Love Christmas!

I'm finally getting around to posting the photos from Christmas. I can't believe that Lukas is already 11 months old. It really does go by as fast as everyone says. Enjoy!

Feeling Old

Last weekend, we welcomed Show and Derek back from their honeymoon in Japan. They were the only couple in our group that didn't have kids. We met early, ate dinner, and left the restaurant by 9PM to get our respective children to bed. Back in the day, we would have just been getting started. Probably gone out for dessert and stayed up talking until after midnight.

On Saturday, we went to a 3 year old's birthday party where they had a bouncy house. It was a lot of fun. It was our first time in a bouncy house and for Lukas. We weren't sure if he would like it, but he LOVED it. He loves jumping in general, so when there's a place where all these kids and adults can go in and jump, he had a blast. I never realized how big these bouncy houses were. I actually was able to do some gymnastics. Now, I haven't done a back handspring in probably over 10 years. I can't even remember the last time I did it and I don't know what I was thinking. You hear about all those weekend warriors who injure themselves because they think that they can still do all the things that they used to do when they were younger. Even though in my head I had visions of being carried out in a gurney on the way to the hospital, the kid inside of me couldn't contain myself. There aren't that many opportunities for me to even try a back handspring, so I thought to myself, "If I don't do it now, I will regret it tonight." I did 2 back handsprings. The first was to make sure that I could still do it and the second was because I had so much fun. I would have done it a few more times, but the kids started coming back in and I thought about how mortified I would be if I landed on one of them. How do you explain that to another parent? It's not like I can say, "Sorry my kid pushed your kid" it's more like "Sorry I landed on your kid trying to relive my youth." Though it felt great to still be able to do the back handspring, it did make me feel old because I hadn't done it in so long.

On Sunday, I spent the afternoon doing alumni interviews for Northwestern. I realized that these kids probably thought I was ancient since they were probably 5 years old when I graduated college and they were probably born near the time I graduated from high school. I can't say I blame them because I remember thinking when I was in college that 30 was old.

Lukas update: yesterday, when the nanny asked Lukas where his nariz (nose in Spanish) was, he touched his nose. That's pretty cool. He's officially cruising and I can see 4 teeth coming in on the top. We got him a little toothbrush and he loves brushing his teeth, so hopefully that means that he'll have good teeth.

Avatar

So last weekend was a long weekend with MLK Day. We had a relaxing weekend home. On Friday, we returned to the Korean restaurant that we visited the night I gave birth to Lukas. We haven't returned in almost a year even though we liked it. It was a good time with the Banerjees, Schneiders, and Tachikis. It was kind of funny because we had a such a long table to accommodate all the kids and parents (8 adults and 6 kids). The women and children were seated in the middle of the table while the dads flanked the ends. Things have definitely changed in the last 5 years!

I also got to visit Mike and Michelle's new baby Isabella on Saturday. Lukas and Edwin didn't get to meet her because they were both sick. She was so tiny and light. I can't believe that Lukas was the same size only 10 months ago.

On Monday, we got to watch Avatar. We still had the nanny for the day since the other family had to work, so we decided to go to see it. We wanted to see it on IMAX at the Bay St. Theatre, but the tickets sold out while I was in line. Then, the 3-D version also sold out while I was in line. We were very disappointed, but then we realized that the Alameda Theatre also had it playing in 3-D. I would highly recommend it. Very entertaining and it deserves all the awards it has won. We've been very lucky that both movies we have seen in theatres lately were very good.

Another quick Lukas update, as we were leaving the house this morning, we think that Lukas was trying to say "Bye-Bye" to us. It sounded more like "Ba Ba", but it occurred as we were leaving and he said it twice. He's pretty good at saying "Ma Ma" and "Da Da" so maybe he's starting to try to speak. He started clapping last week and can also raise his arms when I say "Arms up!" Amazing that he can understand already. They do say that kids absorb information like sponges.

Learning to Let Go

Lately, Lukas has been pulling himself up to standing on the couch and on tables and shelves. He's gotten pretty proficient and the other day, he pulled himself onto me and then let go. He actually was able to stand on his own without holding on to anything for at least 3 seconds. And then he fell back onto his bottom. Edwin and I were both amazed. He hasn't tried it again since, but I don't think it will be long before he starts walking. Another funny milestone happened about a week ago. I was sitting in my glider and Lukas was sitting on my lap. All of the sudden, I hear him fart. That's not to say that he has never farted. It's just that it was usually little and pretty quiet. This time, it was loud and it sounded like it came from an adult. I guess my baby is getting bigger. When does a new mom because just a mom? Is it when your baby can say Mama? Or when your baby is considered a toddler vs. a baby? Just curious. Am I still a new mom?

