Luis's Turn

(Photo not pertinent to story - but cute none the less)

It is Luis's natural tendency to come to our room, to my side of the bed, when he wakes in the night - whether it is 2a or 6a. Sometimes he wants to snuggle me (in my bed) and sometimes he wants me to snuggle him (in his bed). Sometimes he has "pee-peed in the bed" (though that hasn't happened in quite some time). But it's always my side. So on occasion, I tell Luis that tomorrow it's Mommy's turn to sleep in. This translates into: DO NOT wake me up in the morning. It took some getting used to, but he has figured it out - and most times, remembers in the morning and goes to Diego's side of the bed for his morning requests.

This morning, I was the first awake at 6a. I came downstairs to start the coffee, start the lunches and start the breakfasts, etc. I figured I had 15-30 minutes before Luis (or Alejo) woke up. The time ticked by and no one woke. I finished my morning work and still no one was woke up. It was glorious. I drank my cup of coffee in quiet.

Alejo woke up a little after 7a. And Luis came down about 7:30a. He peered around the corner, smiling from ear to ear, and said, "Today is MY morning to sleep in!!"

New PJ's

Sippy Cup: Inaugural Try

Alejo was very interested in the sippy cup, but totally unsuccessful in terms of actually drinking from it.

Alejo & His Momma

Treats from the Dollar Store

On one of their Father/Son outings, Diego and Luis made a stop at the dollar store. Luis was super excited to show me the funky/dirty fake teeth. Lucky for us, three sets came in a package: one for Luis, one for Diego and one for me. Luis wanted all of us to try them on immediately, some sort of family bonding experience. I'm not sure how it happened, but the picture shows it best: Luis and I wearing the teeth and Diego behind the camera!

Brotherly Love - Kinda One-Sided

This photo was totally staged. I admit it. Alejo is so enamored with his big brother, watching Luis's every move and totally lighting up whenever Luis decides to show even the slightest bit of attention to Alejo. To reward Alejo's adoration, and a little bit to rub Luis, Diego likes to put Alejo on Luis - as he did here. Alejo loves (LOVES!) it and just smiles and giggles the whole time. Luis asks, begs, pleads, and then demands that Alejo be removed. In spite of his complaints, I must point out, Luis never does anything like push Alejo or anything else that might hurt him. Though he gets annoyed with Alejo sometimes, it is very evident to me that Luis loves his brother, too.

Exersaucer

It's always a bit surprising to me how things sneak up on you. Alejo had only mild interest in the exersuacer at first. Then one day, I suddenly realize how much fun he's having in it, yet am unsure of when the change occurred.

More Lego Creations

Luis spends at least some time almost every day building a new Lego creation. Here is an ambulance (note the Silly Bandz that holds the man to the "stretcher") and some sort of spaceship.

Alejo in the Baby Gym (and in Good Light!)

An Afternoon with an Old Friend

Luis has loved playing "Water Games" for almost as long as I can remember. Outside, it involves the hose and/or the watering can. Inside, it means playing at the kitchen sink. We haven't played in a long time, mostly because I tired of mopping up the water from the far reaches of the counter and from all over the floor. I told Luis "no" so many times, that he finally stopped asking. Until this afternoon. I'm not sure what made him think of it, and I'm not sure why I said yes. Probably had a lot to do with the fact that Alejo was sleeping and I needed a good 30-minutes to prep for dinner.

After one gentle reminder about not pouring water on the counter, Luis did a surprisingly good job of keeping the water mostly in the sink. In the first 5 minutes, he wanted to show me 15 different things. I explained that the main reason I agreed to let him play in the sink was so that I could get my own work done, logic I have used (unsuccessfully) on him in the past. Except this time it worked. He then played contentedly for more than 30 minutes (with minimal splashing).

As a VERY BIG added bonus, when he was done he asked (begged, practically) if he could clean the kitchen sink for me. You bet!

Ashley Wants a Turn

This is the first time I've seen Ashley get IN the baby gym. It's kind of hard to see, but she has her own toy in there with her. Not sure what she was thinking...

Loving His Giraffe

In the last week or so, Alejo has taken a very keen interest in this giraffe. Because it squeaks, Ashley and Luis are also very keen on it. Me, I'm not so keen.

SUPER Silly Straw

Thomas and Lucy gave Luis this very clever build-your-own straws set for Christmas. Luis really likes the idea of it, but still has a few physics lessons to learn before he can get the most out of it.