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Luke's shirt says it all...he is going to be a big brother come April! And we just found out today that he will have a little brother. We haven't thought about names at all. We had such a hard time with Luke's name that we were waiting to talk about it until we knew which gendered names to discuss. But whatever his name we are excited that Luke will have a playmate and friend so close in age.

6 Month Check Up

Thursday morning Luke has his six month check up. When the doctor walked in Luke smiled and waved at him. (He is just beginning to wave at people.) Dr. Wisner thought he was quite a social little boy. Luke weighed 18lbs. 4oz. (70th percentile) and 29.5 inches (that one was off the chart!). He had 2 shots which seemed to be more painful than his 4 month round of shots. Every time we go we have to fill out a developmental survey. He could do almost everything on the survey...he was beyond what they asked about gross motor skills, already able to crawl. The only thing he doesn't do yet is babble with sounds like da, ka, ba, ga. Although I have noticed "da" over the last day.

It seems like Luke has suddenly been doing a lot. He learned how to crawl on his hands and knees, he can easily go from sitting to crawling to sitting again. He is pulling himself to stand more easily now. Its a little more difficult to put him to bed because though we lay him down, he just gets up! He is getting two bottom teeth at the same time, so he is drooling all over, has a runny nose and is not sleeping very well at night. We've started him on solid food for crawlers which is a little more tasty...he liked Chichen Noodle yesterday for lunch. He has "Puffs," a disolving cereal treat that he tries to pick up. He works so hard to get his thumb and index finger to grasp them and does about half the time, then puts in his mouth. But he only lets it dissolve and then spits out the soggy leftovers. Also, we were looking into how much longer he can use his car seat because of his weight thinking it would be a few more months at least. Its 22lbs but we didn't know there was a height limit too! Its 30 inches! So he will be getting a new car seat here soon.

Pictures coming soon!

On the Move!

A month ago I posted Luke beginning to army crawl. Since then he has certainly learned a whole lot more! He sits up now and can go from crawling to sitting and vice versa. He's army crawling all over the house now. But he's not content just being mobile, he wants to do so much more. He gets up on his hands and knees often but can't quite figure out how to move that way. He tries to pull himself up to stand but sometimes he can't get his legs up under him, so he screams for assistance. He's had a couple spills trying to grab things that aren't sturdy enough to hold him. I think he'd much rather be standing and walking than scooting along the floor. To my surprise, yesterday he climbed our step! I couldn't believe it! How is it possible that he is doing all this before six months old?!

Trip to Portland

Mid July, Luke and I took the train to Portland. We'd done this once before and it went really well. This time was a little more challenging because he just wants to crawl down the aisles. When we got there we had lots of fun. We went shopping for a pack and play for Luke to sleep in. And Grandma spoiled Luke with a new hat, sunglasses, socks, toys, and a brand new high chair. We took lots of walks to Starbucks and Safeway. One day while we were sitting at Starbucks, Grandpa was winking at Luke. He was watching so closely and then tried to do it, but he does it with both eyes. It was so cute. Then he was doing it all weekend and long. And still he will randomly "wink" at you. He even winks at Taxi! Luke loved Grandma's cat but she wasn't so sure about him so we tried to keep him at a distance. He also loved Grandma's fish! We went to the Portland Zoo, one of my favorite places. Luke seems to love animals but the he was not so interested in the zoo animals, only the elephants momentarily caught his attention. He was more interested in the other kids getting all excited about the animals. All in all we had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Scobie. BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

Army Crawl

For those of you who saw Luke's now dubbed "Breakdancing Video," this is what I was actually trying to capture...his army crawl. He is all over the place! It is amazing how quickly he has mastered this. He loves the remote, cell phones, cords of any kind, and Taxi. Those are usually what make his dart across the room at full speed. Now that he knows he can get where he wants to go, he even tries to crawl over me when I am carrying him or holding him. This daredevil doesn't yet realize that if he jumps out of my arms he could be seriously injured! I am astonished that my 5 month, 5 day old baby can move like this. When they tell you they grow fast, they are NOT KIDDING!

