Luc enjoys watching the video series Sparkabilities and a few weeks back we got the latest episode which included a segment about shapes. Luc already knew some basic shapes (square, circle, triangle) but now he was introduced to rectangle, star and oval. For some reason, "oval" made a big impression on him and now it has become his favorite word. He points at everything and anything and says "oval" and then looks to us to see if he got it right. In the beginning we tried to be accurate and if he was pointing at, for example, a tree and said oval we would correct him. But over time he wore us out and now if he points at a tree and says oval we just smile and say "yes, oval" and move on. Probably not great parenting but he seems to enjoy the satisfaction of having found another oval. But really I think he just likes saying the word oval more than anything else. And the way he says it is kind of funny. He emphasizes the second syllable and slightly mispronounces it so it sounds like "oh, FULL" which is kind of amusing.
Another "Lucism" is his love for holding onto utensils. He can walk around, literally, for hours holding onto a plastic spoon or fork. And forget about trying to pull it away from him, you'll regret it. So sometimes in the morning if grabs a hold of one just before we head out the door for the day care I will let him bring it along. Likewise if we pick him up in the afternoon and he has one of the daycare's spoons (or other toys) he is allowed to bring it home and then we return it the next day. As a consequence the line between our toys and their toys has blurred somewhat. But what hasn't blurred is Luc's focus on which are his favorite toys or utensils. For example, this morning I brought him into the daycare and normally he reaches up to Meghan immediately so she will pick him up. But this morning he scooted by her and ran full speed to the other side of the room and reached down to pick up a long wooden spoon. He turned around and looked back at us with the biggest grin, then waved the spoon in the air and said "Oval!" We just smiled back.
Last month we brought Luc in for his 18 month check up and shots. During these check ups they always measure him 3 ways: weight, length, and head size. Then they compare his growth to his previous visits and also to national averages. As you may recall Luc was born big (9.5 lbs) and as a consequence was in the highest percentiles for all 3 categories. But as time went on his size "normalized" and so from his 6 month check up on he has been about average size.... except for one area: head size. His head size is, and has been, in the 95th percentile! We are hoping this is because his brain is so big because he is so smart-- I think Einstein's head was over-sized too :)
Anyway, that's it for today. Next time I will have photos, I promise. We have been busy redoing the downstairs of our house so I will have photos of that and Luc (and his giant head) at my next posting :)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Car Sounds
Today I taught Luc about car sounds. These are the sounds every kid should make when pushing a toy car around the house. Heretofore he has been pushing around a variety of toy trucks and cars but without any sound -- so I showed him. To me making car sounds was always half the fun of playing with cars so it was a no-brainer sharing that experience. I started up his green pick-up truck with a roar, then I started making all kinds of sounds: the different tones for shifting gears, the screeching around a corner sound and, of course, the squealing brakes sound -- each of which was well received with laughter and wonder. What were these weird sounds, he must have thought. But then no sooner was he making them too, maybe not so much because they made the play driving experience more authentic but more because they were something Daddy did.
These are those kinds of times -- times when Luc is a vacuum cleaner with information, picking up on everything he sees. He is a quick study too, learning what will get him a "good boy" and what will get him a "bad boy" label right away. And, fortunately, he seems to prefer the former, though on occasion he does test the rules. But even then it seems like he is more curious about our boundaries then he is trying to break them. For example, he is only allowed to touch some things in the kitchen (like the fridge) but not other things (like the oven). So when in the kitchen the first thing he will do is walk around holding his hand near various stuff and looking over to us to see if it is ok. He'll walk around put his hand near a half dozen things, even obscure stuff, like the leg of a table off in the corner that he really has no interest in touching, he just wants to know in theory if it is a good or bad thing to do.
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• A couple weeks ago Luc moved to a new day care building. The day care he has been going to expanded and now they have a new building that is just for kids under 2. Luc is in that building now and is the second oldest child there. This seems to be a good experience for him as he seems to like being one of the "big kids". Plus he gets to spend all day with Meghan (his favorite person there). When I drop him off in the morning he reaches out with his open arms for Meghan which is something he rarely does for anyone other than Diane or I.
• New words in the Luc vocabularly: "up" (which actually means "open"), "all gone" (which can mean "all gone" or "I don't want anymore"), "byes" (an inexplicable plural version of "bye"), "again" and "wow". Add this to his existing vocabulary of "there", "Dada" and "Mama", "bye" and the fact that he understands more then he can say and we now actually have the ability to communicate. This morning, for example, he gave me a cookie and I said "are you a good boy?" and when he shook his head "yes" he looked so earnestly at me it was as if he said "you know, I guess I really am a good boy".
