La Petite LuLu

Okay, this is getting outta control...

2009-06-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had our normal awkward meeting with the concierge of our building...and the fact that I can't remember her name makes my point. Anyway, I'm struggling through my bad French to give her an update on Lucienne's newest feats when I realize that Lucienne is having a conversation of her own with Madame! The two of them are carrying on like old friends and suddenly I hear Lucienne use a word that I'd heard her use before, but that I thought was jibberish. Madame recognized it immediately and said, "qu'est-ce que tu mange?" Well apparently Lu had made sense to her. She was sharing what we had been out doing. Lu answered, "brioche!" Now thanks to this chance encounter, I know that when my daughter says to me "mange" Mama, she means she wants something to eat! The funny thing is that I know the word "manger" and I use it all the time, but due to the way that Lu was saying it or the context, I never figured it out.

Lucienne does also have a cute way of mixing up words now, especially when she's been at the créche all day. She says "C'est" for "it is" or "Ca" for "that" and also used "lá" for "there".

This is one of the sad things about leaving Brussels because Lu is really making strides in two langauges. Her English is exceptional and she is more fluent in French than I am! She can also count to 4 in French and was teaching me a song too that she must have learned at the créche (something about a lapin). This is in addition to "bateau sur l'eau" that she sings all the time! I've got to figure this new one out!

Moving at warp speed

2009-05-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

Lucienne had been developing by leaps and bounds at such a pace it's hard to keep up with her. I was gone in Berlin over the weekend and could even tell a difference in her language after only a few days. She speaks now in 3 to 4 word sentences which are not complete, but she definately gets her intention across. A few cute things she's saying now is when she wants me to carry her she says, "Mama, carryU?" I suppose this is from me asking, "Do you want me to carry you?" It hasn't occured to her that these are two words. She is still asking to take a shower, her term for a bath. Lucienne is quite enthusiastic about most things and empatically exclaims, "Mama, a puppy right dere!" She still is very concerned about what belongs to whom and often verifies this, "Mama hat, Dada hat, Lulu hat" and she is very concerned if one of us is lacking the coat, hat, shoes, hood, etc. Lucienne loves to go to the "coffee shot" and play at the "beach" although she's beginning to use "sand".

Now that Lucienne has the alphabet mastered, she's working on numbers and shapes. She can count to 10 and knows several shapes and can draw a circle. I've been especially impressed by her accuracy while coloring. She really concentrates and says closely within the lines. Lucienne's singing has really developed too. While on spring break she broke into a rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and I didn't even know she knew any of the words! She sings "Row Row Row Your Boat" too. At music class she is really keen to learn the words and is aways trying to sing along. She's also singing to herself in a kind of gibberish.

Big Girl Bed!

2009-05-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

The big girl bed has arrived at our house, but has yet to be slept in through the night. Lucienne has taken a few naps and we love to read stories before bed in it, but she still likes to sleep in her crib. We hope that she'll warm up to it within the next month because her bedroom set has been purchased by a couple expecting a baby at the end of June. When we've tried to put her to sleep in the big girl bed, in spite of her better judgement must come out in the living room and see what mama and dada are up to. After the 3th or 4th time she asks to go to sleep in her crib.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Little Gym which Lucienne attends on Thursday and Friday mornings sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt out in Waterloo. It was a beautiful day and very well attended. Of the 100 odd children lining the tape barrier waiting for the bell to signal the beginning of the hunt, Lucienne was the only impatient one. For 10 minutes (but what felt more like 2 hours) I had to hold back a screaming Lucienne, who was frustrated because she wanted to get her hands on the chocolate! When the bell finally did ring at 3:15 on the dot, she had worked herself into such a state having thrown herself on the ground, the other kids just stepped over her to get to the eggs.

When Lucienne finally figured out what was going on, that the hunt has started, she ran out and collected a handful of candy, then took her bucket and made a B-line for the little playhouse to sit alone and consume her treasure. Oblivious of the kids around her who were still filling up their baskets to the brim, Lucienne was content to savor her few precious chocolates in private. Needless to say, she can't wait for the Easter Bunny to come on Sunday!

Lulu is TWO!

2009-03-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

We welcomed Lucienne's 2nd birthday with a great celebration of friends and family. Aunt Sarina, Mathias and Sophia visited from Zurich, Cousins Michelle and Axel came from Paris and Grampa Larry and Gramma Myrna came all the way from Azerbaijan! We also had our friends Norah and Niall over as well as Zach, Dawn, Hannah and Izzy and our neighbor, Giovanni.

It was a house full and a fantastic time. Lu loved the puppy cupcakes and thoughtful gifts chosen just for her. My best memory of the day will always be when we sang happy birthday to her. She was so thrilled and loved the attention. She even blew out her candles; no problem! I made a vegetable lasagne and appetizers of bruchetta, caprice picks and tapanade with croustini. Thanks so much to cousin Michelle for the beautiful pictures. They capture the beauty and spirit of the day.

