Friday, June 30, 2006

Leisure Friday


Today I took the day off of work because my mom had made plans for today, way back since before she was on official Lucas duty.

Lucas and I had been talking all week about taking BART to San Francisco. But alas, this morning, Lucas showed no interest in doing so. I tried to tempt him several times, since I wanted to be absolutely sure he didn't want to go. I think part of it is that he's still potty training and partly he just likes to, in his words, "wobble around the house".

So we had a leisurely breakfast of strawberries and Mighty Bites. Then he cleaned the house with our new broom gizmo. He said, "Mommy, this is someone else's house and we're the housecleaners." I replied, "How about this is my house and you're my housecleaner?" There's nothing like free child labor.

Around 2 I diapered him up and we went up the street and bought a new camera, a Canon S80 (which I still don't know how to use). Then he was bracing himself against one of the shelves in the aisles of the camera store, taking a monster dump in his diaper. People were walking by, probably wondering what he was doing. It looks like one of the birthing positions you see in your childbirth education classes when you're pregnant. I changed his diaper and gave him a pull-up and we headed to 4th Street.

Our first stop was Sketch Ice Cream, where they kind of know us by now. Lucas and I splurged on their fancy little mini scoops, which are $3.50 each. Then we headed to the toy store. I told him he could get one toy. Much of that hour was spent identifying the different Thomas the Train characters. We played with these cool rubbery stuffed dragons and had a fire-breathing flying match in the store. But in the end he settled on a $6 train.

Then we headed to the Pasta Shop to get a snack. Lucas suggested just about every shiny packaged food item in a 10-foot radius. We settled on the deli's crab cakes, which we both agreed were delicious. We headed to Codys Books where we ran into Whitney and Julian and hung out there for quite a while.

On 4th Street Lucas used about 6 different public restrooms without any hesitation. I was quite impressed.

We had a great day. It was nice to spend a leisurely weekday with him again, like before I went back to work full-time. Maybe I should start playing the lottery.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Sneaky guy

This morning, Lucas was eating french toast. As usual, he poured a huge helping of syrup into his bowl (he doesn't like the syrup over his french toast, but in a separate bowl so he can dip).

Mid-way through breakfast, I got up to pack his lunch. I turned and saw him starting to pour even more syrup into his bowl, which was still full. I said, "Lucas, put that down, you already have tons of syrup."

Lucas put down the syrup (surprisingly!), looked at me and said, "Shucks, foiled again!"

Monday, June 26, 2006

Video plug

I've been playing around with various video sites. I found this one which has very easy editing (even I could do it). I've been toying with it all evening. So turn up your speakers and enjoy the show. (It's supposed to post a thumbnail photo, but for some reason, that feature isn't working. Other than that, what do you think?)

View this video montage created at One True Media
Lucas' Videos

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Poop scoop

Lucas' day at school diaper-free went better than I thought it would. He was diaper-free in the morning and went to the bathroom to pee by himself. They diapered him for his nap and when he woke up, he didn't want them to take the diaper off, so it stayed on.

Kevin was home with him Friday, and again, he did great. We still have the non-poop issue. When Kevin put his nap diaper on him, he pooped instantly, so Kevin changed it again. But other than that, he peed in the toilet every time.

Today, I took Lucas out for his first diaper-free outing. We went, via bike, to the bike store on Solano, then to Thai food. He drank a lot of water at the restaurant and we went into the bathroom a couple of times. I showed him how the toilet works just the same as the one at home. But he said he didn't have to go. In fact, I must have asked him one too many times during lunch, because he finally said, "Mommy, you already asked me that. Don't ask me again." We came home and he immediately made a trip to the toilet.

In the afternoon, we were playing hide-seek. I couldn't find him and when I called out he didn't respond. I found him crouched in the living room...he had an accident. He looked embarrassed, but I assured him that it was okay and I'd just clean it up and we'd get him a fresh pair of shorts. I asked if he forgot he wasn't wearing a diaper, he said, "Yeah, I guess I forgot." But he got a mid-afternoon bath out of the deal and was happy as a clam. The rest of the afternoon and evening he remembered, and after he would come out of the bathroom, he would say, "I went pee by myself, and I even pulled up my own pants!"

