Lucecapades! Welcome to our world..

Toddler Tuesday

lucecapade — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:21:57 +0000

So far, on our FIRST day of summer break (!!!!!), Graham has:

- Ran wild around a bookstore (bad mommy)
- Climbed half way up our very scary and very steep stairs before I noticed and freaked out
- Met my principal
- Pooped at my school’s central admin building
- Eaten half a blue crayon
- Eaten one whole dandelion flower
- NOT taken a nap

I wonder if this is an indicator of what’s to come this summer? If so, I can’t wait. :)

Bluegrass Baby

lucecapade — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:52:38 +0000

A couple months ago Sam started a new job that keeps him away from Graham and I longer than we’d all like. So, the G-man and I have had to learn to create activities for ourselves in the afternoons to distract us from the fact that daddy isn’t here (because we ALL know HE is the fun parent!). One of those activities has been further exploring MUSIC (Yes, I am pushing Graham to be a musician, I don’t care! Sports = Injury! Yeck!). Now, this is one area in which I KNOW we are doing a great job of raising Graham. He love love loves music and is the (very) proud (and possessive) owner of several instruments, most of which he’s stolen from his dad. I am especially proud of the fact that of all the little plastic musical instruments on his play table he loves the banjo(!!!) the most. It’s the only musical sound on that table he’ll dance to. When he plays it he looks immediately to Sam and I, waiting for us to start bopping our heads, and as soon as he sees us he goes to town bending his little knees and bobbing up and down! Ahh – He loves bluegrass! He is truly a child after my own heart.

Tonight, trying to pass the time, I introduced Graham to the harmonica. I think that kid almost lost his shit! He was cracking up and kept thrusting the harmonica at me so I would blow in it. He almost cracked my tooth with his enthusiasm! He tried to get a few notes out himself, but isn’t quite there – We definitely now have a new activity to work on! Yay!

Turns out, my bluegrass baby and I are just fine without daddy around (although we still miss the heck out of him!).

Peek a Boo

lucecapade — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:22:36 +0000

Last week, close to bedtime, we were playing with Graham and I noticed he was rubbing his eyes. I turned to Sam and said, “Uh oh looks like someone’s sleepy!” Just then we heard a little sound like, “Buh!” come from Graham’s direction. We both turned to look at him and he did it again. He cupped his hands over his eyes, then shot them out and said, “Buh!” We both looked at each other wide-eyed. Poor kid was making development leaps and here I thought he was just sleepy! He was so proud of himself, he cracked up giggling, and so did we.

It was pretty cool and just another indicator of how KID-like he’s becoming. He’s imitating everything we do and thinks it’s hilarious! Also, since it’s teetering on summertime, we’ve been breaking out the water toys in the backyard, trying to stay cool while we soak up some sunlight after work. At first, Graham was pretty tentative about the water, but we bought a little baby sprinkler that was perfect for acclimating him. Pretty soon we couldn’t keep the kid from throwing himself down the slide into the baby pool! So, the past two weekends (and plenty of week days too) have been spent in the backyard playing with my boys. (It’s crazy that our kid is actually old enough to run around and PLAY! When did this happen?) Only 8 more days until I’m off for summer break and we can do this every day!

Full circle

lucecapade — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:40:15 +0000

There was something really awesome about watching Graham walk around my parent’s backyard Easter weekend. I had this incredible emotional feeling about life coming full circle, blah blah blah. It was just really neat! I can’t believe our little baby is actually walking and playing like a little boy now. It’s just wild.

The first time we put Graham in the grass, he reacted the same way he’s done before at home. He cringed at the pokey feel of the grass and tried to recoil every part of his body that was touching the ground, so he was sitting there trying to maintain balance while holding his feet up in the air – Ha. That didn’t work out so well for him. Slowly but surely he started to acclimate to the feeling of the grass and worked his way up to the standing position and gradually began to walk around. Navigating uneven terrain was new territory, and so he had plenty of spills, but by time we left Sunday he was a grass-walking pro! He didn’t even eat every blade of grass in his sight. I was so proud. Sunday he had a great time at his very first, private, just-for-me Easter egg hunt! Watching him walk around “collecting” eggs as the only little kid there made me realize that, alas, we are going to have to eventually suck it up and have him a little baby brother or sibling. *sigh*

Ok, so maybe another one wouldn’t be so bad after all. :)

So in love, are we two.

lucecapade — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:50:35 +0000

This weekend started off on a sour note when Sam woke up Saturday with major congestion and a fever. He hemmed and hawed that he was dyyyying and I pouted because it meant no fun for MEEEEEEE. What about the farmer’s market I wanted to visit? What about Kerbey Lane for breakfast? What about me? (My self-centered habits are so annoying, especially to myself). So, back to bed went Sam, and Graham and I were left alone to pout at our misfortune. Lucky for us, we soon remembered just how much fun we can have with just the two of us! We played with puzzles and blocks, read The Very Hungry Caterpillar approximately thirty times and even ventured out into the world to visit Target and Chic Fil A! It was an awesome day, and even more awesome that we got to repeat it today.

