Lukas... Little Lukie

Lukas is our little munchkin.  Though he isn't technically the youngest, and was a bit heavier than Alex at birth, he's our littlest peanut.  Hovering at the fifth percentile for weight and only slightly more for height, he is very small for his age, but makes up for it with plenty of attitude and personality! Lukas is independent and tends to keep to himself, but is also very caring, bringing his brothers' their lovies when he sees that they are sad or that a lovey is being neglected.  He may not be as loud as Alex, but he is constantly babbling and telling us things, especially pointing out the planes, dogs, buses, and trucks he sees when we are out.  He also is the most German of the bunch - this kid has the German stubbornness and temper in spades! 

Here are some things about Lukas we don't want to forget.  (some of this being moved to the 12mo post soon)

• When in a new situation or around new people, Lukas is the quickest to adapt.  He never really went through a clingy phase.  He lets family and friends pick him up.  So, if we need someone to help us in a way that includes picking up a kid, we're always having the helper grab Lukas.  
• Lukas loves chairs, especially beach chairs.  Over the summer, he could easily spend an hour crawling all over a beach chair.  
• When he turned one, he had only a single tooth for some time, so we called him our "one-tooth wonder".  The next two teeth that came in were not right in the front, they were his canines, so we started referring him to him as vampire.  About a month ago he started getting his two year molars, even though he's only got 8 teeth.

• Holy cow this kid has a temper.  When he is mad, he will hurl whatever it is he has in his hand (the walls of our house are destroyed) and will claw at our face. 
• At the playground, Lukas loves the slide - he figured out quickly how to slide down on his belly - it is super adorable.  At the top of the slide (and the top of our steps when he is going down) he gets on his belly and turns his feet downward well before the end, which is really cute. He also really likes trying out how to go from one surface to another, so he likes to play at the park, stepping from the grass, over the paver, to the brick, or stepping down off a step. 
• Lukas can use some sign language, mainly just the sign for "more".  We haven't had the time to be consistent with it.  
• He has the cutest little head nod he does to say "yes". One quick nod, if you aren't looking, you can miss it.  

• Lukas' version of the "happy dance" is to shake his head back and forth like he's nodding "no".
• I've mentioned before, but beside his quick temper, our largest frustration with Lukas comes from eating struggles.  He has shown no interest in eating from our plate, eating anything other than purees and breakfast starches (eyeroll) and yogurt or applesauce.  
• When he is playing or keeping busy, Lukas is a grunter.  He's always making some kind of noise.  
• Lukas has a head of hair on him and when he's looking a bit unkempt (it grows so fast), we joke that he looks like Donald Trump!
• Of the three, Lukas is our snuggler, though he's also pretty squirmy, so the snuggling usually comes right after he wakes up from nap, or when he's tired or sick.  My dad claims he is squirmy just like I used to be.   
• Lukas' favorite toy is whatever Oliver currently likes.  He is always trying to get his hands on Oliver's "Cars" cars especially.  He also loves books that have pictures or fire engines, trucks, and cars.  A few months ago, he started making a siren noise whenever he would play with a car.  Adorable!

• He's a bit of a loner.  I don't mean that in a bad way, but I can't think of a better word - Oliver and Alex always tend to play near one another and Lukas tends to prefer to be on his own.  He's very independent and likes to go on his own pace.  At the bungalow this summer, we would be playing together out by the fields before bedtime and Lukas would always be a bit off to the side from the rest of us.  When we went apply picking, he didn't want to be carried, he just wanted to walk, at his own pace, out of the orchard.  

• Because Lukas isn't as aggressive at Alex, Oliver actually prefers to play, tickle, try and pick up Lukas, but Lukas isn't usually a fan.  It's an odd circle and will be interesting to see the dynamic between the three of them as they get older.