photo time:

It's that time again.

Sep 2008 Photos--mostly of Lucas, but you knew that. Also a few outings, Chris' visit, Lucas' shower.



I have about five unfinished entries to post one of these days, but photos are more fun for some anyway. :) 'Heroes' was just filler last night.

happy lucas:

So after over two days of constant fussing and clinginess from the shots, I present you with a happy baby. I don't look so good myself, but I did lose 5 lbs in that time.


What made him smile was Naomi's yogurt stick (I put organic yogurt squeezers in the freezer).


Naomi wanted to take a photo with her babies.


Posting a crochet creation for the family. It's 86 degrees here, so it was a quick photo.

heroes:

Whoa, what a season premiere, made up for season 2 and then some. Got pretty intense at 10 pm. Anyone else watch it?

lucas, two months old:

Big forehead from Manny, big nose from me.


Looks like that second chin is trying to escape there. It was cold for about two hours here. Now it's back up to 80 degrees.


I always wanted to do this but kept forgetting. I'll start photographing him next to this puppy for comparison each month.

At two months of age, Naomi weighed in at 9 lbs 7 oz. Lucas, who has the same birthweight of 6 lbs 10 oz, measured at almost 12 lbs today, 50th percentile. (ETA: 22 3/4", but he was all scrunched up). He had to get three shots. Not fun for anyone.

He's changing everyday. This morning he gave me a new squeal of delight. He smiles when we talk to him softly and likes to stare at what we're eating. Sometimes Naomi wakes him up, but he'll still smile at her (unfortunately, I usually have a different response). He still cries during car rides and still grunts a lot in his sleep. ETA: About a week ago, he started rolling himself from front to back.

Health-wise, he just has some cradle cap and gas--pretty tame compared to Naomi. He's on a 3-hour feeding routine but eats a lot more during growth spurts. He hasn't slept well the last couple nights. I think my supply gets diminished from the fatigue sometimes, but fenugreek seems to work like a charm. Honestly, I would prefer to formula feed, but allergies run in my family...

He's so different from Naomi as a baby, but sometimes I accidentally call him "Naomi." They do look alike. He coos "elroy" and "elgood" just like Naomi did. He's also a real wiggly worm and likes tummy time, baths, and diaper changes. So they're not total opposites. :)

Sleep props (favorite topic of moms). He likes the swing during the day and sometimes swaddling. When he was vomiting, I used to set him on a Boppy pillow to sleep. I have a Miracle Blanket and a Swaddle-Me blanket from before. Swaddling helps him to not startle too much, but it doesn't really help him calm or settle. He doesn't care for pacifiers, the rocking chair, or the baby carrier. A generous individual got us a white noise machine, but I haven't received it yet.

Manny's a proud, loving father. I just get all freaked out if I think he's handling Lucas too roughly (my baby!) or has any kind of germs on him. Naomi calls her brother Lukey. She's doing better, especially when we do things as a whole family or she notices some way he's grown/changed. Occasionally she'll still tell me she's jealous, but at least she tells me.

hi, grandma:

Naomi's picture of Lucas.


I've been really wiped out, but once in a while I get a sweet moment like this, and it's just what I need.

tut:

(Non-kids post--grandmas may choose to skip.) Just for fun, I'm once again filtering and bringing you the funk styles. Some examples of King Tut style aka tutting from Poppin Hyun and Pandora.

park and jazz club:

We went to Joel's 8th birthday at the park and an E l DeB arge concert at Y oshi's Jazz Club this weekend (remember him? I became a fan when I was 7, seriously). I added spaces to deter those search engine robots--does that work?.


Baseball cake.


Joel and Naomi.


Notice how differently we hold Lucas. Someone (Grandma?) got Lucas these socks that look like Converse hightops. See, now you can have the functionality of socks while feigning the appearance of less-practical shoes.


Lucas dressed up for the concert in his horsey outfit, from Joan, and those cool socks again.


The stage at Y oshi's. No photos allowed during the performance.


Lucas is under the table. Poor boy. I kept his cap over his ears.


Edited to add: James and Mark performed as well, so they were just two members shy of a DeB arge reunion. They did one short gospel number and mostly hits otherwise. It was a fun show, and good for El seeming to get back on track.

misc (walking/storms/nanny/quotes):

Naomi and I took a two-hour walk yesterday with Lucas. I was beat. Naomi really slowed down on the way home, but she was a trooper. Lucas went an hour past his feeding time and hung in there, grunting away (or he was clueless, who knows). I thought about how my mom and I used to take a dolly and walk a couple miles to the grocery store, tie all the grocery bags to the dolly, and walk home. My mom never cared what people thought, but I was embarrassed and tried to hide behind the dolly. My mom didn't drive until I was in junior high, so we often had blistered feet.

When my mom worked evening shift as a waitress at the Galleria in Houston, she'd walk a long distance along the highway, often in heels. I remember seeing her bloody feet once when she got home. And back then I didn't even consider the crime in our area. Tropical Storm Danny also paid us a visit that year, and the downstairs of our townhouse was flooded up to my waist (I was 9 at the time), enough to take out all the outlets. I can't imagine how much stronger Ike will be when it hits.

So I thought Naomi would want to nap when we got home, but no such luck. So we did some school, mostly writing. I am thankful for the 19 days the nanny was here, which really sped up my recovery from the surgery, allowed me to bond with Lucas, and gave Naomi a chance to get out. The nanny also did school and bible time with Naomi, and I'm glad to see Naomi's willingness to learn and participate has improved.