New Discoveries

Here are a few photos of things we have been doing. Domonique and Olivia came over for a pre-fourth of July picnic. We sat Luke in the window to watch Daddy mow the lawn. As you can see in this first picture, Luke has suddenly begun to suck his bottom lip. And Luke has quickly taken to solid foods. Since Luke can now flip himself out of his Bumbo seat, Howie built his high chair so that we could feed him. He has cereal in the morning for breakfast, and has had peas, carrots and applesauce at dinner time. We had a rough go the first time, I don't think he was quite ready for it. Now he attacks the spoon! And he likes to grab my hand and help guide the spoon into his mouth.
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Luke has begun to army crawl and scoot across the floor. I took this video this morning trying to capture his army crawl and he actually looks like he is breakdancing. It is so funny!

4th of July

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing In past years, as a childless couple, Howie and I have had full, fun 4th of July celebrations. Our first 4th of July together we went to a friend's BBQ and had a VIP balcony viewing of the Bellingham fireworks where Howie proposed. Every year after we have been at BBQs and out late watching fireworks. This year we enjoyed a much more laid back day. We hung around the house in the morning, ran a few errands, took a good afternoon nap, and let Luke try out his new fresh food feeder. We put an orange slice inside the mesh bag and he chowed down! We went to church then to a small BBQ at the Evans' new house just down the street from us. They have a two year old Nate who got to stay up for fireworks for the first time this year. We didn't go to the Bellingham fireworks this year because we weren't sure how Luke would react and they don't start til after 10 so we opted for neighborhood fireworks. We enjoyed watching him do pockits (pop its) and firecrackers (sparklers). :) We bought sparklers for Luke but he was less interested in them than I thought he would be. He much prefered the fountain fireworks the neighbors had. Luke did so great! He was up late but was his usual agreeable self and he was not bothered by fireworks. He was startled a couple times by the noise but didn't cry at all. We are thankful to have a very laid back child and dog on a holiday that is often scary for pets and young children. :)

Visiting Family

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This past weekend we spent some time with family. Thursday we headed down to Bonney Lake to spend a couple days with Howie's brother and sister, Chris and Holly. We decided to take Luke's bouncer with us. He loves it and it keeps him entertained for quite awhile. If he's not jumping he sitting and watching everything else that's going on. We were pretty proud of ourselves for packing Luke so well, with his jumper, toys, books, even a towel if he swims! Then we went and forgot his pack and play! Kind of important for sleeping. So Luke ended up sleeping in our bed, which now we are paying for.

Thursday night we had a BBQ with Chris, Sam, Emily, Holly, Sean, and Jade. We let Luke taste oranges and play in the grass. Luke loves playing with Emily. Friday afternoon Holly offered to watch Luke while Howie and I went to see a movie. We haven't done that in a long time. We had a good time and it was obvious Luke did too. He's such a happy guy and you can tell he likes Aunt Holly. Luke has just begun to laugh at things you say. I have been singing him a camp song, "Boom Chick-a Boom" and he laughs hysterically. Holly kept saying the word "shrimpy" and he thought is was so funny. Then Friday night Luke was copying Sean. Sean would lean his head sideways and Luke would lay his head on the jumper. It was fun to see him start to copy.

Each year my mom's family has a big party to celebrate my Grandparents birthdays and anniversary, so we headed to Tacoma for that. This year marks 91, 88 and 67 years married! This year was a Mexican theme so we had a Mexican potluck, then hit pinatas. You'll see that instead of blindfolds they made everyone wear bags on their head. Notice in the photos everyone is wearing bling from the pinata, including Luke's great grandparents! :) After an afternoon of fun, Luke was sitting in my lap and suddenly his head went limp in my hand. He was so tired. Lastly, we took a family photo all wearing stick on mustaches. I think Luke in his mustache is the funniest thing ever! All in all it was a great day and a great trip.

