Rainbow

Bon Voyage Michelle!

Last night, some Meetup Moms gathered at Chuys' to say goodbye to Michelle, who is moving to Ljubjana, Slovenia on Monday. Her hubby works for the State Department, so they get to live all over the place. Slovenia seems like a pretty sweet gig, though, snuggled between Italy and France, right on the Meditteranean coast. Awwwwwesome. Anyhow, we chatted over California tacos, ice cream, and margaritas (just tacos for me) and had a great time! Safe travels, Michelle!

Luke and Diego

Yesterday, we went in to Aunt Susan's office to sign our will & trust documents. We brought Luke along, and Susan had Diego, her grandson. Diego is the son of Phil's cousin, Dena. He just turned two, and they had a great time playing in the conference room. They crawled around under the table, gave each other bear hugs, and chased each other around the large table. Susan said she had never done a will signing so fast! I bet you can imagine why. ;) Apparently, Diego made quite the impression on Luke. For a few hours after we left, he would call out, "Diego!" He even asked us to draw a picture of Diego on the magna doodle during our evening draw-time.

On a side note, if anyone in Tucson is looking for a GREAT estate attorney, Susan Villarreal is top notch. Very professional and extremely knowledgeable!

Zoo Trip

In July, we purchased an annual zoo pass. We went for the first time this morning, and the weather was perfect. It was overcast and humid, but not scorching hot like usual. We saw all the usual characters, the tiger, lion, polar bear, elephants, monkeys, etc. We fed the giraffes (my personal favorite), which is always a highlight and fantastic photo op.

We went inside the education center and the docents were handling snakes. I am NOT a fan of legless reptiles, but I do not want to pass on that irrational (well, its not so irrational if they are poisonous, but these weren't) fear to my son, so we walked right up to them. I told Luke that these were bull python and corn snakes and we practiced making sssssssssssssssssssnake noises. I asked all sorts of questions so that the snake would not smell my fear. I learned that you cannot tell the gender of a snake without surgery or use of a "probe," whatever that is. I also learned that these particular snakes were senior citizens (12 years old), which made me a little less afraid of them. I was quite proud of myself. I didn't even hear my heartbeat in my ears, like usual. Luke didn't care for them, though. He wouldn't touch them. That's my boy.

Luke's favorite are the rhinos, and they did not disappoint. The male walked over to where we were and proceeded to relieve himself all over the wall. The force with which he relieved himself was quite impressive. My friend had to actually move her son farther away from the fence because she was worried about the splashing. The rhino was 10 feet away. Let's just say Luke was impressed. Maybe that will inspire him to begin potty training?

Snider Ladies Visit

Today my mom, sis, and niece drove down (!) from Phoenix to visit for the afternoon. We had a nice relaxing time just sitting and watching the kids play. And watching Phil take care of the kids, hee hee. We were being kinda lazy.

Luke and Shelby got along really well. There was the occasional power struggle over toys, and I think the adults did a good job of diffusing those. The kids were both very chatty and into everything. Luke gave Nana two big hugs, and wanted to be wherever Shelby was. Shelby also wanted me and Phil to hold her a few times, which was so nice since we don't get to see her that often. I'm starting to think she might remember us, but maybe I'm just being optimistic. She's a pretty carefree gal. I agree with Angie- they are going to be double trouble VERY soon!

San Diego Vacation

We just got back from our San Diego vacation! We were worried about taking Luke on such a long car ride, but he did great! I think it was because of his seatmates, who did a great job of keeping him entertained the whole time. He only cried 4 minutes of the 12 hours he was in the car, and that was at the very end of the trip! He did good at the restaurants also. His favorite was Burger King, where he got to wear a hat and eat "boogers."




The first day we were there was overcast and cool. It was the perfect day to introduce Luke to the ocean. Our hotel (Pacific Shores Inn on Mission Blvd) was great! We could see the ocean from our window, and the beach was a 5 minute walk! In fact, we walked most everywhere from our hotel. There was lots of restaurants and shops just a few minutes from our hotel!

