Monday, December 29, 2008

Crawling!

Luke did not let a virus prevent him from finally mastering how to crawl over Christmas. He still needs to figure out how to let his legs motor him along a little better, but he's getting faster with each endeavor. He's slowly but surely making his way around the apartment, showing us our baby-proofing weak spots. Here you can see him in action:

With his crawling and constant crumb-dropping, we have also discovered that Luke is fascinated by our (raggedy) broom:

Happy Anniversary, Grammy & Grandpap

Luke's Grammy & Grandpap Rosella spent Christmas with his Pittsburghean cousins, Simon & Chloe, and Luke and Paul and Paige spent Christmas with the Caseys in Scranton. Much fun was had and many adorable photos and videos are to come, but Luke wanted to be sure that he showed Grammy & Grandpap how much he especially enjoyed one of the presents they sent - his very own bell! Just like the one they let him play with at their house over Thanksgiving! So many angels got their wings courtesy of Scranton's cutest bell ringer.

Most importantly, Luke and his parents wanted to be sure to wish Grammy & Grandpap a HAPPY 46th ANNIVERSARY today!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Monday Night Football

The Packers have painted themselves into a corner this season, and handed the division to either the Bears or the Vikings. Neither outcome is really preferable, but one thing is for sure: Luke will be cheering for the Pack tonight (abet in his crib and while asleep).

Here is Lil' Donald Driver cheering on the Pack with Mom a few weeks back.




Saturday, December 13, 2008

Rolling Along

Luke continues to roll EVERYWHERE, but now he can bring things along for the ride, and he is also working on figuring out how doors work.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Workin' 9 to 5

Luke's friend, Tess, (well, really Mom's friend, Carrie) gave him a new toy. We weren't sure if he would be ready for it just yet, but the minute it was put in the apartment, he got right to work! We have dubbed it The Office - mostly so we can amuse ourselves with annoying and hackneyed jokes about paperwork and TPS Reports. Mom told Grammy about this new toy, and she requested some evidence.

Here you see him really getting down to business.

Here, to quote family friend, Paul Marr, he takes a call from, judging by the ringtone, one of the women from Sex & the City (please let it be Miranda or Charlotte...pleeeeease)...or at least the theme song. (It was his first movie, after all)

Thanks, Tess & Carrie!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Before Luke was born, Grandma & Grandpa Casey gave him a European-made learning toy we have dubbed The Rolling Dutchman. He in turns entrances and vexes Luke with his collapsible head and his roly poly nature.

Yesterday was Grandma Casey's birthday, and so Luke endeavored to celebrate in a way that would honor her specifically while entertaining and delighting generally. Who is more roly poly, do you think, Luke or The Rolling Dutchman?

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Monday, December 1, 2008

And through the woods... Part II

Luke didn't just spend time playing with Grandpap's pen -- anything in his pocket was fair game. Grandpap's glasses, glasses case, pens, flashlights, pencils...everything was examined, tasted, and handed back to Grandpap. These two could have gone on like this allll day - but they needed to get out of their PJs sometime!
However, Luke saved a lot of time for Grammy as well, and in addition to playing with her kitchen goods, also enjoyed some story time. In fact, Grammy was so good with her bedtime stories that Luke nodded right out.

He started awake for Good Night, Good Knight...
Started fading during Ox Cart Man (hey! he goes to "Portsmouth Market!")... ...and was shortly down for the count (aaaand scene).
Finally, before we left, Grandpap was sure to introduce him to tying flies. Luke was a little apprehensive, but I bet this is just the first of many lessons to come.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Over the hills.... Part I

Luke made his triumphant return to Maine this past weekend, and had lots of fun with Grammy and Grandpap. In addition to enjoying turkey, biscuits, sausage, and a taste of pizzelle, he enjoyed spending some quality time on the Seacoast.

Luke quickly found out that he had a partner in crime. If you needed to track him down, you could usually find him on Grandpap's lap.

Note the hobo toy in his hands, thanks to Grammy. That's right, it's a lid to one of those free Good Seasonings cruets.


He also enjoyed rolling around the living room, and quickly found out that banging the handles on the china cabinet is all kinds of fun. Don't let the innocent smile fool you.