Father's Day

We celebrated Howie's first Father's Day by heading to IHOP before church. We had to wake up way too early for that...I had to be to church/work by 8:00...but Howie loves going out to breakfast. So we left the house at 6:45 and had a good, filling breakfast. We gave Howie a card and Luke got him a book called "Daddy Loves Me" to read together. We went to the 8:30 service together where Pastor Shawn gave a great message about what God has taught him through his journey with his Father the last year. It was a powerful message. (If you'd like to check it out go to ctkbellingham.com, click on Sermons, then click on "My Friend Josh, part 4".)
After church, Howie picked Luke and I up and we went to Best Buy to let Howie pick out a DVD player for Father's Day. We headed home and took a much needed nap, had dinner, and went to Howie's softball game. Luke was ready for the game with his baseball uniform and "Go Daddy" sign. It was a full day but a lot of fun.

Always Moving

Luke is ALWAYS moving! He's just figured out how to jump, so now he goes to town in his jumperoo. And no matter where he is, he is always moving his arms and legs. I fear he is going to keep us quite busy when he learns to be more mobile. Here's a few clips:

New Foods

Luke has been fascinated watching us eat. So we've given him a few tastes of fruit juices. We had pineapple one night, so we put a bit of the juice on our finger and let him taste. Too sour for him. Howie tried oranges, he liked that. I let him knibble a piece of mango, he liked that too. Watermelon doesn't have much flavor in the juice, so I don't know that he noticed. Then we moved on to actually feeding him rice cereal. He really didn't like that. Although I think he was probably too hungry so it just frustrated him. We tried applesauce after a bottle, which he tasted but really wasn't interested in eating from a spoon. I think he likes that he can hold his own bottle, so why move to being spoon fed? BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

Friends

We've spent time with friends a lot lately. Here are some photos of Luke and his friends. In these photos are Jackson and Jaden, both 2, Kayla born January 5th, Kameron born January 11, Olivia born January 14, and Luke, the odd one out, born in Febuary. :)

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Sleeping Update

Luke's doctor told us we should encourage independence by putting Luke to bed before he is asleep. He recommended we start when he is over his cold. But that evening when rocking him to sleep, he just squirmed and cried anyway. So I put him in his crib instead of dealing with his squirming. His crying got more intense, of course. I went back in after a couple of minutes, gave him his pacifier, rubbed his back (he now rolls over to sleep on his tummy), and left. I went in every couple minutes repeating that process. After quite awhile, Howie went in wanting to calm him to sleep and picked him up to rock him. I was a mean mom and took him away from daddy and put him back in his bed. We went in every couple minutes for 45 minutes and finally he went to sleep.
The next night I braced myself for the long haul. But it only took me going in twice for him to go to sleep!
The night after that, I put him down, he cried, I went in after 3 minutes, gave him his pacifier, he calmed down. I went to check my email and realized after 20 minutes that he hadn't cried...I couldn't believe it!
Now, that is about the extent of it. He cries when we put him down, but usually it only takes going in after a few minutes to give him his pacifier and he goes to sleep. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Now I've just got to get him to go back to sleep at 4am. He has been waking up that early and won't go back to sleep unless I pick him up. Last night I tried doing the same thing we do at bedtime. But I am just to tired to fight him for 45 minutes, so he ends up in our bed. Gotta work on that.

