One Au.D. Girl

Letter to Luke

2012-01-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

Luke,

You are a whopping 23 months old! As I write this you are taking a nap. This morning we went to church and Mr. Roger brought you some marshmallows - which you quickly devoured. Then you ate most of your fruit loops, drank your juice and then ate a bag of gummies. I thought you would be full, but then you ate all your snacks plus more during nursery. I think you either are going through a growth spurt or we need to have you examined for a hollow leg.

This past month we celebrated Christmas and I think your favorite part was tearing open the paper. When you saw what was inside you would say 'cool' and move to the next gift. You were great taking gifts to their rightful owner. If you couldn't lift it, you'd rip the paper just enough to pull it. And you really enjoyed checking out everyone else's gifts. A few times I had to have you return Jude's gifts back to him. You might be a little grinch in the making - you know, stealing everyone's gifts :)

We've decided that eating out with you has reached a halting point. Unless the restaurant is classy enough to have a play place. Or child care. Or duct tape. Once you've decided you're done eating, it might as well be over for us, too. There's no point in fighting a losing battle, so we just elect to stay home. Maybe someday we can enjoy the public again, but for now, they're better off without your tantrums.

You are loving trains and one of your favorite things to do is line up a bunch of toys and push them around saying 'choo-choo' until they break apart and you have to line them up all over again. Your dad even took you to see some train exhibits at the library. You were in choo-choo heaven!

Your personality is really getting stronger each day. You definitely aren't afraid to let us know you are unhappy or that you don't want to comply with a request. And when you have no other choice but to do as we wish, like to change your diaper, you try to kick us. That's gonna be nipped in the bud real soon. And with that sense of independence, you love to be 'on your own'. At night, after dinner and bath, you like to curl up on mommy and daddy's bed and wath the goodnight show on Sprout. It may be the cutesy thing ever to see you with your arms propped up chilling on the bed like a big boy.

Well, you're waking up so I'll keep this short and just let you know how much we love you.

To the moon and back,
Mom and Dad

Letter to Baby

2011-12-05T05:34:00.000-06:00

Dearest Luke,

You are 22 months old! Holy guacamole! Do you know what that means?? It means you're going to be TWO years old in TWO short months!! It's going by way too quickly and I'm not sure if you ever get the memo about slowing down.

You have gotten so dang tall! I swear all the jeans we have bought are too short for you. They need to make them with extenders. Every time we see Kristin on a Monday, she always comments on how much you've grown over the weekend.

You have been able to have a few play dates with your cousins and have enjoyed every last minute of it. You adore Grant and Jude and it's so sweet to see you interact with them, and vice versa. We took you to a Christmas parade downtown last weekend, and M brought Grant and Jude. It was so fun to see you do as they were doing and sit down on the curb just like them. They even shared their suckers with you. Now that's love, Luke :)

You have become a picky eater. I honestly don't know how this happened, but all of a sudden, there's no point in trying to talk you into eating something, because once you decide you don't want to eat it, you aren't changing your mind. Sometimes you refuse to eat your chicken unless you have daddy's fork. And on top of that, you won't let dad put the chicken on the fork, and you don't want to get the chicken on the fork, but you yell at me until I put the chicken on the fork. Determination. You has it.

You've gotten to where you love to hop. You hop when you're excited all over the place, no matter where we are. It's kind of a sideways hop and it's possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen. Kristin says you even hop to Otto when you see him. You've also found your voice. You talk all the time and it can get quite loud. I've warned Pa not to wear his hearing aids around you and Uncle Robert had to mute his. It's so great to hear you talk and have all these facial expressions that show me you're really carrying on a conversation, no matter if we understand or not.

Your vocabulary has grown, and some new words include: bath, orange, giraffe, please, no, yes, this, two. You come up with new ones all the time! We just love seeing you explore and learning to name new things.

We love you so very much! Even if you are our little terrorist :)
Mama and Dada

Letter to Baby

2011-11-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

Dear Luke,

I'm really late in writing this letter, but better late than never, right? You are officially 21 months old and growing more and more independent with each passing day. You're also becoming quite attached to my hip.

In the evenings, when I get home from work, you rarely leave my side. You insist that I hold you if I'm in the kitchen talking to dad, you sit in my lap while we play with toys, and you refuse to let your dad hold you. It's awfully sweet that you love me so much, and I love you, too.

You still love playing outdoors. Last night we went over to Uncle Jon and Aunt Kricia's house, and you played in a big pile of leaves with your cousins. You even jumped on the trampoline with them! We are really trying our hardest to teach you about the danger of going out in the road unless one of us (mom and dad) are with you, but that hasn't stopped you from pushing the boundaries. You treat the neighbors yards as if they were your own, running through them while we chase after you. And one of your favorite things to do is to run up and down the curb through the leaves.

You're learning new words all the time. We've been trying to teach you 'grandma' and 'grandpa'. These come out as 'gaga' and 'vroom vroom' though. You say 'raff' for 'giraffe', 'tractor', 'yay', 'beep beep', 'choo choo', 'istin' for 'kristin' and 'yes'. And maybe your most favorite word right now is 'elmo'. These are just a few! I love to hear what new words you learn each day!

You love watching cartoons morning, evening, and night. If we try to turn on the news or a football game, or anything for that matter, you take the remote and yell at us until we turn it to Disney or Sprout to watch cartoons. And if you don't like what's on one of those channels, you yell at us to turn the channel until we find something suitable for what you do actually like. And the times when we refuse to turn the channel, you run and fling yourself against the wall/couch/floor and pitch a fit.

Oh! and you're finally getting quite the head of hair! It's not anywhere close to needing a haircut, but you've been so bald for so long, we just are so excited! And you love love love your bath. Daddy is in charge of baths and I am in charge of putting you to sleep. And if that routine changes, you get upset, so we leave it that way.

We love you so much and are so blessed to have you as our son. You teach us more than I think we teach you, especially the principle of patience (which your mother really needs). I hope that you grow into a confident, caring, loving young mister...you're off to a great start :)

We adore you.
Mom and Dad

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:15:00.000-05:00

Luke was a lumberjack for Halloween this year! He wasn't thrilled about wearing suspenders, but we bribed him with some candy so he gave in. He loved running up and down the street to house to house, but when he got tired of that, he had a good view of the neighborhood from his dad's shoulders. It's so fun to see him interact with our friends' kiddos as well. Hope you had a spooktacular Halloween!

bad tuesday

2011-10-11T12:39:00.000-05:00

The fit Luke threw this morning as we were getting ready to leave the house this morning should have been the first indicator that this day was going to suck. The second clue should've been the dead deer in the middle of Cantrell.

I dropped my car off at the Hyundai dealership here in H.S. for an oil change this morning. When they asked if I had an appointment, I told them no, it just needed an oil change and wasn't aware I needed a appointment for that. They were snotty about it, but I told them I just needed it done by about 3 this afternoon, so they took my keys and my dad came to pick me up. He brought me over to the office and dropped me off so he could go to the grocery store and when I set my stuff down to call Chris about my car, I realized I had lost my phone. Thankfully, my dad found it in his truck and all was right with the world again.

Then I had a patient that decided she was done with the hearing eval and wanted to know 'what us girls were doing out here'. Ummm...I'm supervising a student and I.WAS.TEACHING. And BTW, we're not done until I come and get you.

And so all morning I've been stewing about my dang car so I decided to call the dealership to see if and when it would be ready. They still haven't worked on it because they have only 1 technician in today. Lemme ask you, if you have a day full of appointments, why do you only have 1 technician?? They also said it would be late this afternoon until they could get to it, if at all. So I told them I'd just come pick it up and wouldn't bring it back.

And that's where we stand. I've gotten my car back that still needs an oil change, a headache that makes me want to scrape at the side of my skull with a spoon and 2 more patients on the books. And then I'm outta here.

Surely this day cannot get worse.

Letter to Baby

2011-10-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Mister,

Seriously, you're 20 months old. I told you last month to slow down! But, in true Luke fashion, it seemed to go by even faster than usual.

You are getting so independent- you've been trying so hard to put your shoes and socks on all by yourself. You sit on the couch so patiently and try with all your might. You are a little dare devil - stepping right off the couch, relying on the pillow to soften the blow when you land on the floor. You enjoy testing the boundaries we set and laugh while doing it. We've incorporated 'time out' into our vocabulary and you do not like it, but you know that you have to sit and calm down before you are set free to terrorize once again.

Last night, before dinner, you were sitting on the kitchen counter watching daddy cook and you found a mini Hershey chocolate bar and begged to have it. So, against all instinct, I gave it to you. You loved it, giggled when you took the first bite, and then you ate it all up as fast as you could and asked for more. Unfortunately for you, I figured the one candy bar was plenty and so you pitched a fit. But after dinner, that chocolate kicked in and you were wired. We're going to have to keep a really close eye on your Halloween candy.

You and Baxter have become pretty great friends - unless you're throwing something at him or trying to pick him up. Mostly Baxter likes you best when you're eating. You like to feed Baxter and he never turns down food. You run around together - he takes your toy, you chase him down. You take his toy, he chases you. It wears you both out, and it's entertaining for your mom and dad, so we allow it :)

We went to your cousins birthday party a few weeks ago and you thought you were just one of the big kids. You'd stand next to the trampoline and jump, just waiting to get up there. You'd throw balls with the other kids and laugh when they'd finally indulge you and throw it back. It's so sweet to see you make friends!

Can't wait for the next month, baby Luke.
We adore you and love you so very much!
Mom and Dad

Letter to Baby

2011-09-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

Dear Luke,

19 months old. More than a year and a half, not quite 2, but getting closer with every passing moment. Once again, the past month has completely gone way too fast. Hmmph.

We are so amazed at all you can do! You can hold your finger up when you are asked how old you are. You love to run, run, run! You can show your muscles and you jump! You can get on and off the couch all by yourself. You follow directions (your receptive vocabulary is amazing!) and you are a complete master of getting us to follow your directions as well. And, as of this morning, we learned you can walk down the front steps of the house without any assistance! Whoa, baby! Slow down!

You have finally really learned to say 'dada'. It's been there for a while, but now you use it appropriately and we can understand that that's really what you are saying. In the morning, when I get you up, you say 'Mama?' I reply, 'Yes, buddy' and you say 'Uh, dada?' 'Dada's at work' in which that gives you a cue to start the whole conversation over again. You can make the sound of a car or truck and a dog, too, say 'bye' and wave, say 'otto' (mrs. kristin's hubby) and 'm' and 'pa'. We're working on grandma and grandpa, but those two syllable words are a little tougher. And you blow kisses! It's the sweetest thing! You also know how to raise your hands when we call the hogs! Smart boy :)

And Luke, it is a fight every.single.time we need to change your diaper. You run away from us until we get you cornered. And once we finally get hold of you, you kick, squirm, cry, hit and make changing your diaper much longer than needed. We've joked about getting you a changing table complete with a baby straight jacket. Also, you used to run to the bathroom every time you heard the bath water, but now you cry and run away and we have to pry you off of us to get you in the dang tub! What's up with that little man?

You love being outside and running up and down the driveway, stepping up and down off the curb and pushing your big Tonka truck up and down the street. And you love love love the swing in the backyard. A day or two ago, your dad was pushing you in it and you almost fell asleep in it. It's a fight to get you out of it - but it's worth that fight to see you enjoy swinging so much.

You are using a fork and spoon more and more, but you absolutely refuse to put your food on the fork. No matter how hard we try, you refuse to eat unless we put your food on the fork and hand it to you so you can feed yourself. It's getting out of control. But like I said, you're a master at getting us to follow your directions. And sometimes, we just have to pick our battles. You still won't eat hot dogs anymore and if we try to give you a vegetable, you refuse. We used to be able to hide it amongst a chicken nugget or fish stick and sneak it in. Now, if on rare occsasion we do actually get a veggie on your fork and get it in your mouth, you spit it out. But that doesn't keep us from trying. You'll learn to eat your veggies if it's the last thing I do!

We love each and every day we have with you, dear son. We love seeing you learn and explore. Can't wait to see what the next month brings. Who knows? Maybe you'll start behaving when it's time to change your diaper.

Love, always.
Mom and Dad

Luke's 1st birthday - 6 months late

2011-08-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

Luke had a pirate party for his first birthday. We had a great time and were so thankful that our family and friends were able to celebrate with us. We had to move it back a week because of snow, but it was much better because chris' parents and brother and SIL got to come as well. I know this is 6 months late, but Happy Birthday, Luke! We love you :)

a milestone

2011-08-13T18:04:00.000-05:00

Thursday, Luke did something I don't think he meant to do - he threw away his pacifier.

I was in the bathroom getting ready and he pulled my hairbrush off the counter. He was so pleased with himself, he took his pacifier out and threw it - it happened to land in the trash can. When he peered into the trash can, he couldn't see it, it had sunk under all the tissues, and he left the room without another thought.

He's not had it since Thursday morning and there have only been a few occasions since that he's really looked for it or we've been tempted to give in. Thursday afternoon, I needed to go to JCP and he had a meltdown mid store. Normally, we would've shoved that pacifier in (we affectionately called it the mute button), but Chris took him outside to cool down. The other time we've thought we'd really need it is in the car. He's had a pacifier attached to each car seat for the longest time and it's habit for him to reach for it while we're getting him buckled in. The first few car rides were hard, but it's getting better.

He's 'talking' so much more and so I hope we can continue this pacifier free stage. Church will be the real test, but I'm confident we'll survive! Wish us luck :)

Letter to Baby

2011-08-11T06:46:00.000-05:00

Dear 18 month old child of mine,

We've reached a milestone - 18 months! You turned 18 months old on August 3rd, but things have been so crazy, I haven't had a chance to really sit down and write your letter.

Your showing signs of reaching the terrible two's - you're even mastering the art of throwing tantrums. You throw what you're not supposed to have, you run when it's time to change your diaper, and you tug and pull and yell at us until we pick you up. We've come up with a new nickname for you - we call you "the terrorist".

You've learned some new words which include 'up', 'uh-oh', 'bye-bye', 'go go' and 'bax' (short for baxter). You have become a little more independent using a spoon or fork but we really have to watch you because if you can't pick up your chicken/strawberry/pea, then you practically fling your entire plate across the dining room. It's good for Baxter, not so much for us.

You are so fast! You are constantly running from one activity to the next, leaving a trail of destruction in your path (hence "the terrorist"). If you manage to get on the couch (and you're becoming more proficient) then you like to take off all the pillows and throw them in the floor, sometimes in Baxter's general direction.

You're still a good shopping buddy. We especially like going to Target so you can get some popcorn and fruit punch. And you do okay going out to eat, but we try to eat and leave because you've learned to get your legs out of the highchair and I'm terrified you will fling your little body to the floor and run away. Irrational? Maybe. Probable? Yes.

We love reading books together and you love to point and get us to name each thing. Right now, your favorite book is 'Grandma and me'. That's the first book we read every night before bed time and we even read it multiple times some nights. And speaking of bed time, you're staying up till 7 or 7:30 most nights now. New later bed time equals sleeping later in the morning. It's working out well for me :)

We love your little 18 month old self,
mom and dad

Letter to Baby

2011-07-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Luke,

Happy 17 months old! You're one month away from being a year and a half old, and I'm not prepared. I'm not prepared at all. Let's let this month slow down a little so we can enjoy this 17 month mark. There's no rush to move on to 18 months, OK?

