First Christmas

It's our first Christmas with little Lucas...

Photo taken by my cousin, Jopie

...and that's what made Christmas this year even more special!

Now Crawling

Lucas is now starting to crawl. He still can't move that fast but his mobility has improved a lot. He still crawls like a seal. He uses his elbows to pull himself while dragging his tummy and his legs. Sometimes he moves backwards. His upper body is stronger than his lower body at this time.

He has started bending his knees and doing the "dog-stand", but when he does that he just poses and doesn't move. I think pretty soon he will learn how to coordinate his arms and legs. It will only be a few weeks before he is able to crawl around.

Sitting Up

At six months old, Lucas has started sitting up without support. A few days ago, he would sit by himself for just a few seconds and then he would topple down. But today, he sat still next to the Christmas tree, and he sat there by himself for a long time! I thought the sight was picture-perfect, so knowing that he was sitting on the carpet and that he wouldn't hurt himself if he fell, I left him there to get the camera. I expected him to be lying on the floor when I get back, but no--he was just sitting there, gazing at the tree, smiling and looking so amazed at the sight of the flickering lights!

I can't believe he's growing up so fast. Sometimes it seems surreal. I don't want him growing up that fast. It's hard to enjoy moments when they go by so quickly.

First Tree

Today, I finished decorating our Christmas tree. We actually put it up a week ago, but I didn't get to complete it until today. What made it even more complete is that I was able to take photos of Lucas sleeping next to it. He was looking on while I, with the help of Nang Nena (Lucas' nanny) decorated the tree. He was already asleep by the time we finished.

This is Lucas' first Christmas tree. I put it up with a wish that as Lucas grows up, he will love Christmas as much as I do.

Brunching Out

Today, Lucas experienced his first Sunday Brunch outside of our own dining room. We went to see a friend and his family in Berkeley and took Christmas photos with them.

After less than an hour of photoshoot, we proceeded to Claremont Resort and Spa for brunch. That place is a crown jewel! It's a resort in Berkeley Hills, nicely situated on top of the hill overlooking the San Francisco bay. The place is also a historic landmark--it's over a hundred years old but it's nicely renovated. They kept the old feel of the place, but it's very elegant, classy, festive and extraordinary! The food was really good too! And they threw in some holiday spirit by having a choir entertain the guests with Christmas carols.

I did not even know that place existed, but now that I do I'll definitely be going back. As for Lucas, he was in his best behavior the whole time. I know he likes going out, but he loved this place!

Fading

My son's eczema rashes are now disappearing. What helped? Aveeno Soothing Oatmeal Bath Treatment (this really is soothing--I soaked myself in this when I had chicken pox and it really helped with the itching) and Aveeno Anti-itch Cream.

Lucas was born with Eczema, a skin disease also known as Skin Edema primarily caused by dryness and ultra-sensitive skin. I was told that Eczema is very common to Asian babies here in the US because our skin type sometimes doesn't do very well in dry, cold weather.

He's been having rashes in his face and arms. Sometimes they fade and sometimes they flare up. There is no guaranteed cure for eczema. Doctors here will tell you that the rashes will disappear in its own time--for some it will go away after a few months, for some it will stay for years. What we can do is just moisturize the skin and apply some anti-itch cream so that baby won't keep scratching the infected areas and cause the rashes to blister or bleed. And then we just hope that it will eventually disappear completely.

Lately, the rashes have faded and there's less and less of it everyday. The Aveeno bath products and the new brand of anti-itch cream that we just introduced seems to be working well for him. I really hope this disease will be over for him soon.