Superstitious Folk

For those of you not intimately acquainted with a coach, let me tell you- they are superstitious folk.

Last week I caught Scott in the bathroom putting on a Scooby Doo band-aid.


"Wow! That cut on your hand still hasn't healed? It's been two weeks!"


And then I knew. Something about the look in his eyes... the Scooby Doo band-aid was the 2008 Serra Football Friday lucky charm.


Every year it's something different- certain shoes, a particular pair of socks, a specific pre-game song or cd. One year it was a Jumbo Jack (or was it a Whopper?). Now, it's Scooby's turn, and so far he's 4-0.


So, if you see Scott on the sideline with a Scooby Doo band-aid on his finger, don't fret. He's not hurt; he's just rockin' his lucky charm 2008.

It's Just Focking Nonsense

My four year old speaks nonsense all the time. This weekend, his favorite word was any variation of "fock". We heard "Sock, Fock, Pock, Mock" and similar sing-songy babble. He told Scott, "Nate is a frog. He's a frogger. He's a focker," and, of course, Scott stifled his laugh. Later I overheard Luke say, "Fock, Fock, Fock." I couldn't resist a giggle, as hard as I tried. But when I heard him exclaim, "What the fock!" I knew we were partly responsible for this focking nonsense. Oh dear.

Squeaky

This is squeaky. All day long, he makes the squeakiest sounds. He squeaks when he's cruising along the cabinets, he squeaks when he kisses himself in the mirror, he squeaks when he plays hide and seek. And check out his teeth! What a babe!

Fun at LACMA

Today we hit Miracle Mile, visiting both the Petersen Automotive Museum and LACMA. At Petersen, Luke dug the small Hot Wheels display, the model racecars, and a CRAZY looking silver skeleton motorcycle. At LACMA, we spent the entire time in the Boone Gallery participating in Construct. This is where Luke painted this sweet Wall E , surrounded by "trash". Construct was a cool place- you could write on the walls with chalk, other walls were for painting, there were foam building blocks (we made a pretty cool house), and EVERY kind of art supply you could imagine: sticks, fabric, glue, paint, crayons, stencils, magazine cuttings, yarn, colored tape, all kinds of paper, empty toilet paper rolls, stickers, old postcards, colored tissue, cardboard- an artist's paradise!

Little Picasso

Lately Luke has been consumed with art. He uses many mediums: chalk, markers, crayons, paint. And many canvases: sidewalk, paper, carpet (boo hoo).

A friend suggested that his burgeoning motor skills are the reason, and I agree. But he also has passion for drawing, which I hope he retains, because although I am crafty, artistic I am not. And ,well, Scott's art skills are limited to drawing routes and doodling plays in one of his five hundred and thirty spiral football notebooks.

Luke's #1 favorite thing to draw is Wall E. But, he also enjoys sketching rabbits, ghosts, spiders, skeletons, pirate ships, puppies, Indiana Jones, caves, reindeer, bats, and snowmen. He also really, really, really likes to write his name.

Tomorrow we are headed to LA County Museum of Modern Art- they are supposed to have a fantastic kids program, and the museum is free for everyone when you bring a child! If Luke is so inspired, I plan on having an Art Show at our house, complete with highlights from his collection, appetizers, and beverages served in champagne glasses. Hopefully some of you out there will make it to his art show, feeling free to take one of his masterpieces home with you. I have pictures of bunnies and Wall E coming out of my ears.

The Easy Babies

Lately I am struck by the comparisons people make between my two kids.

"Oh, Nate seems so happy! Luke wasn't like this, was he?"
"Oh, look how curious Nate is! Luke was much more of a chill baby!"
"You finally have your easy baby!"

I know they are well meant compliments to Nate, but for some reason I always feel a bit defensive of Luke. Perhaps we always idealize our first child? But the whole concept's got me thinking. Here's how Nate is "easier":

1. Nate naps in his crib twice a day without any problems. Luke had to be in the swing or driven around. Every. Single. Time.

2. Nate has no attachment or lovey (well, except for his mom)- Luke loved that pacifier!

3. Nate has no food sensitivities; Luke was called "Puke Altenberg" until just last year, yakking up anything with fructose or sugar.

But here's how Luke was "easier":

1. Luke was sleeping all the way through the night- 7 to 7- by the time he was 4 months old. Nate is still waking up once, usually around 4 a.m.

2. Luke took a bottle and the occasional formula eagerly; Nate won't touch either.

3. Luke went to ANYONE, and always with a huge smile. Natey is a mama's boy 100%.

4. Luke waited til he was about 9 months to crawl, and he was very cautious. Nate crawled at 6 months and is a daredevil of Evel Knevel proportions.

In general, the boys are extremely similar in their dispositions. They are both usually happy and each has a funny little sense of humor. They both seem easy to me, and I am incredibly blessed that this has been the case. If it seems different to folks out there, I chalk it up to the refined parenting the second time around. I am not the same slave to the schedule I once was (although I still think routine is important!). I am not worried about every little cough or sniffle. I get out of the house more, with the kids and without them. I am not obsessing over the inevitable return to work (but only because I won't be going back for some time still). And mostly, I am cherishing every single moment, because I know that even a bad day goes by too quickly.