La Primevere

2009-03-09T08:45:00.001-07:00

Lucienne has attended the Primevere créche since December 2007. It's convienently located across the parrot roundabout, just a 5 minute walk from our apartment.
The woman who cares for her is Melanie who I have mixed feelings about. She's not the happiest woman on the planet, but few Belgians are. Lu doesn't seem to mind her and can say her name now. Melanie has told me that she loves Lucienne's accent when she says French words. She told me, "I love the way Lucienne says, dodo and bonjour, her American accent sounds really nice." I find this suprising since she has what I would call a 'toddler accent' whenever she says anything in English! She has few words that are truly clear, "no" and "puppy" of course being the exception! She seems to increase her French vocabulary each week lately. The other day when I came to pick her up she saw me and said, "Maman c'est la!" (Mama is here!) Melanie has told me that Lucienne can understand everything in French which I've witnessed at the créche and now at her Little Gym class.
We are lucky to have such a good créche as I've heard that some can be quite basic with women who exist at work only to look forward to their next smoke break. Often when I pick Lucienne up, Melanie has music playing and she keeps a rotation of toys going for the children. They also decorate and plan activities for every holiday. Overall I think it's been a great experience for Lucienne.

Favorite Foods

2009-03-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Lucienne has always had a healthy appetite, in fact her Papa Dan said, "she eats as much as a man!" Some of her favorite foods are pictured here. You can see that Babybel cheese is particularly irresitable! We shop mostly bio (organic) which we can get easily here in Brussels. Lu loves fruit of almost any kind, but vegetables are another story. Tomatoes are a good bet, which she calls "meemos" and avocado which she inhales with tortilla chips. Pasta is her favorite meal, preferrably with tomato sauce. These German animal cookies have been really fun as she learns animal names and the sounds they make. Breakfast is her biggest meal of the day generally, which often includes scrambled eggs, yogurt, toast or crepes in large quantities.

Carnival

2009-03-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

On February 24 this year Belgium celebrated Mardi Gras or the beginning of lent. This is the day that kids traditionally dress up although Halloween is gaining in popularity. Lucienne went as a kitty cat to the créche that day where she ate crepe among the other disguised toddlers. The black makeup was eventually wiped all over her face, but she kept her disguise on all day. This was an appropriate costume since her favorite toy now is the grey kitty cat that her cousin Mathias gave her for Christmas. The little guy has graduated from ''reow" to "kitty" as Lu's vocabulary expands.

Now at the créche, holidays are celebrated with art projects (bricolage). For carnival Lu made this mask, theoretically to wear at a parade. We didn't make it to one, feeling the mayhem would be too much for us.

The Europeans take a week holiday during this time with many parades and festivals usually involving dressing up and drinking. We planned a visit to cousin Michelle and Axel's near Paris for the holiday. We couldn't wait to show them some of Lu's accomplishments since they'd seen her in November for Thanksgiving.

Mr. President

2009-02-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Some call him Mr. President, others call him "Bomba". This may be a testament to Obama's unprecidented connection with the common man... and toddler? Lucienne can recognize two important people on television; Joe from Blue's Clues and our new president Barak Obama, whom she prefers to refer to as Bomba. It's quite adorable and made Kevin and I realize how obvious our excitement must have been when we watched the election and inauguration.

No more nonny?

2009-02-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

I'm a little nervous about writing this in the chance that I may jinx it, but it seems Lu has kicked the nonny habit herself with very little urging from her parents. Dare I say that giving up the pacifier is going to be as easy as giving up the breast and the bottle? (She really is the perfect child). It's only been since Valentine's Day so it's a bit premature, but each night when she goes to bed she does not ask for it. I've been preparing her that when she turns two next month that nonny is going to live with another baby because then Lu won't be a baby anymore once she's two. Kevin thinks that maybe because she opened some gifts on Valentine's Day that Lu may have thought it was her birthday. We have made her none the wiser. Wish us luck! Considering that up until the 14th she needed two nonnies to get to sleep!

ABC & Red, Yellow, Blue!

2009-02-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

For the past two weeks Lucienne has been talking up a storm, learning all her colors and some of her ABCs! If that's not enough, she has been putting together sentences and using prepositions. First the colors are almost mastered which includes the spectrum as well as black, grey and brown which are reported to be most difficult for toddlers. She loves to pick them out in objects around her.

The alphabet is coming along too with as many as 10 letters identified consistently, her favorites being T, I and P. The other day after I picked her up at the creche she was going on about 'p' and after much pointing I figured out that she was telling me that she saw a big 'P' on a sign signaling parking which was reserved for CD plates and of course I was illegally parked!

Particularly this week Lu has been crafting sentences that leave us amazed. This morning when she awoke and heard the shower she asked me, "Shower?". I told her that her daddy was in the shower and she said (I kid you not) "My dada in the shower. Mama not in the shower." Her mind is really working on possessive relationships too. She wants to assign things to people, "mama's pants", "dada's coat", "Lulu's shoes". It seems something that she needs to repeat often to reconcile in her mind.

Lu made the day of her caregiver at the creche, Melanie when she said her name the other day. Melanie was so touched and asked if Lucienne talked about her at home. She doesn't really, but when I tell Lu that she's going to the creche, I say she's going to visit Melanie and feels quite content about it. Melanie told me that she loves Lu's English accent when she speaks French; words like, toot (pacifier), dodo (sleep), gouté (snack).

Lastly, Lu's daddy is quite proud of that fact that she's using prepositions which he's been working hard with her. She tells us now when she wants her coat or shoes 'off' and has been using 'in' as well in different situations. We of course think she's very gifted, but more than that love seeing each new develop hand how she processes and articulates new experiences.