• Luc likes music (always has) and when a singer is performing on TV he will often stop whatever he is doing, stand and then watch until the song is over. This is especially true of American Idol. Today, however, Robert Plant (ex Led Zeppelin) was performing some rocking numbers and it really captured his attention. In fact, he jumped up on the sofa and begin dancing around and waving his arms almost like he was playing air guitar. This was a bit of a surprise, usually kids are in high school before they get the heavy metal bug but Luc seems to have acquired the taste at 18 months.
That's all for now. Hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend!
These are those kinds of times -- times when Luc is a vacuum cleaner with information, picking up on everything he sees. He is a quick study too, learning what will get him a "good boy" and what will get him a "bad boy" label right away. And, fortunately, he seems to prefer the former, though on occasion he does test the rules. But even then it seems like he is more curious about our boundaries then he is trying to break them. For example, he is only allowed to touch some things in the kitchen (like the fridge) but not other things (like the oven). So when in the kitchen the first thing he will do is walk around holding his hand near various stuff and looking over to us to see if it is ok. He'll walk around put his hand near a half dozen things, even obscure stuff, like the leg of a table off in the corner that he really has no interest in touching, he just wants to know in theory if it is a good or bad thing to do.
---
• A couple weeks ago Luc moved to a new day care building. The day care he has been going to expanded and now they have a new building that is just for kids under 2. Luc is in that building now and is the second oldest child there. This seems to be a good experience for him as he seems to like being one of the "big kids". Plus he gets to spend all day with Meghan (his favorite person there). When I drop him off in the morning he reaches out with his open arms for Meghan which is something he rarely does for anyone other than Diane or I.
• New words in the Luc vocabularly: "up" (which actually means "open"), "all gone" (which can mean "all gone" or "I don't want anymore"), "byes" (an inexplicable plural version of "bye"), "again" and "wow". Add this to his existing vocabulary of "there", "Dada" and "Mama", "bye" and the fact that he understands more then he can say and we now actually have the ability to communicate. This morning, for example, he gave me a cookie and I said "are you a good boy?" and when he shook his head "yes" he looked so earnestly at me it was as if he said "you know, I guess I really am a good boy".
• Luc likes music (always has) and when a singer is performing on TV he will often stop whatever he is doing, stand and then watch until the song is over. This is especially true of American Idol. Today, however, Robert Plant (ex Led Zeppelin) was performing some rocking numbers and it really captured his attention. In fact, he jumped up on the sofa and begin dancing around and waving his arms almost like he was playing air guitar. This was a bit of a surprise, usually kids are in high school before they get the heavy metal bug but Luc seems to have acquired the taste at 18 months.
That's all for now. Hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Easter
We were fortunate this year to have picture perfect weather for Easter and took the opportunity to take Luc to Fairmount Park so he could run around and play with his little basketball. The trees were blossoming, the sky was blue and the temperature was 75 degrees. It was gorgeous! You'll see in the video we made just how nice it was.
You'll also see what a good walker Luc is becoming. He has been walking regularly now for about 2 months and only falls on uneven terrain. He's also increased his vocabulary to include the words "hi", 'bye" and "there" which he uses to endear himself to friends and strangers alike.
One thing Luc does now that is kind of amusing is he greets me by patting his chest and then waving his hand in front of his mouth and making this kind of "hiya, hiya" chant sound. We started doing this at home and now he does it when I pick him up at the day care. Of course the other kids have observed this and have started doing the same thing. So now when I walk in to the day care I have a chorus of a half dozen toddlers standing at attention, patting their chests, and going "hiya, hiya". Then from that pack Luc emerges and runs to his daddy :)
In addition to the new video I have some new pictures to post too. Please let me know if you are unable to access the pictures or video as I can offer alternative places for viewing. Some of you know Diane and I both have Facebook accounts and we sometimes post these pictures and videos there too.
Anyway, that's it for now. Enjoy the video and if you are having the kind of glorious spring weather we are having here, enjoy that too :)
You'll also see what a good walker Luc is becoming. He has been walking regularly now for about 2 months and only falls on uneven terrain. He's also increased his vocabulary to include the words "hi", 'bye" and "there" which he uses to endear himself to friends and strangers alike.
