Lukas' First Birthday Extravaganza!

What do a Canadian-Indian wedding, a Latvian ribfest, and a yummy Sunday brunch have in common? They're all part of Lukas' first birthday festivities. This is one well-loved, well-traveled little guy, so it only makes sense that we celebrated the end of his infancy, and the first amazing year we've had in his company, with three parties, in three cities, with three large groups of people. Three cakes, you ask? Actually, it was four, if you count the little pre-birthday dinner at Nanny and Grandpa's before setting out. Then the fun really began:


First stop: London, ON
Lukas spent his actual birthday in London, ON, in order to attend the highly anticipated wedding of our good friends, Stephen and Chantal. He was dressed to the nines, as were the rest of us, he enjoyed hanging out with 'the big kids'. He got to spend the night with his buddy, tante Liene, and got to enjoy a morning swim in the Feldberg pool before heading to the post-wedding brunch, where he was quite happily adopted into the Saldanha family. They had a cake on hand just for him, and sang him happy birthday. As was expected, he had no problem eating birthday cake.

Second stop: Toronto, ON
On the way back from London, we stopped to spend an evening in Toronto, with the Latvian contingent. They welcomed us with a great party, complete with some of Lukas' favourite things (alimentary, of course!) His vecmama, along with his super-tantes, super-onkoli, aunts, uncles, and Krustevs, all came together to celebrate. First on the menu were delicious and juicy ribs, which Lukas was happy to indulge in. It was captured on video, and is being pushed into pork advertising by his Omite (great-grandmother). So, without further ado...I give you, 'a boy and his pork-rib':



Of course, this was only topped by a cheesecake with Lukas' favourite topping: blueberries. Think he was full after eating those ribs? Think again! Caught red-handed:

From Lukas' First Birthday September 2008

Home Sweet Home: The Ottawa Party!

Of course, Lukas' Ottawa family and friends wanted to be part of the fun, so when we got back, we had a little party for him at home. As with most celebrations we plan out, 'little' quickly became a relative term, but with lots of help, we managed to have a nice little party! Mommy even baked the cake all by herself - no small feat for someone who's got culinary challenges, to say the least...


All in all, a very successful birthday, if we do say so. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate, and to all those who have offered their love and support in this last year. It seems like only yesterday we were navigating through life with a newborn, and it's amazing how much one year can change a baby, and we as parents, as well. It's been grand! On to toddlerhood!

Lukas' First Birthday Extravaganza (Best-of photos)

Lukas, the bilingual baby

So Lukas has started babbling what appear to be words. He says mamamamamamamamama, especially when he's annoyed or upset, but I'm sure we've gotten a 'mama' out of him once or twice. Nanny informed me today that while she was out of the room, Lukas muttered 'nana' to Grandpa.

We've also been teaching him to wave and say 'bye-bye', but for some reason it always comes out 'da-da'. Whatever works, we figure. Then last night we had an epiphany...we don't think he's saying 'da-da', but 'ata', which is 'bye' in Latvian. Makes sense, since Matiss speaks only Latvian to the little dude. Man, this bilingual thing is going to be complicated, let me tell ya. What a little smartie-pants.

Lukas takes the coast! (Summer, part two)

We had our first family vacation this year...we grabbed Lukas, packed up the car (that's an understatement!) and hit the road for the Maritimes. Four provinces, 3000 kilometres, two ferries, and one wedding later, we're back. We all had a great time, despite the copious rain. We'll put up an album with all the pictures, but here are a few highlights for your viewing pleasure!

Lūkas camping!


Hanging in the rain (a common occurrence)


Tetiņš and Lūkas in Fundy National Park (yes, I've figured out how to type with symbols! Woohoo!)


Mommy and Lukas at the wedding


Taking over the MC duties at the wedding


Little party animal!


Louisbourg (Cape Breton)


Meltdown on the ferry, heh heh


Sandlands in Charlottetown


Hanging with his buddy Spencer in Argyle Shore, PEI


Visiting family friends at the Dunes, PEI


Loving the fountain!


Visiting auntie Tashie in Montreal!


A well-deserved snooze for the road warrior...