These past few days have been challenging. We think you're cutting some molars, and that's making life very difficult for you, and for your parents. One day you're running a fever of 103 and the next day the fever is gone, but it's attitude city. When you get your way, you're fine. If you trip over your feet, it's meltdown city. And heaven help us if your hungry/thirsty/tired. It's just a roller coaster of emotions for you right now. I wish there were more to do for you, other than give you Tylenol, teething tabs, or anything else for that matter.

We're trying to get you to talk more, but if you don't have a passy in your mouth, again, it's meltdown city. On the off chance you'll give up the passy, we can get you to verbalize a little more, but no new words...yet. We've been working on 'choo choo', 'ball', and 'up'. Although, you can rawr when asked what sound a dinosaur makes, and you say 'oof' when asked what sound a doggy makes. You also can blow on your food if it's too hot.

You love making piles. You pile all your food to one side in like categories, you pile your laundry in and out of the basket as well as your blocks, and you love to pile your books from the night stand to the bookcase and vice versa. If one sippy cup falls, you knock the other over. I think you have a little OCD in you - and you come by it honestly. Your dad organizes his t-shirts by color :).

You have learned to jump, which basically means your feet stay planted on the floor and you bounce up and down. It's too cute to watch! Also, you love to stomp your feet and try to get us to imitate you. You dance when music comes on. You've gotten to where you absolutely hate riding in the car. The shortest car ride can bring the biggest tantrum. And we never know how the car ride is going to go, so we're trying to be more and more prepared with your favorite things. I think we're going to have to invest in some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVDs for the DVD player for longer trips.

You are getting so smart! You know how to push the buttons on your Elmo night-night book, you know how to throw away trash (and any other random object for that matter), and you're trying so hard to put your shoes on all by yourself. I love watching you problem solve. Also, you can point to mommy and daddy in pictures. Makes my heart melt a little!

We had your first zoo trip this weekend. It was hot, and you were tired, and you were pretty indifferent to the animals. But, we loved taking you and hope to do it again next year, and maybe you'll be more into it. We also had your first family reunion this weekend. You got to see a lot of your family from Illinois and Georgia, but also your cousins and great aunts and uncles that we see every Christmas, if not more often. You're a little flirt and know how to mooch off of others plates. Your little personality is pretty contagious and people just love watching you. We love that about you!

We love you little guy. To the moon and back.
Mom and Dad

happy father's day

2011-06-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

happy father's day to my amazing husband!

you are a wonderful father to our son and i can't imagine our life without you!

we love your guts!

a few things

2011-06-07T18:53:00.000-05:00

i'm listing because i've had a hard day and because it seems to be therapeutic for a great friend of mine.

1. don't come into my office and clink your candy around in your mouth, so that it hits every tooth over and over again. don't come into my office with your lunch and smack while i try to counsel/fit/test your significant other. i should probably make a 'no food sign' on my office door and force them to spit out their gum or candy as they come in. i'll put the sign next to the 'no cell phones' sign and the food wastebasket next to the cell phone basket. you may thank me for not banging your head on something sharp at a later date.

2. i love the vast majority of my patients, and if you were one of them, i'd probably love you, too. that doesn't mean you can grab my face and kiss me on the lips. my love for you will then be tainted. and if you tap your fingers on the counter at me, we're done.

3. don't speed around me, pull back over into my lane directly in front of me and immediately turn. keep your @** behind me. and for that matter, the speed limit is exactly the same when there's one lane, two lanes, or more. if you're going below the speed limit when i can't pass, and then speed up way above the speed limit when i can, you're going to be cursed.

4. don't smoke 14 cartons of cigarettes before coming to my office. i may puke on you. and if you have ear hair, i may puke twice. in your lap. you've been warned.

phew! that was therapeutic!

Letter to Baby

2011-06-05T16:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Monkey,

Yes, that's right, I called you a monkey. Basically because you have learned to climb and jump, and do so at every opportunity. I'm fairly positive my heart will give out at any moment. You love to get up on the couch (still with some assistance - whether we help or you push a toy over to climb on) and run from side to side and jump up and down. I know we shouldn't let you, because I think that's what parents do, but it looks like fun, and as long as we're around to catch you, I really don't mind.

Now that you're 16 months old, you're really getting a little attitude. You definitely are strong-willed and let us know when you're not getting your way. The good thing is that you're easily distracted and quickly forget about whatever made you upset in the first place.

I think you've had a few growth spurts. All of a sudden you can see what's on top of the tables and don't mind helping yourself to whatever you see. We've had to set a few boundaries, but there are still occasions you get into things that definitely have no business being in your possession. For example, one morning I was making the bed and noticed my glasses were missing. When I tracked you down, you were carefully examining them and when you realized I was standing over you, you quickly gave them back. And for another example? When I was finishing getting my hair dried one morning, you helped yourself to your daddy's end table and got a hold of his nose spray. When I realized you were being awfully quiet, I came into the living room to find you squirting the nose spray onto the carpet. You had unscrewed the top and were quite pleased with yourself, and threw a pretty good fit when I took it back.

We have been to our neighborhood pool a few times, and you really like splashing in the water and watching the bigger kids run around. If they'd let you, I'm sure you'd jump right in the fun and games. You are such a cute little guy in your pirate swim trunks and rash guard. You will not wear the bucket hat we have for you, so all the sunscreen from that bald head runs down in your eyes, which irritates you and so we never stay at the pool for long. I'm sure by the end of the summer, you'll be quite the little water baby.

You're still saying your usual words, and I don't really think we've added anything extra to your expressive vocabulary this month, but your receptive vocabulary sure is expanding! You follow directions (i.e. 'put that in the trash' , 'get your sippy cup' , 'find your passy'). Your nonverbal skills are really getting stronger, too! You know just how to get us to get/do/find anything you need/want. It's actually pretty impressive.

We love you and love watching you grow. You're so fun, and such a little flirt!
Can't wait to see what happens next.
Love always,
Mom and Dad

Mother

2011-05-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

When I was pregnant with Luke, I would think about bringing him home to a cute crib, rocking him in a comfy chair, and changing cute little cloth diapers to lessen our contribution to the landfills of the world. I would read him stories, tell him jokes, sing to him, and even review the day's mail with him. I thought a lot about how I would want to raise him, how I would mold him into the most awesome little guy ever.

Let's just say, we didn't bring him home and put him in his cute crib. He slept in his pack-n-play in our room. The comfy chair was in the next room and I was too tired to walk across the hall to sit in it, so I'd sit in bed and rock back and forth. The cloth diapers were too big when he came home so we used pampers. And then some more pampers, and then...well, more pampers. We still read stories, sing and dance and stack and knock down block after block. I think we're doing a good job raising him, setting boundaries, and providing a comfortable home. At least, I think that's what we're doing.

But since the day he was born, I'm a completely different person. I never once thought about how he would mold me. I'm more patient, kind, forgiving. I see the world completely different than before. I seek out advice on the web about what kids eat. When should they try this? When should they be doing that? And I've come to realize, mothers don't know it all. And I don't think I want to.

I love my little mister, and I'm so thankful for the joy he brings me, Chris, and everyone he comes in contact with. He truly is a blessing in my life.

Letter to Baby

2011-05-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

Dear Luke,

15 months and growing like a weed. We've been so busy this past month that I'm late in writing this!

Your vocabulary sure is growing. You now say 'mama', 'daddy/dada', 'assy' (for passy), 'asser' (for Baxter) and 'baby'. You sign 'all done', 'more' and you clap. You're pointing at things you want and initiating us in play more and more. You also shake your head yes or no rather appropriately when asked a yes/no question. It sure is fun to see your nonverbal communication skills growing as well as your vocabulary!

You toddle around everywhere. You refuse to stay still for too long and you actually eat breakfast on the move. I hold the banana and you come get a bite when you're ready for it. You also like to walk around while drinking your milk out of the side of your mouth so that it doesn't block your view while you're walking around.

We experienced your first sleep-over when your cousins came to stay with us. You had so much fun chasing Jude and Grant around and loved watching them throw the ball outside. I know you'll be right in on all that action in the next few months. They really wore you out, too. After they left, you took a super long nap. Maybe we should have them over more often!

This past month was also the first time we've been to the doctor because you were sick. You ended up with strep throat and running fever, so we had to put you on a little medicine to help clear that up. After a few days on the medicine, you were back to normal, which was great because we had plans to go visit your Grandma and Grandpa in NWA!

Once we were comfortable with how you were doing (and then mom got sick), we left for NWA for a weekend visit at Grandma and Grandpa's. You, daddy and Grandpa went to a Razorback baseball game and you stayed for 7 innings! The Razorbacks won and daddy and Grandpa said you were excellent and loved watching the players swing the bat and throw the ball.

Today is your 15 month check up so we'll see how you're progressing. Who knows, maybe we'll get out of the 10th %tile!

We love you and can't wait to see what you do next!
Mom and Dad

Letter to Baby

2011-04-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

Luke,

14 months have passed since the day you were born! So much has happened since last month, I can't hardly keep track!

Well, first things first...you.are.walking. And I don't mean taking a few steps here and there. No, you are almost dead sprinting everywhere you go. You actually took your first steps the day you turned 13 months, but it's not been until the last 2 1/2 weeks or so that you've really stepped up your game (and your confidence). We bought you a pair of squeaky shoes that are so much fun! They are red, lace-up, sneakers and we crack up when you're walking around squeaking away.

You are also really feeding yourself more and more, even holding the banana! You love fig newtons now and that has become a favorite treat. Also, you love popcorn! It's even more fun putting your hand into the bowl and moving the popcorn all around, finding just the right piece. And you're getting a little more picky about foods. You definitely eat only what you want, but as long as you're eating, we're okay.

And can I just say that you're turning into quite the little momma's boy? You and I have this special bond (like any mother and child) and sometimes it's difficult for you (and me) to be apart. Even if you're sitting right next to me. It's like I'm your comfort blankie :) It melts my heart and makes me want to take you everywhere! However, on the flip side, you are becoming more independent. And with that independence comes some serious fits. If you're into something you're not supposed to be in, you throw the biggest fit! It makes me laugh to think that we're already entering that phase of your life...it's too soon!!

Oh! and you love to push anything and everything around. If it's going to budge, you're going to move it. And to add to that, if you can shake it, roll it, rattle it, or anything else, you're going to make it do just that.

You truly are our little man, and we love you dearly.
Can't wait to see where the next month takes us!!

Love you so,
Mom and Dad

New Developments

2011-03-06T14:11:00.000-06:00

1. Luke is front facing in his car seats. We wanted to wait an extra month after he turned a year, and the time has come. So far he loves it!

2. Luke is weaned from the bottle!

3. Luke is walking!

all of this happened since Friday! We planned on the car seat and the bottle, but the walking? holy cow! i guess the bottle was holding him back :)

Letter to Baby

2011-03-03T07:58:00.000-06:00

Luke,

You are 13 months old today! Because you were born in the shortest month of the year, I feel like it goes by faster when the next month appears.

At your one year appointment you were as healthy as could be, but just a few weeks before that we were having you checked out by your Aunt Kricia and Uncle Jon - you just weren't feeling well. They doctored you up and gave us great advice on how to keep you hydrated, and voila! you were well again. Just in the nick of time :) You were 20 pounds and 28 inches long, and so we decided to keep you rear facing in your car seat for an extra month. Today, that month is up and we're going to turn you around. Just another step in becoming a big boy!

You are learning so much these days! You can put items into a bucket and then dump them out, you respond to your name, and you know what's off limits (even though that rarely stops you from getting into it) and then stop as soon as you're caught. You 'motorboat' all the time. Your dad and I like to say we're raising a boat instead of a boy. For your birthday, we got you a bathketball toy, and you love putting the basketballs in the net over and over again. You love cars and trucks. You push them all over the house! And if you can't get your hand on a truck, you improvise and push a book around instead. You're a pretty smart little guy!

You are sleeping so well at night. We have a great routine that includes a little seahorse whose belly lights up and plays music. I rock you while you drink your milk and then lay you down (usually around 6:30 pm) and we don't hear a peep out of you until morning (usually around 6 am). That seahorse is magic. Your dad and I are convinced of that.

You still say 'mama' all.the.time. Sometimes you'll say 'dada' and I swear you've said 'thank you', 'yes' and 'otto'. (otto is mrs. kristin's husband, and also one of your very favorite people on the planet). You still have no interest in walking. I don't blame you, it's more fun being carried, anyway. You are still so laid back and easy going - we couldn't ask for anything more!

We love you, little man!
Mom and Dad

Letter to Husband

2011-02-14T06:55:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here thinking about how I haven't gotten a single gift or card for my husband for the second Valentine's Day in a row. Last year, my excuse was that I was exhausted from having a baby surgically removed a month early and was trying to keep him fed and alive while maintaining some sort of sanity. This year, though, my only excuse is the snow. That's right. I'm blaming it on mother nature.

But in light of my excuses, I want you to know how much I truly cherish our friendship, our companionship, our love for one another. When everything else seems to be falling apart at the seams (like the other day when we literally ripped luke's curtains apart), I know that you always have my back, and I'll always have yours. I know that when I need you to step in and rock luke to sleep (like you're doing right now), you'll do it. I love how you help in every house hold chore known to man. You cook, you give luke baths, you clean the tubs, the dishes, and walk the dog. And you seem to always do it with a smile.

I love our date nights and how the topic always turns to Luke. I love that you let me pick out the yogurt at yogurt mountain and let me put what toppings i like on it and that you leave them for me. I love how you pick the tomatoes off my salad after i specifically asked the waiter to leave them off. I love how you listen to me rant and rave and have a good cry, especially when you've got things on your mind, too.
But mostly, I love you. Even if you do end your sentences in 'at'.

our first wedding anniversary, chicago

celebrating upcoming graduation with AOC

visiting Duke University with the grand tour provided by Bauer

anniversary photo shoot, compliments of Beaty Photography

conference. Denver, Colorado

U of A after Evan and Erin's wedding

Pappadeaux's...with Arthur in the background

Big Cedar Lodge approximately one month before we found out we were preggo

impromptu photo shoot, again, compliments of Beaty Photography

Red Rock Amphitheater, outside Denver, Colorado

And then we had a baby:

It's a boy!

On the ferry heading to Galveston, TX

Luke's 1st halloween at the pumpkin patch

Home with Luke, newborn photos

6 months old.

I can't believe we've come this far. 7 years of marriage, 5 moves, 1 baby. I love you.

Happy Valentines Day

12 months

2011-02-09T15:27:00.000-06:00

12 months old

20 pounds

28 inches long

too.freaking.cute.

Letter to Baby

2011-02-03T07:45:00.001-06:00

To our one year old son,

How have we gotten to this milestone so fast? You know, moms say that their children grow too fast, and I was always the one saying 'that's because their kids, that's what they do, they grow'. But now, I see it in a whole new light. I see what those moms meant. I feel what they've felt. And I want to scream from the rooftops, just like they wanted to, to STOP GROWING NOW. But, alas, I can't. Because you're a kid, and well, kids grow.

