Lucas is 6 months old!

Such an exciting month for our little man! His first family vacation to Maine, first camping trip to the Adirondacks, and first day/week at daycare.

Great Grandpa Pipal (to Lucas) flew in from Oregon this month to meet his first great grandchild. Grandpa Pipal (to us) was the first in the Pipal family to be given the middle name, William, and it has become a tradition that a first-born Pipal boy be given the same middle name.  Since both Eric and I are very fortunate to still have many living grandparents, we have been having fun taking four-generation photos whenever the opportunity presents itself. We already have a Filosa, Lojek, and Carr photo. And this particular weekend, we were able to take another very special four-generation photo of Great Grandpa Calvin “Cal” William, Grandpa Mark William, Daddy Eric William, and the newest, Lucas William. In early October, Grandma Peura will be visiting Philly from Minnesota, and although she has already met Lucas, we were not able to get a four-generation photo since Mark wasn’t in town. In October, we will be able to get another very special photo.

At 6 months, Lucas can finally roll from his belly to his back (he has been rolling from back to belly since 4 month old). He can also sit unassisted and, after a week or so, can balance very well without toppling over. Sitting has opened up a whole new way of playing with toys and he is really starting to love Scout the talking/singing/learning dog. At the end of the month, Lucas ate avocado which was the first fruit/vegetable that we introduced. We also began giving him water in a sippy cup to get him started on learning how to use a cup. Lucas continues to be a very good sleeper and goes down from about 6:30 or 7pm until 6:30am, waking once at 4am to nurse.

I was very sad to go back to work at the end of July, but I was excited for Lucas to be able to play with other children, and be exposed to other adults. We couldn’t have chosen a better time to start the transition to daycare. Being 6 months old, sitting on his own, and not having separation anxiety yet, made for a smooth transition for mommy and daddy (and, of course, baby – but, we all know, that it’s harder on the parents than the kids!). Lucas immediately took to his new caretakers and proved to us that he is such a social and happy guy! It’s so nice that daddy doesn't have to deal with a crying baby since he does drop-off in the morning. We are so pleased with the provider that we chose – Woodland Academy – and Lucas is thriving and doing so well in school! It is crystal clear that he is being loved. Since I start and end work so early (6am start, 3pm finish), I am happy with my new work/family balance because I have so much time in the evenings to spend with Lucas and I don’t feel like I am missing out on much. Evenings are a whirlwind with washing and cleaning up from the day (bottles, pump parts, food bowls) and then prepping everything for the next day, but it all gets done, Eric and I sit down together for dinner each night, and we still get a chance to relax and unwind for a little while, at least. Most days, Darby gets a walk, and Eric and I aim for a gym visit (separately, after Lucas goes to sleep) a couple times a week.

We have been having so much fun with our little Lucas! He is learning so much each day and it is amazing to watch him grow! We love our little boy more than life-itself and we are looking forward to all of the new experiences that having a child will bring!