Saturday, December 27, 2008

Luke's Four Month Picture

Yesterday, we got family pictures taken, so I thought I'd post our favorite of Luke. He did remarkably well, though he did tire of the experience after about 25 minutes, as you can see here:

We've had a wonderful Christmas so far and are off to Winona to see Jeremy's family. We hope you've all had happy holidays, too!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Luke Visits Santa!

Today, Luke went to get his picture taken with Santa. Before I continue blogging, I'll share a few lessons Jeremy and I learned:
  1. You should DEFINITELY not wait until December 23 to do this. We will definitely be ahead of the crowds next year.
  2. We will not EVER leave the other to do this alone. Watching solo parents try to corral 2+ kids was sobering and terrifying.
  3. The more that people that tell you how perfectly your child behaves during the two-plus hour wait, the more horrendously he'll behave once you get home.
  4. Always ask if part of the mall Santa experience includes fake snow. That way, you'll be prepared to play defense when fifty tons of fake snow topples onto your heads and into your bags. Oops.

We got in line at 12:20. By 1:00, we were #2... but Santa took his milk and cookie break until 2:oo p.m. Drat! Luke was a trooper though, as you shall see...

12:20 - Let's do this!

1:20 - Still excited! A little waiting can't hold me down! 1:30 - Sleeping in heavenly peace... 1:56 - On deck! 2:05 - It's official...

We wish you all a Merry Christmas! More pictures to come in the next few days... or, perhaps more likely, within the next week.

Tagged - Eight Things About Me

I was tagged by my cousin's wife Becca... so here are eight things about me...

8 TV Shows I Watch:
  1. Dexter
  2. Biggest Loser
  3. The Office
  4. CSI-NY
  5. CSI
  6. Rock of Love Charm School (judge if you want. I realize that we all may look back and blame VH1 for the apocalypse, but if loving their shows is wrong, then I don't want to be right!)
  7. Mad Men (if crushes on TV shows were possible, I'd have a crush on this one. I cannot wait until it's back on!)
  8. Bravo (Top Chef, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Top Design... I loooove this channel.)
8 Favorite Restaurants:
  1. Sonic (for vanilla Diet Cokes)
  2. Corner Bakery
  3. Uncle Julio's
  4. PF Changs
  5. Taco Cabana (there's a new one close-ish to our house. Their queso has already set me back at least a pound of lost baby weight.)
  6. Del Frisco's
  7. Johnny Carino's
  8. Chick-Fil-A (whatever. I'm not very fancy. I just like food.)
8 Things that Happened to Me Today:
  1. Up at 6:30 a.m.
  2. Showered and dried my hair before Luke woke up
  3. Sterilized and filled 8 bottles
  4. Got Luke's medicine ready
  5. Fed Luke
  6. Played with Luke
  7. Got Luke to nap
  8. Checked email, read blogs... and here I am! : )
8 Things I Look Forward To:
  1. Holiday celebrations over the next several days
  2. A more peaceful year in 2009
  3. Watching Luke grow
  4. Hearing Luke giggle again! (He has maybe twice in the past two days, and I'm just dying to hear him again!)
  5. Sleeping in... someday
  6. Another "just us" vacation with Jeremy - hopefully not too far away
  7. A return trip to London
  8. Luke's picture with Santa today... hope it is a good one! (Or at least a funny one)
8 Things I Wish For:
  1. Continued health for my family
  2. Comfort and healing for those close to me who hurt
  3. The continued safety of our country and of our troops
  4. Many, many more years with my parents
  5. My wonderful, amazing, beautiful single girlfriends to find men they deserve
  6. Luke to get plenty of rest over the next few days so no one remembers him as a monster during his first Christmas ; )
  7. Safe travel during the holidays for all who are venturing out to see family
  8. To move in 2009
8 People I Tag... hmmm, not many blogs I follow, but I'll try to list as many as possible...
  1. Kristina
  2. Cathy
  3. Emily
  4. Susan
  5. Courtney
  6. Miranda

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Offically 3 Months Old... and Officially Sick

I turn three-months old, and all I get is a nasty cold?!? This stinks!!!

