Christmas in Florida

Last week we went to Florida for our Christmas with the Gentile's! We had so much fun! Our car ride there and back however were pretty exhausting. Luke isn't too keen on the long car rides anymore. Daddy and Mommy had to take turns entertaining. Where's that DVD player when you need it?! Luke LOVED playing with his cousins. While visiting in Florida we found out Luke's a biter and tried a couple of times to take a chunk out of sweet Max.

We took a visit to Santa. Mommy was hoping to get a "memorable" photo out of it but Santa didn't scare Luke. Instead of those priceless photos that I've seen flying around the internet from other children's frightful encounter we got the same photogenic pictures with Santa as we do any other time! {When Dave uploaded the photos he forgot to download the Santa ones and then erased them from the camera on accident!! I guess we'll have to wait until next year to capture the moment:(}

Luke got a lot of great gifts from family, specifically;
Grammy and Pop-Pop: Blocks, tool-set, bouncy ball, Jesus DVD, books and clothes
Great Grandma: Roll toy
Uncle Nick, Aunt Heather and cousins: Talking puppy and play table
Zapadenko family of cousins: bibs and snacks
Great Aunt Lois: Cute fireman pajamas

Thank you all so much for all the amazing gifts. Luke loves them all.

Some highlights of the week:

• Luke meeting Max with a little pounce on the back and a bite:)
• Luke choking on wrapping paper
• Luke playing and staying up late with the big kids {cousins}
• Luke and his cousins sharing a bath together. I've never seen so many cute little hineys'!
• Luke taking two steps by himself. (He did this right before we left for out of town with Grammy and Grandpa also!)
• Luke met Santa and wasn't scared!
• Luke got to ride in a train 

Here are some photos from the weekend. It wasn't until I uploaded the photos did I realize we didn't take a single family photo!! We're learning, next year we'll have tons;)

Oops, I forgot!

I forgot to post Luke's ratings from his last doctor visit!

Height: 29.5 inches = 75-90%
Weight: 19 lbs = 25-50%
Head: 46.2 cm = 75%

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We celebrated Dave's {aka Daddy's} 35th birthday on December 9th. Dave wanted a Daddy/Son day for his birthday! When Dave first told me this would entail taking Luke to Amicolola Falls for a hike, I thought he was crazy! That's an 1-1/2 drive and then a 2 mile hike. This pretty much would mean no naps for Luke and I for sure thought he would have a melt down. Much to my surprise Luke was perfect with Daddy. Dave said he even had to pull off the road on the way home to take a nap and Luke stayed in his carseat and played by himself. There's no way Luke would have been that good with me! Dave got some great footage and video of his Daddy/Son day.

That evening we went to Grammy and Grandpa's house for a yummy steak dinner and then my delicious;) yellow cake afterwards with candles! Luke really liked the candles.

Happy Birthday Dave! Luke and I love you so much. You are the best Daddy ever!:)



Luke is 10 Months!

These last few blog entries are going to be really hard to write-up. Our little Luke is a whoppin' 10 months old. The closer he gets to one the more we realize how fast these months flew by and how fast these years will go by. These moments are so short. I am so thankful to be able to be home to watch every first moment and soak in every hug, kiss, breath, tear, giggle, crawl, bump, scrape, etc. I've heard some say that being away from your baby makes you appreciate the moments you have with them but I realized quite the contrary. I appreciate these moments because I know that in just a few short years these moments will be gone and no matter how much I was with him in those years I'll wish I had them back to soak those moments in even more. I look at my full-time career and think; I had it (still have it but doing the very minimum at home), I enjoyed it, but I want it to be the very last of my priorities now. God and then family come first. Sometimes we (Dave and I) feel this hurt in our pockets, our lifestyle and in our bills but we know it's worth it to be raising our child with me at home. I can always go back to work in the future and catch up from where I left off. I can't go back and raise my child after he's already grown up. For the single-mommy's, hang in there, you're doing a great job juggling both. Lean to God for guidance and help when you feel lost and alone. For those who are married and husband's are working; go through Dave Ramsey's, "Financial Peace" course to get yourselves out of debt and on a budget to be able to stay at home with your baby or babies. My husband is a government employee {fireman} and we're making it work!