One thing Luc does now that is kind of amusing is he greets me by patting his chest and then waving his hand in front of his mouth and making this kind of "hiya, hiya" chant sound. We started doing this at home and now he does it when I pick him up at the day care. Of course the other kids have observed this and have started doing the same thing. So now when I walk in to the day care I have a chorus of a half dozen toddlers standing at attention, patting their chests, and going "hiya, hiya". Then from that pack Luc emerges and runs to his daddy :)
In addition to the new video I have some new pictures to post too. Please let me know if you are unable to access the pictures or video as I can offer alternative places for viewing. Some of you know Diane and I both have Facebook accounts and we sometimes post these pictures and videos there too.
Anyway, that's it for now. Enjoy the video and if you are having the kind of glorious spring weather we are having here, enjoy that too :)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Luc Starts Walking
It finally happened, Luc started walking! He had been walking with assistance for a month or so but on Tuesday he just burst out on his own. And like his previous milestones, this one was met with an abundance of joy. You can see it in his face, he exudes it with laughter and shouts.
Fortunately we had our camcorder on hand to record some of these first walks. I've made a short video with a sampling. And I have a handful of new pictures, including one with Luc in his new snowsuit. We've had 66 inches of snow this year, by the way.
Actually all that snow has been a bit of a blessing, as it has forced snow days on Diane and I most of this past week. All that extra time at home with him has been good bonding time and possibly contributed to this being the week that he was able to walk on his own because we got to practice walking a lot :)
Later this week Luc will turn 15 months old and I guess pretty soon we need to make the switch from referring to his age in months to years. Anyway, enjoy the video and photos.
Fortunately we had our camcorder on hand to record some of these first walks. I've made a short video with a sampling. And I have a handful of new pictures, including one with Luc in his new snowsuit. We've had 66 inches of snow this year, by the way.
Actually all that snow has been a bit of a blessing, as it has forced snow days on Diane and I most of this past week. All that extra time at home with him has been good bonding time and possibly contributed to this being the week that he was able to walk on his own because we got to practice walking a lot :)
Later this week Luc will turn 15 months old and I guess pretty soon we need to make the switch from referring to his age in months to years. Anyway, enjoy the video and photos.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Luc at 14 months
First I should apologize for how long it has been since my post. The holidays and other obligations have kept us pretty busy the last month or so. So, sorry about that but the good news is I'm back and I have photos and a video!
Believe it or not, in a few days Luc will turn 14 months old. It probably goes without saying that this is going fast. Was it just last year he was still a baby that had to be carried everywhere and only drank formula. Now he is beyond crawling and sort of walking (with assistance) and he's eating solid baby food and some adult foods (like bread). He's also got a few words in his vocabulary and can even string them together to for pseudo-sentences. So yes, he is growing up fast.
Last month was Luc's second Christmas but the first one didn't really count since he was only a month old. Though at 13 months he still wasn't really aware of what all was going on. He did get some nice gifts from friends and family and Santa too. One of his favorites was a 3 story parking garage with an elevator and cars. He enjoys dropping the cars down the elevator shaft so they pile up at the bottom and then he crushes them with the elevator itself! Oh and Diane and I both want to express a very warm thank you to each of you for your very kind and thoughtful gifts... they are all most appreciated!
December also brought about Luc's first snowfall. We got 23 inches of snow the second Saturday in December and Luc got to go out and check it out. He's favorite part seemed to be when his daddy was shoveling the sidewalk. Every time I would lift up a pile of snow and hurl it into a pile he would start laughing. We think he thought it was funny to see me doing all the work. Some day that will change :)
Physically Luc is really starting to look like a little boy (as opposed to a baby). Of course he has a full set of hair (though he always did) but now he also has 6 teeth and is well on his way to completing the set. We're even brushing his teeth twice a day now (which he does not like too much). He can make it up the stairs with assistance and he can use a spoon to feed himself Cheerios (which he loves). You'll see in the video and photos how "mature" he is getting.
And speaking of the video... this is just a short clip I took this afternoon of him playing with the aforementioned parking garage. If you have your volume turned on you will hear him say "Uh Oh, Bob" which is an example of how he starting to string words together. It used to be that he just said "Uh Oh" or "Bob" or ("Dada" or "Mamma"). He's so advanced :) Enjoy!
Believe it or not, in a few days Luc will turn 14 months old. It probably goes without saying that this is going fast. Was it just last year he was still a baby that had to be carried everywhere and only drank formula. Now he is beyond crawling and sort of walking (with assistance) and he's eating solid baby food and some adult foods (like bread). He's also got a few words in his vocabulary and can even string them together to for pseudo-sentences. So yes, he is growing up fast.