The last week has been rough on our Little Man. He's had some road trips for the Thanksgiving holiday, a doctor's appointment, his two-month shots, a couple of nights without Dad (who was on a business trip), and an emergency room visit! Yowza!
Let's start with the Thanksgiving holiday. It was wonderful, but the travel and schedule flip-flopping brought havoc to Luke's tummy and overall well-being. We spent Turkey Day with the Calverts (my Mom's family) and took an overnight trip to Winona on Friday and Saturday to see Jeremy's parents, Pete and Donna, and Luke's Aunt Michelle and cousins Brent and Halle. Luke wowed all who met him and behaved wonderfully despite taking a two-hour car trip for two days in a row. Naturally, he was a bit of a disaster on Sunday, but that was to be expected. Or at least that's what I told myself...

Well, fast forward to Tuesday, when Luke went to the doctor to get his ears checked, assess his progress with the soy formula, and get his two month shots. His ears were all clear, and we got a thumb's up on the soy formula. Then the poor little baby got his immunizations. The nurse who gave him the shots was magnificently fast. By the time he realized he had gotten the first shot, she was all done. Of course, the screaming wasn't done, but our brave little fellow handled himself quite well.

I'll just cut to the important stuff: I noticed Luke was coughing on Wednesday night. It didn't improve by Friday, and it was too late to go to his pediatrician, so we went to the ER to get his lungs looked at. Two x-rays and a nose-swab later, he was diagnosed with RSV, a very common virus for infants. It should last 5-8 days, and I think it is far harder on Jeremy and me than it is on Luke. He's really congested and coughing, but his spirits are pretty good. He's still his normal, smiley self early in the day, and he's jibber jabbering with us like normal. Nevertheless, he's pretty snoozy thanks to his medicine, so I didn't exactly get stellar pictures today. It's funny; I had hoped to get professional photos taken this weekend. Perhaps I will next weekend, if I'm not too frightened to take him out of the house. That, or his pro pics will be in a hazmat suit. : ) Oh well - here is what I do have for you now:
Official bear/chair pic. I took his socks off to highlight his ski-like feet.

Luke taking part in tummy time. It's not his favorite, but we try to get him excited about it. Great success, as you can see here. = \




Here's Luke bundled up to go to Sandra's Friday morning. This may be my new favorite picture. How adorable is he?




Lastly, our big boy holding himself up in his Bumbo seat! So strong!

That's all for now. Please say a prayer for our family - that Luke recovers as quickly as possible, and that Jeremy and I stay level-headed and as well-rested as possible so we can get him well!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Luke's Sexy Physique

Just two quick pics because I should be grading...

1. Gratuitous hooded towel picture, because how cute are these? I think Brooke Shields might agree that people have babies not only for German engineering, but also for hooded towels. (If you haven't seen the latest Volkswagen commercials, you will have no idea what I'm saying.)


2. Luke is starting to get fat rolls, and they are awesome. Here he is pre-bath. Luke's bringing sexy back.

The little pumpkin is officially three months old tomorrow! Stay tuned for new pictures soon...

Saturday, November 29, 2008

For Fellow Fans of "The Office"

Luke can finally wear his Dunder Mifflin onesie, even though it's kind of big (TWSS). Hooray!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Home Movies

Jeremy is continuing to fine-tune his low-budget movie-making skills. This week's installment includes teasing our dog with food, and Luke's first Dance Party . . .


Sunday, November 23, 2008

Soy Boy

*Sigh* Look at that sweet boy!


Luke had his two month appointment on Tuesday. Actually, "two month" is a bit of a misnomer; after all, he was 11 weeks old on appointment day - isn't that nearly three months? Anyway, my mommy friends had prepared me that the visit would be traumatic because Luke would get so many shots. I called in a half-day sub so that I'd have plenty of time to go to the appointment, take Luke to Honey and Grandfather's, go to the pharmacy to pick up some Infant Tylenol, and reapply my make-up since I figured I'd end up crying along with Luke.

Well, best laid plans...

Things started normally. We stripped Luke down so that he could be measured and weighed. Check out our growing dude!

  • Birth length and weight: 21.5 inches long; 9 lbs

  • 11 week length and weight: 25 inches long; 13 lbs, 6 oz.

Whoa! That means Luke nearly gained half of his birth weight for all of you math whizzes out there. : ) Of course the little man was raising hell (hates the nudity, as I've mentioned before) so we re-diapered him and headed to the exam room.... where Exorcist Baby appeared.

