Happy Christmas and 9-Monthness!!!

LuLu's first Christmas was much more than we expected! We were warned by seasoned parental units that most children have no interest in their first Christmas, that they'll be more fascinated by the paper than the present, which to some extent was true, but Lu actually unwrapped her own presents (with a little tear here or there from Mum or Dad) and definitely decided early on which toys were her favorites (hail the Singing Puppet Dog from my mom and the random freaking balls I bought from Target for approximately $5). She enjoyed herself and we had fun watching her whip boxes and paper around with a fervor.

Thank you to everyone that sent boxes and boxes of stuff for Luca: Christy, Mom & Dad, Stacey and the Welchies (my newest nickname for the midgets)....they were all perfect presents and she will not only be stylin' but she will have fun with all her new gadgets. She loves that thing that lights up and plays music.

Here are some pics of Christmas, which so happens to be LuLu's 9-monthness day as well.

WANTED: Special Dragonfly Teether

Daphne the Dragonfly is seen here. Lost in Barnes and Noble. No one turned her in! In desperate search of replacement!

Thanksgiving, the Love of Family, and Holy 'Effin' Baby Meltdown!

Scott, Luca and I went to Bostonia for Thanksgiving and beyooooooond! While we were there, the following occurred:

Luca got her first fever and as a result, I got to stick a thermometer up her ass for the first time. Surprisingly, she was unaffected by this. I was slightly traumatized and then oddly proud of myself.

We had not only one Thanksgiving but TWO! My best friend, Livia, flew in the night before Thanksgiving and Scott flew in on Thanksgiving so we all got together again on the Saturday following the holiday for those that didn't get to join in on the festivities (that would be Scott).

Scott and I had our first night without our baby girl as my mom and dad took her for an overnight stay. Thank you to both of them! She had a great time! We, on the other hand, learned a valuable lesson: when engaging in adult activities, kindly ensure that the baby monitor is turned off. Otherwise, your company gets an earful. We all had smiles that night.

Babies have absolutely no consideration as to when they take a dump. Luca decided that the middle of Lansdowne Street across from Fenway Park, in the freezing rain, would be a GREAT spot. Thank you, Jillian's, for lending us your lobby for a few moments of warm "changing bum" time.

Scott learned that New England really is NOT known for Mexican cuisine, especially old-school authentic Mex. Poor thing.

Luca is quite resilient on a plane. However, when flying for 8 hours plus without any sleep, she suffered a really bad episode of the night terrors. I learned not to try to wake her up....but what else are you supposed to do when they're freaking out so bad, they're hyperventilating? Scary baby meltdown!

Here are some pics of the trip!

T Minus 5 Days and Counting.....

Whooooooooo! Almost time to leave for Bostonia, land of cold and fun! Lulu has been suffering through a cold for the last two weeks so today she visited the doctor to get clearance to fly. She's doing fine, quite healthy, with the exception of some lingering congestion. No ear infections. No issues. Even when coughing like a 90-year-old smoker and sneezing up gargantuan amounts of yellow snot, she still smiles and laughs and dances. Gotta love the resilience of children.

My little petite is now 16.2 lbs! She's sitting up fully on her own although she still can't pull herself completely upright but she's getting close. She's starting to rock down into the dog position but she hasn't figured out how to use her knees yet so I don't think crawling will be anytime soon and I'm not unhappy about that. My poor friend Sarah's son is a mover and he's flying all over the place. I'm not ready to baby-proof yet! I like putting her down and finding her flipping herself back and forth but relatively in the same spot that I left her in.

She is happier than a pig in shit to be going on a plane! Well, not really, but she's been in such good spirits lately that I can be hopeful, right? Anyway...can't wait to see all my Bostonians! Something tells me G-Ma is going to steal my Lu away from me....

Orange Ya Glad I'm Here To Make You Smile?

The Butt Vote

All right, everyone.....whose ass does she have? The Vaicius Ghetto Booty or Scott's Apple Butt?

Happy 7 Months!!!!

Yesterday, Luca officially turned 7 months old. I know, I know, such an incredible milestone! She's been keeping us busy with the way her attention span flips so quickly....I can't wait until next month when she gets to spend more time with the Bostonians!