Best Friends

2009-01-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

Lulu has a best friend, well as much as a 22 month old can have a friend. It's Giovanni, or Jojo which she calls him. He is 2 and a half and lives across the hall from us and they attend the same créche. They are passionate about each other. Lucienne listens for him to come home and if she hears him will point at the door saying, 'Jojo'. They usually have a play date on Sundays. The same kids that, if they see each other in the elevator, but have to home for dinner will cry when separated, totally ignore each other when playing. Jojo's mom told me a funny story about their discussions of Lucienne. She said that when Jojo misbehaves, she tells him that "Lucienne would never do that". Well one day when said asked him ''Who's Mommy's favorite person?". Expecting him to say Jojo, he answered, "Lucienne!".

Lu's Room

2009-01-27T10:35:00.001-08:00

Epiphany

2009-01-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about living in Brussels, where two cultures meet, French and Dutch, is that the Christmas season extends over a month! From Sinterklaas on December 6 to Epiphanie on January 6 the festivals distract from the cold and grey weather. The traditions which surround Epiphany in Belgium comes from the French. Local bakeries stack gateau de rois on counters and in windows each wearing a gold paper crown. Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the three kings to Jerusalem in search of the christ child. The cake is symbolic of their gifts brought to baby Jesus. Just as in Biblical times, the fun of bringing a cake home isn't just the wonderful flakey crust and marzipan (almond) filling, but the secret 'gift' hidden inside. The lucky person that finds the prize gets to wear the epiphany crown for the day.
Our cake was purchased from our favorite bakery, le Pain Quotidien. It had a small ceramic tile inside with the logo of the bakery printed on it. Since we were just three and Lu isn't old enough to particpate other than eating and donning the crown, we skipped the part of the tradition that requires the youngest member of the household to sit under the table and assign each piece of the gateau to those seated at the table. Mom picked out the tile in order to avoid any dramatic choking episodes and Lu got to be 'king' for the day.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

The Crouches meet the new year in Switzerland with Familie Bamert. On new years eve it snowed which created a beautiful white blanket which sparkled in the moonlight. At midnight the local spa on the hill above their house let off a grand display of fireworks. Our celebration included an authenic Swiss fondue, dress up, dancing and a tischbombe! A tischbombe is a kind of firework that spits out toys and party favors rather than sparks. The pirate themed tischbombe was a hit with the kids, in fact Mathia wanted to sleep with his eyepatch and mustache! Lulu even learned to 'Cheers' (of course with kinderwein)!

On the Slopes

2008-12-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of our trip to see cousins Sophia and Mathias and Auntie Sarina and Uncle Markus was our days up on the sunny, snowy slopes around Lake Zurich. There are small sledding and beginner skiing slopes all over, many within 20 minutes from their house. Each park has rustic little restaurants which serve basic Swiss faire, most complete with 90 year old grannies working in the kitchen. Lu had a great time sledding and was really brave on the long slopes. She was squealing with delight!

Je suis Lulu!

2008-12-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

Lu said her name for the first time today. It's funny how her self recognition has added a whole new dimension to her personality. She's now little Lulu and now longer the bebé. We are a family of single tonguing magpies; Mama, Dada and Lulu. She also calls herself and other little girls, la petite, which is the French for little girl.
With Christmas just around the corner I've especially enjoyed our tree and the advent calendar that Gramma Jan made for Lu. She seems to recognize Santa, often calling him papa. There isn't as much commerical presence of Christmas here so she doesn't see much outside the house. We are showing her some of the classic shows, Rudoph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa is Coming to Town on DVD.

Sinterklass

2008-12-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

The Belgians and the Dutch have a wonderful tradition on Dec. 6 which celebrates the arrival of Sinterklass and his helpers Zwarte Piet. Children leave their shoes near the fireplace or the door with carrots for Sint's horse and a note telling him that they've been good. During the night Zwarte Piet sneaks down the chimney and replaces the carrots with kruidnoten cookies, candy, clementines and little gifts for well-behaved children. If children have been bad they are whipped with a switch carried on the belt of Piet. Sinterklass makes a long voyage from Spain each year to bring the treats for the children by boat. When he arrives in the low countries (a different port each year) he mounts his horse and heads out to do his work with many Zwarte Piet helpers.

The fun continues when families work to create poems which poke fun at each other, in the most harmless way, teasing about habbits, love interests or mannerisms. The poem is accompanied with a home made gift which is sometimes only found by decifering a treaure map or series of clues. I love the fact that everyone, young and old, is involved and much work goes into working out the perfect poem and special gift. Kevin and I organized a Sinterklaas treat for Lucienne this year. The carrots and shoes were temporary play things and the cookies and chocolate were a big hit, not to mention the clementines which she loves!

Yada yada yada

2008-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

Lucienne is quite the conversationalist these days. Some of the new words are coat, tree, boat, cookie, flower among many others. She also tells us when something is "gone" or she wants "more" and is forever asking if we are going to "go" in the "car". We love the cute names for things that aren't quite accurate, but make sense to her. Meemo is for fish, mee for money and due to the shape of her piggy bank, for pigs too. If Lucienne hasn't found the right word for something she will do a little sound effect. Bunnies are a flip of the tongue which is the sound of munching on carrots, she flaps her arms for a duck and meows for a kitty. Lu is learning her colors and can identify and say red, purple, green and blue. It seems each day a new word comes out of her mouth.