This month Luke has gotten into ALL sorts of trouble! One day as I was in the kitchen doing dishes. Luke was playing under the kitchen chairs as he normally does. He was being extra quite so I decided to get to his level to see what he was up too. I noticed he was fumbling with something in his hands. I open them to find washers. I looked at him and he gave me a bashful, "what'd I do, Mommy?" look. I looked under the chair seat to find where those washers were supposed to be. They were missing from one of the four corners. I then immediately thought, hmmm, where is the nut to go with the washers? I looked at him again and heard clanking coming from his mouth. I did a sweep with my finger and pulled the washer out of his mouth! I couldn't believe it, he had slowly been unscrewing the nut the whole time he was playing under the chair! I was so thankful to check on him when I did. Dave has since, tightened every chair in the kitchen:).

Here's our little munchkin's list this month:

#1 He LOVES his stuffed animals and points to his big puppy on his bookshelf for me to give to him every morning and night. He likes to give them kisses and hugs.
#2 He LOVES pulling his socks off when we put him in his car seat
#3 He LOVES his puffs
#4 He LOVES to walk and push things. He's pushed the garabage can across the kitchen. We're looking forward to him opening some of his Christmas presents. I think he may have a push toy as one of them;)
#5 He LOVES bathtime
#6 He notices framed photos now and smiles and points to them.
#7 He signs "milk." My signings paid off! It's the cutest thing I've ever seen!
#8 He likes to watch 'Happy Feet.' Whenever the little penguin shows up on the screen he lights up and giggles. {I think it's safe to assume Luke LOVES animals:)}
#9 He likes to take things apart and put them back together again. Hence the unscrewing of our furniture and knobs in the kitchen! He's a gadget boy.

And of course, lastly; here is our photogenic little man:)

Luke's 9 Month Doc Check-up

Luke had his 9 month doctor visit this week. It should've been more like his 10 month doctor appointment the way they booked it. He did such a good job with everything. In between the nurse checking his measurements and waiting on the doctor, Luke kept himself busy crawling and climbing everywhere. He only cried for a couple of seconds when the nurse gave him his shots and then he scolded her afterwards. She wasn't on his favorite people list after that:).

We were given some very interesting information while we were visiting. If you know me a little or at all you may pick up that I'm a somewhat "by the book" kind of girl. However, I wouldn't say I'm an extreme in this area. It makes me feel safe and comforted to know that what I'm doing is okay because I've read it or heard it from a reliable source. Sometimes though, I can stress myself out thinking I can't do certain things because two or more sources say not too. I got some relief from the doctor today with two of my issues. Issue #1 brushing Luke's teeth and Issue #2 making sure Luke doesn't get certain foods until he reaches the "appropriate" age (i.e. strawberries, nuts, honey, eggs,etc).

With issue #1 (brushing baby's teeth) Luke's doc says that's really all up to the parents. It's more of an introduction to something being rubbed on their gums so in the future they are more comfortable with a toothbrush. He said sometimes parents will wait up to three years of age to brush their teeth! Now, I don't think I'll wait that long but it gives me the comfort to know his baby teeth won't rot out if I forget to brush his teeth a few days in a row!

Issue #2 Not eating certain foods: This was a huge "aha" moment! {One of the many things we love about Luke's pediatrician is that he sits down with us and actually holds on a two-sided conversation. We haven't had an appointment go by that didn't last for over an hour. He's long-winded but filled with valuable information based on scientific studies he's read and researched. This is a breath of fresh air to most doctors in the industry. Most rush you out their door to fit in the next patient!} The synopsis of our long conversation about foods was there really isn't anything you can't give your 9 month old. The doc said there's been a big hype in parenting magazines, books and internet about not giving your baby citrus fruits, strawberries, nuts, eggs and honey but there aren't any good scientific studies to back them up. He said there used to be a time when the first thing doctor's told you to give your child was eggs because it's easy to make and a good source of protein. He said you can give your baby any of these food items just as long as they're introduced slowly to make sure there aren't any reactions to them. His only negative about nuts is the obvious choking hazard but there is no harm in giving him a muffin or such that contains nuts. In fact, he said the earlier you can introduce your child to all food types the better and less likely they are to develop an allergy.

