Cutest Santa...

My sweet friend Katherine got Luke this little outfit...I just couldn't resist taking a few pictures. We can add these pictures to the list of things he will be probably be embarrassed about later in life - what's a mama for?

Two months old!

It blows my mind to think that two months ago, we were at UAB and were having the happiest time of our lives! It seems like he has been here forever and we cannot imagine our lives without him. He is just so much fun and it seems like he grows every day!

This month, we have ventured out more and more. We have several different groups that we visit and have gotten to know some other moms and babies. It is comforting to know that there are others out there who are going through the same challenges that you are and it is great to hear how other folks are handling those issues.

Our current issue is naptime - he doesn't like it. Not. One. Bit. He is a bit of a "catnapper" - he will nap for about 30 minutes at a time and then he is ready to PLAY! I am very grateful that when he is awake, he is usually a happy little man, but it makes it difficult to get things done :-) Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

I went to the Babywearing meeting this month and learned how to use the Moby Wrap - that has made a tremendous difference! Now I can just carry him around with me during the day and still have two hands free to do things like fold laundry! We even went to Homegoods and TJ Maxx today!

One of the most precious developments this month is that he is starting to give us big smiles! Every morning he just grins at us when we get him out of his crib - what a wonderful way to start the morning! He will also smile at funny sounds and funny faces! He is quite the talker - he coos and babbles all the time and is in constant motion! He continues to eat well, weighing in at almost TWELVE pounds - that's almost double his birth weight - he is almost 23 inches long and is wearing a size 3 month clothes. He is very close to sleeping all the way through the night, going to bed at around 9 and sleeping until 3 or so, then sleeping until 6:30 or 7. We are trying very hard to get on some sort of schedule, although the no napping thing is making that a little difficult. We do start and end the day at the same time every day, however, so at least that's a start!

We are so excited to spend our first Christmas with our precious Luke. It is so amazing to know that the Son of God came to earth in the form of a little baby - helpless and defenseless. We are so looking forward to starting our family traditions with him and watching him enjoy them year after year.

Luke's Birthday - 2 hours old

Luke at One Month Old

Luke Smiling - Two Months Old!

Luke hanging out with his elephant from Aunt Amy - 2 months old! 

Seven Weeks!

Julio and Rashad birdwatching

This has been the best week yet (I know I say that every week, but this one was REALLY good :-) I think I still have some of those new mommy love hormones going, yes? Anyway, Luke has started smiling and cooing and it is just the best. He can act like a little turkey all day (which he does sometimes!) and he will give me a smile and all is suddenly right with the world.

My mom and grandmother came over on Saturday and graciously put up our Christmas decorations. It was so helpful to have four extra hands to help get things done. We got everything put up in about 3 hours - it would have taken me 3 days without their help! Julio and Rashad are doing their best to destroy the Christmas tree, but I have tried to be quick with the squirt bottle in an effort to deter their climbing endeavors.

On Sunday, I went to Sunday School and Kasey stayed home - it was so nice to see everyone at church and feel like I was "back in the game" a little bit. Daddy let mommy get a little nap on Sunday afternoon and it was SO welcome - Luke was a bit fussy all day Sunday and it can be really tiring when he can't get settled. We are learning how to work it out and how to soothe him as much as possible - it's all just part of it, I guess!

Monday was doctor day for mommy - I took Luke with me and Dr. H had a fit over him - she is the BEST doctor on earth - she said everything looked great with me, so that was welcome news! We went to Target after the doctor and got a few things - actually made it home without either one of us having a come-apart!


Tuesday night was a HUGE turning point (I hope) because Luke slept from 9-12 and then from 12:30-5:45! I count that as a FULL night of SLEEEEEP!!!! I hate to put this in writing, as I fear it won't happen again, but it was wonderful! We're really trying to be diligent about getting him in a routine at night. I know that I do best when I know what to expect, so I'm sure he does, too.

Wednesday night, Gran came over to visit and eat dinner and brought Luke a bag FULL of new clothes! Since baby boy is pushing 11 pounds, his newborn clothes are WAY too tight. She got him so many cute things, he is now one well-dressed boy! They make so many cute things for babies - I have had to practice extraordinary measures of self control not to go nuts on his wardrobe...considering he is only able to wear things for a few weeks at a time without outgrowing them, I must restrain myself. I must restrain myself. I must restrain myself.

On Thursday morning, my friend Amy and her little girl came to visit - her daughter was born 3 weeks before Luke, so it was fun to see what Luke might be doing 3 weeks from now - they change SO fast! Luke will have lots of friends at church - we have 5 girls in our Sunday School class who all had babies within 3 weeks of each other and one more is due in January! There must be something in those snacks at Sunday School.... Thursday afternoon, we visited my very sweet friend, Erin. Erin's dog had to be put to sleep over the weekend and we went over to help cheer her up a little bit. She is doing better, but it is still so sad to lose a pet, especially one you've had for over 13 years. Luke got SO much love at Erin's house! Nothing mends a broken heart like a little sweet baby smile!

Thursday night, we went out to eat at Pappas's - we made it all the way through dinner without a tantrum, so we counted that a success! We have only been out to eat a few times since Luke has been born and we have only gone to VERY family oriented restaurants - I know I will eat many of the edicts I proclaimed prior to Luke's arrival, but taking a baby to an expensive/non-family restaurant will not be one of them. There is nothing worse than looking forward to a great dinner out and then being seated by a screaming baby or even a potentially-screaming baby. Nope, not going to do it.