She's been chattering up a storm, more so than usual, and has produced more sounds. Her newest is this half-grunt, half throaty growl thing....it's pretty funny. Oh, and she's currently very pleased with herself for saying "ga-ga-ga" over and over again. She's eating healthily. Yesterday, she had a squash, corn and chicken mixture that she devoured for dinner. She'll pretty much eat everything, but she doesn't like that jarred beef. I think it might be because it's so thick...oh, and it smelled like cat food. No matter though...Scott bought me a puree machine so soon she will have the delicious servings of Momma's homemade yummies. Delicious!

She's holding and playing with toys just fine. She likes to put the spoon in the mouth herself and although she can prop herself up on her arms beautifully, she has no desire to get up on her knees. I'm in no hurry for her to scoot around the house so I'm OK with it, lol. We've been teaching her to sit on her own and this past weekend, we finally got to utilize the stroller section that turns more into a chair on wheels instead of just putting the car seat in there. Brilliant!

The Newest on the Life of LuLu

The latest and greatest on Luca Lu:

She is rolling around on the floor like a pro now, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....and there have been a few times when I thought she might just suddenly get up on all fours and take off like a shot....but she hasn't yet, lol. Which is good because the house is far from baby-proofed. She's eating her fruits and veggies with fervor. She adores peaches almost as much as carrots. And she's still ridiculously adorable. Everything she does, every situation we put her in, holds some sort of awe and wonder. She'll stare intently at things that she'd never seen and she'll laugh at her old toys or when we tickle her half to death.

I think I'm going to take her to the beach tomorrow so she can see the ocean. That trip should be loaded with bewildered gazes and open-mouthed awe. It's just so much fun to see her figure things out, or if she decides that she does like a new food after all....I'm having so much fun watching her half the time that I blink and the day is half over. I never thought that I'd find it so incredible and exciting to be shopping for new baby foods! I know, I know, I'm such a nerd. But who really cares?

Daddy and Luca at the park:














LuLu on the swing, checking out the high-flying child on the "big girl" swing:














Lu, like a little slug, attempting to maneuver her way across the bathroom floor to that bag of toys in the corner....

Well Check!

Luca Lu went to the doctor today for her 6-month well check. She's now 26 inches long and weighs a WHOPPING 15.9 pounds! She's doing well....no issues or worries.

As I'm sure most of you Facebookers know, Luca had a lovely first introduction to peas (she tries some green beans later on today)....she's also learning to feed herself a bottle of water. Very cute indeed. I'm trying to teach her "Mama" but so far, no luck. And she really loves the toys that Auntie Stacey picked out for her, especially that crinkly lion that we named Leo. She likes to eat his feet.

We miss everyone and we can't wait to see you all again in November. Here are some cute pics of Lucazilla.

In Random Celebration

Scott took this photo and I thought it was amazing. Look at that head of red hair!

Happy 6 Months, Luca!

These pics were just taken this morning and today, the little peapod is officially six months old! Soon, her life will be overwhelmed with strange items like sippie cups and pureed veggies and spoons and bowls and *GASP* fruit! She's doing great! The other day, she managed to get herself up on one knee and lunge forward. Of course, it looked awkward and silly but to me, it was the coolest freaking thing ever. I'm amazed by what amazes me.

She continues to chatter away in her nonsensical chatter, but every now and then, she'll bust out with "Da-Da" and "Duh-dee". She likes to pronounce her hard g's and she gets really excited with herself when she does it. She likes to kick me. Hard. She also enjoys chewing on everything and anything, including my hand and the rattles that hang above her on the playmat (she looks like she's bobbing for apples) and she still enjoys me reading seriously hardcore horror stories to her. We've moved from vampires to zombies. She doesn't seem to mind the walking dead at all! That's my girl!

















































And here is Scott, opening his birthday present from Luca. She made him an "I Love My Daddy" book, complete with the coolest photos ever!















Next time, we'll be posting Luca's first taste of food!!!!

Lucazilla and the Pukey Rice Cereal!