Four Month Check Up

Luke is four months today and had his check up with Doctor Wisner. He did so good, I am so proud of him! We got there and he flashed his smile for all the receptionists. Then we sat and filled out a developmental questionaire to which Luke passed with flying colors! He even plucked the flower right off the pen while I wrote! The nurse called us in and measured and wieghed him: 27" tall (95th percentile), 15.8lbs. (75th percentile). Dr. Wisner came in and checked him out...all good. He said we could start him on solid foods especially since he is facinated watching us eat and tries to grab our food. Apparently that is a sign of being ready for solids. We also talked about sleeping since we've had some trouble there. He encouraged us to transistion him to falling asleep on his own. So when he is over his cold we will try putting him down, leaving him, and going in after a few minutes to reassure him. Then after 3 nights of this we will increase the time before we go in. Not looking forward to all that, but if it helps him sleep through the night on his own, we'll climb that mountain.

Camera Happy Mom

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Flip Flops and Swaddlers

Luke has met some milestones this week. He's now rolling from back to front and front to back with ease. I think he is much happier now that he can mobilize himself instead of watiing for someone to do it for him. He actually likes being on his tummy and able to see everything. Its fun to watch him learn new things and really get the hang of it. I will forever stand in awe of the power of God to create such a thing and cause him grow.
However, (there's always pros and cons to everything) he's gotten the hang of rolling in his swaddler. This is a problem because once they can roll while wrapped in their swaddler, it isn't safe to swaddle them anymore. And this is a problem because Luke's recipe for a easy bedtime routine is a bath, a book, swaddle up, and plug with a pacifier. His eyes roll back in his head and he is out in minutes. Now that we skip the swaddle, it has become a recipe for a long, draining fight to relax enough to let sleep come. We had settled into this routine, so I have to admit that I have no idea what to do now. Last night I spent 45 minutes trying to help him get to sleep. He fought every bit of the way with arms stretching and legs kicking, back arching and pacifier spitting. Then, just when he is finally asleep and down in his crib without my tight grip on his limbs, he startles and wakes up. If you've ever had a dream that you were falling and then your body jerks and you wake up, that what he does. After laying him down and having him wake up, I tried consoling him in his bed. Finally, he rolled onto his side and just like that, fell asleep. He only woke up once through the night but ended up in my bed again. (The last few weeks he has been increasing his night wakes ups to two, three, four, even five times a night. And spending fewer and fewer hours in his own bed. He began refusing to return to his bed at 3-4am. Then it became 2am, then midnight. Desperate for sleep, I take him to my bed and he sleeps soundly. But I don't.) I suppose sleeping without the swaddle will get easier as he gets used to it, but for now, I'm at a loss. Though it was quite a feat to get him to sleep, it was precious to see him sleep. The sight reminded me how fast he is growing. It was only four months ago that he was brand new, swaddled in a blanket in a bed next to mine. On a lighter note, he's sporting the summer fashion trend of FLIP FLOPS! I went into Payless to grab myself a pair, and was reminded by the clerk that its BOGO season again...Buy One Get One half off! After reviewing the selection and only seeing one pair that I prefered, I hit the baby section! So CUTE and so FUNNY!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had quite a full weekend. Friday and Saturday we ran errands and worked around the house. Since its been sunny we went shopping at The Little Red Wagon for some shorts. TLRW is a children's consignment shop in Lynden where you can turn in your used items and earn credit to spend. We had $10 in credit, went for shorts but came out with new overalls, shoes and a red hat. I couldn't resist this outfit (see below and you will know why!).
Luke has not been sleeping well. He started waking up a couple times a night, then it turned to three, then four, now we're up to five. And sometimes he absolutely refuses to go back to sleep in his own bed. So I give in and bring him to mine...I need some sleep too. He seemed to sleep very well in our bed. So we thought we would look for a co-sleeper. Its sort of a small crib type thing that goes in your bed so that you won't roll on the baby and they can't roll off. But they are spendy. So we resorted to using his diaper changing pad that has walls to try him sleeping in our bed. It was nice not to have to get up, but it didn't really help and its not the best thing for Howie and I. We realized that we haven't been consistant in how/where he sleeps so we are working on that and hoping that will help with the waking up at night.
Sunday after church we headed down to see Grandpa and Grandma Howland. We hadn't seen them since Luke was two weeks old. It was Luke's first ferry ride! And his first time meeting great-Grandma Fern. We had a nice BBQ dinner, stayed the night with them, had a waffle breakfast and headed back Monday morning.
Monday afternoon we weeded the garden to get ready to plant REAL plants.
Check out our adventures below!
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This Week in Pictures