We had been talking about the "beach" for weeks, and now he knew what we meant. He loved splashing in the water, digging in the sand, and playing with the "broke its," which is what he named the kelp that washed up on the shore. I would stomp the bulb part with my heel so the water would splatter out of it. I said, "Luke, I broke it!" He took that to mean the kelp was called a broke-it, and called them that the entire trip. Luke enjoyed getting buried in the sand, pretending to boogie board, and running up and down (and up and down) the beach. He never got tired! He wore all of us out!


The first night, we ate at a pub on Mission Blvd called "Hennessey's." We were almost done eating when we noticed this sign on the wall:

Phil's birthday was the 11th- that Monday, and it was now Thursday! Phil got his dinner for free!

The second day, we took a nice long walk up and down the boardwalk, played on the beach some more, and went to Seaport Village. There, I bought my vacation ornament souvenir. A few years ago, I started buying an ornament whenever I go on vacation. This time, I chose a sandpail with a reindeer coming out of it. Its so cute! I also bought fresh salt water taffy, which you can never find in Tucson. Cindy took Luke on the carousel, which he loved. And, when it was time to leave, our car wouldn't start! Triple A came in 15 minutes, replaced our battery, and we were on our way.



The third day we walked even farther up the boardwalk (Cindy's pedometer read 20,000!), and spent even more time at the beach! We boogie boarded till our hearts content, read magazines, chased Luke around, and hunted for shells. It was relaxing and fun, and I can't wait to go back!

Happy Birthday, Phil!

glitter-graphics.com

My partner in crime is turning 30 today! That age used to seem so old, but it doesn't anymore. Now anyone under 27 seems young! If that statement seems odd to you, just wait, you'll get there. Anyways, I'll be 30 in 9 months, so I'm trying not to make fun of him tooooooo much. Read about how Phil feels about reaching this big milestone, its funny. I love you Phil!

Next time won't you sing with me!

Luke is OBSESSED with his ABCs. He points them out everywhere, pretends to draw them (short little squiggles) on the MagnaDoodle, pretends to read books, and, as of today, knows 13 of the 26 letters (ABEHKLOPSTUWX). Although we've been singing to him since birth, the ABC Song is also the first song that he will actually sing along with. I'll even catch him on his own singing "koooooo arrrrrr essssss, teeeee you veeee...." Here he is, at 18 months, with his version of the ABCs...

13 Week OB Appointment Update

This might have qualified as the world's fastest doctor's appointment. I think it was 8 minutes long, start to finish. I gained five pounds in the past five weeks, which is good for me since I tend to blow up like a puffer fish when pregnant. Morning sickness is mostly gone, fatigue comes and goes, blood pressure was good, etc. She also did a good job of reassuring me that I am not some sort of gestational freak, and that it is normal to be "showing a bit" this early. She called it "muscle memory," and said that my ligaments and muscles that held the uterus nice and tight the first time are much more relaxed now, so even though my uterus is only the size of a large grapefruit right now, its sticking out. Take THAT, rude commentors. (Although since the baby is only about 3 inches long right now, and I've always had a little tum tum, its mostly pudge, but its PREGGO pudge, which is the good kind.)

The best part was that I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! It was strong and steady, and 156 bpm. It was a bummer Phil had to stay home with Luke, so he didn't get to hear it. For those of you on the Pink Team, the old wive's tale about heart rate being a predictor of gender indicates girl (above 140). But that is said to be a myth, so we'll see.

Next appts: 18 week appt on Sept 10 and the "big" ultrasound on Sept 11th! Five weeks to go...

American Boy

Luke's new favorite song is called American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West. Apparently, he is a huge hip hop fan, which is odd, because neither of us are. Hmmmm? Maybe he likes the beat? The ghetto fabulousness? The bling? Anyhow, its a catchy tune, and he just can't help breaking it down whenever he hears it. He even sings along... "boy!...boy!...boy!..." Enjoy!