A Trip Without a Baby

Matt and I celebrated our 4th anniversary last weekend. We went to Matt's old stomping grounds in Kansas City. We did some great shopping, ate a lot of food at a lot of different places, took in a ballgame and went to the dog track. This was my first night without Luke. I missed him and thought of him tons but knew he was safe and having a good time with aunt Angie.


We bought this new patio set...





We also purchased a new rug. I giggled (for some reason) the entire time he carried it through the store...

We have thrown several dollars at the puppies over the years. The track is closing for good this month. Bummer...

Kauffman...

Arrowhead is right next to Kauffman...GO CHIEFS!

We had tremendous seats...

Because you can never have too many pictures taken an arms length...to include the guy sitting next to you...

2nd Tidbit

For the longest time I couldn't pinpoint what was cutest about your giant stretches. Eventually it occurred to me that your arms are barely longer than your head. I have found that to be really entertaining. I love when you give a giant stretch with your tiny little arms. I had to snap a picture. There are so many little things I don't want to ever forget.

1st Tidbit

You have slept swaddled in this blanket from the very beginning. I realize that you are getting too big to be swaddled. However, it is as much my crutch as it is yours. This opens as the first little tidbit...just in case my mind ever tries to forget...

Month Five

Dear Luke,

I can’t get over how the last five months have flown by! I’ve been so lucky to be able to hang out with your during most of it. That time is coming to an end as I get ready to go back to work in a couple of weeks. I’m still in denial and trying not to think about it too much.

You had your four month appointment. You were in the 95th percentile for weight at 18.4 pounds and the 90th percentile for height at 26.5 inches. You are quite the little chunk. You got more shots at this appointment. You always cry just a bit but you recover very quickly. I think you are going to grow up to be a tough little guy.

You have always been so aware of your hands. Now you have discovered your feet. When you are on your back you immediately grab your feet and struggle with all your might to get them to your mouth. It is a bit of a challenge due to your growing belly but you can get your big toe in your mouth every now and again. You rolled over several times for a couple of weeks and then you suddenly stopped. I think you have learned early how to start to make me worry. We are still working on rolling but you just don’t seem that into it. You can sit up a little and are improving at your stability weekly. You giggle when your thighs are tickled and when someone gets your neck. You are quite the drooler and usually leave a puddle wherever you go.

You have started eating a little from a spoon daily. It has really taken some work but you are getting the hang of it. We started with cereal. Your face led me to believe that cereal tastes like glue so we quickly moved on to sweet peas. We are going to try all the veggies and then move on to some fruits here soon. You have really become routine with your bottles and take about four a day. This has made life so much simpler.

You can now hold light toys in your hands. I can even distract you with toys or a goofy face when you are fussy. You also love long walks at night. You don’t sleep during our walks as much as you once did. Now, you kick your feet up in the stroller and wiggle your toes. Some nights we walk up to an hour and a half together. I’m really going to miss those long walks when the weather starts to change.

Daddy said the other night, “he just gets more stuff every single day”. We were sitting around just staring at you in total amazement. Each day you do something new. It is hard to believe, but you truly get more awesome with each passing day. I may have to pay a little more attention now that I am going to have fewer hours with you each day. I’m going to try my best to not miss a thing, though.

Love,
Mama


Month One...




Month Two...

Month Three...

Month Four...

Month Five...

A Case of the Giggles

I have spent many summer afternoons staying inside where it is cool getting tickle spots.

A Big Splash

Luke took his first vacation on Monday to Branson. We went with aunt Angie and his cousins. This was his first time actually in the water. They had a very kid friendly area where he could swing. I think he enjoyed that the most. Emily is a little fish. She loves the water and was a dare devil on the slides. Ethan looks pretty unhappy in the only picture I have of him. However, he actually got in and played very well. Angie could be supermom for keeping an eye on them both in the water. They were so busy! I thank my luck stars that Luke is staying where I put him. I know that is all going to change very soon and he is going to keep me on the move.

I Can't Believe He was Ever THIS Small!

This is the youngest video of Luke I have. I think he was just a couple of weeks old here. He looks so serious! I hadn't been around many newborns. I didn't realize it took so many week for their faces to start working. His eyebrows didn't even wiggle for a couple of months. I had to add this video because it is mind boggling how he has changed in just a few months. I wish I hadn't been so sleep deprived and taken more early footage!

This Is Not Abusive

This video is dated. It was taken on May 29th. His face works a lot more now. He smiles and flails around constantly in the tub now, too. It is amazing to see how he has changed. I ran across this today and was blown away by what a difference a couple of months makes.

There is some sort of startle reflex (that he has since out-grown) that makes a baby react like this if you blow a puff of air into his face...

Yes, we had a lot of time on our hands to find this little trick.

Sitting (kinda)

Luke has started sitting a little. Being a first time mom, I'm not sure if this really counts as sitting. Is it really sitting if your belly drags the table? Whatever this is...he can hold himself like this, unsupported at 4 1/2 months. I have to keep a hand close by because he will fly off to the right or left at times with very little warning. This position is hard work. It makes his mouth hang open and gives him significant difficulties with saliva management.

Super Cute Cousins!

Emily and Ehtan took fantastic pictures too! They were troopers. Their pictures took extra long to take but they both were so good! Here are a few of my favorites. Oh, how I love these two!

First Photo Shoot

We got our first professional pictures taken today. We made it a family day out and met Emily, Ethan and Angie. It is a day I will never forget! Next time we are taking at least one set of extra hands. I wasn't planning on being in any pictures but she encouraged me to jump in. It was so fun. I can tell how it can be totally addictive to get this done on a regular basis. Luke cooperated wonderfully and put on his happiest face. He fell asleep on my shoulder while picking out photos. All that smiling made him pretty sleepy.

Keep in mind, these photos are not cropped. They are all pretty raw. They were nice enough to give us a disk with all pictures though and tell us to use them for personal use.

A Few More 4th Pictures

We had our annual celebration down at the farm with family and friends for the 4th. It was incredibly humid that evening. I had to strip Luke down to his shorts because he was running a little warm. This guy is like a little oven!

My Pop (Luke's great grandpa) was there which is always a treat.