However, I'm also really happy to start getting back to our usual regimen. I'm able to shepherd/supervise Naomi again as I'm probably the only one who understands her speech and quirks that well. I'm putting toys and puzzles back in their appropriate ziplocs and bins as I find them. Without a family room/playroom, every bit helps. It was kind of fun to hear the nanny's observations about Naomi, especially having cared for so many children, including four of her own. Pretty much what you'd expect--boundlessly energetic, bright, sensitive, determined to make friends, polite, and willing to try. She also shared anecdotes from when she was out with Naomi. I very rarely had her watch Lucas--I could sense she favored the baby a little, and Naomi was and is still expressing a lot of jealousy. At least she expresses it, so we can deal with it.

Naomi going up to a boy: Hi! Are you Chinese?
Boy: Uh-huh.
Naomi: I'm Chinese, too!
Boy: Really? [speaks in Chinese]
Naomi: No, I don't know Chinese! I'm only three years old!

The nanny told me she is usually against giving any of her kids sugar. Yet at the store, she said Naomi was so well-behaved she couldn't resist offering.
Nanny: Do you want some candy?
Naomi: No, my mommy says I'm not allowed to have that.
Of course, then she wanted to buy it even more. By the end of her stint, the nanny had given her two lollipops and some cupcakes.

Naomi: I'm writing a letter to Mami. Dear Mami, I am writing this important thing to you. I love you so I obey you. And you love me so you obey me. [and some other stuff I forgot]

chris and lucas:

Lucas is looking more and more like Naomi.

Chris came by to visit this past weekend. He's still Naomi's favorite. She talked his ear off. It's usually either her or me. Lucas took to him as well, giving him the much-coveted spontaneous smile (vs. responsive smile). Chris is a really easy guest. Sleep on the couch? No problem. Cheap eats? Of course. Help Manny take out the trash? Certainly. Here's a remote or a video game. With girls/women, I think I definitely worry more about "amenities" (and still usually forget something).

welcoming lucas:

A few friends from our current and former community groups threw a welcoming shower for Lucas last Saturday. I loved the nautical theme Ana chose--they had watermelons cut like sailboats, little sails on toothpicks, sailboat favors, Noah's ark balloons, even Chips Ahoy cookies. Vicky actually designed and made most of the decorations. Ana (well, Goldilocks) also provided the Filipino food. Eileen, Joan, and Yana also helped organize. Nelda did a sharing time about sibling rivalry and cultivating an atmosphere of love in the family, which was perfect for me.

I think these six ladies are the ones that come to my mind as ladies who do things with such excellence and yet with such a great attitude. I know I don't have the Martha Stewart-esque skills to do things as wonderfully, but I can learn so much from their character. Manny reminded me recently that what makes someone a good mom is her attitude and not just what she does. I really needed that reminder. :/ We also shared a lot about Bill since it was the day after his memorial service (previous entry).






I'm the one holding the baby. Still 10+ lbs over pre-baby weight.


Lucas actually has a boat shirt I should've put him in. Here he's asleep. This definitely would not have been the case with Naomi at 6 weeks. :) Do you remember we took her to a wedding and ended up sticking her under the table? :/

departure:

Out of the blue this morning, Naomi said, "Mami, I'm going to heaven when I die. Just like your friend. You miss your friend, huh?"

On Friday, we were all set to go to Bill's memorial service, but then the babysitter had to cancel and we had no plan B. We were so disappointed! Some friends filled us in, and we heard it was standing room only in a large building. So many people came together with so many memories of Bill and encouraged each other.

I've thought a lot about what dying as a young parent means for the widow/widower and the children. Though I do look forward to heaven, death is so different to us now that we have children. There's the will, life insurance, health, and just being more careful in general. I spoke to my mom yesterday. She's sounding so fragile lately. She has a host of health problems, but it's her heart trouble that's usually on my mind.

Yesterday morning, two police officers came to our door saying my neighbor was unreachable and that they'd received a 911 call from his residence. I called him after they drove off, and he was fine and knew nothing about it. It sounds like there was a mix-up, hopefully not a life-threatening one. We lost another neighbor rather suddenly last year. We don't know the future, the number of our days, but we can have hope in Christ even in death and beyond.


Rest in paradise, Bill. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

semi-date:

Lucas and Naomi fell asleep during an afternoon walk to the gelato/shaved ice shop, so Manny and I got to split a delicious loaded Asian shaved ice and converse without interruption. It's not the Hawaiian or Japanese shave ice; I want to say this version is Taiwanese. Since Manny's Mexican, we have a running joke about how Chinese eat beans for dessert. I haven't had sweet red beans and lychee jelly in ages. Yummy!


In the double stroller for the first time.


Wow! The best ice is the kind that's shaved till it seems to be creamy. This was definitely one of the best I've had.

naomi's first haircut:

On Tuesday, we took Naomi out for her first haircut. Well, it was her first salon cut anyway. Chopped about 5 inches off. I tried cutting her hair a while ago, but that was more like a disaster than a haircut. I was amazed how well she did with so little sleep the night before. We took her out for Greek food afterward (she also got to have some Chinese apple icy).

in a world:

You've probably heard by now the movie voiceover guy, Don LaFontaine, passed away. Here's a little humor to remember him by:

photo time:

It's almost always photo time these days, but here's the slideshow for August, including Lucas' first month:

August 2008 Photos

And a photo for Grandma of mini-Manny: