Luc is now 2 months past his 1-year mark. More and more he's turning into a toddler and little kid.

Teeth: 9!
4 top front, 3 bottom front, two upper molars
Luckily these molars haven't caused a distribution in Luc's sleep. After the third bottom tooth came in, Luc went back to sleeping through the night (until 5am when he wakes up starving).

Favorite Words:
Choo Choo (train)
Woof Woof (dog)
Igghhss (lights)
DADA! (daddy)
Dah! (tag)

Non-Verbal/Sign Language Words:
He's been doing these for awhile: 
Thirsty
Hungry
More (for food and other things)
New:
Rubs his chest/belly for a bath (We didn't teach him that. I assume he associated being rubbed with the washcloth and soap on his chest when he's in the bath?)

Food:
Loves chicken nuggets, freeze-dried peas, yogurt drops, homemade soups, ziti, pears, muffins, smoothies, bran cereal with milk from the adult bowl
Hates cooked veggies, melted cheese, rice cereal

Activity:
Gives Mommy and Daddy kisses before bedtime book
Can touch the foot rests on his tricycle
Now loves the swing and slide at the play ground
Learning where each shape fits into his wooden puzzle
Stays in the bathtub until the very last drop. The. very. last. drop.
Can point out Mommy and Dada and grandparents on the photos on our fridge, though he always prefers Dada. And sometimes cousin Logan is Dada, too.
Points to correct light switch to turn on a specific light in the room
Obsessed with dogs. Will give us the Brown Bear book and start saying 'woof woof' just to open to the page with the dog, then he walks away. He sees a dog outside, or hears a bark from inside and he stops to look or say woof woof. He'll point out a dog anywhere, on our calendar, etc. Good thing he's with Cali 5 days a week to get a real dog fix, otherwise we might be guilted into getting our own dog.
Recognizes and points to: head, hat goes on the head, socks and shoes go on feet, toes, eyes, tongue, belly button
Claps his hands when he hears "Happy and You Know It" song
Claps hands and pats chest when he hears "Pat a Cake" song
Puts things and toys back in the same exact spot where he found them (if the mood suites him)
Has new love for a fleece blanket we put over his legs for the car seat. At times he won't even wait to be buckled before he's reaching for it and wanting us to put it on him.
Does not like Mommy with long hair. I've been meaning to get my hair cut for months now since I had to cancel my day before Thanksgiving appointment. Now it's so long, it eventually always ends up on my shoulder (even when pulled back). When Luc wants to rest his head on my shoulder he starts to try to push my hair out of the way with the scrunched up face of annoyance and distaste. I'm not offended. I think it's funny. I have an appointment in 2 days. 

Firsts:
Luc had his passport picture taken a few weeks ago for our trip to Belgium in June. Poor boy was teething hard and has such a rash around his mouth from his drool and the cold weather. There was no way to avoid it on the picture. However, the best part of the photo is his look. It's a total baby mug shot. Arrested for DUIM= driving under the influence of milk.
It's okay, Luc. In 5 years you can get a new picture. I won't show your friends this one.

PlayGround

Frederic and I decided to take advantage of a few mild winter days this weekend and go outside. We took Luc out in his tricycle and then let him walk around on the sidewalks on our street. While walking along, Luc picked up a stick. Then exchanged it for a bigger stick. Then an even bigger stick. After walking around dragging and collecting sticks, we decided it was time to go inside. Once we closed the door behind us, Luc started crying and pointing at the front door. Since it was still nice out, and light, we went back out for him. We started walking down the trail to the playground where there are swings and a slide. After some playing, we took Luc out of the swing to go home- more crying!
Luc never paid attention to the playground all the hundreds of times we walked past it. Now, we turn the corner and he's looking out for it and pointing to go play.

The biggest stick he could find and carry- about 3 times bigger than him.

Swing with me, Dada!

Terrified every time he's going down the slide, but asks to keep doing it.

'Hi, swing partner.'

weeeee

Can we stay a little longer??? Please!

Positivity, Labels & My lil Booger

One morning at work I was talking to my cube-mate (a 52 year-old woman with two sons around my age). She was asking about me and Luc, etc. I proceeded to tell her about my lack of sleep, again, last night, and how he threw a tantrum the day before over nothing (so I thought). She started to tell me that her younger son acted so peculiar sometimes and did things that she seriously thought something was wrong with him. We both found out our boys were/are the same in that they freak out when you put their winter jackets on them. She said she later realized her son hated it because it was bulky and restricted his movement. It also made him way too hot. She stopped buying expensive winter coats and started putting him in fleece, and never had a fit about his jacket again. I've started to do the same thing with Luc. And he has yet to scream and run away when I put his fleece on instead of his winter coat. And the fleece is a pullover!

She admitted had this son been her first, she never would've had a second child. There are times when I think Luc makes a very good case for himself to remain an only child. She recommended I read "Raising your Spirited Child" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. She said, even if Luc isn't what they talk about as a "spirited" child, it could be beneficial. She said, the most beneficial thing for her was changing the way she thought about being a mother, her son, and how he acted and how she reacted to him. It taught her how to change her way of thinking for the better. That in turn made it easier to parent her son.

I immediately ordered the book from amazon.com. I wasn't sure if Luc was "spirited" by the author's definition, but I know at times he can be more than I can handle and a little more intense than what I think a normal child is.

When the book arrived, I randomly started reading a few pages and started to cry. This was Luc. (at times. already.) and there's someone out there who understands what I'm going through and how Luc is.

Don't get me wrong. I've never thought something was 'wrong' with Luc. Ever. All I know is sometimes he's too smart, too curious, too energetic, too intense, and too much for my exhausted, full-time employee mind and body.

"The spirited child—often called "difficult" or "strong-willed"—possesses traits we value in adults yet find challenging in children. Research shows that spirited kids are wired to be "more"—by temperament, they are more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, and uncomfortable with change than the average child."

 Still at the beginning of the book, I'm already benefiting. So far I haven't labeled Luc with negative terms. And luckily, for him and myself, everyone around him usually puts a positive spin on his characteristics. In this book, she talks about that importance, how it shapes the child later in life, and how parents have more patience and tolerance when they look at these personality traits as a positive thing and accept them in the child.

Recently, I've started to do this on my own, before even getting the book. I was seeing in myself how impatient I was becoming with Luc when he did things 'his way'. I would get annoyed when he was pulling cutting boards out of the cabinet every time I put it back, taking the chords to appliances and trying to 'plug' them in to the cabinet door. I get anxious when he sits in his high chair and feels the texture of his food for minutes at a time before eating it. I realized if I look at it differently- not trying to keep my cabinet doors closed and organized, all things inside, not rushing him through his meal because I'm tired of sitting at the table watching him discover his food, things aren't so bad.

Instead, when he takes the same small cutting boards out of the cabinet and carries them or plays with them, I think: there's no harm and maybe it'll inspire him to be a chef. Plus, it's almost like he's participating in cooking dinner with me. I'm at the counter cutting veggies, he's holding the kitchen tool I'm currently using to make dinner. In a weird way, we're making dinner together.

Instead of his trying to plug the chord into the cabinet door as annoying and stupid, I try to think of how smart he is and where he got that idea. When he had a little cold a month ago, I used the vaporizer in his room every night. He would see me plug the vaporizer into the outlet on the wall. He tried a few times after that to do it himself (with my supervision). I need to remember he's smart to associate the plug from the vaporizer (even a month later) to the plug on another appliance in a totally different part of the house, and he knows that the end gets put into something in order to make it work. How genius is that for a 1 year old?!

When I want Luc to use a crayon to color and not to dump them all out of the box just to try to put them back in, and do so up side down, I should remain calm and be interested to see how he solves putting all the crayons into a little box. (sometimes it takes me a minute to get that last crayon in!)

Me wanting to not sit at the dinner table for 30 minutes while he picks apart of piece of chicken nugget or pea, I sit back and let him discover the difference in textures and looks of the food. Why am I rushing? He's curious to teach himself about what he's eating, how it feels, and tastes. Of course, when it ends up on the floor- that's just another story. I'm still trying to work on remembering he's learning cause and effect. It's hard when you're reaching down for the 30th time to pick up the same cracker.

I like to let Luc climb up and down the stairs by himself (with me behind him) so he can get comfortable with them. But I get so impatient when he stops every other step to pick up a piece of fuzz or wave and say Hi to his shadow on the wall. I loose count how many times I say "Luc. Keep moving." and give him a little bump with my knee on his diapered butt. Remind myself he's observant, kind-saying hello to himself and me, and playful- finding a game in going up stairs-- that's a child for you!

Some might see Luc as... ---> This is how I label my lil guy...

risky--> adventurist
impatience ---> perfectionist
slow ---> observant
non stop ---> energetic
into everything ---> curious
inappropriate ---> silly/funny/clown

I've said before that as Luc grows I have to remember he is his own person. He has his own thoughts, opinions, ideas, likes, and dislikes. They may not (and probably never will) match mine. I have to respect him. He may not be talking politics and religion right now, but he doesn't like his winter coat. I'm just glad it's starting with smaller, simpler things and working their way up. This Mommy has to learn slowly.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was a lot of fun this year. Luc was very excited to receive and open gifts, but still didn't understand what was going on. If he were a little older, he would know. His new favorite book to read before bed is "The Story of Christmas."
Christmas Eve, we spent the evening and night with Bonne Maman and Bon Papa. And Luc got to go outside in his real first snowfall.  After a few minutes, he got really cold and wanted to come inside though. Luc couldn't stay up very late to open his presents (he finally passed out at 10pm), so we saved his gifts for Christmas morning.

Christmas Day was extra special this year as Luc got to spend it with both Great Grandmothers. It was special for me as well since I haven't spent Christmas with my Grandmother since I was a kid.

Momma, Luc, and Great Grandma O'

So Big
A year ago Luc was just a little guy, all curled up, sleeping most of the time, and looking like a wrinkled, bald, old man (in miniature). Now I'm walking ahead of him as he crawls down the stairs, running after him around the kitchen table as we play tag, and playing Pat-a-Cake and So Big. He really is so big now.


Choo-Choo
As predicted, Luc loves Grandpa's trains. He's very good about not touching them or the track and will follow the train back and forth as it turns around the loveseat.

Getting Comfortable
Luc does some silly things now, such as he'll move my hair off my shoulder when he wants to put head down. It's almost like he's saying, "Come on, Mom, move all this. Your hair tickles."

And Bloooowww
Luc has been taking my hairbrush for awhile and pretending to brush his hair. He will come up to me and try to brush my hair as well. Last week, he started sucking on the end of the handle where there's a hole to hang it up and made a whistle sound by blowing into the hole.
Luc's taken that new skill to the dinner table as well. When Luc sees me blowing on some food for him to cool it down, he'll now put it to his lips and try to blow on it too.

Good Job, Good Boy
Overall, Luc is an obedient child. When we ask him to pick something up and bring it to us, or put his sippy cup on the table instead of leaving it in the middle of the room on the floor, he'll do it.When he digs into my kitchen cabinets and takes out the small cutting board or George Foreman drip tray and leaves it on the floor, he'll put it back and close the cabinet door when asked.
Luc also likes to help out with laundry now. He'll be more than happy to take things out the dryer (even when they're wet and Mommy just put it in) or take clean clothes and drop it into the laundry basket. He's become very helpful.

Liigghhhtttss
Luc's obsession with Christmas lights has added a new word to his vocabulary- iiiighhhss (a.k.a.- lights).
We're trying to replace his response to "what does Santa say?" "Ho HO Hoooo", with "What does a doggie say?" His response becomes a mix of "Ooof oooophh Hooohooo"

DaDa!
Luc has been saying Dada for a long time now, but he's associating that word more and more with Frederic and not just saying it when he's happy. After Luc is finished with his morning bottle, I ask him if he wants to go see Dada. He sits up and shakes his head yes and gets ready to go upstairs to our bedroom. In the evenings, when Luc is playing in the living room (the garage is right below the living room) and he hears the garage door open, he immediately stops what he's doing, looks at me, and screeches "DADA!". He'll then proceed to walk over to the gate to the stairs going downstairs and either wait for Frederic there or ask me to pick him up to take him downstairs.

Food Time
New Favorite foods: chicken nuggets, freeze-dried peas and fruit

Luc is officially off formula and onto only whole milk. I think I'm the most excited not to have to mix the powder anymore. Whew!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot like Christmas

Now that Luc is a year old, I'm not going to religiously update every month about his goings-ons. I will do it sporadically from now on. Just like when a baby turns a few months old, you stop counting in weeks, I think at 1 year you should stop counting in months.

Tooth #7 FINALLY came in! Luc's been cutting this tooth since October. And we've all had enough of this never-ending teething ( I think even Luc would agree with that). After lots of chewing and biting and night-wakings, it's finally poked it's way through. Whew! One more to go with this set. Then can we have a break???

Luc can now stand up by himself without using anything for support. This is a relief for Frederic and I since now we can take Luc outside to play and not have to stand next to him every time he falls on his butt.

In the last few weeks, Luc has ignored the steps to go upstairs. I haven't blocked them off with the footstools. The only time he will go to the steps at our house and at Grandma's is when he needs his diaper changed- especially if it's a poopy diaper. If you ask Luc if he needs a new diaper, or if he's stinky (and he really is),he'll shake his head yes and start heading to the stairs to get a new diaper.
Luc also will head toward the steps and start going up when you tell him it's time for bed. We still need to work on how to get down the stairs safely. I'm thinking he will catch onto that soon since we've been showing him how to go feet first on his belly off the couch or bed. He's starting to do that now on his own to get off instead of thinking he can just walk right off and not get hurt. Silly boy.

A few days before Luc turned one, I decided to start mixing less formula and add coconut milk to his bottle. I wanted to get Luc on coconut milk entirely believing it's more beneficial and healthier than cow's milk. Well once again Luc showed me he had his own idea. Ever since I started mixing, Luc was eating less and less of his bottle. I was giving it some time thinking he was getting used to the taste. Since Luc didn't like it and was eating less, that meant he was up at 4am screaming because he was starving. I would give him a bottle and he would fall back asleep. After a few weeks of this, I realized I didn't want to get into the routine of having a newborn again with middle of the night feedings, and that coconut milk just wasn't working. Luc doesn't have any fat storage to burn off when he doesn't have a full tummy, and he doesn't have any weight to loose.
After I realized Luc was telling me that coconut milk just wasn't cool, I decided it was time to try regular formula and cow's milk. The first night and morning Luc ate almost the entire bottle, like old times. What a relief. What a pain too! I wasted those nights and days fighting with Luc to eat more and waking up all hours of the morning to fill him back up. Sometimes I could really kick myself that it takes so long for me to realize what isn't working and how to fix it. It's recommended kids at 1 year til they're 2 drink cow's whole milk. Since Luc isn't obese, I shouldn't be put off by the fats in it. So far he hasn't been having any problems with the lactose in it either, which he did when he was a baby. And buying organic makes me feel better against all the hormones and antibiotics and pus, etc that get into regular milk that then could get into my babe aren't there. Thought: If doctor's don't want you to breastfeed your own baby when you're on antibiotics or hormones, why is it okay for them to drink cow's milk with all that stuff in it?
We will see how this experiment goes...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get more into the Christmas spirit (in case not that listening to Christmas music every time Luc is with us isn't festive enough- in fact I'm already tired of the music weeks before the actual day!) Frederic and I took Luc to Homstead Gardens in Davidsonville. They decorate a ton of trees, have carolers, a train garden, and of course- Santa!
Background info on why we thought Luc would love this even at 1 year old. One evening before this day, Luc was getting a little cranky. Since it gets pitched dark by 5pm now, I don't take Luc on a walk anymore after work. He and I both miss that. I knew going outside would help Luc, so I bundled us up and decided to walk with him around the block to look at Christmas lights on people's houses. Luc loved it! The moving reindeer is still his favorite, and he'll actually wave hello and goodbye to it as we pass. He sees it from the other side of the street and we have to cross back over to see it once more before going inside. Luc is in love with Christmas lights! We knew he would love Homestead Gardens.

