Gear

Luke just graduated to his toddler car seat and when he turns 1 next week, he'll finally get to ride facing forward.

His first car seat (a gift from Auntie Carol & Uncle Armand) has certainly served him well. It has taken him through 11 states and all over one Canadian province. And carried him for miles and miles of walks while snapped into the BOB (our beloved stroller). It has hosted him for many a nap and for a few whole nights. And the poor old thing has seen its fair share of stuff spewing from Luke's top and bottom.

Here's a picture of Luke in his first car seat at four days old. So, two thoughts:

1. When exactly did he get so big?

2. Oh boy, we're going to go through a ton of baby/ kid gear over the coming years!

Victoria

This past weekend we continued working down our list of everything we want to do in the Northwest before moving, with a trip to Victoria. Located on Vancouver Island, B.C.'s capitol city definitely has a British feel. That's partially thanks to the rainy weather, the numerous options for high tea, the castle looking buildings--including the Parliament complex--and the Union Jacks everywhere. Oh, and the whale watching tourist boat called the "Prince of Whales"...so cheesy but how could they resist choosing that name.

We visited the Royal BC Museum, where Luke enjoyed the life-size wooly mammoth exhibit (and almost set the alarm off as he tried to climb up on the rocks... we received a stern warning from a guard). And we had dinner with some friends in the very formal dining room at the Fairmont Empress hotel, where Luke behaved exceptionally well. We also went to Butchart Gardens, a beautifully landscaped park with several different themed gardens.

It was a really nice weekend.

Houdini

This is how I found Luke when I went to get him up from a nap today. I laughed, trying to imagine how much effort it took to get out of the sleeve. Then it reminded me that we used to call him Houdini when he was born because he could get out of a tight swaddle in like 3 seconds. He never liked having his arms and legs all wrapped up and would Houdini his way out of anything.

So, ever the Houdini, now that I know that he can --at least partly-- undress himself, I'll be expecting him to get ready for bed on his own very soon. Hahahaha.

Portland

This past weekend was a long holiday weekend in British Columbia so we road tripped to Portland, OR, one of our favorite towns. It seems that other BCers had the same idea because we kept running into them -- at the border, where we waited an hour... on the streets, where we kept hearing "eh"... and sitting in a restaurant, where our table neighbors were a woman who is a patient at Keith's clinic and a nice couple that lives around the corner from us.

We stayed in a funky hotel downtown called The Nines, which was really cool. If you're ever in Portland, stay there.

It has a huge atrium with a restaurant, bar and lots of seating areas that looks like this:

We spent both Saturday and Sunday evenings there letting Luke explore while we had drinks and met some nice couples, including a fun couple from Chicago who were doing the same thing with their little guy. See the white chairs near the center of the room? That was our post. Luke was the mayor of the place, wandering up to anyone who paid him a little attention and charming them silly.

We love all of the unique Portland neighborhoods and spent time wandering around them, getting ideas for our new house in the furniture & lighting shops, and eating in some great local restaurants. Plus, it's the best town on the planet for local microbrew beer and pinot noir, which we love, so we tried our best to take advantage of that while remaining responsible parents. I think we did a good job :-)

The weather was typical Portland (cool and rainy with moments of extreme downpour), but you just stop being bummed out by that when you live in the northwest, so it was fine.

Luke was a trooper the whole weekend, from the long drive, to staying up a little too late, to trekking around town hidden under his stroller rain cover. In fact, he seemed to have a great time.

Here is a cute photo of Keith and Luke in our room, which was big on turquoise velvet. I wouldn't choose it for my house, but it worked here.

Progress

As we approach Luke's first birthday, I'm starting to reflect on how much he has grown and developed in just 11 1/2 months. I know, every kid grows and develops this much in the first year, but since it's our first time we're amazed.

I was watching some old videos of Luke, including the one below, which was taken on his first day at home - June 9, 2009. (Can you tell we were first-timers? We were inside a perfectly warm house but look at the blankets on the kid!)

Compare this video with the one I posted the other day... it's cool to see how much he has progressed in his brief time here.

And at this time next year I'm sure we'll be blown away by the changes between one and two years old. Actually, I'm sure he'll continue to amaze us for as long as we're around to watch him.

PS - since I didn't have the blog when he was born I'll be posting more old content, starting on his birthday. This one's just a teaser :-)

The Babe

Late last week Keith came home from work and asked what was new and exciting. I responded -- not much, except that Luke pooped in the tub -- first time.

So Keith looks at me with a bit of pity and says "oh, he finally Baby Ruthed." I thought about it for a minute and then started laughing... and laughing. I hadn't thought about that term for a long, long time. But then again, why would I have? You don't really think about a kid Baby Ruthing in the tub when you don't have a baby and your life is as neat and clean and hygienic as you choose it to be.

For the rest of that evening I would just think about Keith saying it and laugh to myself a little. That happens sometimes. Keith will say something that I then remember later and can't stop laughing about. It's true. I still sometimes laugh about things he said in 1999. I guess we just have the same sense of humor. It is shared only with my BFF Christina, who also thinks these things are hysterically funny.

Anyway...