We've made it this entire year without much sickness. Maybe a cough or two for a couple days, but nothing traumatic. And then all top 4 teeth came in at the exact.same.time. And that didn't bode well for your system. So we spent about a week and a half forcing fluids in you, giving you tylenol and rubbing ambesol on your gums to help ease the pain. And because we couldn't get you in with your doctor, we called your Uncle Jon and Aunt Kricia. Do you know how lucky you are to have them as your Aunt and Uncle? They love you and guided us on how to keep you hydrated and well. They called and checked on you, and they even made a couple house visits. You're pretty special to have that kind of attention!

You have been cracking us up lately with this new voice of yours. When you don't get your way, you start growling at us, and sometimes, in that growl voice, you say 'mama' like you're coming after me! It's really quite endearing :). You also love to 'talk', especially when there's silence, like saying the prayer in church. Or when you can hear your echo like in the bathtub. Or just for fun while daddy pushes you around the block or the grocery store. And when you know you're doing something you're not supposed to be doing, you start to do it, and turn and smile real big and laugh. Then it's up in the air if you're going to do what you're not supposed to or not.

You recently started throwing fits. I mean you scream, kick your feet and shake your head fits. This has gotten worse when it's time to lay you down for a nap or for bed for the night. We had a couple nights where you just flat out refused to fall asleep and it took several attempts to get you to bed peacefully. That got old for your mom and dad real quick, so we continued your normal bedtime routine of a bottle, blanket and book (or 3), we snuggle for a few minutes, kiss you goodnight, lay you down, and close your door. The first few times were difficult, you cried and screamed the first time for a good solid hour (and it was at 2:30 in the morning), but now, you might fuss for a minute, and then you're sound asleep. It's pretty wonderful, and I hope we can keep this new bedtime routine going.

You love holding on to our fingers and walking around the house. You walk on your tip toes, so sometimes we call you 'lukeatina'. I promise we'll stop as soon as you get off those tip toes and put your heels down. You still crawl everywhere and if it was possible, you've gotten faster! And you're getting a little braver and have started letting go of whatever you've pulled yourself up on. It only lasts a couple of seconds before you get distracted and fall down, though.

You have also learned how to make a complete and utter mess in a matter of seconds. And by seconds, I mean milliseconds. You can have every book on your bookcase on your floor in 3 seconds flat. It's actually quite impressive, but whatever keeps you entertained while I'm getting dressed in the morning is fine by me.

One goal we have had is to get you drinking out of a sippy cup before your first birthday and I have to say after going through a ton of sippy cups, your Mrs. Kristen found one you actually will drink out of. At first you would only drink if we held it for you because you refused to touch it, but you did hold it all by yourself yesterday, so I hope you're getting the hang of it! You're also branching out of what you're willing to eat. Chicken, sweet potatoes (of course) and peas are some of your favorites. Oatmeal, hot dogs, and peaches are also on your list of must haves.

We had a good run of you sleeping through the nights a few months ago, but for the past month or so, you've gotten up in the middle of the night long enough to take a bottle and be snuggled for a few minutes (or longer) before going back to bed. It's getting old, so if you could start sleeping through the nights again, we'd appreciate it...and so would our mental health!

And can you say 'flirt'? If 'mama' wasn't your first word, 'flirt' would have been. You're such a ham! And oh my how you love black girls. And they love your little bald head (which, by the way, is getting some hair!) and you can't help but turn on the charm. And apparently you're quite the chick magnet when you and your daddy go to the grocery store. I know daddy will be in good hands if ever I'm not around :).

The expressions you make with your face are hilarious! It's amazing how you work your eyebrows and eyes and mouth all at the same time. You make some of the most awesome faces and we really love to see what face comes next. I wish I could just have a book of all those faces, it would be huge!

We just couldn't make you any more perfect! We are absolutely in love with you, our sweet little mister.

Happy Birthday.
Mom and Dad.

the wonder place

2011-01-08T08:31:00.000-06:00

Luke and I met up with a dear friend and her two awesome kiddos yesterday at the wonder place. Luke and I have never been, and he had a great time, I know we'll have to make that a regular place to visit! I think Luke's favorite part was the water table.

I have a video of Luke playing in the water, but blogger is being too slow for me to upload. that or i'm too impatient. details.

Christmas. In Pictures.

2011-01-07T10:16:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve. We always have Christmas Eve with my side of the family. It's always so much fun, and with a baby, it was even more crazy than usual! Almost all of family was there (except for 2 cousins and their husbands) which meant about 28 people crammed into my parents living room. Last year we had Christmas Eve dinner catered by Porterhouse (in Hot Springs) and it was so good, we did it again this year. It takes a lot of the stress out of Christmas Eve so we can just enjoy each other!

(we had a wardrobe change into Luke's Christmas pajamas)

Christmas morning. We came home Christmas Eve and celebrated Christmas morning alone as a family. Luke could have cared less about opening gifts. He was more interested in eating pancakes and his bottle. I think he was just still so tired from the party the previous night.

After we opened gifts and had breakfast at home, we packed up and headed to NWA to celebrate with Chris' side of the family. We got up there around noon and as soon as we came out on the north side of the 540 tunnel, we were greeted with snow flurries. We had a wonderful time visiting, but were so tired by Sunday!

Luke's shirt says 'Arrrr we there yet?' :)

Poor Baxter was plum tuckered out, too!

Luke's first Christmas could not have been more exciting for us! Like I said, Luke really liked the eating part of Christmas, but was not at all into opening gifts, he did however, enjoy crawling on top of them :). I'm so glad we could spend Christmas with both sides of our family, but man oh man were we tired! We've gotten all of the Christmas down and have organized Luke's toys as they were taking over the entire living room. We really are so blessed to have such a sweet little boy and amazing family!

11 months

2011-01-03T18:41:00.000-06:00

eleven months

one of my favorite things: he smiles so big his cheeks force his eyes close

Letter to Baby

2011-01-03T06:17:00.000-06:00

Baby Yuke (aka Luke),

Well, I suppose this 11 month milestone couldn't come fast enough for you, but I still look at you and wonder how we came so far so fast. We went from seeing you wrapped up in a NICU bed receiving light therapy for jaundice and monitors all over you to chasing you from room to room. Phew! We're exhausted!

Crawling is your main mode of transportation these days. Last month you were army crawling, this month you've mastered the fine art of crawling on all fours. And you're fast. And when you get excited you stick your lips out and breathe in and out of your mouth like you're sucking your drool back in just in time before it falls out of your mouth. I like to call it your ducky face. It's PDQ (pretty darn cute). And you've figured out how to get from point A to point B in the house. Not just in the room you're in, but in the entire house. It makes it interesting some mornings when I'm trying to get ready and can't keep up with your wherabouts.

In addition to crawling, you are pulling up on everything that will be still long enough to let you get your feet under you. Which is my way of saying Baxter stays out of your way :). You crawl over to the couch head first (because that's when you know you've reached your destination) and once your head bumps the couch, you stand up, and walk over to the side table. This is where you pulled my (thankfully) cold cup of coffee down and waved my mug around like it was the first place trophy while I was putting your car seat base in my car yesterday morning. You knew you were in trouble when I walked back in the door from the garage and caught you red handed. I guess we both learned a valuable lesson from this.

You still say 'mama' and have started saying 'daddy'. You can wave goodbye and give kisses and nod your head 'yes'. It's really cute and we have a few videos of this, but it's really our only proof, because at Christmas, you refused to do any tricks for your Grandma and Grandpa. Stinkapotamous.

We've tried some new foods, and you like chicken and diced carrots. You still love sweet potatoes and bananas. And apparantly, you wouldn't let your Mrs. Kristin eat her banana because you demanded it all. You're quite the banana bully.

We've had a few more firsts this month. Your first Christmas. Your first time saying 'daddy'. You learned to motorboat. The first time you shut the door on your finger. Your first hot dog and black beans and rice. And the first time to push a walking toy around a room.

Next month, when you're 1, can I still write Letter to Baby, or do I need to change the title to Letter to Mister? Let me know...

We love you most.
Mom and Dad

new year

2010-12-31T10:38:00.000-06:00

did you blink and realize the year was gone? surely this year has gone by as fast for you as it has for us. this year has been packed full of, well, everything. i'm sure it has been crazy for you, as well.

luke was born. 4 lbs 10.5 oz. Feb. 3, 2010. 4 days in the NICU. perfect in every way. we call luke lukeasaurus, mister and stinkapotomous. let's just say he can clear a room.

we bought our very first home. technically we've had 2 homes, but my parents bought the first. i was put on bed rest right after we decided on this home which created a lot of challenges that we wouldn't have otherwise encountered, but the Lord always provided a solution. chris had to come close on the house by himself and afterward, my dad and dear friends joe and jennifer helped get luke's room together and paint the dining room. we moved in January 27th, and it snowed and iced the next couple days. when we finally got our OBGYN appt rescheduled, we were immediately sent to the hospital, just 6 days after moving in. on the 7th day, luke was born. we've made a lot of changes, mostly painting and new appliances, and we love making this house feel like a home.

i started work with my dad, and i love it. he's laid back, luke can come with me (although it gets harder and harder now that he's mobile) and i only work 4 days a week. it's great. and the drive isn't bad. it's actually pretty relaxing. i can gear up for the day on the way there and calm down on the way home.

chris and i celebrated our 6th year of marriage, and we're fast approaching our 7th. since we started dating, it's been 12 years together. you'd think we'd be sick of each other, but we're not :)

chris hasn't worked but a few weekends this year and that's been wonderful. i love having the weekends with him. he goes to work early early (he leaves the house by 430 a.m.), but that means he gets to pick luke up from mrs. kristin's house by 230 or 300 in the afternoon. and that means he gets some good time in with luke in the afternoon before i get home. they like to go to the grocery store together. chris says luke is a chick magnet :).

i gave up carbonated drinks about 2 months ago. every time i drive past a sonic i start to salivate for a vanilla dr. pepper, tho. so far, i've not relapsed, and plan to continue to abstain from carbonated drinks next year.

we don't really have any new year resolutions (except to continue to stay away from carbonation). we just want to make this new year as good as this one has been.

happy new year.
clare, chris and baby luke

Pearly Gates

2010-12-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

This morning, an elderly gentleman I recently fit with a new aid, and whose granddaughter has been taking care of him while his wife has been in a nursing home, called to reschedule an appointment because said wife passed away last night. Of course I obliged, but he ended up making it to his original appointment anyways. His granddaughter always brings him and after our appointment, she told me that she stayed with her grandmother all day yesterday waiting for the inevitable.

She told me that towards the end of the evening, her grandmother would take a deep breath and after a few moments, the granddaughter would think that was her last breath, only to hear her grandmother breathe yet again. Granddaughter told me this went on for a while before finally she did take her last breath. When I asked how she was coping, and how grandfather was coping, she said she thinks of it like this.

You see, her grandmother was apparantly quite the hoarder and granddaughter thinks when she would get to the Pearly Gates, grandmother had a bunch of stuff with her and God said, you don't need that in here. So in life, she'd take another breath, get rid of some of her 'stuff', and try to renegotiate with God. Finally, granddaughter figures grandmother let go of all her 'stuff' to get inside the Pearly Gates, and grandmother took her last breath here on earth.

I love that she thinks of it like that, and just wanted to share.

10 months

2010-12-15T06:44:00.000-06:00

Wow! I'm really behind in posting this!!

10 months old

side note: I love the mischievous grin and that his outfit says 'it wasn't me' :)

Pedicures at Home Depot?

2010-12-15T05:27:00.000-06:00

I'm in desperate need of some nice alone quiet time. I just want to cuddle on the couch with a good book and let the story take me to far away places, and then I'll take a bath and let Calgon do its' thing. At least that's my dream.

Monday I stayed at home with Luke and he's fairly congested with a head cold, I think. Maybe it's teething. Either way, he was not having a good day, so when Chris called me to tell me he was coming home from work and I could go get a pedicure, I was elated. When he got home I was in the middle of wrapping Christmas gifts and Luke was asleep, so he took Baxter for a walk. Then Luke woke up. And Chris got back from walking Baxter only to go in the garage to hang his new ladder and find out he didn't have the right hooks. So he looks at me and says 'I've got to get some new hooks to hang the ladder, but I don't want to go because you'll be here alone with Luke and Baxter.'

This is where my face got very red. And I might've had steam bellowing from my ears.

But I replied 'If you're going, we are ALL going.'

And that's how my pedicure turned into a trip to Home Depot. With the whole family. Still waiting on that quiet time.

Letter to Baby

2010-12-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Dear Mister,

You are 10 months old now. This time last year, I was on bed rest and you were still in the womb. That was a hard time, I'm kind of stubborn and had a difficult time staying in bed, or the couch, or recliner, or in the house for that matter. And that stubborn streak I have, well, it looks like you've inherited it.

We've baby proofed almost everything we can think of. The fireplace, the kitchen, the outlets...all baby proofed. But who would've known you're favorite thing to play with would be the floor vent in the living room? And the door stopper that also acts like an alarm? Yep, you found that, too. We put up the Christmas tree and put a gate around it. That seems to deter your curiosity in it and you don't pay too much attention to it.

You can sit up from laying down now, like you've been doing it your entire 10 months of life. You army crawl e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. Seriously, you're constantly on the go. And Lord help Baxter if you sneak up behind him, you love grabbing his tail!! You crawled down the hallway to our bedroom last Sunday after church when your dad and I were putting our church clothes up. You were so cute stopping and starting again and laughing at us when you finally made it! What a great accomplishment! You are trying so hard to pull yourself up. Once you get to your knees, you're not quite sure what to do next. Also, you are mimicking us and it's fun to try to get you to make noises. A lot of time you like to initiate it. It's super cute! You play so great in your room or in the living room. It gives me just enough time to blow dry my hair in the mornings without having to wrangle you before you get bored and crawl away. Peek-a-boo is also a favorite, and you've gotten to where you initiate it. It's so awesome to see you develop!!

You are still so great when we're out and about, never really fussing, and when you do, it's nothing a little snack can't solve. Everyone compliments us on how well behaved you are. We really are blessed! I took you shopping on Black Friday and you were terrific with all the people! And you really are quite the flirt!

We have celebrated your first Thanksgiving, and you were thankful for sweet potatoes that M made for you and lots of people to play with you. Jack (M and Pa's dog) even warmed up to you :) You handle being passed around and kissed on like a seasoned pro!

We don't swaddle you to sleep anymore, we just cover you with a blanket and rock you. Most of the time we do just fine, but then that stubborn streak rears its' ugly head and you pull my hair or pinch me. Those nights are the hardest, but we do just fine anyway. Also, you're back to sleeping through the night (although I'm sure that will change now that I've said it out loud), but you still wake up at random times in the morning. 4:15 a.m. is pretty early, but we've adjusted. Thankfully, you're dad is pretty great at getting up with you on the weekends.

Bath time is your favorite time of day. If you hear that water running, you start kicking your legs and we can't get you naked fast enough. Once in the bath, all the toys must come in with you. And now you've figured out how to lay on your tummy and kick your legs so that water goes everywhere (including on your mom and dad). And you love how your voice sounds in the tub. You get louder and louder each time you belt out a squeal. Bath time is just too fun!

