new sounds, new moves

Luke has started letting out a fun squeal when he is a variety of moods. It is close to a laugh and fun to hear.

These pictures are a sequence of a game that he likes to play on Dad's belly. He starts off just laying on that comfy belly and the next thing you know he has rolled to a side. He will stay wherever he lands for a while and then voice his annoyance at not being upright. As soon as he is back to center he will enjoy the moment with a little finger chewing or just roll off again...

Disclaimer: No baby was harmed while taking these pictures :) He is actually pretty thrilled to roll around

Pictures 7-26//27

Gotcha mom...

I actually made dinner tonight which was fun. This is Luke helping me out in the kitchen...

Yesterday morning I went in to pick Luke up - he had been talking to himself for a little while - and this picture is what I see as I lean into the crib. I have been putting him to sleep on a cushy blanket so that he is comfy and warm. He won't keep any covers on so I figure a nice one under him must help him stay a little warmer than nothing?! Well, those days are done since I walked in to find him trying to wrap himself in the blanket. We played peek-a-boo for a minute which he loved, and then I noticed that he had soaked his diaper through so he was up and the blanket was in the hamper...It is worth noting that there is something really special about gettting up for a baby eager to start his or her day. You are still groggy and sleepy, but they are just thrilled that you have come to get them and ready to experience the day.

Helpers

I have been meaning to note how important Luke's grandparents are to him already. I am not sure how parents make it without at least a little help and support from their own parents after a baby arrives. (I will never be able to thank my mom enough for the lunch visits or Susan for her willingness to babysit at the drop of a hat!) I know that Steve and I discuss how fortunate we are to have both sets of parents nearby. It is nice to like your parents and really nice to have great in-laws.







Anyway, this is a little entry dedicated to the special relationship that we see each time Luke gets to spend time with his Grandmas and Grandpas. He will be exposed to different ideas and experiences with all of them, and it is interesting and heartwarming to watch these relationships grow.

Special times with:
Grandma Jackie - walks around the neighborhood, blowing rasberries, getting to hang out naked by the pool

Grandpa Nick - keeping up with mom and the dogs on morning walks, watching the Cardinals, looking forward to hearing him play the guitar

Grandma Susan - telling stories back and forth, walks outside to see the trees and flowers, blowing bubbles, peek-a-boo

Grandpa Paul - being held - but only if I am walked around, enjoying his singing

It's Love

This is a song that is used in adds for Heineken Light. It started playing a lot during March Madness (Luke cheered on Memphis with Dad), and it just makes us smile when we hear it. This is a little much, I know, but if Luke is around when we play the song on the computer or hear the ad we dance with him and change Love to Luke in the lyrics...he likes it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn-NtOXFE3Y

Four Months

Luke is 4 months old today! We enjoyed the morning with a visit to Harbaugh's for a great breakfast - he enjoyed watching us eat :) and I am sure will enjoy many Mickey Mouse pancakes there once he starts eating solids! We lost power last night for a while and had a noisy storm, none of which Luke noticed...he woke up once to eat and then went right back to sleep until almost 8:00.


After our breakfast, took the dogs out for a walk and Luke was enjoying looking forward for a change in the frontpack. Good workout for mom to carry him and fun for Luke to see what is going on around him. Good day with the family :)

Snapshots

This is Luke happy to be sitting on his 'throne' at Grandma Jackie's. It is a beanbag chair that fits him perfectly and he can be in the middle of the room with an eye on everything going on - especially the fans above which seem to be his favorite thing about the sunroom.









HOT DAY 7-20-08 - My flowers and tomatoes were in major need of some water so I made Luke a little pallet and let him enjoy some fun naked time on the deck - he loved it. Naked and outdoors - two of his favorites :)




What is going on?










Summer goodness from southern Illinois farms and orchards. I love the peaches more than any other fruit in the world...Luke will probably never have to eat or spit out a black watermelon seed - Are they all grown seedless now?

Uncle Glenn filling our house with yummy-ness. He sent me key lime and chocolate mousse cheesecakes for my b-day and we have been just loving the key lime - Thanks Glenn!

Cool dogs

Anyone that knows me knows that I really adore our dogs, Luna and Star. They just make life better. One of the things that we looked forward to on as we brought Luke home was to see how they would interact with a new little person. From the moment he has been home, they have been beyond great. Luna (left) watches from a distance and as he has gotten bigger she is showing more interest in who he is and what he does. She seems to really enjoy me being home more b/c that means more treats!

