Monday, September 26, 2011

10 months already

Luke is 10 months today! And what a month it has been.


After being labeled Failure To Thrive at his nine-month appointment, he has gained nearly a pound-and-a-half, bringing him up to 17 lbs. 13.5 oz. And that's after not gaining anything - not an ounce! - for more than three months! He is definitely a stair-step grower, if I've ever seen one.


He's getting to be more little boy, and less baby, every day. He's standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time, and will even take a few steps holding on to this dinosaur...


But that's only when I'm working with him on it. Otherwise, he loves crawling (which he does very fast!)

He also loves to put his hands in the air and say, "touchdown!"


Okay, so it's really only two syllables that sound close to tuh-duh, but we know what he means (mainly because he only does it when copying us).

In addition to saying "dada," "hi" and "cat" (and, to my dismay, only the occasional "mama"), he now also says "Clara," or rather, something more like "ah-ah." That l and r are hard!

Speaking of his sweet sister, he loves her as always.


And, together, they both love the newest addition to our family...



Ryan's new iPad! I saved and scrounged and asked his parents/in-laws to go in on it, and bought him one for his birthday. He loves it, but I think the kids love it even more.

They have a ton of their own apps, like flashcards, Elmo teaching the alphabet, and a very gassy dancing baby, just to name a few. Clara, already very adept with our iphones, can probably run it better than many adults, and I'm sure Lukie's not far behind.


(There's that face again!)

Lukie, you are getting so big so fast, and soon you'll be a year! You are one truly awesome little guy, who we like to call Bruisy Face, almost as much as your real name. I have a feeling that might stick.

Monday, September 5, 2011

My happy place

My happy place is looking at photographs of precious moments in the life of my babies. Usually involving big smiles, but not always. Here are some of my recent favorites...

During Hurricane Irene. The first few minutes were fun...



This face gets me every time...



It's not just their big smiles that get me here. It's that when we start to tickle one, the other wants in on it. Clara will even put herself in position. And Luke... he doesn't just want to laugh himself. He wants to watch Clara laugh. That's love...



One of her favorite songs involves "bowing to your partner." It cracks us up every time she does it...and the fact that she's dressed as an SU cheerleader doesn't hurt either...



Luke shocked us all when just reached right in to pet the giraffe over and over. Really, Luke? I wouldn't have pegged you...



This is right before she kissed the goat...



And this is right after...


Yes, she kissed a goat. It all happened very fast.

And then there's this adorable tongue, which always seems to be escaping...



And this face...


As one friend said, happiness in a photo.

So cute, I'll show another. I could just melt...


That is pure joy.

And pure joy is what they bring me.