Buffalo and you had a great time with your Gorney boy cousins. You think they are really funny. Yesterday you helped cousin Andrew celebrate his 2nd birthday and you were very interested in the whole present thing. And you got to try birthday cake-without the frosting. Don't worry, you will get to experience all these things for yourself in a few short weeks.

You don't look like a baby anymore-you are definitely more toddler looking. We have started to give you more table food-you have had hamburger, baked beans, turkey, grilled cheese, zucchini. So far you have liked everything! You love your pool and being outside. Sand is a big interest of yours as well.

You have done well without the pacifier-see, we told you it would be OK! You still like books and are now interested in puzzles and the little people from Fisher Price.

We hope you continue to enjoy learning new things and exploring our world. And the best news is that we will be able to turn your carseat around to face forward in a few weeks so you can see us!

We love you Lucas.

Getting ready

Over the past few weeks, Lucas has been spending time in the Young Toddler room-this is the room he will be in for the next "school year." Apparently he loves it! He loves the teachers, loves all the playing they do and I would imagine he really likes the bigger kids. He gets so excited around our older nephews so it wouldn't be a surprise that he enjoys the company of the older kids-older being between 14 months and 2 years. Earlier this week they said he spend most of the day with them-he ate lunch with them and even took his nap with them. This is huge for me, and Lucas. I had hoped he wouldn't have any major issues with the transition.

He will be going with another little guy from the Infant Room-Brian. Apparently Brian has had some struggles. I was picking Lucas up one evening and the center director was telling the Infant Room staff that Brian needs to get over there more because he is going to be there in the coming weeks. It felt good to know that Lucas is handling the transition to this point OK.

Lucas as also cut one more tooth-this time on the top and we can barely make out a second one. I hope that one comes in soon because I am so ready to get him to eat more table food. He is doing really well at feeding himself and even started to pick up his sippy cup and put it in his mouth-he hasn't figured out that he needs to tip it back a bit to get some water out of it.

And Lucas is so close to crawling it hurts! He is really rocking back and forth and some days I am sure he is just going to shoot himself up and fly through the air. He is also trying to pull himself up on things-chairs, Marc, laundry baskets. Nothing is safe anymore!