Letters For Lucas

Wonders, Mishaps, Blunders and Joy.. commentary on my life as a mom in the form of letters to my son

An American Hero

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I meant to post this yesterday on the United States Federal holiday marking the birth date of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his courage and selfless devotion. This devotion gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.

Dr. King was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement and he was killed for being outspoken.

Dr. King was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. He was only 39 years old. Dr. King was in Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions. James Earl Ray was arrested in London, England on June 8, 1968, and returned to Memphis, Tennessee on July 19, 1969 to stand trial for the assassination of Dr. King. On March 9, 1969, before coming to trial, he entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to ninety-nine years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary.

Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. It was not only his most famous speech, but is one of the top speeches ever given. It is a beautiful speech and if you have never read it in it’s entirety, I urge you to do so.

Here is an excerpt:

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

The best is yet to be and I believe in dream.

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Rainy Day Blues

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“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” – Dolly Parton

Your dad left for Arizona this morning for an annual trip he takes to attend the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction and other events. He’ll return in six days. We are both going to be a little off while he is away. Luckily, your aunt will be visiting us for a couple of days, followed by your grandma.

It has been dark, windy and pouring rain all day long and unfortunately, it is suppose to be like this all week. Right now, the sky is the most beautiful shades of indigo and gray. We are safe and warm inside and very much loved.

The best is yet to be.

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You Own My Heart

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It must be so frustrating being a baby. It must be terribly defeating not having the capability to communicate what it is that you want or need, when you want and need it. Without words, you are virtually crippled. You cry and whine and hope that your caretakers figure it out, but it usually takes them a while (particularly if one of your caretakers is me). It is so unfair to you and babies everywhere and it makes me feel bad, especially when you are sick. There really is nothing worse than a sick helpless baby.

Sometimes I look at you and wonder if you know how much you are loved. I can officially say, without a doubt, you own my heart. I didn’t fall in love with you immediately, I had to get to know a little bit first. Now that I do, there’s no turning back… The love you feel for your own child is really indescribable. It’s deeper and wider than any other love there is.

I wonder if you feel my love? I have to think (hope) that on some level you do, like when you physically reach for me or draw yourself closer to me. That’s early stages of affection, isn’t it? Maybe it’s just the instinctive need for the maternal caregiver?

I know love isn’t enough when you are bored, over stimulated, tired, or just need a good burp, but I hope you know we are/I am trying and that I would do anything for you. I would do anything to make you smile.

Your Aunt Leah wrote you this poem shortly after you were born and posted it on her blog recently. It’s sweet, simple and I don’t think truer words have ever been said. I will treasure it always and hope that you will too.

Forever and Ever
Your parents made you with all of their love.
They had help from your mom’s parents up above.
We’ll love you forever, this much I know is true.
I can say for certain that there’s no one else like you.
As you grow up, we’ll do everything that we can
to make sure that you grow up to be a great man.
We promise to teach you all kinds of different things;
Like how to listen and what possibilities life brings.
You’ll learn how to play, work and how to read.
You will learn everything that you’ll surely need.
But most of all, we’ll show you how to love and care.
In this crazy world we live in, those feelings are often rare.
Right now, you are very small and you have your father’s looks.
Maybe when you’re older, you’ll be like your mother and love to read books.
Well, Lucas, let’s treasure every moment we have together.
I will always love you forever and ever.

The best is yet to be and I, too will love you forever and ever.

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Disaster In Haiti

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On Tuesday, January 12 a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Port-au-Price, Haiti. It is estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake and about 45,000–50,000 people were killed.

Christa Brelsford, a student from Arizona State University, lost a leg after being trapped under a collapsed building. She was one of the lucky ones.

Matt Lauer spoke to Brelsford this morning on The Today Show and I encourage you to watch the interview and read about her ordeal here. Let this brave woman be an example for all of us!

I donated to the Red Cross through one of the most amazing fundraising campaigns I have ever heard of or participated in, done solely through text messages. It was already stunning Red Cross officials on Thursday when it hit $3 million. By this morning, the tally had more than doubled! The campaign, made viral on networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, has raised $8 million according to a Twitter message from the White House that was reposted on the Red CrossWeb site.

If you are feeling generous and would like to help Haiti earthquake victims, please visit thislist of charitiesor do what I did and text 909-99 to make a $10 contribution.

The best is yet to be and my heart and thoughts go out to all the earthquake victims.

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Everything I Know I Learned On The Street

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Sesame Street turned 40 years old on November 10, 2009 and I must admit that was a bit of a shock to me, because having watched it as a kid, it means I’m getting old(er) too.

I recently Tivo’ed a couple of episodes for you after my friend, Colleen told me that her four month old loves Elmo. After just a few minutes, you too seemed to be hooked on all the furry creatures and friendly neighbors and I, in turn was pleasantly surprised that the show hasn’t changed all that much since I was a kid.

In a world that now has Baby Einstein, Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob, Caillo and Bob the Builder, I love that Sesame Street is still on the air, still going strong and more importantly, has withstood the test of time.

I can’t imagine how anybody could have grown up to be a well-adjusted person without having watched this show. I learned my numbers, letters (in both English and Spanish, with a little sign language on the side), the importance of sharing, friendship, generosity, equality, rubber duckies and the occasional cookie (sugar) binge.

I watched the show religiously and there are skits, songs and scenarios that will forever be burned into my brain. I hope you get as much joy out of the show as I did. Here’s to 40 more years of excellent children’s programming.

The best is yet to be.

