Thankful Tree

On November 19th, I took Hudson to his usual Gymboree class. They had leaves sitting on the counter for kids to say what they are thankful for and hang on the thankful tree. I asked Hudson what he was thankful for and offered some suggestions when he looked at me blankly: mama, dada, Luc, Disneyland, food, Mickey, toys, etc. and he matter of factly answered food. :) So that is what I wrote on his leaf and he proudly hung it on the tree. I love this kid so much!

10 Weeks

On November 18th, Luc turned 10 weeks old. Luc weighs 13 pounds 2 ounces. Luc has been calmer this week and has been taking a long nap in the middle of the day (about 2 1/2 hours) so that has been nice. Instead of eat, awake, sleep, repeat that Hud used to follow, Luc seems to be on the eat, awake, sleep, awake, sleep. He then repeats this about evey 3 hours. This past week, Luc went on a swing ride, he went to his first NBA basketball game, and he sucked his thumb. We also had one night this week were Luc slept a 5 1/2 hour stretch followed by a 4 hour one. That was the highlight of the week!

Clipper Game

On November 17th, Luc got to go to his very first Clipper Game! A friend of mine from Dancin' in Acton, Natalie, is a Clipper Girl and they were doing a special performance that night so we wanted to be there to support her. She was awesome and we had a great time. 

Avery's Birthday Party

On November 16th we went down to the OC to celebrate a very special little girl's 2nd birthday. Miss Avery is full of spunk and although she loves her bows and pink just like most little girls her age, her favorite thing is pirates. Isn't she awesome?! Hudson and Avery have been buds since they were babies and I'm so happy that we were able to join in on her Pirate themed My Gym birthday festivities this year. Hudson had a blast running around, jumping in the ball pit, zip lining, singing, and swinging around. Luc also got in on the action by riding his first swing. 

After the kids played and sang Happy Birthday they all got cupcakes. Because Hudson has passed the baked egg and baked milk challenges (and because the frosting was the kind from a tub) Hudson was able to have one. It made me tear up as I got to watch him be part of the entire celebration. It is heartbreaking as a parent to watch your child miss out on things, especially when they are too young to understand why, but old enough to know that they aren't getting to experience something everyone else is. It was a really special moment to watch him be a "normal" kid at a birthday party and experience the simple joys of eating a cupcake along with all the other kids. We had such a fun time and hope Avery did too!

Sarah's Shower

On November 15th, Luc and I went to Sarah's shower for baby Maddison. It was really windy, so Sabrina covered Luc with my nursing cover. Somehow it became a joke that she was his wet nurse and everyone had a good laugh. Luc was pretty good and I had a really nice time. I swear I was in a few photos from the event and I know I got one with Sarah, but I have no idea whose camera they are on (obviously none of mine). If I ever track them down, I will have to come back and add them, but for now I will just say it was a beautiful shower and I can't wait to meet Maddie and watch Sarah enter this new journey into motherhood. 

Luc 2 Month Doctor Apt. and Date Night

On November 14th Luc had his 2 month doctor appointment. Luc weighed 13 pounds 2 ounces. He was 24.25 inches and his head circumference was 39 inches. He was in the 70th% for weight, 93rd% for height and 44.45th% for head circumference. He had to be woken up half way through a long nap for the appointment and cried the entire way there. I nursed him as soon as we got there then changed his diaper. We haven't had any of the issues we had with Hudson so I was excited to show the doctor Luc's dirty diaper to demonstrate how normal his poops were. As soon as I opened the diaper though, I noticed it was green and had blood in it. I was devastated. Luc did a big burp then seemed to be content, meanwhile I was frantically texting Nic and trying not to burst into tears. After Luc's weight check and measurements we waited for the doctor. The diaper was sent for testing even though we both already knew what the result was going to be. Dr. Sethi and I discussed how we should handle this new information. We agreed that I would continue eating normal, but I would keep a food journal tracking everything I ate, descriptions of Luc's diaper contents as well as any behavior changes to try and decipher what was causing his stomach problems. Aside from the blood/tummy issue, Luc was healthy as can be. By the end of the appointment, my little sweetie fell asleep in my arms. 

That night Jenn came over and watched the boys for a few hours so Nic and I could have a date night. We grabbed sushi at Mr. Sushi then a pazookie at BJs. It was great to get out and I really savored my meal knowing that another elimination diet was most likely in my future. 

Visit from Vivian

On November 12th, Vivian and Ava came to visit us. Vivian brought us a delicious lunch from one of our favorite Thai places along with a very sweet big brother gift for Hudson. I am so blessed to have met Vivian and am extremely thankful for her friendship all these years. 