With all the information out there combined with the occasional person saying, "Ooo, I wouldn't do that." Or, "Are you sure that's okay, I've heard that could be deadly!" and you feel like a horrible Mommy for doing something, check with you doctor and hopefully they give some comforting words of "What you're doing is okay."

Here are some pics of the events:)

Here she is!!

Finally posting! Here is our new house and little family. We also got a chance to fix up some of the rooms to be able to show before and after pictures. I have to give some major props to my exceptionally talented hubby for repainting ALL the rooms, changing light fixtures and applainces. Those few tweeks make a huge difference in the look of the rooms. I love you babe:). Thanks for all your hard work and putting up with me asking you to do a million things:). Coming soon will  be pictures of the kitchen, guest room, guest bath and master bedroom:).



Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

Our "thankful" list this Thanksgiving:
We our most thankful for our relationship with God through Christ and receiving the following blessings from him:

• My stud of a husband who saves us a butt-load of money being handy around the house. I love you munchkin! You are an amazingly patient husband and wonderful daddy:).
• Luke, who would have thought there is another kind of love to experience?! He brings us so much joy, happiness and laughter everyday.
• Family, they are always faithful and loyal, we love you all!
• Friends
• New home with close proximities:)
• Jobs, we still have them and are so thankful for that.
• There are so many more things but these rank at the top of our list!

This year we spent Thanksgiving in our new home with family. I even braved to cook the turkey and surprisingly I didn't under-cook or over-cook it! Luke had his first taste of Turkey and most of the yummy sides and loved it! We're looking forward to Christmas!



Luke is 9 Months Old

This month really flew by! We moved for Luke's 9 month birthday, which is why we are over a week late with our posting! Plus we were waiting on Grammy's sewing machine to work again in order for us to post him in his cute little onesie:). Well, the machine failed us and we're stuck with just a simple white onesie this month.

We've finally settled in the new house for the most part and Luke's adjusting quite well to his new room and home. I thought maybe he would have a hard time sleeping, but so far so good! We've met a few of our neighbors who were nice enough to come by with cookies, flowers, pies and a casserole! One of them even got a gift just for Luke! We are so thankful and blessed that the Lord has given us this beautiful home with great neighbors. Embarrassing neighbor moment: Our new house has a fenced in yard but one day I decided to let Rufus out the front door. Well, Rufus saw our new neighbors dog and ran over to say hi. I walked over and met the new neighbor who was really nice. As we were talking Rufus was roaming the street. As I'm yelling for him to get back, he trots across the street to another neighbors house I haven't met and decided to take a squat right at the steps of there front porch! I was mortified!! I had to go over there later that day to clean up, thinking surely they had seen him do it thru their window. When I walked over I realized he didn't actually take a squat. So then I had to introduce myself to them for the first time and explain why I was over there with a trash bag in my hands. The good thing was they are a young couple with kids and are really nice. Whew!

In this month Luke decided it was time for some teeth to come in. He had a total of FOUR teeth come in. The first one to come in was his top tooth. He's been suffering this month with alot of pain. Mommy can tell because he's been whiny, drooling, chewing on absolutely everything and sometimes even had diarrhea:( His crib is covered in teeth marks. He's got a good bite too, watch out! When he chomps down he doesn't let go and it hurts! It's like puppy teeth, but worse.

Luke's business:

• He's eating finger foods much better now that some teeth have come in. He's not into fruit or veggies yet. He likes the puffs, wheat bread, cheese, bananas, carrots and rice cakes.
• He learned to wave, so cute!
• He's cruising
• He takes his baths in the garden tub and loves it! Can you believe it took me this long to get him in the tub?? It was mainly because I didn't feel like bending over to wash him:)
• He points at everything but mainly lights. It's so cute!
• He's nosy. He'll push his way through things just to see what's going on.
• He likes to be around people and apart of things.
• I keep all his baby foods in a basket on the floor in the kitchen. He loves to dig through it and play.
• I keep one lower cabinet in the kitchen filled with tupperware. It keeps him busy while Mommy cooks dinner.
• We finally got the video monitor working again in our new house. Mommy loves to watch you when you wake up from naps. You sit up and play with your stuffed animals.
• We've already started a little disciplining. We say "No" and show the sign for it. If he gets into things that could be dangerous, which seems to be everyday, we give him a light squeeze on the inner thigh. He's caught on and blocks his thigh when we say "no." He also likes to laugh at us sometimes when we say no. It's almost like he things it's a game...:) I can already tell it's going to be hard to keep a straight face when disciplining. He's just so darn cute even when he gets into trouble!









Luke's First Halloween

I'm a little behind but Luke was a lion for his first Halloween, "put-em up, put-em up." He was so cute crawling around in the grass. He actually looked like a lion! Grammy, Grandpa and Beau came over for the big event. Beau and Rufus didn't know what to think of Luke in costume. I think they thought he was a toy for them to play with. Since Luke was a little to small to go out trick or treating he helped pass out candy to trick or treaters that came by.



We've got a tooth!

Last night Luke got his first tooth! It's the top one and it explains a whole lot of things. The drooling, chewing on everything, tugging of the ears (which Mommy thought was an ear infection and went in for a visit to find out it wasn't), fussiness, stirring through the night, loss of appettie, so many things. Then later this evening I was checking on the new tooth and saw that a bottom tooth was coming in. It literally happened through the day because I checked in the morning and it wasn't there. Oh, and one more thing; I wouldn't be surprised if Luke starts walking in two months if not sooner. He started cruising and he literally pulls himself up without holding onto furniture and stands by himself. The longest stand I've counted so far is ten seconds! All we need is for one foot to step forward and we're walking;).

Luke is 8 Months Old!

Well another month went by and our little man is now 8 months old! I think he may have had a little growth spurt too because his clothes are getting a little snug {I literally had to keep his buttons undone on his pants while we were running errands}. We had lots of fun with Luke this month. We've decided that our little one will not be taking life seriously anytime soon, in fact maybe never. He laughs at the serious things, the little things and the big things. One day we were driving home in Dave's truck {yes, you guessed right, all three of us on a bench seat} and I looked at Luke to see him trying to fall asleep, head looking away from me and giggling with his eyes shut! Don't get me wrong though, Luke has his moments of fussiness and crying. (Those are usually in the evening:).

There is always so much to say with every month that goes by. We're trying our hardest to soak in every moment. We love watching him explore; his toys, the trees, the grass, Mommy's hair, Daddy's scruffles, the carpet, the ridges in the wood floor, everything! We love chasing him around saying "Mommy/Daddy's gonna get you!" as Luke squeals and jumps to his hands and knees, and starts hauling 'bootie' away from us. He also loves to play "peek-a-boo" or should I say, "where's is Luke?!"

What else is there, oh yes, we've weaned him off nursing. He's now strictly a bottle-fed formula baby. Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to some early evenings out together without the worry of coming home early to nurse. When I first started the weaning process I had no idea how hard it was going to be.  I was sad, emotional, and maybe even somewhat depressed at times. Let's just say my hormones were getting the best of me.