Star is a unique dog - Our neighbor thought we should have named her goofy, and we think so too sometimes. She is a total lovebug, though, once she is comfortable with you and we get lots of laughs from life with Star. I used to say that she was strictly Steve's girl, but he has agreed that once Luke came home she found a new favorite. Star is Luke's guardian and companion and just loves him. He has started to notice her when she is near and he will smile and try to grab her as she gives him a kiss or sits down next to him. I wonder what he thinks when he looks at them?

We are lucky to have such good companions. This spring as I adjusted to motherhood, walks with the dogs helped keep me healthy physically and mentally - I often joked (kind of) with Steve that our daily walks were a big key to me maintaining my sanity. Walks have been a nice constant in our lives pre- and post-Luke that we all enjoy.

Did you say we are out of milk?

I went to my office on Firday afternoon when Luke was napping to try and clean it out a little for the counselor that will be working there this year. I have put this chore off all summer b/c I don't like the idea of not being at work, although I realize that I am going to have an exciting year with Luke, and I have no desire to put him in daycare this early.

So, as I am leaving the parking lot, Steve sends me this pic message. I felt bad for both of them. Luke was hungry and Steve was handling a hungry baby like a pro...I got home to find them checking out our flowers on the deck. Steve said he hadn't complained at all since he took him outside. I live with 2 of the coolest guys around :) Luke was quickly fed and back to his smiley ways.

Wake Time

Luke is more alert everyday. On our normal 2 mile walk in the morning with Dad, Grandpa and the dogs he stayed awake the whole time, which is a first. We normally are entertained by him fighting the nap as he tries to take in everything going on around him, but today he made it :)

He did get a short power nap in before lunch and then was amazed at the goings on of Applebee's. We took a friend there for her birthday today, and he had a blast. About halfway through, he was anxious to be released from his seat but after that he was content to sit on my lap and take part in our discussion.

A couple of other co-workers were hoping to see him, so I took him to school for a quick visit. His size impressed everyone that he saw, including our new football coach who said he could suit up whenever he felt ready. Steve and I have fun imagining what sports he will want to play - or what any of his interests will be...Maybe swimming? He got to go swimming some tonight with Grandma Jackie and he loved it - kicking and splashing like crazy.

He is really into chewing on anything, but seems to favor cloth diapers...he'll try teethers and pretty much anything that he can get to his mouth but the cloth seems to be his #1 pick right now...although he is still trying to get his entire fist into his mouth :)

Weight

Steve got me the amazing Wii Fit for my birthday last weekend. It is super fun and I can use it to weigh Luke now instead of waiting for doctor visits or trying to sneak him on the butcher scale at the grocery store.

March 22nd - 5 lbs 5 oz

April 1 - 5 lbs 2 oz

April 8 - 5 lbs 9 oz

May 8 - 8 lbs 13 oz

June 3 - 10 lbs 9 oz 21 inches

July 13 - 14 lbs 2 oz

Breast milk is awesome!

Steps to independence

Luke was positioned in the womb so that when he was born, his head had a natural and strong tendency to lay on the right side. I didn't pay much attention to this at first, but then noticed that the right side of his head was loooking flatter than the left. With the recommendations to lay babies on their backs when sleeping, he would always end up laying on his back with the head turned to the right. So...I started laying him more on his left side. He would still eventually get to his back but thought this would help even out his head. He always seemed to stay asleep more comfortably, too. With the side sleeping, we could lay him down, rub his back etc...and he would stay asleep 99% of the time. Plus, his head has evened out - it is as likely to go to the left as the right now :)

Lately, he has been learning how strong he is and saying - hold up people I really don't want to be doing this nap thing - We will lay him down once he has fallen asleep nursing or being held or whatever and as soon as his left side hits the crib he quickly flops his whole body over on his back, his eyes open up wide and he looks up at you like 'how did I get here' then he kicks and moves his arms wildly and most times gets picked up. Steve and I laughed today over this new thing because it is kind of amusing to see this little boy asserting himself. Once he has woken up, if you try and flip him on his side again he will twist his head to look at you and fight you every step of the way - the backrubs, shooshing, etc...are pretty much useless now. On a developmental note, we have learned in the past 24 hours that if he is fed and changed and obviously tired, he will put himself to sleep after some talking to his best buddy in the crib mirror. He is cool :)

Introduction

I have just spent about 2 hours trying to set this thing up so I just want to get a couple of sentences down and then I am closing this flipping computer! At least I have been out in the sun the whole time - what a glorious day!

This blog is for Luke - I am looking forward to having an outlet to remark about his changes, activities and things that make his dad and me smile (which is a lot!)

To start - here is a pic of him swimming with daddy on my birthday Saturday. He loves water, loves the outdoors and loves to move! Last night he got mad when I took him out of the bath after 30 minutes :) He was pretty obsessed with kicking, catching and trying to eat his rubber ducks that light up when he touches them. good, clean fun...