Dr. Scott enters and, as if on cue, Luke volcano barfs all over his brown velvet blanket (so much for warmth) and himself. Epic stuff. The next few minutes were kind of a blur between Luke's screaming and Dr. Scott's rapid-fire instructions, but in a nutshell, Dr. Scott determined that between the fluid in his ears (we didn't know!), his congestion, his rash on his arm and legs, and his nighttime fussiness, Luke might have a milk allergy. So I did make that trip to the pharmacy - to buy soy formula. So there you have it. My kid is on soy formula. We go back in two weeks to get his ears checked... and get those infamous shots. So far, the formula seems to be helping his congestions, fussiness, and rash. He's spitting up a little less... but that spit up smells like green beans. (Soy formula smells like green beans, which used to be a favorite food. Not so much now, I'm afraid.) Ahhh, the adventure that is parenthood...

Later that week - November 20 - was our four-year anniversary! So hard to believe. We celebrated the way any hip couple would: watching Survivor between diaper changes and feeding frenzy, dining on Chili's to Go (fancy!), and dressing Luke up in his fleece bear suit. (If you study his mouth closely, you can see the spit up making its way out. Seconds later, a white, pastey, green bean-smelling substance made its way all over the cute bear suit.)


All kidding aside, we cherish our anniversary more than all the others we've had. I think Jeremy would agree with me when I say that this was our best anniversary yet, because we have our little Luke. Our gratitude for his safe arrival and continued health is limitless.

Ideally, with some time off this week, I'll be able to take and post more pictures and videos. In the meantime, I wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving. Hug and kiss your kids and cherished your loved ones!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Blogging: A Great Way to Procrastinate!

Hello readers! I hope this finds you all doing well. I couldn't help but notice a lack of comments on the previous post, and I think I know why. It's because it said Luke endorsed Obama, isn't it? Two things on that: 1)Jeremy wrote it, not me; but more importantly 2)I would hope that our blog can be a place where all who love Luke, regardless of political affiliation, can come together in the name of truth, justice, and the American way. So I ask you: can we put politics aside and focus on Luke's off-the-charts cuteness?

Yes we can. : )

And now... levity! Six weeks grades are due tomorrow, which means I am drowning in essays and behind in lesson planning. UGH. I'll try to get some essays graded while I wait for this photo to upload...
Here's Luke at his first wedding. Our good friends Tracey and David got married last Saturday. We had a wonderful time! Luke was very well behaved, though he only made it to "Dearly beloved" before he started "speaking up" in the ceremony. He loved the lights at the reception, and he even did some dancing! Our computer is too lame to upload the video at home, but maybe JRo can take care of that this week at work. We'll see...
We also have a great video of Hannah trying to get some sausage off the counter. Again, I'll have to get JR to add that from work. Well dang... this has turned out to be kind of a lame post. I'll do better next time.
*Sigh* I guess this means I should grade now. Have a great week!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

A Message from Luke

Luke endorses Obama . . .

More Milestones

Luke is two months old, and big sister Hannah is three years old! That's 21 in dog years, and, to celebrate and to cope with the new stress that has entered her life over the past eight weeks, Hannah broke into our liquor cabinet. Here she is dealing with her massive hangover. (Please note that I'm kidding. I don't let my dog drink. It's just a funny picture.)
Here are a few attempts I made at taking his monthly milestone picture in his glider next to his bear. I couldn't keep him from slumping over (though I tried two days, as evidenced by his different outfits), but you get the idea. The good news is that his slumped poses highlight his "Buddha belly." Luke is still a hearty eater and, though a semi-frequent volcanic barfer, he's clearly keeping enough food down to stay plump.