Lately, I’ve begun to increasingly feel like I am missing out on Graham’s life by working full time. When he was first born I was SO happy to go back to work and pleasegod get out of the house and away from the screaming baby that screams so much. But now, as Graham morphs before our eyes into this adorable little boy, little man, I find myself wishing that I could spend my days with him, rather than with other people’s children. I come home every evening and feel just so exhausted and drained.. Too tired to put energy into him. And our weekends are just so full that we rarely take the time to just stop and enjoy him like I got to this weekend. I’m really glad that this time, I got the opportunity to do so. Even if it was at the expense of Kerbey Lane pancakes.

Goodreads

lucecapade — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:51:11 +0000

One of the many benefits of having an extended summer break is the chance it allows me to reconnect with one of my favorite hobbies, reading! During the school year I am so swamped with planning, teaching, grading, etc., and now a baby, that I hardly have time to read at all. I am hoping that this school year will be different and am vowing to read at least one book a month (hopefully more)! I just signed up for goodreads.com where I am keeping track of my “read” and “to-read” books. If any of you out there are on Goodreads, then look me up and be my friend so we can trade reviews and book suggestions! Below is the link to my shelf if you’re interested.. I’m also interested in possibly doing a book club if anyone is game? Let me know!

Milestones

lucecapade — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:43:29 +0000

As soon as Graham hit the four month mark he began crushing milestone after milestone at record pace, leaving me with a perpetually gaping mouth wondering, Who IS this little BOY that has replaced my little lump-on-a-log baby??, Before then he was definitely progressing on schedule, but things were going pretty slow…A smile here, some laughing there (after much persuasion), and a lot of arm flailing, swatting at the toys we’d hang over him. Then one day, right before his four month birthday, I noticed him focusing particularly clearly on a little stuffed red bird hanging over him. I watched as he slowly reached out and purposefully grabbed that little red bird and immediately shoved it to his mouth. It was incredible! A seemingly small move, but to watch my little baby actually process information and to see his arms go exactly where his little brain was telling them to go, was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. My baby is capable of PURPOSEFUL action – It blows my mind!

Since then Graham has moved on to bigger and better things – He’s rolling over with a speed that is frightening! More than once I’ve left him for a few minutes only to return and find him off the play mat and almost underneath the couch! He’s hit his head on the coffee table twice! (Woops) I think this means we are officially in mobility territory – SCARY! His world domination has recently moved to the new jumper that Sam put together a few weeks ago. The first couple times in the jumper Graham had no idea what was going on and just kind of hung there like, What the hell is this? Finally around the third attempt he started actually using those chubby little legs and demonstrated some vigorous jumping! So fun!

I can’t believe how much he has grown this month – As his five month birthday approaches, I can’t even imagine what adventures next month will bring! Life with Graham couldn’t be better – All three of us are having the time of our lives. :)

Party Animal

lucecapade — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:52:21 +0000

Back in the dark ages of Graham’s life, otherwise known as the first few weeks, I feared that I would never again see the light of day, much less get to enjoy one of my favorite past times, live music. As I panicked over my crying baby, I assumed those days were dead to the world. Who knew that a mere ten weeks later we’d be found hanging with all our friends at a music festival in Austin! Turns out that becoming a parent isn’t the end of fun after all. :) We were a little nervous about testing our luck with this venture out into the world, but Graham has been such a calm little man lately that we figured we’d take the chance.. Man did it pay off! He was awesome all day long – Not a peep and he even took a nap in the middle of all the mayhem! Sam and I really enjoyed ourselves and were so glad that we had Graham there with us. He got to experience what I’m sure will be his first of many concerts with us! Who knew parenting could be such a blast – What a great Mother’s Day treat for me! Chalk it up to a sure victory for Team Gonzo.

Baby Central - AKA, Our camp - We had several passerbys stop and Ooh and Aah!

Passed out cold from all the excitement.

Graham hanging out with the boys.

SO happy to have him with us!

10 weeks

lucecapade — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:03:25 +0000

Today Graham turns ten weeks old. Two and a half months. An eternity.

It truly seems like he’s already been a part of our lives for as long as I can remember. He is a natural fit; like finding the missing puzzle piece when I never realized the picture wasn’t complete. Sam and I have always been a ridiculously happy couple and before we had Graham I honestly did not believe that we could possibly be happier. In fact, I often worried that throwing in the stress of a kid would take away some of that joy because I just didn’t see how it could possibly increase, but now that he’s here it seems that I can hardly remember our lives without him. That’s not to say that I don’t sometimes pine for the days of a little less responsibility, but I wouldn’t trade one of his worst gassy grumpy days for a year’s worth of that freedom.

I think like most new moms, I originally found it very difficult to learn to share my life and to give up so much freedom. Making that adjustment was so more difficult than I’d thought it would be. I was completely sideswiped by this incredible force that entered our lives and changed it so dramatically, but as time has passed and I have grown more comfortable in my new role I feel confident in saying that Graham is the best thing could have happened to us. He is just so sweet and so handsome and innocent I just can’t help but love him with all my soul. To look at him and see both his father and myself is just incredible. Every time he sneezes or yawns or breathes I find myself in awe that we created an actual living person with his own personality and his own quirks. We are completely in love with him and I feel so excited that I get the privilege of watching him grow up.

Happy ten weeks little man! We love you!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

lucecapade — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:00:34 +0000

Celebrating his heritage.