a few firsts re: play

we've had a couple of firsts in 'play' arena in the last few days!

luci has lots & lots of play dates, but the play is usually just two or more kiddos each doing their own thing in the same room, with the extent of interaction being occasionally going after the same toy followed by one or more kiddos in tears.

but...on thursday luci actually played WITH clara! clara wanted to roll a ball back & forth...i told her i thought luci might like to do that with her. so i sat on the floor with luci, and helped her roll the ball back to clara. after maybe 10 rolls, luci decided she wanted to sit on her chair to play roll the ball. so clara would roll the ball to me, i'd pick it up & give it to luci, and luci would actually roll the ball to clara. all by herself. she was SO excited she turned into a goofy giggle monster...eagerly anticipating the ball coming back & then pushing it away back to clara in delight. it was super fun to see :-)! she did not repeat today at her friend eleanor's birthday party...luci was very much back to doin her own thing...often heading to where no one else was (outside if everyone was inside, or inside if everyone was outside)...which i think is totally normal for her age. but man, it was sure fun to see her little eyes light up & delight in playing WITH clara.

luci also colored for the first time this week. we sent baby asher his blanket yesterday & luci helped me make his card. she scribbled on it & put a few pumpkin stickers on the front just to spruce it up a bit. after the successful card making venture, i decided it might be time to start regularly playing with crayons....here are some photos from our first attempt!

how exciting! VERY proud of herself!
double fisting some crayons...i think she is right handed, but i'm not 100% sure yet
putting the crayons back in the box...this seemed to be a more familiar type of task
and then throwing them all at once...so we are now working on how we treat our crayons...

(ie we don't eat them, we use one at a time, we put them in the box when we are done, etc.)

she's also become a babbling fool in the last few days. damom, dad, dad, dad, daaaaaaadmom, mom, mom, momdaaa, dadmom....all in a row...all day long. duuwwwuuuu was a new one as of this morning. seems she's just bursting with sound lately...it is lovely to hear her sweet (very deep ;) voice. i wonder if it will stay this deep?!?!?!?

random videos & a blankey for asher

well i had hoped to make it to tucson this week to give baby asher his blankey myself...but apparently all of those snowbirds are headed back to AZ cuz flights were full all week. boohoo. hopefully we'll make it over soon...i can't wait to see that baby! in the meantime, lil luc has been lovin on his blankey...

pointing to her eye... trying to find mr. snail's eye...

and some random bits...

here is an example of the touching both sides thing I was talkin about...

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Pumpkin Patch

picking out a pumpkin...



running through the maze chasing her dad


and after the maze she just kept runnin...right to the swings!


luci on her first hayride...we got VERY up close & personal with several large cows!

brave girl touched a goat!

and rode a pony!
luci also took her first train ride...we saw lots of ducks, swans, cows, horses & goats.

and one pig.

Happy Anniversary Guh & Guh Pierse

the girl loves her some elmo & some giggler monkey. i don't know why, but i find this adorable...sitting...touching her toes...

and in honor of your anniversary, lil luc learned a new trick! she's now climbing up & down and in & out of furniture all by herself. these attempts are among her first few...she's since perfected her method & is much more efficient. and safe (i think).

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thank you for listening

sweet lil mama feeding her baby...but always with the wrong end of the bottle!

sweet lil mama takin her baby for a stroll...
not so sweet lil mama flinging her stroller under the table...
not so sweet lil mama sittin on her baby!
and thinkin it is HILARIOUS!

