Days Filled With Sunshine And Lovey

First Birthday Party

2011-05-28T09:40:00.003-05:00

The stage was set for our 'Sunshine' party.

The guests had arrived...all in their favorite yellow....

with cameras in tow.

My toes were the exception. They were in honor of when I had them painted blue for his birth.

It looked like Christmas morning!

Luke was a little overwhelmed...

until silly Daddy made him laugh :0)

Time to enjoy the presents.

Dinner also centered around the yellow & orange theme...Eggs, pancakes, oranges, pineapple, orange juice,...

He didn't want to wear his hat for long.

This was his first taste of cake. Maybe I should have made it with sweet potatoes :0)

Who needs cake when you have milk?!

Most of us wrote letters for Luke to open on his 18th birthday. I hope to add 3 more to this pile soon...you know who you are :0)

It is amazing how much he changed in the first year!!! God saw us through a lot!

Happy 1 Year Birthday

2011-05-05T02:18:00.003-05:00

Luke turned 12 month's old on Feb. 27th, 2010. Here are some things that happened during his 12th month of life that you haven't seen yet:

Ate some of a graham cracker and a strawberry melt!
Recognized the word wave while watching his video (waved before they said the word).
Starting eating 'big people' applesauce (with sugar), broccoli, & peaches.
Started saying uh? He would look at the cd player when it would stop playing music between songs and say uh? He also did it when his new walking toy (Harry) stopped playing music.
Started crying when we took something away from him. He became really good at turning his cry on & off. He could be really upset & then be perfectly fine 5 seconds later.
Started moving fingers on both hands back and forth real fast... kind of like a come here sign. Daddy says he does his hands like that to Luke.
Reduced rice to 4 tsps. with 3 ozs. of milk & 10 tsps. with 5 ozs. of milk.
First time at Best Buy. We went to look for a Valentine's gift for daddy. Daddy was so sad that he wasn't the one to take him.
Really started wanting me, especially when we were around other people.
Started talking a lot again. He had just been grunting for a couple of weeks (after saying da da). Then he started saying ba ba a lot. He didn't say it when he saw his bottle, it was just his word at the time.
Found the toilet paper. I was in there so he was only able to unroll it a little bit :0)
Started pointing (mainly at the light & fan). A few days later he started pointing at everything.
Really drank from a cup. He didn't like it, but he actually closed his mouth on it/sucked.
Started whole milk. Just 1 oz. at the 7 am feeding only.
Was dismissed from the genetic doctor! He said Luke was doing great and we could contact him if we ever wanted to.

and......

Started taking just 1 nap a day. He had been fussy/talking for one or both of his naps for several weeks. I think this was sooner than normal to cut out the morning nap, but it was going to be SOOOOO much better for him & us, if he could get 1 good nap.

He sure did have some tired eyes at lunch time....

This was day 2.

Had some precious eating time....love those hands on the ears! Daddy was able to get him to start holding the bottle on his own sometimes. He would let him hold his ears to start, then move his right hand down to hold it.

He closed his bedroom door. When I opened it, he seemed rather proud :0)

Started going back to the library. Since he only took 1 nap a day, we could go to the 9:30 hour.

Enjoyed cuddle time before bed.

Was really busy helping with housework!

Put away his mobile. He had already broken it once from standing up and pulling on it. When he first started standing up with his braces on he would scream, then he didn't care. The only 'toy' left in his crib is the sunshine.

Rode in the big seat of the grocery cart for the first time (as compared to in the car seat).

Had fun playing!

Was sooo cute!

Our Best Christmas Gift

2011-03-22T01:10:00.001-05:00

I LOVE the Christmas season!! Everything from the shopping on the day after Thanksgiving to the excitement of Christmas morning. And this December 25th wins the award for MOST EXCITING!

The birth story of our Abigail began on Christmas Eve. We spent the day at Pa & MeMa's, as we always do. I didn't feel so great, and later realized that I had been having a few contractions. We usually go to the candle light service at their church and then have supper together, but decided not to go this year so Luke could get in bed at a decent time. My contractions started to become a little noticeable as we left to go home so I was thankful that's where we were headed.

I was definitely in the putsy-putsy stage (terminology our wonderful Bradley childbirth teacher uses for the I can still move around/talk/laugh stage). After we put Luke in bed, we got ready for Christmas morning, just in case I wasn't really in labor. His big present this year was a train table which Santa had to finish assembling upstairs and then I helped him carry it down to the den. We loosely laid some wrapping paper and a big bow on top of it. All night long there was lots of debating about whether it was time to call Grammie and Grampa to come get Luke. We didn't want to sound any false alarms and we really wanted him to be with us on Christmas Day if we were at home. We finished packing...thankfully I was prepared this time and only had a few things to add to the bags. Matt loaded as much as he could in the van, and prepped the back area for me. He was afraid the neighbors might think he was hauling off a dead body due to the plastic he was laying down :0) At some point it started snowing which definitely added more concern.... so I made the call.

Now you have to understand that for about the last 2 month's of of mine and Lydia's (my sister-in-law) pregnancies mom is totally on standby! When she answers the phone, she is quickly gauging to see if it's time yet. (You can actually hear her hold her breath :0)) So I made sure to sound normal...chipper, asked what she was doing, etc. When I told her I thought it was time to come get Luke, she didn't believe me....job well done :0) She and dad quickly got in their sleigh and arrived around 10:00 pm. We all sat in the den chatting about the evening for a little while. I had a few contractions. Then Mom made a comment that still makes me laugh out loud....With a very serious, concerned look, she said I think you need to go to the hospital now. Somehow the "I'm planning to stay at home as long as possible so I can achieve natural childbirth" message, was overlooked at this point. I'm sure I will feel the same way if, and when, I see Abbie going through the same thing. However, I still wasn't even certain that this was the real deal! So needless to say the hospital was the last place I was headed at that point. I can only imagine what they talked about as Matt and I bundled up and went for a walk. It was so peaceful and wonderful walking through a truly silent night with the snow lightly falling, and a baby making her way into the world. Just a short stop and go stroll down our street confirmed that labor was progressing. As mom and dad were saying good-bye, a very sleepy Bubsy noticed something different in the den. I'm sure it gave him something fun to dream about :0)

Lydia is a mid-wife and was planning to be with us during the labor and delivery, as she was with Luke. I had so hoped that she would be here, and really was convinced that Abbie would arrive early and there wouldn't be a chance that she'd be out-of-town yet. When I called her, in between contractions, she answered with "Are you going to have a Christmas baby?!". It was a sad phone call because she and Eric were so far away, but God provided....Lydia had wisely advised us to find a back-up doula, just in case this situation arose. This wasn't an easy task since apparently lots of women were due around Christmas and doulas had family plans. We were able to meet with a lady a couple of weeks before my due date (which was Christmas Eve, and was always so fun to tell anyone who asked). However, I hadn't decided if I actually wanted her to come. I didn't have a strong connection with her and felt like the atmosphere would be too awkward. We eventually decided that we should call her since we wanted someone there for a 'just-in-case' occurrence. She arrived a little after midnight.

