Love Sandwich

Tunnel

Here's a game that Papi and Lucas invented somehow: The trunk (a.k.a. Lucas's snack station, hence the crumbs on the floor) gets pushed up against the media cabinet, and Lucas and Papi lie on opposite sides of the new space they created, pointing the electric Thomas the train toward each other.

Soggy Crackers

Today

Memorial Day at Prospect Park.

Face Massage

Slideshow

We found another trinkety function that allows our blog guests to view pictures in a slideshow (and yet another excuse to continue to abuse the camera). Check out Lucas with Mama and Papi during a visit yesterday to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, one of our favorite places to take him. The slide options are a bit dramatic and hokey, so if anyone knows of an alternative slideshow website with a bit less fluff, please let us know!

You See What I See

Our big boy has moments when he decides he doesn't always want to sit in a stroller and that he prefers to walk, which means that it takes at least twice as long to get to where we need to go next. This is usually fine, except for the fact that we go out on walks twice a day or so -- rain or shine -- to run errands or sightsee or play, so our trips home can sometimes feel like quite a journey (especially when Mami's bladder is full).

Here's a pictoral version of the story to give you a sense of our mini-odysseys home:

Hamming it up at the park, before Lucas decides that he's had enough and wants to leave. . .

First we inspect other peoples' trash cans before he decides they look just like ours and moves on. . .

Touching every flower within reach. After this, we reach a busy street, which he learned long ago requires being held by Mama or Papi to cross. Sometimes he gets daring and raises an arm to have one of us hold his hand to see if we'll forget that we prefer him to be held. Generally though, he knows the rule and will make us laugh because he'll ask to be held several yards in advance when he catches a glimpse of the street far ahead. . .

Lucas helps me push the stroller for a while until we come across the bane (to us) of every walk: colorful pinwheels that keep Lucas captivated until who-knows-when. . .

Attempting many times to get a bit closer. . .

Full-body sign for "fan" (that's how excited he is to watch -- even though these pinwheels seem to be available on every block) . . .

After about 15 minutes (really) of that, Lucas miraculously decides to move on in order to inspect every squared off area in which there is a tree and dirt. . .

Oooh, grass! (It really is sad to think of how little exposure this city kid has had to anything green. . .) After this, he focuses a bit and keeps walking/running, pummeling into a passerby or two, until he stops to say hi to a dog being walked and to point to an airplane above. . .

He walks back and forth over this crack at least ten times. Then he walks back up the block a couple of times before returning to me again. . .

A switch goes off and Lucas decides that he finally wants up ("ut-t-t"). I pick him up and get a whiff that reveals why: a poopy diaper. . .
I carry him in my arms for three more blocks until he realizes that we're on our street and close to home. Now he decides that being uncomfortable in a diaper is better than going back inside, so he wants down again to inspect more flowers and trees. . .

We're finally home, just in time for a snack -- and for Papi to arrive home from work and put Lucas back into a stroller (oh well!) for an evening jog along the shore. Now Mama finally gets to pee whenever she wants (or at least until Papi and Lucas get back). . .
The End.

Blissed Out

Holding a balloon and yelling at the city buses after an afternoon at the park. The only thing missing to make it all perfect is blankie. . .

Lucas Speak

" 'Ohn! " (Avion - airplane)

" 'Es. " (Pez - fish)

" Behh... " (Bye.)

Maybe I'll Hear Better If I Hold It This Way

Lucas's Ideal Mother's Day Gift...

More Silliness

Waiting...

...and hoping for a bus or a truck to pass so that he can celebrate!

Silliness

Never Too Sick To Play Ball

Welp, The Boy Who Never Gets Sick got sick. We credit our luck so far to breastfeeding and to Lucas being an excellent eater, but I guess every kiddo has his day. A little extra TLC, along with the paci and blankie, have helped. But leave it to Tio A. and Tia W. to bring lots of new toys to help him feel even better: a Thomas The Tank Engine electric train track and a bag filled with more balls than an 18-month-old knows what to do with. . .

Air Soccer

You've asked, and now here it is: a live video of Lucas doing his silly thing!

We took a separate video of Lucas playing with and dribbling the soccer ball (he also has an amazing throw-in; we'll try to show you the next time) but we had the camera turned at a vertical angle and are having trouble rotating it upright. While we work on that, in the meantime, here's a short clip of Lucas walking towards the ball just after having kicked it away. We love the part where he does some practice air kicks on the way...

Just press the play button on the video and enjoy!

Cooking Together