Holy Smokes Indy!

Playing Indiana Jones is serious business and a full time job these days. Daddy is the sidekick "Shorty", which is hilarious. And mommy is always "The Girl". Thanks to Bumpa we have this cool hat, and Scott's old fly fishing vest completes the ensemble.

I know some think Luke's genes predispose him to be an All-American football player, but I am pretty sure he actually got more of the actor in him. We shall see. :)

The Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfers had their first game on Saturday! So far, here are the top ten things Luke loves about AYSO Soccer:

1. His cool uniform.

2. Stomping in mud puddles and standing on the field cleaning his cleats.

3. Running around in circles.

4. The huddle.

5. Anyone scoring from either team (he screams with a huge smile, "They scored!!!!")

6. The cool tunnel the parents make afterwards (pictured).

7. His own cheering section (thanks for coming Jamie, Nana, Hal, Kiki, & Kurt)!

8. The yummy bag of snacks from the team mom, Christina.

9. Playing against his best friend Cole's team, "The Racers".

10. Going to pizza after the big game, preferably at "Shake's" (aka Shakey's), but Georgios will do!

Game next week at 2 pm!

The Altenberg Boys Celebrate!

WOO HOO! Daddy's team beat Carson! Woo HOO! Go Serra Cavaliers!

The Football Widow

Ladies and Gentlemen, football season is upon us, and I am a football widow once again. Tonight my husband's team, ranked number 2 in the South Bay, plays first-ranked Carson. I'll let you know how it goes. Scott is consumed, both by his own season, as well as with our annual season tickets to UCLA. The boys are, as you can see here, getting in the spirit. And tomorrow is Luke's first futbol game (soccer for those of you who may be confused). Anyway, the Altenberg family unit will be available again sometime in mid December.

Until then, Fight On (just kidding Scott)!

Zoolander

Check out Luke working it for the camera. Reminds me:

Derek Zoolander: Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking "wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career."
Matilda: Do what for a career?
Derek Zoolander: Be professionally good looking.

Michael Phillips

Last week we were running errands at Sports Authority and Luke screamed, "Look Mommy! Michael Phelps!" I was floored that he not only knew who Michael Phelps was, but could recognize him on sight. Apparently Daddy's Olympic watching made an impact!

Later, as we were walking into his swimming lessons, he said, "I'm Michael Phillips, right Mommy?" I tried to correct him, but this time he swore the name was Michael Phillips, and that Luke had indeed become Michael Phillips in the flesh.

The good and bad news is that Michael Phillips has no fear of the water. He will stand on the pool's edge, waiting to belly flop on in, hollering, "closer, closer, closer, closer, closer, back, back, backer, back, closer, STOP!" to the person who is to catch him. But thanks to the warm summer and his lessons at the Torrance Plunge, Luke is getting to be a decent little swimmer, so I don't worry too much.

It's really too bad Luke didn't connect to any of the male gymnasts the way he did to Michael Phelps. I would've loved to see Scott's reaction if Luke shouted, "I'm Alexander 'Sasha' Artemev!"

Mother of the Year

As we were leaving soccer practice, Luke announces, "I have to pee-pee really bad!" and there's not a restroom to be found. I put Nate in his carseat, and pull Luke over to the side of the car. He's gonna discreetly pee on the side of the car. I'm helping him get his pants down when I hear THUD. Nate has fallen out of the carseat onto the sideboard of the car, face down, and then rolls out of the car onto the concrete.

My heart stopped.

The baby screamed.

Luke peed all over himself.

AYSO will probably not be nominating me for Soccer Mom of the Year.

So, Nathaniel made his first trip to the ER, with a black eye, facial bruise, and leg abrasion from hitting the sideboard, and a decent cut on the back of his head from the gravel on the concrete. He's fine, thank God. Me, not so fine.

Luke was not a daredevil- he was always cautious (still is), and now I am even more grateful for the security that gave me as an unknowing first time mom. I am discovering my second child is VERY different; from any location in the house, Nate can find an open toilet or the dog's water in under ten seconds. He twists and turns and writhes in every swing, highchair, stroller, and, as we have learned, carseat. Since he was crawling, standing, and cruising at six and a half months, he also has taken to CLIMBING rather quickly.

For the last seven months I have felt that having two children is a breeze. I'm sort of changing my view on that now that Nate is more mobile. So, please pray for us. Pray that I can learn to master the shoulder straps, avoid distractions, and keep the heart attacks at bay. Pray that Luke develops a bladder of steel, and Nate escapes babyhood in one piece. Amen.

Tell Me What You Really Think...

Just now, Nate was throwing cheerios from his high chair- he thought it was hilarious. I told Luke, "I call him the mess-maker." I kid you not, Luke's reply was, "I call him the mistaker."

The Problem With Markers

Not as bad as the artwork he created on the semi-new carpet, the images still invoke Silence of the Lambs, leaving me screaming, "Put the lotion in the Basket!" all day long. Precious.