We chatted with Sarah while I sat on the exercise/birth ball and made laps through the den and kitchen. The contractions weren't too intense so Matt and I decided to rest while we could. We laid in bed and I fell in and out of sleep. After an hour went by, Sarah came in and said I had been having contractions every 5 mins. and due to the weather she thought it was probably time to go. Our goal was to wait until I was in transition, which would be contractions every 3-4 mins. And I really didn't think I was dilated that much since I was able to manage the pain pretty well. None the less, we put the remaining things in the van, and headed to Vanderbilt at about 1:55 am.

During the 30-45 min. drive, Matt called our parents and the mid-wives. I was relieved to know that Linda was on call. While not the lady I normally see, she was definitely one of our favorites. The worst part of the drive was being on my knees. I was leaning over the birth ball and hanging on to a cup holder whenever we made turns. Thankfully the snow had not made our roads too bad yet. Matt was great to adjust the air as needed and had the Jim Brickman Christmas cd playing. When we finally pulled into the (free) valet parking area, I was nervous that labor had stalled. I didn't seem to have a whole lot of contractions on the way there. I walked through the security station to the ER check-in desk and handed them my status sheet (name, DOB, etc.). I might have nodded if they asked me a question, but I didn't talk to them. I just held onto the edge of the desk as I waited for Matt. Our bags had to be searched for weapons since it was after hours. After what seemed like FOREVER, a nurse came down to walk us upstairs. There was another lady in 'labor' too. There's only one labor tub, which we were hoping to get. Too bad I couldn't race her, in case she was also wanting it. I found out later that Matt wasn't too thrilled that I was having to stop every few feet during contractions. You know, because he was thinking of me, not because he wanted to win:0) The other couple had to wait on the elevator so we all road up together. I don't know what this lady thought labor was, but she sure didn't seem to be having any problems, and I'm sure they thought I was being a drama queen. We were excited that the tub room was open and they took us right to it. It was about 3:00 am.

I REALLY had a full bladder so the bathroom was my first stop. Linda came in a few minutes later to check me. I was an EIGHT, 90% effaced, with a bulging bag of water!!! R.E.L.I.E.F. I was in transition!! They started filling the tub with water. I was Strep B positive so they needed to give me antibiotics. It took several tries to get the IV in successfully. Since I don't like needles, I kept my eyes closed and focused on contractions. I couldn't wait to be able to move around again. When I finally got to stand up, I draped my arms around Matt's neck. Then things really began to change! My water broke....all over his tennis shoes! And one of the not so lovely parts of labor occurred, poop, thankfully not on his shoes. I was having TREMENDOUS pain at this point. I'm sure anyone in the labor ward could hear me moaning and calling out to God. I was starting to get out of control. Linda came back in the room to check me. It was difficult for me to make myself sit down on the bed. I wanted it to be over. Then she said my baby was breech.

The room quickly filled with doctors. They were all making phone calls. Someone was in my ear telling me the risks involved with a c-section. I was telling Matt it was okay. They were helping me blow instead of push. I kept my eyes closed. I told Matt goodbye. He was alone. Our doula was there, but he was alone. He called Lydia to see if she could explain what was happening/going to happen and couldn't control his emotions. They wheeled me to the OR. I was having contractions and couldn't keep from pushing. They asked me to scoot myself onto a different bed. I couldn't move. They finally picked me up and moved me. I kept my eyes closed. I was nervous about the c-section. I can't remember if I knew they were going to put me all the way under or if I found that out later. They didn't have time to prep me so that I would be awake. A nice man standing behind my head said they needed to give me some oxygen. He told me they could put just a little pain medication through the mask, and if it made me feel dizzy they could stop it. I said ok since I thought this was going to be super hard. I started feeling dizzy within a minute so they turned it off. Then I heard the doctor say they were going to try to do a vaginal delivery, go get dad. Matt was on the phone with Lydia when they came and got him. She was so excited to hear they were allowing this! Prayers were already being answered! He put on scrubs (which I don't understand since he wasn't allowed to be in there for a c-section and would have to leave if the vaginal delivery didn't work).

I remember hearing him come in. They told me to push with everything I had on the next contraction. They pulled my legs back and someone pushed on my stomach. I only had to push 1 1/2 times....the labor notes say I had "excellent expulsive effort"!! At 4:22 am a baby was born, bottom first. Matt confirmed it was a girl :0) I kept exclaiming OH BABY, OH BABY. I was elated! I asked if he could cut the umbilical cord, and he did. She looked so little. Matt asked them to cut off my shirt since there would be no way for me to take it off with all the wires hooked up. (I was sad about that later because it was the same shirt I wore when I delivered Luke.) I held Abbie close! They made repairs. The doctor thought I was mad at him when I said it's a 2nd degree tear?!?! I was so excited...I assumed they had cut or I had torn much worse.

Back in the original delivery room I fed Abbie. She wanted to eat for a long time! I was pretty sore for a couple of hours so I took one or two doses of pain medication. I was having trouble going to the bathroom. As soon as the nurse said I'd have to have a catheter if I didn't go in 4 hours, I went! We made joyous phone calls! They wheeled us to our recovery room and we were very popular. We were told that everyone was talking about the unmedicated, breech, vaginal, Christmas baby! What a miracle!

I thank God for: A healthy baby, Sarah telling us when to go to the hospital, my water not breaking until we got to the hospital, Abbie pushing her way out so far they didn't have time to do a c-section, prayers, effective pushing, a doctor willing to allow a vaginal delivery, Abbie not getting stuck, not having to recover from a c-section, a wonderful husband to coach me, a short 11 hour labor, Abbie being head down at my appointment the day before, a bulging bag of water that didn't allow Linda to know what the presenting body part was when we got there, a big baby (8 lbs. 9 ozs.), getting to hold her on my chest right after delivery!

Meet Abigail Leanne.

A happy daddy!

Luke had a great view of our first White Christmas in Nashville in 17 years!