Around the house

2008-11-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Lucienne has been developing in leaps and bounds. She also seems to have an organizational streak which becomes obvious when she sits at her table and uses her pens. It's very cute how she makes sure the cap is back on before she picks up a new pen to draw. Even when it's time to put the pens away and get ready for lunch or bedtime, she'll put the pens neatly back in the box, all with the caps point up!

Her skills of matching and identifying are very strong. We brought her a book in which pictures have corresponding sticker and she is able to match them every time...even orientated the right way. She is very good at her puzzles, in fact we need to get her some more complicated ones.

She's talking all the time now and can ask questions, "Where dada?" and is endlessly trying to make conversation with her limited vocabulary. I can see her expanding the meaning of words when she recognizes when something is empty by saying "gone". Blue's Clues has become a favorite, in fact it's the only show she watches. When Lucienne asks to watch it she opens and closes her hands saying "Clue, Clue" or sometimes "Joe".

Lu is forever imitating us and she understands basically everything I ask her to do. In this picture I had removed the batteries from her toy to recharge them and after watching me she was determined to used the screwdriver to remove the screws herself. Luckily she wasn't successful. She loves to look at her books and will study them for quite a while. Her favorites right now are the Dr. Seuss books, specifically "Go Dog Go" which she can say...well short of and "I'll Teach My Dog A lot of Words". It's not surprising that both have dog characters since that seems to be her favorite animal. Kevin and I are daily waiting for something new our little Lulu will come up with!

All Saints and Pink Eye

2008-11-02T03:55:00.001-08:00

With Kevin in Morocco on a mountain biking trip for the school, Lucienne and I had grand plans for the mid-term break. Unfortunately this was not to materialize. Monday it became apparent that Lu had conjuctivitis and from that point on we were battling that and colds. The only hightlight was a trip to London, Wednesday on the Eurostar. It looked like we were on the mend so I decided to go ahead, but throughout the day Lucienne's pink eye didn't get better, it got worse.
The borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a fantastic place to walk and window shop. Very stylish cafés and shops with maticulously kept rows of apartments painted perfect white. I was on the lookout for Cath Kidston's shop where I hoped to find some modern print fabric for some sewing projects.

In the afternoon we had a nice stroll through Kensington Gardens. The fall color was vibrant and the day was clear, though cold. I had planned on having lunch at The Orangery, but there was quite a wait. We then walked the length of the park, then the length of Hyde Park looking for a place to duck into for lunch. Finally at Oxford Street we came across a Starbucks where we shared a cheddar and pickle sandwich. At that point Lu had had it so I hailed a taxi to take us back to St. Pancras Station.

The Eurostar couldn't have been more convientent with Lucienne. I arranged to sit in the family section of the train where the doors didn't open automatically and the handles were out of toddler reach. The other passengers sitting around us were also families so this kept the annoyance factor to a minimum.

Je parle français!

2008-10-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

It seems the benefits of sending Lucienne to a French speaking créche are beginning to evolve. As her mother it's difficult for me as my French if very limited and the women who work at the créche have very little English. Luckily though Lucienne loves going there, seldomly giving me a backward glance when I drop her off. Best of all, she's showing me up with her understanding of French and even speaking a little. The other day when I dropped her off, she went running to play with the other kids when Melanie said to her, donné ta maman un bisous au revoir (I think that's how you say it...) and she turned around and kissed me good bye! She's also said bon jour to several different people who have also responded back to her. Her accent must be better than mine! Lucienne often peeks from around a corner saying cou cou! It's really cute.

Look at me with my Barbapapa backpack!

Music Together

2008-10-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Lucienne loves music and has figured out how to get music out of all our electronics, so I signed her up for a weekly class called Music Together. We have a CD of songs from the class that we listen to at home and in the car. She especially likes, She's Comin' Round the Mountain which she enthusiastically adds a whistle pull motion and "Choo, choo." In fact she made the connection when we took the train to London yesterday. I told her we were going to ride on a train, and at the station when she saw it she said,"Choo, choo". The parents and kids all join in together with routines for each song. The teacher, Mariëtte has many props like egg shakers, scarves, and sleigh bells. A big treat was when Papa Dan visited us he came to class and sang and danced along with us. It's obvious that the musical instruments portion of the class is Lucienne's favorite. She doesn't do much singing yet, but moves easily to the music. In fact any time she hears music she starts dancing. A couple other CDs she likes are Catch the Moon by Elizabeth Mitchell and Lisa Loeb and Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George by Jack Johnson.

Halloween Brussels Style

2008-10-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

Wanting for the traditional pumpkin patch to harvest our jack-o-lantern pumpkins we had to settle for the local Rhino fruit and vegetable stand. Lu didn't seem to mind and found her favorite right away.
We had to rush home to get ready for the big trick or treating night in Overijse where American parents had set up a trick or treat of sorts on a few streets. It
was packed with kids, but Lu was very excited and got lots of attention in her puppy costume.
Unfortunately for Lu, most of the candy she picked up was hard or taffy so like a good mother saved her from choking and disposed of it myself.

Papa Dan's Here!

