A Big Ol' Nuclear Reactor Head ...

As ya'll know, Jonathan works at Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station ... the country's largest nuclear plant.

He just sent me a video that you may find interesting. FOUR miles per hour!

Click on this link: Nuclear reactor head slows traffic

Wordless Wednesday

Straws and Forks

Things are moving quickly in the Lucero Household ... so you'd better not blink. :)

Two days ago, Christian amazed me when he finally figured out how to drink from a straw. I didn't think it would happen for a long time, but decided to give it another try ... and he got it!

Last night, he used a fork by himself for the very first time ... which was very exciting. Luckily the camera as readily available (as it often is) so I caught the big moment on video.

What made this moment extra special (for me) is that he was using a Snoopy fork that was given to me on Easter 1975. I've somehow managed to hold onto that fork all these years. And from that 34 year old fork, my baby took his first bite. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

In case you're wondering what in the world Christian is wearing - it's a bib that he tried to take off - without success. He's shirtless because he'd been playing in the water and his shirt was soaked (and really ... who wants to sit down for dinner in a wet shirt?).

Wordless Wednesday

Thank Goodness for Washable Ink!

We got Christian his own picnic table ... and some markers! Good thing Mommy got washable markers!

A Sunday at Lake Pleasant

No ... it's not a metaphor.

We took a spontaneous drive to Lake Pleasant today, as Christian and I had been cooped up most of the week while Jonathan was in California (with the exception of going to the library on Thursday).

The lake is about an hour's drive away and is a surprising blue contrast to the neutral desert landscape. Unfortunately, there are no trees near the Shoreline and the shore itself was rocky. So, it wasn't really the best place for Christian to hang out.

Jonathan tried dipping Christian's feet in the water without much luck. So we all just sat there for a few minutes under the umbrella and then left ... vowing we'd be back when Christian was older and could play around on the rocky beach.

Desperately Seeking Sandbox

Christian is "all boy" already. He loves digging in dirt, rocks ... and Bella's dog food.

Our back patio is surrounded by the remaining landscaping rocks from the front yard. Christian loves to dig in them, and find the biggest rocks among them to toss around. He loves going after the weeds ... loves running his fingers through the dirt. He loves CRAWLING on these rocks, which are by no means smooth. If it's dirty or rocky ... he's attracted to it.

Bella has dug herself a hole to lay in, and Christian loves to make his way down into that hole and hang out. That new hideout, combined with Christian eating Bella's food yesterday, has us wondering if Christian thinks he's a dog. :) (Thankfully, Bella's dog food is all-natural and organic, so we don't have to worry that he consumed rat tails or pig snouts - or whatever odd fillers are in regular dog food).

We desperately need a sandbox! Daddy promises Christian will have one soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Our Fabulous Lil’ Guy Turns 19 Months Old Today!

The last few weeks have seen visits to a neurologist, Christian’s new pediatrician, an endocrinologist, as well as a CT scan, and various blood work … all to determine why Christian isn’t yet walking or talking (at an age-appropriate level). Calls have been placed so he can get a variety of evaluations from speech and physical therapists and a developmental specialist, too. However, it will take weeks/months to get in to see anybody. So, we are working with Christian on our own with his walking and verbal skills.

For a while, we thought he had hypothyroidism. He does not, but there is still something possibly going on with his thyroid, so he’ll be scheduled for a thyroid scan soon. And we are waiting to hear the results of the CT scan.

But to us, Christian is just a happy, curious, energetic little boy who is the light of our lives. His legs are getting stronger and he makes new noises (I’m sure the are words, in his opinion). And he’s so smart … he catches onto things almost immediately. He loves his books more than ever … and his current favorite is “Green Eggs and Ham.” I think I’ve read that book more to him in the past two weeks than I did during my entire childhood. We are so pleased that he enjoys books so much, and is able to remain focused on the books as we read to him.

His new words to read are “toes” and “chin.” When we show him “toes,” he lifts up his toes to show us. When he sees the word, “chin,” he points to our chin. He’s also recently started pointing at numbers. We have a counting book, and I can say, “Where is 5?” and he’ll point to the number 5 on the page.

Christian follows directions very well, and it’s heartwarming to see him be so compliant. I know it may not always be this way, so I am enjoying the compliance while it lasts.

It is fun to watch his little personality develop. He’s easily amused (lots of laughter around here!), and also easily frustrated at times. In the past couple of days, he’s really protested being placed in his car seat. Even when he knows we’re on our way to someplace fun (like Melissa’s house), he makes it very difficult for me to get him buckled into his car seat. I’m hoping whatever issue he’s having with it is short-lived.

Christian’s appetite has really increased over the past few days, which pleases us as we’re now able to give him more balanced meals. For example, yesterday for lunch he ate salmon, grapes, cheese, a banana and an entire cup of milk. Quite a lot … and quite nutritious!