Magic Mountain with my Hud

On November 11th, Hud and I had a special date at Magic Mountain. It was so nice to spend some one on one time with Huddy and I'm sure he appreciated it. Magic Mountain is perfect because we don't have to drive too far and Bugs Bunny World isn't very crowded so we can do a lot in a short amount of time. We had a great time and I can't wait to make these outings a regular occurrence. 

As we were leaving, we ran into a friend of mine, Yassi, from college! It was great to quickly catch up with her. :)

Birthday Dinner

On November 9th, we went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my 30th birthday. Even though we all really wanted to go to Ruth's Chris or Roy's to celebrate, we knew it would be much easier with Luc to stay closer to home so we tried the steakhouse in town, Larsen's. It obviously didn't compare to those other two restaurants, but it was still delicious and it was really nice to spend time with my family and celebrate. 

Tiny Prints

On November 9th, we met up with Rachelle, Brandon and Ruby to get ceramic hand and foot print art made. I had purchased a gift card from Tiny Prints as a shower gift for Rachelle because I loved the ornaments I had purchased from the shop so much. This year, in addition to ornaments for the grandparents (this time of Luc's foot since they already have one from Hud) and ornaments of both boys for myself, I got a plaque made. Hudson is 2 years old and Luc is 2 months old so it will be neat to remember their hand sizes at this point. Ruby and Hudson had tons of fun making their imprints (Luc not so much) and we had fun spending some time with Rachelle and Brandon. We can't wait to see how these turn out!

That morning before we left, I snapped a few pictures of Luc in the adorable onesie Auntie Chelly bought for him. 

2 Months

On November 9th, Luc turned 2 months old. He weighs 12 pounds 10 ounces. Luc has been eating even more frequently lately and seems to be growing by the second. He loves to be close to me so baby wearing has become an essential part of our daily routine. Even though he struggles with sleep and can be gassy and fussy, he loves to smile. One of my absolute favorite things that Luc does is that he constantly wants to clench my shirt. It is so sweet. My smiley little cuddle bug makes my heart so happy. I just adore him. 

Jody's Party

On November 8th, I went to a party my sorority sister Jody was having. She has a little boy named Stepan who is only a few weeks younger than Luc (interestingly, Jody is a few weeks younger than me too). It was so fun to meet baby Stepan and see how much smaller he was than my big boy! I also got to see Amy, Katie and Miri. I love that I have stayed friends with so many of my college girlfriends and enjoy the time we get to spend together.

8 Weeks

On November 4th, Luc turned 8 weeks old. He weighs 12 pounds 5 ounces. Luc has been crying hysterically before sleep. He seems overtired, but trying to get him to sleep earlier doesn't help. He has been a bit congested and sneezing so maybe that has something to do with it. He has gone up to size 2 diapers (we should have moved him up sooner as he has been having tons of leaky diapers lately). Some nights he goes down so easy and other nights he really struggles. It is starting to seem like it is more than just the congestion that his bothering him. He seems to be gassy and as soon as the air is out, he is able to relax. Luc did end this week on a high note. He did a 5 1/2 hour stretch!  That was a welcome surprise after a somewhat bumpy week. 

Magic Mountain and Dinner Date

On November 2nd, Nic and I went to Magic Mountain with the boys. Tyler and Justin came to so we met them over at Tatsu. I took the boys to the waiting area so we could do a baby swap. Sabrina came to get a pass too and got there just in time to go on Tatsu with me. They held the entire row for us so Justin and Ty went again too. Then we all headed out together. Sabrina was heading to Palm Springs and the boys were heading up to Mammoth. It isn't very often that we all four are together so it was nice to spend that little bit of time with them. 

That night, my parents watched the boys so Nic and I could go out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We went to Kinza Sushi and loved it. We got Spicy Tuna on Krispy Rice, the Valencia roll, the Israel Hot lover roll and some combination of two rolls that our server came up with. We were really impressed and are looking forward to going back. My parents watched Frozen with the boys and even though we were only gone for a quick dinner, they had a rough time. Hudson was good, but Luc didn't nap, got overtired, then refused his bottle so apparently he was pretty upset most of the time. That makes it stressful to leave for any length of time, but we sure do appreciate it. It was so nice to have some time away. 

Justin's Football Game

On November 1st, we went to Justin's football game out in Lancaster. It was a really cold, rainy night so we bundled the boys up in the warm clothes they rarely get to wear. I insisted we take a few pictures before we left because the boys looked so cute!