He also enjoyed lots of stories...


...and more than that, playing with the things he found in Grandpap's shirt pocket


Coming up in post number II... Luke falls asleep on Grammy, explores more pockets and ties a fly.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Peek-A-Boo Part Two

Recently Luke has started initiating rousing games of peek-a-boo on his own. Here you can see him snuggling with Dad, but playing peek-a-boo with Mom.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

After weeks of failed attempts and baby-sized frustration, Luke has figured out how to roll from his back to his front AND from his front to his back - and can now hit "repeat" for minutes on end.

Here, we have captured him in his element:

Friday, November 21, 2008

Peeeeeeeeeeeek-A-Boo

There is nothing terribly original about this clip, but Luke has mastered and even delights in a rousing game of peek-a-boo now. He'll peek-a-boo around newspapers, magazines, pillows, even corners. In this video you will also see him dismantle his booster seat, thus rendering the "dishwasher safe, removable top for easy cleaning!" useless and requiring mom to wash the dang tray underneath every night.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Go Pack Go

We think we may have taught Luke his first trick? We were listening to yesterday's Green Bay/Bears game as a family, and when the Packers scored, we cheered "yayyyy Packers!" Luke responded by clapping and cheering to the best of his ability. And then kindly kept it going long enough for Mom to catch it on film.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Kleinkind

Last weekend we brought Luke back to the location of his shower, the immortal crazy German bar, Helmers. Though it is not the same after the renovation (and the removal of the Bavarian Club, the best sandwich of all time) we still enjoy it, even if we can no longer sit in our favorite bench seats at the end of the bar.

After charming our favorite waitress, Luke got right down to business, supplementing his baby food dinner with lots and lots of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.




As you can see from the mess, he wasn't shy about eating right off the table


Don't Touch!

Despite all appearances, he only drank out of the blue bottle



Luke was sure to get every last bit of the meatloaf


Finally, exhausted from all of the German goodness, Luke had to take a break.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Am I Not Snuggly Enough for You?

Sometimes Luke wakes up before Mom is done getting ready in the morning, so he hangs out in bed with Dad. On this day, he was being unusually snuggly and not wriggling around whining about the fact that he was not yet eating. I couldn't resist snapping a picture - but instead of capturing his sweetness, I caught him being grumpy about the flash. Or maybe he just doesn't like mornings. Or had a case of the Mondays?


This past Sunday we went out into the blustery fall day to take Luke out to lunch & for a trip to the playground. After some time on the swings, Luke was chilly, so we all headed home. He and Dad then had a snuggle under Luke's new quilt from his friends, Jen Bonnell and her mom, Mizz Karen. They enjoyed some cozy time and busted out his Little Bear book from Grandma & Grandpa Casey.


Within a few minutes however, I think shortly after Little Bear learns that he does not require a winter coat because of his fur, Luke couldn't take how cozy he was and gave in to temptation.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Celebrity Impersonations VII

It took 216 picks for the Packers to choose Donald Driver, while Luke was drafted in the first round.

Squint a bit, imagine Luke has an earing, and tell me you don't see the resemblance.



BEAT THE VIKINGS

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Am I Noodley Enough for you?

One more video for Paige to tide her over until her return.

Luke loves noodles, almost as much as the yogurt and chicken he enjoyed after this appetizer.


Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A clean baby is a happy baby

Paige is away on business until friday, so I shot a video for her.Luke is getting a new tooth and recovering from shots, but once he got home he was all smiles, especially after his bath.




We miss you already Mom!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Rock-A-Bye the Vote

Since OUP gave employees a half day today, Mom decided to take the whole day off to hang out with Luke and also to give him his first civics lesson by taking him along to the polls.

Dad got up early & went to vote as the polls opened at 7. He waited for two hours...as did fellow Hoboken resident and NJ Governor Jon Corzine.

