Snow!

According to Lucas, yesterday we made a "snow house," "snow balls," and a "snow man" (who quickly turned into the likeness of a snow buddha after he hacked at it with the shovel).

Meet Our New Baby

Our sweet girl is here! We welcomed our little bundle of love via UPS on Thursday at 8:30 p.m., weighing in at around 40 lbs. and measuring 17 1/4 x 17 19/32 x 29 29/32 inches!

In the very short time that she's been with us, she's already given us so much joy. Though we'll still have to trek it to the laundromat once a week for regular loads, we've been singing Steve Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?" all night and day because having her in the apartment will allow us to more easily and affordably enter the brave new world of cloth diapering -- 6.6 lbs. at a time of these little beauties, to be exact:

So far Lucas hasn't paid too much attention to the new addition to our family. He was just glad that she came with the lovely gift of an extra large box for hours upon hours of pretending to be a train running through a tunnel:

Oldie But Goodie

We were cleaning out old pictures from Papi's work computer when we came across this forgotten video, taken in early December. It was too cute to pass up here, as it makes all three of us crack up every single time:

Stroller Derby

That's right sports fans, it's a blog entry that you've long been waiting for: what new and exciting game will Lucas invent this time? This week he has offered for your very own viewing and playing pleasure... Stroller Derby.

First, everyone grab their favorite stroller. Here, Lucas grabs the controversial, stereotype-breaking, light, and nimble pink stroller 2007, and Papi chooses the smart-looking, racing striped, Cubs-colored Subway Stroller 2006. Then, place within the seat your favorite snuggly toy. Lucas chose Blankie, of course, and then chose the soccer ball for Papi.

Next you race around the apartment (I have been told houses will probably suffice as well). As you will notice in the pictures below, your excitement is enhanced if you run with your eyes watching the wall pass by, since hallways don't usually allow for side-by-side racing.

Then, finally, it is appropriate to rest your trusted steed next to you on the couch:

Weekend

Grandma and Grandpa just left after visiting for a week, and since then Lucas has loved to talk about how "Pa y Pa" (the best we could get out him all week) played ball with him, blew bubbles, and took a bus ride. . .

Tio and Tia hosted a little Baby Coming Celebration at our home, where Lucas couldn't decide between a purple and yellow cupcake. Knowing that the icing is usually too sweet to allow for him to finish just one, I let him have a go at both to see what he'd do:

For some reason he became tired of switching or perhaps bringing a cupcake to his mouth. All of a sudden he placed them on a plate and began going at it:

Once he realized he had an audience, he continued to perform:

Mama the Whale with Lucas's brother-to-be and Tata (Lucas's new name for his Tia) with Lucas's cousin-to-be:

Yes, Mama feels as tired as she looks. And Tata is due in just a few weeks! (What they're both really thinking: "What have we gotten ourselves into?!")

Green Eggs, No Ham

Remember this post? After he lost interest, the book was filed back onto the shelf but has recently seen a revival. On the first day we read it again, we decided to make our own green eggs for lunch. I knew he wouldn't eat them scrambled, and turning the yolks from yellow to green while intact wasn't an option, so we tried a drop of green food coloring on the whites and swirled it about. He had a great time helping me cook and following the process while looking back and forth between the book and stove:

Don't be fooled. He wanted nothing to do with the egg, even though he marched back to the kitchen to find himself a fork (preferred over the spoon these days). We fed him an egg almost every other day for over a year and we think we ruined it for him because it's one of the only foods he usually refuses to even taste now.

Poor thing, afterwards he asked for "jamon? jamon?" and we didn't have any. He settled for beige bunny crackers dipped in beige hummus instead.

These Are The Days We Wish We Had A Washer/Dryer

The Family That Votes Together, Stays Together?

In the kitchen this morning:


Mama: "Lucas, Did you watch the Teletubbies this morning with Papi?"

Lucas: (With his usual exuberance) "Oooh, Siiiiiiiii [yes], Mama!!"

M: "Did you like it?"

L: "Oooooh, Siiiiiii, Mama!!"

M: "Today Mama and Papi are going to go vote. Are you ready to go vote with Mama and Papi?"

L: "Siiiiii, mi Mama!"

M: "Lucas, do you like Barack Obama, too?"

L: "Ooooh, Siiiiii! Um, Bock O'Baby?"

Papi was supposed to take a picture of his name with the "x" showing after having voted because Mama forgot to bring her camera into the booth, but I guess he missed the aesthetic point of my request...

After voting, Papi went on his way to work while Lucas and I treated ourselves to bagels 'n' cream cheese at our favorite local bagel joint. After stuffing our faces, Lucas asked for a 'Thomas-Blue Cookie.' Our neighborhood has several Old World style bakeries where they sell every variety of cookie and pastry imaginable, and you wonder how they make rent each month because they're so cheap. They all seem to make the same style of sugar cookie with the tips dipped in chocolate and then in colored sprinkles.


At the bakery later:


M: (To the baker:) "Can I have a blue sugar cookie, please?"

L: (With big eyes after seeing the rainbow of choices:) "Um, Mama! Po-Red cookie, 'peas.'"

M: (Knowing my son's habits, and that in times of wavering his original preference is usually the one he really wants...) "Lucas, are you sure you don't want the blue cookie?"

L: "Po-Red cookie, 'peas.'"

M: "But it's election day, Lucas. We voted Democrat. You want the blue cookie, the Thomas-blue cookie."

L: "Po-Red cookie, 'peas?'"

M: (grumble)

Just in case, I bought both a red and a blue cookie.

And of course, he asked for a blue cookie after finishing off the red...

M: "You know, Lucas. I don't think you'll be the Alex P. Keaton of the family. I think maybe you'll be a Bridge Person like Obama."

L: "O'Baby?"

M: "Close enough, Lukie. Close enough."

With Tio A.

Lately...

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. . .?

Hello Kitty

There are spas out the wazoo in our neighborhood (and 99 cent stores, and pizza and bagel joints, and banks, and salons, and fruit stands, and pubs...). But there is one in particular that Lucas asks to visit while out on walks because of the huge goldfish tank in the foyer that you can see from the street and especially this cat with a bobbing/waving arm:

Candle

Each night we light a candle on the table at dinner. This holds several symbolic significances for Mama and Papi, but at this point, to Lucas it seems to signal the start (and end) of dinner as we light it to sit and then blow it out before leaving the table:

His calls it "cake":

Tunnels

We make them all day long for his buses and trains: out of couch cushions, our bodies, legos, whatever we find in the recycling box. . .

It's about time that we give a couple more shout-outs to two new friends who were born recently and whom we can't wait to meet: Eli Brock Brimer, and Isabella (Izzy) Sinclair Parks. Welcome, sweet babes!

Papi's Shoe

Big Changes Are Happenin'

Transitioning from the crib to his own bed in his own room (sniff, sniff):

And today Mama was up before the light of dawn to get in line with all the other crazy NYC parents in order to register Lucas for half-day preschool next fall. Since this required giving about the equivalent of a down payment on a house, this one's happenin' whether he's ready or not!

On a further random note, a few hours later when I asked him what his name was, he said "Muh-cus!" Hah!