Last month was Luc's second Christmas but the first one didn't really count since he was only a month old. Though at 13 months he still wasn't really aware of what all was going on. He did get some nice gifts from friends and family and Santa too. One of his favorites was a 3 story parking garage with an elevator and cars. He enjoys dropping the cars down the elevator shaft so they pile up at the bottom and then he crushes them with the elevator itself! Oh and Diane and I both want to express a very warm thank you to each of you for your very kind and thoughtful gifts... they are all most appreciated!
December also brought about Luc's first snowfall. We got 23 inches of snow the second Saturday in December and Luc got to go out and check it out. He's favorite part seemed to be when his daddy was shoveling the sidewalk. Every time I would lift up a pile of snow and hurl it into a pile he would start laughing. We think he thought it was funny to see me doing all the work. Some day that will change :)
Physically Luc is really starting to look like a little boy (as opposed to a baby). Of course he has a full set of hair (though he always did) but now he also has 6 teeth and is well on his way to completing the set. We're even brushing his teeth twice a day now (which he does not like too much). He can make it up the stairs with assistance and he can use a spoon to feed himself Cheerios (which he loves). You'll see in the video and photos how "mature" he is getting.
And speaking of the video... this is just a short clip I took this afternoon of him playing with the aforementioned parking garage. If you have your volume turned on you will hear him say "Uh Oh, Bob" which is an example of how he starting to string words together. It used to be that he just said "Uh Oh" or "Bob" or ("Dada" or "Mamma"). He's so advanced :) Enjoy!
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| Christmas 2010 |
Monday, November 23, 2009
Luc's First Birthday
Saturday was Luc's first birthday and we were fortunate to celebrate it with friends and family. Our celebration was centered around a mid-day lunch/party at the Hot Potato Cafe, a local restaurant walking distance from our house.
The morning began with a first for Luc... he squirmed out of his Bumbo chair. This little blue chair has (heretofore) been able to restrain him and support him (so he didn't tip over). But on Saturday he learned how to twist his body and fall forward out of it like a modern day Houdini. I guess it's a good sign that he can get out but it also means more chasing around the house for his parents :)
Later that afternoon Diane's sisters (May and Fran) arrived from NY along with their friend Louis. Then the group of us packed up Luc and walked over to Hot Potato. We brought with us a birthday cake made by a co-worker of mine which has the face of Curious George... Luc's favorite! We have some photos of the cake in the new photo set, including one photo where Luc is reaching out to the image of Curious George reaching out to him. It's too cute.
The meal at Hot Potato was delicious and the service was good. We got there before they normally opened and then had the place to ourselves for an hour. And actually even after they opened we still had the place to ourselves as business was slow. Hot Potato is a nice little place but not that busy yet. For those of you who watch Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares show, the Hot Potato Cafe is one of the restaurants that he gives a makeover to. They are hoping that once the episode airs on FOX that business will pick up. When the episode airs I will let you know.
After lunch we enjoyed the cake and coffee and mingled a bit. Luc got to meet other kids and everyone was well behaved... even the adults! Then we walked back home to open presents. Thanks to everyone for your gifts, they are all much appreciated. We have some photos of him opening gifts in the photo set too.
So how fast did this year go! It seems like just yesterday that we were in the hospital waiting for Luc to arrive. And then he did and it has been a whirlwind of activity. He is growing up so fast (every parent's lament) and we feel blessed to be witness. It is a miracle watching a young baby slowing grow into a little person... learning first words, taking first steps, standing alone without being held. And there is so much more to enjoy!
The morning began with a first for Luc... he squirmed out of his Bumbo chair. This little blue chair has (heretofore) been able to restrain him and support him (so he didn't tip over). But on Saturday he learned how to twist his body and fall forward out of it like a modern day Houdini. I guess it's a good sign that he can get out but it also means more chasing around the house for his parents :)
Later that afternoon Diane's sisters (May and Fran) arrived from NY along with their friend Louis. Then the group of us packed up Luc and walked over to Hot Potato. We brought with us a birthday cake made by a co-worker of mine which has the face of Curious George... Luc's favorite! We have some photos of the cake in the new photo set, including one photo where Luc is reaching out to the image of Curious George reaching out to him. It's too cute.
The meal at Hot Potato was delicious and the service was good. We got there before they normally opened and then had the place to ourselves for an hour. And actually even after they opened we still had the place to ourselves as business was slow. Hot Potato is a nice little place but not that busy yet. For those of you who watch Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares show, the Hot Potato Cafe is one of the restaurants that he gives a makeover to. They are hoping that once the episode airs on FOX that business will pick up. When the episode airs I will let you know.
