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Mama is sad.

Today is a lot harder than yesterday. I really miss Luka! Once I am busy in school I'm sure it will get easier- but I can't help but be so anxious and sad right now! He cried pretty hard when I dropped him off this morning. And tomorrow night is my first night in Eugene... first night away from the boy. It's hard to go from 24/7 contact to me spending a couple nights a week away from him... I think most likely he will be moving to Eugene after Christmas. And if Eric gets laid off this winter then it would give him an excuse to move to Eugene as well... So the 3 of us will have to tough the next 10 weeks out- and look forward to my days off.

Luka's first day at the First Gear Academy

A view of the Willamette River behind is daycare

Dad was more nervous than Mom

Luka taking a seat for breakfast

The play area

Mmmm waffles and berries.

Just some of Luka's Favorite Words

Ball Balloon Baum Tree Baby Bye Hi Apple Strawberry Banana Hot Heiss Cold Water Wasser Airplane Car Truck Bike Bus Bug Sit Up Down Cheese Juice Chips Cereal Pooh-pooh Pee-pee Diaper Brush Mama Dada Ouch Uh-oh Bee Blume Walk Clock Dog All-Gone

Looking Back

It's kind of fun to look back at the old posts... Things that seemed to have happened soooo long ago, actually happened only within the last year. Like what I wrote in a post from last October "hopefully as Luka gets older he will sleep through the night". Well it's August 09 and Luka is 17 months, and he still does not sleep through the night. I don't really believe that any baby does. I think some parents are just heavier sleepers. I feel like Eric and I have learned a lot- and we are working hard as ever with little to no breaks. Anticipation and dread both awake us in the morning... but overall things have been good for us, and our little Luka is pushing us towards becoming great.

Timothy Lake Camping

This past weekend for my birthday we went camping in the Mt. Hood National Forest on Timothy Lake, elevation 3500 feet. It was a great weekend. We arrived on Friday... it's a beautiful 50 mile drive from Portland via 221 through Estacada. My best friend Matie, her 2 dogs, and her boyfriend Kenny went. Our friend Anna, who used to be a co-worker of Matie's was there. And one of Eric's co-worker's Chris (and his dog) went... The camping spot is actually one of Chris' regular spots. Timothy Lake has four campgrounds, but we were across the lake in the woods at an unmarked site... One either had to take the boat there, or walk a 1/2 mile down a trail to get to it. So no cars and no toilets. Chris had to make about 4 trips back forth across the lake to get us and all of gear. Luka loved his first boat ride. It was a great place to set up our tents on the lake shore, with a fire pit already made. The woods were swarming with bee's, but despite all the food we had laying around they never bothered us. I don't even think there were any critters or wild animals near us... we left a piece of cooked steak out overnight (not a good idea) and a piece of corn, and it was still there in the morning.

Luka stayed up until 11:00 pm the first night and thankfully slept in until 8:30 am. It got down into the 40's I would guess. We slept pretty comfortably in our tent, on our air mattress so that helped. Anna, Luka, and I hiked to the car and drove to Government Camp (near Timberline Lodge) to get a few important items (coffee, corn, creamer, syrup, potatoes) that we had forgotten. We made food and drank all day. Luka took a very long nap, and we waded and tubed in the lake. That night we made salmon, steak, hamburgers, corn, hotdogs, potatoes, and 'smores. We had so much food.

Sunday we packed up and drove home. It was the first time I was on Mt. Hood, with the weather clear enough to see it. The tip of it you can see peeking over Timothy Lake, but as we drove home we got closer to it- and it's pretty breathtaking. We stopped at Calamity Jane's for lunch, which is a cute little country hamburger place. Luka had a pretty fun time, and we all enjoyed getting away from the city. Unfortunately, I did not have batteries for my camera, so the 3 pictures above are from Anna's cellphone.

Luka's school

This is the First Gear Academy, where Luka will go at least 3 days/week starting September 21st. On study days when I am in Portland (Monday's and Fridays) I might send Luka to the Grasshopper playschool here and there as needed, since Jessica (the teacher) really liked our family and was willing to be very flexible and accommodating for us. So, it would cut down our monthly childcare costs if we decided to do that.

Anyway, Luka is going to be under excellent care, and we are so excited for him to be around other kids. Now that he is almost 18 months, I feel we timed it just right.