2008-10-20T03:22:00.000-07:00

We had a special visitor in October who came to stay for two weeks. Lucienne had a great time with Papa and recognized him right away when he got off the plane. She ran up to him and yelled, "Papa!" when she saw him. The best part of Papa's visit is when he took Lu and me to Haarlem and Amsterdam. We even did a tour of the Red Light District! No visits to any Coffee Shops...Lu's still a little young. We had some great meals, including Mexican food in Haarlem at Popocatépetl restaurant. Lucienne got a pair of wooden shoes as a reminder of our trip. We also took a trip to the Champagne region of France, this time Dada came too. We were a little late for the Vendange, but got to tour Moet & Chandon Champagne house in Epernay. The Reims cathedral was a highlight even though it was very cold and windy that day. It's so great that Papa's retired now and can come visit any time! We were so sad to see him leave. Lucienne still talks about him all the time.

Weekend in Paris - Jour Deux

2008-09-22T05:05:00.000-07:00

Day two in Paris started with breakfast at La Salle á Manger on Rue Mouffetard. The spot is lovely on a sunny day and perfect for kids. The tables outside are surrounded by the liveliness of a market Sunday and right across from a small playground. Kevin and I took turns sipping our coffee after we'd finished our basket of breads and spreads while the other played with Lucienne on the playground. The street performers were a hit as well, giving Lu a chance to shake her bootie and for their trouble she tossed the band a Euro coin after.

Not a long walk away is the Jardin des Plantes which includes a menagerie which is fascinating for the kiddies and quite historical (the price is right too at €7 for adults; >4 are free). If you have less time, like us we opted for a ride on the dodo manége. It's not your ordinary carousel, at least dodo birds, armadillos and a triceratop weren't on the ones I rode as a kid. Other carousels around town are at the Jardin des Tuileries, Parc du Champ de Mars and on the hill at Sacré Coeur. There is supposed to be one in Luxembourg Gardens too, but we couldn't find it.

Luckily we didn't need to resort to our rainy day plan, although next time rain or shine we'll give the Batobus a try. The biggest lesson I learned from this trip is that if the baby's happy, Mommy and Daddy are happy. As I'd visited Paris many times, seeing it from a toddler's point of view was definately a fresh perspective.

A Weekend in Paris

2008-09-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

A weekend in Paris with an 18 month old may seem like we hadn’t really thought the idea through, that we may have a death wish or just were plain crazy. Well, none is true and we had a marvelous time with our little bundle of energy. One big plus of travelling in Paris with kids is that the sidewalks are wide and paved. It’s a perfect environment for pushing a stroller around all day. We have a large stroller that Lu can sleep in which allowed us to stay out instead of running back to the apartment to put her down for a nap in the middle of the day.
I’d researched plenty of things to do with a toddler before we left, with plans for rain or shine. So after having driven down from Brussels the night before, we were able to get an early start Saturday morning. Lucienne is happy with a croissant for breakfast so this made the first meal of the day very easy in Paris. We went to a great bakery called Bread and Roses, just outside Jardin du Luxembourg. I wouldn’t recommend it strongly for kids as the tables are very close together, but if you can sit outside junior can eat in the stroller. Regardless of the close quarters, it is a fantastic bakery.
Lucienne needed to run off some energy after sitting still through breakfast, so we took her to the Poussin Vert playground in the Jardin du Luxembourg. There’s a small fee to get in, but the bonus is that it’s completely enclosed and very extensive. There is a separate section for kids 7-10 and a sandbox for toddlers. The Jardin du Luxembourg also has pony rides that we thought we’d save for next time.
Shopping for kids is irresistible with many unique and chic shops. One of my favorites is Du Pareil au même near the Hotel du ville. Its creative styles look much more expensive than they are. One of the most unique shops in Paris is Celis located in the Marais. Upon entering this tiny shop you are surrounded by finger puppets hand knitted by the proprietor. She creates at least 100 different characters which sell for €6.90 each. Leaving with a miniature Snow White we rushed to make our 14.45 appointment at Coup’ Kid for Lucienne’s first hair cut. The salon caters to children and is a colorful riot of toys and cartoons. Coup’Kid is located in the Joué Club Village du Paris complex which is a shopping mall devoted entirely to toys. Lu wasn’t too happy about getting her hair cut, but she looked very cute with her new do.

We found that stopping for lunch in any of the cafés is great with kids as most serve crepes or croque monsieurs. Also two restaurants recommended for kids are Chez Clement, a chain and Cremerie-Restaurant Polidor. We tried the Polidor which dates from 1845, but even this place which claims cuisine familie doesn’t have high chairs or a children’s menu. There were however many families with young kids eating at the long tables. We ordered Lu oeuf mayonnaise which she liked with some bread and frites. Not the most balanced and nutritious meal, but the service was very quick and the prices were good.

Carless Brussels

2008-09-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite days of the year is Carless Sunday in Brussels. If you can believe it, a city of over a million people park their cars for one full twelve hour period from 7 am to 7 pm on the third Sunday of September. We dust off our bikes and head to the streets, unhasseled by horn and exhaust fumes. The focus is on sustainable energy, organic products and healthy living. A little fair is set up in front of the Royal Palace complete with sod carried in that transforms the normally busy street in from of the Palace into a verdent parkland. Lucienne had her first whirl in a bike carrier and really loved it.

Our perpetual motion machine...

2008-09-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well Lucienne is almost 18 months old and a lot has changed! She's running now and is interested in everything. She loves to see how things work and is extremely social. It's rare that we take a walk now and don't make a friend along the way. I think she thinks she's part of a parade, waving at people from her stroller. Lu has quite a vocabulary now too. She says 'puppy' and 'kitty' and will point when she sees one. A favorite role play that she's picked up is talking on the phone. She will use anything as a phone; a bookmark, remote control, or of course her play phone. Another playtime activity is putting together puzzles, stacking things or filling items in a cup. Lucienne loves books and will bring me a book and say 'story' which is asking me to read it to her.

