Still Alive...

Sorry that we have been MIA from blogland lately. But don't worry! I have been taking an incredible amount of photos (2,260 from parts of May and June alone!) and writing journaling regularly. I will work on making back-posts so that you will all be filled in on the life of Luke. I will be sure to post extra pictures & stories to make up for our absence!

We are really enjoying Luke these days (not that we hadn't been before) but he is getting to be really fun to play with. He is grabbing at everything and we have to be careful when he is in our lap when we are eating that he won't grab at our silverware. He is still putting everything in his mouth (his clothes, his hands, his pacifier, his toys, our fingers, our noses, lol...anything that he can grab onto).

He is a supported sitter and loves to sit in our laps so that he can see everything. He doesn't like to be craddled like he did when he was a newborn (sigh...my baby is growing up!). He prefers to be up over our shoulders or sitting in our laps looking out.

I finally found him a gloworm. I have been searching for one for him for months...see this post from 12.19.07! He loves it and it helps him to calm down right before bed. (And Vicki, I am not just saying that because I love it so! He really does love it! I think his favorite thing about it is the glowing face).

He is still a really good sleeper though sometimes we have a hard time getting him to go to sleep...after he goes to sleep he will sleep for a long time though. Usually he will wake up at 8:15 because the alarm wakes him up. He typically goes to sleep around 12:00 or 1:00. He still cluster feeds and sometimes goes 9 or 10 hours without eating. Our bedtime routine involves feeding Luke, reading him two or three bedtime stories, burping him, feeding him some more, and laying him down in his Co-Sleeper with his gloworm.

He rolled over from his tummy to his back weeks ago and when he is upset he will roll over. When he is not upset and is on his tummy he will just hold his head up and look or lay down. I think he is going to learn how to crawl only when he is upset. He also rolls from his back to his side. The other night we had finally gotten him to go to sleep and then heard him making noise. I looked at him and he had rolled from his back to his side to sleep...guess he likes that position better? :)

He is still a really happy baby and will smile and squeal at people. We were at a meeting in San Antonio this weekend and Brad and Gene were sticking their tongues out at him and trying to make him smile. I warned them that that would make him squeal but they kept doing it...I had to step out of the room because Luke squealed so loud!

We got him this bouncer a few weeks ago and he seems to enjoy it. Once he decides that he would rather not be in it he will definitely let you know...he will let out a very loud cry and bounce up and down.

Lately he has not had a lot of poopy diapers. Initially we were concerned but apparently it is normal for 4-5 month breastfed babies to only go once every 7-14 days. Brad did the same thing when he was a baby. Luke hadn't pooped since the Sunday before last...9 whole days without pooping so we were all very excited when he had a poopy diaper on Tuesday night!! It was quite a blowout too! (We were just happy that it didn't get on his bouncer!!).

He has to go in for his 4 month immunization shots once again today. Hate that. I would rather not be there to see him cry :( When he had his shots at 2 months that was the first time that I had seen him cry with real tears :'( So heartbreaking for a momma to watch! Wish I could get them for him! Will write more about his checkup later.

Still loves being read to and will stop eating to listen and look at the pages sometimes. :) He has also started to hold onto the pages. He even turned the pages of his book during the long car ride on Saturday. He kept turning them the opposite way though...perhaps he would rather we read the books to him back to front? :)

I think he is starting to get a little separation anxiety. The other night when Gene and Linda were watching him for us he cried and cried and cried and then when I got there and held him he immediately stopped. Mom watched him last week during my eye appointment and she said that he would stare at the door and threw a bit of a fit.

He is quite the flirt and will smile and coo at cute girls. Seriously. The other day I went to a local tearoom and two pretty gals walked up to him and started talking to him and he laid on the charm. This seems a bit too early!!!

He absolutely loves his jogging stroller. I took him out in it last week and he slept the entire time that I ran (3 miles so we were out for a good long while!). The next day I took him out and he was awake and happy the whole time. The only time he got fussy was when I started to walk instead of jog. I have apparently enlisted in Luke's Boot Camp. Why walk when you can run? Why sit when you can stand? Lately he wants to be bounced and won't even let us sit with him. He will cry right away when we sit down.

His favorite toys are his gloworm, the Hop Along Bunny book (that lights up and plays music...thank you Grandma!), his clacker. He really loves laying down on the activity mat that his Auntie Vicki gave him (thank you, Auntie Vicki!!!!!). He will lay and swat at the toys above him. We use it almost every day. He recently figured out how to pull on the toys on his rocker to make it play music. I think he was really proud of himself :) He is also really good at moving the little stars on his swing (thank you, Tammy!). If his toys won't do the trick to get him to calm down then we usually carry him outside (he loves to be outside) or put him in his jogging stroller.

He is an old pro at putting his pacifier back in his mouth...occasionally he will pull it out and put it back in and pull it out...it is like he is a chain smoker with his paccy! It is so funny to watch! :)

And thought I'd share a cute one of Brad and Luke from today...love those two boys so much!!!!!!!!

BVOTD: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28