First Gear Academy

I posted that Luka will be starting a playschool next month, but I really like a daycare center that I visited last week. Now Eric and I need to decide which school he should go to. The center can enroll over 100 children. It has several infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. It's brand new (opened January '09), Eco-certified, experienced teachers, and located in the Swan Island industrial area- so it sits right on the Willamette River. All of the classrooms have huge windows that look onto the river and the West Hills. The teachers say that the kids love to watch the boats go by. It's more expensive than the in-home center, but less expensive than other daycare centers in Portland. They also cook and serve lunch, whereas the playschool we would be responsible for packing his lunch everday. And, the center's hours are from 6am-6:30pm, whereas the playschool is only open from 7:45am-5pm. And there are certainly days when Eric has to work late. I think I'm leaning more towards the center even though I had really liked the playschool when we visited. I will let you know what we decide.

Hot!

Luka's gift from Oma

Luka's Playschool

Luka is going to be starting a play school next month! I'm really happy to have found it. It's off of Alberta... about 3 miles West of us. I really like the woman who runs it (out of her home). Luka will be with 5 other children ranging from 1-3 years. I think it will be a nice transition from staying home with me. He'll still be in a house setting, with toys, and a nice backyard, and other children to play with. We'll keep him there for about a year and a half until he is ready to begin preschool.

Pictures: Oregon Coast Aquarium

http://picasaweb.google.com/Su.Adele/OregonCoastAquarium#

Pictures: Lincoln City

http://picasaweb.google.com/Su.Adele/LincolnCity#

Pitcures: Troutdale with Oma

http://picasaweb.google.com/Su.Adele/Troutdale02#

Swim Time

Sunday we all went to Sauvie Island. It's funny because we really prefer the clothing optional beach over the "regular" beach, because it has trees and shade (and usually not as crowded). Eric, Chad, Brittany, Drew, Luka, and I drove and met up with Matie and Anna and a several more of her friends and set up an area in the middle of nakedness. We always stay dressed, although Chad, Eric, and Brittany will probably end up nude one day. I even keep Luka dressed to save him from the sun. Anyway, it's a really pretty beach and the water was suprisingly nice and warm-ish. We brought our frisbee and played in the water. Each of us eventually getting tackled under the water at some point or another. The Luka enjoys being around us all. Wednesday Eric went back to S.I. beach with Luka. I bought this big inflatable tug boat, that Luka can stick his legs through and float about. I wish I could have gone with, but I was scheduled to work at the little boutique. Eric said he loved being in it. I think tomorrow we are going tubing down the Clakamas River... I'm going find Luka a little life vest. Can I take a 16 month old tubing? Anyway, we'll see. Yesterday I took him to the SE Community Center Swimming Pool, and that was sooo much fun. It was really his first time playing in a swimming pool. There are 3 pools, and the one we were in gradually goes from 0" to 2 feet with a large area for Luka to toddle and wade. They also have this circular path of water that is propelled by jets and it pushes you around and around... sort of like a running track, but smaller. He loved that. So much commotion and kids, and splashing, and squeeling. He had a blast. 

Hello

I haven't been very good at blogging this month! We had lots of visitors. Luka had both Grandmas and a Poppy in town. It was cute to see him spend time with them. He really adores his Poppy, probably because he gets to go in the hot tubs with him : ). Luka has always been more attached to guys in my opinion. He really likes Uncle Chad and Uncle-Cuzzin Drew. Anyway, so we went to Lincoln City and stayed at the beach house with Aunt Fern, Russ, Aunt Kay, Uncle John,  Conner Bear, the Uls was there for a couple of days, Patty & Scott, Brooke, Drew, and us three. So much fun, although the weather could have been a little warmer and a little more sunny. I've got a couple of web albums up on my picasa site that has pictures from the coast. I'll post the link in the next blog. We're all doing good in Portland. We made it through the HEATWAVE (all cap.'s because it was HAWT as Luka would say). So hot. 104! And Portland is not equipped for such weather. Luckily we got a AC window unit just in time, so we've been keeping the upstairs cool and comfortable. 

