Bottle Her Up

It's 10:30pm. I'm exhausted. Lucia and I have been on the road for 4 days visiting family in Oklahoma and today, Lucia just didn't nap. But now, she's asleep for the night. She has been a complete trooper since we boarded our first plane. She's been sleeping less, off her schedule, re-meeting all her family, on the go, and yet she has kept such a happy and lovely spirit about her. So while I'm about to fall asleep from exhaustion, I look over at this perfect little sleeping angel and I think I wish I could bottle up these moments. How charming she is, her fluffy little thighs, her laughter, her gentle little breaths as she sleeps, the way she just handles such new and crazy situations.. I never want to forget how completely perfect she is, never ever.

Lucia at 17 Months

Lucia is completely amazing us every day. Her development in language and social graces is moving so rapidly. She says many words, some surprising like "elbow" and "ajuda". She forms sentences like "mama, papa, dance!" and "up please". She sings all the time. Just yesterday I heard her singing what sounded like ABCs and sure enough when I started singing it she could follow along. Check out the video below. Lucia loves to say "bye bye" . Now that's fairly easy to say but what's adorable is that she says it any time we leave or put something away. She says it to leaving our friends or the seals at the zoo, to the play dough and the rocks. It's lovely! Lucia also is completely aware of when she poops and even tells us before she poops. Just Sunday, I had her diaper less and she said "coco" poop in Portuguese and I sat her on the toilet and sure enough she pooped! One thing is for sure, she is a bossy little thing. She tells daddy to put his shoes on, tells me to get up and get going. She certainly gets that naturally! She is cautious about trying new things but once she tries she pretty much loves most things. She plays in the sand now, she loves walks and bike rides, she even is getting more comfortable with play dough! She's still a Mommas girl right now and likes to be very close to her family, and even though it requires alot of attention, one day we are going to miss it!

Lucia, we love you our little toddler!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iWeyNz-who

Columbia River Camping

So while Cape Lookout was a bust, camping last weekend (with a crib!) was totally awesome.  We went with the Deziels and had a nice relaxing time.  Lucia did great and by the end was completely dirty from all of the play in the sand and mud.  Now this is a little lady who wouldn't even touch the sand on her feet one month ago :)

Oregon Symphony - Waterfront

It is becoming a new family tradition, enjoying the Oregon Symphony at the Portland Waterfront.  This year was just a lovely as all of the rest.  We listened to beautiful music, we enjoyed lovely weather, we chatted with good friends, and to top it off, Lucia was a complete gem until 10pm!  Looking forward to next year :)

Cape Lookout Camping

So the fam and I packed up the truck and headed out west for some coastal camping.  Hopes were high.  The first day was so wonderful, the weather was perfect, we played on the beach, we grilled, sat by the fire. All the lovely sides to camping.  And then it was time for Lucia to go to bed.  What. A. Nightmare.  We had a parent fail because we did not bring her a crib, only expected to her to sleep in a foreign tent, without her crib, on an air mattress that was completely new to her.  What on earth was I thinking?  She was crying off and on the entire night, literally.  She wouldn't let me put her down to sleep, so she had to sleep on top of me. And when she wanted to stretch out, she would cry.  Ugh.  We got about zero sleep that night.  We woke up the next morning and decided to pretend we weren't completely exhausted, and went for a three hour hike that she ended up doing so great on and that Rafa and I managed to keep up with.  I was shocked for all of us.  But then, as if we just moved to Oregon last week, we weren't prepared for the torrential downfall of rain that hit us later that afternoon.  It was so bad that rain was coming into to the tent.  As much as I wanted to try to stick it out, there was no way we were going to sleep wet with a one year old that was completely miserable at night.  So we packed up, in the rain, and headed home.  We certainly had some good moments, but it was not one of our best trips.  I sometimes forget three things.  1.  Lucia is still a baby and needs to be treated as such.  2.  I am a parent, I am human, and I will make bad choices.  3. There are lovely moments in life, even if they don't pan out as best as you had hoped.  So here are the photos, of the lovely moments :)

Personal fave, she is walking like a dinosaur :)

Boating and The Beach!

We decided to meet the Deziels out on the Columbia yesterday afternoon. It was perfect weather and a relaxing afternoon. Lucia is still getting comfortable with sand and waves, but she is getting more used to it. We are thinking about camping in this spot over Labor Day. That might give her just enough time to really start having fun!

Not a Fan of the Sand!

So let's face it.  The Oregon coast is far from us, its cold, and its nothing like growing up in San Diego where it was warm and always within reach.  So Lucia is not quite used to sand and waves.  Yesterday, I took her to the Oregon Coast since it was exceptionally warm in Portland.  Needless to say, she wasn't a fan.  She would barely stand in the sand, with shoes, and when a little crumble got on her hands, she instructed me to wipe her clean. And the waves?  She refused to look at them, for she was scared. By the end of the day, in the last two shots, she was feeling a bit more comfy.  I am confident though, if she just had more exposure and time, she would learn to love it.  How could she not?   After all she is Carioca!!