Everyone was super excited to see Matt coming down the hallway to start the introductions!

Luke was first. This picture just melts my heart....Big Brother on his way!

While I was pregnant, we talked a lot about where Abbie was. He would point to my belly and give kisses. He had no trouble figuring out that she was no longer in there :0)

He wasn't quite sure what to think when it was just the 2 of them, but he warmed up quickly!

It worked out great that he had some presents to open on Christmas Day.

The grandparents brought fun gifts, yummy treats, lots of love, and open arms!

I partook of the yummy treats while everyone passed Abbie around....hospital food is not for me!
Uncle Eric and Aunt Lydia have BIG BOW BABIES so Abbie wanted to make them proud when she first met them (a few days later at our family Christmas celebration) :0)

You know how you're supposed to take the baby's blanket home so that your dog can become familar with their smell? Well Grammie REALLY wanted to make sure Jasie would know Abbie!

Our first family portrait (maybe we can photoshop Jasie in from the picture above)!

I'm Back

2011-03-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

I hope you love the new design! It's just what I needed for some motivation to start writing again. While I'd love to pick up from where I left off (for chronological reasons), I really want you to see Abbie and her BIG brother! So I plan to do current posts mixed with some oldies every now and again. So stay tuned.....

Where I've been

2010-09-08T07:35:00.002-05:00

The last couple of month's have been filled with a busy toddler and a growing baby. I think it's the growing baby part that's required me to have more rest. I want to blog SO badly because you've got to see our sweet boy! I promise to pick up where I left off soon! Today I've got to try to work on our 2009 taxes!! That extension time is running out. I hope you have a joyous day as you complete your daily tasks, whether they are done timely or not :0)

All I Need is Love

2010-07-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

We had our Valentine's exchange before heading to Eric & Lydia's for a fun party with yummy treats!

Our First Science Adventure

2010-07-01T16:45:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed our first trip to the Adventure Science Center (formally Cumberland Science Museum) on a cold February day.

If we are out in public, most of the time we give Luke jarred food. This was his first time to have a veg./beef mixture (What? They can't even tell you what's actually in it!). He liked it after daddy heated it up!

I thought I would show Luke how much fun the slide was before I took him down with me. I'm glad I tried it out first because it was kind of fast and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like being enclosed.

Later that evening Matt and Pa finished installing the gates. I think it was much easier installing the 2nd one.

Check out these moves :0)

We ended the day with some special Valentine treats from Pa and MeMa.

Luke kissed his bear as soon as he saw it. So sweet!

Great grandma's think alike!

An Early Birthday Present

2010-06-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Luke was really enjoying cruising around the furniture, etc. so we thought he might like to have his walking toy a few weeks before his birthday. He and Harry became best friends right from the beginning.

Woof Woof

2010-06-27T09:35:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of February, Luke decided to try out the stairs leading to our bonus room. I had gone upstairs to grab something & when I came down 1 min. later he was on the 2nd stair!! Needless to say, I don't have a picture of that, but these are some pictures from the night Pa & MeMa came over to help install gates.
Luke's bib must have inspired him to play with Jasie's toy. Pa even thought he might start barking :0)

3 inches

2010-06-25T12:05:00.007-05:00

Started like this on 1/29... Daddy took Luke out for a quick view before bed.

This is what it looked like the next day. (Notice the footprints above were covered with fresh snow!)

This was the fourth time it snowed since Luke was born.

Our neighbors across the street built the largest snowman I've ever seen!

I can remember wearing layers, layers, and more layers when I was little. Well, that's definitely what Luke got to experience.

Notice how happy he is when they finally all get peeled off :0)

Day 2- Getting ready to go out.

Luke's 1st sled :0)

I don't think he liked the ride with daddy any better, but everything was fine once he got out.

Jasie didn't want to have anything to do with it. It was sad that we weren't able to build a snowman or even make a snowball since ice fell overnight and made it too crunchy, but we could still make a snow angel!

We were so glad that daddy didn't have to go teach his weekend class and got to play with us in the biggest snow I can remember in a long time!

Later that night we were able to make it out to our pre-scheduled 5th Sunday bowling outing. Luke just happened to have the perfect shirt!

Happy 11 Month Birthday

2010-06-14T20:10:00.004-05:00

Luke turned 11 month's old on Jan. 27th. Here's some things that happened during his 11th month of life that you haven't seen yet:

Started cruising around his crawl & cruise toy, Grampa & Grammie's ottoman, etc.
Bit us several times (we never saw or were told of this happening to any other children)
Went to his first wedding~ congratulations Uncle Billy & Aunt Barbara
Started repeatedly saying what sounded like dada
Reduced his rice to 2 tsps. per ounce & started using a level 3 nipple, instead of the Y-cut
Started waving at us
Started moving around the bathtub to get his toys
Everything that made noise had to be removed from his crib (Frosty, Rainforest, & Seahorse). It was sad, but he was taking an hour or longer to go to sleep.

and....

Stopped wearing size 3 diapers.
The closet HAD to be purged of 9 month clothes!

He was a little drummer boy.
Surprised daddy at work on pajama day during basketball homecoming week.
We started working with him to hold his bottle.
Was SO cute!

Moving Day...Home Sweet Home

2010-05-30T21:35:00.004-05:00

Eric, Lydia, Elijah, & Haven said goodbye to their cabin that was on Barbara Mandrell's old property when the new owners decided to make the area more of a tourist attraction.

Elijah explored the big U-Haul before he went to a friend's house to play.
It was INCREDIBLE how many people showed up to help!

Matt wore his official moving t-shirt with pride :0) Those days make him very thankful to now be working at summer school.

The truck was no longer empty....

but most of the house was.

Then the work began at the new house. I was amazed at how much was accomplished that day (although it was just the beginning for Eric & Lydia).

Clothes were hung...

Beds were made....

Bookshelves were filled...

And flowers even graced the kitchen window. (By the way, I love how Lydia has an outside view at the kitchen sink!)
One of the best parts of the day was when Elijah and Haven came home. We had a big welcoming party so Elijah would be excited about his new place to live.

He was glad to see his toys :0)

And there's nothing like helping daddy make a big fire!

Just
a
few
weeks
later
they threw a party!

All 5 of them!

Mom's shirt explains...

Their adorable house was FILLED with loving friends, happy to warm their new home!