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Filed Under: TV

Rain, Rain, Go Away

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The sun finally peeked through the clouds enough for us to go for a walk earlier. I think the fresh air did us both some good. Unfortunately, somewhere between here and there, I lost my iPod Shuffle. I retraced my steps three times before I found it…destroyed on the side of the road! 🙁 Oh well, it was nice spending time with you and hearing you happily jibber jabbering as we strolled.

I am still feeling horrible about our rough night and your tiny little infected ears and I’m sorry that I don’t always know exactly what you need when you need it, but I do know that I can illicit a smile from you whenever you hear me sing this song:

The best is yet to be.

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Guilt Goes Hand-In-Hand With Motherhood

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I made the mistake of taking you for a sleep over at my good friend, Colleen’s house last night. She also has a baby and we like to get our boys together from time to time (AKA hope that they will go sleep and we can visit). You were pretty much fussy the entire time we were there. Thankfully, you went to sleep at 6:30 per usual and then woke up at 10:00 crying, scared and completely out of sorts. You would not go back to sleep. I could see the writing on the wall so, at almost midnight with both of us in tears, I packed up our stuff and drove home (an hour drive by the way).

You fell asleep half way home and I was successful in getting you from your car seat to your crib without too much upheaval and there you slept peacefully until almost 3:00, when you woke up screaming having peed through your jammies and sheets. We were up for an hour, you downed a bottle, got a new outfit and dry sheets and blankets and were back down for two hours. You decided to greet the day at 6:00 and up until 26 minutes ago had been going strong ever since. Can you say exhaustion?

You had a follow up doctor’s appointment this morning to check on your ear infection and we found out that not only do you still have it, but it’s now in your other ear too. That would explain your recent sour mood and agitation.

Poor Baby + Guilty Mommy = More Antibiotics and hopefully a nice long nap…for both of us.

The best is yet to be.

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Desperately Seeking Baby Food/Feeding Advice

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We are seriously struggling with the solid food thing. We are talking about pursed lips and gagging. I’m not sure what to do. This kid would rather eat (chew on) anything but food!

Today we tried a banana mushed up in cereal and it was quite the struggle. Of course, that is an empty bowl in the photo above, so it couldn’t have been that bad, right? Trust me, it was. I had to be very sneaky; singing to him, waiting for him to smile wide and then slipping the spoon into his mouth.

We have tried organic brown rice cereal, stewed carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples and Gerber Graduates Puffs and have had very little luck with any of those. Actually, of all of those, Granny Smith apples and plain cereal are his favorites, but he’s eating anything on a regular basis. I just can’t seem to find anything Lucas enjoys as much as the bottle.

I am using the Guide to Feeding your Baby on the BabyCenter Web site, which has been very helpful, but for all you moms out there, please recommend a baby food book or Web site that you turn to. Any any tips and tricks you have when it comes to making meals and feeding your children would be most appreciated too. Thanks!

The best is yet to be.

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La Jolla Motor Car Classic

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La Jolla, California has long been the destination for the finer things in life. Breathtaking coastlines, exceptional cuisine, elegant homes, exquisite shopping and of course fine automobiles have been staples in this luxurious locale since the 1880s.

The La Jolla Historical Society paid tribute to some of the world’s finest automobiles today at the 6th Annual La Jolla Motor Car Classic, at the beautiful La Jolla Cove. Your dad’s company is a major sponsor of this event and here are some fun photos from our day:


You sure did seem to know your way around that pricey 1967 Porsche 910. Do you also happen to have $1,000,000 laying around? 🙂

The best is yet to be.

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An Exercise In Patience

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Sadly, your dad had to work all day today, in fact, it’s after 9:00 PM and he is still working, so I decided to take you up to LA to visit your Aunt Leah.

It’s been less than a week since Leah moved to LA and she is already completely unpacked and for all intents and purposes settled in. Aside from a couple of odds and ends, she made creative use of all of the space in her new place and her room looks great!

We had a nice visit and lunch at a fun place called Giggles ‘N’ Hugs, the friendliest kid-friendly restaurant I have ever been to or heard of. It offers a healthy, mostly organic menu and a large portion of the restaurant is devoted to a play area. Unfortunately, you are a bit too young yet to use the see-saw, drive around on the tricycles, or go down the slides, but you enjoyed watching all the other children and playing with the colorful kid-size utensils and some other just-your-size toys in the play area. I appreciate Leah finding a place for us that is not only tolerant of toddler behavior, but celebrates it. This alone helps a mother relax immensely!

After lunch, we indulged in Crumbs Bake Shop cupcakes, where the “Elvis” (pictured above) is the cupcake of the month. Just listen to this decadent description: vanilla cake filled and frosted with banana cream cheese frosting, topped with a swirl of real creamy peanut butter and edged with peanut butter chips. Yum, and I don’t even like bananas, but I love love LOVE cupcakes, so this stop was a real treat.

What wasn’t such a treat and what I will HAVE to learn to deal with better, is the traffic! We spent about as much time with Leah, as we did in the car. Aggghhh! It took us two and a half hours to get to her house and back home….that’s five hours, plus all the driving around we did while up there. Traffic drives me (no pun intended) absolutely insane! As always, you were a good sport, but your poor mommy lacks the patience to deal with look-lous, red lights or grid lock. I don’t mind being in the car or even driving, it’s just all the stop and go and waiting that kills me. I am trying to focus on the nice time we had and the fact that Leah now lives so much closer, but it’s hard.

The best is yet to be.

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