Celebrating with Family

Saturday Dad took the girls out to a Stars game while uncle Ivan and Sarah bravely babysat Bubeaner.  They enjoyed the extra alone time playing and getting to know Bubeaner.  And Bubeaner was on his best behavior for them too.  He even took his afternoon nap without a fuss.

Momma's other car is a zamboni!

(The jersey barely fit over the Bubita belly)

We enjoyed a great game even though the other team played a little dirty our team still won!  We were a little more aware about any flying pucks during the game.  We did not want any pucks anywhere near Bubita.  Although Bubita appeared to enjoy the game.  She would get so excited kicking and punching any time someone slammed into the panes in front of us or when we had a power play.  The girl might be even more feisty than we expect.  And she will be ready for next season in her adorable baby jersey.  Bubeaner also got a new one since he has outgrown all of his too.

Aunt Lari, aunt Pau, Momma and Dad enjoying a great game

We all headed out for dinner to celebrate uncle Ivan's 30th birthday in the early evening.  He even humored his sisters by wearing a silly birthday hat out in public.  It was nice to spend time chatting and laughing sharing great food.  And our wonderful spring weather had a surprise for us as we left the restaurant.  It was snowing and quite hard too!  We woke up to a white covered neighborhood.

Sarah and Ivan

Bubeaner coloring at the table

while waiting for our food

Bubeaner went to bed as soon as we got home.  He would have loved to stay awake for cake and presents but it was bedtime.  Uncle Ivan humored us making a big show of blowing out the candles.  And we all enjoyed the cake and teasing uncle Ivan about his presents.  

Bubeaner wishing his uncle a happy birthday

before going to bed

Ivan with his birthday cake

Sunday we took it easy and relaxed at home.  We played some board games and enjoyed spending time together.  Eventually, we had to take aunt Lari to the airport so she could return home.  And a little later uncle Ivan and Sarah had to leave too.  The house felt very empty without everyone here.  But we look forward to spending more time with family in the summer. 

An exhausted Bubeaner after the family weekend

The boys relaxing at home

A World of Adventure

Dad returned from his business trip yesterday to a family thrilled to see him back.  And Bubeaner was so excited he decided it was a good time to start walking on his own.  He walked to and from Dad while Dad unpacked and settled back home. Bubeaner still prefers to crawl and knee-walk, but he's continued to walk on his own since then without being coerced or encouraged.  This might, MIGHT, be the turning point. YAY!

Bubeaner walking around the bedroom on Friday morning.

Friday afternoon we left Dad resting at home while Meme'Licia, aunt Lari, Momma and Bubeaner headed off to the Dallas World Aquarium.  Aunt Lari had fond memories from her first trip there 7+ years ago.  We decided to take a little field trip to visit it since aunt Lari had been forced to work (i.e. humor her sister's desire to have the master bedroom and living room painted) during the majority of her spring break.  Of course, we did not take into account that EVERY ONE else in the metroplex might also be on spring break AND might choose to visit the DWA that day too. 

Chillin' while waiting in line to enter.

We waited quite a while to get inside.  Once inside, we discovered it was ridiculously crowded.  There were people bumping into us at every turn.  It took forever to go through the rain forest exhibit.  Bubeaner insisted on walking (holding hands considering the crowd) but soon his good humor deteriorated into an outright fit with stomping feet and loud screeching.  It was to our benefit that all the noise from everyone else drowned out his tantrum.  And, though we do not condone tantrums, it was a little understanding.  He wanted to walk and move and instead was forced to stand still waiting for adults (that should no better) to move through the exhibit.

Bubeaner and Momma trying not to freak out about the large crowds.

We also discovered that, although it is named the Dallas World AQUARIUM, about two thirds of the exhibits we NOT marine life.  We liked the monkeys and birds but for that (with much better view and less crowded) we can go to the zoo.  It was quite a disappointment.  Although, Bubeaner did enjoy the little parts that included fish and turtles... when we finally got to them.

Bubeaner enthralled by the fish.

He could have spent all day watching them.

The turtle in this exhibit would swim back and forth 

playing with Bubeaner

Exhausted and disillusioned we finally decided to head home.  We might consider another visit when it's less crowded.  But we might also just wait until Bubeaner is a lot older.  For now, we will stick with the zoo.