It's especially amazing to us now how much she understands. We can tell her it's time for a walk and she'll crawl into her stroller. A favorite thing for her to do is put money in her piggybank. Lu has developed an attachment to her soft green blankie and likes to take it to the créche.

Apparently she's learning some French at the créche too. The other day at le Pain Quotidien she repeated 'bonjour' back to the woman at the counter. She also will say 'caca' about her poopy diapers. Lu loves to give kisses too. She will kiss the women at the créche goodbye for the day and loves to kiss mama and dada good night.

One of Lu's antics that really make us laugh is when she wants a bite of something we're eating she'll open her mouth as wide as she can and stand right in front of us. She also tells us she's hungry by moving her fingers to her mouth in a sign language motion.

As a baby of the 21st century, Lu loves Skyping. She know the ring and runs over to the computer and wants to talk and see who's calling. DVDs are another favorite. She will walk over to the TV and tell me that she wants to watch a particular movie. Lucienne is very responsive to music. She can turn on the iPod herself and likes to dance. We've signed her up for Music Together classes, which we're really looking forward too. Lu especially likes songs with hand motions like 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and 'Pattycake, Pattycake'.

Kevin and I are having so much fun with her now. She is such a bright, smiling ray of sunshine.

North to the UK

2008-07-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

We began our summer vacation in the UK. We took the ferry from Belgium to England where we camped near Cambridge the first night. Lucienne loved playing on the jungle gym there at the campground. She slept very well in the tent, bundled up in her fleece and thick blankets. Summer hadn't completely arrived in England, but at least we avoided the rain (for the most part). Lu got the hang of eating dinner at the pubs and loved HP sauce with her 'chips'. It's an added bonus that the UK has outlawed smoking in public buildings. Since Lucienne has recently learned to walk she was able to practice at the campground. After a night in southern England, we made our way up to the beautifully stark North York Moors.

The historic town of Whitby proved to be a pleasant stop on our way then to Edinburgh our ultimate destination for the big wedding! Whitby was the site of Capt. Cook's departure around the world and the setting of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Lu had her first fish and chips with mushy peas and loved them. We realized that we are now in a new phase in our travels with Lu. She doesn't like to sit still anymore and we must do a lot of running around to keep up with her. She likes to explore and is always asking, 'dat?' It sure is more exhausting, but great fun. She garners much attention from people because of her smiling disposition.

Arriving in Edinburgh we had lots to do to prepare for the wedding. Since dada was the best man we attended the rehersal dinner. We met up with friends who we hadn't seen in a while. Kevin had to get fitted for his kilt while Lu and I hung out at Starbucks. On the day of the wedding we dodged the raindrops and made our way via taxi to the Cathedral. Lu looked really cute, but unfortunately, she wasn't ready to make her debut as a flowergirl just yet. She insisted on walking around the church throughout the long ceremony, except when she was to walk down the aisle ahead of Norah. Oh well, she still looked awfully cute in her Belgian lace dress. The reception at, The Hub, kept Lu running and dancing until way past her bedtime. She was delirious when we got into the taxi to head back to the hotel. The next day was our 10 year anniversary. Niall's sister agreed to babysit Lucienne so Kevin and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at The Witchery inside Edinburgh Castle. Our vacation wasn't over yet! We left on Sunday for the Lake District and camped at an old farm near the town of Keswick. We had just enough time to talk a walk through the Beatrix Potter-Perfect countryside along Lake Derwentwater. If Lu hadn't gotten her fill of sheep in the York Moors, she was able to enjoy the scores we saw grazing along the shores of the lake. I was expecting to run into Peter Rabbit around the next bend as Kevin carried Lu in the Ergo carrier.

With one last stop at the ultra-cute coastal town of Rye, we boarded the ferry to head home to Brussels and pack up again for our 6 week trip to the USA.

Walking

2008-06-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Lu decided it was time to start walking on Monday, June 9th. Of course I wasn't here to see it and either was Kevin, but it was very special because Grandma Myrna and Grandpa Larry were visiting. Lucienne stayed home from the creche to have some special time with Gramma and Grampa so I supose she thought it a special occasion and decided to show off! As Grandma tells it Lu stood up in the middle of the room and took about 8 steps! By the time her Daddy and I got home from work she was running from one end of the apartment to the other. Lu is still a bit unsteady on her legs, but we're hoping she'll be walking well enough by Niall and Norah's wedding that she'll be able to walk down the aisle as the flower girl!

14 months and still crawling

2008-05-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's because she's subborn or she has impossibly long legs, but our Petite Lulu is refusing to walk, well that is until today! She took three steps towards Mommy and felt very proud of herself. She has become rather skilled at standing on her own without the aid of any prop, but hadn't been able to kick it into forward gear.

Lu is laughing lots and finds humor in ordinary things. She's becoming an artist now, her chosen medium is felt tip which inevitablely ends up all over her face and hands too. Thank goodness for washable ink. She spent her first few art sessions interested only in removing and replacing the caps of the pens. Once she tired of that, began to set pen to paper.