Luc, looking at a decorated Christmas tree is saying, "AaAAaayy!!!"

Watching the trains go by

The magic of Christmas glowing in his eyes

winter wonderland

No way did Luc want to sit on Santa's lap. 

There is a street near Bonne Maman and Bon Papa that goes all out with Christmas lights on the houses. One house plays music, has trains, and even elves that move. We decided to take Luc on a walk to see all the lights around the neighborhood. When we came up to the main attraction, Luc's reaction was: "whoooooaaaa!"

The ride there, Luc got excited and would screech with each new lighted house. In between houses, you could hear him saying, "Ho ho hoooo."

One

1, such a little number, but here, filled with so much.
Today, Luc is 1 year old. One year!
It's the beginning of a long life. As the years pass, One will seem insignificant. It'll seem like forever ago. It'll seem not as important as 13, 18, 21, 25, 30, etc. But right now, 1 is a big deal! It's the biggest milestone so far.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One year ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving on November 24th, like all the other years. We sat around Aunt Alice and Uncle Bill's dining table. We joked about nonsense. We ate a lot of turkey. We covered our pumpkin pie with Cool Whip. We also took bets on when Luc would decide to arrive.
Luc was due on November 29th. My dad predicted Luc would be born Saturday, the 26th. Uncle Bill swore it would be Sunday, the 27th. I thought it wouldn't be until December 6th. We all hoped it wasn't going to be in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner.
Black Friday, Frederic and I started our morning as usual. I had my bout of morning sickness. We decided to go to a few stores later on in the day to see if there were any good deals around. I wanted to start decorating for Christmas that day because I didn't want Luc to be born and not have anything decorated. This was the first time since we got married that Frederic and I were in our own place for Christmas. The house must be decorated from bottom to top floor. The tree must be up and twinkling. The stockings must be hung.
Friday evening, Frederic and I finished decorating and putting the last ornament on the tree. We invited my brother over for dinner and to hang out and watch Elf on DVD. We then decided to invite my parents over to watch the movie as well. Everyone went home around 11pm, and we went to bed.
Around 2:40am, I got up to go to the bathroom (my usual routine). I got back into bed and barely fell asleep when I felt my water broke. I rushed to the bathroom while yelling for Frederic to wake up. It took a few yells before Frederic woke from his slumber.
The doctor on call told us to come in right away. By 3:30am we were walking into the hospital ER. My contractions started around 4am, as we walked the halls in the labor and delivery area. I wanted to try to do a natural birth, but by 5 centimeters I was asking for some medicine. With each contraction, the only word going through my mind as I clenched my jaw was a very bad curse word.
The nurse informed me I was too far along and all I could get now was an epidural, which I really did not want. She told me to think about it and page her when I had decided what to do. By the time I made up my mind and the anesthesiologist got to my room, I was already 8 centimeters.
At 10 centimeters, the strength of the epidural had to be lowered so I could feel where and how to push. I don't recall pushing for very long, and Luc was born at 2:34pm.
When you're in labor, every moment is concentrated on the pain, discomfort, and people pissing you off. When you look back on how many hours you were in labor (for me it wasn't even 12 hours), I can't recall where every minute went. I can only remember little moments, and mostly the pushing.
Luc came out crying and was placed immediately on my chest. We teared up as we counted his fingers and toes, and noticed how long his finger nails were!
Life has never been the same since.

