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!