Daddy's Happy Day

Today Luke and Scott went to their first UCLA Basketball game together. The Bruins beat Stanford, but I don't think that made Daddy nearly as happy as getting to share the game with his boy. Luke had a great time, and got all his UCLA gear, so he could be "just like Dada!"

Natey takes a Lovey

Most kids hook onto a blanket or a stuffed animal as a lovey. Neither of my boys ever had a lovey or attachment item, not even a pacifier really... until now. Nate has taken a lovey. "What is it," you ask? Not a blanket nor a cuddly stuffed animal. Not something small that travels well...

Nate's lovey is a little toy guitar given to him by his aunt Jamie. You think I'm joking when I call it a lovey, and that what I really mean is that he likes playing with this guitar. WRONG! He is ATTACHED to the guitar. It goes in the car, in the stroller, in the highchair, in the yard, on the changing table. He screams for it when it's not with him. I will not allow it in the crib, of course, lest he stand on it to hop out or strangle himself on a string or some other horrible thing. But, he did take it to his one year check up with us and while we were waiting I noticed he had stuffed it full of his morning waffles. That's right, he's squirreling away stuff for later inside that thing.

And he plays the thing, I swear. He strums, he picks, he hums along, he gyrates. I am starting to think he might be the next Tim Reynolds or Jimi Hendrix. Time will tell.

Natey says "Hi!" (30 times)

Baby's got 4 words- "Mama", "Dada", "MA!" (the dog, Molly), and now "Hi". Here, I am annoying, he is precious.

The Allergy

Tonight at dinner we were talking about Luke's visit to the allergist tomorrow. Luke was describing for his Daddy the testing that the allergist was going to do on his skin. Suddenly, "Ahchoo! Ahchoo! I know what I'm allergic to guys! Ahchoo!" Now Luke is slowly inching off his chair and toward his brother, "Ahchoo! It's Nate! I'm allergic to Nate!"

A Fan o' Hannah

Nate LOVES music. Scott says Luke was this way, too, but I don't think it was the same. Nate is positively transfixed by music. His reaction here was the same when we played a Dave Matthews video- he gets VERY upset when the songs end.

Luke has a little electric guitar that Nate obsesses over. The funny thing is you cannot lay the guitar on the ground- it has to be upright, and it has to be turned on. Nate will play it as long as you'll let him, strumming and tapping and shrieking and swaying...

You can see Luke competing for attention in this video too, so that gives you a glimpse into the reality of our home, and how the sibling relationship is playing out. Challenging, for sure.

The Altenberg Family

Who are these fine looking people? Oh, what's that you say? That's us? Oh my, we are a handsome lot!!!

The Beach in Winter

Today was one of those days you try to permanently etch into your memory. After putting Nate down for his afternoon nap, Luke and I left Daddy to his Chargers game and headed to the beach. We were armed only with two Hot Wheels and some change for the meter.

After finding a spot to park at 2nd in Hermosa, Luke loaded up the meter and declared, "Mommy, I love you!" We walked to the sand and immediately found some tracks on which to race our cars. Soon, we were distracted by some swings, which Luke preferred to ride high on his tummy. Next to the water, where we let the waves at low tide chase us, until Luke found an "island" of sand a few yards out. We stood and let the water run over our feet and legs until we were numbed by the January sea. I retreated to the sand while Luke began digging his castle, complete with two "foot pools" (for our feet) and a GIANT race track for our cars. We raced and hunted for shells and flipped cartwheels.

I sat in joy at the day, eighty degrees at the beach in winter. I sat in awe of the beauty of the ocean and the sky, pressed up against a crystal clear Bay of LA and looming-large Catalina. Most of all, I sat in wonder at my boy, so grown up and yet so not, so newly sure of himself and so unafraid these days, so open and loving and brave and fun. And I wanted the day, and the feeling, to last forever.