It's Been Awhile

It's been forever since I last posted - almost an entire year. That's close to a whole lifetime for Junior. He's grown so much, it's wild to look at the previous pics.

Here's a few new ones to get an idea...






















Well, maybe more than a few...










BTW - no, he's not taking a poo in that picture and - yes, his fabulous and talented Aunt Sally made him that cool sweater.

Family Photo

Some recent pics...

He's so expressive - sometimes I forget that he's just a baby. And then, at other times, I'm convinced he knows more than we give him credit for...

Swimming Lessons...

This past Saturday, Debbie took Luca for his first Aqua Babies swimming lessons. He was a little tentative at first - as you can see by the pics, but he eventually warmed up...

Four months later...

It's been over four months since the last post. Lots has happened in those four months. Luca is four months holder - now clocking in at eight months and seven days old. He's crawling, babbling and pulling up. I am pretty sure he's starting to wave. He also "sings" when I sing to him in a humming sort of way, or when he is playing his toy piano. It's hysterical. He's teething right now (the top two are coming through, eager to join their two counterparts on the bottom) which is making for a bit of a cranky boy. We're also having a bit of a sleep problem, but more on that later. The quick version is that he has stopped "staying asleep" when we put him down in the evenings. For naps, I sleep with him (at 10 and 3) which is fine when I need the sleep, but not fine when I want to get some things done or even just breathe a little. We are not willing to let him cry it out (not yet, anyway) so, for now I am going to start a slow process of trying to get him into the crib at nap time. All in all, though - he's becoming an amazing little boy. Funny and communicative. It's pretty cool to watch him grow.

More later - my mom is here and we are about to play a game of Set (while Debbie naps with the boy).

a scene from a lazy Sunday afternoon...

just like Sundays should be...

Luca has a best friend

This is Ethan. Although they've never met in person, Luca and Ethan correspond through their mothers and have decided that they are, indeed, best friends.





Ethan lives in Portland, Oregon with his mom and dad - just a plane ride away. The boys are looking forward to meeting each other in person this coming March.

Luca and Karen...

...hanging out at Sidewinder earlier this week.

a lick o' spit

check out the drool that's in mid-drip from his chin

a day with thomas and friends

We hung out with our friend Jack today. He's three and JUST became an older brother last night. Knowing that this new role would soon be his, Jack has been honing his big brother skills on Luca for the past four months. And, now that it's all official with the birth of his new baby brother Luke (pics soon to come!) - we decided to celebrate. Thomas the Tank Engine and his pals were in town, so - Luca, Jack, Debbie and I went to see what it was all about...

the Bush Vacation

I just checked my email and four people sent this to me today. It's a Photoshop classic and I felt the need to share...

excer-sauce-me

Fifth

Today is our fifth anniversary. Five years ago today, we stood in my dad's backyard, in front of one-hundred and twelve people and made a committment to each other. Fast-forward five years later and this is what we did today...

Of course, it's hard to start ANY day without a trip to Sidewinder.



Luca had his usual iced coffee while he read a bit of the Cinicinnati Enquirer.









Once he was all juiced up, he donned his cap and hopped into his car seat - ready to take on his latest adventure...






Luca slept most of the way to our destination - Yellow Springs, Ohio...



...but was awake and ready to eat once we arrived.




Then he got into the sling to do a little sightseeing and walk around town - but it didn't take long before he was napping again.







He did wake up in time to hang out with our friend Meredith who ate dinner with us at the Sunrise Cafe.


But, it came as no surprise when he decided to take an after-dinner snooze.




By the time we got to our next destination - Young's Jersey Diary Farm -




not only was he awake...



...but, he was driving one of their tractors...



...ALL BY HIMSELF!!!





Okay, Debbie was helping - but, just a little.









Next stop on the farm tour - the goats.




(don't worry, we washed his hands!)




Finally, it was time for the fun to wind down and head on home.





















All in all - it was a great fifth anniversary.

more sunday scenes...

Sling Thing

This self-portrait was taken late this afternoon on the Loveland Trail in Loveland, Ohio. We eased into the day with mid-morning naps, a couple of loads of laundry and a pre-trail visit to Sidewinder Cafe. We finally arrived around four o'clock, after all of the serious walkers, runners, bikers and roller bladers had called it a day.


I wore Luca in the sling even though we brought the stroller along. So, as usual, we wound up using his wheels to transport all of his things instead of using it to transport the boy himself.


A sling is great in so many ways - but we especially love it for it's nap-inducing qualities. (Our sling is technically considered a "pouch" and we got ours from the great people at Maya Wrap). A sling and a bit o' the bink will do it every time.



I started "wearing" Luca just a week or two after he was born. It was scary at first - I thought I would hurt him or that he would fall out - but it soon became obvious to me that he was perfectly safe and perfectly comfortable.




Luca loves to be in a moving sling - whether we're on a walking trail or running an errand - as long as we're moving, he's content. (Don't let this picture at six weeks fool you!)




When he's awake, he's right up there to see what we see - listening to and learning from and - more and more - interacting with the same world that we are.




And, when he's tired, feeling close and snug while listening to my heart beat helps him to fall fast asleep. I use it all of the time when we're out and about and it's time for a nap - and it's alot easier than getting him to nap at home!

scenes from today...

when your date is fresh...

