luke looks more like ...

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luke's lullaby mix

Luke has my old iPod in his room, with a variety of custom mixes. Here is his long-standing lullaby list, which we love to sing at night:

baby don't you cry (the pie song), from the movie "waitress"
have a little faith in me, john hiatt
call me papa, donavon frankenreiter
somewhere over the rainbow, israel kamakawiwo'ole
i will remember you, sarah mclaughlan
muskrat love, america
happy everafter in your eyes, ben harper
the sweetest gift, sade

truckologist

Luke is obsessed with trucks. He has this lovely book about trucks, and he reads it many, many times each day. He takes it in the car to further study up on trucks. He points out every bus and truck in sight, and Monday is particularly wonderful because it's garbage day, and we get to see not one, not two, not three, but FOUR garbage trucks! There's the regular garbage truck, which passes by both sides of the street (and counts as two trucks) and the composting truck, which also does two passes. Luke can distinguish dump trucks from big rigs, car transporters from fire trucks, excavators from cement mixers. My son, the truckologist.

i heart san francisco

baby, i was born to run

storytime at the library

We went to storytime at the library today and had a great time reading books, singing songs, dancing, catching bubbles ... and making new friends. Luke, who's always had an eye for the ladies, spotted this cutie by the magnetic board, so he took a break to ask, "How you doin' ...?"

Then we returned to the main action!

already a foodie

On Monday, Luke's and my day together, I asked Luke what he wanted for breakfast and offered two options: waffles or eggs? He thought a minute and said, "pancake." So we had pancakes! I am really amazed lately at his language development. Each week, he seems to have 5 or 10 new words, or to be able to understand what we're saying even more clearly. He's such a delight!

party by the bay

We spent Saturday at Aquatic Park in Berkeley, celebrating our friends' birthdays -- mom and daughter born on the same day. Daughter turned 3. Here's a lovely pic from the day, taken by Luke's official photographer, Da-Da. It's Luke and a buddy near the pond, playing a little hide and seek around the tree. The kids were very cute, and we all ate a lot and enjoyed the lovely weather. Our little monkey was so tuckered out that he slept all the way home and even did a sleeping transfer to his crib (first time ever). And, today, for the first time in 2 months, he's taking a morning nap.

snacking

Here's a photo from our Monday outing to Crissy Field. Snacking on the bench, watching for doggies, enjoying the sunshine.

top 10

Luke and I had a glorious day together yesterday, where we tried out a toddler gymnastics class (two thumbs up!) and had morning snack at Crissy Field, watching dogs, birds, helicopters, and pointing out lots and lots and lots of trucks and buses as they made their way to the Golden Gate bridge. Here are Luke's top 10 words in order of usage yesterday:

10. pet (as in "pet the kitty cat" or "pet the doggie")
9. dog (woof)
8. book
7. milk (muh, accompanied by the baby sign for milk)
6. car (cah!)
5. uh-oh
4. truck (truh!)
3. bus (bah!)
2. up!
and the no. 1 word used yesterday ....
1. No!

who's that monkey?

If you've been looking at Luke's pictures on Flickr, or have spent any time with him, you may have noticed his best friend: a lovely (and sometimes stinky) brown monkey blanket. It's a small square blankie in brown "cashwere", edged in blue, with a monkey head at one corner. His name is Momo.

Momo is Luke's best friend and constant companion. While Luke eats a meal or snack, Momo props himself up on an apple or pear (or whatever else Luke has chosen for Momo to eat). Momo snuggles with Luke at naptime and all through the night. And, whenever Luke needs some comfort, Momo is right there. Now, here's the stinky part. Luke likes to suck on a corner of Momo. Sometimes, it takes a little while of searching to find just the right corner, and then ... stuff, stuff, stuff, in the mouth. After a day of this, Momo gets pretty stinky. Sometimes, so stinky that I think Luke has a poopy diaper, but, no, it's just the stinky monkey. We have 3 Momos, and rotate them regularly so that one monkey is always in the bath.

Life without Momo is incomprehensible -- to Luke ('cause he loves Momo) and to Mama ('cause Momo ensures a good night's sleep for all).

baby makeover

Before:

After:

Sigh. Where did my baby's hair go????