Around the House

2010-05-28T13:05:00.005-05:00

While we were in Gatlinburg, I wanted to get Luke a sled (they are in abundance at that Walmart, and you can't find them anywhere around here), but we didn't have any room. In case you don't know, I don't travel lightly~ especially to a cabin. We managed to squeeze in the Fridge Phonics Alphabet Set which has proved to bring hours of fun!

Luke needed a kitchen drawer of his own, somewhere he could play without having to hear "close that" or "no touch". I found a cute spoon and spatula in Gatlinburg and some things we never used to help fill it up.

You can often find Luke in his room looking through his books and trying to get his "special" toys out of the drawer before I catch him :0)

This video shows the first time that Luke "helped" to give Jasie a little taste of his food. Yum Yum!

The Smokies

2010-05-23T21:07:00.001-05:00

For about the last 5 or 6 years we have rented a cabin in Gatlinburg with several friends from Tech over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. This year Matt and I went up a couple of days early and stayed at The Inn at Christmas Place. Besides not being up to my standards of clean, it did not disappoint.

Here's some of the things that made this place so fun:
After dinner one night, we arrived just in time for the last play of the bells. I was soooo excited!

This is PANCAKE PANTRY! The place where you normally have to wait an hour to get a seat....what a difference a weekday makes.

The Village by the Pancake Pantry is one of my favorite places to shop!

Check out the Christian book store that still has cassette TAPES!

Snazzy.

Clingman's Dome was closed, but we had fun site seeing on the way up.

We finished the weekend with lots of games, laughing, and fun with friends!

What's Going On With My Bathtub?

2010-05-20T22:27:00.001-05:00

Luke enjoyed his first bubble bath!

Rocking Rory

2010-05-19T20:50:00.001-05:00

This was Luke's first official time to rock.

Pearly Whites

2010-05-17T20:25:00.002-05:00

Luke had his first dentist visit at 10 months old because we noticed black stuff on the back of all 4 of his bottom teeth. Wild About Smiles was HIGHLY recommended & they didn't disappoint. Everyone was so sweet! They started the visit off with a picture and a monkey to take home. Thankfully he didn't have decay, but just staining from his vitamin which was "easily" scraped off. He was such a brave boy he got to pick a toy afterwards. Thankfully Grammie was able to come along to document the day!

Lovey

2010-05-09T22:05:00.001-05:00

Please pardon this interruption in the normally delayed scheduled postings. This is BREAKING news!

We are expecting baby #2!!

Santa may have to deliver this baby since our due date is Dec. 24th.

I am 7 1/2 weeks, but already have a "pouchy" belly (note to self- can't eat as many calories after I stop nursing).

We are SUPER excited and are so glad that you came by to share in this joy with us! We praise the Lord for another miracle He is perfectly knitting together (Psalms 139:13-14)!

Taken April 13th while Matt was at work.

A happy Daddy that afternoon!

Eric and Lydia found out later that night. It has become a tradition for us to drive to each other's house (mostly late at night) to spill the beans. Lydia was a little leery of who was flashing a bright light at her front door, but that didn't last long :0)

Eric was expecting Lydia when the door opened to his workout room~ surprise!

Meet Lovey at 7 weeks old:

I have felt nauseous (maybe more so than last time), but I haven't been sick. Ritz crackers are my favorite little snack when I don't feel so great. I usually get to take an afternoon nap when Luke does~YAY! I'm hoping to feel like working out again this week. After a 2 week break, I NEED it!

Last time we waited until I was 10 weeks before we told everyone else, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity for a SPECIAL Mother's Day surprise!

Pa & MeMa found out last night at Camino Real. They had been on belly patrol so they had a hunch, but didn't think we would tell them there :0)

Grampa and Grammie found out tonight at Red Lobster.

Eric and Lydia had given mom a corsage that had 4 small flowers for each of her grandchildren. They wanted to do 5, but knew that would give it away. So we waited until tonight to give her another one for Lovey.

Elijah got a special dessert since he turns 3 tomorrow!

Here's some pictures of me and BIG brother Luke on this special Mother's Day!

And to All a Good Knight!

2010-05-06T22:30:00.004-05:00

Christmas with my family started with a royal celebration on Wed. night the 30th:
Haven enjoyed the banquet feast VERY much!
Story time....
A group picture in matching Christmas pj's.....then bed for the little ones.
The 'older' ones peeked at all the fun awaiting us the next morning ~ upstairs! (We outgrew the den!) (It took us 2 hours to open these one by one. Since the kiddos were well rested, it went well!)
Then some of us played a crazy game of Hyper Dash. It involved lots of running and panting. Eric might have been at a slight disadvantage (although he still won), due to his crazy toe~ it NEVER touches the ground :0)
Jasie and Angel began our Christmas morning by opening their stockings. (Thursday the 31st)
Matt's stocking had an extra special gift~ a beat up car with the message Be Alert, Don't Get Hurt! (See previous post as to why.)

Elijah was very entertaining with his new guitar and guns! (What a big boy!)

Luke and Haven got some fancy new furniture!

This pretty much describes what Luke was doing all morning :0)

Mom's reaction to her calendar with all the grandchildren.

We surprised dad with a certificate to drive a bulldozer. Now that the weather is nice, it won't be long until he gets to fulfill a lifelong dream!

His lunch pail was packed with lots of goodies needed after a hard morning's work!

And we provided an instruction manual so he wouldn't look uneducated :0)

Elijah was my helper while I was getting ready. That was a big job!

Luke was a party animal on New Year's Eve!

The party continued on New Year's Day~ lots of love in Grampa's chair!

Happy 10 Month Birthday

2010-04-26T22:10:00.003-05:00

Luke turned 10 month's old on December 27th. Here are some more things that happened during his 10th month of life, that you haven't seen yet:

Pulled something off the coffee table for the first time
Started eating okra, honeydew, white potatoes, & graham crackers (well, sometimes he put these in his mouth)
Started having 3 baths a week
Started sleeping with his bottom up in the air & I stopped turning him over since he obviously preferred this way
Started holding his ears when eating solids and drinking from the bottle
Reduced his milk at every feeding so he would eat more solids (increased to 6-8 Tablespoons)
Discovered his rainforest crib toy because he didn't want to sleep in the afternoon some days
Fell off our bed for the 1st (& hopefully only) time. He'd taken a nap on there the day before while we were getting ready to go. We were going to let him do that again. I was in Luke's room, Matt was in the garage. I went into the kitchen & Luke was crawling around his highchair. I asked Matt why he got him down (b/c he was supposed to be going to sleep). He looked at me with wide eyes, knowing he didn't get him down, and now that I had not gotten him down either. I had heard a loud cry that lasted @ 2 sec. & I just thought he'd seen Matt & he was still in that I'm not going to give in to sleep faze. I never heard a big boom!

and......