My return to work has been great in many ways but so difficult in others. The toughest part is that during the work week, I miss Luke's peak happy hours (usually 9:00 a.m. to noon) and see him during his fussiest period: the 7:00-10:00 p.m. Scream Fest. I called my mom Wednesday night convinced Luke didn't love me or know that I was his mom because he hadn't smiled at me in days. She assured me that, contrary to what I thought, he didn't smile nonstop from the time I dropped him off to the time I picked him up. I guess the good part of all of this is that I definitely treasure the time I do have with him, especially this weekend! I basically didn't leave him alone all day Saturday, and I caught some pictures of him smiling this morning. (Well, I guess more accurately, this is on his way out of a smile... it is tough getting a picture of a squirmy kid!) He is all kinds of happy... until he realizes how long it has been since he last ate, and then he raises hell. I did not get a picture of that for you, though his mopey, pushed out bottom lip face is the cutest damn thing I've ever seen.... is that wrong for me to say?A few more things. I took some "nudes" of Luke so you could see his hysterical tummy. I think his torso is shaped like an upside-down cupcake: narrow ribs and then POW - big ole gut. Hysterical! He's also getting lots of fat rolls on his arms and legs. So precious!Also, Luke's new favorite is his mobile! This has been a godsend during Scream Time, as he listens to his music and zones out, watching his dragonflies "fly" above him and/or stare at his bumper pad. You can also see him in his Halloween outfit. I know, I know - we're no fun for not doing a costume. But most are sized 0-9 months... that would swallow him! We'll save the fun for next year when he's more into it and can trick or treat and get something besides the all-formula-all-the-time diet he's on now. Luke says, "I love Mummy." And Mummy loves Luke. : ) Happy Belated Halloween, everyone!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Busy times...

I returned to work this past Wednesday, so I haven't been able to post updates as I'd like. I'll be really quick tonight, but I hope to find time to take lots of pictures on Wednesday (when Luke hits the eight week mark...wow!) and post them by the weekend.

It's been a big few days with my recent return to work. Luke stays with Honey and Grandfather three days a week and Miss Sandra (a great recommendation from a family friend) the other two days. He's been a little prince by all accounts, and he's still - fingers crossed! - sleeping well for his mom and dad when he gets home. We hope this continues! While I've definitely missed Luke, it's been nice getting back to work and having an outlet for more "grown up" interests. (Translation: for a few hours of weekdays, my conversations do not involve wet and dirty diapers and vivid retellings of how many burps Luke had during a feeding.) I've grossly underestimated how exhausting this transition would be. We'll see how I'm feeling after my first five-day week passes.
And now - pictures...

1)This one is from Oct. 10... I just find it too hilarious. I had been trying to get a good shot of Luke's face when Hannah ambushes him with kisses. I think his expression says it all!
2)Here is a picture of Luke in his "going home from the hospital" outfit on his second day of life...

And on his 47th...
As you can see, he's not missing any meals. : )

Monday, October 13, 2008

I'm thankful...

Between the end of last school year and my current maternity leave, I've spent a lot of time watching television. (To tell the truth, I always watch a lot of television, but that isn't really my point.) Jeremy introduced me to Frasier, which was on while I was in high school and college - i.e., before I was a couch potato. This post isn't to praise the virtues of this show (which, for what it's worth, are endless - such a smart and touching comedy) but to share an epiphany I experienced after a recent episode.

I cannot remember the episode's title, but one of the major characters, Niles, is in the hospital having heart surgery. As he is wheeled off to the operating room, Niles makes a comment where he wonders whether hospitals have memories - after all, many of life's most impactful moments happen within their walls. The rest of the episode shows Niles's loved ones in the waiting room recalling significant events that happened inside that hospital - births, illnesses, accidents, disastrous diagnoses. And because Luke's crying stopped for the duration of the episode, I was really able to take it all in.

Most of you know that the first few months of 2008 were very difficult for my family and me. My dad spent the first two months of the year in ICU at Baylor Grapevine - the hospital where Luke was born almost six weeks ago. When Dad went into the hospital with trouble breathing, we all imagined the problem could be easily remedied. But within 24 hours he was being intubated and moved up to ICU. January 14 marked the beginning of several weeks of anxiety and stress for Dad's loved ones. There were several points where we didn't think he'd make it, and I can vividly recall all of my emotions during those difficult hours in the ICU waiting room. I was in agony, and not just because I didn't know if Dad was going to make it. I was in agony because, at the time, I was just six weeks pregnant. I knew I had to try to keep my emotions and stress in check, not only for my overall health, but for that of my baby. And I tried to sleep when I could, to eat right, to stay positive... yet my mind was never far from the fear that I might lose not only Dad, but also my baby - or harm him or her by not taking care of myself. I knew how important it was to be as careful as possible during my first trimester, and in the darkest of times, I just didn't believe that things could have a happy ending on both fronts. I guess that's what happens when life brings you hardship and blessing simultaneously; it's awfully difficult to embrace the good times when the bad ones are so prominent.