Congrats to our friends Mike and Michelle who just had their baby girl Isabella on Thursday. We haven't met her yet, but we'll hopefully be able to soon! We hope you all are getting lots of sleep.

Congrats to Show & Derek!

To begin the weekend, we celebrated the wedding of Show and Derek. They had a reception at Town Hall. It was a lovely evening in the city of dinner and friends. There was a private room and the music that they picked out was superb. I found myself singing along as I was eating my dinner which was also very yummy. The night would have ended wonderfully if I hadn't eaten something with dairy in it unbeknownst to me. It sucks to be lactose intolerant. Pictures to come later. I'm so jealous right now- Show and Derek are leaving for Japan tomorrow morning for 2 weeks. I would love to go. Someday.

Thanksgiving

Well, I finally got around to posting the photos from Lukas's 9th month which includes Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas holiday. More fun times and more to come.

Back to the Grind

After not working for 10 days, it's hard to go back. Time went by so fast and now I feel like time will slow down. I know that there is at least MLK Day in 2 weeks. In February, there is Presidents Day, but then there is this dead period from March to May where there are no holidays. That is the time period that really sucks. Last year, it was nice because I got to make the most of my maternity leave during that period. I only missed getting paid one holiday for Memorial Day. I'll have to remember that for any future pregnancies.

This period of time is usually very sad. It's the end of the holidays. You have to take down all the decorations and go back to the normalcy of everyday life. At least this year, we have Show and Derek's wedding to look forward to at the end of this week. One more party before the doldrums set back in. Also, Michelle and Mike are about to have their little girl, so that's something else to look forward to. Then, we need to start thinking about Lukas's first birthday. I guess there are plenty of things to keep us busy at least for the next few weeks. All good and happy things, so maybe it's not so sad after all.

2 Short

So I didn't make my goal for last year which was to post the same number of postings as last year. However, I was only short by 2 postings. I don't even know what I have been doing the last few days, but as usual, they were busy, so I wasn't able to make my goal. I'm slightly disappointed, but I am not going to beat myself up about it. I tried. That just means that I need to post more this year. :)

I said that I wasn't going to make any resolutions, but there are a few things I would like to accomplish. First, I would like to get my haircut. This does not to be a grand ambition, but I have not had my hair cut since before Lukas was born, so it's been almost a year. I would like to make sure that I cut my hair at least twice this year. I think it will be easier this year, but I just want to put it out there because if I don't say it aloud, it probably won't happen. I did try and make appointments several times this past year, but the salon is in the city. I just need to find a new salon here in Alameda. I'm just being lazy. It's not even that I love my old salon. I'm just a creature of habit. I knew last year when I got it cut that it would be a while before I could get it cut again which is why I cut it short, but I didn't think that it would be this long.

Second, I would like to get Lukas's college fund set up. I started looking into 529 plans, but couldn't decide, so I just need to sit down and commit. I think that these are both acheiveable and things that I should be doing anyways, but having them published will just help me to accomplish them sooner, I hope.

Walk of Shame

In college, there used to be this term we would use for when you would walk home in the morning wearing the same clothes that you were wearing the night before- it was called the walk of shame. Now, I feel like there is a new meaning to that term. As a parent, it's when you have to leave someplace after your child has had a complete meltdown and you walk out with your child in humiliation because you feel like you have failed as a parent.

It doesn't happen to us very often, but it did last night. For Lukas's first New Years Eve, we started at his aunt Jeannette's to exchange gifts with his cuz Freeman. Then, we headed over the Banerjees for dinner. We didn't intend on staying over, but it got late and we were tired at 2AM, so we decided to stay over since Lukas was already asleep on the bed. That was a mistake. Lukas started crying uncontrollably at 4AM and we couldn't console him. This rarely happens- as in almost never. So we decided to leave the house rather than keep everyone up at 4AM. We got home bleary-eyed and exhausted where Lukas again woke up screaming. It was not a fun night and probably one of the worst nights we have had in a long time.

As a result, we started off the New Year terribly. I can only hope that each passing day this year will be better. I hope that we don't have to have anymore walks of shame. Happy New Year everyone!