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Garage Sale & Other Silly Things

We had a garage sale this past Saturday. Friday night we went out and hung garage sale signs. Then we got up early Saturday, Luke and I set out our stuff while Howie went and got cash and breakfast. We set up our chairs on the front porch and hung out from 8am to 3pm. It was actually a lot of fun. It was a good day for it. But even though we were in the shade all day, Luke's face got a little sun burned. I feel bad but it doesn't seem to bother him. We went today to check out sunscreen but the bottle says to consult a doctor before the age of 6 months. So I don't really know what you are supposed to do before then.
The other pictures included are just random things we have done or he has been doing. He has found a new toy: his feet. He's grabbing them every chance he gets. Tonight he decided to taste them! At least he was in the bath and they were clean!
As bad as it is...he loves the tv. I'm really trying not to let him watch it lately but when its on he will strain to look at it. Since he is so interested, I put him in his jumper and turned on his baby sign video (in the computer because our DVD player isn't working). Then at least he's watching something that might teach him something valuable.
You'll also see him sitting in his Bumbo. Many of you have seen how these things work...as much as Luke likes sitting up in it, he's always trying to weasel his way out, so he's invented a new way of sitting in it.

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Mother's Day

3 Months Old and Growing So Big

Luke is 3 months old today and there are so many things he has been doing…

Last night he slept in his big boy bed in his own room! But being so used to his swing he slept pretty restlessly. He ended up in our bed at 4am. When I woke up at 8, Luke was looking at me and smiled. I let him loose from him swaddler and held him and he just laughed and laughed. Its moments like that that are the best.
We got him a jumper because whether he is lying down or being held his legs are continuously kicking. He wasn’t sure about it at first but now he goes crazy in it.
Last Sunday he reached down and picked up a rattle for the first time and has not stopped picking things up since. So we got out all his rattles and plastic baby toys for him to play with. But they all go straight to the mouth!
Now that he's a little more in control of his hands he holds onto his bottle. He really likes to "help" and pulls it out of his mouth and tries to get it back in, but doesn't have much of an aim right now. I try to be patient and realize he's discovering and learning but there comes a point when we need to stop playing with our food!
He really tries to sit up. He is not happy laying down or reclining. He keeps trying to pull himself up but he's not quite strong enough.
He's not quite strong enough to sit up by himself yet either, but he loves being able to see everything. So at a restaurant we sat him in a high chair stuffed with blankets at the end of the table. He seemed to like it and could see everyone around the table.
He also now rides in his stroller like a big boy. We don't put him in the carseat and click him into the stroller...he just doesn't like that. I wish I would have gotten pictures of all of these things...I need to keep the camera in the diaper bag at all times!
He looks at books. But again, if he's going to "help" turn the page, the page goes staight in his mouth.
A couple weeks ago at Aunt Holly's we noticed him looking at his feet and trying his hardest to reach down and get them. He reaches his knee then his ankle but hasn't quite gotten to the toes yet.
Unfortunately, he still hates the car. I hate driving to work every morning because he screams the entire 15 minutes. Often when we buckle him into the seat in the house, he is fine until he hears it click into the car. Now, he starts crying when I set the seat down next to the car while I put everything else in. And he screams....he screams so hard that he is soaked with sweat when I get him out of the car. I feel horrible making him ride in the car. It has come to the point that I ride back there with him when Howie drives. He's usually fine then. While at my mom's house, I needed buckle the carseat base into the car. So I set him in the seat next to the car seat...he wasn't even in his carseat, he was just sitting there in the car...and he started screaming! I couln't believe it, he wasn't even in his carseat, just in the car and he was so upset.
Its so interesting to see his personality come out. He's always moving and wants to be active, he loves people and being out in public...how is it that you can tell a 3 month old is an extrovert??, and he loves to be thrown in the air...so I call him my athletic, extroverted risk taker. Everything I'm not! :)