Aunt Lari and one of the three lonely little penguins

in the "large" penguin exhibit.

Upon our return we were greeted with uncle Ivan and Sarah!  They had decided to drive up to celebrate uncle Ivan's birthday with all of us!!!  Bubeaner was overjoyed to see them.  He ate his dinner at home and was supposed to be asleep in his car seat while we went out to dinner.  Bubeaner would not have any of it.  After all, we were at our favorite Thai/Japanese restaurant.  He knows the food.  He loves the food.  And he even insisted on eating dinner again!

Bubeaner started with his favorite: Nanas!

And how could he not try at least a couple of eel and avocado rolls?

More Sleep?

Not really sure what we've done or changed or not done, but Bubeaner has been going to sleep from 6p-730a two days in a row!!!  He has fussed a little in the middle of the night but gone right back to sleep.  And he has only taken an afternoon nap too.  It's still not the 3 hour nap of before, but at least it's getting a little longer.

Of course, tonight things were a little more difficult.  He was fussy, crying even, for almost an hour.  We read a night time story, said our prayers, sang bedtime songs, and even watched Elmo BedTime video.  Nothing!  Finally, we just had to let him cry it out.  It may have been because Meme'Licia was home sick today.  And John is such a creature of habit that we just threw off his schedule a little than from when she's here.  

We have not gone to daily mass this week either.  We may attempt it tomorrow depending on how Bubeaner sleeps tonight.  Although, the odds are not looking good considering the late bedtime.

Enjoying his afternoon snack while watching Plaza Sesamo.

 He was very attentive.

Momma may have inadvertedly taught Bubeaner that passing gas is funny.  He did it while being rocked to sleep and Momma laughed tickling him.  Bubeaner then kept forcing himself to do it again trying to make Momma laugh again.  And it worked.  This may not be as cute and funny when he's a little older.  Aunt Pau said Bubeaner will probably be tormenting Bubita with his new trick.

And Bubeaner continues to expand his vocabulary.  He's so proud of himself now when he uses the appropriate words and gets a prompt response.  His favorite word (other than "NaNa") is "Guagua" for agua (water).  Bubeaner has also now been using LariLari or LaraLara to get his aunt's attention.  He knows what to do to get the most love and attention.

We also started taping Plaza Sesamo (the Spanish version) rather than Sesame Street.  And surprisingly, Bubeaner really sits and watches it!  He follows along and pays attention.  He may just not have been interested in Sesame Street because he didn't understand it.

Bubita continues moving.  Today, she did a lot less kicking but a lot more stretching.  And surprisingly, the stretching actually is more uncomfortable.  We keep explaining that no matter how much she pushes, she's just simply not getting any more room.... at least for a few more months.  Stubborn child refuses to understand.  At one point, her little heel or hand could clearly be seen on the belly.

Surviving Daylight Saving Time

Bubeaner went to bed a half hour before his normal bedtime in deference to Daylight Saving Time.  He did not fuss and actually slept pretty well.  Unfortunately, he woke up crying (his something-is-not-right-I-NEED-my-PARENTS cry) at 530a (430a pre-DST).  We cuddled and rocked until he calmed down.  However, there was no way to get him back to sleep.  By that time it was already well past 6a and time to get ready for mass. 

SWEET REWARDS:

There were donuts, fruit, and juice for the early risers 

that remembered to set their clocks ahead and made it to church.

We made it to mass with plenty on time although we ended up going on our own.  It's too early to expect guests to attend even without taking Daylight Saving Time into consideration.  The church was EMPTY.  There were about as many (few) people as we get for daily mass.

Bubeaner was so much better behaved today.  Momma did end up bribing him with some Os since we had missed breakfast.  And then the best reward of all?  Bubeaner thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate donut with sprinkles provided by the hospitality team.  Momma enjoyed some too; Bubita needed it.

Bubeaner getting love from aunt Lari.

He was complaining how little love and cuddling he receives.

Back home, we both took a much needed morning nap after a light brunch.  Bubeaner had a great nap and even took a decent afternoon nap.  We will see how well/long he sleeps tonight.

And now onto major bragging about our awesome little Bubeaner.  Before he was even a year old, we started teaching Bubeaner to put away his toys every time he left his play area.  Some people/friends thought we were nuts since he couldn't really put them away or even help us at that time.  However, Saturday he put away his toys BY HIMSELF after his morning play time!!!  AND he put them away in the correct boxes!!!

Bubeaner coloring.

Our little Picasso is getting pretty good.

And last night, he buckled himself into his highchair!!!  We were able to get video, but, alas, no pictures.  He has since also tried to buckle his car seat.  Thankfully, he has not tried to unbuckle himself yet.  That moment may not get us as excited. 

Bubeaner meltdown.

 Momma thought he was done coloring and put away his crayons.

And, at Lauren's party we had corroboration to what we already suspected: Bubeaner could most definitely walk alone... if he wanted.  When he was helping out Lauren with her presents, he forgot and actually walked.  SEVERAL TIMES.  UNASSISTED.  Of course, when it quieted down and he became aware he stopped.  Oh, well.  Surely, he can't go to kindergarten holding hands when he walks.  Right?  In any case, it's back to his gym class.  Maybe seeing all the other kids running around will encourage him.  (And by kids, we mean cute girls.  We know our child; the boy is a flirt!)

And Bubita has reached a HUGE milestone too.  We are at 24 weeks; one of the earliest points at which babies may survive outside the womb.  Now, we have had serious talks with Bubita about how she still has to stay in there at least 12 more weeks continuing to grow.  But  it just means we are getting closer and closer to having her here safely because 12 weeks right now sounds so, so far away.

Party Time

Well, Dad's going to get back to find a pair of raccoon-eye loved ones at home.  Bubeaner and Momma continue to have problems sleeping through the night.  We are not sure why Bubeaner is not sleeping through the night: not getting his full afternoon nap, needing two naps instead of one, missing Dad?  We are not sure how he is going to react to Daylight Saving Time.  Momma's reasons are missing Dad and Bubita growing and growing and growing.  There really just isn't a comfortable position anymore.  Not sure how we are going to spend the next 3.5 months...

Bubeaner sharing Momma's lunch.

The morning was spent quietly at home.  We really did not have to be anywhere until lunch time when we picked up aunt Lari at the airport.  Bubeaner was delighted to see her.  We indulged in a delicious lunch.  The problem was that we also OVERindulged in the French pastries available at the restaurant.  It was hard to resist since Dad had enticed Momma in the wee hours of the morning texting details of the delicious chocolate croissant he had enjoyed for breakfast.  (This is not a great idea when there is a baby in the tummy....  overindulging may lead to major, all-day-long indigestion.)

Preppy Bubeaner waiting for Momma's pastry order

After a late nap time, we rushed to little Lauren's 1-year birthday party.  Bubeaner used to get really happy when he saw her picture and insisted on giving the "bebe's" picture kisses.  He was indifferent when he first saw her.  But that changed after we were there a little while.  He then insisted on sitting next to her when she opened her presents.  Bubeaner even showed her all the details of one of her new dolls.  And Lauren also appeared to enjoy Bubeaner's presence.

Bubeaner showing Lauren her new doll's bottle.

He also found plenty of books to read. 

Bubita continues her belly Taekwondo work outs.  She'll probably be ready for her black belt at birth.  She has also modified her dramatic reaction to hiccups.  And more importantly, she allowed aunt Lari to feel her move!  Bubeaner was not as cooperative when he was in the belly despite the fact that aunt Lari had spent the entire summer with us.

Bubeaner enjoying dinner with aunt Lari.

TGIF

We are another day closer to having Dad back with us.  YAY!  We miss him terribly.  But we are so happy because we are having more visitors!  Aunt Lari, uncle Ivan and Sarah are coming for a visit!!!

Bubeaner not sure about this supper of Momma's cereal. 

We were able to chat with him via Skype today.  Bubeaner was quiet and unhappy for the first few minutes.  He tends to do this when he's not happy with someone, and he was not happy with Dad for leaving.  But after a while he forgave Dad.  Bubeaner spent some time showing Dad how his Coupe worked in case he had forgotten during his trip.  Bubeaner then spent some time "typing" while he chatted.  It was wonderful to see him even though it was through the computer screen.