We love that Christian is so affectionate with us … he frequently comes to sit in our laps to be read to and loved on. He’s learned to give kisses (the open-mouth wet variety, of course!). Such a lovey-dovey little lad!

Those Wonderful, Amazing FIRST STEPS!

Jonathan and I were blessed just a few moments ago (3:25pm, to be exact) to have both witnessed Christian's very first steps! Just three days before he turns 19months old, and our sweet boy has finally done it!

We bought him a balloon today, and he's been chasing it around the house since we got home. He kept standing up and moving one foot forward, then squatting back down. But out of the blue, he decided to walk to the balloon that was a couple of feet away. He took FIVE steps and then reached for his beloved balloon.

And then he did it again. It was an amazing sight to behold!

We tried to get him to walk after that so I could get it on video, but it didn't happen. But we thought you'd like to watch us try!

Wordless Wednesday

Afternoon Tea

We ladies got together today for afternoon tea at the St. James Tearoom in honor of Carrie's pending wedding. If you live in the Albuquerque / Santa Fe area, I highly recommend St. James for any event ... a bridal shower, birthday celebration ... or just because. It's really a very lovely, charming venue.

The food is absolutely delicious and included a wonderful rosewater mousse desert that is served in these dainty little glasses. I must confess, I ate all the extra desserts that were available. They were very petite (so my indulgence doesn't count as gluttony) and incredibly delicious!

Madison and Carrie ... and Madison's pink Princess Tea

Carrie, Madison, Amy and Debby

(and the incredible rosewater mousse on top)

The Arrival of Granny and Grandpa

Today Christian got to see his Granny and Grandpa for the first time since July! He didn't remember them, of course, and took some time to warm up to these two happy, smiley faces. And when he did, that is when the fun really began!

It was a true delight to watch Christian and his grandparents together. "Reunited and it feels so good ..."

An Exhausted Little Boy

What a day we had! Saying goodbye to Auntie Bol and Uncle Mr. Ashe in the morning (after a lovely breakfast!) ... and spending the afternoon with the Fernandez Family. And no nap for Christian! We put him down to bed at the hotel, and he was so wound up, it took forever for him to fall asleep. Finally, there was silence from the crib and we sneaked over to see Christian had fallen asleep in mid-play!

Ever the doting mommy, I grabbed my camera to document this cute scene! And then, of course, moved his head a bit so his nose wasn't squished into the bottom of the crib (we mommies are always worried about our children suffocating, you know).

Stay tuned to more stories about our week as they occur!

A Visit with Kristy, Joaquin and Baby Teresa

We were delighted to visit my sweet friend Kristy and her adorable children, Joaquin and Baby Teresa today. I haven't seen them for well-over a year and was excited to see how much Joaquin had grown (A LOT!) and how adorable Teresa is (VERY!).

Christian seemed so small compared to Joaquin ... yet so BIG when compared to Teresa. She is only 4+ months old and weighs 10 lbs, compared to Christian's 24 lbs. So it was a bit of a surpise to hold such a light baby!

Thank you for the lovely afternoon, Kristy, Joaquin and Teresa! Oh how we wish we lived closer so we could visit more often ... so that Joaquin and Christian could become best friends ... and Teresa and Christian can fall in love and get married one day. :)

Our Stay With the Ashe Family

Our stay in the Land of Enchantment began Monday with a visit to our fabulous friends Auntie Bol and Uncle Mr. Ashe (aka Jon and Valerie) at their beautiful home in Bosque Farms, just south of Albuquerque. They graciously let us stay with them for a couple of days.

We had a blast with them and Valerie and I especially enjoyed watching the finale of Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night.

Christian was especially taken with the spaciousness of their home and their cat, Watson. It was so cute to watch the two play with a ball together.

We'd like to thank the Ashes for so graciously hosting us. Our stay was all-too-short and we miss you already!

The Long Journey ...

Our long journey actually began the night before when we found a sizeable scorpion in the house. In case you're not familiar with desert critters: scorpions are bad news and since we have Christian, we are very concerned about scorpions. In extreme cases, a scorpion sting can kill a child. Jonathan tried to kill it, but it just made its way down the sink drain. Jonathan ran a lot of water, I poured a lot of bleach. So I hope its either dead (sorry, PETA) or on its way to the sewage system.

We have since learned scorpions travel in pairs (and often with babies). So ... I guess there is one more in the house somewhere. We put out "sticky pads" in some key areas with the hopes that the other scorpion might get caught in our absence.

The travel morning started with a visit to Christian's new doctor, Dr. Diaz who is an absolutely wonderful, kind and compassionate man. I'm going to have to devote an entire blog post to telling you about Dr. Diaz (some day).