-we were at the park last night when amanda pointed out that when luci listens or does something she knows she's supposed to do (like sit on her bottom) she claps for herself....regardless of whether or not i'm watching & respond with the usual, 'thank you for listening, luci.' or 'good listening, luci'. since amanda pointed that out i've noticed about 12 times in last 24 hours where luci claps for herself when she does something she knows she's supposed to do...regardless of my reaction. and when she does something she knows she's not supposed to do she usually shakes her head no while doing it (like pushing buttons on the TV)...regardless of my action (or lack thereof).
-she is really into touching both sides of her pack-n-play (arms stretched as far as they can go), and using both sides of a railing at the park
-she like to close doors. i'm sure the opening part will be happening as soon as she grows another inch.
-she likes to sit on things...it is a sign of affection, really, but it can be painful & silly! she plops right down & the scoots her little booty into us, the cats, or as of yesterday, her baby dolls!
-she somehow figured out what kleenex is for. i grabbed a tissue this morning and she started blowing out of her nose! i put it up to her little nose & she actually blew into the kleenex.
-when her snack or milk is gone she'll come at me wavin the cup in the air as if to say...hey ma...it is empty! i want more! if it is empty & she doesn't want more she just discards the cup at the precise location she was at when the snack/milk was finished.

where, oh where, should the pieeerses move, oh where, oh where should it be?

if you know us very well, you know we are always moving somewhere. sometimes we have 1 houston summer left in us, sometimes we have 3. but never more than 3.

the answer tonight is brunwick, oh. it was recently named #3 on the 2008 parents.com best places for families to live. there is a gymboree music & play 8 minutes away in medina (for Luci & me), and a national park 16 miles away to the west (for Clay). oh, and an airport 16 miles north that clay could be based out of with cal. no commuting. and it is affordable. now it isn't houston affordable...but, then again, it isn't houston*. and no, i'm not basing our future on gymboree music & play locations, but rather using that as a proxy for the number of tot/stay-at-home mom combos to be expected. and clay needs hills & trails to ride that bike of his.

some days we are moving back to chicagoland. in fact in 2 weeks we are headed up early to liz & craig's wedding to look at the 'burbs from crystal lake to channahon for a few days. some days we think we should move to rockford. we even threw out iowa city as a possibility (don't get too excited mom & dad...sadly, it just wouldn't work).

for 4 days 2 weeks ago it was denver, co. then it was albuquerque, nm. then maybe flagstaff, az. and then it was back to chicagoland.

but, for tonight, it is brunswick, oh that has us excited. no; it is not chicago. but i could still make the 5.5 hour drive when the flights don't work out. it is not in the middle of both sets of (grand)parents, but we could one leg fly to each. and we could drive to indy. and my dear husband wouldn't have to commute...and that is a BIG deal. might we have found a winner??!?!!!


*this is in no way a reflection of our overall opinion of the woodlands. if i could plop the woodlands & all of my amazing texan friends down in the north we'd be delighted to stay put forever. i just cannot do the mosquitoes, long summers and lack of snow forever. i need snow in my life. i need to be able to get the mail without wearing bug spray. i think we need to head north. or west. ugh...see...we just can't decide!

Welcome Asher Kishen Jani!!!

Lil Luci wants to say "WELCOME CUZ!" to Brooke & Sunidh's sweet new baby boy. Asher was born on Friday, 10/3, at 3:15p MST. He was 6lbs, 6oz, and a lanky 19 3/4 inches long...and he looks JUST LIKE HIS MAMA!

Asher

one chosen by God to have many abundances

Kishen

(pronounced kee-shun)

the God to whom people turn for abundances

Mama, Baby & Dad are resting at home...all happy & well.

Congratulations! We can't wait to meet you baby Asher!

PS.

poor, poor cubbies. maybe next year. but don't worry lil asher...aunt britt & uncle clay have already purchased 'my first cubs tee' for you...and i promise to pay your daddy back by dressing you in it at the first opportunity!