I guess I had Baby Ruth on the mind, because today I was in our local video rental shop with Luke when we saw a tiny dog. Luke has recently discovered dogs and giggles/gasps in delight when he sees them. Most dog owners appreciate this and stop for a moment for Luke's enjoyment. This cranky old lady dog owner just abruptly said "Come-on Doodoo* let's go," as she dragged him out of the store.

I just chalked it up to cranky old lady who couldn't find a movie to rent.

So we're checking out with our movie when I smell something hot and steamy** (in a bad way). I instinctively take a sniff of Luke's bum, since that's a reasonable source, though it was much stinkier than his usual job.

Nothing.

So, I look around and sure enough, there's what must be dog poop on the floor. Right in video shop!

Ah ha! That's why cranky old lady rushed out!

I immediately think to myself "holy [Baby Ruth] that dog just Baby Ruthed on the floor in the video shop!"

Followed by thinking "how rude!"

I quickly consider telling the check out girl that a dog Baby Ruthed on their floor, but settled for "I think that dog just had an accident in here."

Thinking back, why did I say "I think..." it was quite obvious that he DID have an accident!

Check out girl then rolls her eyes and suggests that the guy working next to her should clean it up. There didn't seem to be too much of a rush.

Let me tell you, when Luke Baby Ruthed in the tub I was in a big hurry to clean it up! Then again, these video shop people were just kids... they won't be masters at quick poop clean up for many years.

Footnotes:

*Name changed for dog's privacy

**Keith refers to a bad Luke diaper as "hot and steamy" ...which, obviously, makes me laugh a lot

Foreign language speaker?

Over a week without a post... unacceptable!

To make it up to you I shot a new video of Luke "talking" today. I think it sounds a little like a foreign language; maybe he'll have an aptitude for languages, unlike myself. I wish I did.

Gracias por leer (that means "thanks for reading" in Spanish. I had to look up the Spanish word for read... even though I took Spanish in high school and one semester in college. Unacceptable, again.)

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day and we had a really nice day. The weather was beautiful all weekend (don't tell anyone but it doesn't actually rain in Vancouver ALL the time!) Keith got up to take care of Luke's morning routine. Then we went on a long bike ride with Luke along in the trailer. I rode behind the guys and could hear Luke "talking" the whole time. I think he was either saying "go faster Daddy!" or possibly "watch the potholes Daddy!"

We walked around our neighborhood for a while and had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

I vividly remember Mother's Day last year, with the anticipation of the soon-to-arrive baby. I COULDN'T WAIT to meet our baby! So, this year I feel very lucky that he is a healthy, happy, fun little guy who has enriched our lives so much.

The sweet sound of laughter

Luke had a prize winning, unprecedented giggle fit today. Lucky for you I caught it on camera.

And you should have seen him get going again when we watched the playback!

Bottomless pit

Now that Luke can feed himself you'd think I would have all sorts of free time. Well, now instead of spoon feeding him I spend his mealtimes saying "what, you finished all of that already?" and chopping up more food for our bottomless pit of a child. And I think we're very lucky that he will eat ANYTHING we put in front of him. Today he gobbled up steamed swiss chard and kale mixed into hummus, and was begging for more when it was gone. And he loves limes -- I mean, he'll lick a fresh cut lime all day long without wincing -- which I think must be weird for a toddler, right?

Since he's the child of two formerly very picky eaters, this easygoing eater thing can't possibly last. But then again, you never know.

Toddling Canucks fan

We've been practicing.

And since the Canucks are playing the Blackhawks (our two favorite NHL teams) in the playoffs tonight, Luke wanted to get in the spirit with his new jersey. The faux gold medal is from one of Keith's patients, who returned for a post-surgical follow up yesterday and thought he did a "gold medal job". He has actually received quite a few gifts and thank you notes from patients this year. Canadians are so nice. Good thing we're easing back into American society in also-quite-nice Utah. A move to somewhere rude (New York?) would be a rough transition!

New York

We're just back from a wonderful, whirlwind trip to New York. I loved being back in the city, though it was a bit different this time with Luke in tow. There was no leisurely shopping or late night cocktails. And maneuvering the BOB (our kick-ass stroller; have I never mentioned him?!) around the clogged sidewalks was at times challenging, but still worth it with all of the obstacles! Oh, and we were unfortunately in the thick of the Times Square car bomb scare, which happened on the street outside our hotel. Since the whole area was evacuated, we had to shack up with some friends in the East Village, and they were actually happy to see us -- even when we showed up on their doorstep at 1 am and immediately asked for one of their son's diapers.

Here are the highlights: Luke saw Rockefeller Center, tasted Patsy's Pizza, got Central Park dirt under his fingernails, played with a handful of new little friends, dined/ fell asleep in two nice restaurants in Midtown and Greenwich Village. And most importantly, he met--for the first time!-- his Uncle Bill and Aunt Jeanne, Cousin William, Scout, Aunt Barbara and Unkie Al. And he hung out with his Grandma and Grandpa Duffy. And he visited the Grimes crew, where he marveled at the older boys playing.

And he was a really good trooper the whole way.

Here are a few pics from our trip: