Lots of Snow and Your Snowy White Teeth!

 Dear Luca,

    It really was one of our best days today. You know me pretty well now, and even though you put up a fuss when your mother left--it took you by surprise because you were all happy and smiling and taking your bottle, and then...as always, I show up and she leaves. But your fussiness lasted a few minutes before we settled down to play for a full two hours and more.

    When I first showed up and walked in the door, you clapped your hands. That's the very first time I saw you do that. Also--you are trying out standing on your own. You're not afraid to take risks. But you do need someone to watch you carefully because after a while you do plop down. But walking is in your near future, I predict. 

    About the snow. We're always, almost always, grateful for it. It was a good storm, but with very frigid temperatures, so I wasn't sure that I'd be able to make it up to your house.  Tuesday was cold and snowy, but today the sun came out, the roads were clear and those that weren't were snow-packed with lots of gravel on them. I love my Subaru, and I especially love my studded snow tires that I had mounted this year especially so I wouldn't have to worry about coming to see you on Wednesdays. So far, so good. It was such a beautiful drive up and down Boulder Canyon, with the beauty of the snow capped mountains and the pine trees and the deep, deep blue Colorado sky on a sunny day after the snow.

    About those snowy white teeth. 

Just look at that! You're really proud that those upper teeth came in at last. I could tell that when you began biting my watch band. And also because you gave me a big smile, showing off those teeth.

    I think that now that winter is setting in, we will have less and less time outdoors, walking the roads as we used to when it was warmer. I do miss that, and I'll get you out when I don't have to worry about the roads being icy or when it's not too windy or when it's not too cold. 

    But we were fine inside today, as I watched you with your never ending curiosity and your love of music. We played with all your toys that make music, you crawled and stood up, and when you became fussy, you let me carry you into the kitchen, where I fixed your bottle. Then we sat in the big chair by the wood stove, and you took your bottle in both your hands and drank and drank and fell asleep until the dogs started barking, announcing the arrival of your papa, and, of course, you were delighted to see him as he walked through the door. We had a threesome hug, and then I stepped out into the snow and into my car to head back down the canyon.

You Are Back: The Day Before Thanksgiving + Thanksgiving

 Dear Luca,

    There is so much excitement in the air when it's time for Thanksgiving.  You and I had a good day that Wednesday, doing our usual things while your Mom and Dad were busy working.

    On Thanksgiving Day, we went to your Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Brett's house up in the mountains, along with you and your family, your aunts and cousins and friends. I thought what a lucky boy you are to be born into your mountain family. Your grandparents' house has such a beautiful setting, and the inside is inviting and warm. 

    We had a big table of turkey, dressing, my signature sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, pumpkin pie, everyone's favorite. It was delicious, but even more delicious was the wonderful company of all these welcoming people. We listened to stories and got to know that part of your family better. We laughed and filled our plates some more. 

    As it got dark, your dad walked your Grandpa Doug to the car. He has a lot of trouble walking these days. Your dad turned our car around for us so we could easily head down the mountain and back into Boulder. It was a beautiful ride back down as we could see the lights of town and bask in the feeling of being thankful for family.

    And I forgot to take pictures!

You Are On Vacation in San Diego! Here Is Some Info About Your Father.

 Dear Luca,

    There are some great pictures of your family trip to San Diego, and I enjoyed seeing the whole family at play on the beach, in the pool, and on bikes.  My favorite one is of you and your brother Legend in the pool. 

Of course, I didn't come up to your house because, of course, you weren't there. But I was thinking that you may want to hear some stories about your dad from time to time, stories about when he was a little boy.

    Your papa's name is André (and that is accent on the "e," but we seldom use it any more), but when he was your age until he started school he was called Muggins. You will have to ask your Grandpa Richard how he came by that name. Even today, there are people who knew him when, and they always ask: "How's Muggins?"

    He was born in a cabin at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. You will soon learn that he was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1977, at about 5:30 pm. It was a beautiful. cold night, and I stayed awake with him all night long, looking at the stars on that wintry night.

    I did have to leave pretty soon after he was born to get stitches. But he was in good hands. I handed him to my best friend Ellen when he was only about an hour old. Ellen had never held a newborn before, and he weighed only five pounds, so, she later told me, she just kept saying to him, "Please keep breathing. Please keep breathing." He did, of course, and I was gone for only an hour.

    You are very much like him. He was always full of energy when he was your age. He took little naps, but mostly liked to be awake and entertained. His very first words were "Papa," which he started saying one night when he was taking a bubble bath. He said it over and over again: "Papa! Papa! Papa!" 

    We moved to the mountain house when your dad was two years old.  Your Grandpa Richard still lives on that property, but in a different house. It's a long story that you'll hear one day. But your dad is a true mountain boy, just like you will be, I think. 

    There will be other stories about him and his sisters, your aunts, as I continue to write your book. Maybe he will add some of his own.

    

What Did We Do Today????

Dear Luca,

 What ever did we do today. Let me look at some pictures to remind me. Oh, of course. Some of my favorite pictures here. We played a lot in the living room. You wanted a change of scene.

    I especially like the one of Rio trying to be dignified and ignore the two of us crawling around on the floor.  So today is gathered in these pictures:

 

    

All in All, A Good Day. You Wore Yourself Out, Playing and Playing!

 Dear Luca,

    What a day! I sat down with you at noon, as your Mom stealthily left the room. I noticed that you weren't looking when she sneaked past the window. For the next two hours, you crawled, pulled up to your musical toy, your crib, your changing station, the window sill your toy box (where you leaned over too far and almost fell in, and the gate that keeps you from crawling out of your room.

    For two hours, I crawled around with you as we played music and made sounds on the various instruments in your room. As I did the last time, I had to warn your dad when he came home that anything with a battery in it was turned on. I was actually quite taken by a musical toy that I hadn't seen before, and it became my favorite, because, really, I'm getting a little tired of "I have an arm, and so do you," especially since it's a frog that is singing that song, and we all know that frogs don't have arms. I don't know what they call their limbs. Oh, yes, I do. The call them legs, because as anyone from the South could tell you, frog legs are a delicacy on any menu.

    But back to this toy I liked so much. It's small, and has five buttons, four on the edges and one in the center. On the edges are the drum, the xylophone, the french horn, and the violin, which could also be called a fiddle I think. When you punch they four outer ones, they each play their tune, and when you punch the middle ones, all the tunes are played together, and if you listen hard, you can hear each one individually and all together as well, and the tune is really pretty. From time to time, you dance little up and down motions, which makes me convinced that we were all born to dance before we can walk, although walking will happen pretty soon for you.

    You are nine months old now, and you are full of curiosity about your world. You examine your toys carefully. You try new things, like pulling out the bottom drawer of your chest and then, with your little fingers gripped on the edge, pushing it back in. Yes. I caught the drawer before your fingers got caught. I'm pretty cautious about that, since when I was little, but older than you are now, I did get my fingers caught, and I ended up in the hospital.  Actually, I don't exactly remember it, but the scar is still with me. 

    You are also a little toddler of infinite expressions, and your dad manages to catch a wide range of them. In fact, I've never seen a nine-month-old who had so many different expressions. Like these:

To be continued when I can upload the pictures!