Some of the things we LOVE about Luke

• We call him sticky fingers.  He has such teeny tiny hands that some how pick up pretty big things. We swear they stick to his sweaty little hands and that's how he picks them up!
• Mommy LOVES his baby's breath. It's so sweet and yummy:) You know how you love puppy breath, well the same goes for babies:)
• He has stinky, smelly, sweaty feet! One time, Sharon (sister) and I were out shopping. I let Luke crawl around and play in the store. He pulled himself up on some furniture and was standing and bouncy up and down on his feet. He slipped and fell and when we picked him up we saw a puddle of sweat on the floor. He slipped on his sweaty feet!
• He is happy happy happy. One very content little baby.
• We've noticed he's a little sensitive. At first, most men are scary to him. I'm catching on and thinking it may be a facial hair thing. Also, when he's tired he doesn't like for you to stare at him. If you do, he'll pout and then start crying.
• He may have a little seperation anxiety or maybe he just wants to be held by Mommy and Daddy just a little bit longer during the evenings and after naps. If we put him down to play too soon, he wails!
• He is starting to slowly eat finger foods. I have to put them in his mouth in order for him to eat it. He hasn't quite mastered putting the food into his mouth yet. He likes to pick up the pieces and drop them in his chair.
• Mommy is teaching him how to hug, kiss and wave.
• He's learned how to climb up the stairs.
• He likes to crawl under the coffee table and pull off all the magazines to eat.
• He crawls FAST and with such determination! We love hearing him slap his hands on the floor and take deep breaths to get to his toys (and also to things he's not allowed to touch).
• It's cute to watch him play outside in the grass. (At first he wasn't quite sure what to think of the prickly green stuff:)
• He's starting to say the ma ma ma sounds alot more.
• He talks ALOT. It's so cute to hear him get certain sounds out.
• He plays in his crib. I keep a teething toy in his crib and usually when I put him down for naps or in the evening he'll play and talk until he gets tired enough to sleep.
• In the same sentence sometimes he will protest his sleep. This makes Mommy stressed. She wishes her sweet little one will realize he's tired and that's why he's crying.
• He likes to close his mouth and breath/blow through his nose.
• He likes to kick and tap his left foot. When we put him down for bed and his naps we can hear the thumping from downstairs.
• When he's happy and excited he twirls his hands and feet.
• He looks at things from the side (he'll cock his head), it's so cute. It's almost like he wants to look at things from a different perspective.
• He likes to cough and copy you when you cough.
• He likes to open drawers and cabinets.
• He likes to play with kitchen utensils. He keeps him nice and busy so Mommy likes this!
• When he pulls himself up to standing he'll pull away and stand by himself for a couple of seconds before he falls.

                                                                              





Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!

Luke saw his first pumpkins at The Yahoo Farm Pumpkin Patch. He spent most of his time smacking the pumpkins and playing with the stems. We think he liked feeling all the different textures. He was definitely getting lots of attention from onlookers. One lady even wanted to take pictures of him. He was as happy as could be having free reign of the pumpkin patch. While we were there Luke also got to see farm animals for the first time. He saw a pony, chickens, hens and goats!



Mrs. Susie Homemaker!

This past weekend I helped put together a baby shower alongside with some other girls for a good friend of mine. I realized how much I loved crafting:). The setting took place at an adorable restaurant in Inman Park call Pure Taqueria. The restaurant had a cute vintage/retro design. Since the "Father to Be" played baseball most of his life we decided to have baseball be our theme! Playing off the look of the restaurant (retro/vintage), I tried my first stab at sewing and made a cute little pennant banner that my friend could re-use for her front door when her baby arrives. I did however misspell "Welcome!" I think I'll be making one of these for each Holiday as well as for Luke's Birthday. It was so much fun! To tie in the theme again we made bags of peanuts and cracker jacks for the party favors! Here are some photos from the event!





Luke is 7 Months Old

Can you believe that Luke has past the half way point and is now closer to turning one?! I've already started scanning the web for birthday ideas:). I'm not wishing that day to come close though. We'll miss our sweet little infant who will soon be labeled toddler. I'm taking every second of the day to hold him and kiss him because I know he won't be little forever. We feel like it was just yesterday when we would sneak into Luke's bedroom in the morning and peer into his crib to see a little thing all bundled up smiling at us. Now we open the door to see him sitting up and peering through the crib slats with the bumper pulled down, talking and giggling. We have been truly blessed to have such an adorable, active and healthy baby. It is our faithful prayer that we will raise him up on a solid foundation with the teachings of our merciful God and that Luke will see God's love through us so that one day he will make the decision to follow after Him and accept His Son to be his Saviour.

Luke has been into EVERYTHING lately. It's funny, you spend so much money on all these toys and the things they are most interested in are door hinges and door stops. Luke could spend all day playing with them. The last two weeks our days have been spent watching Luke go from army crawl to full on crawl. He's pulled himself from sitting to standing position from Mommy/Daddy to furniture. He's received his first bumps and scrapes which is nearly impossible to see a day go by without one. Dave said he likes them, it makes him look like a tough little guy! It's been nice to be able to set him on the floor and he can play nicely by himself until his hearts content.

