Dear Lucas (32 Weeks),

Another week has flown by and again I find myself sitting here in front of the computer trying to make sure I don't miss recording a single amazing moment of your week.

Already you are independent (well as independent as someone that poops in their pants and can't get around on their own can be.) Now when I am feeding you at meal times you are constantly trying to grab the spoon because you want to feed yourself. We've started to give you those baby cereal puffs after we finish feeding you so you can practice feeding yourself. It is really cool to watch you concentrating so hard to get the little star shapes into your mouth and then when you start gumming away at them you always have the funniest expression like "wow this would be easier with teeth." You've been able to pick up the cereal puffs by yourself for a long time but the reason we waiting until now to start giving them to you on a regular basis is you just got the hang of the gumming your food thing. Before you could get them in your mouth but you would try to swallow them right away and end up gagging and having dissolved stars trickling down your chin. (When you were first able to pick little things up I thought all babies were doing it until I read the most babies can't pick things up like that until they are around 9 months old.)

You also will now play happily on your own long enough for me to vacuum, put up a load of clothes, AND take a shower. All I have to do is hand you a few toys to bang, kick, throw, and chew on and you are set easily for a good thirty minutes. It's not that you mind the company or anything you are thrilled when your Daddy or I play with you but at the same time you don't need anyone else to have a good time (unless you want us to stick your shapes in your leap frog bake a shape toy so you can push them in the holes again and again and again.) Also, I am pretty sure you are putting your paci back in your mouth yourself. I will wake up in the morning because I hear you crying on the baby monitor and when I open the door to your room you are laying quietly in your crib sucking away.

Always up for getting out of the house you are such a social butterfly. You will "flirt" with anyone that "ooohs" and "ahhhs" at you. Your standard procedure is to show them your big blue eyes, maybe flash a toothless smile and then bow your head down and pretend you are shy before you peek up at and smile again. I have stopped putting socks on you when we got out because you just rub your feet together until you pull them off and we have a hard enough time keeping track of your socks while you are at home. The funniest thing now though is all of a sudden I realize I've been putting hats on you ever since you were losing weight and one of the pediatricians got onto me about keeping a hat on you. Who knows, maybe it does help you keep the weight in! Seriously though, you have the cutest little belly that hangs over your diaper now.

Each week as I watch you grow and change I am surprised the most how you and Jadie interact. You still try to grab a random paw or ear and try to shove it into your mouth but you are doing this less and less. Instead when you see her now you start smiling and laughing. You start patting things when she is around like you are trying to get her to come to you. If you have something you are feeding yourself you will hold it out for Jadie to lick and then keep on eating. Finally one of the coolest thing is you don't just grab fistfuls of hair instead you try to pet her and when you get frustrated and can't quite pet her like you want, you look up at me and I guide your hand over her soft coat and you just get the biggest grin on your face. So even if you never have a brother or sister (you have to convince your Dad if you want a sibling) I know you will always have a playmate and a friend. You definitely got your Dr. Doolittle qualities from your father.

You still aren't crawling yet (but get closer everyday) but that is fine with me. I still have the tiniest bit of baby proofing to do. Besides not crawling sure doesn't stop you from getting into things. If you never learn to crawl or walk you can just roll and pull yourself to things and you'll get by just fine. You are finally putting weight on your legs when we stand you up... especially when I stand you up on my lap. Being able to be eye level to my hair line seems to thrill you since you are able to grab fistfuls of hair and PULL and laugh while I tell you "no" and rescue my poor hair from your little fingers. My only complaint is I think you have taken a break from all of your "da da-ing" to develop your high pitch screams. You have even giving up crying so that you can make the most awful shrieking sound... which is at least ten times worse than nails on a chalkboard. Mom's with babies your age assure me that their kids went through and it will soon pass. I hope so. I would gladly have you return to saying "da da" and not evening saying "ma ma" until you were 18 as long as you stop shrieking! I think another week of it and my ears will suffer permanent damage.

Bugga-Bugga, I love you to the moon and back!

MA MA