But then again, food is food.

The rest of the day was spent quietly at home.  Bubeaner again woke up extremely early today.  And actually needed two, albeit short, naps again.  We were still able to take a nice stroll through the neighborhood enjoying our wonderful spring weather.  Sandy was even able to join us.

But his true love are his "NaNas"

Today we also had a an inspection from a childproofing company.  We had considered doing it a while back, but when Bubeaner had his little Poison Control incident, it cemented our decision to go ahead and have another set of eyes look over our home.  Overall, our home appears to be pretty safe.  However, there were a few items that we can change to make it just a little safer.  This news made us feel better about Bubeaner and Bubita playing at home.

As to Bubita, we are not sure exactly what she is up to inside the belly.  Bubita appears to be stretching her arms and legs to their full extent.  She stretches so much that it's actually uncomfortable at times, but we love to see and feel her moving.  And so far today, she has not had any more bad hiccups.

No Dad, No Sleep

Goodness, goodness, goodness!  We miss Dad a lot.  And Dad misses us too.  It appears that other than Sandy, no one else is getting a full decent night's sleep because we are apart.  Although Bubeaner did sleep a little longer today.  It's funny how 5a sounds so much more decent recently.  He did manage to take a little nap and not really start the day until 730a. 

Silly Bubeaner looking like a little man.

We have completely given up on attending daily mass this week.  Bubeaner has been behaving a lot better; we have not had a repeat major tantrum, but we've decided to take it a little easier.  And since we were running around so much this morning, we thought it best to not take Bubeaner to the church group for a visit.  Of course, we may have cleared that by the group grandmothers first.  They were not pleased not to have a Bubeaner visit.  Bubeaner will most definitely be stopping by next week.  You don't mess with grandmothers... or any type.

Bubeaner out for an afternoon stroll 

around the neighborhood.

A reason for Bubeaner's better mood might be that three of his molars have cut through.  YAY!  The fourth one looks about to cut through at any moment.  But now it his incisors are also almost ready to come out too!  In a couple of weeks, Bubeaner may truly have a mouth full of teeth!  And hopefully, he will also feel a lot better by then too.

Petting (or smacking the heck out of) Sandy saying night-night.

Notice her thrilled expression.

Today during his afternoon stroll we visited with Mr. Jimmy.  He was thrilled to see Bubeaner out and about.  Bubeaner showed him how well he could use his little toy walker.  He then proceeded to visit with a little neighbor girl.  She was thrilled to be playing with "her baby".  Bubeaner spent the rest of this stroll picking (destroying) little yellow flowers (weeds), torturing a little unfortunate flying bug that landed near us, and trying to pick up a lady bug (Momma intervened on the last one). 

Bubeaner and Momma cuddling before bedtime.

Thanks to aunt Pau today we deciphered another one of Bubeaner's favorite words.  He goes around saying "NaNa NaNa" throughout the day.  We just assumed it was a sound he liked.  But it turns out it means "naranja" (orange)!  And he loves oranges.  Actually he likes anything in the citrus family specially if it happens to be orange: oranges, clementines, mandarins, grapefruits.  He loves them all and can't get enough of them.  He eats about a 5lb bag of clementines in 10 days.  Bubeaner also said "Meme" today which thrilled Meme'Licia.  He didn't repeat it, but it was pretty clearly anunciated.  We'll be paying even closer attention to all the babbling he does trying to decipher more words.  It turns out we are learning a language too, not just Bubeaner.

Missing Dad

Guests or no guests, we did not sleep well last night without Dad.  Momma could not go to sleep til late missing Dad. 

Solemn Bubeaner

Bubeaner appeared to be on UK time like Dad and woke up ridiculously early.  We all "enjoyed" his very loud monologue that started with calling out for Dad but continued for at least two hours.  He was not crying, was safe in the crib, and it was still too RIDICULOUSLY early to get him up and start the day... even by Bubeaner standards.  However, Momma later felt horrible when she realized he might have been cold (forgot to change the heater on) and he had a wet, wet diaper.  Sigh.  We are not likely to let Bubeaner self-soothe in the future without first checking his diaper and room temperature even if he's not crying or fussing. 

