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The one that says Top Baby Blogs?

Well, do me a favor and click on it to vote for my blog as a Top Baby Blog. I'm currently #93 out of 600 or something. I'm pretty sure sweet Baby Lucca is better than a 93 :)

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Lucca, Lucca, Lucca

Lucca might just be the Name of the Year for 2009. Thankfully, it's no Emma, Madison, Olivia or Sophia, but it seems like it is getting much more popular. Everywhere I look, Lucca is popping up. My mom rips the name out anytime she sees it written in a magazine and I think she is up to 3 or 4 LUCCA'S on her refrigerator. There's a Lucca Couture clothing line, Lucca wine, two Lucca Delicatessen's here in San Francisco, Lucca restaurants in Boston, Portland, Sacramento and a Lucca boutique. Today I discovered a new Lucca item at Urban Outfitters...Lucca perfume! And it smells so good! I might go broke if the name gets any more popular because I just can't pass up buying things with Lucca's name on it!

Today was one of my most favorite days with Lucca. She is at such a sweet, fun stage of life. I always say I want to freeze time and keep her my little baby forever, but every day just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter! Today was just a typical Thursday, nothing planned out of the ordinary, but I just enjoyed the company of my 9-month old so, so much, all day long.

We went out to breakfast with Daddy. We went Christmas shopping. We played chase. We sang. We danced. We ate avocado's. We read books. And we cruised. Cruising is Lucca's current stage of mobility. (It now makes sense why we are in the Pampers "Cruisers" size...never realized the definition of the term when I first bought them...). She can get anywhere she wants to if she is hanging onto something. She cruises around the coffee table, the couch, my legs, cruises along the kitchen cabinets, the stove, the kitchen table legs, you get the idea. She's a mover!

Today was refreshing. Today makes me feel like we are doing something right. Today, we felt like we could have written Happiest Baby on the Block. And on that note, we are going to bed early, before anything changes :)

My Little Reader

All I Want for Christmas...

...Is my two front teeth!

9 months!

Little Miss Lucca will be 9 months old on Tuesday! We took her to her 9 month check-up and she is a perfectly healthy baby girl weighing 19.6 lbs and 28 1/4 inches long. I was surprised she's only 19lbs, I was convinced she weighs at least 25lbs. I guess I am just weak! :) She is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. We are so incredibly thankful for her good health.

Here's a lil' video of Lucca VS. The crinkly doctor's office paper:

Baby Boot Camp, Round 2

Our "once a good sleeper" has definitely not been a good sleeper lately. We kinda thought she was in a funk that she would grow out of, but not so much. Gone are the days of this family getting a good nights rest, so Lucca earned herself a one-way ticket back to Baby Boot Camp. Learning to sleep all over again. Crying it out. Oh, the joy!

We are only 2 nights in, but she is doing so good! We prepared ourselves for the worst, so the past 2 nights of great sleep have been a pleasant surprise, especially since mama & daddy are both sick. The goal of Boot Camp this time around is to get Lucca down without having to rock her for 20 minutes (hello, back pain) and to get her through the ENTIRE night without any feedings. I think we were breaking every rule in the parenting book, including nursing Lucca back to sleep when she would wake up in the middle of the night.

She is usually a good napper, after being nursed and rocked and set down. Trying to cut the rocking, so I nursed her, rocked her for just a minute to about 80% asleep (the magical 80% guessing game, right mom's?!) and set her down. She cried for 15 minutes and then fell asleep. I went in to peek at her and found her snuggled up to the crib bumper like this:

Whew. Whatever works. :)

(Fingers crossed she does good again for Night #3, considering my parents are staying the night with us tonight. Apologies in advance if not....)

Thanksgiving in Hotlanta

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Atlanta, where we spent Thanksgiving week with Rustin's side of the family. It was a looong flight from San Francisco, but we made it and it was so worth it! However, I am oh so very thankful I won't be confined to a teeny airplane seat with Lucca for 5 hours anytime soon. I'm sure the people sitting in front of us and behind us loved hearing us sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" over and over and over again. Works every time. New Zealand would NOT be possible at this stage of Lucca's life (glad we took her at 3 months old!!!).

We had gorgeous, sunny weather during our whole visit. Lucca LOVED hanging out with her Mimi & Papa. Mimi must have loved Lucca too because she so graciously took the morning shift with Lucca (i.e. playing with her at 6:30AM!) and let us sleep in several of the mornings we were there. Thank you, Sally!!! On our last day in ATL, the whole family went to the local park...one of Lucca's favorite things to do. Lots of photos of our trip below :)

If only she slept the whole 5 hours...

The beautifully remodeled Casa de Chao

Jet-lagged Lucca and her sweet cousin, Lia

Mema playing "this little piggy went to market..." with Lucca's toes

Three cousins in a wagon: Lucca, Lia and Christian

Swinging at the park with Mimi

Climbing through the tunnel like a big kid

Having a blast and showing off her teeth

Mama enjoying the slide more than Lucca...