Had a very fashionable Momma! The t-shirt and slippers were add-ons after church.

PlayedTook our Christmas card picture. His matching hat was too small :0)

Got a special package in the mail!!

Outgrew his 9 month clothes- the one piece outfits were the worst!

These pajamas were the first 12 month clothes he wore.

Matt and I went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Neal & Shaunda. It was fun having a double date and going to one of my favorite places!

Luke got to hang out with Grampa & Grammie while we were gone.

Got his first major cold! Despite suctioning right before bed, he'd wake up with a crusty little nose. Thankfully his fever didn't get very high!

As you can see, he outgrew his playmat. So it was replaced....
with a new jungle toy. He started pulling up all the time on this & if he was next to somebody.

Awww yes, he was in his first wreck. It involved BOTH of our parent's cars!! We had borrowed 'Blue' from my parents so that we'd have enough room to tote presents & all of our luggage over for our Christmas in a few days. Matt's parents came over for a birthday celebration. We all got to ride together to dinner since we had a big vehicle. As we were backing out of the driveway, suddenly their car appeared :0) Thankfully the only injuries were 2 bumpers!
We came back and had oh so yummy cake from Julia's Bakery!

Showed me I was REALLY behind on dusting!

Was so cute!

Merry Christmas to All

2010-04-23T22:30:00.003-05:00

Wow! The tree sure isn't bare anymore (remember this). Do you see someone snooping?

Our sweet little elf!

Rory the Rocking Lion was one of Luke's favorites!

Daddy got Jasie the best treats.

He only went so far as doing a smell test :0)
Silly Daddy :0)

I have waited a LONG time to go to Build a Bear. It was SOOOO much fun, and I can't wait until Luke is old enough to build his own. Frosty was made by me and Daddy, complete with a birth certificate and a special message from us!

Good job Sweetie! I love them!
Now that we don't watch Friends or 24 while eating dinner in the den, Jasie needed a bed in the kitchen. This pretty pink one is the replacement for the one that used to be on our bed.

Matt's new hobby is collecting golf balls. I am much more in favor of this than model race cars :0)

This is my reaction to my absolute favorite gift!

Matt went to a paint your own pottery shop to make this oh so precious frame!

This is actually our VERY favorite gift!

Luke really hit the jackpot at Pa & MeMa's! This pile of clothes is actually bigger than it appears!

Jasie is much more willing to wear a bandanna than a sweater :0)

My favorite gifts to give this year were calendars. MeMa has 11 months of Luke (and 1 of me with a BIG belly).

Pa is holding a ball retriever, which he "needs to get Matt's golf balls that somehow end up in the water".

Sooooo sweet with his new sleeping buddy!

Luke and I spent the evening with Grampa & Grammie while Pa & Daddy went to the Titans game.

Jasie was just as sad as us about the loss that knocked us out of playoff contentions.

Let the Presents Begin

2010-04-08T21:55:00.002-05:00

We always spend Christmas Eve with Pa's family. Last year we were delayed getting there due to me trying to figure out my gestational diabetes readings. I was diagnosed just about a week before Christmas. Oh, how much fun that was! This year I didn't have to worry about bread and cake and treats and..... It was good :0)
Make sure you don't miss the grand finale in this video :0) Luke really starts getting the hang of opening presents!

Christmas Joy!

2010-03-24T16:45:00.005-05:00

These first few pictures are just of Luke being super cute!

The last 2 show his interest in the tree. Thankfully he didn't go near it too much, & only a couple of ornaments had to be put back on. Notice the presents under the tree....they're the one's Matt wrapped....3 days before Christmas....I've still got time :0)

Double the Happiness

2010-03-23T22:40:00.002-05:00

Lydia and I shared our birthday celebrations this year. Our combined age is 59- wow that sounds weird! I don't think the YUMMY coca-cola cake would have supported that many candles.

I think this was the gift that caused mom to exclaim- "Wait! That's Laura's" (This, of course, was joked about all through Christmas.) In the end, we both received equally wonderful gifts!

Here's how Luke celebrated:

Lydia and Eric won both rounds of Like Minds. They both think of the same items when you give a category such as: What you see at the beach or What you put on an Ice Cream Sundae. (I was going to post a link for the game, but I'm guessing it isn't being made anymore since I could only find it on Amazon for $70 & EBay for $30.)

Elijah help deliver a VERY big surprise! It's not easy to surprise me. Not really because I'm sneaky. Just because I pay attention. And, of course, know how to read mom's face when I ask a question :0) However, I didn't think anything when she asked me about our video camera tapes laying on our counter a couple of weeks prior to this. (Good job mom!)

The difference in size is amazing! Even more amazing is what dad used to have (similar to this). He carried this MONSTER all through Disney World!

Best of all we no longer need tapes! Thank-you mom and dad!

Spreading the Love

2010-03-22T08:20:00.001-05:00

4 grandparents & 1 grandbaby = not enough time :0)

We had a good time at the annual Graves/Dodd Christmas meal!

We took this picture before we left. Notice there are NO presents under the tree 6 days before Christmas!

Nobody forgets about their granddog either :0)

The Things We Do For Love

2010-03-20T21:10:00.002-05:00

This Christmas outfit wasn't purchased at the same time, but look how the shirt & pants match exactly!

We dropped Luke off at Grampa & Grammie's church (my parents) on a Sunday afternoon so that we could go to.....
STAR WARS IN CONCERT! (An early Christmas present for Matt.)
I have only seen bits and pieces of some of the movies, but the Ewoks were my favorite!

I have no idea what this is :0)

This lady is one die hard fan!

Anthony Daniels played C3PO. He is a funny man & was a great narrator for the show. Don't you think they kind of resemble each other?

I think I fell asleep a couple of times, but I must say it was better than I thought it was going to be! It was worth it since Matt goes to all the "girlie" movies with me :0) Love you Sweetie!

We Remembered to Take Our Wallets

2010-03-18T22:30:00.004-05:00

but we forgot our camera! So enjoy these pictures taken with an expensive disposable camera & which were expensive to develop (we got a cd so we'd have a hard copy). Even these pictures are priceless!

Another tradition we started this year was to see the lights at Opryland Hotel. However in the future, we are going to try to go during the week! It took FOREVER to get to the hotel on the Saturday night 2 weeks before Christmas!! Due to this and the fact that it was raining we decided to park at the hotel instead of at Opry Mills...reason #2 for needing our wallets!