A day that epitomized that dilemma took place after my eight week appointment. My OB's office is right next door to Baylor Grapevine, so after my appointment, Jeremy and I headed next door to tell Mom how it went. We had a picture of little Luke - who, at that point, looked like a gummy bear - and a good report that everything was progressing just perfectly. I wanted to tell Dad about the appointment, too, but he was unresponsive. I will never forget going into Dad's room to tell him about the appointment. I shared the wonderful news through muffled sobs - because I didn't want to be telling Dad this when he couldn't truly be there. I hated that I was sharing this news without Dad's questions, without his jokes about names for the baby (in time, he'd choose "Otto Hubert," which drove me crazy), but with tubes and beeps and monitors responding in his place. Again, joy and despair merged. Quite the emotional roller coaster, particularly for one with surging pregnancy hormones.

You know, of course, how this ends: it was a long road to recovery, but Dad finally came home in mid-May, and he's doing wonderfully. As that Frasier episode reached its fitting end (a character recalling his child's birth), I looked down at my Luke - asleep in my arms, beautiful, safe, and healthy - and I broke down. In the months since Dad has been sick, I've heard of others who did not survive what he went through. Since I've had Luke, I've heard of mothers whose babies haven't been so healthy and strong. I realize how faithful God has been to me. I feared the worst of outcomes for no reason at all. Luke's grandfather does know him, and he's crazy about him. (Crazy enough to think a Youth Medium shirt fits him, as you may recall.) And the baby whose safety I worried so much about is just perfect. I'm thankful for so many things God has provided - from Dad and Luke to the grace and knowledge I've needed over these past six weeks. But after a seemingly random rerun, I'm thankful for His reminder that when hardships and blessings appear simultaneously, we should always focus on the blessings.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Birthday Boys

Hello there! It's been a while, but it has been a busy week since Jeremy had to go out of town for work and I've been flying solo. Thankfully, he is home safe, arriving in time to celebrate two momentous occasions: Luke's one month "birthday" and his own 408 month birthday! (I'll let you guys do some math to figure out his age. =D) Obviously, most of this post will be dedicated to Luke, but I do want to give some love to some deserving folks:
  • Heather and Scott - a huge thank you for watching Luke so Jeremy and I could go on a real birthday date. We had an amazing time, which was primarily possible because we knew Luke was in good hands. Thanks again!

  • Kerry and Tracey - you each were so helpful to me while Jeremy was out of town. Without you, I would have gotten even less sleep and showers - two things I sorely needed to keep going and care for Luke - and, Kerry, had you not brought me dinners, I would have gone on a two-day popcorn diet... probably good for losing baby weight, but not exactly the nutrition I'd need to mother my child. I have the greatest girlfriends you could hope for - thanks ladies! : )

  • Last but certainly not least, to Jeremy. I'll do my best to spare the blog readers from extreme sappiness, so I'll be brief. I've always appreciated the gift God gave me in Jeremy. We had a quote on our wedding program by Aristotle: "Love is one soul poured into two bodies." I've always known that we're soul mates, and I've only grown more certain of that as we've become a family. I always loved Jeremy as a wonderful husband, and now I love him even more because he's a wonderful father. I'm going to stop now so I don't cry, but in sum: Jeremy, I love you more than I could ever adequately say!
It's so hard to believe that a month has passed since Luke was born. What a wonderful whirlwind it has been! Our lives have changed so profoundly over these past four weeks, so much so that it is difficult to remember what it was like before. (I commented to a good friend that I barely remember being pregnant... funny, because five weeks ago I couldn't remember NOT being pregnant!) For example: Monday, I ventured out of the house with Luke and we went to the mall. Before, this was an effortless trip that I'd think nothing of taking. But now, it's an event requiring a good half hour of diaper bag prep and considerable upper body strength and coordination. (Holy crap that car seat is heavy, and though eventually it will be easy, I'm sure I looked like a moron trying to get the car seat into the stroller!) In the pre-Luke era, I'd consider it appalling if I only slept for five hours in a night. That happens now, and I am singing a hallelujah chorus. Five weeks ago I never thought one of my favorite games would be trying to clean up a poopy diaper using as few wipes as possible (they ain't free, you know), nor did I imagine I could feel so triumphant if I could get three big, dry burps in the course of feeding Luke. Indeed, times have changed. One of these days I'll blog more thoughtfully about it since, in true English teacher form, I've started a rough draft. But I figure you want pictures, so here they come...