 Absolutely adorable face!

Bubita was also not immune either.  Most of the night she suffered from what can only be the longest bout of hiccups in history.  Poor munchkin would be shaken so much Momma's entire belly would shake.

Bubeaner was thrilled 

to spend some time playing after running errands.

The only one that slept undistubed was Sandy.  Momma woke up to find her snoring on the bed (she's NOT allowed on the bed) sleeping on Dad's pillow! Silly, spoiled dog.  She takes her guardian dog status seriously too.  She's been extra sensative to any noise/sound.

The rest of the day was spent running errands.  We did have a late start because of the unexpected severe thunderstorms which included pea-size hail; according to the weather forecasts we only had 10% chance for showers!  But we managed to get our grocery shopping done as well as get Momma a new phone (finally).

 He even enjoyed spending some time reading.

Bubeaner was thrilled when he finally got time to play with his toys.  He also love getting some loving and cuddling from Meme'Licia.  And after dinner, Momma and Bubeaner spent a good amount of time cuddling before bedtime. 

Change and More Change

Well, we start our next two weeks of change today with people coming and going.

Bubeaner decided it was good day to get up extra special early.  But we couldn't get upset since it gave him additional bonding time with Dad.  And today that was even more important.  Dad left on a business trip.  We are not sure if Bubeaner sensed it, but he was much better behaved today.  We still did not attempt church today because of other preparations we had to make for Dad's trip and our first set of visitors.

Bubeaner spent most of the day playing and over all we did not have any major tantrums.  He was reprimanded a few times by Meme'Licia, Dad and Momma for throwing toys down in frustration.  His impatience flares his temper.  But he needs to learn that is not appropriate behavior.  After each incident and reprimand, he resumed playing normally.

Bubeaner has not yet appreciated that Dad is not home.  He spent a lot of time with Dad in the morning and we were even able to share lunch together before the flight.  And Bubeaner is usually asleep by the time Dad gets home....  Although he did look up excited when aunt Pau got home today; he expected it to be Dad.  Tomorrow may be a completely different story.  (Sandy has already been moping around the house.  She was sitting by the garage door this afternoon waiting for Dad to get home.) 

But since this trip also coincides with several friends/family members vacations/spring breaks we are blessed with lots of visitors on and off throughout the next two weeks.  A full house will go a long way to distracting Bubeaner from missing Dad.  Although the mornings will probably still be the hardests for him.

Maybe Bubeaner will demonstrate to them his new trick.  Dad pretends to be talking to him from a helicopter radio when changing his diapers in the mornings (i.e. "Daddy copter here" Breep "Super Stinky Pants" Breep.... similar to dialogue on Black Hawk Down).  Well, today Bubeaner kept making that "breep" sound when people were speaking with him.

And on Bubita news, we rearranged the closet in the nursery!  We are planning on keeping Bubeaner and Bubita in the nursery together.  At least, that is the original plan.  We'll see how it ends up working once they are both in there.  Hopefully, they won't be waking each other up.  Thankfully that is still a ways away specially considering Bubita will be in the master bedroom until at least 4 months old if not a little longer.  In any case, we were able to rearrange and organize some items in the closet.  Now, Bubeaner AND Bubita will both have the same amount of closet space.  And we won't have to move the changing table from the closet either!

Rainy Fussy Monday

Oh, best laid plans....  Bubeaner slept til 715a this morning.  He was able to see Dad before he left for work, but there was not time for a family breakfast today.  This was just as well since Bubeaner was in quite a mood.  He was fussy and throwing little tantrum after little tantrum during breakfast.  He would stop once he realized Momma was ignoring these outbursts.  And then he would try winking at Momma to win her over.  He tried this until Meme'Licia arrived.  We decided today was not a good day to attempt mass.

He was a little better the rest of the morning.  But since Bubeaner did not get his full afternoon nap, the fussiness started again in the afternoon.

Bubeaner using his Coupe as a walker.

Bubeaner melt down... not sure what actually cause it.