After lunch we enjoyed the cake and coffee and mingled a bit. Luc got to meet other kids and everyone was well behaved... even the adults! Then we walked back home to open presents. Thanks to everyone for your gifts, they are all much appreciated. We have some photos of him opening gifts in the photo set too.
So how fast did this year go! It seems like just yesterday that we were in the hospital waiting for Luc to arrive. And then he did and it has been a whirlwind of activity. He is growing up so fast (every parent's lament) and we feel blessed to be witness. It is a miracle watching a young baby slowing grow into a little person... learning first words, taking first steps, standing alone without being held. And there is so much more to enjoy!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Two Weeks To Forget
The last two weeks were not our best. First there was the SEPTA strike. SEPTA is the Philadelphia train/trolley/bus system and they went on strike two weeks ago without advance notice. We awoke on a Tuesday morning with the news that the trolley and subway Diane takes to work would not be running. This meant that I had to drive her out to Upper Darby where she would take a suburban trolley (which were still operating) to King of Prussia. Then I had to drive back into town and drop Luc off at the day care. And then continue on to New Jersey to my job. Total commute time: 1 1/2 hours. And I would have to do it all over again in the evening. And traffic was particularly heavy since SEPTA was not operating... UGH!
By Thursday things got a little better because Diane found a co-worker who lives about 15 min from us and who could give her a ride to work.
Then on Friday the day care called to say Luc had a fever and was not holding down food. So I had to leave work and take him home for the rest of the day. Apparently he had gotten a cold and was sneezing and coughing his little head off :( By Sunday night he seemed to be doing better and we thought about letting him go to day care on Monday but since the SEPTA strike was still on Diane decided to stay home and let Luc rest for one more day.
By Tuesday he was back at day care but by Wednesday we got another call saying he was very cranky, pulling on his ears and his temperature was starting to go up again. We did not have to pull him out of day care but Thursday morning when his temperature was 102.3 we decided to call our pediatrician.
We ended up taking off work and brought Luc to the doctor and discovered that while his cold had cleared up he now had two ear infections! So we got a prescription for antibiotics and I stayed home with him on Friday. The antibiotics worked quickly and by Saturday night he was already doing much better. But with Diane and I missing so much time from work we each had to work OT on Saturday... no rest for the weary.
Then just as Luc was improving Diane came down with a cold... which she is still fighting off. So she is sleeping downstairs in the living room to avoid re-infecting Luc. All of this has been going on while both of our jobs are asking us to make up missed time and to work OT. Needless to say it has been a stressful and exhausting couple weeks. But it appears the worst is behind us now and we are looking forward to Saturday, which is Luc's first birthday! We are going to a local restaurant with a bunch of friends to celebrate. Presumably we'll have plenty of photos from that to post here.
Anyway, that's it from now. Thankfully we are on the mend!
By Thursday things got a little better because Diane found a co-worker who lives about 15 min from us and who could give her a ride to work.
Then on Friday the day care called to say Luc had a fever and was not holding down food. So I had to leave work and take him home for the rest of the day. Apparently he had gotten a cold and was sneezing and coughing his little head off :( By Sunday night he seemed to be doing better and we thought about letting him go to day care on Monday but since the SEPTA strike was still on Diane decided to stay home and let Luc rest for one more day.
By Tuesday he was back at day care but by Wednesday we got another call saying he was very cranky, pulling on his ears and his temperature was starting to go up again. We did not have to pull him out of day care but Thursday morning when his temperature was 102.3 we decided to call our pediatrician.
We ended up taking off work and brought Luc to the doctor and discovered that while his cold had cleared up he now had two ear infections! So we got a prescription for antibiotics and I stayed home with him on Friday. The antibiotics worked quickly and by Saturday night he was already doing much better. But with Diane and I missing so much time from work we each had to work OT on Saturday... no rest for the weary.
Then just as Luc was improving Diane came down with a cold... which she is still fighting off. So she is sleeping downstairs in the living room to avoid re-infecting Luc. All of this has been going on while both of our jobs are asking us to make up missed time and to work OT. Needless to say it has been a stressful and exhausting couple weeks. But it appears the worst is behind us now and we are looking forward to Saturday, which is Luc's first birthday! We are going to a local restaurant with a bunch of friends to celebrate. Presumably we'll have plenty of photos from that to post here.
Anyway, that's it from now. Thankfully we are on the mend!
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