Many of you have already seen some of these pictures taken by my friend Cathy. They are beautiful mementos of Luke at four weeks.



These next couple are pictures I took. Cathy suggested I take a picture of Luke at each month with the same teddy bear next to him so it's easier to gauge how much he's grown. While Luke is pretty strong, he doesn't exactly have great head control, so these aren't great, but here they are:

And my personal favorite:

Off to check on the little man now... hope this finds everyone doing well and having a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

3 weeks old!


It is hard to believe that our little Lucas James is already three weeks old! (It is just as hard to believe that I still haven't finished unpacking our bags from the hospital, but that's not important.) Today Honey and Grandfather visited him, so he got all decked out in his Aggie gear. As most of you know, my family is die-hard Aggie, and Grandfather purchased Luke his first Maroon Out shirt at last weekend's A&M-Miami debacle... I mean game. The smallest shirt they sold was a Youth Medium, and that's just fine for Luke, right? See for yourself...Luke was sorely disappointed this didn't come in his size. With luck, by the time Luke will be able to fit into this shirt, the Aggie football team will actually be a contender in the Big 12. I can dream, right?

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Did you know there is such a thing as Maple Syrup Urine Disease?

I didn't either until Friday, when we had Luke's first doctor's appointment! (Before I proceed: Maple Syrup Urine Disease, or MSUD, is a defect in how the body metabolizes amino acids. It only occurs in roughly 1 of 200,000 newborns in the U.S., but there is an increased risk in Mennonites. Please know that I mention MSUD only to begin my blog in a creative, engaging way. The Roberts family does not trivialize MSUD, and we apologize to any readers, Mennonite or otherwise, afflicted by the condition.)

Okey dokey, now that I've appeased the PC masses ;), a lot has happened since I last posted! I'll start with the doctor's report: Luke has gained six ounces since birth but has not gotten any longer. He's in the 75th percentile in weight and only the 50th in height. I was briefly devastated, as I want Luke to inherit his father's tallness, not his mother's short stockiness. But as Jeremy pointed out, what matters most is that we have in fact kept Luke healthy in the two weeks he's been home. He had his first shot and his second PKU test (this is where they prick the baby's heel and take a blood sample to detect disorders such as MSUD). Yes, Luke cried and cried (and, surprisingly, his parents did not), but I swear it has as much to do with the fact that he was only in a diaper for about 40 minutes. Luke does not care for nudity, so I think being nearly naked for that long ticked him off more than the needles did. Poor little pumpkin...

Jeremy and I are doing pretty well. We've finally caught on to what everyone has told us: sleep when the baby sleeps. Luke is on a semi-reliable feeding and sleep schedule, and we've been lucky to get as many as four consecutive hours of sleep a night! (I hear this is quite a blessing.) Jeremy heads back to work tomorrow full time, though, and I think this transition will be tougher for everyone as we adjust to another change. That's another thing I'm learning about bringing up Luke: just when you think you have something figured out, it's time for something new!

Luke is awake much more these days (and, praise God, during his parents' more natural waking hours), and it has been so much fun watching him take stock of the world around him. I think he is finally starting to notice Hannah when she comes over to sniff him. We can't decide whether she's thinking, "I want to make sure my brother is here and safe," or "Oh s--t, he's still here." (UPDATE: based on the giant dump she just took in Luke's room, it appears that Hannah feels a bit underwhelmed with being second fiddle.) Luke tries to win her heart by wearing puppy gear as much as possible. I took a picture of him today in this adorable getup, complete with his puppy slippers. (Thanks to Stephanie B. for the slippers. Steph, he kept them on for about five minutes, which is quite impressive for footwear.)

Luke is getting better at zeroing in on us when we talk to him, and he's even started making little coos every now and again. Here he is at one of his first attempts at "tummy time." He's not quite doing one-armed push-ups just yet, but we're working on it.

Here's Luke on his first walk. I wish I could say he had a rapturous encounter with the outdoors, but, like his mother, he seemed unimpressed. (More likely: I think being in the car seat resembles being in the womb. He just balls up and sleeps. This has made for some noiseless car trips... so far anyway!)

Well, Lucas James is making it abundantly clear that Mom needs to stop blogging and start snuggling before we take a bath and watch the Cowboys-Packers game, Dexter finale, and Emmys. It's a big night around here!