Christian and I were upstairs getting ready (okay, he was playing, I was getting ready) and Jonathan was downstairs loading the car up. I heard Jonathan say, "Hi, Christian!" ... and i was confused when I saw the baby gate was still up, but the voice came from downstairs. Turns out we've got a little escape artist on our hands ... Christian managed to get through the gap between the gate and the stair railing. I have no idea how he did that, but it appears we need to come up with a new solution for keeping him from going downstairs. I am just thankful he didn't fall down. He's actually very good at getting up and down the stairs on his own ... but it only takes one moment of distraction for him to loose his footing ... and down he goes (as I witnessed back in February). So knowing he bypassed the gate and got downstairs without my knowledge really got my heart racing!

Our drive started close to 11:00am (much too late) and we assumed since that was Christian's usual nap time, he'd take a nap. The nap lasted an hour or so ... and didn't resume until we got close to Albuquerque. So, he was pretty cranky for some of the drive. And since he's not walking, we couldn't put him down on the floor when we stopped and got out (the picture to the right is a stop outside Grants, NM). So, he was either in the car seat, in our arms, or in a high chair for the entire day. And that is no fun for a kiddo who is used to being able to crawl all over the place and explore the world.

Christian's spirits picked back up when we arrived in Bosque Farms (just outside ABQ) to stay with our friends, Jon and Valerie. And he was too excited to go to sleep. I think we got him down at around 10:30pm. And sure enough ... he was awake at his usual time this morning (5:00am Arizona time).

It was a rough day for our lil' guy ... and consequently a rough day for us all.

It could have been worse, of course ... but I have informed Jonathan that next time we must go to Albuquerque, it will be on a plane.

Heading to the 505

We're leaving today for a few days in Albuquerque. My friend, Carrie is getting married on 5/23 ... and Jonathan's parents are driving down from Denver to visit us Christian, whom they haven't seen since July. Chrisitian is a completely different kiddo now, and won't remember them ... so we're hoping he'll warm up quickly and he and his Granny and Grandpa will get to spend a lot of time having fun together!

The last time we made this long round-trip drive between Phoenix and Albuquerque was back in January 2008, when Christian was just a couple of months old. And that was a rough trip. So it will be interesting to see how he does now that he's older and much more interactive. I expect he'll sleep thorugh the first portion of the drive. After that ... we'll just hope for the best!

I hope to be able to update the blog frequently through the week with stories and photos. (and I still need to post about Christian's latest doctor visits, too). So, stay tuned!

In the meantime, enjoy some photos of today's lunch ... RAVIOLI! Who knew Christian would like ravioli so much?

Actually, he's been eating A LOT lately ... so maybe he's going through a growth spurt! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - A Daddy and His Boys

Christian Turns 18 Months Old

Happy 18th Month Birthday to Our Sweet Boy!

Today was the big day. Christian caught some kind of bug at daycare yesterday and had been throwing up ... so there was no celebratory cake for our little guy.

Christian is just such a joy for us! He's happy, curious, energetic and full of life and laughter. He likes taking baths, and will brush his own teeth (though, he won't Mommy do it for him ... EVER). He goes down for naps without a fuss and sleeps for 3 -4 hours. He goes to bed at 8:00pm just find and dandy and wakes up close to 6:00am.

He's still a very picky eater, so we just do the best we can. But he drinks his milk and water like a champ, and for that we are grateful.

And it goes without saying ... CHRISTIAN LOVES ELMO!

His "reading" continues to make progress. If we hold up a card that reads, "bellybutton," Christian will lift up our shirts in search of a bellybutton. And we don't even have to say the word ... he READS the card - no kidding! We finally convinced him that he has a bellybutton, too. So, he likes to sit down and lift up his chubby belly and find his very own bellybutton. Its adorable!

He likes to walk along with his push car ... and is still working on standing on his own without the help of a wall or furniture. When he stands up, we give him a ton of praise and smiles and say, "Do it again!" And he'll get excited and stand up again. He's not walking on his own yet.

Christian is doing really great at daycare. All I have to say is, "Let's go see Melissa!" and he gets all excited and rushes downstairs so we can go. It is so cute to walk in and see him sitting at the table eating lunch with three other kiddos when I arrive to pick him up from daycare!

Christian is making new noises lately ... lots of "ma ma ma ma ma ma maaaaaaaaa" and "me me me me me ..." and "rah" and "buh buh" (which can be bubbles, or bath or bye-bye ... depends on the context.

And he calls Elmo, "Aden." Not sure why. When we say "Aden" back to him ... he doesn't know we're talking about Elmo. But if we say "Elmo," he knows exactly who we are talking about.

So he says "Aden" and we say "Elmo" and therefore, much of the time what comes out of my mouth my mistake is "Eldon." And Eldon is Christian's uncle ... so it makes me laugh every time I accidentally say "Eldon" when referring to Elmo.

Christian has his 18 month exam with a new doctor on Monday. I'm sure I'll have lots to report, so stay tuned!

Jennifer

Wordless Wednesday

A Little Practice Walking

I bought Christian a little car he can push so he can practice his walking skills, as he's still not walking on his own. He really likes his new car, so it's a good start!

Christian's beloved Elmo is always a nice "lure" to get him to cross the room. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday Videos