Luc's first picture

Luc's Stats at 1 Year

Weight: 17 lbs 13 oz
Height: 29 inches
Teeth: 4 on top, 2 on bottom (3rd bottom one coming in soon)

New Vocabulary:

*Uggie = hug
*baww = ball (or almost anything else nowadays)
*UH... ... ... oh = Uh oh (sometimes without the 'oh')
Luc stopped trying to say "up" to be picked up and now just smacks his lips together like he's saying up because it made me laugh. Now that's what he does.

Mange Mange

Favorite foods: Cheerios, chicken nuggets, cheese, yogurt, peas & carrots, anything orange, bananas, pears, yogurt drops, crackers/bread

Least Favorite foods: steak, broccoli, milk

Action!

*Luc can pull shirts off over his head (once his arms are out)
*starting to run
*holds his own bottle when you feed him and even walks around the room while drinking his milk
*put things back into the 'box' they came out of
*can put together, and take apart, Fisher Price building blocks, stackable cups
*stacks rings, in order, on the Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack
*likes to pull and drag toys along
*opens and closes cabinets and doors
*claps his hands when he hears the "Happy and You Know It" song
*dances by lifting one foot up at a time and rocking back and forth
*loves to play Peek-a-Boo, hiding himself or a toy
*just laughs when you try to play Pat-a-Cake
*takes one cracker out of the box by himself instead of being handed his snack
*smells his feet/socks when he's told his/someone's feet/socks are "Peww, stinky!"
*tries to put his sock or shoe back on his foot when we take it off
*enjoys scribbling on paper with crayons
*starting to give hugs and kisses when asked
*loves to walk on the trails outside rather then spend the whole time in the stroller
*favorite game is chasing him or being chased around the kitchen table

Run free, Luc!

Time Change

Day Light Savings in November sure did make mornings worse at the Hairson house. Luc would wake up at 4:30am, thinking it was 5:30. It was a struggle to ever get him to lay back down and fall asleep. He was up a few minutes later crying to be picked up. For awhile, we couldn't figure out why he waking up so early and what he wanted. We changed his clothes, thinking he was too cold at night. That helped a little, for a little while. But he was getting up super early still. I decided I was going to try to teach Luc some sign language. I wanted him to communicate if he was thirty, hungry, wanted milk, and wanted more food. He wasn't really catching on quickly. He understands words we say, like milk and snack. But when he's tired, he doesn't react to them to let us know that's what he wants. Luc found his own way. I learned one 4:30am morning, that when Luc wanted to be picked up, it wasn't just to be held and come into bed with me. Once he was in my arms, he extended out his arm and started pointing. Following his little index finger, out of his room, down the stairs, into the kitchen, and to the side of the counter where I keep all of his snacks, I realized he was hungry, and he let me know what snack he preferred at the moment. Now that we can communicate when he's hungry (as long as we're home), it makes me feel a little less helpless.

Toddlerhood

It seems all at once Luc turned into a "toddler". He will now shake his head No, when he does not want what you're offering him. If he really does not want it, he'll actually push it away while shaking his head No. He's gradually not wanting to lay down and drink milk out of the bottle, or any milk at all for that matter. He'd much rather hold the bottle himself and walk around the house while trying to drink at the same time. Burning calories while eating kind of defeats the purpose, but he wants to do more and more on his own.
He's also started to dip his spoon into bowls of food and lick the spoon clean instead of us feeding him spoonfuls of it. He did a pretty good job on his first attempt. I did a pretty good job not fussing about the mess he was making. It was worth it to see him so proud that he could feed himself like a big boy. He's even trying to use a fork, but we have to stab the food on their for him. He also recently decided he wants to dip his cookie into his pureed fruit for his snack one evening. I have to keep myself calm about the mess he ends up making and tell myself everything will wash off in the washer or in a good bath.

yes, he is turning into a Lefty

Luc is definitely leaning toward being left-handed. He'll eat with his left hand, take something with either, but always switch it to the left hand to use it (spoon, fork, crayon, block to stack on second block, etc). I'm excited for him to be a typical creative lefty and spend hours drawing with him at the kitchen table like I did when I was a kid (even though I'm a Righty). Frederic and I aren't too surprised he's turning into a lefty though. Bon Papa is naturally a lefty, though he was forced to become a righty at school. Grandma and Uncle Dave are left-handed, as well as some others on Grandma's side of the family.
 