Sadly, it took Momma a while to figure out that the fussiness might be caused by his teeth.  Poor baby boy!  It's amazing what some medicine and cuddling can do for Bubeaner.  He was much better behaved and in a much better mood the rest of the evening.  He still tried a little crying with aunt Pau when she wouldn't give him ALL her fries.  But these episodes we short lived.  We assume that part of this fussiness/tantrums is normal toddler behavior testing the limits, but sadly part of it appears to be caused by teething.  We sure wish those teeth would finally get here so Bubeaner would not be in so much pain.

B@byOr@jel makes life so much better.

Bubeaner cuddling with Momma feeling a little better.

Weekend Adventures

Our days have been starting really early as of late.  OK, Dad and Bubeaner are normally awake by this time, but Momma (NOT a morning person) has been joining them too.  We have been working on making breakfast our family meal since Dad can't get home by the time Bubeaner needs to eat.  And so far it has been working great.  We get to spend quality time together as a family while sharing a meal together.  Saturday, for example, we were all up by 6a and happily eating Nutella crepes with mango by 630a.  Both boys LOVE their nuss nougat crepes.

Flirting with an "older woman" at the playground

 

He insisted on going up the steps on his own

  

In the afternoon, Dad and aunt Pau joined us for a trip to our "new" playground.  Bubeaner was hilarious.  He insisted on doing a little perimeter check.  He then went down the BIG slide all by himself!!!  But it was too stressful for the adults, so we moved on to the little slide.  Bubeaner decided to make it more challenging by going down face first and then trying to crawl back up the slide.  Of course, he is definitely his mother's child and would get distracted halfway up by the rocks that were obviously NOT supposed to be there.

But he needed help getting into the slide... 
he usually wants to go face first.

 

His father's son:

Bubeaner insisted on putting all the rocks, 

one by one, back where they belonged. 

  

 

We have been telling Bubeaner that Bebe is in Momma's tummy.  He actually will go and pat the tummy and give it kisses saying "bebe, bebe".  Well lately, as well as calling Momma by her given name, he's also started calling her Bebe.  Sigh.  On the bright side, he has started using some new words.  He now calls for his lovey by name.  And, almost like he knows she'll be visiting soon, Bubeaner keeps calling out for aunt Lari.

 

Exhausted parents

Energizer Bubeaner wants to keep going

  

Sunday we decided to take it easy and go to the later, 9a mass.  This gave Dad and Bubeaner more playing time.  We are not sure what happened or if this is just the new norm, but Bubeaner was difficult during mass.  He actually had two throw-himself-on-the-ground-kicking-and-screaming tantrums! TWO!!  

The first one was while we were sitting at the pew and Bubeaner actually hit his head against the pew in front.  Thankfully, it was right as we were getting up for communion.  And he LOVES to walk down the aisle so that stopped that tantrum.  Right after communion he started fussing again so we got up and stepped out onto the atrium where the second one occurred.  As we just watched him kicking on the ground, we looked at another couple with their own 1-2 year old in the middle of a fit and realized their resigned, beat-down expression mirrored our feelings.  We are now THAT couple.  You know, the one with the misbehaving kid, with the worn-down expression you feel sorry for in the restaurant/church/store.  Where did our well-behaved little boy go?

OK, so Bubeaner is still an easy-going and pretty obedient child.  Actually, more than most children we've encountered, which is probably why these little incidents take us so much by surprise.  Sigh. (We've also found ourselves sighing more lately.)

Enjoying his sushi rolls

"Man, this is finger-licking good!"

  

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful except for the fact that Bubeaner refused to take an afternoon nap.  Instead he opted for playing with Dad and aunt Pau.  We decided to have an early dinner at our favorite Asian restaurant since we expected Bubeaner would not last long.  Bubeaner loved his sushi rolls.  He could not get enough.  Our waiter was amused at how much Bubeaner was actually enjoying it.  He was so stuffed, that soon after we got home Bubeaner was ready for bed without any fuss or protests. 