When Luke woke up from his morning nap, he was ready to put on his best voting gear (thanks to his friend, Nolan, whose Daddy works on the Obama campaign and sent him this HOPE onesie in exchange for a coveted Bob's Clam Hut model from Luke's Grammy).
Once suited up, he and Mom departed for Hoboken Ladder Company 1/Engine Company 3 to hit the polls! ....and then promptly waited in line for 90 minutes. (According to one of the news crews, they had just missed neighbor Eli Manning, which is just as well. As Hoboken graffiti once taught us, Eli is #0, Big Ben #1)

The line was quite long...


But it was a beautiful day out, and Luke didn't seem to mind.
He busted out Fuzzy Bee for a while...

And the little girl in line ahead of us was more than glad to entertain him with her dance moves and musical Barbie...

Then he played with the shakey bottle - which was praised twice today for its ingenuity. (I know, who knew?)

Another kid came by to show Luke his "batwing" trick.
Eventually, Luke had had enough of stimulation and opted for his pacifier and some quiet time.
Finally, Mom voted and we returned home for lunch!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Spooky Lukey!

Dad can't resist a deal, and Mom can't resist adorable outfits. When these glow-in-the-dark skeleton PJs were on sale at BabyGap, everybody won! Luckily, Luke wasn't the only baby dressed in Halloween finery, but he certainly was the most handsome (in our humble opinion).

Here, Luke shows the flirty kind of look that makes the ladies at daycare go wild:
Then he tried to scare mom with some spoooooky ooga booga moves:And after that he went plain old oogly boogly:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Monday, October 27, 2008

In Town Long Sailor?

Before Luke was born, his Grammy bought him a fleecey peacoat for him to grow into. As Luke is a superstar at growing (12-18 mo clothes, for those of you making shopping lists...), he will have to cram a lot of wear into this coat at the front end of cold weather season. We broke it out last week, and, at Grammy & Grandpap's request, had a little photoshoot with Luke.

First he went with a classic baby model "happy baby" approach:
Then he showed his sporty side with this "action" shot:He next wanted to showcase how much this coat allows him to move by standing up:
This coat came with a matching hat, but his big ol' bean didn't begin to fit in it so Mom had to find a matching hat (and mittens!). Again, he started with his classic happy baby move:
He once more showed how versatile it is by standing, but this time decided to take a more "coy" approach:
And in case the picture above made him seem too dainty, he gave his best gangsta:Finally, to show his full range, he summoned some tears for the end of the roll:
The coat is a big hit. When Mom suited him up at daycare last week, all of the women ooohed and ahhhed, and his caregiver, Miss Stephanie exclaimed, "Oh! He looks like a little man!"

Thanks, Grammy!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

One for Each Grandma (and the Grandpas, too)

OK, Luke's not doing anything terribly exciting in these videos, but he's being pretty cute and showing off his sitting up skills, his newfound playing skills, and does lots of babbling. And his outfit is rather adorable as well - thanks to pants on loan from The Ronan & Jacob Collection and a sweater from Aunt Cathy (alas, the last of his "Year of Sweaters" from Mom's baby shower), and his stuffed puppy from Auntie Lisa (and it's not too late to click on the link at the right to donate to Team Lisa & the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Cough cough).

Since Grammy Rosella gets a shout out in this one, we'll call this one for her:

And in this one, Luke makes toys out of two Casey relics. The first is a tupperware pitcher Paul has had since before Paige was in the picture that I think was originally Grandma's pitcher. It's now so old it was put out of service (due to some decomposition occurring in the tupperwareyness) and Luke rescued it from recycling. The second is a recent gift to Paul from Grandma & Grandpa that has been donated to the teething cause. Or, rather, comandeered by Luke for the teething cause - sacrificed so that the Phillies and Packers hats may go undrooled upon. And so, we'll call this one for Grandma Casey:

Catch up Post II: Viva La Madonna

One of our favorite Hoboken events is the Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri, which sends summer out with a bang. This year we were joined by Luke (for the first time) and Charlie and Sharren (for the umpteenth time). Not only was the weather beautiful, but the beers were also cold, and the rice balls hot.

It took Luke a bit to get into the swing of things...


But Soon he was having fun with his BFF, Sharren



Guess which bottle is Luke's?


Later on, Charlie played with Prince Buster...

And pulled the old "Look, I'm giving the baby a drink" trick.