Lucas: One!

We had originally planned on skipping birthday parties for Lucas, until he comes of age to more appreciate it (or to demand it).  But guilt got the better of us.  Matt had parties since 1.  So we wanted to play "fair".

So we had it intimate.  Well, as intimate as we could.  A small get-together of close friends' little babies, capping the age at 2.  This is so it would seem more like a party for Lucas and not for Matt!

Truth be told, I enjoy planning parties for my kids.  I love to DIY the gift packs, design the invite, choose a cake, and work everything within a budget.  Of utmost importance is that the kids are happy, and our guests have good food (and hence, happy!)

I get most of my ideas from internet.  Some, I steal outright but tweak it to what I need.

The invite.  There are many interesting fonts that you can download for free from internet that makes the invite looks good. The one I used is called "Pea Stylist" and even comes with some cute animals. Google "pea fonts"

I had a freehand in choosing a theme since Lucas hasn't quite shown a preference for anything in particular, so I settled for something simple.  Polka dots.  That naturally meant that I got my usual cake supplier, Room for Dessert, to do up a polka dot cake.  Debbie makes the yummiest chocolate cake (her carrot cake is our favourite, too, but since it was a kids' party, thought they'd take better to chocolate).

Gift packs to make little kids happy.  Daiso is my favourite stop to hunt for nice thank you gifts.  Got the little girls tea sets and boys drawing boards.  Daiso is also the best place to get plain paper bags to put the gifts in.  4 pieces for $1.99 compared to the posh shops which sell 1 piece for $1.99, or possibly even more!  They often run out the moment they stock up, so get yours early if you spot them.  Popular bookshop is another place I frequent to get gift pack fillers, in this case, I got a little book for each one of them.  I like personalizing the gift packs, kids feel happy to identify their names on the packs (well, not yet for babies, but I do it anyway).

     

I do not like catering food because most of the time, it ain't that nice, and it's also hard to cater when the party is small (most require a minimum of 25 pax).  So I have a few food ideas that I rotate around the various parties over the years.  This time round, it is the famous Tian Tian chicken rice.  A hit with kids, and who doesn't like chicken rice?!

Oh of course, toys to keep the kids occupied and happy.  I usually rent one big toy, and some smaller supporting ones so the main toy doesn't get too crowded.  Some kids also prefer to play quietly by the side and not jostle with the crowd.

Lucas was very happy at the party.  Not the first time he was with so many other kids, but this was one he was happiest at.  Maybe it was the combination of a good nap and full tummy .. Am glad I did this little celebration for him.  Till the next one few years down the road ... maybe when he is 3 or 4 ... Happy birthday, Lucas baby!

Lucas Again

He continues to amaze me with his physical development.

Upward mobility at 7.5 months

In really a blink of an eye, my little Lucas is not very little anymore.  He will be 9 months in a few days' time.  To be honest, I don't get to spend much time with him, or maybe I feel more so lately because school's out for Matt.  It's a joy to be with Lucas.  Indeed, he lives up to his name: a bringer of light.  Whenever he smiles, his eyes smile with him.

He loves loves loves going out.  Happy as a bird, cooing, laughing, babbling, all the way out, all the way home.  Here my recent 2 favourite pictures of him:

 

We found his most ticklish point!  I heart this video!

Lucas Vs. Matthew

The thing with having a no. 2 is that there's an idea what to expect and there's, well, a no. 1 to compare notes against.

Not that I am a big fan milestone, remembering exactly when Matthew did what when, but I have a general sense of when things happened. But precisely because Lucas is so ahead in most areas, I can't help but note how differently, and quickly, he has developed compared to his brother:

 

Lucas first showed first signs of crawling in his 5th month, followed shortly by his very cute bunny-hopping, and he nailed crawling proper within the same month.

He then pulled himself up and stood strong, also in his 5th month.
 

Even his first teeth were out towards the end of his 4th month!