Train Trip to Vancouver

Luke took his first trip to Vancouver for my brother's college graduation. He and I rode the train down which went really well. I can't imagine how driving would have went being that he hates riding in the car. We had a full five days there going to Baccalaureate, Graduation, Parties, and out to restaurants. He met lots of family for the first time. The weekend went extremely well. Luke is so good when he's around other people and in public. He loves to be around people and out doing things. He is definitely an extrovert! I think he just gets too bored when we sit around at home. One thing I discovered on this trip is that it is a serious pain when public bathrooms do not have changing tables in them! You can't change a diaper on a table in a restaurant so you have to go back out to the car! I feel like writing to every place that doesn't have a changing table in the bathroom! There wasn't one in the bathroom on the train either so I had to change him right there in the seat, which he pooped both times riding the train! I was a little embarrassed about that. Then at the end of our train ride we walked past the wheelchair access bathroom, the door was open, and there was the changing table! It would have been nice to know that. Anyway, here are a few pictures from our trip.

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Finally Asleep

Today began awesome. I woke up, looked up to check on Luke and he was wide awake and content in his swing. I got up and said good morning to my sweet boy and he gave me a big smile. We got up, had breakfast, I got some work done, and we got dressed. But it all went down hill from there. For some reason he was unhappy anywhere by himself. He didn't want to play on his mat, which he usually loves, he just wanted to sit with me. Usually he's content to swing while I shower, but not today. I had to wait until he was asleep and even then I had to be quick. He was just so clingy today. He was like this his first month, but I thought he grew out of it. And...randomly he'd let out high pitched screaches even while eating. I felt so bad for him. On top of that he had his 2 month check up today. Good news is he weighs 12lbs 14oz (75th percentile) and is 25.25" (95th percentile). He is well and healthy besides a trachial thing that makes him sound raspy when he breaths (nothing to worry about, he'll grow out of it) and a rash from our laundry detergent (which I only just noticed at the doctor in the bright light). Bad news is he had 3 shots in his thighs and an oral vaccination. This only added to his grumpiness and high pitched screams. So we rocked in the chair until Howie got home, had dinner and then went on a walk. We've been walking with the stroller a lot lately but today I knew he would not sit by himself so we tried the sling. The sling is another story because he hates it unless he is sleeping, so I upgraded him to the 3 month position where he could look out. He actually liked it! Yes! But we barely got down the block and he puked all over himself. So back to the house we went. I attemped a warm bath hoping it would calm and relax him, dressed him in warm jammies, and rocked him...and he is finally asleep.

2 Months Old

Luke is two months old today. How did that happen? They say the days are long and the years are short. I believe it. I thought we'd never make it through the first month and now we are already through the second. He is getting so big. I look back at pictures that seem like just yesterday and see such a difference. We measured him today again and got 25". I dont' know how accurate that is with our tape measure so I am interested to know how much he will measure and weigh at his doctor appoitment next week.
I am still amazed and facinated by him everyday. I love watching him grow and seeing him discover new things each day. Today he was copying Daddy's funny noises. I'll try to get that video up tomorrow. I also love seeing his personality come out. He loves people. He chats with everybody, flashes his smile, and really doesn't care to be alone. I guess he gets that from his dad. He loves to play. He lets me know when he is sick of cuddling with mom and wants to be on the floor. He bats at his toys like crazy, making them light up, rattle or play music. I'm sure he'll be batting a baseball soon enough!