Mama is her favorite word now when she wants something, or doesn't know what she wants and is deciding to just be cranky. Dada is her happy word. Go figure!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T03:56:00.000-07:00

Lucienne made a Mother's Day gift for her Mama at the créche! It's a beautiful little tree with a sweet poem written on the back called, "Bonne Fete Maman". I tell you that it melted my heart when I picked her up at the créche and she handed it to me. What a sweet little girl.

DeeDee is the Best!

2008-04-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Lucienne really got to know her cousin Dylan on our trip to Collioure. She was very interested in everything that he did and they played together like best buds! We rented a cute little apartment just steps from the beach and castle. The town of Collioure is Über-cute! Gramma J spoiled us with love and ice cream and we almost couldn't bare to see her and DeeDee leave.

We ate many great French meals of fish with a Catalonian flair, but our favorite meal was crepes made a ton of different ways. Kevin was loving the wine and opportunities abounded with vineyards everywhere. In fact there was a winery in a converted monastary near our apartment. It was everything we could to not to pick up the phone and quit our jobs to retire early in enchanting Collioure.

On a day trip we visited another town across the border in Spain called Cadaqués after a long winding trip in the car during which Lucienne got sick...again! We took the plane back to Brussels from Carcassonne, but before leaving we had a chance to tour the authentic medieval walled city, one of the biggest in Europe! What a wonderful trip and a very special 38th birthday for me.

Lulu turns One!

2008-03-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

Lucienne turned one on our vacation to the French Pyrénées. We rented a house in near the little town of Ercé with cousins Michelle and Axel and Niall and Norah. Norah baked Lu a birthday cake, an amazing feat since we had a very sparce kitchen in the cabin. It was the first refined sugar infusion that Lu had been exposed to and boy it did the job. She was buzzing around for hours and topped off with a sugar hangover. We woke up to a vomit covered baby and travel cot.

Our first weekend of vacation was filled with celebration as the Sunday was then Easter. Norah brought Easter baskets for everyone and all contributed to making a tasty Easter brunch. We even attended the Easter mass in the little village church.

We weren't expecting to be snowed in during our visit, but it added to the ambiance of the place since the house was in fact a converted mountain stone barn. Just in time to meet Gramma Jan and Dylan the snow melted and we drove to Toulouse to pick them up. We said good bye to our mountain hut in Ercé and to Michelle, Axel, Niall and Norah and headed to Collioure and the blue, sunny Mediteranean.

I'm a Skypin' Pro

2008-03-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Lu is almost one year old! She is developing very fast! She crawls now like a pro all over and is very confident about standing and walking (with help of course), but she can stretch from one prop to another. She’s stood momentarily on her own when she’s distracted by something. Her language is coming along too. She barks at puppies and knows when she sees one that she makes a barking sound. She likes to chase mommy around and loves peek-a-boo. She’s always looking through her books and points at everything! She makes a little questioning sound and points like she’s saying ‘what’s that?’ Skyping with family is one of her favorite things to do and she’s started ‘brushing’ her teeth on her own now.

February Break

2008-02-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

During the lent break Feb. 11-15 Lu learned to stand up on her own. She pulls herself up in her crib and on the couch and walks when we hold her hands. She likes to copy what we do. Really likes to make sounds with her tongue. She is also a little temperamental and can get frustrated when she can’t do something. Is the beginning of temper tantrums?

Waving Bye-bye

2008-02-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

It’s Feb 12th and Lu says da-da deliberately to her daddy. She also waves bye-bye when we say bye-bye to her. She waved to her bath toys when Mommy said bye to each of them today. She also waved today at people leaving the café we were having breakfast at. She climbs onto her knees and can stand unassisted (holding something), but can’t pull up to sanding on her own consistently (although she has twice on the couch and once using her new car seat.) She’s been sick since Christmas off and on, but has kept her good humor. She likes to roar and copies us when we do too. She still really likes fruit and cheese and will now eat veggies if they are boiled in flavor (bouillon). She knows her name when we call her too. She will clap when someone is doing it on TV. She points at things and says, “dat” like the birds in the round-about outside the crèche.

Puppies!

2008-01-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

Lu can play peek-a-boo now on January 23 when I was waiting in the doctor’s office waiting room she lifted up the blanket over her face to mimic me playing peek-a-boo. She really loves her doggie house with her 5 soft doggies. She scoots around like a seal but no crawling. She can stand on her own holding on to something and pulls herself up on her own. She is feeding herself now and would rather do that than be fed. She likes chicken, avocado, and especially cheese. On January 29 Dada saw Lu pull herself up to standing without help from anyone. She used the back of the couch to get to the plant behind the couch. She also will kiss the puppy when I ask her to. She’s no longer crying when we drop her off at the crèche. On the weekend of January 19 we visited Paris, Lu's second time there, for Cousin Michelle's birthday. She had fun partying at the bar with all the adults!