Updates

It's been a long time since I've last written anything. Luka is now 16 months! Some new words are "bug", "juice", and "baby". We are looking forward to seeing both grandmas next week, and spending 4 or 5 days on the coast. Our 4th of July was nice. We went to Washington Park... which was nearly empty! I think most people either head to the rivers/lakes or stay home and bbq. So we had a nice, long picnic. We played ball and took a walk. At night Luka went to bed and Eric and I got a view of several fireworks. We could see downtowns from the 2nd floor balcony, and could see North Portland's and Vancouver's from the living room window. Not bad. I need to get some new pictures of Luka. His hair is getting longer and he is growing taller. I'm excited about the new (used) stroller that we just bought him. It's a 3 wheel jogging stroller- good for the beach and trails. I'm still thinking about Eugene and school. Back and forth on wether I should do it. The downside is the cost! I don't want to be in debt for a degree that will not gaurantee me anything more than a good experience. Plus the complications of moving... I'm not sure. If I don't go then I will be begin taking web design classes. It's something I want to learn. I'd also help Eric launch his business (more on that later). Lots of decisions... weighty ones. Also some big news in Germany, but I'm not sure if it's allowed to be public knowledge yet... : )

The Zoo

Pictures from our trip this week:

15 months, can you believe it?!

I was holding him after his bath this evening and looking in the mirror at how big he is now. They grow so much in the first year. I'm really not going to believe it when his 2nd birthday begins to approach. I know it's not anytime soon, but I have a feeling it will come quicker than I think. 

I had this idea awhile back to finish the sentence: You're a mom if... (have you ever heard of the comedian who does those You're a redneck if... jokes)- I've had a ton of these This-could-only-happen-to-me moments, which I should have been writing down because they are one of a kind. For instance here is one that happened today, You're a mom if... after hours of searching for the jelly lid you end up finding it in the peanut butter jar. I really did not want to look in the peanut butter jar because I thought, no way- that is not possible. Yeah, right. It's so funny being a mom (especially to a toddler), and being always on our toes. Even if it means we can never eat that last bite on our plate, or enjoy just one strawberry from our garden, or that our sunglasses always hang a little crooked on our face from little hands playing with them! It's definitely fun.

Clothing optional...

Today Eric, Luka, Matie, Leah, Josh, and I went to Sauvie Island again to spend an afternoon at the "beach". It was so crowded that we had to go to the second area of beach parking where clothing is optional. Naked people everywhere. It was me in Spain all over again. This picture of him is very cute... and soon afterwards I took his diaper off so we could fit in a little. Haha... I can't really understand why and how people are so comfortable walking around nude, but it's nice that Portland has a place for them.

Last Thursday

We love Last Thursday on Alberta Street. They close of the road from 15th and up, and it becomes a mix of performers, musicians, artists, craftsmen, activists, food vendors, etc. Everyone from the neighborhood comes out and walks around stopping in galleries and watching street performances. Luka found his beloved buckets (same bucket player from last weekend at the Saturday Market) and put on another show for the onlookers. Eric and I invited our friends over and grilled some kebabs and hotdogs. 

Troutdale

Beach Day on Sauvie Island

A room with a view

I think it's so funny to just look out our window, which Luka and I do often. This is such a crazy neighborhood... Right now Luka is standing at the window watching our neighbor across the street juggle swords. No joke. They must be getting ready for the 2009 Alberta Street Art Hop Festival. I'm supposed to be volunteering, but Eric won't be getting back in town in time. I have last years Art Hop on the blog, and I'll try to get out and take some pictures of this years.

Luka and the spoon

I'm letting Luka spoon feed himself now. It's a big mess, but he doesn't want me to feed him anymore. Practice will make perfect.

Pete the Paver

Luka is glued to our window. The block in front of us has been closed to be repaved ... He is having a blast watching the flashing trucks go back and forth, as well as watching the pavers in their bright green vests.

A Goose Egg

Rod, a man who sits behind me in German class, gave me a goose egg last night. He lives on a farm that has been in his family since 1914, about 25 miles south of Portland.  Apparently he has geese and they have laid eggs so he brought in a paper bag filled with them. These things are huge. So this morning I cracked it into a bowl so that Luka and I could try it... and I have to admit I was pretty apprehensive once I saw how thick the yolk is, I could barely stir it with a fork. I eat eggs and meat on a fairly regular basis, but I was getting kind of squirmish at the thought of eating it- all I could do was picture those big long necked birds that chased us around West Moreland park a couple of weeks ago. But the egg was already cracked, and it would be wrong to let it go to waste. So, we scrambled it and each eat a quarter of the omelet (with lots of toast). It was good, the yolk was really yellow and has a stronger "yolk" taste than chicken eggs. Luka liked it, too. I would definitely eat another.