Then we piled into the car to head to Desert Christian for the game. Thankfully it stopped raining just as we got there. Justin's girlfriend, Aubree, came to the game. Hudson adores her! Aubrees family and Sydney Baker came as well so it was a lot of fun catching up with everyone. 

Justin played really well and his team won 19 to 7! Hudson had a great time and Luc survived the cold! I'm glad we got to bring the boys to one of Justin's last football games. 

Halloween 30th Birthday

On October 31st, I celebrated my 30th birthday! How is that possible? We started the day watching Halloween movies in bed.

Then I made chocolate chip Halloween shaped pancakes for breakfast. Then we went to my Mom's Club event at the park. 

After that, we came home and started preparing for our friends to come over. I made chili, mummy dogs, count chocula chow, rice krispy treats, cupcakes and jack-o-lantern and cat cake pops. Our friends and family came over that evening for dinner and treats. The kids had fun playing together-I can't believe how quickly they are growing up! Of course, I am still taking advantage of the family themed costumes while the kids will let me. Since Hudson wanted to be Olaf, I was Elsa, Nic was Kristoff (I made his costume) and Luc was Sven. 

After dinner, we took Hudson trick or treating in Lindsay's neighborhood. Lucy joined us-she and Hud were too cute together! After the kids filled their pumpkins with lots of goodies poor Hudson can't eat, we went back to Lindsay's house where everyone sang me Happy Birthday. It's funny how much my birthday celebrations have changed the last few years since having kids, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love holidays so much and watching Hudson experience Halloween is the best gift I could receive. 

7 Weeks

On October 28th, Luc turned 7 weeks old. He weighs 11 pounds 15 ounces. Luc loves the ceiling fan in our room. He had done a few 4 1/2 hour stretches earlier in the week, but after noticing that his head was looking a little flat so we switched him from the rock n play back to his bassinet. Since the switch, Luc has been struggling to fall asleep and hasn't been sleeping that well overnight. Luc has been very smiley lately, especially after feedings. Being able to feed him and see how happy it makes him is a wonderful feeling as a mom. 

Pumpkin Carving

On October 26th, after visiting our local Pumpkin Patch, we came home and carved our pumpkins. Hudson was really into helping this year. We printed out a few Disney templates on-line and Hudson loved that he had an Olaf and a Mickey pumpkin. It was nice too that Auntie Beena could spend the day with us. :)

Lombardi Ranch

On October 26th, Nic, Hudson, Luc, Sabrina and I went to Lombardi Ranch. We go every year and have so much fun! Hudson had an especially great time this year! He loves pumpkins and was having the best time running through the rows of pumpkins. I'm so happy we have made this a family tradition. It is something I look forward to every year. 

Jen's Wedding

On October 24th, my mom, Lindsay, Luc and I drove to Temecula for Jennifer and Ben's wedding. I was sort of sick and ended up losing my voice on the drive down. Traffic was really bad and we ended up just barely making it to the ceremony. (A lot of people arrived late or missed it altogether). It was a beautiful ceremony and I was super relieved that Luc sat quietly through the whole thing (thankfully it was a short ceremony) After the ceremony, Luc took a nap while I enjoyed the cocktail hour. 

Luc was so good for most of the reception too. He loved dancing with me, took another nap, and even had some fun in the photo booth. I obviously wasn't able to totally let lose between feedings and cuddles (and having no voice to talk with people), but I still had a really great time and I'm very happy I was able to make it Jen's special day. 

The Magic Hanky

When one of my dearest friend's Lauren Ballard (now Shaw) got married in June I learned about a super sweet tradition that I knew I wanted to put into place for Luc. Unfortunately it was too late to do it for Hudson, but I figured this could be something special just for Luc. Lauren's husband Paul wore a bonnet home from the hospital when he was born. His mother had saved it along with a super sweet poem and photo of Paul in the bonnet and Lauren wore it on her wedding day. Luc didn't wear his home from the hospital, but I did take some pictures of him in it. I can't wait to give it to his bride someday along with the photos. 

Random Happenings

A few random goings on from our life:

10/19 Apparently Hudson wishes Luc would sleep too!

10/22 we made a pillow fort. Hudson thought it was the coolest thing ever! Luc liked it too! We spent quite a bit of time in there reading. 

That night I made speculoos stuffed white chocolate chip cookies.

10/23 Hudson had his ENT appointment. Everything looked good! 

That night Nonna and Opa stopped by for a visit. 

Hudson showed off his trike riding skills and helped us give Luc a bath.

10/24 This is how I get ready these days: Thank goodness for baby wearing. Is it worrisome that Hudson loves putting on make-up? lol.