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Sweet Eyes

Here's our sweet boy flirting a bit. He puts his chin to his chest and looks up at you and smiles. He wasn't really doing it in this video but its cute anyway. You'll also see that he's really started batting at his toys. He loves his playmat where he can make the tiger play music but he gets a bit frustrated because he can't yet make the frog sing with this toy.

Miracle Swing

This swing works miracles! There is something about the side to side motion that puts Luke right to sleep. He slept in one of these at church so I went right to the consignment stores looking for one but a friend said they had one we could have. We put him in it this afternoon and he started storing in minutes. Then when he started fussing around bedtime, we moved the swing to our room, put him in it awake, and he was asleep when I went back in to check on him. I am so glad to have this...we should have bought one in the first place!

Watch Him Sleep

Since he sleeps so much, this is what we spend a lot of our time doing. I can't help it, he's so cute.

Back to Work

I started back to work last week. I didn't anticipate it being so hard to leave Luke for a few hours a day. I'm only working part time and I left him with my mom. But on the way to work I got all choked up and ended up crying in my office. I missed him so much. He is totally fine when I leave him with people, its me who has the problem! I only had enough in me to leave him for two work days and brought him to work the third. He did so good playing and sleeping that I was able to care for him and get all my work done. He also came with me on the weekend. The kids at church were excited to meet him. He was so funny...he was chatting with everyone...telling them long stories. Toward the end of the day I put him in the nursery and he was content to play with the workers, then fell asleep in the swing. Again, its mom who has the problem being away from him. I kept checking on him, but of course he was fine. This is a picture of him telling his stories in his cute polo shirt.

Our Growing Boy

Luke has been doing so much lately! He has slept from 9:30pm-3:30am for two nights in a row. It is so nice to get a bigger chunk of sleep. And yesterdy He giggled for the first time! He had been getting fussy and it was about time for a nap, so I picked him up, wrapped him, and he started smiling. I said, "you're not tired, you just wanted me to play with you," and he started with a little ha-ha. I wasn't sure if it was a giggle or a new sound. But then it came out as a full blown laugh. I hurried for my phone hoping Luke would keep laughing so Howie could hear him. He did, and we all laughed together. It was so rewarding to hear. He has also been begining to roll over. He almost went over today. Here is a video.

Our Playful Boy

Month 2 Photos

6 Weeks Old

Luke is 6 weeks old today! Here are some updates of what he has been doing...

1. Obviously, he smiles. And it seems to get cuter every day.

2. Our first month together was a bit tough. He was quite fussy. Some days seemed like all he did was scream. Evenings were the worst. We'd spend an hour pacing the hallway to get him to sleep. He seems to be decreasing with all of that. He still screams but it is not nearly as long now.

3. He's eating 5 oz every 2-4 hours. I thought since he's eating almost double the normal amount for his age that it might hold him over longer. No luck. He still wakes up twice a night.

4. He's finally gotten used to the car. We've been out a few times and he's fallen asleep in his carseat.

5. He's also adjusting to sleeping by himself during the day. He will sleep in his swing for a long period of time at least once a day, so it allows me to get something done around the house. Most of the time though, he is more content sleeping on me and wakes up when put down.

6. He likes his play yard. He kicks at the toys a lot. He will actually lift his legs up toward the hanging toys to get them. And he is at the beginning stages of rolling over! He's been kicking one leg over the other and will be on his side, but his arm keeps him from going all the way over. I even caught him rolling himself out of his chair...guess I better start buckling him in!

7. Just today he started talking to himself. He was in his crib, woke up from his nap, and was jabbering away.

8. He seems to have taken a liking to Dr. Phil! Today he was in his swing, which is low to the ground and doesn't face the tv, but he apparantly was determined to see what all the drama was about and strained to turn his head toward the television. He watched Dr. Phil for a full 30 minutes!

9. Today he looked much longer and all of a sudden didn't fit in a few things. So we took a measurement from his heals to his head...24"! Man, we have a growing boy!