We just adore you and can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas, your first New Year, and *gasp* your first birthday!!

We love you with all our hearts, and we are oh so thankful for you. You're pretty amazing.

Hugs and kisses, mister. We adore you.
Mom and Dad

kissy face

2010-12-01T06:26:00.000-06:00

Thankful

2010-11-25T18:55:00.005-06:00

Most are posting every day what they are thankful for this month. It is the most popular month to give thanks and count your many blessings, after all. I'm breaking from the norm and will post at the end of the month. (I'm a bit of a daredevil :) )

1. Cooler temperatures! And rain!
2. The power of prayer. And Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
3. My job. It's crazy sometimes, but it's totally awesome.
4. My husband for stepping in and taking over when I need it and knowing when to do it.
5. Working with my father. And Peggy. And Cheryl.
6. Great friends who love to hug your neck as much as you love to hug theirs.
7. Early bedtimes.
8. Random strangers who comment on how freaking adorable Luke is.
9. Thankful for my little boy. He's pretty amazing.
10. Bug spray. And lots of it :)
11. Watching Luke learn new tricks (he's sitting himself up from laying down without any assistance!)
12. Chris' job. And the insurance it provides.
13. Saturday's
14. The mother's lounge at church. And church.
15. My patients. And my patience.
16. Luke's curiosity
17. Music. It's amazing how the right song can help your mood.
18. Our pediatrician. And his staff.
19. Family. Brothers, SILs, parents, aunts, uncles, nephews...everyone.
20. A Hog win!! WPS!!!
21. Cough medicine.
22. Nasal bulb syringes and infant tylenol.
23. The drive to and from work.
24. Piles of toys in the living room.
25. Family gatherings with lots of food!!

With all of these, we are truly blessed. We have amazing family, friends who are always there at just the right times, jobs to provide for our son (and the dog), and a solid roof over our head (and if there's any problem with that, we have the hook up from a great friend who can fix it).

We are definitely counting our blessings, and this was our attempt to name them one by one (at least just a few)...

9 months

2010-11-19T06:02:00.000-06:00

18 pounds, 5 ounces

26.5 inches long

You've only grown 1 inch since your 6 month check and your head circumference hasn't changed a bit. You have gained about 3 pounds, tho :O)

We already have your 1 year checkup scheduled. I can't believe it!!

fyi

2010-11-14T16:22:00.000-06:00

Luke can sit up all by himself. As in, he'll be rolling around the room and voila, he's sitting up. It's like he's been doing it his entire life. And he's super proud of this achievement.

He can also army crawl, which has prompted a household baby proofing afternoon. Consider it a success...for now.

My little brother is married. Yes, you read that right. Her name is Jackie...short for Jacquelyn (at least that's how I think you spell it). I met her once for about 20 minutes and she seems nice. I'm still trying to cope with this...

I have a 9 foot pre lit Christmas tree for sale. Please buy it.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Which means Christmas is right around the next corner. And then my son will be 1 by the time I pack up the Christmas tree. Help.

We have been crazy busy these last 5 weeks, I'm looking forward to being a homebody for a while.

Hope you all have a great week. I'm going to try my darndest, but I have a feeling I'm going to have a come to Jesus talk with the printers and the furniture store. Pray for them...

Letter to Baby

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Baby Luke,

You are 9 months old today. 9 months and counting. What do you think about that? I bet you think it's pretty neat. You've got so much to explore to learn, you might not even know that this a kind of a big deal!

You've got a 9 month appointment with the pediatrician in a couple weeks, so we'll see what you're official stats are then, but your dad stepped on the scale with you and we guesstimate you're roughly 17 pounds. That means that your dad and I have to trade off quite a bit when we carry you in somewhere. We haven't quite adjusted to your chunkiness...we still remember when you were little :)

You're fitting into 6-12 month tops and 3-6 month bottoms for the most part. You can wear some 9 month Carter bottoms, but it really just depends on the brand. I cleaned out your closet over the weekend and put away your summer clothes. Yes, it's November 3rd and you've been wearing shorts and t-shirts up until this point. We had a couple of cool days, but it looks like you're in long sleeves and pants to stay. I did keep out just a couple of t-shirts...you know, just in case.

Upon cleaning out your closet, I filled an entire 71 qt tub. Filled. As in, shoved clothes in cracks and crevasses that might not have existed to the naked eye. Holy moly, you had some serious amounts of clothes little one. I might've been able to clothe all the 3-6 month boys in a small 3rd world country with what you had.

But onto more fun things - like how you cry when I set you down to play so I can get something done, but as soon as I'm out of sight you're fine. And then, like magic, once I reappear, so do the tears. You sure know how to tug at your momma's heart strings!

You've figured out that rolling is way of transportation. You.roll.everywhere. I helped your dad make dinner a few nights ago, and I left you sitting up on your play mat. Just a few minutes passed before I checked on you from the kitchen, and you had rolled across the room and under the end table. And then you cried because I picked you up and moved you back to your mat. It made me laugh :)

It'll be any day now and you'll be crawling. You can go from sitting, to all fours, and then flat on your tummy, but you only end up on your tummy because you haven't figured out how to move both your arm and leg all at the same time. You can rock back and forth on all fours, but moving on all of them is still just out of reach. Hence the rolling.

You've discovered your reflection in the mirror. I don't know if you know it's you, but you sure think that baby in the mirror is awfully awesome! You grin from ear to ear and stick out your tongue. It's great stuff to see. I just love watching you examine that baby in the mirror...too cute!

You've been to your very first Razorback football game (we beat Ole' Miss and that mean old Houston Nutt, too) and you did great! We even got you to sleep in guest services for about 30 minutes. Just enough to recharge your battery and go back to the game. We didn't stay for the whole game because of the threat of rain (and boy did it rain after we left), but I think lots of Hog football games are in our future! Go Hogs!! You've also been to your very first War Eagle Craft Fair and celebrated your very first Halloween! Lots of firsts this past month, baby!

You're a pretty fun little guy to be around and I don't think we could ask for a more amazing son.

We love your guts.
Mom and Dad

competition

2010-11-01T06:18:00.000-05:00

Sometimes on Sunday, Chris and I babysit our 3 year old nephew Jude while my SIL and 5 yo nephew Grant go to violin lessons. (Side note: Jude calls his brother 'my Grant'. too cute!!)

Yesterday was one of those Sundays. We have a little tricycle that was given to us and Jude loves to ride it. He also prefers to wear Chris' big helmet, leaving Chris with my little helmet...with 'Princess Clare' written across the front :) While they were riding, Jude started talking about 'my Grant plays the violin, I want a trumpet'. I asked him what he wanted to ask Santa for Christmas, and of course, he said a trumpet. Now, I play the saxophone, as well as Chris, so I thought I'd show him ours before he completely made up his mind. You know, some healthy competition between the woodwind and brass families.

I mean, trumpets are nice and all, but saxophones are cool, too!

So I dug out my alto saxophone, Jude sat down next to me in the garage, watched me pull it out and piece it all together. When it was all set up he looked at me with those deep brown eyes and super long eyelashes and said 'that's not a trumpet!'.

He was not impressed and made it very clear he wanted a trumpet. What's a saxophone girl to do? Admit defeat, that's what!

Brass: 1 Woodwind: 0

Maybe I can talk Luke into playing the sax...

Luke's 1st Halloween

2010-10-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

We went to our friends' home for Halloween festivities last night, and we had so much fun dressing up for Luke's first Halloween!

Super Mario

Jennifer was 'a road' with cars taped to her legs.

Superman and Anna the Ballerina were 'tutu' cute :)

Chris and I were Celtics fans. Or Irish hoolligans. Or both.

Joe was a knight and Micah was blown away by everyone's awesomeness :)

We walked the neighborhood with all the kiddos and parents, had a hot dog, and came home. Luke was pooped out by all the excitement!

I've decided that Luke will be a puppy dog next year so I can put a retractable leash on him for trick or treating!

choices

2010-10-22T05:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if the choices I've made are the best, but in the end, everything seems to all work out. But because they are my choices, I'm ok if the outcome isn't as wonderful as I imagined. It's easy to see what's right in front of you, but sometimes that skews your vision.

And from the outside, you wonder why anyone would make such a drastic choice.

Having a hard time processing someone's choice...

Feeling Crafty

2010-10-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

This weekend, NWA hosted War Eagle, a ginormous craft fair that is 3 days long (Thursday - Saturday), one weekend in October every year. Now, I'm not looking to make my house look like a bajillion crafts threw up in it, but I do like to go peruse, and occasionally I make a small purchase. This year, I only left with a fried Snickers in my belly. And I must say, I still prefer my Snickers frozen.

We went up to NWA Friday morning, and got to surprise Jim (Chris' dad) at work. We walked around and showed Luke off to everyone we could find (most had bolted to go crafting) and I think he was pleasantly surprised. Friday night we had dinner with Evan and Erin at La Huerta. I was so hungry and devoured my entire plate. Luke had a great time and we got him home and in bed at a decent hour.

Saturday morning, we left for War Eagle and met Ed and 3 out of his 4 kids (Kate and the 4th kiddo were not in town) for some serious perusing. It was kind of cold, so we bundled Luke up in a beanie and jacket with a blanket over him for the morning. We met up with Chris' parents later in the morning and then all of us went to lunch. By that time, it was getting close to game time, so we headed to run one last errand and then home. Ed took his kiddos home to rest, I hope! I think we were all worn out!

This morning we piddled around the Beaty's home before going to have lunch and heading home. Luke was so off his schedule that he whined the entire way home except for the 35 minute nap he took. He was so glad to be home that it didn't take much to put him to bed tonight. He's definitely a creature of habit!

We had so much fun visiting friends and having a little getaway!

Letter to Parents

2010-10-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

Dear mom and dad,

tcvb uvc7x6z5tyuuyvchgfsew dz fgj hh

b gfyrt cyxxzdqWRVIYV8KIr6ct gg b gxt6b

hgvgfcxddsghthgyhuytiytbtcered x

love,
your son :)

8 Months

2010-10-04T06:43:00.002-05:00

Luke is 8 months old!

Wonderful Weekend

2010-10-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

We had a terrific weekend that started out with a date night on Friday! My Aunt Susan and her husband, Robert, came and took care of Luke while Chris and I went to dinner. My goal was to have Luke down at his normal time (6:30 p.m.) so they wouldn't have to do much, but by the time they got to our house around 7, Luke was still wide awake. They said he was terrific and he was still somewhat awake when we got home about 830. But the minute he heard my voice, he was out. Aunt Susan laid him down in his crib and he slept all night.

Saturday we visited a few garage sales and got Luke a couple toys and 2 sleeper outfits. He was so well behaved and slept in between house to house. We got home just in time for him to have a nap and when he woke up, we got ready to go to Brock's 3rd birthday. Earlier that day, my SIL called and asked if we could keep our nephews while she finished up staining the concrete on their back porch, so of course we said yes. We picked up Grant and Jude and headed to Conway with Luke for the birthday party. Brock had a huge bounce house and the minute we stepped out of the car, Grant and Jude were ready to test it out! I told Jude (he's potty training) he had to go potty before he could go play and he agreed, so I got Luke out of the car, turned around, and Jude was going potty in the front yard :) No time like the present, I suppose! The boys had a great time and Grant said as we were leaving 'I had so much fun!' Chris and Luke got in the bounce house for a little bit and I think Luke enjoyed it!

Sunday, Chris and I took Luke to Bo Brook Farms to pick some pumpkins and go on a hay ride. Luke wasn't sure what to think, but as always, he just went along for the ride.

Hay Ride!!

Our little family!

We really enjoyed our weekend and were a little sad to see it end! Friday can't get here soon enough!

Letter to Baby

2010-10-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Luke,

You are 8 months old now! The months just keep flying by and before you know it you'll be 1! We've already started talking about your first birthday party!

It's starting to get a little cooler now, fall is definitely upon us and on closer inspection to your closet, you only had 2 pairs of pants that fit! I've been buying ahead, and I guess I forgot about buying for now. It's okay, I've been shopping and you've got enough pants to last throughout a week or two now :). You love being outside. You smile when the wind hits your face, you stare up at the leaves on the trees moving, and just love exploring the world around you. Now that it's not 100+ degrees outside, we've also started going for walks in the afternoons. Sometimes we hope you'll take a little nap, but you just kick your feet back and forth and enjoy the stroll.

Everyone still comments on what a wonderful, laid back baby you are. We went to some garage sales yesterday morning, and every stop we made you were just perfect. You took a few little naps in between sales, and then you were all smiles when it was time to get out. We couldn't ask for a better behaved son!

You are now in 6-9 month tops and 3-6 month bottoms - you don't have any tooshy to speak of. Oh, and speaking of tooshy, you love bath time, and so when we strip you down we yell 'Naked Tooshy!' and you just laugh and smile. You can sit up in the bath now, but we had to put down a bath mat down so you wouldn't slip and slide everywhere.

We think you're starting to wave 'bye', but we're not completely sure. But when you do it, it's pretty awesome! You are still trying to crawl. Those legs get up under you, but your arms just don't know what to do, so you lie there with your butt in the air until you finally roll yourself to the side. You can feed yourself your bottle now, and that little bit of independence for us both is great! You've started looking at yourself in the mirror, although I don't know if you know it's you or not, but either way, you smile at your reflection!

Your favorite toys include some rattle balls, a lion with teeter rings on its' feet, a soft car and the remote. Everything goes in your mouth, too, so we have to be careful of what we can give you! You've got both of those 2 bottom teeth in so we're trying you out on some more food. Mainly some food called Baby Mum Mums, some puff cereal, and you had ice cream and a lick (or 7) of a sucker at a birthday party. Just to be clear, your dad is the one that gave you ice cream and the sucker. Bananas are one of your very favorite foods, so we slice some up and put it in a mesh feeder and let you go to town. It's super messy, so we strip you down to the diaper, but you really love it!

I cannot believe how much you've grown since your little 4 pound 10.5 ounce self. You're such a chunk now and I just love kissing your belly! Your dad kisses it, too, and you laugh up a storm! I think his beard tickles you :) We are so glad that you are a part of our family! We don't know what we ever did without you, you just make us so proud!

We love you, son.
Mom and Dad

Luke's First Lemon

2010-09-22T06:03:00.000-05:00

7 months

2010-09-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

Luke is 7 months old!!!

Vacation

2010-09-20T10:41:00.000-05:00

Last week, Chris and I took Luke to Texas. One day I was browsing the money blogs I frequent and one had posted that Southwest Airlines was celebrating their 39th year in business by offering $39 flights (one way, a certain distance, and within a certain time period). I jumped on that offer and since Luke flies free, we were able to make a quick getaway to see friends. We had a wonderful time and Luke had so many firsts!

Luke's first airplane ride!

We had an extra seat to ourselves, so we propped him up and put his toys around him.

He slept during take off and he drank a bottle on the way down going and vice versa coming.

He didn't fuss a bit!

The flight attendants just oohed and awwed over him :)

Luke got to meet our 'Texas family'.

