Yesterday, Luis started putting his hands up in the air - as if he were declaring a touchdown or cheering for his favorite team. I can't quite figure out what the gesture means. He seems to do it at random times when he plays and when he eats. 
Here are a couple of shots from dinner tonight. It's fun to watch him because he is clearly very pleased with himself.
Today, my friend Nick (the garage contractor) came over to help with a few last repairs around the house before the renters arrive. A big, big thanks to Nick. But also, he took Muffles with him when he left. He has agreed to adopt Muffles and give her a good and loving home in Culpepper, VA (about an hour west of Falls Church).
It's been almost 5 years since Muffles adopted us. When she first started coming around, she wouldn't let any of us near her - much less pet her. Over the years she has become extremely affectionate. Early this morning, she snuggled up with me in the bed and we both snoozed for about an hour.
Though Muffles can be sweet and loving and charming, she is also a very skilled hunter. In the last five years, she has brought us (as trophies) mice, rats, voles, moles, chipmunks, baby squirrels, rabbits, birds (of multiple varieties), and frogs (some alive, some dead, some whole, some in parts). That part I won't miss so much. But I will miss the way you could hear her running home - from a block or more away - when we'd return from vacation. I'll miss her jumping up on my lap while I watched TV or a movie. I'll miss how you could hear her purring from across the house. I'll miss how sweet and gentle she was with Luis - even when he would pull fist-fulls of hair out of her back side.
Diego and I were not looking for a cat when Muffles showed up. But we are both sad to see her go. She is one of the greatest pets we've known. And we miss her already.
Diego, Luis, Ashley, Muffles and I had one last play in the front yard today, before Diego had to leave. Luis seems to really enjoy being outside, whether he is sitting in the grass (here), walking through the woods riding on my shoulder (in Indiana), cruising in his stroller on his after dinner constitutional. 
So, despite the post from 5 hours ago, Luis now knows how to pull himself up onto the coffee table. Wow!! Things change fast around here!!!
We don't officially move out of the house until next week, but today is the last day that we are ALL here. Tonight, Diego heads back to Mumbai and on Saturday, Muffles moves to Culpepper (with Nick). The plan is to come back to this house after our stay in Mumbai - and I'd love to get Muffles back too. But the truth is, everything will have changed by the time we come back (as everything always does), maybe late 2009 or early 2010. I'm glad to have this snapshot to hold on to and remember.
In the last week, Luis went from the occasional "army crawl" to being fully on the move. He crawls around to get to what he wants (computer cords, pets, paper, remotes and phones) - and he gets there fast. If you offer up your hands, he will pull himself to a standing position. Here, he tries to pull up with the help of the living room table. Luckily, he has not yet mastered this. The trip to India just got a whole lot more interesting...
This weekend, Luis and I met Thomas in Chicago and then drove to Monterey, Indiana to visit Thomas's Aunt Alice & Uncle Clip. Though Indiana sounds a bit like India, Monterey couldn't be more different than Mumbai. A total of 300 people live in Monterey. Diego quotes 19,000,000 live in Mumbai.
We had a great time meeting Alice's children, seeing their farms, 
visiting Fred (the horse), 
eating lots of home grown vegetables (and all home-cooked meals) and just relaxing. 
Luis also enjoyed being in motion. He can definitely crawl now; though it requires the right kind of lure.
Luis was a great traveler and a great guest. With his big smile and happy disposition, he charmed the pants off of almost everyone. It was a delight to watch.
As part of our last appointment at Cranial Technologies, they did an final mold of Luis's head. He was even braver the second time - not crying at all. It was great having Diego there with us this time.
It's past my bedtime now - Luis has been asleep for more than 3 hours and Diego is asleep on the couch. But it's been almost a week and so much has happened with Luis. In the last 7 days, Luis has mastered getting from his stomach to a sitting position, maintaining a sitting position, the "army crawl", one- and two-step crawling (meaning he can take one or two steps forward), pulling up if given your hands to hold on to and general squirmy-ness.
Saturday was his last day wearing the DOC-band (yeah!!) and today was our exit appointment (at which they did an exit cast and final photos). The DOC-band experience was easy and very fruitful, but I am VERY glad that it's over. We have great before and after photos from cranial technologies. If I can figure out how to, I will post them.
Diego came home on Monday :), and Jules left on Tuesday :( This Friday, Luis and I head out to Monterey, Indiana with Thomas to visit Thomas's aunt Alice. Wednesday, Diego heads back to India. We're out of the house at the end of the month and out of the country on August 20. It's busy, busy times around here.
We are all very sad that Jules has left. She was a great guest, loving & doting aunt, hard working moving helper and a kind & generous companion.
Muffles is feeling the brunt of the impact with Luis now crawling. He will cross the room to get his hands on her - literally. She has been a great and tolerant sport with Luis. Makes us even sadder that Muffles is not coming to Mumbai with us...
Luis has gotten very mobile this past week. He can get to his hands and knees, and then to a sitting position. He crawls (a few steps at at time) and he "army crawls". He is also very, very squirmy.
Here I took a couple of "action setting" pictures of Luis army crawling across the living room floor. I am stationery in one place. Life is getting a bit more interesting with Luis on the move!
Luis has expanding his eating repertoire greatly. He is now eating peaches, pears, apples, bananas, squash, zucchini, butternut squash and carrots. The only thing he's rejected so far is avocado (which is paramount to a sin in our house). Luis is also enjoying a bit of water after each meal - either by sippy cup or by sippy cup minus the sippy part.
Sunday afternoon, when I went to get Luis from his nap, he was sitting up in the pack-n-play, obviously very pleased with himself!
Luis had a fantastic day today. For his mid-morning snack he had (homemade) apple sauce - after twice all-but-refusing apples. Not only did he eat it, he devoured every bite. Thanks, Jules for making it! He also delved into the Mixed Grain cereals - which he also seemed to enjoy. Then, after several miserable attempts to drink from the sippy cup, he did so very casually (and successfully).
We had lunch with JF at the sushi place we like so much and Luis (mostly) chilled out in the stroller and watched us eat. Jules offered to let him try wasabi, but I declined. Maybe in a few more years...
Tonight, Luis enjoyed some pureed zucchini & oatmeal, some pureed butternut squash, and (a lot) of mixed grain cereal. He then, again, drank nicely from the sippy cup. I realize that at any point in time he can, and probably will regress to completely refusing to put the sippy cup within 5" of his mouth ... but I'm enjoying where we are now.
After dinner, we all went for a 30 minute constitutional around the neighborhood. It was then bath time, a little nightcap of breast milk and off to bed. Luis was such a delight all day that it makes me excited to see him again in the morning. Can tomorrow be as nice???