Busy Bee

This week has been crazy for me. First, Eric is out of town again- he's back in Washington doing an install job. Secondly, I started TWO jobs this week. This is awful. The first job is a clothing store about 1 block away. It will be easy, and they are only scheduling me as needed (nights/weekends). Although this week I had to train Monday morning, and I agreed to go in at 3:30 today... so it's been a chore getting babysitters for Luka. Monday my friend Beth (and baby Syla) watched him, today Scott (and baby Mae) will be watching him. The second job is really awful. I'm working from home 10 hours a week "scheduling appointments for a financial wholesaler"- which is not even the case! I wish that was what I'm doing. Beth, who I just mentioned, got me the job because it's what she does. But, I got stuck with this guy who is essentially making me cold call brokers. I hate it. Cold calling is rude. I have to talk to the women who run this business and see if I can work with someone else who actually has already established relationships with his clients. This is not for me! But it's money, so I can't complain too much.

First Molars

Luka has been pretty irritable lately. All week I've been checking his gums to see if maybe he's been teething and is in pain. Finally yesterday I felt two little bumps on the upper part of his mouth, and one has a tooth protruding. Ouch. First year molars are on their way! Poor little thing- he always had trouble with teething (some babies I hear have no problems at all). He did have a little fever earlier this week, but no cold... so I figured some new teeth might have been the cause. Soon Luka will have a mouthful!

Crystal Springs Rhododenren Garden

Just the 2 of us

Eric is in Washington all week! He's back with his old employer and he his doing an install job, so it's just been me and Luka.  I love when 4 o'clock rolls around and Eric comes home just in time to relieve me and entertain Luka (who is getting tired off being around his Mama allll day). But this week I don't get that... on the other hand, though, it's nice not to have to worry about dinner (and dishes)... and when I put Luka to bed I get the whole place to myself! But we miss Eric and can't wait for him to get home.

Toddle toddle toddle

An old movie

Since I only just figured out how to post a video, I want to share this one of Luka that is REALLY old... He must have been only 4-5 months since he is not sitting up yet. I just love his laugh, and it still sounds almost the same, so here it is...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Eugene

Eugene was interesting.  It took us a little over 1.5 hours to drive from Portland and through the Willamette Valley... a lot of farms, rolling hills, and vineyards.  We tried out Eric's new GPS, and it was pretty cool knowing where we were going, even though we didn't really know where we were going.  First we drove up to the UO campus and then decided maybe we should check out downtown first. So we parked and hung out at the Saturday Market for awhile near the stage and ate lunch. After that we walked around a bit, and looked at downtown Eugene. The people were nice and interesting, a lot students, a lot of young families, and a lot of "granola eaters" (if you know what I mean). After we walked around we went back to the car and GPS'd our way to the Rose Garden and Skinner Butte. Skinner Butte was pretty incredible- from the top one looked over the entire town of Eugene, and off in the distance was the snow-covered Mt. Jefferson. The vegetation in Eugene is already so much different that Portland... it seemed much more rugged and dry. When we finished up there we drove through the UO campus, it's big and the neighborhoods that surround it are very nice. We looked at a couple housing areas, which we may apply for. A lot of decisions need to get made! Anyway, here is a link to the few pictures we took while in town: Eugene

Easter

...there are more own our picasa albums: Easter

Very exciting (and scary)!

If you haven't heard yet, I have been accepted to the University of Oregon's Art and Administration graduate program in Eugene, OR. I can't believe it... I really was not expecting to get in. So Eric, Luka, and I are facing some HUGE changes... the most obvious is relocating to Eugene, the second most obvious is me going back to school! It's scary, slightly stressful, and completely great at the same time. I'll be getting a master's in Arts Management, which I am really looking forward to. I'm scared out of my mind... and both Eric and I have a hundred "what if" questions and concerns. We have to make some tough decisions like, will Eric stay in Portland if he does't find a job in Eugene... will I find good child care for Luka in time... will I be able to manage a full-time curriculum with being a mom... can we really afford all this??! Of course we will work it all out (we're good at that). I'm so happy to see some of my future unfold. Having been unemployed for the last 14 months (granted I've been taking care of my Luka) and unable to land a new job made me question my abilities and talents... I'm so happy the University sees something in me. Phew, my head is spinning... so for now I'm just going to concentrate on Easter this weekend!!

Could it be??!!

The weather forecast says is will be in the low 80's on Monday!! I really hope so. This weekend we have had such beautiful weather, and so many trees are in bloom. I was really getting tired of the gray, rainy, cold winter and early spring. 

