Dear Lucas (34 Weeks),

Each week when I realize that another Wednesday has come I am amazed and my first thought is always "already?!?!?!" It is so strange the way time has sped up since the moment you were born.

I've come to really enjoy meal times with you. It is so funny to watch how excited you get over your cheerios. Almost every meal starts with you shoveling cheerios into your mouth while I get whatever you are going to eat ready.

This morning I placed your spoon on your tray while I was getting your food ready and you stuck it in your mouth right away. Then when you were sure there was no food on it you started to band it on your tray. Well, since you spoon was wet with baby drool cheerios started to stick to it and you would eat them off of the spoon. So I guess technically today is the first day you feed yourself with the spoon. It was really neat to watch you figure out a new way to get the beloved cheerios to your mouth.

I don't know how many cheerios you actually eat because when I pick you up from your high chair your lap is covered with them and as I left you out it rains cheerios on Jadie who is waiting eagerly to clean them up. We rarely eat dinner as a family because usually you are in bed by the time that your Daddy and I finally sit down to dinner. The rare times we all eat together you just happily smile at us and wait for us to give you little tastes of what is on our plates. Jadie doesn't beg us for food anymore really because she is too busy laying in wait under your high chair because she knows that something will eventually fall down.

You and Jadie are getting along even better than ever. Every time I sit you on the couch to take your picture she now automatically jumps up there and sits beside you. It reminds me of all the pictures that Lisa takes of your cousins sitting next to each other. I wonder how funny pictures of the two of you will look when you are towering over Jadie and she is still the same size. In the mornings you look around for Jadie (who is usually still sleeping under the covers.) When you finally "find" her you give her the biggest smile and hold your mouth wide for her to come give you kisses. When you are older I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into a hide-n-seek game between the two of you.

You are my little buddy. On car rides at stop lights I turn around and look at you playing a sort of peek a book looking back from you to the light to make sure it hasn't turned yet and this puts you into fits of giggles. When I start driving again you get quiet because you are so busy looking out the window at the tops of trees I guess. I love taking you with me to run errands and watching how you act to the random strangers that want to talk to you and get you to smile at them. You are quite an interesting judge of character and it is always suprising to see who you smile and flirt with and who you just stare back at almost to say "go away I can't be bothered with you."

I am so glad you seem to have outgrown your whole scratch your eyes out thing when you are tired or angry. Instead you bury your head in my shoulder and let me cuddle you finally. Every once in a while you still wake up at night to nurse. These are my favorite times because you are just so cute. You make soft little noises that I've only heard little puppies make and before I put you down in your crib you put your head against my chest and seem to be listening to my heartbeat. After a few minutes you sort of stretch your body away from me like you are trying to fling yourself from my arms so I lay you in your crib and you roll over and go to sleep.

Now that you can put your paci back in your mouth whenever you want you seem to use it more. Sometimes I don't even hear a peep from you in the mornings and I'll go in to check on you and there you are in your crib just happily sucking away. When I pull it out of your mouth you wrinkle your eyebrows at me and give me this "hey I was using that" look. You still get your paci at nap times and when you go to bed at night. I also take it with us when we are running errands just in case you get fussy while we are rapping things up but I don't plug you in. Instead I sit it in your lap and when you want it you plop it in (which is usually right before you fall asleep in the car.)

Bugga Bugga as always I look forward to the week ahead. I love you to the moon and back,

MA MA
(I wasn't mad in the picture of us. I was trying to get you to pucker your lips but you were too busy looking at the camera)