"I am so STUFFED I can't even move"

 

As to Bubita, today we reached 23 weeks!  She continues to kick, kick and kick.  She does it more and more at ALL times of the day and night now.  And she is getting even stronger!  Bubita's current entertainment includes kicking back where ever Momma puts her hand on the belly.  Well, that, and also kicking Momma's bladder as hard as possible.  So far we have not had any other "incidents" of vertigo/dizziness.  And Momma's blood pressure continues to be great.  The only big noticeable thing is Momma's belly.  Even though Momma weighs less than with Bubeaner at this stage, the belly is HUMONGOUS!  It's a little unsettling to think how much bigger it might get by 37 weeks (the time Bubita is allowed to make her grand entrance).

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Although sometimes it feels like one step forward, two steps back.  Bubeaner is doing great.  And he was actually talking a lot when we left the grandparents' homes.  However, as of late, he has reverted back to grunting and limiting the words he actually uses.  It's not surprising; it's actually been expected.  During the holidays and the visit to the grandparents, Bubeaner mainly heard Spanish.  Momma still speaks to him in Spanish.  But now that Meme'Licia is helping us out, he's also hearing English just as much.  So, it's really not surprising that he's not really sure what words (language) to use.  Dr. Z mentioned this was possible.

Bubeaner cruising around the neighborhood.

Wednesday we tried church again.  He was LOUD!  Extremelly loud.  We had to step outside to the atrium for most of the mass.  Bubeaner was not really interested in the service... until people started lining up for communion.  Then he grabbed on to Momma's hand and sped through to get to the line.  He walked down the line and took the compliments (and blessing) from the priest.  He loves that part of mass.  Unfortunately, we did not make it to mass the rest of the week because of other morning commitments.  We hope to get back on schedule next week.

Bubeaner dinner time fussiness...

 

 ...and when that did not work, "winking" at Momma...

  

... OK, maybe cuteness wins out.

  

Wednesday night Bubeaner and Momma had dinner with Lisa and Linne, Momma's high school friends.  We had not seen each other in years.  And more embarrasing was finding out we lived only 15 minutes away from each other!  Bubeaner, though shy at first, soon warmed up and flirted.  He even discovered Sammy, Lisa's cat.  They both eyed each other from a safe distance all night.  We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends.  And Bubeaner's bed time was delayed a little while, but soon fell asleep in his car seat and slept even after transfering him to his crib when we got home hours later.  Thankfully, that did not even affect his sleeping.  He slept until 7 the next morning.


Thursday Bubeaner joined Momma a little while at church group.  He was loved spending time with the grandmas, being the center of attention.  He played and laughed until Meme'Licia came by to pick him up allowing Momma to get some work done while he played at home.

Bubeaner thrilled to watch Dad prepare breakfast.

We've been blessed to enjoy family breakfast together most of the week.

We have been enjoying wonderful spring weather since Monday's deluge.  It's been so beautiful that we have made a few trips to the park.  Bubeaner has been enjoying the swing more, although he is still resistant to everything else.  Thursday, we went a little later than usual and found a pack of 10-15 children about 5-6 years old.  They were loud and moving up and down, running and jumping everywhere.  Bubeaner was enthralled by it.  He wanted to see everything they did, why, and how.  It was amusing, but also tiring since by the time we walked to wherever the kids had run to they were running back.  It made for an extremely tired and grumpy Bubeaner before bedtime.  But he did get to sleep well.

Today, we decided to try the church's playground.  It's made specifically for little children.  We were not sure if it would make a difference, but Bubeaner LOVED it.  He loved, the see-saw (eventually), could not get enough of the slides and was comfortable enough to crawl in and out of pretty much everything.  It looks like we have now found our new playground.  It probably also helps that there are no older children jumping and running around him startling him.  And the cute little blond girl playing with him did not hurt either.  Bubeaner was following her everywhere!  This is not good!!

We tried the see-saw first.  

 Bubeaner was not very convinced about this.

 

We had struggled every time we tried the slide.

He loves them at the new playground... 

he even smiled and giggled while he went down ALONE! 

 

He got so brave, Bubeaner even decided to go down face first!!!

What happened to my cautious boy?

Tonight Dad was able to get home a little earlier than usual.  And we decided to stretch Bubeaner's bed time just a little in order to spend time with Dad.  We even decided to go have a nice seafood dinner with aunt Pau.  Bubeaner ate like a little piglet.  He needed to replenish all that energy he spent at the playground.