OK, this kid is way too funny! As you all probably know, she's cut her first tooth and it's a honker....but she'll also get to start eating pureed foods soon so I wanted to get her used to rice cereal and using a spoon. The other night, I put her in the Bumbo chair, got a bowl of rice cereal ready and gave her her first taste of eating like big people do.

She took to the spoon like a pro but she so did not like the rice cereal! Here she is...entirely unhappy that I was making her consume such foul-tasting garbage:

Lucazilla and the Amazing Airplane Trip!

Well, as most of you probably know by now, Luca and I took an impromptu trip back to Boston for the wake and funeral of my magnanimous Nana Yola. The little midget did such a great job on all four flights AND at the wake....she also pulled a nice little magic trick and managed to help people smile in a time of such great sadness.

My little girl is getting so big so fast! I can't believe she'll be six months next week! She's so much fun to watch as she is getting more curious and alert and happy and observant. She loves to look around and watch people! And of course, this past Saturday, she cut her first tooth! I couldn't believe it....one minute is was a bit of swollen gums and the next, she was biting me. Love nibbles.

Here are some pics of Luca in Boston and then Luca supporting Daddy's NFL team, the Oakland Raiders (don't ask...this is just proof that no one can be perfect, lol):

Five Whole Freakin' Months!

Luca turned five months this past Tuesday (sorry I didn't post anything but I wanted to include pics and I can only do that from home)...and here's what's been going on with the Cuddle-Bug. She can now flip herself over and do tummy time herself! This is such a milestone because she HATED tummy time and now suddenly it's kind of like, "No, don't worry, Daddy, I got this!" She's lifting herself up on her arms and holding her head pretty steady. She still likes to dance and kick but now she's giggling a lot! She likes playing with her toys on her toy mat and listening to me read vampire smut to her. She's just fine with her baths now as long as I give them to her while she's sitting in the Bumbo chair....Scott has even hopped in there and given her some baths too. Her hair is growing....she's got this cap of fuzz on her head. Some days it looks darker than others but right now it's like a reddish blonde. She likes watching sports. In fact, she usually doesn't pay much attention to the TV unless there is something sports related on. She's napping and sleeping fine as well, and in a few weeks she'll be able to enjoy pureed food from the jar along with rice cereal and oatmeal! Whoooopppppeeeeee! I've decided to just feed her naked and then take her to the tub afterwards, lol.

Here are some photos of LuLu in all of her grown-up 5-month glory:

Happiness is a Virtue

Good God, we have one of the happiest babies alive! We went from trying to figure out why she wouldn't stop screeching every day to a very well-balanced, giggly, observant baby....she's absolutely amazing. I think she bespells everyone she comes into contact with. I would say it's those gigornomous, sparkling blue eyes but her cuddly, sweet and happy demeanor is the real winner, I think.

In two days, Luca turns 5 months. In some ways, I feel like I blinked and missed it and then in other ways, I feel like it took so long to reach this milestone. The passing of time really is strange....like a fast-moving locomotive caught in a wrinkle that causes everything to be in slow-motion. Anyway, it's been a month since I've shared, so here are some recent photos of The Luca.

Not to mention, my mom has been clamoring for an update...lol...
















Here she is..pooping...















And tummy time with Papi...















And trying to eat her burp cloth....

4 Months!

My little baby girl is growing up. She's almost an adult...if only she could form full words, I'd be all set! Today, Lu went for her 4 mo well check and did very well! She's now 25 inches long and weighs a mere 12.1 pounds (which cracked me up because she feels so much heavier!)...the doctor isn't concerned though. He said she's doing great! She was laughing and dancing on the table until she got her immunizations.

Man, that girl can turn from pasty white to beet red in about 2.5 seconds! But just like last time, she only cried for about 10-15 secs and then was fine. She cried a little in the car (probably because the straps were chafing her thigh puncture wounds) and then she cried a little at home. I gave her a bottle and put her to bed.

She's seriously so expressive, so clever, and so arrogant (she knows when she did something impressive, lol) that I can't help but think she's going to be like ME.

She's saying, "I don't like those needle thingies. I don't care how shiny the Band-Aids are!"















Got milk?

Just Because

No important things to say today. I'm just sharing some photos.