The Children's Museum

Yesterday I took Luka to the Portland Children's Museum, and I was amazed by it! I had so much fun watching Luka explore and toddle around.  There was a treehouse for Luka to climb through, a ton of little nooks, and gadgets for him to play with. There was water room, a mini grocery store with carts and checkout lanes, a mini diner, hospital, woodworking shop, etc. There was also a theater where Luka stood on the stage with the other kids, while us parents all sat in the audience. At point the curtains were drawn and I had to wonder what was going on... after 30 seconds they reopened and there was Luka just curiously watching a girl beat the drums. There was a mini garden were you could pick cloth flowers and re-plant them, a babies garden, a twilight trail, and a Bob the Builder exhibit. The place was packed with such cool things to do. I wished so bad that I had brought my camera with, but I'll have to go back again with Eric and take picture of Luka and Eric working the table saw.

A tiny tot

Luka has graduated from "Book Babies" and is now attending "Tiny Tots" at the library. This last Thursday a mom that I have come to know came up to me and said that one of the other moms there had just learned her son was also born with a tethered spinal cord, and was scheduled for surgery this coming Tuesday. So I started talking to this mom, who's son is the same age as Luka. It turns out he is also having it done by Dr. Selden at OHSU, so it was really nice to get to relate with this woman and also ease her worries. She was also relieved to see that Luka is such a good walker, because her son Henry only just recently became able to sit up. Apparently his tethered cord has really affected his physical abilities, so I am happy Luka never had to go through that. I'm hoping everything goes great for them this week, and I look forward to seeing them after his recovery! 

Hallo, Ich heisse Susan.

I enrolled into a "Keeping Up With German" course that is taking place every Wednesday evening through the Portland Community College. I really hope it helps... but now I am beginning to wonder if I'll be able to continue it because Eric is (oh by the way) going back to work on Monday for his old job, and he will be doing some out of town traveling during the week. Meaning I'll have to find a babysitter for Luka while he is gone. I'm sure we'll work something out.

Communicating

As of now Luka can say:

"dada" for eric, anything he associates with eric (guitar, t.v., etc.), or anything exciting. 

"mama"for me, but it really just means he wants milk or comfort. 

"ba"for ball.

"bir" for bird.

"da"for dog.

"hat" (whispery) for hot.

"lishh" which is "licht" in german (light).

"dat" for that- which is what he does when he points to things.

And he LOVES to say "uh oh!", he purposefully drops things just so he can say "uh oh".

He is also doing new things to communicate. Instead of speaking he has developed some of his own signs, such as opening and shutting his hands when he wants to be picked up.  He also does this thing where, say for instance, he wants me to pick up a ball and put it in a cup. He'll grab the ball, then grab my hand, put it in my hand, and then push my hand towards the cup. Or if Eric and I are looking in a different direction and he wants us to look at him he'll grab our nose, hair, ear, or anything he can and pull our face towards him (or vice versa to get us to look away from him). 

Bear

Eric and I have decided that Luka must have been a bear in his past life. 'Bear' has unofficialy become his middle name (we'll  spare him any possible future embarrassment by not making it his legal middle name). The reason we think he was a bear is because he growls. A lot. He growls when we play, he growls in his car seat, he growls when he's tired. It's not a mean growl, it's sometimes playful or done to get our attention. Sometimes he's just in his own world softly growling as he concentrates on his toys. Now he combines his laughter with the growl, which is really funny. Here is Luka in the bear cave at the OMSI:   

 

Good Morning

This morning... we've only been up for an hour now, but I'm already exhausted. It all started with my bloody nose (from Luka shoving his finger up my nostril, which he loves to do)... a tortuous diaper change, in that anyone in another room would have thought I was torturing him by how loud and long he screamed and carried on. Next is the grapes. He loves his grapes... but this morning as soon as they touched his tongue he threw them on the floor. Oh, and right now he just emptied a box of Jujyfruits candy on his highchair. I guess that's what he wants for breakfast. Despite some of these mornings, I really don't want to have to leave him and go back to work. What started out as "I'm only taking the first 6 months off" turned into "I'll definitely have a job by the time he turns one" and has now become: neither Eric nor I have jobs... and we love it. But, realistically we both need jobs, and sadly that means my days here with Luka are possibly close to an end. I remember when Cory (my mama friend) went back to work in December, it was kind of sad because our times of taking the little babies on walks in the Bjorns was over... that precious chapter ended. Luka is demanding I get off the computer now. I tried once more to ease him with a grape and he threw it at me. Oh he's so much fun.