I forgot to take the camera out on our travels today. Hence "Mr. Eyelashes with Binky" from yesterday's adventures. Anyway - we went to Yellow Springs, Ohio. About an hour and fifteen minutes from Cincinnati. Yellow Springs is a quaint small town/progressive mecca which is home to a few shops and bookstores, a fantastic restaurant and Antioch College ( a small and VERY LIBERAL, liberal arts school noted for it's cooperative education programs) where our friend Meredith is in her last year. We met up with Meredith, went to see the farmhouse she's living in, went to dinner at that great restaurant - The Winds - and then, just as darkness fell, we went to see the raptors/birds of prey that live at the preserve where she is working this fall.

Dinner was delicious. Among the random assortment of yummy goodness between the three of us: spidini (broiled? bread and mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and an anchovy, caper sauce), Russian vegetable salad (greens, beets, eggs, celery and capers with a viniagrette and - thank god - only a teeny bit of that true Russian dressing, which is something like a watered down mayo), corn chowder with smoked trout, Thai coconut soup with white beans, stuffed poblanos (stuffed with, among other things - ricotta and roasted pumpkin seeds) and seared tuna topped with a yummy tapenade. Everything was great - but - the highlight for me? - the fresh dates on the cheese plate. Tastes just like a dried date, but lighter somehow - in color and flavor. So good. Anyway - Luca was a gem throughout the meal - smiling at the people around us, babbling a bit and then napping on my lap during the main course. When we first arrived, the hostess with "uh oh, a baby" radar tried to seat us at the most heinous table in the place - squished between the entry door and the hostess stand - even though we had made RESERVATIONS and the restaurant was almost ENTIRELY EMPTY when we arrived. And - if you have ever gone to dinner with me, you know that I HATE SITTING AT THE CRAPPY TABLE. I explained that we wanted one of the tables near the window (amply available) which was the reason I made such an early (6pm) reservation and I assured her that Luca would be no trouble. She made a HUGE SHOW of "trying" to accomodate us - even though it was clear that she was bullshitting us because the restaurant was almost ENTIRELY EMPTY at the time. She said that she didn't think she could "move things around" - but we were patient and basically just silently stood our ground until she caved. None of the tables were reserved and there were a TON of empty four-tops available - so I'm pretty sure it was simply that she was worried that the baby would be a distraction to the other diners. Now, this place is a nice restaurant with great food - but not the kind of place where you get all dressed up or have to whisper over your meal. I mean, it's in Yellow Springs, for god's sake. I was definitely irked by her behavior and was really proud that we calmly persuaded her to cut the bullshit. During dinner, Meredith was holding Luca and stood up to show him some of the art on the walls and the hostess apparently gave her some sort of evil look. SO LAME. Luckily, OUR WAITRESS ROCKED - and it didn't hurt that she had a baby herself and she really liked Luca (hi, huge tip!). When we left, I lifted Luca's hand to wave goodbye to the evil hostess - just to stick it to her. But, what I really wanted to do was lift his middle finger and wave it in her general direction.

Back at the raptor preserve, we saw three or four types of owls, a bald eagle with a missing wing and some vultures. We also saw the remains of the rats they had all been served for dinner. Not as good as the fresh dates on that cheese plate, I bet.

someone needs a nap

in need of a nap
Originally uploaded by dana p.

He promptly fell asleep after this episode.

Sidewinder

We hung out at our neigborhood coffee shop today...


reading about New Orleans and feeling grateful for our baby.

a few weeks ahead...

Here at 18 weeks, Luca has hit yet another milestone...





He's started reading the New York Times - even though the books say most babies don't do that until week 20 or 21.

Happy Four-Month Birthday!

We're so glad you're here.

old and new

Can I get a coffee?
Originally uploaded by dana p.

In this picture, Luca is nine days old - a mere ninety years, four months and 26 days younger than my grandmother.

Luca Has 4 Cousins

Recently, Luca spent some quality time with his older cousins, who drove all the way from St. Louis to Cincinnati for a visit.










His Aunt Sally and Uncle Joey visited, too.







Willa is Luca's oldest cousin. She is an expert baby-sitter, social activist and all-around stylin' big cousin who just started her first year at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Luca hopes to see much more of her when he and his 2 moms move to New York in October.






Nathanial is the second oldest and, so far, Luca's only boy cousin.





Nate spent lots of time holding Luca and telling him boy cousin secrets.



I'm pretty sure some of the information that passed included tips on wrestling at the competition level, how to watch as many DVDs on your computer as humanly possible in one day and how to become the Master family's all-time Master Boggle champion.






And then - there's his big cousin... Emma.








Hopefully, Luca will inherit some of his cousin Emma's wit and humor, along with her uncanny flair for song improvisation, her love of cooking shows and her fabulous ability to just hang out.






And last, but certainly not least - Luca got to visit with his littlest big cousin - Elinor. Formerly the youngest in the family - Elinor is already expertly filling her role as an older cousin. Between assisting with diaper and clothing changes, as well as the very important job of being Luca's binky retriever in the car - Elinor found the time to pass on some of her "youngest kid" wisdom to her new little cousin.

the girls. they like him.

Or, at the very least, they're attracted to his scrumptious baby knees.

Frustration

Crazed
Originally uploaded by dana p.

Since he has been able to close his fingers around certain objects, Luca often experiences extreme frustration at not being able to put the ENTIRE object into his mouth. In his attempts, he often winds up hitting himself about the face and head with certain toys he has at his disposal. As seen here, his poor giraffe often suffers under this frustration.

Luca

Luca is just two days shy of four months.

He loves to be in the "standing"position.

He is not fond of "sitting" practice.

He only poops every three or four days.

Has has two moms.