That's me, Gretchen and Kourtney with Luke, Kamryn, Kane and Jayden. We had gone to dinner the night before, but I forgot to take pictures!

We also had lunch with my dear friends, Shannon and Joni as well as Shannon that used to supervise me! I also forgot to take pictures...shame on me!! But here's a picture of Joni, me, and Shannon from a year ago. We missed you, Lindsay!

Luke's first fairy ride over to Galveston.

We saw dolphins, too!

Luke's first time to put his toes in the ocean!

Ok, so it's the Gulf of Mexico, but give me a break!

We stopped by the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

We had a wonderful trip, but were ready to get back home. It's amazing how much stuff is required to travel with a child. Thank goodness Southwest doesn't make you pay for your luggage!! Luke was so great the entire trip, even though we were completely off his schedule. We couldn't ask for a more well behaved child!

Happy Birthday!

2010-09-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

I had my birthday last month, and my awesome husband bought me a delicious birthday cake. If you didn't have any, you missed out. The Blue Cake Company made it and it was so yummy!

I'm a child of the 80's, so it was only appropriate that it be adorned with 80's cartoon characters :)

6 months

2010-09-20T10:16:00.000-05:00

Luke turned 6 months old in August.

Because I just got around to moving files off the computer and onto the external hard drive, I'm finally able to upload new pictures to the computer and blog!

Letter to Baby

2010-09-03T05:12:00.062-05:00

Dear Lukeasaurus-

You are 7 months old now! I swear just yesterday you were 6 months, so I'm sure tomorrow you'll be 8 months old, so if you could slow it down a little, I'd be more than appreciative! You must be the most awesome 7 month old ever. How do I know, you ask? Well, because everyone says so. Not just family, either, but people who just see you at church, the grocery store, the office...e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. So it must be the truth.

In the way of stats, you are (or were at your 6 month checkup) 15 pounds 15 ounces and 25 inches long which keeps you at the 25th %tile. We aren't sure if you stayed at the almost 16 pound mark, because after your shots, let's just say you went through a lot of diapees. TMI? maybe. Sorry about that.

You are still great at rolling over to your tummy from your back, and you still hate rolling back over. You practically refuse to do it. You are trying so hard to crawl, and I'm sure in these next few months you'll be a pro at it. You love love love your jumper. You love to spin around in its seat and check out all the toys, talk, scream with pure enjoyment, all while jumping. :) You are sitting up so big now! We like to lay out a blanket, scatter your toys around, and watch with pure pride while you play. We stick around just in case you topple over, but soon you'll be pushing us away and doing it all by yourself.

A little tooth has started to show through and man is it a sharp a little thing! You always love chomping on our fingers, and that's how we found out that sucker was making an appearance!! The drooling has increased, you suck on your lip, you suck on cold teether rings or washcloths, basically you suck on anything. You've been so great about that little tooth, not really letting it bother you, just taking it all in stride!

Your favorite foods still include sweet potatoes and bananas, but we are venturing out and trying more of some other foods like sweet peas (which you hate), green beans (you don't mind so much), apples (mmmm) and carrots (more please!). When you had your six month pediatric appointment, we were told we could bump you up to 2nd foods and by 9 months, start letting you sip out of a sippy cup and eat real food. I might've had a slight stroke right then, but I just can't imagine all these new things that lay ahead of you!! At Jennifer and Joe's, you had some of Pam's yummy mashed potatoes. You were all over those, reaching for my plate, trying to gobble down some more. And that brings up another topic, reaching!

You have never been interested for reaching for your parents, but when it comes to food, toys, or the most unimportant object, you're reaching for it. I can barely sit you in your bumbo seat before you're trying with all your might to turn yourself around to reach for something. Anything. When we change your diaper, the reaching starts again, for the lotion bottle, clothes, the hand sanitizer, the corner of the changing pad, whatever you can get those little hands on. I must say, it makes changing your diaper qualify for an olympic sport.

On the sleeping front, you sleep through the night like a champ. Please keep that up!! We like to give you dinner, play, have a bath, swaddle, give you a bottle, rock you for a bit, then lay you in your crib. When we lay you in your crib, it doesn't matter if you've fallen asleep while rocking or not, your eyes immediately open when your head hits that mattress. So we turn on your mobile, you squirm your arms out of the swaddle, and eventually fall asleep. You also move so much when you sleep! We always find you curled up in a corner of the crib with your pacifier at the other end. I don't know how it happens, but it does.

Bath time is one of your favorite times of the day. You kick your feet, splash, play, suck on a washcloth, play with a cup and your ducky. The cup is your favorite, and my worst enemy. A few night ago, you were playing with your washcloth when all of a sudden you grabbed the cup and tipped it over on your face...with your mouth open like you were trying to drink from it. You got a little too much water down your throat and it startled you; it scared the bejeezus out of me. You don't like sitting up in the tub, you'd much rather lay on your sling and play from there. We'll continue to work on that, but I know you'll do it when you're good and ready.

We love you so much, Luke. We are amazed every day at how much you constantly change and learn new things. You're pretty amazing, but you knew that already.

All our love,
Mom and Dad

a few thoughts

2010-08-25T06:27:00.000-05:00

I've been spacing out while driving lately. 4 times I have followed the car in front of me, only to end up going the completely wrong way.

Thought about throwing my food at the car behind me while driving to H.S. yesterday, but then figured that would be considered road rage and refrained.

My six and a half month old is cutting a tooth. And it's sharp!! Pictures to come once it's here in all its' toothy glory.

The hard drive on our computer is full. So, no more pictures until we find time to delete all these files once backing them up on the external hard drive.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Home

2010-08-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

Being back in the rock city has its' advantages. Like having the most awesome nephews living just a few miles across town. And they just happen to live with my amazing older brother and his awesomely talented wife. Case in point: Monday, when I came home on my birthday to a broken air conditioner and the temp in the house was creeping up in the 80's, they came to the rescue. They let us crash in their guest bedroom where it was nice and cool downstairs while their own AC was on the fritz upstairs. Kricia, my SIL, is even making me some awesome chairs. Have I shown them to you yet? Maybe not, shame on me. Well here it is.

Amazing, right?

And on top of having family here, we can't beat that our wonderful friends live just up the highway, and that we have more friends moving back from Utah. Last night we went up to Conway to have dinner and games with Jennifer and Joe, and we always have a wonderful time. Jennifer cooked up a delicious meal, we played a game of Yahtzee (Joe lost!), and they let me put Luke down in Anna's (Jennifer and Joe's daughter) crib. I can't wait for our next get together! We always have so much fun!

The rock city also has tons of fun things to do, and I can't wait to do it all as Luke gets bigger! The zoo, Museum of Discovery, Jump Zone, Children's Theatre, the River Market, and the list just keeps going!

This is home. We didn't grow up here, but we love it here. Home is where the heart is, and our heart belongs here.

Letter to Baby

2010-08-03T18:21:00.001-05:00

Dear Luke,

You are now officially a half year old! A whopping six months! Where does the time go? I'm not sure, but I wish it would slow down a little.

These past six months have brought you from a measly 4 pounds 10.5 ounces to (at last check) 12 pounds 13 ounces. From a premature baby not even on the charts to finally creeping up the charts. From eating every 3 hours to, ummmm....well, eating every 3 hours. Except at night. You're sleeping through the night right now.

You talk like crazy, suck on your thumb, smile, laugh, and play. You are rolling over from your tummy to your back now, which makes me so happy, except now I can't put you on the bed and get ready. I'm constantly toting the bouncer back and forth in the mornings. What am I going to do when you start crawling? Do they make baby duct tape?

You are so bright eyed and such a flirt. You love watching Grant and Jude. They're the best thing since sliced bread as far as you're concerned. We love living close to our family and so glad they get to take part in raising you. We hope you know how loved you are.

We love you.
Happy half a year old!
Mom and Dad

thirty something...

2010-08-02T06:00:00.002-05:00

let's not say it out loud, but today i'm thirty. that's right. re-read it if you must, but i'm refusing to write it out again. i don't even want to say it. i'm having a hard time with it, and so if you must make over the hill jokes, please do so behind my back. thankyouverymuch.

some people have lists, you know '25+5 things to accomplish before i'm 25+5'. me, not so much. i had good intentions, but somehow, it just never got done. and i'm okay with that and so should you. i have accomplished lots of things though. i think. i can't be too sure since having a baby wiped my memory.

and now we shall take a trip down memory lane. enjoy :)

not sure how old i am here, but i am pretty darn cute.

on a side note, this silky outfit was on my favorite doll, until my parents dog, jack, tore her, and the outfit to shreds.

thumb sucker. luke is a thumb sucker, too.

he comes by it honestly.

posing for the camera.

i think my aunt susan took this picture. she had it blown up, but it never got framed.

i think it's in the garage.

i loved this motorcycle. james had a electric 4wheeler and we would race.

jon was too cool to play with us.

i played softball until my senior year.

i loved it.

notice the perm i'm rocking? don't be jealous.

not everyone can look that awkward holding a bat and posing for a camera.

waiting on james to be done with his piano lessons.

i was his chauffeur.

on top of the eiffel tower.

that's paris behind me people. paris.

incidentally, my camera broke right after this picture was taken.

my first cruise, courtesy of my mom and dad.

safety first!

i got married to my best friend.

he completes me. hehe :)

i finally finished school. finally.

soaking up the sun. after going to school that long, it was well deserved.

i got pregnant

i had a baby. actually, i never went thru the 'birthing' process.

they came in and said, 'you're going to have a c-section.'

they wheeled me in a room and surgically removed him.

never even felt a contraction. never.

from what i hear, that's the way to go :)

and there you go, the past 25+5 years wrapped up in pictures. now i'm going to go crawl under a rock and hide for a while. i'll let you know when i come out...

5 months and counting

2010-07-21T18:28:00.000-05:00

I'm having a bit of a hard time coming to the realization that I'll soon have a 6 month old child. When Luke was born, I saw this fragile little being and couldn't imagine him being anything but. And now, 5 1/2 months later, I see this little boy, exploring the world around him, trying with all his might to crawl and I can't imagine him being that little fragile boy where he started. I adore his spirit and determination. I look back at his newborn pictures and can't believe we've come so far so fast. I just hope he stays little for a while longer :)

5 months

natural pacifier

cooking with daddy

strong boy

beautiful baby

new pajamas make for a happy boy!

push ups :)

Letter to Baby

2010-07-03T06:43:00.001-05:00

Baby Luke,

You are 5 (FIVE!!) months old today, and I can't believe that you're creeping up on that 1/2 year mark. You are growing and slowly catching up to your peers. You are (at last check) 12 lbs 13 oz and 24 inches long. This puts you in the 25th percentile, which is really amazing, considering you weren't even on the charts at birth. I can't wait to see where the next month takes you!

You roll over all.the.time. I turn around and you're on your tummy. You've only rolled back over twice, but that was just pure accident on your part. You hold your head up so well, but then you get tired and mad, so we put you on your back again. Then we turn around and you're back on your tummy. You're sneaky like that :)

You've slept through the night a few times. You actually slept through the night for a couple of weeks, but lately, you like getting up and playing for a bit in the middle of the night. You think it's great to have a midnight snack and play time. Us, not so much. One time you even slept for 11.5 hours straight. It was glorious. When do you plan on doing that again?

You are well traveled now. We've gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa in NWA and to Branson. You don't mind so much the car trip as long as we can stop every once in a while and let you stretch. You also like to be entertained, so either dad or I will sit in the back to play with you. What can I say, you're pretty demanding!

You have definitely found your voice. And your hands. If you aren't talking, you have two fingers and a thumb in your mouth. Sometimes you have 2 fingers and a thumb in your mouth while you are talking. You are so great at multi-tasking! Dad and I love listening to you talk. It's too sweet!

You love playing on your floor mat and you've figured out how to pull and shake and wobble the toys that hang above you. As a matter of fact, you're playing on that mat as I type this, talking and playing with the little lion hanging above you. I just love the conversation you're having.

I love the way you squirm when you're fighting sleep. I love the way you stretch after being un-swaddled. I adore the way you look up at me with those big eyes in the morning and smile. That melts my heart. I fall head over heels for you every time you lay your head on my shoulder and sigh. I love the way you giggle, especially since you save those giggles for your mom and dad. The way you flirt makes my heart skip a beat and when you're serious I can't help but wonder what you're thinking.

We treasure every moment spent with you.
And we love you more than you will ever know.
Mom and Dad

first father's day

2010-06-20T13:33:00.000-05:00

Today is Chris' first father's day! So far we've enjoyed a yummy breakfast and church. We are headed to celebrate father's day with my brother and parents soon, but just wanted to share a few pictures of Chris on this very special day!

He was such a great guinea pig!

ooohhh....awwww....

vegas, baby!

it was 'this big!'

moments before becoming a father. he barely made it in the OR!

first father son picture

daddy and luke

And to my amazing dad - I love you! Thank you for being so supportive! I love being your daughter!

To Jim - you taught Chris so many things about being a good husband/father, just by the example you set. We love you!

To Jon - I loved growing up with you and the relationship we have! You're an awesome big brother and we love you!

Happy Father's Day!!!

needs/wants part 2

2010-06-17T06:17:00.001-05:00

i ~~want~~ need these.

in a serious way.

i don't know if i can control myself.

i really need brown sandals.

but screw the brown sandals.

who needs brown sandals when you have perfectly green mary janes?

be still my heart...

my birthday is in august...maybe i'll open you up then...in a size 10 please.

and just so you're not confused, they are Miz Mooz Devi Mary Jane Flat. in green.

needs/wants

2010-06-16T07:32:00.000-05:00

brown sandals.

sewing machine. and someone to teach me how.

a maid. i just destroyed my closet and bedroom and clothes.are.everywhere. seriously...it's like hurricane katrina just touched down in my bedroom. chris...i'm sorry for the small coronary you're going to experience when you come home from work today. i ended up in scrubs anyways.

breakfast.

a car with better gas mileage.

breakfast.

that is all...for now.

2010-06-12T07:42:00.000-05:00

Luke's Aunt Emily and Uncle Jon were nice enough to stop by on Mother's Day and take a few pictures of their little nephew at 3 months. Here are a few of the results!

Grant and Jude came by for a couple photos. Now if we could just get Luke sitting up and everyone looking at the camera, we'd be ahead of the game!

Wouldn't you want to pay .25 cents to take a picture with this sweet baby?

Baby Luke with his wonderful Aunt and Uncle.

Thank you Beaty Photography for these wonderful pictures!

fugetaboutit friday

2010-06-11T06:16:00.000-05:00

I've been a slacker lately. It's okay...I'm waving the white flag and admitting it.

These past few weeks have been crazy! We celebrated our awesome friends' 30th birthday party a few friday's ago, we went to branson, mo last friday for a family vacation, and now, here we are...it's friday. again.

Last night was the night from hell. Chris had a fever, Luke had shots at his 4 month checkup and was up all.night.long (which subsequently meant i was up all.night.long). Hopefully today goes quickly and we welcome the weekend rooting for and against arkansas at dickey-stephens park (aka travelers stadium). You see, the Arkansas Travelers are playing against the Arkansas Naturals. Make sense now? Good, it's 6 a.m. and i'm not sure how much of this coherent at this point.