Pictures

Here you go: Florida March 2009

Florida

We just got back yesterday from a (sunny, beautiful) week in Florida. Thankfully it's sunny in Portland right now, otherwise I'd be tempted to turn around and fly right back. We had a great week visiting with family. That weekend was the 80th birthday party of Luka's Great Grandmother Alice, so almost all of the entire family flew or drove in to celebrate. It was a blast. We rented out an old B&B in Mt. Dora. We ate breakfast every morning, played ping pong, horseshoes, walked into town. Lots of pictures.

Sugar high

Here is Luka eating THREE different birthday cakes! 

Birthday

Well we've been busy lately, so I don't think I've written a post since Luka has turned the big 1. Friday was his birthday and we took him up to Council Crest, which is a elevated area in Portland's West Hills that overlooks all of Portland (for the most part). On clear days (such as Friday) one can see Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier, and Mt. Hood from this spot. We were able to see all 4, although Mt. Hood was a half covered. After that Luka opened many many presents and ate a yummy (vegan) cupcake. yayyyyy for Luka!

Flashback

Luka having fun at Mae's 1st Birthday party!

One more day!

Man, I am so excited for Luka's big day tomorrow. Exactly one year ago he was still just an idea... I can't believe how much a baby grows in one year. It feels like I just started this blog not too long ago. I can't think of anything better than being a part of his life. He is so sweet, easy going, happy, and curious. He gives us hugs and kisses now, runs into our arms, points at what he wants... He loves eateries and being in social settings- yet he is not a bubbly outgoing baby. He is very observant and loves people. I think his personality is so great, and watching it get stronger and stronger is so crazy. I feel a huge responsibility to shape him in a way that meshes well with who he is and overcome my own fears and boundaries so that I don't inhibit him in any way. Anyway, we've been having a great time. His Oma and Opa have been visiting us for awhile, so he's loving all the time and attention. And next week (I can't believe it) we are flying to Florida. So he's a busy boy. 

Luka's Big Day

In less than a week Luka will be turning 1 years old!! Can we believe it? So much has changed since he's been born. He's changed, I've changed, Eric's changed. It's been real exciting to watch him transition from a baby to a toddler, but I'm also a little sad that he'll never be that small again. I will definitely miss Book Babies (we are soon going to move on to Tiny Tots) and his dependancy on me (and my milk- the nursing days are almost over). He's such a big boy now.

For his first birthday I had originally thought a party somewhere, but renting a space and inviting friends may be more complicated than needed. So what I think we will do is take Luka to the Oregon Zoo and have cake and presents at home (Grandma Patty & Grandpa Scott: we'll have the laptop ready so you can be there for it!) 

Walking

Luka can now pretty much walk. He started doing it last week- At first for only short distances, but now he can go pretty far as long as he does it slowly and takes pauses to regain his balance. Eric is going to take some video of it this week, and I will hopefully find a way to post it on here.

Lincoln City

On friday Eric, Drew, Luka, Oliver (Drew's dog) and I drove down to Lincoln City, OR and stayed at "Charlies Place" (beach-house) with Fern, Russ, Brooke, Brian, and their friends. The last stretch of the drive from Portland into Lincoln City is incredible... rolling hills, hazelnut orchards, vineyards, farms, etc. By the time we arrived it was already dark, so we could barely see the ocean. But, the next morning we had an amazing view from our window... a nice surprise to wake up to. After having breakfast with everyone we took Luka for a walk. He loved the sea gulls and the watching the tide roll in and out, and the erie sea foam creeping slowly across the sand. He also saw two horses walking along the beach. It was nice and sunny, but cool. It was such a fun trip... and I was happy to be near the ocean. Fern wanted us to stay another night, but we kind of wanted to get Luka back home to his own room and own bed (we didn't sleep very well), so we left before dinner. I'm looking forward to more trips like this!

Book Babies

Albina Library

Hollywood Library

If you're happy and you know it...

Clap your hands! Luka just learned how to clap, and he really has fun doing it.  When we are playing and I start to sing the "If you're happy and you know it..." song, he even knows to clap his hands.  It's amazing how he is beginning to remember our games and songs.