Instead of being content in your arms, Luc will now dive out of our arms to be put down so he can run off and do whatever it is he wants. He in no way likes to hold anyone's hand when he's walking. He might see it as us helping him walk, but we're more concerned about his safety and him running off.

Comic Relief

Luc is more and more becoming a little clown. He's going to be that kid in the class that tries to make everyone laugh. And I know that'll get him in trouble with his teachers. But I love that about him. And that's definitely something we need in our family. Frederic and I can easily get stressed out, and it's nice to have Luc always trying to put a smile on our face or to make us, and him, laugh. A lot of times, to also get attention, Luc will make funny faces and sounds. He'll also grab something he's not supposed to have or just give us a little look so that we'll go chasing after him. Being the clown might get him in trouble sometimes, but I never want that to change in him. We just have to teach him the appropriate time and place for it. I don't know how we got so lucky having such a happy, fun kid.



It's fun to see Luc more and more independent, and I know parenting will get a tad easier when he can better communicate to us what he wants and needs. The first year of life includes the most drastic changes at the fastest rate. A year ago we had a baby in our arms, now we have a little kid we're running after. We miss our tiny, curled-up baby sleeping on our chest, but so excited to see him continue to grow and learn. We can't wait to see what Luc will do next!

First Birthday Party

Luc's 1st Birthday Party!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

@ noon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guests:

Mommy & Dada
Grandma & Grandpa
Bonne Maman & Bon Papa
Uncle Dave
Taty Nathalie & Uncle Billy
Logan, Taylor, Kendall
Great Grandma Uno
Great Aunt Alice & Uncle Bill


Originally, Luc's first birthday theme was going to be owls with fall colors. But Luc began to like Elmo, and would light up every time he saw Elmo anywhere. Since I couldn't easily find owl-themed birthday invites and decorations, we went with the Elmo theme.

Bonne Maman borrowed a bounce-house castle to set up in the family room for the kids. Luc had a blast with that and especially loved the slide.

 
Grandma made Luc's birthday cake and put a picture of Elmo on it. It was a homemade vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. Super Yummy! Luc loved it, and managed to keep somewhat clean while eating it. 

"I just wanna taste, Mommy."

Luc couldn't even wait to go outside to ride it

Luc got lots of presents from everyone. They included: wooden puzzles (from Mommy and Dada, and Logan and Taylor), Mega Blocks (from Taty Nathalie and Uncle Billy), a growth chart (from Kendall); wooden cars and a wire maze (from Mommy and Dada); a book and clothes (from Great Uncle Bill and Aunt Alice); money (from Great Grandma Uno); a T-shirt from the D.C. Spy Museum that says "Deny Everything" (from Uncle Dave); a v-tech learning turtle book (from Great Aunt Anita and Uncle Ron); a dump truck, pull cars, Crayola drawing markers with magic and bath paper (from Grandma and Grandpa); a SmarTrike (from Bonne Maman and Bon Papa). The tricycle is Luc's favorite (since it takes him outside).

Luc got to spend a lot of time with his cousins over his Birthday weekend and Thanksgiving. He loved playing with Kendall since she was more his size. But Luc also loved to follow around Logan and Taylor and see what they were up to. He would often walk away from Mommy and Dada into the other room where the boys were. By the end of the weekend, Luc was randomly going up to his cousins and giving them kisses. Luc does very well playing with other kids. When one of them stole something he was playing with, he had a stunned look on his face since he's not used to playing with others, but didn't complain. He would try to play with them or would move along to something else. Like always, Luc is most content when he's with a bunch of people.

Luc and Kendall playing with the new truck

Luc giving everyone Thank you kisses