An evening walk with Luke

Mommy and Gwynn went out for the night so Daddy and Luke went on a walk after dinner - some guy time.


Luke checking out the neighborhood.


Happy boy!



His mischievous look

Gwynn goes to the Dentist!

Dr. Waldo recommended we take Gwynn to the dentist when she turned 2, so we took her on July 24th. We read the book “Going to the Dentist” a few times before the big day, but she was still a little uneasy about the appointment.


Once she saw all the fun nautical-themed items in the office she was so excited!


This was her favorite thing to do!


Books!!


This one looks good…





In the big chair and very unsure about what’s going on.


“Hmm…I have one of these at home.”


“I don’t have any of that stuff!”


She tried so hard to keep her mouth closed the whole time, but they managed to get it opened. She didn’t cry or get upset at all though!


Stickers!


She also got a fish to play with in the bathtub…she’s giving it a kiss!


We were so proud of our sweet girl…she did great!  We have to go back in 6 months for another check up and we’re taking Luke for a check up then too.  That should be fun! :-)

10 months (Luke)

• Luke likes to dance when he hears some good music. He bounces up and down and smiles so big!
• He will use Gwynn’s chair to get onto the couch. Now he knows how to get off safely by getting on his belly and sliding off feet first. Sometimes he’ll want to go over the arm rests but after a fall or two he’s learned that’s not a good idea.
• Luke has taken 8-10 steps several times and routinely walks between the couch and chair.
• He has had some minor tantrums. Besides crying when he doesn’t get his way, he’ll raise both arms up and slam them down on his legs (we think he learned that from his big sister).
• Luke is a terror at restaurants. He wants to grab anything that’s near him and won’t stop trying to wiggle out of his seat. We’ve looked over a few times and he’ll be standing up in the high chair.  So now we have a hand on him at all times. Gwynn was the same way for a while as well, so hopefully this phase will pass quickly with Luke like it did with Gwynn.
• His hair is coming in reddish. We’re not sure how bright it will be, but he is most definitely going to be a redhead.
• Luke definitely prefers real food over a bottle or baby food.  It will be VERY easy to wean him off a bottle in 2 months.  He’s already a champ at using a sippy cup too! His favorite foods are crackers, applesauce, yogurt, cheerios, pancakes, muffins, biscuits, and fruit.
• He’s saying the following words/sounds on and off: “mama,” “dada,” and “mmm.” 
• Luke LOVES dinosaurs.  When we show him a dinosaur or ask him “What does a dinosaur say?” he’ll roar really loudly.  It’s so sweet! Daddy can’t wait to teach him all about dinosaurs!
• He’s become a pretty good sleeper.  He usually goes down for the night around 7:30 and sometimes wakes up if he loses his pacifier, but that’s rare. He is an early riser though…usually 6 or 6:30 which isn’t fun in the summertime!

Birthday Dinner

To finish celebrating Gwynn’s birthday we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Grammy.

Gwynn had to pick out what she was going to have for dinner (with Grammy’s help).

Luke found what he wanted on his own. Unfortunately with only 4 teeth his options were limited.

Gwynn wanted to wear daddy’s hat while she ate her food.

Mmmm!

They brought her an ice cream sundae when we told them it was her birthday.

She felt awkward when they sang to her.

Eating a pouch before the sundae.

“Is that thing on fire?”

Birthday Date

Although we had Gwynn’s party the weekend before we still had a special day for her on her actual birthday.

It started with a donut for breakfast.

Nom nom nom!

This is one of Gwynn’s favorite toys.

We went to the McWane Center because it was raining, but she loved it despite having been several times.

Heading in for fun!

A bunny rabbit was a bit too intimidating for Gwynn.

Gwynn loves the water station. She would stay there for hours.

Daddy explaining how hydroelectric power is created.

A funhouse mirror that was just a bit too tall for Gwynn to be able to see how silly she looked.

Gwynn really likes getting into everything now.

Bubbles! She didn’t quite get it at first.

That look is because she wanted to be the one making the bubbles.

What is it about bubbles that little kids love?

If it’s a button or knob Gwynn is ready to try it out.

Future TV producer?

One of the more interesting things she likes are the water fountains. She will run up to every one that she sees and press it and giggle when the water comes out.

Here mommy and Gwynn look at sting rays and sharks.

Quick snack break.

On to daddy’s favorite area – dinosaurs!

Daddy doing his best Han Solo impression.

A surprisingly fun thing for Gwynn to do is put plastic cylinders into this board over and over again. We had to pry her away.

Daddy and Gwynn trying to play some Beethoven, but Gwynn just can’t seem to hit the F note on time.

A little shoulder ride is a must for a birthday girl.

Mommy and Gwynn went into the hurricane simulator.

Gwynn made it about halfway to hurricane before calling it quits.

An impromptu nap as we made our way to a lunch destination.

Where’d we go? Why Steak and Shake! It just so happens to be one of mommy’s favorites too.

Some milk out of a funny glass for the birthday girl.

She wouldn’t put on the paper hat at first, but a menu? No problem.

Mommy didn’t mind wearing the hat.

“Whatchu lookin’ at?”

This was the nanosecond she wore the hat.

Wow! What a dessert! Mommy said it was the best dessert she’s ever had and daddy thinks it just might be the best thing he’s had too.

You’ll notice Luke is nowhere to be seen. That’s because Aunt Sherry was kind enough to take him off our hands for a few hours.

We know Gwynn enjoyed her special day with just mommy and daddy…we can’t wait to do it again next year!