Lukas' favourite (non) foods

As you may already know, Lukas has a healthy appetite. We are blessed that he eats pretty much anything we put in front of him, usually with enthusiasm. That said, now that he's more mobile, he's also made it a personal goal of his to eat as many things as he can - food or not. A recent list of his successful attempts follows:

- dirt and related forms of dirt (i.e. sand, mud, etc.)
- lint
- paper of all kinds
- cat food and dog food
- pebbles
- tree materials: sticks, twigs, leaves, and bark
- used rawhide bone. This one is my personal favourite.

Strangely enough, I don't think we've ever seen him make a face when he's eaten any of these things. He appears to like them. I hope this means that we won't have any battles with getting him to eat his dinner when he's older. Oh, and you don't even want to know the things we've managed to stop him from eating. Man oh man.

Nightmare on Lanark Street (Avenue)

***WARNING - GRAPHIC VIDEO. NOT GRAPHIC IN A BLOODY KIND OF WAY, BUT IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH ABOUT POOP, THIS IS NOT THE POST FOR YOU!***

Ah, Lukas. So sweet. So innocent. Just don't make him laugh when he's naked and is battling a nasty bout of diarrhea. Trust me on this one.

Summer, Part one - the Christian Pagan.

Lukas had a blast this summer. Since he was born in the fall, and there was a construction crew working outside our house for the first two months of his life, he never really experienced all the sights and sounds of the outside world. He loves all the people and animals (mostly seagulls), and just wants to explore everything. We took him (along with some baby friends, Milo and Makenna) to the tulip festival and let him get dirty. Boy, does he like dirt. More on this later.


Lukas got baptized this summer. With the help of many, many family and friends, we organized a big party to celebrate Lukas not being a heathen anymore. In all honesty, it was a lovely day. He was christened on the Ottawa river (which we hear is becoming a new fad around our congregation!) and we were surrounded by all our loved ones. In the picture are Lukas, Macitajas Kirsons, and his three Godparents (Dave, Alison, and Malcolm). I love how in the photo, he's glancing over at his parents with his expression screaming 'are you SURE you want THESE three to be guiding me through life???'. Of course we are. Lucky boy.


Of course, we didn't want Lukas to forget his pagan roots, so after he was Christened, we celebrated his first Latvian Pagan holiday - Jani. We made him a vanags (a wreath of leaves) and brought him on the cottage tour with the crazy mob of Latvians. He didn't drink beer but he did eat some cheese, and loved every minute of it. We will admit that it was hard work, though, bringing a baby to the biggest Latvian party of the year...

And....we're back. Bigger, better, and louder than ever.

Okay...I'm sorry that I've dropped the ball on the blog. Summer finally came, in all its splendor, and it's been a flurry of school, sun (though less than I'd like) and traveling. That said, I have much to report now. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you nauseous, most likely. So sit back and catch up on the life and times of the family Stisso...

Lukas' first best friend

When we first brought Lukas home, our cat, Marley, was a little shell-shocked. Not only were we far too busy to give her the (copious) attention she was used to, but suddenly there was this loud smelly blob attached to us all the time, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. For the first several months, she would either leave the room when Lukas was crying, or she would just pretend he didn't exist, and try to sit on us while we held the baby (which included her sitting ON the baby). Really, she was less than impressed with the whole situation.

Lukas, on the other hand, was smitten with Marley from the first moment that he realized she existed. Every morning when I pick him up out of the crib, the first thing he does is look over my shoulder to find the cat. When he's crying and nothing will placate him, Marley can make him laugh by just walking by...I'll tell you, I'd give anything for that kind of power over a crying babe.

Matiss and I have been consistently teaching Lukas to be gentle with his furry friend. As a result, he's actually learned how to pet her nicely. Marley, being the needy, attention-seeking kitty that she is, has actually come around to the little dude and appreciates that SOMEBODY wants to love her. So, she now flops down right next to him when he's playing, and he squeals with delight. Even when he does manage to get a clump of fur, she takes it all in stride. I think these two are going to be long-term buddies.

Lukas' first winter

It won't soon be forgotten. Not by me, anyhow. Lukas won't remember, but his first winter was every kid's dream. This picture was taken just around the corner from our house. Okay, so not EVERY snowbank is this big, but it sure seems like it in my head. I can't wait to post about Lukas' first summer....sigh.

Drama, Lukas-style.

Okay, so this is an elaboration of the photos in the previous entry...the sequence is pretty funny, and fairly representative of our little monkey and his flair for melodrama. I call this story "until I smelled your breath"

"Hi Mommy...your nose tastes good!"


"Hi daddy! Look at me and mommy!"