Hugs to everyone... we'll write more soon!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Luke's First Week!

I'd apologize for taking so long to post, but if you know anything about rearing newborns, you won't be judgmental. I've always heard how quickly time flies with a newborn. Eight days into life with Luke, I am floored by how true this is. And it's an ironic truth given how little we're sleeping! It's hard to believe that nine nights ago we were setting the alarm clock (as if we'd sleep!) to be sure we made it to the hospital in time for my 5:00 a.m. induction appointment. I can't believe how different life feels now, as I sit here typing the blog next to the baby monitor, knowing I'll get up about twenty times to go to the nursery and make sure little Luke is in fact breathing. I think that act best sums up how I'm feeling: that for all of the challenges and exhaustion, having Luke in our family is a blessing beyond my powers of comprehension. I like to think I am a gifted writer, but I am powerless to describe how profoundly thankful I am for the miracle sleeping in his crib one room away.

I figure pictures are what you want, and pictures you will get, thought it takes forever for them to upload. *Sigh* I remember when I had time to sit leisurely at the computer while pictures uploaded. My times have changed! Anyway, one more picture from Luke's birth day. 99.5% of the time I am ridiculously vain about being photographed sans make-up and flat-ironed hair. But this is one I do not even care to share, because I will always melt when I see how that little boy is looking at his mama! [Kleenex break...]
Phew, I'm back. Really, there are so many pictures I have from this past week, so I'll include some highlights. Please forgive me for not providing lengthy stories of each. Again: time is precious.

I have to provide pictures of Luke's grandparents, in part to thank them. Here are Grandfather, Honey, and Granny (my parents, John and Janis, and my grandmother, Shirley) right after Luke is born.
Here are Grandpa and Grandma (Jeremy's parents, Pete and Donna).
Having kids of your own provides you with a sudden, piercing insight of how much your parents really love you and would do anything for you. [Seriously... I may need another Kleenex. Dang hormones! =D] I know I'm speaking for Jeremy as well when I wholeheartedly thank all of them for their help over the past eight days. Whether they cooked for us, picked up around the house, took care of Luke while we took much-needed naps, answered their phones when we needed advice, and just did a million other things... our parents have been godsends, and Luke couldn't be luckier to have them in his life!

The Luke-Hannah introduction has gone amazingly well. Hannah is very protective of her baby brother, and I've heard a lot of her crying on the baby monitor - she gets so upset if she can't see that he is doing just fine! She very gently sniffs at him to check on him. This picture (that I wish wasn't so blurry) is from right after we brought Hannah home to meet Luke. She's been a really sweet big sister!


Here's Luke in his crib his first day at home.


Here's Luke just after he made his "Touchdown!" motion. It's one of our favorites.


And here's Luke resting after several visitors on his one-week birthday:

Alright... I'm sure in the time it took me to do all of this posting, he's ready to get up and eat again soon. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers, and we thank those of you who have visited us at the hospital and/or home. We are always telling Luke how lucky he is to have so many people who love him! We'll write more soon...

Monday, September 8, 2008

A brief update

Hello! I will definitely post more updates when we have time... which could be any time between tomorrow and, perhaps more realistically, 2026. =D

We've been home since Friday afternoon, and, all in all, things are going really well! Luke's already sleeping through the night!!!! Okay, I am completely kidding on that one. But he's mastering the arts of eating, burping, and pooping. Hey, for those of you who are laughing, it's tough work for a little man! It's the center of his life right now, and, as a result, the center of ours. You never think you'll utter things like, "Would you please pass me the butt paste?" But we're developing a renewed appreciation for caffeine... and treasuring Luke. We both keep looking at each other with goofy smiles like, "Look what we did!!!" He is such a gift.

I promise I will write more later (and post pictures!), but I wanted to get something up here. Thanks so much to all of our visitors and well-wishers. I am already telling Luke how lucky he is to have so many people who love him!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Luke is here!

Most of you know this already, but Lucas James Roberts joined us on Wednesday, September 3, at 12:51 p.m. He weighs 9 lbs (yes, 9 lbs) and is 21.5 inches long.

The whole family is doing just great! I will write more when we get home tomorrow, but I wanted to get a photo out. Luke is such a handsome boy, and we are already desperately in love with him!