Here Comes Santa Claus

2008-01-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

After our trip to Vancouver for Christmas Lu have been doing lots of new tricks. She must have wanted to keep up with her cousin Rielly. On New Year’s Eve she clapped for the first time. We have been working on this for quite a while. She always yells when she claps because when I would show her I’d always saw Yahhhh or Bravo so it seems she can’t clap without making noise! Lu can also sit up on her own from a laying position. She is also scooting forward and using her knees some…ALMOST crawling. As soon as we got home to Brussels she started scooting around the house attacking everything she could get her hands on. She is also pulling herself up almost to standing using the high chair. Boy does she have some intense upper body strength! She is also finding little pieces of lint and such on the floor and is intent on eating them! Lu still is so good natured, hardly ever crying. She loves people, and will go to anyone. The French stewardess on the plan from Portland to Frankfurt wanted to take her home. She smiles at everyone and yells to get people’s attention. She knows her name and will turn her head towards you when you say it. She goes to the crèche tomorrow since it’s my first day back. She has a little cough she most likely got from Rielly so hopefully it doesn’t get any worse.

Gramma Myrna visits

2007-11-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 29 and 30 was Lu’s first time at the Crèche. She seemed a bit upset about being away from mom and dad. When I picked her up she was crying. She had her first thanksgiving on Nov. 24 with Cousin Michelle, Axel and Niall. On Nov. 30 Grandma Myrna came to help take care of me and Lu after the surgery. Lu got her first cold on Dec. 5 and it lasted 3 days. She became more winey after, but was able to charm the doctor on Dec. 7 when she had her routine checkup. Grandma came too. She weighed 7.7kg and was 72.5cm long. She likes ‘dance’ to music now and will stay on all fours, but has yet to crawl. Lu likes to babble to herself when she plays with her toys. She also can feed herself pieces of carrots and little cereal pieces. She can pull herself up to a sitting position in the crib using the rails. We had to move her mattress down to the bottom of her crib because she seemed like she could almost climb out. Her second tooth is coming in and causing her some pain it seems. She doesn’t want her bottle as readily and seems crabbier she won’t even eat a biscuit! She went again to the crèche on Dec. 11. It was hard for mom to leave her. She reaches out now and tells us she wants us to pick her up and can wave well and is beginning to clap. She turns the pages of the book when we read to her and loves to open the flaps of her peek-a-boo books. She also likes to drink from a cup or bottle, whatever mommy and daddy are drinking.

I love binky!

2007-11-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

Lu loves her peek-a-boo books and can find the flaps herself. She loves to speak “Banshee” to the babies in the book too and other babies in real life. She can sit really well on her own, but can’t get into a sitting position on her own yet. I took her to a play group on Nov. 6 and she loved being with the other kids. I was introducing her to another baby about 15 months who had a binky in her mouth and Lu took it out and tried to put it in her own mouth! After the play group she must have been studying the other kids intently because the next day she started scooting around the living room on her tummy backwards. She rolls at will and works her way to get toys out of reach. She still doesn’t protest when adults or other kids take toys from her, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t reach to try and get it back! Lu makes a really cute grunting noise when she is concentrating on something really hard. We always know it’s coming if she’s found something that really grabs her attention.

Trains, Planes and Snow!

2007-11-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

On the visit to Zurich to see Auntie Sarnia and cousins Lu loved her cousin Sophia. Sophia mad her laugh and Sophia was really excited to play with Lu. She saw snow for the first time and was wonderful on the train and plane and couldn’t have been better for daddy when he had to come take care of her when mommy was in the hospital. When she saw me after surgery she wasn’t afraid, but seemed really concerned. Also the nurses were surprised that she wasn’t afraid of their white uniforms, most babies apparently are.

Eight Months

2007-11-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Lu turned 8 months on Thanksgiving. She’s quite grown up now! She feeds herself with a bottle and special handles I bought. She doesn’t breast feed because she can’t see the action around her when she’s nursing. She’d rather feed herself and kick back and watch the world go by. She can feed herself a biscuit too and loves fruit. She also can drink from a water bottle and often asks for it when mommy or daddy has one of their own. She still is very social and people are drawn to her smiling disposition. When I was in the hospital word got around about how wonderful she was that nurses from other dept. were coming to see her. She brings a ray of sunshine to everyone who meets her and people can’t believe how calm she is! In French they say trés sage!

New Tooth

2007-10-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

When we visited Grandma and Grandpa in Cyprus, Grandma found that Lu had a tooth! She was so normal that I didn’t even notice that she was teething. She also went in a pool, but only with the inflatable canoe that Grandma had bought her. She didn’t want to get directly into the water.

Social Butterfly

2007-10-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

She smiles at everyone and laughs often. She will let anyone hold her and is incredibly curious. She loves watching other kids and will try and interact with them. Most of the time the other child is more reserved than her.

On Oct 19 Lu turned over in her crib. She prefers to play now on her tummy. She will roll either way at will. She also says da-da-da now.

Babbling Bambino

2007-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Second week of October Lu started talking! She says “ya-ya-ya” and “ba-ba-ba”. On October 14 she fed herself a bottle of prune juice. She can’t sit up herself for very long, but she can without support. We got rid of the pram and now she’s in the stroller. She’s also eating two solid meals a day now, fruit and veggies. She’s been eating solids since the end of August. Lu can stand unsupported against the back of the couch. She has really strong legs and loves standing.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2007-09-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Lucienne took her first trip to the United States at 6 months old with Mama. It was a long flight, but she did so good and everyone on the plane marvelled at what a good baby she is. One woman even commented in amazement when we stood to deplane after the long flight, "You had a baby this whole flight?"

Lu was going to meet TONS of relatives over the two weeks. She got to play with her cousins and Aunt Sheila and Uncle Dan, Papa Richard as well as friends and great-grandparents and other relatives. We both were going to get to meet Rielly who would be one in November.