I'm gonna fugetabout the awful night we had and head into this weekend with a great attitude that i hope is rejuvenated with a few extra hours of sleep now and then. No plans this weekend, except for the game with AOC tonight, and I hope to keep it that way. I just want to see where the wind blows us.

fugetaboutit friday. sounds good to me!

Adventures in Babeland

2010-06-08T05:15:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago we took Luke to his very first baseball game to see the Travelers play. It was rainy when we got there, but it passed quickly and he was a good boy despite the weather! Aunt Susan, Uncle Robert, Uncle Kent, Aunt Guqueta, M and Pa were all there and they loved passing Luke around...until it was time for a diaper change.

Aunt Guqueta and Uncle Kent with Baby Luke

Aunt Susan and Uncle Robert (kinda) with Luke

(This was actually a rare moment. Normally Luke screams like a banshee when Aunt Susan holds him)

Last weekend, we enjoyed a vacation to Branson, courtesy of my mom and dad. It was actually our Christmas present to have a family vacation, so Jon, Kricia, Grant, Jude, M and Pa were there, too! We had such a wonderful time and can't wait to vacation together again! Luke was a trooper and slept through the night BOTH nights. We went to Dixie Stampede and he made it through almost the entire show before screaming of being overstimulated. He enjoyed his first swim in the pool and survived his first outlet mall shopping experience. We are so blessed to have such a mellow baby!

M and Jude playing with Luke

Luke's first pool experience

Hanging out with Pa

Kisses from Jude and Grant

Luke adores them both and would just talk and grin when Jude came around. It was so cute!

We've had a great time these past couple weeks and we love spending time with our families! What a blessing they are to us and Luke!

Sounds

2010-06-03T05:49:00.000-05:00

Things have surely changed since having a little one. I catch myself listening intently to see if I can hear Luke waking up in his crib. His monitor sits on my night stand. The slightest of sounds jolts me awake, and after listening for more, he drifts back to sleep...and so do I.

My little boy turned 4 months old yesterday. Like I've said, he's learned to roll from side to side, although he prefers rolling to the left because that's where the sounds and lights come from. And this morning, as we are out of our 'routine', he's laying on his left side 'talking' to the bear and lion and watching the bears' nose light up and smiling at the lion. He cracks me up. Oh, the conversation he's having is adorable and I love his curious nature as he searches for more things to talk to :)

He's a very mellow baby, unless he's hungry, and then he really doesn't have any patience. He'll probably be like my little brother as he gets older and we'll be restricted to fast food drive thru's because he won't be patient to wait for his food at a nice restaraunt.

Luke continues to amaze me! I love being his mommy!

4 Month Old Picture

2010-05-26T19:58:00.000-05:00

Happy 4 Months Old, Baby Luke!

Letter to Baby

2010-05-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Luke,

You are FOUR months old today! A whopping sixteen weeks, or rather, 112 days, 2688 hours, 161,280 minutes or 9,676,800 seconds old. Today. At 9 p.m. Did I mention you are 4 months old today? Of course I did...because it's today!!

You continue to grow like a weed and you have changed so much! You're getting so big now! At last weigh in you were 10 pounds 11 ounces, but when we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa, Grandpa weighed himself and then Grandma passed you to Grandpa. When Grandpa got to hold you, he gained 13 pounds! Surely you're not that big quite yet (but it is very possible), but we'll have the official weigh in at your next pediatrician appointment on the 10th.

Since last month, you have started grasping your penguin toy that dangles from your play mat with both hands! You used to just bat at it with your left hand, and then you started grabbing it with your left hand, and now you are using both hands to grab and bat at it.

Also, you are moving from side to side and I just know you're going to roll yourself over at any time. That kinda scares me because I know you'll be one step closer to crawling and then what? Prom? Car? I can't think about it...it's too much!

You talk so much! And you still love to chat during diaper changing time. You just grin and coo and have a grand old time. It's super sweet and I love our little chats! I tried video taping our morning chat, but the minute I busted out the camera to record, you became very quiet and still. And as soon as I put the camera down and stopped recording, you started talking again. Yep, you're kinda snotty that way :)

Dad says you discovered your feet today, but I'm not so sure because I haven't seen it with my own eyes. But I guess I can believe your daddy...he's pretty truthful and wouldn't share things unless they were true :) And since you've found you're feet, it's only right that we talk about how much you love to suck on your hands! You constantly have a hand in your mouth sucking away. It's super cute and I love to hear your lips smack against your fist.

Well, baby Luke, happy 4 months old. You sure are our special little boy and we love you like you can't even imagine.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Luke's 1st overnight trip

2010-05-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, with my family out of town to my cousin's wedding in Chicago, we decided to pack up and head to NWA to visit Chris' parents (aka Grandma and Grandpa). We left after Luke's 4 am feeding Saturday and got up to NWA after a quick stop in Alma around 930 am or so. Luke did great on the car ride and really only fussed once, but we stopped and changed his diaper and he was just fine.

I was shocked at how much STUFF was required to travel with Luke. His stroller, pack and play, our suitcases...wow!! We joked that we were going to need to invest in a trailer just to travel, but we're seriously worried that might actually be true come Christmas :)

We shopped all.day.long on Saturday. I was worried Luke was going to be super mad not being able to have a consistent nap (this kiddo likes his schedule), but he was a real trooper until around dinner time when we stopped in at Wal Mart for a few things and he started throwing a fit. I was shocked that that was really his only meltdown of the day. Luke was such a trooper all day!

We ate at a few new places, Mexican on Saturday and BBQ on Sunday, and they were both great, although the BBQ was my favorite. Luke got a few new outfits, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa, and he loves them!

Luke did wonderfully on his first trip away from home and I know his Grandma and Grandpa adored having him there. We ran into a few people while we were out shopping, and Jim and Jerl Dean loved showing Luke off. It was super sweet :)

Here's a picture of Grandma and Grandpa with Baby Luke :)

My FIRST Mother's Day

2010-05-10T04:50:00.000-05:00

I just experienced my very first Mother's Day as a mother to a human :). Sometimes I would celebrate as a mother to the dog, but somehow I think it was lost in translation.

We woke up to Luke's cries and stumbled out of bed to feed him and change him. The night before we babysat Grant and Jude and didn't get home until around midnight and so we were completely exhausted, but alas, Luke was hungry and he must be fed. Sleep is overrated anyhow :) After taking care of Luke's needs, Chris made me a mother's day breakfast. Waffles and fried eggs. I had requested bacon a few days before, but we forgot to buy some. It was so yummy!

We got around for the day and Jon and Emily stopped by, as did Kricia with the boys, and we took some quick pictures of the 3 grandsons together and then some 3 month pictures of Luke. And he was not happy. He was ready for a nap and we kept shoving a camera in his face. Once that was complete, Jon and Emily went with us to ZaZa's pizza for lunch. We had never been and it was really good! Chris and I will definitely be going back!

Chris made me spaghetti for dinner...and then it took about an hour to sit down and eat. For Luke being so exhausted earlier in the day and not wanting to nap, he was wide awake come bedtime. Dinner sat on the stove for at least an hour. Part of being a parent, I suppose :) After we ate we crawled into bed (830 pm) and I checked my phone. I had a text message from a friend, so Chris crawled out of bed to go help (he was glad to do it) and we went back to bed around 9...or at least I did.

Chris got me a pair of flip flops and a ring, but I exchanged it for a necklace with Luke's birthstone from Pandora. He says he got me a card, but he couldn't find it. He offered to go pick one up at the store, but somehow it just didn't seem worth it :)

I am so glad to be Luke's mom, he's such a great little man and I can't wait to watch him grow! I'm also super thankful to my mom for putting up with me growing up and not abandoning us in a wooded area like she threatened to so many times (haha, just kidding!).

fugetaboutit friday

2010-05-07T19:34:00.000-05:00

It's friday. About time it got here.

This week was my very first week back at AOC while I fill in for a friend who just had her very first baby (a boy) and is on maternity leave. I work 8-5, Monday through Friday. I haven't done that since the last time I worked at AOC during my 4th year! And let me tell you, I am completely exhausted!

So this friday, I vow to enjoy every moment with my precious 13 week old son. I want to soak up every moment with him as this was the first week I was away from him for more than an hour at any given time. I vow to fall asleep on my bro and SILs couch only after my nephews have gone to bed. I vow to enjoy this Mother's Day. It's my first, and I know it's going to rock. I've even gotten my gift already and the breakfast menu has been decided on.

Enjoy the weekend and fugetabout what happened this week. Why? Because it's friday and I said so :)

Luke's Blessing

2010-05-02T18:22:00.002-05:00

We had Luke's blessing today at our home. My dad and our great friend, Joe, blessed Luke and we had invited all our family to come. We grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and had a wonderful time. We sure are blessed to have such wonderful family!

Christopher Luke

Our Family

Pa, Luke and Joe

Great Aunt Susan, Luke and Great Uncle Robert

Great Grandma, Luke and Peepaw

M and Luke

Aunt Kricia, Uncle Jon and Luke

Thank you everyone for coming and partying and eating! We love you!

Letter to Baby

2010-04-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

Dear Luke,
You are 3 months old today! I know! It went by fast for us, too!

We've loved watching you grow...and boy oh boy how you have grown! You can still fit (although barely) into your newborn clothes, but you're fast approaching the day where they just won't be long enough for you.

You are such a good eater! You now take 4 ounces of milkies every 2.5 to 3 hours during the day. At night, you can go a little longer in between feedings. And speaking of night time, you are now sleeping for about one, five hour stretch. And then you're back to eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. Like I said...you're a good eater :)

You've really been 'talking' up a storm lately, and it's a rare moment when you're quiet. You're even a noisy sleeper :) We like to say you get that from your Grandma. You have been getting a little colicky at night, and it's wearing us down, man! So if you could cut that out sooner than later, it sure would be appreciated.

You can really hold you're head up for longer stretches, but when you're tired it flops around like crazy. That's okay, though...you're head is huge (just like daddy's) and we can't really see your neck so I'm not sure what kind of support you have for that monstrous thing :)

Sitting up on our laps is one of your favorite activities - you love the vantage point that activity provides. We're able to put you in your swing for longer stretches. It's really nice that you can be happy swinging in the morning so mommy can fix her hair and have a bite to eat...so thank you, it's much appreciated.

So baby Luke, we can't wait to see where another month takes you, and us, on this incredible journey. We love you oh so very much. Your mommy has become pretty attached to you, and I think the same is true for daddy.

Love you to the end of the world and back.
Mom and Dad

fugetaboutit friday

2010-04-23T07:39:00.000-05:00

It's friday! Are you ready to fugetaboutit? I am.

I'm ready to fugetabout all the crap that seems to be dripping from my nostrils. Seriously, if snot were gold, we'd be drowning in riches. (makes for a lovely mental image, right?) I'm vowing to have a great time watching my favorite 5 year old nephews t-ball game (unless it's raining cats and dogs) and to get in some much needed cleaning around the house.

It's friday, so fugetaboutit, yo.

You Know You Love Pictures

2010-04-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

Quite a few weeks ago I was dealing with the aftermath of giving birth and the roller coaster of emotions that ensued. I was having a difficult time dealing with this new life as mommy behind closed doors. But I would never have admitted that openly at that time. I am so much better now and love this new life and wouldn't change it for the world. But during that time, Chris surprised me with a gift:

It made my week!

Then we received our Census paperwork in the mail. Luke's 1st Census!!

I was counted!

Luke turned 2 months old April 3rd and is now 8 pounds and 8.5 ounces! Such a big boy!!

2 months old

Saturday before Easter Sunday we went to Conway to play with our wonderful friends Jennifer and Joe and their kiddos and joined them for a Easter egg hunt at their church.

Luke's 1st Easter egg hunt. He wasn't too impressed.

Easter Sunday we went to General Conference in Hot Springs with my parents and then had a big Easter dinner with the whole family!

Luke's 1st Easter basket included a book, chocolate bunny, Razorback blanket and toy.

We even dyed eggs for him!

Daddy and Luke on Easter Sunday

Luke is learning to love bath time and the screaming has stopped so we decided to document it with a picture.

He has an outie, but the doc says it's only temporary.

I think it's precious.

And let's not forget about our 1st child, Baxter. He's still adjusting to Luke and shakes when Luke cries, but for the most part he's doing great and we love our little pup dog!

Have a happy Thursday!!

Pictures from the past

2010-04-11T07:46:00.000-05:00

Long, long ago, in a time I like to call 'pre-baby', I had a baby shower and some maternity pictures done. I just got those pictures back and would like to share some with you. If you notice, I look well rested and may actually be glowing. Nowadays I look disheveled and the only glow is from all the coffee I drink to stay awake :) Let's begin with the baby shower.

Emily threw me an awesome baby shower full of family and friends. She implemented a paint your own onesie idea that I'm sure everyone loved. My mom and Grandma even came from Hot Springs to party.

Emily even had everyone write a little note for Luke on their chalkboard. I absolutely loved it and secretly (well, not so secret anymore) wish I could've kept this chalkboard for his room. But the picture will do :)

Now, onto the maternity session! The balloons from my baby shower were still good, so we incorporated them into our session. It was a lot of fun and rather exhausting! These are just a few of my absolute favorites.

This next picture was taken in a parking garage where we sat between parking space number 4. Luke's expected due date was March 4th, but the little booger just had to come on February 3rd. He couldn't even wait one more day to make this number come to fruition. :)

These next 3 photos are a series I fondly refer to as the awesomeness of wood blocks sprinkled with a little creativity.

And now for the final product: Luke. During his hospital stay in the NICU, we were worried about having him fit into his car seat, and actually had been told we may have to purchase a new one made for preemies. Thankfully, I had done my research and picked out a car seat that is good for babies as little as 4 pounds (never did I think I would have a 4 pound baby) and is one of the best car seats available. The staff was thrilled to see that car seat and all was well. On his last day in the NICU, Luke had to pass a car seat test, as do all preemies, and looking back, I can't believe he was this small!

I just adore those little wrinkly legs and knees and that tiny little head (which isn't so tiny anymore, a huge 14 1/2 inches around!). I love everything about him and can't believe how much he has changed in the short 9 weeks he's been a part of our family. Sometimes I think back on life before baby, and how much easier it was to hop in the car and go somewhere, or just fall asleep on the couch without worrying about waking up in time to pump or listening for a baby waking up, but then I think how much we've been blessed to be this precious little boy's parents and how much we are looking forward to watching him grow into a strong, kind, awesome man.

Pre-Baby life is a distant memory and I wouldn't change it for the world.

fugetaboutit friday

2010-04-09T13:05:00.000-05:00

I'm fairly positive I completely forgot about fugetaboutit friday last week, but i'm blaming my forgetfulness on 2 things. One is that my child sucked all my brain cells out of me upon birth (seriously, I can't remember anything. It's amazing I'm even walking upright). And two is that last weekend was Easter, and I was preparing Luke's Easter festivities and couldn't be bothered with blogging.

But on this fugetaboutit friday, I vow to fugetabout drugging my dear son with Infant Tylenol yesterday just to have an hour without constant screaming crying. I vow to fugetabout the selfishness that can consume people. It's a long story and not worth telling, but let's just say this person has been selfish for years and I've seen the effect on family. I am looking forward to this weekend, enjoying the beautiful weather and family. I'm sure there will be lots of laughs and I'm looking forward to it.