GO CUBS

Headed to the TV to watch the game...snack in hand, of course. Poor thing...I informed her that she would be in bed at 10:07p when the game starts...
She comes around though, and decides to show her support early by clapping & cheering.

skills

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temper? our child? never ;)

Not sure if you can see...she's starting to stand on her little chair...She listens to me when I say "Luci, please sit on your bottom"...
but she's not happy about it...
She puts this hat on by herself when she finds it within her reach...then walks around the house with it on.
i'll put up with a temper now & then for this sweet, sweet baby.

our sweet girl has...shall we say...a bit of a temper...here are a few standout examples (there are lots of typical remote control & cell phone fits)

-she was working REALLY hard to get her little farm animals with shape bases into their respective little slots...after about the 5th attempt at getting the little pig into the square (she really was trying so very hard) she got mad...and started flailing her arms & kicking her legs...sending the barn & its animals FLYING across the room...

-she's learned to climb in & out of her chicco stroller...at first she was really good about 'sitting on her bottom'...but after a few days the excitement wore off & she started standing & almost jumping on the stroller...so after she ignored my second request to 'sit on her bottom' the stroller went outside....and luci screamed for the next 30 minutes...and once she stopped screaming she walked right up to the tv & pushed the power button. and looked at me as if to say, "ha!" ugh. luckily her dad came in & saved the day by scooping her up & distracting her with something else

savin it all for Mom?

it is 7:53a on Saturday...luc has been up for about an hour. so far she's managed to climb ALL of the stairs & end up in the upstairs bathroom before i realized it, play in the downstairs toilet, and almost pulled my hot coffee down onto herself. am i out of practice after 3 days off or was dear daughter on her bestest behavior for her dad? savin up all the mischief for mom?

i was making coffee as i'm especially tired today for some reason & was sort of not with it yet...and all of the sudden i realize i don't hear the pea...i look over, and i swear, tallulah was looking toward the stairs VERY alarmed. i did a quick scan & realized Luci was no where to be seen. i also realized i did not shut the gate (well...our version of a gate...a very large piece of cardboard)...and tallulah was still looking up...very alarmed. so i quietly ran up the stairs, expecting to encounter her at the second mini flight...nope...then i heard the upstairs bathroom door shut. man oh man i'm a bad, but VERY lucky mama today in that nothing bad happened. thank heaven!

for photos today, see the results of our fancy schmancy photo shoot with the gifted photographer rebecca-linh rodgers. lil luc was having NONE of the photo shoot & although we were there for over an hour the photos you see were taken in during the first 15 minutes of the shoot. luckily rebecca is a seasoned mom herself & understands & works with the fact that 1 year olds are not the best subjects. it was 100 degrees & mosquitoes were everywhere...despite our planning the shoot for 8:30a in an attempt to avoid such complications. ugh. we are trying to work out another follow up shoot at our house where the pea might not be such a stinker. i was really upset after the session as i just felt like lil luc's spirit did not come out...but i think rebecca is talented enough that she did manage to capture the few times it did show through. hopefully we'll have more to come in a few weeks ;)

14 months

At 14 months, sitting still just isn't really an option. Unless she is just up from her nap...then maybe on Mom or Dad's lap, snack in hand, watching some Elmo. Other than that & you can forget about it. A few notes at 14 months...
-She drinks around 18oz whole milk/day from her sippy cup only.
-She just moved up to size 5 diapers
-Her size 5 shoes are rapidly becoming too small.
-Most of her clothing is 12-18mo or 18-24mo.
-Some days she needs 1 nap, some days 2. I thought today was going to be a 2 nap day, but she's been up there just hanging out for about an hour...so who knows. Often she goes down around 10a - 12p, and then sometimes around 3p or 4p. Usually she sleeps 3 hours on average during the day...today she's had only about 1.5 hours of sleep.
-She's trying MUCH harder to imitate sounds & words. Dad, Mom, Cuuu (cup), Caaaa (cat), Caaayyaa (Clara), fffff (frog), Baby (we aren't 100% sure she knows she's saying the word yet), Guuuhhh (Grandma or Grandpa), Oouuuuuwww (out), Shhhhhh (shoe), booo (dog...she's trying to make the dog noise I think...booouuuuf), mmmmm (can be hungry or yummy or what a cat says), ball (anything round), baaa (can be balloon or banana), and bewwweeee (berry).
-She doesn't sit in the stroller for more than about 20 minutes before becoming VERY unhappy.
-She loves to walk around the 'hood in her new car
-She's still really into moving things from one bucket to another...and then back again.
-She's eating pretty much anything & everything we eat...except spicy food & nuts & shellfish.
-I've been really lazy with letting her use a spoon, but I am going to start allowing her to do that next week...maybe ;)
-She can be quite snuggly buggly when she wants to be...and we love it.
-She can reach doorknobs now...and frequently does. Luckily she's not figured out how to open them.

