Some of you have been asking what new things Lucas has been up to lately, and not just the little moments we capture on camera for you to see. ["Isn't that enough?!" asks the tired blogger.] I can now appreciate the question during these days that Lucas is revealing so much to us that I sometimes can't keep up with all the story recounting that I have for Papi at the end of the day. So here's a list of little things that come to mind from over the last few days from my perspective in Lucas Land:
-He says "peas" (please) and "mah-coo" (thank you) -- and in context! He knows that "please" will get him what he wants and that "thank you" is a feeling of gratitude. I just think this is amazing! The other night I was massaging his legs with oil while he and Papi were reading books on the bed as we usually do before bedtime, and he stopped and looked at me with ga-ga eyes and said oh-so sweetly, "Mah-coo, Mama." You're so welcome, Lukie! Sometimes he'll beat us to the punch and say thank you on our behalf when he's the one who has been helpful or has shared something.
-He asks to ride on the bus or subway almost daily.
-The boy gives a running commentary in Spanglish all day long. He especially does this the very moment he wakes up from a nap, as if he's been away on an adventure and has so much to catch us up on: "Mama! El bus va [goes] fast! He loves to recount the day and describe what's going on in the books we read (especially books about the subway).
-He's picked up "okay" in place of "heh" (previous indicator of the affirmative). He'll even ask us for something and answer the question himself before we can reply: "Papi, mas leche? Okay." Or, "No mas banana, please. Okay." [A little manipulative, huh?] Sometimes he'll give you a "si," which somehow makes him sound so adult-like to us.
-The kid can count in both English and Spanish. When he gets to "10," he says "e-ya-ya" (11), two-why (12), then follows with "thirteen, thirteen, thirteen, nineteen, nineteen, nineteen!"
-He's beginning to exhibit toddler pickiness and desire for control. Wants his spinach next to his couscous but not mixed together, thank you very much. Wants his carrot sticks on a separate plate from his almonds, or I'll have a meltdown right this moment and will refuse to eat anything more! He'll say "hi" to a passing stranger, but if they say hi back, he closes his eyes and yells "No!" Sometimes if I stop to talk to a friend on the street, Lucas will say "Mama, No Hi!" if he doesn't want me to stop and chat. Geez Louise.
-Bubbles and crayons and chalk and legos and lollipops are in. Getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and putting things back where they belong used to be in but are now out.
-After breakfast and a few hours of play, he used to wake me up whenever Papi gave the signal with lots of hugs and cuddling and laughing, handing me my glasses and slippers, then eventually pulling on the lamp cord to turn on the light. Lately all that's devolved to a more rude awakening with Lucas turning on the lamp, grabbing my glasses from the nightstand and shoving them in my face, then pleas for "up! up!" Needless to say, Mama doesn't like this.
-He pauses to say hi to us throughout the day. Lately the usual "Hi, Mama!" has turned into: "Hi, mi [my] mama," probably because I call him "mi nino" or "mi Lukie.
-Lucas will still go for the last syllable of a word if he can't say the entire thing: computadora is "ra," lollipop is "pop," sofa is "fa," jugo is "go," blankie is "key," and so on. Sometimes if he does include all syllables, the word tends to start with an "m" sound: "Muh-cus" (Lucas), "Mah-coo" (thank you), etc.
-He knows most colors by now, but many are still associated with a character: black is "black," purple is "purple..." but blue is now "Thomas-blue," green is "Dipsey-green" and so on.
-He loves to run his fingers through hair, especially mine (and sometimes Papi's beard). He'll be in the middle of playing with his buses and then he'll stop cold and decide to run his fingers through my hair, followed by hugs and "cuckles" (cuddles). The other night he was touching my hair and I asked him what color it was. He exclaimed, "Black!" And what color is Papi's hair? After a short pause he said, "Yellow." And what color is Lucas's hair? Long pause... then he changed the subject. We haven't talked about the color brown much, and certainly not "mousy brown with golden blonde flecks," so it all seemed very fair. :)
Seems like Lucas has been completely decoded for y'all here. Who's ready to come over and babysit?
On a baby-related side note, we're 30 weeks along, and the monkey's head is now down! He's been hanging out transverse all this time, which wasn't that big of a deal because there's plenty of time left. But since we're once again trying to avoid giving birth in a hospital, much less a c-section, we're willing him to stay in this position from now on! Mama has already gained more weight at this point than she did during the entire pregnancy with Lucas! (Oopsies, as Lucas likes to say.) Maybe this will help make for a bigger baby the next time. . .?