I remember being SO excited to see the lights and decorations when I was little. A few times it was after dad performed with the choir...Handel's Messiah is my favorite song to hear at Christmas...this is not them, but they were so good!

Santa is not easy to find in a massive hotel! I think having to hunt for him resulted in many people giving up because we didn't have to wait in line at all. The pictures turned out cute (minus the crazy looking Nutcrackers in the background), but Santa wasn't so sure what to say to a baby! These pictures weren't taken with the disposable and they were reason #3 we were glad to have our wallets :0)

We only saw the lights inside. Matt tried to direct us to the outside lights which featured a beautiful Nativity scene. As we drove past it on our way out, I asked why we didn't get to see those up close. I guess I should have listened to him :0)

A sweet gentleman offered to take a picture of all 3 of us. So even though I look like a gopher, it was the only one we had, and it just has to go on here :0-)

Our exciting evening was topped off with us spilling Luke's rice in the car while he was eating. Thankfully he already had what he needed!

This was a picture taken the next day so we could finish the roll of film. It looks like he's sledding in the kitchen :0)

Links

2010-03-17T21:12:00.001-05:00

A Christmas tradition I had growing up was to make a chain to count down the days until Christmas morning. Eric (my brother) & I would each complete one sometime after Thanksgiving and then remove one of the links each day. As the chain became shorter I think we became wilder! Christmas has ALWAYS been my favorite time of year! I would usually be the one to wake up first on Christmas morning. Even as teenagers Eric & I would go jump on mom & dad's bed at 5:00 AM. Soooo I have a lot to look forward to as Luke catches onto the excitement, and I'll have to figure out how to get in bed before 3:00 am on Christmas Eve!!

This is the chain Luke helped Grammie make this year. It has stars and Bible verses!
Our new Christmas tradition is The Elf on the Shelf. Meet Link, our special messenger Santa sends to watch and see if Luke is naughty or nice. This year he just hung out on our bookshelf, but next year he will be on the move....every morning he will appear in a new place (after he returns from the North Pole). When I first saw this in the store, I thought it seemed silly. Then I heard of family after family that has loved it! Some elves are girls, some are mischief (like rolling the bathroom with toilet paper), and all elves have children jumping out of bed to hunt for them. I can't wait to see how creative Link will be at our house! (I didn't realize until I was writing this that both traditions are about Links. We picked that name since our elf is the link between Luke and Santa.)

Just so there's no mistaking :0): The real meaning of Christmas will ALWAYS be proclaimed first and foremost in our house! There is NOTHING that can compare to Jesus being born! He came to rescue us from our sins! This is the reason we celebrate! This is why Christmas is so wonderful! Santa, Link, Rudolph, and Frosty are fun, but they are not the ones we are worshipping.

Wonderful White Winter

2010-03-15T21:30:00.002-05:00

December 5th was our first SNOW for this winter season. It was a sign of good things to come! This was Luke's first time to play in SNOW :0) Here are some things we LOVE about the SNOW: watching it fall from the sky, snowbird, hot chocolate, curling up by the fireplace (if one is available), playing in it, the earth being covered with a soft white blanket, and daddy gets to stay home!

Moving Up the Charts

2010-03-13T20:30:00.001-06:00

Luke's 9 month checkup was great! He weighed 21 lbs. 2 ozs. which put him above the 50th percentile. He measured 27 1/2 inches long which put him in the 25th percentile. His head circumference was 45 3/4 cm. which is above the 50th percentile. He got 1 shot and had his finger pricked for routine blood work. The worst part of the visit was having to get extra ear wax out of one of his ears. His pediatrician was soooo happy & truly knows that Luke is a miracle baby! He has come soooo far! We praise the Lord that Luke is healthy and growing well!!!

Happy 9 Month Birthday

2010-03-11T22:00:00.005-06:00

Luke turned 9 month's old on November 27th. Here are some things that happened during his 9th month of life that haven't already been blogged about:

Started blowing raspberries (sticking his tongue out and blowing). Fortunately this didn't happen too often while he was eating :0)

Moved from a crawling position to sitting up.

Got his 4th, 5th, and 6th teeth!!!

Went into a public bathroom for the first time. It was a nice one, but I still had to wash Mortimer after he dropped him on the floor.

Started clearing the spoon with his lips.

We started praying with him before he eats.

WE STOPPED KEEPING FEEDING RECORDS!! You know the ones they give you for the first few weeks to keep track of how long a feeding last, how much they ate, what was in their diaper, etc. We had 73 pages that had all of this info. from birth. I made all kinds of notes about what happened during the feedings to help figure out what worked/didn't work for him. I finally felt like he was eating and gaining weight well enough that it wasn't needed anymore.

and....

Ate Gerber banana puffs. I had to put it in his mouth and once he tasted it he liked it. (This was a momentary liking.)

Ate Gerber biter bars. (He still kind of likes to put these in his mouth, but he doesn't eat them like these pictures show.) Slept in the Ergo while we were on a Sunday School picnic. I haven't carried him in this very much at all so he wasn't crazy about it at first, but I think we both liked it :0) His mattress was lowered. He hadn't been standing up or having any problems up high, but we thought he might be getting close.....We dressed up! I can't figure out where we were going. I've checked the calendars and racked my brain, but I know we went somewhere otherwise I'd be in pajamas or workout clothes :0) We took some carrots to Jasmine the horse on one of our walks, then let our Jasmine see her up close :0) Chewed on teething rings! We have tons of them, but I always forget to get them out of the refrigerator. I think his gums would appreciate me helping out more often! Pa taught him how to drive his first car. Spent time with family. Enjoyed playing with his toys.

Was SO cute!

The CUTEST Reflection

2010-03-06T06:59:00.002-06:00

Watch Out Jasie!

2010-03-03T14:15:00.009-06:00

These first 2 pictures were the warnings that change was coming :0) They were taken a week or two before Luke became an official crawler.

On November 17th I was doing some laundry while Luke was in the den playing. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he was moving across the floor....

Gone are the days of just giving him a couple of toys to play with....he wants to see more! He also found the blinds which make such a great noise!

I was on the phone with Matt during this video...