And my favorite: my little Queen of the Monkeybars

Treehuggers

The highlight of our weekend was taking Lucca to the Redwood Forest for the 1st time. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world and are always reminded of that when we come here. Muir Woods is practically in our backyard, and we love going there. Usually we like to hike in to the National Park, but this time we did as tourists do and drove in :) This site is home to the largest and most gorgeous Redwood trees you will ever see. President Roosevelt liked it here so much he made this park a National Monument, and Muir Woods hosted the very first United Nations conference in 1945. There's your history lesson(s) for the day (you're welcome).

The trees are sooo big, not allowing much sunlight to get through, so it's FREEZING on a semi-cold day. I think the park makes more money selling coffee than it does on admissions. So we bundled Lucca up (except for the hat...which she has learned to take off) and walked/froze/shivered around looking at God's beauty. Thank you, iPhone, for capturing a couple decent photos of the amazing scenery.

Aquarium & Crying It Out (Good vs Evil)

I'm choosing to blog about our day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium right now, rather than focus on the fact that at this current moment, my sweet little baby is screaming her head off as we try the "Cry it Out" approach tonight. She is breaking my heart....

We spent the past couple days in the Monterey/Carmel area and today took Lucca to the Aquarium. She loved it and it was worth the steep price of $60 just to see her get soo excited while trying to touch the fish on the other side of the tank. OMG, why didn't anyone warn me about the Cry It Out nights BEFORE I had a baby???

So we walked up to the first exhibit/gigantic fish tank, and Lucca's face looked like this:

And then we took her out of her stroller to see the fish up close and personal. She was so excited and tried touching every fish that swam by, even the sharks (such a brave lil' thing she is...). Speaking of Lucca, it's now been 20 minutes of crying. Go to sleep little girl. Puh-leeeeze go to sleep. Dear God, make her sleep. Anyway, it was hysterical watching Lucca trying to catch these fish:

Trying to catch the Sea Horses:

Lucca's Best Fish Face!

We had such a great time. It's funny, Monterey/Carmel is where Rustin and I had planned on going for our "Babymoon" but it didn't work out with our work schedules before she arrived. So this trip felt kinda like our Babymoon, except this time WITH the bambino. We loved showing her all the sights along the coast, Pebble Beach, the Aquarium and driving the 17-mile drive with her. I'm sure we will take her back here one day and tell her all about how she has been here before :)

And more importantly, Lucca is now sleeping. 30 (LONG) minutes later...and I feel like I deserve a second glass of wine. And a gold medal. And 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

No more MUM-MUMS!!

So, I proclaimed my love for Mum-Mums too soon....before I saw (or didn't see, actually) the negative effects they had on Baby Lucca. They made her constipated for THREE DAYS!! Mum-Mums have been put away for now! Whew....I don't even want to tell you how many diapers we went through today, now that everything is flowing properly again.

Wow, I just blogged about poop. What a glamourous life...

Mum Mums

We've found a favorite baby product. MUM MUMS!!! These little rice crackers are a dream. Lucca loves them. Mama loves them. A little $2.99 box of heaven. We take Mum-Mums with us everywhere we go now. When mama goes shopping, Mum Mums keep the little one nice and happy in the stores :) When we go out to breakfast, we can give Lucca a Mum Mum while we eat. For moms on the go, these are perfect. Much better than Cheerios or Puffs because they can actually hold on to them, and much better than the Death Biscuits (teething biscuits) that are a total mess and choking hazard. These melt in the baby's mouth...unlike teething biscuits, and don't get all over their face, unlike teething biscuits! Could go on and on for my love of Mum Mums, can you tell?

One hand on the Mum-Mum, one hand on the toy (typical)

And she's saving that little piece on her chin for later!

BIG NEWS

We actually went OUT to dinner last night. Yup, that's the BIG NEWS. The end.

You should know...

1.) She's growing hair...finally!

2.) She matches her dresses to her eyes

3.) She has the cutest little baby booty in the universe

The Sweetest Thing

Is there anything sweeter in the whole world than a baby who sleeps like this?

Movin' Movin' Movin' ...and other updates!

This girl is on the MOVE. Since learning to crawl on Halloween, she is everywhere. And now pulling herself up to stand - on the recliner, coffee table, my legs, the wall...anything!! I totally understand now why every mom tells you the ever so cliche "they grow up way too fast" line, because my baby is certainly growing up TOO FAST! No longer can I walk out of the room to even go pee without making sure there is NOTHING on the floor that Lucca can grab and put in her mouth. And I thought being a mom was exhausting PRIOR to the crawling phase. Don't even say it...("just wait until she starts walking...").

Lucca's favorite new trick, other than crawling and standing, is waving. She waves bye-bye to Daddy every morning, and throughout the day too :) She stares at the front door and waves waiting for her Daddy to walk in. Very sweet, kinda sad! She makes everyones day when she waves at them. At the grocery store, post office, on walks...Lucca will wave at just about anyone or anything. And she still LOVES dogs. They make her squeal and giggle like nothing else!

