Last week we decided to take a joy ride on the public transportation system after we realized that Lucas hadn't been on a bus since the days when he was carried around practically every moment in a sling. We hopped on a bus to Coney Island, then took the subway home. Lucas was crazy with excitement and had a huge smile on his face the entire afternoon.
One of Lucas's favorite books these days is the Spanish version of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, which we read every day when he awakes from his nap. There are cars and trains and boats and tunnels, so the book was bound to be an instant hit with Lucas; and he loves eggs, though our basically vegetarian kid certainly doesn't know from experience what ham is... But perhaps because he's a bit glass half-empty these days and "no" seems to still be a favorite word (sometimes even when he means "yes"), Lucas loves to chime in along with the grumpy character a resounding "No!" at the end of each of Juan Ramon's (otherwise known as Sam-I-Am, to rhyme with "jamon") requests to have him try a new food. So much so, in fact, that when we reach the last few pages where the grinch (why doesn't he have a name?!) finally tastes green eggs and ham and finds that Yes! he does indeed like them, Lucas gives us an even more emphatic "No!" and dramatic head shake, closes the book, and decides that we need to skip the end and start over from the beginning.
We had a lovely evening at Becca and Josh's house a couple of neighborhoods away celebrating the Jewish New Year. As always, Lucas and Amalia made a great team:
Check out Lucas demonstrating his excellent knowledge of potty etiquette. He's crouching down to "wipe" before disposing of the toilet paper into the big potty. Can you make out the little wad in his hands?! Nice job, Little Man!
To the beach again! This time we were invited to a parishioner's lovely beach house on an island just 20 minutes away from home. It was hard to believe we were still in New York City!
Having fun with the Jacuzzi:
His beard's kind of like Papi's!
I touch your head, then my own...
Pretending to be asleep with Tia:
Being chased on the beach: Lucas spent lots of time stepping on and off the foot sprinkler:
(Play the Soundtrack of Indiana Jones's Raiders of the Lost Ark in your mental stereo...)
In the spirit of the great adventurers, like Magellan, Raleigh, Bartolome de las Casas, and Sacajawea, Lucas having mastered all the wiles of playing in the sand heads to the beach shore:
Walking back to our towels, Lucas is heard in eloquent toddler babble, saying: "Papi and Tia, did you two see that the water was chasing me? Can you believe that?! What was that all about?! I am not going back there."
Papi searching for words of understanding, says: "Don't worry, my great adventuring son, I am sure the French were behind this great affront somehow."
Err actually. . ., (Please play The Star Spangled Banner) In the spirit of all the great citizens who appreciate what they have where they are, Lucas returned to fun in the sand with dreams of improving his sand creations beyond compare.
We had such a great time at the Coney Island beach last time that we decided to go again, this time with Tio A. and Tia. But first, a stop to Toys 'R' Us, where Lucas immediately found the Thomas section. . .
Hi again. We realize it's been a while since we've posted consistently, and for all of you faithful followers, we're very sorry. Things have continued to stay busy for Papi at work, who says that dealing with the aftermath of the tornado still takes up about 85% of his time. This means we're all a bit more tired than usual while trying to continue to find ways to spend time together.
Lucas is growing into such a big boy these days, giving us more words and signs all the time, becoming more and more independent, and really coming out of his shell. He still loves to dance, even to the music playing in his head; he's discovered the joy of lego blocks; and he's become a pro at climbing all the local jungle gyms and going down the slides, the latter which before would usually made him hesitate. He likes to say "Oh, no" and "Uh-oh" when he's intentionally done something wrong, which is both cute but also useful at times. He'll often walk/run into whichever room Mami or Papi are in and utter a dramatic "Uh-oh" and make us follow him back to the scene of the crime, where we'll find a box of crackers spilled onto the couch or something similar. He'll then smile and point or giggle as if he had nothing to do with it. Clearly he has his father's sense of humor.
The most recent change was that we found a lovely caregiver who runs a small daycare out of her home to watch Lucas for a few hours a couple of afternoons a week to give Mami a break and help transition him into learning some English and moving towards a preschool environment. We were told that Lucas only cried about 10 minutes the first time that we dropped him off alone. His Mama, on the otherhand, cried for at least a week.
He's also become something like the neighborhood mayor, enthusiastically waving and saying "hi" to every stranger we pass on the street. Buses and trucks and trains are still #1, and we've recently seen a bit of a Thomas the Train revival in our household. Lucas also recently surprised us when he began counting to two one day - in English - which pretty much infuriates us, as we speak to him in mostly Spanish (those darn Teletubbies!). Oh well, how can you stay mad at that happy face?
Finally, Lucas wants to welcome his new little friends, Aaron and Stella, who were born last week to David and Elsie.
Sorry to fall behind on our posting. These pictures are from a couple of weeks ago...
As warmer weather slowly crept back, we decided to take advantage of the low humidity days and head for the beach. We didn't get too far past the boardwalk, though, as Lucas discovered that fun thing called sand! He spent the entire time letting it sift through his fingers, scooping it up, making piles, decorating our shoes, and once even giving it a taste.
With the tornado-causing thunderstorms came yet more wet weather, and an eery taste of the fall and some very cool days in August. But crazy temperatures never stop Lucas from having fun at the park!
We thought this picture looked fun upside down. Afterwards he was soaked but happy:
Posts have been slow in coming these days as we're finding ways outside of our usual routine to stay cool and indoors.
One afternoon we hung out with Tio A. at his workplace Brooklyn College, where Lucas had a great time talking to himself as he ran up and down the hallways:
Another afternoon we hung out at the Brooklyn Art Museum, where Lucas stayed mesmerized for hours by the informational LED signs at the entrance, saying and signing "choo-choo" every time a sentence slid across:
