Thursday, March 27, 2008

Grandma Birthday Bonus

This video is just too cute not to post -- his smile & pterodactyl squeal can finally be submitted as evidence.



Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Today is Luke's Grandma Rosella's birthday. In honor of the occasion, he created this special message for her.

He also says "your present is on its way!"

Baby of 1,000 Outfits

A selection of outfits that Luke has sported over the past few days....

He loves his blue sleepy sack, but unfortunately his round Charlie Brown noggin is too big for the hat already.

Not only is he Mom's sweet pea, but organic as well!

Stripy elephants love peanuts (note the tiny ears on top of his hat).



As the proud mom, I can't help but agree with the choo choo shirt; he's "handsome."


Luke has been reconsidering his berth on Dad's Team for his #01 status on the Baby Team.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Hobo(ken) Baby

This past Saturday, the three of us were invited to help our friends, The Baldonados, celebrate Manay's birthday at a deluxe Italian lunch party. This offered us an excuse to catch up with close family friends, and also to introduce Luke to his future wife, Amelia Jane Swedloff - daughter of Rick & Ann Marie.

Having been raised right, Paul & I dressed Luke up in his Saturday best for the occasion. He was decked out in his plaid pants, the fancy Danish onesie from Uncle Lenny, his bear Robeez, and matching socks. He looked sooo handsome. I would post a picture here...but our plans were foiled by a sweetly sleeping baby. When we arrived at the party, Luke was enjoying the tail end of a car nap, so we let him finish his snooze. When we went to change him, not two hours since his last diaper change, a Haz Mat team was nearly dispatched to Andrea's in Waldwick! Suffice it to say that an a*$plosion like none witnessed in the Casey home heretofore - let alone on the road - had occurred within the confines of those plaid pants. His pants, his onesie, and even his matching socks were rendered stinky and unwearable. I thought I had been quite clever in packing an extra shirt for him, but had not thought clean pants to be necessary for a quick afternoon outing. Oh, how wrong I was! Fortunately, Amelia's mom has 4 months more experience on us and had a spare pair of pants she kindly allowed Luke to borrow. They were mighty large on Luke (they were hiked up to his chest), but he didn't mind at all.



By the time we all returned to the Baldonado's house for baby playtime, both Luke and Amelia had foregone pants all together, and enjoyed some quality Busy Mat time in tops & dipes.




Luke returned to Hoboken not in the adorable, dapper outfit he left in, but in a shirt, a dipe (he had to steal from Mrs. Baldonado's stash!), and his car seat. He was quite happy to get home and put on his PJs to regain some dignity.

Fear not, he made it through Easter Sunday with his pants on.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Dad's Team

For Grandma and Grandpap who requested more movies.

Random Notes

Hola, amigos. I know it's been a long time since we rapped at ya, so to make up for it, here are a few photos to scroll through.

First up: Luke is starting to smile, and it is far from certain that he can pull it off every time he tries. Often, attempts start with him sounding like a pterodactyl swooping in on its prey. Although a successful attempt has not been captured on film, this pic is still pretty cute.



Next up: As Luke is happy on his play mat for longer and longer, we have more time to take some dramatic photos, instead of just trying to snap a few off before he gets red faced and cries.

Of course, he should be staring in the mirror instead of the wall. Also, that bug with glasses behind him is a bit creepy.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

One Eyebrow/No Eyebrows

Last Sunday, Charlie and Sharren came over to see Luke and discuss when he can start up with the bass.

Before Chinese food, Unky Charlie held a baby for the first time since Clinton was in the White House. Luke set a good standard for babies being held by Charlie this millennium, despite his expression in this photo.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

You're So Vain

Not only does Luke love his play mat, but he loves looking at himself in the mirror more than he loves playing with the monkey or pineapple.

Celebrity Impersonations I

Beyond crying, eating, sleeping, and occasionally playing, Luke has some other skills, most notably his celebrity baby impersonations.

First up: 4 time Lombardi trophy winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Luke has been working on his baby mullet, and I'm sure you will agree it is an uncanny impersonation.



Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Mother and Child Reunion

Since someone was feeling left out blog-wise, here are some pics of Luke and his mom together, with the crying and burping cropped out.

Starting with a hospital favorite, here is Luke enjoying one of his last days in the intermediate unit.


Fast forward to the present-- note the increased amounts of fuzzy hair, the double chin, and imagine the louder lung power.






Saturday, March 8, 2008

Thanks, Lucia!

In previous posts, shout outs of thanks have been given to Luke's baby friends who have kindly handed down their clothes to him. Ben & Emmett especially have provided him with his some of his most stylish duds.

His friend, Lucia, however, has loaned him two of all three of our favorite items: the bouncy chair and the swing. These help put Luke to sleep, and have often provided me with the ability to take a real shower. A shower I do not exit to the sounds of a screaming baby.

Luke has also, courtesy of Lucia, her moms, and her Nonne, Sylvia, learned the importance of The Lovey. The tiger lovey from Lucia & her moms has acquired the name Daniel, and the wacky cow from Sylvia is Cosmic Cow. Or Monroe. We can't decide.

See how much he loves his loaners? And his lovey?




Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Not ONLY the Agony of Defeat

It should be noted that, while Luke did learn some classic lessons in fandom in the past fall/winter, his New England roots were treated to the Thrill of Victory while Dad was in India.

And he takes comfort in the fact that Mom's favorite BoSox player, Big Papi, is a Green Bay fan. This helps both Luke and his dad sleep better.





Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Fore!


"Personally, I don't like the new directors of the young member's committee", said Luke after one too many martinis on the 19th hole.

Farveapocalypse

Luke learned a lot about being a sports fan while in utero after seeing this and this.

It is no surprise then, that yesterday and last night he was fussy, upset, and not sleeping soundly. Much like a house pet sensing an earthquake, or animals fleeing the shoreline before a tsunami, he was able to sense the change coming to the Pack.

I had to sit him down today and explain the facts of football life: Brett had given us a good ride, gotten a ring, was the best teammate anyone would ever want, and more fun to watch than any quarterback around. We needed to thank him for all the great years, and wish him luck mowing the grass, playing golf, wearing Wranglers, and eating Cajun food.

However, it was still tough for him to watch Sports Center, as the realization slowly sunk in.
We had a sit down and heart to heart about the Aaron Rodgers era, and quickly # 01 on the Baby Team calmed down, and reached the final stage of mourning, acceptance.



Go number 12!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

After Bathing at Baxters

Recently free from the shackles of his umbilical cord, Luke waited until Saturday to get his first bathtub bath, so everyone could share in the fun.

Although sitting in a duck sling seems like fun, at first it was mostly like this.



However, it did get a bit better before it ended:


However, he was happiest when it was all over.


However, after his bath, we skipped the rock version of James Joyce's Ulysses.

More Visitors

Uncle Lenny came to visit today. He's important because, not only has he been gunning for a Baby Casey since the turn of the century, but he designed Luke's nursery (which has had many compliments).

Luke busted out the Danish onesie he got from Lenny for the occasion. They are a vision in grey, no?