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Poop happens

(Warning, this entry is graphic in nature, since it centers around pee and poop.)

Lucas has been diaper-free, aside from naps and overnights, since Sunday afternoon, with nary an accident. Like a lot of kids beginning the toilet training process, he is withholding his poop and saving it up for when he has a diaper on. Except for tonight when he eked out the tiniest poop. For a guy who has healthy-sized BMs at least a couple times a day, this is quite a feat. I just hope he isn't harming his innards with his deliberate constipation.

We are all so proud (and relieved) that Lucas is diaper-free. He's been getting chocolate-covered raisins for each time he goes in the toilet, which is quite a treat for him.

My mom was home with Lucas Mon-Wed of this week. Thursday is his first day at school without a diaper. I'm hoping it goes well. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Monday, June 19, 2006

Rockclimbing at Indian Rock

Here's more on Lucas rockclimbing at Indian Rock. Kevin and I were very impressed. We need to work with him on the descent, but he's a pro at going up the rock.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

New milestones

When Lucas was a little baby, there were new changes, what seemed like daily. Then the changes get bigger, but they're spread out more.

But this weekend there were several highlights for Lucas:

1) On Saturday we spent the morning at Live Oak Park. A great time was had by all, and we didn't even venture over to the playground. Lucas and Kevin did some bug hunting and Lucas found a stick and was happily digging a "hole to China" for quite some time. Lucas found a stick, his "sword", which he used to scare away witches, ghosts, and even a few actual passerbys. We ended with a picnic in the park, it was nice not to be tethered to the playstructure.

2) We went to buy new sandals for Lucas. I took him to REI. He immediately gravitated toward the Keen sandals, which are "just like Tommy's" (an older boy at school). This was the first time that he asked for something because someone else has it.

3) For Father's Day, we took Lucas up to Indian Rock. I was nervous at first, but Lucas proved to be a skillful, and cautious, rock climber. He actually made it to the top! We celebrated afterward with a sushi lunch.

4) I took Lucas' complaining over getting his diaper changed as a window of opportunity to encourage him to go diaper-free. So, from about 330 till 730 (bath time), he was successfully peeing in the toilet. His school is on break the next two days, so "grammy" (my mom) will be with him. Hopefully this trend will continue.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Going the extra mile for Lucas

Tonight after we got home from a hearty dinner at Picante, Lucas asked for cereal and milk -- Mighty Bites to be exact. We were down to the last few MBs, so I told him I would buy some tonight and he could have them in the morning.

Imagine my horror when I didn't find Mighty Bites at Andronicos. Surely this was a fluke, so I drove to Andronicos on Shattuck, then Elephant Pharmacy and still no Mighty Bites! I was in a panic thinking of the guaranteed melt-down coming my way when Lucas would realize I had not fulfilled my promise to get his favorite cereal. (Okay, so maybe "panic" is a little strong, but I was definitely dreading the morning.)

I scanned the cereal aisle, looking for a cereal shape that resembled Mighty Bites, so I could put the bag into the MB box. I couldn't find anything so I started to think of alternative plans -- breakfast out seemed to be the best bet.

On the way home, I ducked into Safeway, and thank god...they had Mighty Bites! As I was in the checkout line, I was thinking, "Did I go too far by going the extra mile to get Lucas his favorite cereal? Should I have let go of the quest for Mighty Bites and let him in on the fact that life is full of disappointments?" But now that I have the Mighty Bites tucked snugly into the cupboard, at least I can get a good night's sleep.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Marketing to kids -- it works!

Lucas has no idea who Scooby-Doo is or SpongeBob either. And he doesn't ask for Elmo cereal bars. But the other day Lucas fell victim to kid's marketing. And I, his mom, have since succumbed to his persistent requests (yes, the "nag factor" in full form) for this product.

We were walking through Trader Joe's, specifically the cereal aisle, and I was about to reach for the Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, which Lucas has been eating for a little over a year. Then he spotted -- Mighty Bites for Kids!

A bit of background: Lucas really wants to be a big kid, always asking me when he can go to kindergarten at the "big kid's school" across the street from our house. He will also, at least a couple times a day stand in front of me and say, "Look how big I am mommy. Look!"

So when he pointed to Mighty Bites, I wasn't surprised. There's the photo of the "big" boy on the front of the package and the packaging does stand out compared to all the other cereal at Trader Joe's.