By and large, Lucas was generally more alert and his awareness of his surroundings also came through earlier. Maybe it is a personality trait: Matt has a more tidak apa la di da di da attitude so anyone could carry him till he was about one year of age, but not my little Lucas.  He wailed when carried by strangers as early as 3 months.  Whenever we visited my in-laws in his early days, he would squint his eyes and study the different environment he was in.  Needless to say what happens during his excursions out of the house, whether to the park or the church.

Maybe it was because Matt was our first kid, and he had our undivided attention and care, and we watched him ferociously, watching his every move, and molly-coddled him every step of the way.  We minimized changes to his routine.  We hardly brought him out in his first year, keeping him at home partly because we were both working then, but also partly because we focused on building up his immunity by not exposing him to the world while he was little.  But for the times we did bring him out, I do not recall Matt because as curious as Lucas now. Character-wise, they are very different.  Matt was (still is) a cool kid: very good-natured, loves peace, non-confrontational.  Lucas, well, he is one fiesty kid.  He would fight with us and his kor kor for everything.  In more than one occasion, he literally snatched the iPad from Matt.  Poor Matt would just look at us helplessly.  Lucas cries for everything, whenever he doesn't get his way, or is plonked into the playpen to be by himself.  Maybe Matt had everything his way in his time, so we never quite saw this cry-baby trait in Matt when he was little like Lucas.

Matt looking perplexed at why his cousin was crying to hysterically

But one thing for sure, I have two happy boys.  They have smiles that make me feel nothing else matters.

Matthew, 2+ months

Lucas, 6+ months

Mobility!

Ok, another quick blog before I lose my chance to catch that 40 winks!

He is only 5 months old, but Lucas looks like he is about to crawl. He is growing up way too quickly!

I heart his ass swinging like that! :-)

Lucas at 4 months old

Maybe start with the most recent.

Lucas, despite our assistance in helping him flip over by lifting his Shakira hips, has not shown much interest unless WE placed him directly onto his tummy. Yesterday, he decided he would entertain and delight us. Here's him doing his first flip all on his own.



He is one fiesty baby. He YELLS whether in good or bad mood. Which is really irritating.

He adores his big brother. If he is in deep slumber, he would wake up if his brother so speaks. A friend mentioned that it was true with her daughter as well. Apparently it is because he heard Matthew's voice most clearly in my pregnancy cos Matthew's height is round about my belly. Whatever the explanation, he tracks his brother's every move if the latter is in his line of vision, and searches for him when he hears his voice. And smiles.

Oh, and he has a smile that lets him get away with murder.

He was one guzzler for 2.5 months, then he decided he would go ona nursing strike. Still at it, since around Christmas. He can go up to 7 hours without any milk intake. He would no longer engage in any direct feeding, and I really miss that. So I pump through the day, not fun at all! Despite the strike, he weighs a hefty 8.2kg at the last check-up few days ago where he received his first dose of vaccination. A small yelp, somewhat a delayed reaction AFTER the needle came out, but a brave boy nonetheless, just like little Matt.

Lucas is a very curious baby. He looks around and observes his surroundings a lot earlier than Matthew did, for all that I can recall. He observes people, photos, paintings, sofa, my bedroom, Matt kor-kor at play, the skies, the trees, the car. He has never fallen asleep at the church despite it being his nap time because he was often surveying other children or perking up whenever we sing.

Lucas at 3 months 1 week and 3.5 months

I am enjoying my time with Lucas a lot, and yes, I will say it again, they just grow up too fast!

The Celebration

In the midst of gloom, I tried to do things to cheer myself up.

We had a small tea time gathering for Lucas' full month, and had close friends come visit. We had, till then, largely declined visitors in the first month due to my medical condition.

It didn't happen without added stress of planning. Looking back, though, I am glad to have organized it. It was good to break away from the monotony of breast-feeding and hang out with some friends for a bit. A simple get-together, and a reminder that there exist a wonderful reason for celebration.

Darling Lucas, one month old

Presenting Baby Lucas

He took his time to come into our embrace, but no words can describe the joy of cradling another newborn in my arms once more. O, praise ye Lord, for this amazing gift and blessing.

Our baby Lucas, born 30 September 2011, weighing 3.7kg and standing tall at 53cm.