More snow in Portland

There's a decent downfall of snow this morning. I thought I wouldn't see a white Portland until next winter... but this morning sure enough the flakes started coming down around 6:30am... It's about 30F outside and it's sticking. One of Luka's favorite activities is to look outside our living room window, so he's been glued to it all morning watching the "schnee".

Where are all the pictures?

Life with Luka is seriously lacking pictures! I absolutely promise to take pictures of Luka this upcoming week at Book Babies and his new (favorite) activity, the baby gym! I wish I had found out about this one sooner. It's a giant gymnasium located at one of our neighborhood community centers, and every tuesday and wednesday morning it's packed with balls, padded blocks to climb on, tunnels, tents, rocking toys, and 9-15 month old babies. They're crawling everyway and some are even toddling. There must have been almost twenty little ones, including Luka- who was having the time of his life! So, pictures of this will definitely be posted soon.

Tough times

"We can only see half of anything. The other half is the meaning we give to what we see."

History in the making... so much has gone on last year, and there is much more to come. Great things are happening in this country right now, even though most of us are standing on shaky ground. What we knew as solid, secure, and true is no longer- our own existence and place on earth has changed. I think there will be a lot of introspection this year. Including myself. As things get a little rocky I just want to be sure of myself and my capabilities and future. Eric was laid off from his job today. That means neither of us are working.  Yet, I don't feel panicked or scared (although Eric is disappointed). I feel that people are going to have to re-examine and learn what is truly necessary and what is not... What has happened in the last thirty years that has put this earth in such critical shape... the consumption and greed. Bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger roads, bigger families. BIG. And what for? Eric and I are fairly simple, and I feel as if we live fairly humble, happy lives. We are going to get through this with optimism. 

More Steps!

Luka can take steps on his own... up to 5, and then stops and either plops down or lunges for me. I usually have to create some kind of bait, like luring a rabbit with a carrot, for him to move forward.  That makes me think he hasn't really developed a great interest in walking yet, but when he does I'm sure it won't take long before he's on the run.

Updates

Looks like it's been over a week since I've last written... I've been busy during Luka's naptimes.  First off, I'm applying to the University of Oregon's Art and Administration graduate program for this fall... so that's taken up some time.  And I've also been sending my resume to various company's- looking to work again.  Mostly part-time, but also full-time if the right opportunity comes along.  I'm holding my breath, though.

Luka has been great. We had a little scare the other evening when he began choking on a carrot bit.  I was freaking out, but Eric knew what to do.  That incident has led me to want to learn CPR and the Heimlich, and whatever else I should need to know!! I think it scared Luka, too.

...What else... I guess speaking of food, he has been eating regular meals now.  Among his favorite things to eat are: watermelon, pasta spirals, broccoli, eggs, potatoes, chicken, carrots, avocado, cantaloupes, bananas, and peas. He does not like oatmeal, tart apples or pears, and has little interest in anything pureed. 

Eric and I went out by ourselves the other night while Matie babysat, and that was fun.  We have also been looking at houses, but aren't prepared to make any offers until I have a job.  For now, we are still very happy where we live.  The apartment is small, but the location couldn't get any better (and the price is right).  Oh, and yesterday I was away from Luka for the longest length of time yet.  About 5 hours, and it flew by.  It was nice to be on my own, and it was nice to see that Luka and Eric got along great without me.

Smarty-pants

Luka is getting brighter and brighter on a weekly basis.  He is transforming into a toddler before our eyes.   Right now he can get down from furniture, crawl down the stairs, take steps from the couch to the chair. He has calmed down so much.  As an infant he fussed and cried so much, and even as recent as a month ago he still had his evening crankiness and fussiness.  But, now he is much more content, and rarely cries.  He only gets upset when we don't give him what he wants (a cup of coffee, a cell phone, the t.v. remote, a potato chip. etc).  Even at "Book Babies" he plays with other children differently than he had.  He's one of the only babies I've seen actually sharing.  A lot of them like to snatch toys out of other babies hands (and Luka does this, too), but Luka also likes to give it back.  He gasps in excitement when Eric comes home from work, and lifts his arms for Dad to hold him.  And you can tell he just wants Eric to hold and hold and hold him.  The only thing that is not changing is his sleep habit.  He still wakes at least twice a night and I have to go in and put him back to sleep.  But other than that he is growing and maturing in giant leaps.

Go Gators!

Go Gators

I love this picture

I just found this as I was going through my pictures... My brother Jan and  niece  Anna when she was close to Luka's age.  Now she is 7!  Time flies.