Lucas is so convinced that this cereal will make him big and strong, that when Kevin called it "all sugar" Lucas said in a loud voice, "No it's not, it's Mighty Bites!". I can just imagine the marketing folks at Kashi giving themselves a big pat on the back for this one.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Oedipus, with a T-Rex twist

Lucas told us this story Saturday at breakfast.

A long time ago, I was a baby dinosaur. And I had a mommy and daddy dinosaur. One day, I was walking and I looked behind me and it was the big giant daddy dinosaur. He was going to eat me. He opened up his mouth like this and I was almost in his mouth. Then mommy dinosaur came and ate up the daddy dinosaur. Then the mommy dinosaur put me on her back and we flew away together.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Dining alfresco

We had dinner in the park tonight with the Hendrickson and Currier-Moss families. It's a good way to end a week, letting the kids run wild while us parents unwind and chat.

Lucas and Owen said their usual hellos -- spitting at each other upon meeting, laughing hysterically, calling each other names like "poopy caca head", kicking sand, and causing a general ruckus.
Julian, who is about 20 months, was probably wondering what the heck the other two were doing, and was much more interested in wandering off on his own to check out the park.

We ordered pizza was from Gioia Pizzeria. The asparagus pizza was awesome, though Lucas and Owen opted for the plain cheese. Kids, what do they know?

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Waiting up for mom, again

Most nights, Lucas doesn't want to go to sleep, but tonight he was extra resistant. After telling him stories, I finally left his room. He was standing in the doorway of his room yelling, "Mommy come back here!"

An hour or so later, I went downstairs and this is what I found. I carefully picked him up and carried him back into his room without waking him.

Power of the pen and other revelations

We were drawing tonight and Lucas said, "Look, I wrote an 'M'" and I looked and there it was. Then I modeled an M and N for him and he continued to write more Ms and Ns, then branched out to Os and Xs. He was very proud of the fact that he was writing his letters. (Mine are in brown and his are in blue.)

Then as I was telling him stories at bedtime, he started talking about witches. He asked me how a bad witch turns into a good witch. I told him that if a bad witch does one good thing, like helps someone or shares with someone, then the bad witch will turn into a good witch. Then he said, "Oh, so that's the way it goes."

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Dream analysis

Today was the first day Lucas told me about his dreams. We were playing the drawing game where I draw something and he guesses what it is, then he draws something and I guess what it is.

Lucas drew a lot of jellybeans and I asked him why.

Lucas: I like jellybeans.
Me: Really? I didn't know you ever had a jellybean. What was it like?
Lucas: Well, you don't eat them.
Me: Oh, what do you do with them?
Lucas: You just put them in your mouth. I thought about jellybeans when I was sleeping.
Me: So you dreamed about jellybeans?
Lucas: Yes, I dreamed about them.
Me: What happened?
Lucas: They were just in my mouth, that's all.
Me: What did they taste like?
Lucas: Just like jellybeans. Let's play a different game now.

Crab


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Last one, Lucas and his friend, Crab.

Snake


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I'm glad I opted out of this safari. These little critters give me the willies. Here's Lucas and his other friend, Snake.

Just lizard


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Here's Lucas and his friend, Lizard.

Local safari with dad

This morning Kevin and Lucas went on what we thought would be a bug safari. However, the Albany waterfront yielded much more than their typical bug safaris in the past.

Also, you'll see in these videos that Lucas has a knack for naming his temporary pets.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Lucas' health update

Although Lucas shed his fever and was in better spirits, his cough was actually getting worse. Instead of just coughing at night, he was coughing more during the day on Wednesday and Thursday.

So I called his doctor on Thursday to let her know that Lucas still had the hacking cough. I scheduled an appointment for Friday, and I'm so glad I did.

After the visit to Dr. Lang, she concluded that the amoxicillin wasn't working and Lucas still has "junk" in his right lung. She prescribed Zithromax, which has worked wonders on Lucas already.

In fact, last night, I didn't hear him cough at all, so I snuck into his room to make sure he was okay. I slept in there, just to be sure. But he was pretty much cough-free last night, yay!

This evening, before bath, he said, unprompted, "Mommy, I feel good."