"I love you, mommy!"


"Mommy, your breath stinks!"


"I hate you, mommy!"

Lukas - then and now...

It's been over six months since Lukas joined our little family and turned our worlds on end (in a good way, of course!). It's amazing how much he's changed in such a short while. It's amazing how two people can adjust to sleep deprivation and accept their fates so willingly. It's amazing how desensitized one person can become to poop. I've been thinking about how different life (and Lukas) is from back in the fall. For instance...

Then: Lukas weighed 5 pounds.

Now: Lukas weighs 19 pounds!


Then: Baby generally ate, slept, and pooped round the clock.

Now: Baby generally eats, sleeps, and poops round the clock, but keeps us interested by also laughing, bouncing, rolling, and sitting. Yes - watching a baby sit can be fascinating!!!


Then: Lukas only had adult friends

Now: Lukas has a vast group of friends, both big and little. In fact, he gets quite bored if he's stuck with mommy all day!


Then: Lukas liked to cry (no pictures of this...you'll have to take our word for it!)

Now: Lukas still likes to cry, but he also likes to laugh. Both are adorable.



Then: We loved him with all our hearts.
Now: We love him with all our hearts, which have grown significantly in size along with his head circumference.

Uncle Austris is the greatest!

Matiss has found a new calling.

As a comedian. A baby comedian.

Lukas has a new trick.

1. Roll over onto stomach.

2. Take a moment to absorb new perspective. Then, because you're not sure how you got there, or how to get back, panic.

3. Repeat several times a day.

5 things I learned at dinner last night.

1. Babies poo anytime, anywhere...including the nice restaurant you're at, right before dinner arrives.

2. Even though you win paper-rock-scissors to decide who gets to clean the dude, and despite the fact that there aren't any change tables in EITHER bathroom, you will likely be the one cleaning the babe, since you're the mommy.

3. Changing a baby with no changetable sucks.

4. Make no mistake - the one time you don't bring your big-ass diaper bag with you (the one with the wipes and the change of clothes) will surely be the time the baby has a serious assplosion and needs both the wipes and the change of clothes.

5. Wet paper towels do not clean poo. They merely smear the poo around.

Oh, and after all that, I managed to get puked on while holding the baby for two seconds, while Matiss paid the bill. Yup.

The Sound of Silence

What does one DO when one has some free time? It's been so long since I've had an hour to myself, that I'm not sure what to do with it. The baby sleeps soundly for a change, so I've caught up on my email, styled my hair (despite the fact that I'm not going anywhere today), and had a real lunch. Now I sit, staring at a computer screen, trying to figure out what to do with myself. How is this possible? I've craved some free time for weeks...now I have it (bless you, baby swing!), and I find that I'm actually BORED. It appears that striking a balance in the madness of motherhood is harder than I thought. Oh well...here are some baby pictures to help you pass the time.

Lukas learning how to eat...mmmmmmm


Also bored, and trying to occupy himself


Hamming it up!

It's hard to be a baby sometimes.

Well, we hit the four-month mark. I've been told that four months can be a tough time...and boy, they weren't lying. The magical, predictable, content little angel that we've gotten used to has had a rough few weeks, and now we're faced with the gong-show that is placating an unhappy infant. It goes something like this:

Baby is unhappy. You sing to baby. No dice - baby begins fussy noise-making. You make funny faces and sing to baby. This amuses baby for about 30 seconds, and then fussy noise-making resumes. You pick baby up, walk around, show off various points of interest in the house (i.e. mirror, plant, fridge, lamp, and repeat). This seems to work...baby seems calm. In an moment of pure insanity, you think you can put the baby down so you can go to the bathroom. BIG MISTAKE. Hysterical cries of your cruel abandonment ring in your ears. You pick the baby up. Your stupid songs and silly faces won't work this time, I'm afraid. Screaming and tears follow (oh, the tears! Instantaneous guilt, I tells ya).

It's not his fault. We dragged him on a crazy trip to the midwest, which involved two airplanes, a lengthy car-ride, and a hotel. In addition, it appears he may be teething. On top of that, he's busy trying to learn how to grab an object, open his mouth for a spoon, and roll over. I'd be cranky too, frankly. All I have to do is make formula and change diapers... so what am I complaining about?

Luckily, I get a great big smile in between these little fits. Strangely enough, this little gesture can moderate an entire day's worth of screaming. What a magical little creature this baby is.