Christmas with the Dogs

Arjax and Atreyu are only "Americanized" dogs for a few days a year... i.e. we play dress up with them. They each have a little something for Christmas (this is mostly for Stefan and my entertainment much to their dismay). Treyu wears a little elf hat that says, "I hate my life" and Arjax has a little 'headband' with reindeer ears that he can't quite seem to bite off (instead of dog chasing tail, think dog chasing antler). It's pretty funny for the few minutes that they have the hats on their head, lopsided or not. We decided to snazz up Lukka, too, for the occasion.

Kurtis and Lukka

This one was taken right before Kurtis left for Zambia...when he gets back in March he probably won't believe how different Lukka looks.

more pics...

for some reason, they couldn't all fit, so here's a few more:

Solid Foods

Has anyone seen Gerber 'solids' lately? Their titles include, but are not limited to: Apple Strudel, Fresh Fruit Medley, Chicken Noodle Dinner, etc. etc. This stuff is mush and it is usually a dark orange color--they aren't fooling anyone! However, Stefan and I proceeded to fool Lukka into thinking it was 'yummy' by simply making 'woo woo' sounds and airplaning a small metal spoon into his mouth. He likes it! He has so far eaten rice cereal, squash, and today, peas (and he LIKED them!) Stefan recorded his first 'solid' meal, but I'll spare you the (very) long 2 minute video. Here's some new pictures of him we have from a trip to his Great-Grandma's house, Halloween, etc.

This is a great one of Stefan and Lukka, but it misrepresents our child tremendously. This may have been the one time we were able to give him a pacifier for longer than a second before he spat it out. He does not take the darn things (although I sometimes wish he would, as he cried for almost an hour and a half at a restaurant the other day) and no amount of "mmm, Lukka, yummy pacifier" will coerce him into taking it, either. Oh well, at least we won't have to 'undo' the damage when he is in Kindergarten and still wants to suck on his binky...please take those out of your children's mouths before they go to high school and get beaten up!

new pictures

This hat was on his head everytime he wore any color except red, because that is the only color that didn't match. I love this pic because it shows his dimples, or rather his dimple. He is just relaxing in Oma Mast's arms, looking adorable as usual.

Another very cute one, however Lukka looks a bit shocked, as if taking this picture was a bit scandalous to him.
Here is his "Gerber Baby" shot, as in, he looks just like the gerber baby! Also, not to be confused with the female Gerber as his lips are quite rosy and he has pink cheeks. I think maybe he was a bit warm.

The happy family + 1 pair of extra large sunglasses.

laughing out loud

Stefan and I have a typical boy. The other day Lukka was standing up on his little 3 month old legs when our two dogs, Arjax and Atreyu started to play. Playing in 'dog terms' is actually a nice term for an outsider. This involves showing very sharp teeth, growling, and pawing at each other (mind you they each have 16 very sharp claws on the ends of those paws) and just generally hopping around the place like banshees. I was just about to yell, "Dogs, Stop!" when all of the sudden the most peculiar sound comes from the munchkin. He laughs out loud. This was not to be confused with his happy pratter that he does all day long. This was loud, full, and had a bit of a snort hanging onto the end of it. He was-- being a typical boy-- laughing at these rough-housing dogs. He has only done it one other time since that day (about a week ago). His uncle Kurtis was flying around the room like a baby Jetson, swooping down to hover above the couch before zooming up into space again, and there it was...the laugh-snort. As Kurtis has just flown to Zambia to help out his aunt and uncle who are missionaries there, we will have to find something else that is entertaining to Lukka...and doesn't involve 160 pounds of dog banging into my hardwood floors.
Sarah