It's friday....fugetaboutit.

Random Acts

2010-04-01T06:20:00.000-05:00

2 days ago in the mail we received a gift from our realtor that helped us in our hectic search for a home. It was totally unexpected as she had already sent a gift for Luke right after he was born (the cutest peace, love, and happiness socks you've ever laid your eyes on), but this gift was just for us as a housewarming present. It was a address stamper. And it can change designs without buying a a whole new stamper. I'm slightly obsessed with it. It's amaz-a-zing. It's that type of thoughtfulness that makes me like people a little bit more. Those little random acts of kindness. I mean, she had to go online, pick a design, order it, receive it and ship it to us...how wonderful! That thoughtfulness shown to people she got to know over lunch and a 15 or more house showings over a weekend.

Thank you all for your Random Acts of Kindness (hopefully) to everyone in your life. It really makes a difference.

Letter to Baby

2010-03-31T09:00:00.003-05:00

Dear Luke,
You are a whopping 2 months old today! I can't believe how time flies when you're exhausted :)

At last check, you were 5 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long. I have a sneaking suspicion that you're well at 6 pounds by now...your little belly isn't so little anymore! You're so alert and soaking in everything around you. You love to be swaddled and rocked when you're upset. You're a great eater and have only spit up on us a couple times so far. You even got mommy's work clothes a couple days ago :)

You go to work with me for now, and even though everyone loves having you there, sometimes it gets a little hectic. The patients adore you and even more, your Pa adores you. He takes you from me from the moment we step through the door and feeds you your 9 a.m. bottle while I see patients. You did spit up all over Peggy the other day so we arm ourselves with burp cloths now!

M was on Spring Break last week and came to keep you at the office while Pa was at Dr. Vallery's working and I was seeing patients. She loved holding you and feeding you and barely let me have you back at the end of the day. Even though she and Pa would love to have you spend the night, your mom and dad can't bear the thought of being without you for a whole night in a whole other city. There's plenty of time for that when you're older :)

You smiled a real smile (not a gas smile) at me a couple days ago. It melted my heart and made me cry a little. I know, go ahead and roll your eyes, your mom is a dork. I can't believe that you've reached that milestone, but you have the most adorably beautiful smile and I love it.

Everyone says you know me (mommy) and when I talk, you look around to find me. You calm down when I hold you. You and I have that special bond that only a mother and child can have. I love you.

We love you.
Mom and Dad

fugetaboutit friday

2010-03-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's Friday! And I'm going to fugetaboutit. Have I mentioned I love fugetaboutit friday? I do...it gives me something to look forward to :)

This friday I vow to fugetabout the mess that seems to accumulate on the ottoman (it's where all the mail and newspapers land) and just enjoy the time I have to cuddle with my beautiful baby boy and chat with my hubby. I also vow to enjoy time with friends tonight and plan on getting to know new friends.

It's friday. Go ahead, fugetaboutit...you know you want to :)

Luke

2010-03-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

I just received the images from Luke's newborn photo shoot and had to share a few (or more) of my favorites!

Hope you love them, too!

Events of the day

2010-03-22T17:09:00.002-05:00

8:45 a.m.: arrive at the office and feed Luke

9:00 a.m.: hand Luke off to pa and go pump

Crisis #1
9:15 a.m.: come out of the office and look at Peggy, who is holding Luke

9:15 a.m.: realize Luke spit up ALL OVER Peggy's shirt

9:16 a.m.: take Luke from Peggy and let her leave to go home and change

10:20 a.m.: feed Luke again

10:40 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Luke sleeps!

1:45 p.m.: feed Luke

Crisis #2
2:00 p.m.: change Luke. Where he proceeded to poo all over everything. And pee. All. Over. Everything.

2:20 p.m.: pack us up to head back home

2:30 p.m.: Screams Like Banshee (aka Luke) spit out his pacifier and began screaming like a banshee where there was nowhere to pull over. For miles. Miles I say. At least it felt that way

2:35 p.m.: Pull over and fix his pacifier

Crisis #3
2:40 p.m.: Realize I'm speeding right as a cop passes me. Look in my rearview mirror and he's slamming on his brakes. Realize a SUV is flying by me and the cop is going after him...not me.

Crisis #4
2:50 p.m.: Screams Like Banshee spit out his pacifier again.

2:52 p.m.: Pull over at Target and put it back in.

3:03 p.m.: Arrive home. Put poo clothes in wash. Start coffee. Put on PJs and call it a day.

I don't think I handle Crisis #5 if and when it should happen. I'm too tired from the poo incident...otherwise known as Crisis #2.

Calling all Mormons (or non Mormons...whatever)

2010-03-21T16:27:00.001-05:00

I have a quick question about missionaries.

What do you do when your missionaries are socially awkward and pushy?

Allow me to explain. We all know my hubby is not LDS, and that's just fine by me because he supports my beliefs and attends church with me. And who knows, maybe someday he'll be converted...and if not, I'll get him when he's dead :) But now we've moved and are back into our old ward (which we love) and the new missionaries are annoying the heck out of us! I don't mind inviting them over so they can attempt their speech on Chris (he's heard it a million times in the almost 11 years we've been together), but one thing that definitely does not work is when you come to our home and sit and stare at us and then when you do speak, badger my husband about why he's not LDS. I realize they have to be a little pushy, but that's one sure fire way to keep him from becoming LDS.

So how do I politely tell them to take it down a notch?

fugetaboutit friday

2010-03-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

It's that time again! fugetaboutit friday! Are you playing? You should, it's fun and what better day to fugetaboutit than friday?!?

This fugetaboutit friday I vow to have a wonderful weekend lazin' in my pj's and baking cupcakes. I vow to not stress about not producing enough milk for Luke and just do what I can. I also vow to let myself off the hook...this postpartum roller coaster is getting old!

So, like every friday...fugetaboutit.

Supply and Demand

2010-03-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

This is geared towards the moms that read this blog, so men, consider yourself warned.

I don't think I'm producing enough milk. I pump after each feeding during the day, but skip pumping after the midnight and 3 am feedings. My concern is that although I am producing milk, I don't think it's enough to keep up with what Luke needs as he continues to grow. When I first came home from the hospital I was getting 2 bottles with at least 60 ml each. Now I'm lucky to get 60 ml total. And that's after 20 minutes of pumping.

So my question is: Is there anything that you have done to increase your milk supply? I'm concerned the supply isn't keeping up with the demand and I need to find a way to fix this problem!

Please provide your wisdom as I don't have any...

fugetaboutit Friday

2010-03-12T17:13:00.000-06:00

Yay! Friday is here! And there's a lot I would like to fugetabout this Friday. Forget parts of this week happened and move onto the weekend...and enjoy every moment of it!

So this fugetaboutit friday, I vow to move on...put the bad out of my head and enjoy the moment. Enjoy the weekend and my family. I plan on going to a wonderful friends baby shower with Luke and hopefully catching up on sleep. I also plan on arriving on time, which I have always been very good at, but children sometimes put a kink in your routine. I also plan on taking Luke to church for the very first time (he's finally able to be around groups), but again, we'll play it by ear since it is Daylight Savings Time (boo...hiss) and I may be a zombie.

Fugetaboutit. It's Friday.

Letter to Baby

2010-03-10T20:24:00.001-06:00

Dear Luke,

I love how you cuddle on my chest. You seem to fit perfectly, and I love these moments we share together. I can't wait until the next time...

Love always,
Mom

Luke

2010-03-05T12:13:00.001-06:00

We had Gretchen Davis come to our home and do some newborn photos of Luke. She just blogged the preview and I'm in love...can't wait to see the rest!

Go check our baby boy...he's pretty darn cute :)

Click here to go see them.

Fugetaboutit Friday

2010-03-05T09:48:00.007-06:00

So my dear friend, Lindsay, has decided to start 'fugetaboutit friday' and I figured...why the heck not! You can check out her post here and any other post your little heart desires. And if you want to participate, you may just make her Friday.

Here's my vow for this fugetaboutit friday:
I vow to enjoy my adult only night with my SIL and some other awesome women tonight. I also vow to trust that my husband is perfectly capable (he really is, but as a mom I worry anyway) of taking care of Luke for just a few hours without causing harm to himself or our son. I also vow to keep my emotional outbursts to a minimum. Consider it a gift to the general public :)

It's Friday. fugetaboutit.

Letter to Baby

2010-03-03T06:10:00.001-06:00

Dear Luke,

You were born one month ago today at 9:00 p.m. Your arrival was a bit of a surprise, I definitely didn't see it coming, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Your father almost didn't make it into the operating room because you were having some complications and the doctors decided they needed to get you out and fast. They weren't concerned with your dad, they were concerned for you. And because of that, the quick thinking and experience of an awesome team of doctors (we can thank your Uncle Jon for that), you were born and given the very best care any baby could receive from the start. From start to finish, it took about a minute to get you out.

Once you were born, you were handed to another team of doctors from the NICU to be evaluated. Your dad walked around the operating table to be by your side. He cut the umbilical cord, took a few pictures, and was escorted with you to your room in the NICU. I got to see you for a split second, touch your forehead and off you went. It was 25 hours later that we finally met face to face. It was incredible.

After four short days in the NICU, we were able to bring you home. Your dad and I were thrilled, we had been told to expect your stay in the NICU to be 2 to 4 weeks. We brought you home and got settled in right away. For the most part, you stay on a fairly consistent 3 hour feeding schedule. And for now you sleep in between those feedings. Sometimes you stay awake for a little bit and we play and sing songs, but then you fall asleep again.

Speaking of sleep, it seems that every time we get you to sleep and put you down, get comfy and start to fall asleep ourselves, you start getting fussy or start making noises whether it be sucking on your pacifier so fierce like Maggie from The Simpsons or just 'talking' to yourself. It's like you know when your dad and I are asleep. It's kind of evil.

Here are a few things that we love about you:
You're a little Houdini...no matter how tightly you're swaddled, you seem to always wiggle your arms out.
You pucker your lips out if you are done eating or don't want your pacifier.
You shake your head back and forth like a mad man if you do want your pacifier. It's hilarious!
You hate having even the slightest dirty diaper and you despise having your diaper changed. But once it's done, it's like nothing ever happened and you're as cool as a cucumber.

We love you, Luke.
Mom and Dad

Irked

2010-02-27T07:59:00.000-06:00

Do you ever just find yourself irked and annoyed at the people who surround you, whether you know them or not? Maybe I'm just super sensitive right now, 3 weeks postpartum and having only been out of the house a handful of times since then, but I've been irked for a while now and I just have to get it out there.

I'm irked. And my feelings have been hurt. It's really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but that's how I feel, which is probably exaggerated by this whole postpartum roller coaster I'm on. I hope I get over it soon. But I don't know if I can.

That is all.

True Love

2010-02-27T07:11:00.000-06:00

There's probably a million different ways people could describe 'true love', but this morning, at 6:10 a.m., I found a new way to show true love.

You see, I have been awake with our son since 5 a.m. (thanks to the hubby for getting up at 2 a.m. with him!) and had fed him, taken my medicine (800 milligrams of ibuprofen...be still my heart) and vitamins, and went to change Luke's diaper. I had my diaper out (always ALWAYS be prepared with a new diaper), opened up the wipes case and pulled out the diaper cream. Everything was going smoothly when I pulled out a wipe and there was only one...which was not enough for this mess. I covered Luke with the new diaper and grabbed a new case of wipes, and struggled opening the dang package. I finally realized there were a pair of scissors in his caddy and finally got the package open. But when I looked down, Luke had rolled to his side (probably not on purpose, I'll blame it on the excessive screaming...this kid hates having his diaper changed) and was starting to shoot pee all over himself.

At this point, any experienced mother would quickly re-cover her son with the new diaper she had strategically placed under his booty for this exact reason. But me? Never crossed my mind. Instead, I put my hand over him and caught the potty from spraying everything. Yep, that's true love...catching your son's potty in your hand to save him from being sprayed. You may now give me mother of the month award. (I figure it's a little early for mother of the year, but if you're so inclined...)

How could I not adore this fussy face?

A Series of Photos

2010-02-18T13:39:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry for the poor quality of these photos (hey, I don't have a fancy shmancy camera like my relatives over at Beaty Photography, nor do I want one because I would have no idea how to make it work), but they were taken with my iPhone.

Isn't that the most adorable series of photos you ever did see? I thought so.

Letter to Baby

2010-02-17T17:06:00.000-06:00

Dear Luke,

You are TWO weeks old! My how time flies! You continue to grow like a weed and you are more alert every day. We love it! Well...except at 2 a.m., it's okay to sleep then :) We feed you every 3 hours right now. Dad is such a wonderful help to me, taking the 3 am feeding and any other feeding where I need his help. He also helps gives you baths (which you hate) and changes your diapers (for now...until they start to smell and then I have a feeling he'll mysteriously disappear).

Your Aunt Kricia, Uncle Jon, Grant and Jude came to visit you the other night. They brought dinner, too. It was yummy, but you were content drinking milk so we didn't offer you any. Grant thought you needed a haircut, but I explained you were too little for that right now, and he was okay with that. He also loved giving you kisses. Super sweet! Jude thought you were pretty neat, but was too preoccupied chasing Baxter to really pay much attention to you.

We are loving having you in our family and can't wait to see what you'll do next! We love you, sweet boy!

Loves,
Mom and Dad

One Week Old

2010-02-11T16:46:00.000-06:00

Luke is one week old! I can't believe how fast it has gone by! So in celebration of his week old birthday, here's some photos of his time at home. Enjoy!

The morning after Luke came home, we woke up to SNOW! And lots of it!

As you can see, he wasn't too impressed.

His very first Arkansas Razorback hat. He'll grow into it someday!

Handsome Boy!

Just lazin' around.

All bundled up for his first outing since coming home from the hospital.

My how life has changed since becoming parents! We have loved every minute since his arrival and can't wait to watch our little bundle of love grow up! He's such a great baby!

One Thing Leads to Another

2010-02-08T15:07:00.000-06:00

Wow! I can't believe how fast time flies when you're having an emergency c-section and taking care of your son in the NICU. Yes, you read right...little Luke is here and after a brief stay in the NICU, we are all home and settling in. But let me tell you how we got to this momentous occasion!

Tuesday, February 2nd, I had my very first doctor's appointment in Little Rock with a wonderful woman who is great friends with my brother and sister in law. Chris didn't think he was going to be able to come, but he had mentioned that he would like to be at my appointment and so they said it was not a problem, they could work it out, so he drove from work to meet me at the office. Once we were called back, they took my weight, which had risen a whopping 7 pounds since my last appointment in Fort Smith the week before. Then they checked my urine and the protein had gone from 2+ in Fort Smith to 4+. Then, to top things off, they checked my BP. It was 179/91. I went to the exam room and after a brief conversation with the doctor, Chris and I found ourselves driving to the hospital to have me admitted - we were hoping for a short 24 hour stay to see if they could manage my BP, but it quickly became about having Luke.