10. Oh! And he is balding! He is losing all that cute baby hair, but just on the top of his head. He still has that little mullet in the back (although we trimmed it so he wouldn't look like a balding old man trying to grow a mullet!)

Next week I will go back to work at least 2 days a week. Mondays he will get to play with Olivia who is just 4 weeks older than he is. Olivia's mom stays home with her and has offered to take on Luke as well. Wednesdays he can come to work with me for a few hours and Sundays he can stay home with Dad. So that will be our next adjustment.

What a Face!

First Smiles

Luke has been smiling every now and then, mostly in his sleep, but today he was all smiles for mom. So much so that we could catch it on camera! He's so cute, if I do say so myself. :)

First Snow

We had a surprise snow storm Wednesday, Feb 25th. So we got Luke all dressed in his snow suit to go outside. Its quite big for him, but still adorable.

Bottles are so much better!

Well, we've made the switch to formula. After doing everything we could to breastfeed, including the tube supplement (which was horrible), I never produced enough milk. We began bottle feeding with formula and have had a much more enjoyable week. Luke is now content since he is not hungry all the time. And we have been able to get into a bit of a routine. Now that he is eating well, he's also gaining weight. Luke weighed 8lbs 15oz on Monday the 23rd. Since he has surpassed his birth weight we don't have to worry about waking him up to feed. He is eating 3-4oz every 3-4 hours (and occassionally 5). So now we are all getting some sleep too!

However, he is still vomitting every other day. We switched to formula for sensitive tummies but have not seen a change. Hopefully he will be able to hold his food down soon. It upsets Mommy more than it upsets him!

The First Week Home

What a week. Its great to be home and adjusting to our new life. But this week has been quite eventful.

Howie Sick...Howland's Saved by Friends
The first night home Howie came down with something. We didn't want to get Luke sick, so he downed some Nyquil and slept in the spare bedroom. Luke didn't have such a good night. He cried a lot and refused to be put down. Niether one of us got much sleep. Taxi, as well meaning as he is, was in the way as he tried to help change diapers and comfort the crying baby. The next morning I made a call for help and a whole task force arrived. My house was cleaned from top to bottom, errands were run, our freezer was stocked, I got a nap and Luke was taken care of.

Luke Loses Too Much Weight
A nurse was sent out to make a home visit, weigh Luke and help us with any breastfeeding issues. Its normal to lose weight after birth but should be less then 10% of their body weight. Luke had lost 11% and likely would lose more as we wait for my milk to come in. I also noticed a change in his ability to breastfeed. The nurse thought this change was because he didn't have the energy he needed. So we have had to supplement breastfeeding with formula. When its time to feed, we put 15cc's of formula into a syringe with a tiny tube attached. That tube is then inserted into Luke's mouth. He thinks he's breastfeeding but he is getting nurishment from another source. Immediately after getting his first feeding, he finally slept soundly. Later he continued to fuss, not sleep well, a had to be held.

Yay for 30cc's
Luke had his first check up with Dr. Lee. All is well, but he has not gained any weight even with the formula supplement. She suggested we double his supplement and we should see a change in his behavior. After his first 30cc feeding, he was out. This was quite a relief from the "I'm still hungry!" screams from before. I told Howie, "This is how it is supposed to be...imagine how he'd be on a full feeding."

3 1/2 hours old

Well the day has finally come... 02-09-09 at 709 AM. Whew!!! Happy Birth Day Luke!! Luke weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and was about 20" long.

Luke's Room

Luke's room is ready and waiting for him to arrive.

Still Pregnant

Its February 1st and I am still pregnant. Luke was due January 28th. Our last doctor appointment included an ultrasound to make sure he is doing ok. They estimated his size at 7.5 to 8.5 lbs. The doctor said the good news is he is doing well. The bad news is...he is doing well. So we are still waiting, looking for things to pass the time. Although...I have been thinking I should take time to really enjoy these days because they will be few and far between come baby.