Sundays Are Too Much Fun

Dear Luke,

Sundays are busy days for us now that we have small group in the evenings again.  I am also working in childcare occasionally (2 Sundays on, 6 off), so the last two Sundays were especially long days.  You fell right asleep in your crib for a long afternoon nap this past Sunday...

And here you are zonked out after small group.  You rarely stay asleep in your carseat once we get home, so you must have been really tired.  But when we woke you up for your bath, you were snuggly and happy as a clam!

Love,
Mommy

Rough Night

Dear Luke,

We had a rough night the other night, as evidenced by the pictures below.  You typically sleep from about 8-8, but every once in awhile you'll wake up once in the middle of the night.  Sometimes you just talk to yourself, so I don't do anything, but sometimes you cry.  When you cry, I wait a bit to see if you'll calm down, but if not, I usually try gas drops first.  Then I know within 5 minutes if that was the problem.  If that doesn't help, I give you Tylenol or Advil, assuming it's your teeth.  I also know when I pick you up and you immediately stop crying, that you're probably just fine and just wanted to see Mommy for a bit. :)

(Sometimes I get hungry when I'm up with you in the middle of the night, so the frosted animal cookies were good company while I waited for you to fall back asleep. :)

Love,
Mommy

Familiar Sights

Dear Luke,

The other night Daddy decided to take some pictures of you before and after bath and I'm glad he did.  These are the kinds of familiar sights that one day will be over.  Here's where Daddy lays you every night while he gets your bathwater ready.

After your bath he wraps you up in your towel and takes you to your room.  The other night he laid you on your back, left for a second, and when he came back you had already rolled over!

You are just the cutest!

Love,
Mommy

What We've Been Up To

Dear Luke,

I thought I'd take a few minutes to write what we've been up to while you nap upstairs.  So, what's new??

Well, you are sitting up for starters.  That's a 6 month milestone and although you weren't sitting quite at 6 months, once I started practicing with you at home, it was only a couple of days before you got into it.  I think it's fun for you to see the world from a different perspective.

You've been a busy and adaptable little bee.  With the fall starting, we've had more going on than we did over the summer.  You have been going to childcare at Grace Fellowship while I attend "Mom to Mom", spent more time in the nursery at our church since I'll be serving with preschoolers every so often, been to the park and out to lunch with my moms/play group, taken a day trip to Galveston, stayed home with a baby-sitter and stayed at friends' houses for the evening while Daddy and I went to a baseball game.  You seem to be handling it all extremely well.  You haven't napped yet at Grace, but the ladies always say you're such a sweet little boy and just want to play.  I think you've enjoyed getting out and interacting with other people, too.  Last night Daddy took you to church with him while he unlocked the building for some small groups.  He put you in the Bjorn and apparently you were a big hit.  You got lots of attention and you loved it.  He said he should take you up there more often because when you're there, people are super nice to him, too. :)

You are also eating well and can make quite a mess with the way you try to grab the spoon and feed yourself.

You've been doing a great job sitting quietly on the couch for a good 10 minutes or so while Daddy and I have eaten dinner in the evenings.

You now sleep with a lovey or teddy bear.  We give you the lovey after laying you down and it's so cute because you anticipate it and love to grab and cuddle it when time to go to sleep.  You also like to put it over your face.  You often sleep on your sheet saver and seem to find that comforting as well.

You're such a sweet and happy baby and I'm so glad you're mine!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 6 Month Birthday!

Dear Luke,

What a special milestone!  These past 6 months have been so full of joy.  Sure, there have been some stressful moments and some tears, but the overarching words that come to mind when I consider the last 6 months are joy and thankfulness.  You and I had a fun day yesterday.  We went to Mary Jo Peckham Park in Old Katy for a meetup with new friends, then we ran by the library, World Market, and Whole Foods.  I decided to treat myself to a citrus mint tea sparkler at Whole Foods since it was your special day. :)  You took a really long afternoon nap when we got home.  Then Daddy and I went to Menchie's with you last night to celebrate over frozen yogurt.

Here's the picture Daddy took of you before I held up Sophie la Giraffe.

Here's the one after you heard Sophie squeak.

At 6 months:

You weigh 18 pounds 2 ounces and are 28 inches long.

You reach out for me to hold you. :)

You take the bottle and hold it all by yourself (and you NEVER leave any milk in the bottle!).

You are a dedicated tummy sleeper and you love to cuddle with your bear or one of your loveys while you sleep.

You have eaten applesauce, pears, peaches, bananas, carrots, squash, green beans, peas, and turkey.  That list goes from favorite to least favorite, with turkey making you gag the most. :(  But you will happily eat a whole jar of fruit!

You are a roly poly.  You don't play on your back for long until you decide to roll over to your tummy.

Sometimes you lean forward in your carseat, like you're trying to sit up.

You not only hold your head and chest high when on your tummy, but also lift your torso and kick your legs out.  All signs point to you wanting to crawl.

You like to stand (with help) and look at your toys from above.  Sometimes I stand you up in front of your little basket of toys and you will lean in and grab one at a time.  You also like looking at your activity mats from above.

You like it when I sing skinna-marinki-dinki-dink.

Love,
Mommy