So we stopped by the nursery the next Sun. (5 days after becoming mobile) & we asked if they needed to watch him to see if he was ready for the Crawlers room. We thought maybe he wasn't quite up to speed yet & might get to stay in the 'safe' room 1 more week, but they had already seen him jump crawling (you know- jumping his knees forward just a little bit at a time) for a couple of weeks. They knew he was ready. It was SO sad! They all came and told him goodbye. (I was SO sad we didn't get a picture of it!!!) They loved him :0)

He likes his new room. I don't even check on him between services anymore! Matt told me they know his name when he goes to drop him off, and they always say he was good. I'm just hoping he doesn't bite anybody :0)

9 Month Pictures

2010-03-01T14:12:00.005-06:00

Luke had his 9 month pictures taken right after all the beautiful Fall leaves were gone. We kept holding out hope that some would stick around, but I'm sure we'll get the gorgeous red, orange, and yellow backgrounds some day! Of course Kelli was still able to capture wonderful shots at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN!

Gobble Gobble

2010-02-28T14:35:00.004-06:00

We have 3 Thanksgiving celebrations: 1) With my family- a couple of weeks early- when Eric & Lydia are in town 2) With Grampa & Grammie on Thanksgiving morning/afternoon- usually mom cooks AGAIN- she always says she's not going to do as much, but she ALWAYS does- we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast this year-we didn't get any pictures 3) With Pa & MeMa at Matt's Aunt Lynn's house Thanksgiving evening We do A LOT of eating!! It starts the holiday season off right :0) 1st celebration: I am so thankful for this little boy! Fun times with cousins! Luke's expression seems to say "Who me?". It won't be long until all 3 of them will be getting into mischief together :0)

Yum Yum!

Haven is sporting the mohawk look :0)

This was the first time Luke intentionally smiled at the camera. It is the most precious grin! Celebration #3:

Aunt Lynn has a very fun playroom for all the kiddos!

Maybe Luke will be a better pianist than me!

I'm not sure what Matt said to get this reaction, but I think he warned Aunt GiGi that it would probably show up on the blog :0)

This video is a perfect way to sum up Thanksgiving!!!!

The 5 Minute Parade

2010-02-25T13:35:00.002-06:00

Luke & I were extremely late for the Veterans Day parade in Nashville! I believe it is a fairly long parade, but we only got to see 5 min. of it before Luke had to eat. Thankfully our trip to Nashville also included a picnic lunch at the Bicentennial Mall and a visit to The Cupcake Collection (very yummy!). I am so thankful to all of our military for serving our country, and hopefully next year we will get to cheer you on for much longer!

There's a BIG Fish in My Tub!

2010-02-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

We wanted Luke's first bath without his little tub to be extra special. So we dressed up and daddy jumped in.

Squeak...Laugh...Squeak...Laugh

2010-02-22T20:10:00.002-06:00

Anything Jasie does is so entertaining to Luke!

Road Trip

2010-02-20T21:30:00.001-06:00

Luke's first road trip was to CookVegas for Homecoming. Matt and I usually play in the BSU alumni vs. student football game on Friday night. We had been told {by a very reliable source :0)} that the game was off due to rained out fields. Turns out they were able to play, but I don't know how they managed without their best assets!! We went on over to our Fri. night Homecoming restaurant- Cheddar's.

Luke's first hotel to stay in was a Holiday Inn Express, and it was a nice place. He's slept in the same room with us at Grampa & Grammie's before, but he's always been asleep by the time we came to bed. Since daddy & I are so much fun, he waited until he didn't hear us talking anymore before he went to sleep. This wasn't too long after we put him to bed because it was pretty late and we were pretty tired.

This is the first time we used the changing table with the pack and play.

Mr. Seahorse was again our traveling mobile.

The next morning was his first time in a hotel bed.

He wanted a little more space for himself :0)

This is the second or third time Tech has scheduled Homecoming over Halloween. Several of our friends weren't able to come because they wouldn't have been home in time for the big night.

I left all my toiletries at home so I had to stop at a gas station on our way out that morning for some hair spray. (They had the hottest products!) Matt was totally embarrassed when I sprayed my hair right outside the entrance to the store :0)
All lined up for his first parade.

Back at the BSU for lunch...and a nap.

Later that night we went Trick or Treating for the first time. We only went to 4 of our neighbors and were the first spooks out since our little pumpkin has an early bedtime :0)

Jasie racked up on treats at her friend Sadie's house!

Happy 8 Month Birthday

2010-02-18T15:15:00.003-06:00

Luke turned 8 month's old on October 27th. Here's some things that haven't been revealed about his 8th month of life:

Started eating: flavored YoBaby yogurt (banana, blueberry, & apple), green beans, carrots, yellow squash, & zucchini.

Increased his milk volume at the 7:00 pm feeding (to 190 & then 200 mls).

Started sitting up all by himself!!

Started using a Y-cut nipple, which cut feeding time to only 15 min.!

Had his first lunch with daddy at work.

Got his 3rd tooth.

and...

Started wearing 6-9 month clothes. So another storage tub was filled with cute little clothes.Grew out of size 2 diapers. Performed daring tricks while eating his solids. It must have been too scary because he didn't repeat this. :0) Was introduced to his cup. He really likes to chew on it, but that's about it (even now).He & Jasie played with their new Halloween toys from Pa & MeMa. Was soooo cute!!

Guess Who?

2010-02-16T22:50:00.002-06:00

On October 26th, Luke hosted his first costume party. Everyone showed up to Luke's Pumpkin Patch in their finest non-frightening outfits. Uncle Eric had to work, but we are pretty sure he would've made a great hippie date :0)

Getting ready for the fun evening:
My adorable pumpkins!
Grammie & Angel in beautiful, buzzing, bumblebee outfits :0)
Adorable cousins!!! It is so sweet that Elijah often holds Luke's hand!
These are some of my favorite pictures! They just say fun, fun, fun!!!
The menu: Pumpkin pizzas, cheese sticks, cheese puffs, Cheetos, & a pumpkin shaped spice cake. We also had cute MoonPie owls and caramel apples to send home.

This little bear was in tip-top shape!Everyone was a GREAT sport & joined in the CrAzY party games! (Maybe it helped that their were prizes :0))

This little pumpkin was soooooo partied out!

There was LOTS of laughter! I hope everyone is thinking about what they want to be next year :0)

Just a Swingin'

2010-02-12T07:00:00.007-06:00

Luke had so much fun swinging at the zoo so we were really excited when Grampa & Grammie gave him his very own swing!

Make sure you listen for my reaction when I walk through a spider web :0)

Knock 'Em Down

2010-02-11T12:30:00.001-06:00

Sweet boys!!
Poor Jasie. She couldn't wait to escape!

SPLAT!