Her favorite book is "Baby Animals: Flip-A-Face". I highly recommend this book for babies. We read this book several times every night before bedtime. Of course, her favorite animal in the book is the DOG, and if anyone knows what sound a Panda or a Fox makes, please let me know... You don't even want to know the sounds I make for those 2 animals. When we are done reading, Lucca picks up the book and hands it to me to read again. Quite amazing, right?!

Lucca's 2nd bottom tooth has popped through, making her sweet smile even more beautiful. Also making it easier to eat her new favorite foods: frozen mango, chicken, and Mum-Mum's rice crackers! Least favorite foods? Bananas, cottage cheese and peas.

We are so lucky to have this little gem as our daughter. The joy she has brought into our lives is endless, we are so thankful!!

Creepy Crawler

Lucca officially started crawling on Halloween! She's still perfecting her style and technique, but she is on the move!

Halloween 2009

Lucca celebrated her 1st Halloween as a pumpkin by day and a scary lil skeleton by night. Our cute pile of bones was the star of the show in the Sausalito Halloween Parade...such a fun night with all the kids in costumes. Halloween is way more fun with a baby!

Dear Mothers-To-Be

Just to let you know, at one point, we ALL had pretty high ideals on how we would raise our babies. Things we would NEVER let them do, see, watch, own, etc. I am reminded (daily) of oh-those-awful-things-I-would-never-buy when my daughter is playing in "her office" every day, something I said I would NEVER own, and if I ever did, it would NEVER be a fixture in our living room (along with a swing, and a bouncer too). HAHA. Jokes on mom. It's funny to hear moms-to-be planning their parenting approach, knowing that in a good 4 months, they will have completely tossed that approach out the window, realizing how unrealistic those ideals were...

Now, I am thanking my lucky stars for this horrifying, gigantic piece of plastic that entertains my daughter long enough for me to take a shower, fix a salad, MAKE THE BED, and for the love of God sit down for 5 minutes. I love this office. And yes, it typically sits in the corner of our living room (gasp).

Lucca enjoying her "office"

Other things on the list of "I would never":
1. Use a Pacifier - I've discussed this before....l-i-f-e-s-a-v-e-r. Parents who are against these are just crazy. And by the way, shoving your pinky in the baby's mouth every time they cry is the SAME THING as using a paci, people. Actually, way worse.
2. Watch TV - hahaha, Lucca would NEVER watch TV. Ever. Ever. Ever. She should be building with wooden blocks or learning to play a musical instrument instead, right? HA. Our favorite show right now? Sid the Science Kid on PBS. Enough said.

3. Electronic toys - Gross, just gross. Anything made of plastic that made ANY kind of noise or lit up was on the Do Not Buy list for my baby. And you guessed it...our Top 2 favorite toys are 1) the blinking stop light that entertained Lucca the entire way to New Zealand and back and 2) the Talking Caterpillar, that stops any baby I've ever met from crying. Including middle of the night screaming-bloody-murder crying. That caterpillar lives in my diaper bag, for JUST IN CASE moments. It also has become THE toy I buy any new mom.
4. Nurse my child to sleep - what a terrible habit to start. Just atrocious. Yeah, this is the way Lucca pretty much goes down for every nap. Where is my worst mother of the year award?

The list goes on. New mothers, beware. Your perfect parenting ways just might change once you actually become a parent. And I wrote this as a reminder to myself to not judge that terrible mother at the grocery store, who promised her super annoying kid they could watch Elmo if they would just stop screaming at the store. What kind of mother would use bribing tactics? ;)

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

Let the Halloween festivities begin! We took our pretty pumpkin to the Noe Valley Harvest Festival on 24th Street in San Francisco. Lots of Halloween excitement on a gorgeous fall day...face-painted kids, creative costumes, pumpkin painting, horses, clowns on stilts (scary), live music and a farmer's market. We kept picturing ourselves in a few years, with Lucca running around in a costume getting her face painted, going on pony rides and carving pumpkins. This year, she didn't have clue what was going on, but was a happy little camper/pumpkin strolling the street having a good time. In fact, she was having such a good time she didn't even mind when a bird pooped on her. Smart bird though, for finding the cutest kid on the entire street to poop on!

Lucca & her twin

Park Day

We had yet another gorgeous October day in Sausalito, so Lucca and I spent an afternoon in the park. Lucca loves dogs. She squeals every time she sees a dog. Mama likes dogs too, but not when the dog is a pitbull, laying on your baby's blanket. We had to kindly ask "Buddha's" owner to take him away (or at least put him on a leash!). I took Lucca on the swings, but this time all she could do was stare and smile at the blonde boy climbing on the jungle gym. Shh, don't tell her daddy!

Trouble...

"Hi Mama, I'm about to empty out this entire basket of toys and will not help you pick them up...but aren't I cute??"

these two capture my heart...

A daughter adoring her daddy? Or a daddy adoring his daughter?

Flower Power

There's nothing sweeter than our freshly bathed little flower <3

we have a tooth!

BIG NEWS!

Miss Lucca's 1st tooth popped through today...at exactly 7 Months old :)