Once I had checked in and gotten my gown on, they started a magnesium drip to control my blood pressure. The only thing I could think of was 'Great, more needles'. After several doctors examined my chart throughout the day and consulted with one another (all friends of Jon and Kricia and one senior doctor who delivered our younger nephew), they decided it would be best to go ahead and induce me Wednesday morning. They started the drug and Luke did great handling the contractions, but I wasn't dilating, so they placed a pill at my cervix to start to thin it out. After 3 hours it was working so they placed another one. All day long we waited to start the drugs after that second pill and around 8 pm, after watching my contractions (I was having some on my own accord at this point without the drugs), Luke's heartbeat started to decelerate and was taking longer and longer to recover after each contraction. I was greeted by a doctor who said they were waiting to finish up a c-section in the OR, and then they were going to take me back for mine. It all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to process it. Within 20 minutes my bags were packed, and my mom and dad (who had come early that morning to stay with us) had been taken to the waiting area with my belongings. I was rolled back to the OR and the anesthesiologists started my spinal. This is when it all hit me and I felt like I was going to start hyperventilating. The nurse was wonderful at calming me down, and after what felt like a lifetime, the spinal was done and I was numb from the chest down to my feet.

The nurses put up a blue cover so I couldn't see anything...I didn't even know the doctors had come in, and all of a sudden I hear them start talking about getting started and Chris wasn't even by my side yet. No sooner did he sit down next to me that I hear them say "The head is out" and Chris was getting up to go be with Luke. Luke did great - he cried within seconds and it was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Chris got to cut the umbilical cord and then brought Luke over to me so I could see him. It was a split second glimpse of my precious baby boy and I got to touch his forehead before they rushed both Chris and Luke out to be taken care of. The doctors finished sewing me up and I was told that they went so fast because Luke's heart rate had really decreased with my last contraction and they could not wait a second longer to get him out.

Christopher Luke was born February 3, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. He weighed in at 4 pounds 10.5 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long. He has the longest legs and arms I've ever seen on a new baby...and they are perfect.

After being taken back to the recovery room, Chris and my parents came in. I was shaking almost uncontrollably so they piled tons of blankets on me and raised my bed up some. All the effects of the spinal I was given. Shortly after, patient transport came to get me and wheeled me up to the postpartum floor. I got settled into my room and given magnesium again for my blood pressure - apparently you can't just come off of it - it has to be gradual. They also started a morphine drip to control the pain from the c-section. Chris had been to see Luke in the NICU, but I wasn't allowed to because of the magnesium. I had to wait until 9 pm on Thursday for them to take me off the magnesium and morphine to be able to be wheeled down to see him. Giving birth and not being able to see my son for 25 hours was really hard, but so worth it when we finally met. I fell in love with him more than I could've ever dreamed possible when I finally got to hold him and love on him.

Chris' parents were able to come down on Thursday and along with my parents and family, they all got to ooohh and awww over Luke before I could. It made me feel a little left out, but knowing that I'm Luke's mom, I got over it and was just happy that Luke has so many people who love him to pieces.

I was in the hospital until Saturday when I was discharged. I was so upset because I didn't want to leave Luke in the hospital alone - so I stayed in his room, as did Chris, Saturday night. Sunday we were asked if we would be willing to move Luke to a less critical area of the NICU and of course agreed. So after his 5:30 am feeding, we packed up and moved to a new room. At 10 a.m., the doctor asked if we would like to take Luke home and I was so shocked I almost couldn't believe those words were being uttered. We had honestly expected to be in the hospital for up to 2 to 4 weeks with him. So after he had his circumcision (ouch!) and passing an hour and a half car seat test, we found ourselves loading up all of our belongings and heading out the door of the hospital around 4 p.m! We had a wonderful first night home and love our new life of parents of this precious baby. He is perfect!

Here's some pictures of his first few days of life! Enjoy!

Chris before joining me in the OR. Not quite sure why he had to wear a head cover...he's bald!

Luke being cleaned up after delivery. Daddy got to cut the umbilical cord!

"Hello World!"

All bundled up - headed to the NICU

Dad and Son

The sweetest face!

On a light blanket for his bilirubin

Holding Luke for the first time 25 hours after giving birth.

Please excuse how I look...morphine doesn't do much for looks.

Little foot!

Luke's first bottle! He's doing great breast feeding, but needed a little supplement to help out.

Luke was hooked up to a lot of monitors: Heart, Pulse, Body Temp, and even had an IV.

The IV had been in both arms already at this point, and now had to be moved to his foot.

This was at 2 days old.

Scrunchy face!

More pictures to come! We love having our son home with us and are so grateful for all the doctors and nurses that took such great care of me and Luke while at the hospital! We will always be grateful for their excellent care!

Letter to the Womb

2010-02-01T07:47:00.000-06:00

Dear Luke,

You are the size of a honeydew now according to my very handy dandy tracker. But it kind of looks like I'm carrying a watermelon...guess you're going to be a big boy! You're doing great and mom is still taking it 'easy' to hopefully get a few more weeks out before your big arrival.

We had another baby shower yesterday, this one was thrown by your Aunt Kricia, and again we were showered with so much love and goodness! You are such a lucky boy to have so many people that love you, and I'm so grateful for them. Your M, Great Grandma, Great Aunt Susan, Great Aunt Sarah, Aunt Kricia, Peggy, Teresa, Allie, Sunshine, Carolyn, Kay, and Jennifer have you spoiled rotten, if you weren't already! I think that if your new clothes have any indication on you, then you'll be our little monkey! I can't wait to get you all dressed up in those precious little clothes!

Dad, Baxter and I are all settled in (for the most part) at our new home and most importantly, your crib is all set up, your clothes are washed and hung up, your pack and play is put together and next to the bed and your car seats and stroller are ready to go. So if you decide to come sooner than later, we will be prepared for your arrival home. Isn't that an awesome word, home? I love it. We love you. We hope you'll be very happy here.

Just a little less than 5 weeks until your scheduled due date, little Luke! See you soon!

We love you!
Mom and Dad

Ice, Ice Baby

2010-01-30T06:59:00.001-06:00

We're HOME! Chris and I are getting settled in to our new home and are loving every minute of it. Baxter is still a little unsure of the change, but he'll get used to it...he always does.

Tuesday, 2 missionaries from the Fort helped Chris load all of our belongings into the biggest U-Haul you can get and strapped everything down. That night we stayed with Jon and Emily and watched American Idol and ate yummy BBQ from Whole Hog. We even got in a game of Dutch Blitz! I love that game!

Wednesday morning we headed out after dropping off our keys and putting my car on the car hauler. We arrived in Little Rock safe and sound and met 4 missionaries and my little brother, James, to unload the U-Haul here. They were lightning fast - getting everything unloaded in under an hour! It was amazazing! :) Then our wonderful friends Jennifer and Joe and their precious kiddos came over to help clean and to cook a yummy meal for us. We love that we're back and can see them anytime our little hearts desire! Jennifer made Asian Wonton Salad and Homemade Eggrolls. Yummm-ohhhhh. It was dewishus (as Brock, Jennifer's son, would say)! Jennifer was awesome wiping out cabinets and our bathtub since I'm on bed rest and not allowed to. Joe helped Chris and even pitched in on some of the cleaning....THANK YOU BOTH!

Thursday we ran a few errands, like replenishing our food supply and buying a microwave. You know, the necessities. Thursday night we went to Jon and Kricia's for dinner and again...yummm-ohhhh. We loved seeing our nephews and can't wait till they get to come over and play at Uncle Chris and Uncle Clare's new house (Aunt is lost in translation).

Friday we woke up to, wait for it, ICE! Yep, we got sleet and more sleet, so we stayed in and Chris worked really hard in getting things unpacked and cleaned up. I even got a chance to nest and get Luke's room in some sort of order. BTW, his room is so cute and I can't wait to finish it and post some pictures! We have been blessed not to have lost power so we've been staying nice and toasty with the heater rather than the gas fireplace because we have no idea how to work the fireplace. Details. Anywho, here are some pics of our house in the ice!

Ice on the deck

Looking out past the deck

The front yard

My car...admire the icicles

Baxter contemplating whether he should come outside or stay put inside :)

Now if we can get Pam and Micha to move back, we'll be set!

Roller coasters make me sick

2010-01-25T10:26:00.000-06:00

I've never been a fan of roller coasters. To be quite honest, I think I've been on maybe 2 or 3 my entire life. The last one was at Silver Dollar City while I was still in college at the U of A. I was convinced by Jon, Emily, and Chris that this roller coaster wouldn't be so bad...especially because you had the option of sitting facing forward or backwards. They all thought it would be a great experience if I sat backwards, that way I couldn't see what was going to happen next. They were wrong. I hated every moment of that stupid roller coaster and vowed to never step foot near one again. And so far, I have kept that promise to myself.

And then many years later, Chris and I decided to start our family and after 6 months of trying (which I realize isn't long at all), found out that we were pregnant, and unbeknownst to me, I was creating my very own 9 month long roller coaster. Finding out we were preggo was one of the happiest days of my life and I have loved every moment of being pregnant. But recently, as you know, things kind of changed and my blood pressure started rising and there was protein in my urine and my blood became a commodity of the lab world. I've been to the doctor more in the past 3 weeks than I ever have my entire life. Everything has been pretty stable, my BP stays around 144/91, there have been just a trace to 1+ amount of protein in my urine, and my blood just hovers around that abnormal line, threatening to jump over at any moment.

So to make a long story short, today we had another doctors appointment and my BP was just the same. My weight is stable. I have no swelling. And there's 2+ pushing 3+ protein in my urine. So once again, I went back to those blood sucking girls in the lab and provided them with more of my blood. I'll know the results tomorrow. We move Wednesday. I have my first appointment with my new doctor Friday, unless things go way out of control. And because of this new turn of events, Luke could definitely come sooner than later.

Here's hoping the next few days go smoothly, because I won't be able to handle it if it doesn't.

Welcome Home

2010-01-22T13:38:00.000-06:00

Chris and I started looking for a home in December and made an offer on one on December 20th. The offer was immediately accepted by the next day and we were on our way! Through lots of correspondence and paperwork, everything came to an end today when Chris went to sign the papers to close! I was unable to go because I'm on bed rest and had to sign Power of Attorney over to Chris, but he took care of everything today and we are officially home owners!

We can't wait to start our new life with Luke there and are so very blessed to have the support of family! Chris and I even picked out the paint colors for Luke's nursery and dining room so that it will all be painted by the time we move next week. Chris, my dad, and our awesome friends Joe and Jennifer are going to get the painting done and some stuff unloaded that Chris took down in a U-Haul today...and maybe the fridge ordered?? Either way, thanks to everyone for being so awesome during this process!

OUR HOME!

It's a good thing this bed is comfy

2010-01-19T09:49:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had another doctor's appointment. It was the first time the words 'bed rest' came out of my doctors' mouth. The previous 3 appointments we've just said 'take it easy', but then those 2 dreaded words were spoken. To make a long story short, I have mild pre-eclampsia. Well, at least I'm going to say it's mild. My blood pressure is still high, there's still some protein in my urine, although it seems to fluctuate from being trace amounts to 1+ and my blood work is hovering around the normal/abnormal line.

Last week I had to collect my urine for 24 hours. I tell you what, you don't know what freedom is until you decide to leave the house and then remember that you cannot use a public restroom and must turn around and head back home so you can follow doctors orders. They tested it for protein and it came back around the normal/abnormal line. Abnormal being a count (of what, I'm not sure) of 300 or more. Mine was 295. Too close for comfort...just like my blood.

The weird thing is that I feel great! I'm not swollen like you might typically expect for someone with pre-eclampsia, I don't have headaches, blurred vision, dizziness...I feel fine. So for now we're just keeping a very close eye on it.

I have to go in for an ultrasound today to make sure Luke has enough fluid around him and to have my BP checked again. They took more blood yesterday and will have those results for tomorrow's appointment. Yes...I get to go 3 days in a row. Lucky me!

And if things stay the same, I'll continue to be on bed rest and possibly have this baby sooner than later.

And to make things a little more stressful: We close on the house on Friday but still don't know if I'll be allowed to travel, so it may take being FedEx'd to us and Chris going down to get the keys and paint Luke's room. I have the urge to nest, but nowhere to do it because I'm not allowed to. If this baby comes early, where am I going to have him? My doctor here knows my history, but all my follow up care will be done in Little Rock. Do I really want to have him here and then drive to Little Rock? Or do I want to drive to Little Rock, have the baby, and be done. Also, all my prenatal classes are scheduled for February. All. Of. Them. Breastfeeding, Preparing for Labor, Infant CPR, etc. And they are all in Little Rock.

So excuse me while I go bang my head on something sharp...

Our First Baby Shower!

2010-01-17T08:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon my sister in law Emily hosted a baby shower for me and Luke (and Chris...although he was bowling with his dad and brother) and I had such a great time! Luke got some really cute outfits, an awesome handmade quilt, and a Boppy Newborn Lounger...yep! a lounger! We were so blessed to have my Mom and Grandma make the trip up from Hot Springs, and even though they came for the shower, they were thrilled to have a new town to shop in before and after the shower :). Jim and Jerl Dean were so generous, getting Luke some awesome baby gear like his car seat, stroller, and pack and play! They also found a cute punch recipe complete with rubber duckies! Jon and Emily went all out with the shower and instead of playing the typical games, the guests painted onesies for Luke and they turned out so stinkin' cute! What a wonderful day! Luke is going to have so many people who love him...what a lucky kid!

A cupcake umbrella! So cute and it tasted so yummy!

One of the onesies...this one by Aunt Emily!

The rubber ducky punch!

I didn't sleep but just a few hours the night before the shower, and dreamt that I slept through the shower. I was so worried all day that I was going to fall asleep and miss it, I'm so glad that didn't happen! I would've missed out on all the awesomeness!

32 Weeks

2010-01-08T12:01:00.000-06:00

Today I had my doctors appointment, we are now 32 weeks and 1 day. As usual, they required a urine sample and took my blood pressure. My blood pressure is always normal and there's never any problem with my urine, but today my BP was 150/91 and there was protein in my urine. The nurse had me lay on my side and retook my BP and it went back to normal. I also had to give another urine sample so they could send it to the lab, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. But I had to give enough urine to fill up 2 vials, but all I could produce was enough for 1. So Chris and I waited until I felt like I needed to go again, but there just wasn't anything to produce, so we went down and bought a Sprite (the water was all sold out) and walked around for 20 minutes or so before I felt the urge to go again. Finally, after 1 1/2 hours at the doctor, I could produce enough to fill up the other vial. And wouldn't you know, by the time I got home, I thought I was going to wet my pants I had to potty so bad. So lesson from today: I cannot pee when it's required of me. But get me in the car and away from a restroom and it will hit me like a ton of bricks.

But what does all this mean? We'll find out more Monday when everything returns from the lab, but essentially, if there really is protein in my urine and my BP stays high, then they'll put me on bed rest. Which I am NOT happy about, so please pray for us that this won't happen and everything will be fine. If I have to go on bed rest, I can't work, I can't pack, I can't do anything required to move us. It will all be on Chris' shoulders and we really will have to have a moving party, because it's just too much to handle on your own.

That's all I know for now, I'll let you know more when I know more...