Lulu & Dad made it through the week without me...and aside from a broken thing of Mom's here or there, everything made it through safe & sound & happy. I think lots of 'gonna getcha' was played with Dad...every time I sit on the floor to engage her she takes off running & giggling...turning back every so often just to see how close I am. She usually looks disappointed to see me still sitting, waiting for her to return to the puzzle or book I'm trying to interest her in. She's also traded out the pretend snapping while dancing to pretend piano playing...classical music was Dad's choice & apparently he plays a mean air piano worthy of imitation.

Meanwhile up in Chicago I had a FABULOUS few days with my girls. Lots of livin the old lifestyle while visiting Jen & Liz on Monday & Tuesday...and oh how I miss it. Downtown Chicago will forever have my heart...no matter how impractical for us as a family these days. On Wednesday I headed out to the 'burbs to see my friend Holly...livin the new lifestyle of suburban mom. Unfortunately the Determan family suffered a loss this week & our day was filled of catching up, grieving, and looking forward. My thoughts & prayers are still with them as they recover as a family over the coming days & months.

lucky ducks

luci got another 'new to her' toy last week...the sit & spin zebra i've been coveting on her behalf for a few months now. of course the thing doesn't rock like i thought it did & she's already over it...good thing i bought it used. the kid needed (and still needs cuz i didn't realize mr. zebra doesn't rock) a rocking horse...here i come woodlandsonline.com...maybe i'll find one by Christmas!

checkin out mr. zebra...

we are very blessed to have things quickly returning to normal...heat, mosquitoes & all. we had gorgeous weather sunday - thursday...highs in the 70's and lows in the low 60's with low humidity and, of course, we were only here for a few days of it. today was back to the heat with highs in the 90's & ridiculous humidity, and i just got bit by a mosquito in my house while wearing bug spray, so life in the south is up to its usual tricks. fall here is the WORST because it doesn't exist. have i mentioned we aren't from here?

i sound ungrateful, don't i. we are very lucky ducks in that we have power, the grocery stores are slowly being re-stocked and the trees & debris are being cleaned up. i've got milk, chicken, ice-cream & wine...really, what more could a girl ask for?

well, her husband, for one. i'm missin him...we haven't seen much of each other with the navy taking him away during gustav, us leaving town for ike, and now my trip to chicago next week...all on top of his regular away schedule. i'm going ALL BY MYSELF to hang with my girlfriends for a few days! clay gets home late tomorrow night & i'm leaving early on monday. then i'll be back thursday and he leaves on friday. i'm excited for the trip, but i do wish it didn't mean like 3 weeks without real time with him. such is our life, i guess. the upside is that his october schedule came out today & hopefully it will be a great month for family time.

speaking of the fam, lil luc seems to have come down with the stomach bug that was ailing me last week. she's had some seriously nasty diapers today combined with a slight fever (100.5ish) prompting a call to aunt dr. brooke. dr. brooke wasn't too worried...which is just what i wanted to hear. luc was content to drink her pedialtye and eat mini waffles with a banana & applesauce for dinner so that worked well. she's getting some seriously painful looking diaper rash so hopefully she's feeling better soon & the night brings us both good sleep...or not...there she is now...