2010-02-09T17:00:00.000-06:00

My first attempt at making carrots did not go as planned. I thought it was going to be the easiest food yet.

I bought the baby carrots so they didn't need to be peeled or sliced, just rinsed. I steamed them for the short amt. of time they required, pierced them with a fork to make sure they were done, & then proceeded to puree them in the food processor.

That didn't work so I tried the hand mixer.

When that failed, I gave the blender a try, the machinery I've only used a handful of times.

I finally got the LARGE batch pureed & was ready to fill the ice cube trays.

Everything was running smoothly now.

Then, the bottom fell out of the blender.

So after an hour of extra time, a phone call to Lydia, & a LOT of mess was cleaned up my "easiest" cooking time was complete.

At least Jasie was there to help.

Bottom View Farm

2010-02-08T21:20:00.002-06:00

I've always heard of families going to pumpkin patches during the Fall & I couldn't wait to take Luke this year! Bottom View Farm is a quaint little place in Portland. This is what we did on our fun-field day.

We started with breakfast at the Old Time Fixin's Restaurant. Poor Luke didn't take a morning nap so he was pretty much tired the entire day.

It was overcast and stayed cool for most of the day.

There were a few people who tried to hit the target, but it was pretty much impossible.

I can't remember what Matt had us all in stitches about, but isn't it cute how Elijah is laughing too?!!

We found a pumpkin for daddy, momma, baby, & puppy :0) After we got back from the tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, we got to take a train ride. Then, things really got crazy... I wonder if Elijah will let Grammie out- Aah!

3 kids + LOTS of takes = 1 (maybe 2) good pictures Yes, we are related :0) At last....a nap!

A GREAT Laugh!

2010-02-06T18:00:00.002-06:00

Luke's 2nd trip to the zoo was extra fun because Daddy got to go! Elijah is a great tour guide! Luke might be tired, but he perked right back up :0) This was the first time Luke had ever been swinging. He loved it!

Haven was telling him how much fun it was! Isn't this just so sweet?!!!!!! I didn't realize I couldn't turn the camera vertically, when filming. Glad I turned it back the right way for the 2nd video.

Pinned Ya Again

2010-02-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

History vs. Food

2010-02-04T19:53:00.004-06:00

At the beginning of October, we went to Eric & Lydia's for a FuN weekend! Just down the street from their house was a Jesse James Festival. I've heard of Jesse James, but I don't know what he did. I was excited about the food :0) Luke had a good time with his cousins Friday night. (After seeing these pictures, I remembered that we still kept Luke's shoes on, while he was awake, for a few more days.) Daddy went to a Vandy game, after the Festival on Saturday, so it was a good day to wear this outfit for the only time....I barely got it on him. We had to wait awhile for our food, but it was worth it! As it turned out, this was the only part of the festival we got to take part in.....to see what was going on outside go here.

Sweet little Haven ~:0)

~tuckered out~

Luke decided to join her.

"Looks Good For Now"

2010-02-03T20:30:00.004-06:00

Luke saw his Orthopedist on September 29th. We played the waiting game. (Though, if I remember correctly, we didn't have to wait as long as usual.)

He got a new pair of shoes- 3 sizes bigger than his first pair! Good news- He only has to wear his shoes during nap time. So you won't see pictures like this anymore :0)

GREAT news- When we asked about the probability of him needing surgery to lengthen his heel cord, the doctor said he looks good for now!!! He doesn't think he will need it & wants to see what happens after he starts putting pressure on it when standing. We go back at the end of March....

Shoes & Shirt Required...

2010-02-02T21:46:00.005-06:00

...unless you eat like this. Several outfits were ruined due to avocado spots that I didn't get washed out soon enough. He only ate this way for 1 meal a day for about a week or two. I don't know if the messes had really improved or if I just tried to dress him in previous avocado attire.

Happy 7 Month Birthday

2010-02-01T10:00:00.004-06:00

Luke turned 7 month's old on September 27th. Here are some things that happened during his 7th month of life, that haven't already been blogged about:

Started several new foods (advanced cereal, bananas, butternut squash, pears, YoBaby plain yogurt, & mangos)

Ate jarred food for the first time (bananas- while we were at the zoo)

Started opening his mouth really well for the spoon & would even get excited when the spoon started coming towards him

Started 'helping' me hold his food bowl (he ate much better this way)

Increased his milk volume at the 7:00 pm feeding (to 185 ml)

Increased the amount of solids he ate at each feeding (@ 4T instead of @ 2T)

Started grabbing his feet when his shoes were off

Rolled from his stomach to back (he didn't do this often- mainly did back to stomach)

Started reaching for the remote control (so we gave him a play phone with buttons)

Went for a checkup at Special Kids (he was doing so well they didn't need to see him again until Jan.)

and....

Went for his 6 month checkup on Aug. 31st. He weighed 15 ls. 8 ozs. (15th percentile), was 24 3/4 inches long (3rd percentile), & had a head circumference of 43 1/2 cm (50th percentile). The doctor started him on a vitamin with iron since he doesn't drink a real large volume of milk (due to the large amt. of rice added to it). He got 1 shot & his last round of Roto Virus drops. The doctor was very pleased with how he was doing! This is the super cute outfit he wore for his checkup. Wore this onesie we got him when we visited the Loveless Cafe during our anniversary weekend. We thought the shirt was really cute, but weren't so impressed with the restaurant.

Went outside for a picnic lunch with me & Jasie. (I LOVE the snow we've been getting, but pictures like this make me so glad we experience 4 seasons here in TN.) Notice where all his toys end up :0)

Had fun with his cousins. For some reason this is the only picture we have of that weekend. Aunt Lydia did a much better job, which you can see here!

Became very mobile in bed! He woke us up at 5:00 one morning because his head was stuck under the sunshine. A few days later he woke up at 6:15. I went to check on him & he had turned 180 degrees so that his head was by his animals.

Started turning pages in his books.

Made a new friend.

Was the CENTER of attention! Was, shall we say, MESSY!

Wore his last 3-6 month outfit. (This was taken on his 7th month birthday.)

Was so cute!

Say Ahh

2010-01-30T14:50:00.003-06:00

We felt Luke's first tooth on September 1st, & talked several times about how we should probably start brushing it. When we were reminded during our checkup at Special Kids, we took action. This happened to be right after we felt his 2nd tooth towards the end of September. He kind of likes his 'Mr. Toothbrush Friend', which he gets to see twice a day.

Challenge!

2010-01-29T23:40:00.001-06:00

This video reminds me of this Cosby episode. Chhhaaalllenge!