First Vacation to Key West

Lucien went on his first vacation and he had many other "firsts" throughout the trip.  It was Lucien's 1st road trip - a drive that was about 6 hours long.  Lucien's 1st stop at John Pennekamp state park in Key Largo.  And Lucien's 1st trip to Key West.  There will definitely be many more as Lucien had a great time down there with Grandma and Grandpa.  Luckily we were able to rent a few baby items from Holiday Baby so we had a high chair, stroller, and exersaucer all handy.  Lucien was so excited being down there that he took his 1st steps! He also started doing his 1st head nods, which unfortunately throw him off balance.  We went down to Fort Zachary Taylor state park (where Mommy and Daddy 1st met) and Lucien took his 1st swim in the ocean.  He couldn't dive down for lobster just yet but Daddy was able to nab 8 of them.  He loved meeting all the new people and watching the traffic lights change colors.  On our way back home he went to his 1st restaurant and ate lunch from the wooden high chair.  It surely was a big trip that tuckered out Mom more than ever but all the wonderful memories are well worth it.

Lucien and Mom swimming at Fort Zach

Lucien wondering "what just came out of the ocean"

Lucien almost got swept away but Mommy saved him

At the restaurant - luckily it was a "family" place

9 months and Counting

Lucien is now 9 months old.  He is not counting out loud yet, he hasn't even said his first word, but he is much more interested in his books about numbers and ABCs.  He has been growing taller and his little feet now hang over the edge of the car seat.  He is walking around any chance he gets and the brightly colored toys that once excited him get tossed to the floor and he's off looking for door knobs and cabinets.  He eats like a champ and loves trying bits off anybody's plate.  He is definitely not a

 picky eater and can eat all day long if given new foods to try.  His sleeping has improved but he still doesn't sleep through the night.  He wakes for a bottle once in the evening.  Now that he's 9 months it might be time for some tough love  to stop the nightly feedings.  But it might be too tough on Mom to her him cry

through the night.  

Next week we're taking him on his first big trip - the long drive to Key West.  He's going to love it down there with Grandma and Grandpa.  We're not bringing much baby stuff.  We know of a great company down there called Holiday Baby (www.holidaybabykw.com) that will have all the items we need.  Why pack the car when we can get it delivered?  Off to paradise...

The Sick Among Us

Lucien is 8 months old and he got his first cold.  It has lasted one week so far.  The super immunity powers of breast milk wore off and the whole family has been sick.  He has also been on the move more than ever and has incurred his first visible head bumps.  No pictures at this time - he looks like he went 10 rounds in a fight against the cat. 

Cars and Electronics

These are Lucien's favorite things along with his puffs, Mommy, Daddy, and his Blankie Buddy.  Lucien is now 8 months old and he is tearing up the house.  His crawl is faster and the transition to a stand is so quick that the remote controls go flying off the coffee table or into his mouth if you turn your head for a minute.  He spends hours chasing anything with wheels that rolls across the floor.  He is definitely a dare devil and is not afraid to let go of support while he is standing to test his balancing skills and try to take a step.  Luckily when he does fall, his legs shoot out like a gymnast on a pummel horse and stops his head from hitting the floor - Way to work your core Lucien!  

Lucien had a recent doctor visit and he got his last shots until his 1st birthday.  He maintained his height of 27 inches tall and weighed in at 18 lbs. 12 oz. 

He has had a change of diet lately and Mom is no longer breast feeding him.  8 months of mother's milk boosted his immunity enough to get him through life so far without a cold.  The hardest part was not weaning baby off but weaning Mom off.  It is so difficult to break that bond with your child.  I can almost understand how some Mom's breast feed their child until they are 3 years old...well, not really.

    

His change of food and his desire to explore has also changed his sleeping habits.  Lucien is finally sleeping through the night.  He wakes up at about 5:00 to eat and then goes back to sleep until 7:00am.  It's great to have a stretch of more than 6 hours sleep in one night.  Although, his naps have also changed and sometimes he goes through the day with only 1 nap in the afternoon.  That's a lot of time to entertain Lucien.  His favorite activities - he loves to get out of the house and just hang out outside, or go swimming (aka splashing), or go anywhere to smile and flirt with strangers.    

On the Move

Lucien is almost 8 months old!  Boy oh boy, he's on the run now...more like a slow crawl but he's moving quick.  Father's Day was a blast!  

We took Lucien to his favorite summer hangout, the pool at Grandma's place.  He loves to splash around in his Coolibar suit.  Lucien has 2 two teeth now and loves to munch down on whatever he can get his mouth on.  His favorite has been mangoes (since we have such an abundant supply).  I was told to try the "graduate" puffs and he loves them.  These puffs melt in his mouth and he can eat them non-stop.  I have to admit, I am guilty of tossing him a puff or two to stop his whining.  He has become coordinated enough to pick one up in his little fingers and pop it in his mouth.  He loves to eat!  But he also loves to expel the energy and run all over the house in his walker.  If you come over, Beware!  Your feet will surely get run over.  

Yum, that looks tasty...

I wanna PUFF!

Mango Season!

Lucien is now 6 and a half months old.   And Baby it is Mango Season!  We haven't had time to make any updates as we run around the neighborhood collecting mangos.  Spend our days cutting up mangos.  And get fat eating mangos.  

We're having a great time with him laughing and learning and playing every day.  He is just starting to sit up but still tumbles over every now and then.  He loves to stand up with assistance and jump around - a ball full of energy.  He's always determined to be in arm's reach of his toys and grasp them so he is starting to propel himself forward and crawl.  He's tried a lot of vegetables and fruits and loves them all.  He will never turn down a bite of slop or a spot of milk.  He's still waking Mom up in the m

iddle of the night but I'm used to it and have decid

ed to love the middle of the night attention from Lucien.  No teeth yet but one is bound to pop through soon to crunch down on the delicious mango.

Happy Mother's Day!

It is my first Mother's Day and I love it!  Thanks Lucien for the wonderful day at the spa.  We had a great weekend going on new adventures with Lucien.  We threw on the swim trunks and went over to check out Henry's new pool.  Lucien took a dip and splashed around before his little lips started quivering.  

The next day we took him out to the beach!  He's a beach bum in the making.  He loved to just sit back and watch the waves, Daddy fishing, and all the people playing around him.  

Lucien is almost 6 months old.  He's tried bananas, applesauce, and pears so far.  The pears are the favorite although they upset his tummy a little.  He's still drinking a lot of milk and Mommy is still producing.  We're going to start to give him pure formula to slowly wean him away from the breast milk.  

Lucien got a new toy last week - a walker.  He shuffles around the house in it, we're just thinking of ways to add a mop to the back of him so we can put him to work.  He already helps out in the mornings by pushing the button and opening the garage door.