I also have been trying to begin the process of weaning Luke of nursing. I say "process" because it is in fact a process which I had know idea would be difficult. It took an entire week for Luke to take the bottle and thanks to sister-in-law advice I tried just a pinch of sugar to the formula and wah-la he took it! So now he takes the formula without the sugar and somewhat well. He takes two bottles a day most of the time and I only nurse in the morning and evenings. I chose to ween out of convenience but it hasn't been convenient yet. He's really slow at the bottle and hasn't been good about taking it in public. We'll see how this next month goes!

Nursing has been a bitter-sweet relationship. Below is my list of pros and cons as a reminder to me that the pros had outweighed the cons.

Pros:

• You don't have to mix or heat anything up.
• You don't have to clean bottles.
• You don't have to remember to pack your diaper bag with accessories for feeding.
• You provide something for your child that no one else can.
• Your baby will feel secure and protected.
• Your baby will look up at you with adoring eyes and give you a smile every now and then, sometimes even giggle:).
• You and only you have a special way to comfort your baby.
• Your baby has a rock solid immune system. He still hasn't been sick!
• You don't have to pay hundreds of dollars in formula!
• If your baby is crying and you've tried everything in your power to make him stop you can always nurse (this is last resort though and in desperate needs or else you can create a habit that will drive you crazy!)
• For his am feeding you can bring him in bed to nurse instead of preparing a bottle to feed.

Cons:

• He's pretty much your life-line every 4 hours so keeping your baby on a schedule is a must! When Dave watches Luke while I run errands my saying is, "Call me if he needs my "boob." :)
• They do become attached and bonded to you and when you wean beware, it's difficult! I thought all you do is give them a bottle and wah-la, you have yourself a bottle-fed baby! WRONG! It took a full week until he actually took the bottle.
• He would slurp and gulp which turned heads my direction when nursing in public even when he was under the hooter-hider (the cover). Kinda embarassing...
• Having to wear clothes that can easily be pulled up.
• You'll feel like a cow being milked sometimes.
• You'll feel like sometimes the only reason he wants you is for your milk supply.

I know I've missed several other pros and cons but these were the ones that popped into mind. All in all I'd say that pros outweigh the cons and I truly enjoyed nursing my little Luke.

Here is what Luke's been up too and what we love:

• His belly laughs. Mommy's okay at getting these out of him. Daddy is the master of this!
• He reaches up with his arms when he wants to be held
• His efforts to crawl to his toy to only push the toy further away
• His tickle spots
• His spitting up has lessened, woohoo!
• He has absolutely no more explosive diapers, woohoo!
• When he doesn't get enough sleep he's a grouchy little guy.
• He is a crib snob (I think I said this last week). He likes HIS crib and wants to be home at night to sleep in it. This has been a hard adjustment for Mommy and Daddy. We've had some stressful evenings out with him wailing because he just wanted to be home and in his crib.
• We had to lower the crib. I walked in after he was napping to find him standing and leaning over the crib to grab the bumper tie! My heart dropped. I guess I should brace myself for many more to come!
• He loves Rufus (our dog) and Beau (Grammy and Granpa's dog). He laughs uncontrollably when Beau walks past him.
• He likes to be sung to sleep. His favorite song is "I love you Lord." When we're out in evenings and can't get him to stop crying Dave and I sing this to him and he quiets instantly. Outsiders may think our singing is nails to a chalk board but our little one thinks it's music to his ears:).
• His jibberish. His favorite sounds are ahhhh and bahhh, occasionally he'll say mahh.
• He squeals!
• His crawl. He has mastered the army crawl. He crawls occasionally.
• He's gotten his first bump on the head. (He rocks back and forth on his hands and knees and rocked himself into a chair leg)
• He likes to sleep on his belly with his butt in the air.
• He likes his back rubbed.
• He likes to tap his foot when he's eating and playing on the floor on his belly.
• He eats solids 3x's a day. Morning: Oatmeal mixed with fruit, Afternoon: Fruit and veggie mix and Evening: Veggie and grain mix.
• He nurses/bottle 4x's a day.
• He naps 2-3x's a day.

~Luke's 7 Month Photo Shoot~