So, here we are at Friday! This morning, I slept in a little bit and I must have been WORN SLAP OUT because Kasey put Luke next to me and then climbed around the bedroom to take pictures of the sleeping beauties - ha - and I never knew a thing! I've been productive so far today - let's hope the trend continues! Have a great weekend!

Mommy, Luke (in daddy's Tempurpedic pillow), and Rashad - sacked OUT.

Busy and happy in one of his new outfits from Gran! He looks like a little lumberjack!

So Thankful....

This past year or so takes the prize for amazing and wonderful things happening in our lives. If you had told me a little over a year ago that by today we would have sold our house, I would have lost a job, we would have moved to another house, I would have gotten another job, I would have quit that job, I would decide to stay at home, have had a baby, and yet be amazingly content, I would have laughed you into next week. but it is true. It is SO true and we couldn't be more grateful.

Daddy and Luke on Thanksgiving - Luke's shirt says, "I'm Stuffed" - very cute.

Mommy and Luke - can you stand those little pants !!!!!???? 

This was the first year in a very long time that I didn't cook a large part of Thanksgiving dinner - all I brought to my mom's house for dinner was two cans of cranberry sauce, some Sister Shubert rolls, deviled eggs, and a sweet potato casserole - a far cry from the hours and hours I usually spend cooking and preparing for TDay! For round two of our Thanksgiving (at aunt K's), I showed up empty handed - I have NEVER done that before (although I did bring an awfully cute baby boy, which seemed to please everyone much more than any casserole I could have prepared!). It was very kind of our families to let us just relax and enjoy the holiday this year!

Dinner at Aunt K's - me, Aunt K, Aunt Betty, and GranT

GiGi's House

Luke seemed to enjoy the day very much - he was so sweet all day and let everybody hold him and make a huge fuss over him. He slept the whole time at GiGis and was hamming it up at Aunt K's.  One of the highlights of this Thanksgiving was being able to spend time with my grandmother. She is 89 years old and lives in Minneapolis, so I don't get to see her very often. She is amazing - she made her flight reservation online and was sharing her opinion regarding facebook and twitter at lunch (she's not a fan :-). Despite the miles, she and my grandfather always found a way to be involved in my life. They were at almost all of my school plays and events and always brought me up to Minnesota for 2-3 weeks during the summer. Some of my most special memories were made with my grandparents and cousins during those times, so being able to see her hold Luke was just so, so special.

Nana (my grandmother) holding Luke

So sweet! He fell fast asleep as soon as he got to her! 

Four Generations - Grandma (Nana) Ward, me, GiGi, and Luke (5 weeks, 6 days old)

For the rest of the weekend, we are going to try to get organized for the upcoming Christmas season, relax, watch some football, and enjoy spending time together. Our shopping lists are mercifully short this year, so we don't have to worry about getting out and fighting all of the crowds. I would like to do a little baking, but that can wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Luke is One Month Old!

Luke in his Daddy's Colorado Cyclist jersey - Daddy can't wait until he can buy Luke a mountain bike!

                                   

Luke (4 days old) and Mommy

Happy Birthday, Luke!

One month old!

Ready for his closeup at one month old! 

Luke is now ONE MONTH OLD! I cannot believe how fast this month has gone - any preconceived notions I might have had about how much we would love him or how much better our lives would be have been multiplied by about a million...it is just pure joy.

In the last month, he has really started opening his eyes and interacting with us. He is trying to grab at things and loves to look at bright colors. He also really likes to look at the ceiling fan in our den. He has slept in his crib every night except for one (when he slept in his bassinet and mommy kept her hand on his chest all night to make sure he was still breathing :-) He is such a good eater - yesterday at the pediatrician, he weighed 9.3 pounds - meaning that he has gained 3.1 pounds since we left the hospital. He is settling into a little routine, eating about every 2.5-3 hours and napping in between. He still has all of his hair, although folks tell us that it might still fall out.

He loves his Puj Tub and bath time - he just relaxes when he gets into that warm water! He is now in a size 1 diaper and has just about outgrown all of his newborn clothes. We punted on the cloth diapers for this stage of his life - they were a little too leaky and created a little too much laundry for this stage of the game. We are going to try them again in a few weeks when he is bigger and not going through quite so many!

He is doing SO well in tummy time, turning his head from side to side and kicking his legs so strongly. He loves to lay on his daddy's chest and push up like he is doing little pushups - we call him "Ivan" sometimes because he looks like a little Romanian wrestler - such a strong little fella!

Julio and Rashad are slowly getting adjusted, although they are not getting the naps that they used to. Nobody in the house gets uninterrupted sleep any more! They love Luke's toys and want to play with his play gym and his tummy time mat. Kasey went to Wal-Mart and bought them some special toys so that they wouldn't feel left out - they seemed to appreciate it!

We have been showered with food and help that we never expected - I am just now starting to cook again - we have had meals rolling in for an entire month!!!! We went to the grocery store yesterday and I felt like I was in a foreign land - everything is just so different now.

We are getting better and better at getting around once we leave the house - it is a strange choreography these days. Luckily, Luke really likes his car seat and does really well riding in the car. The only time he has been upset is when I pushed the time limit a bit past lunchtime - I will not do that again!

We are so looking forward to the holidays - my grandmother from Minnesota is coming and I cannot wait for her to see Luke. We are going to eat Thanksgiving lunch at my mom's (who has now decided that she wants to be called GiGi) and then eat dinner with GranT at Aunt Kelly's.

We are just so grateful for a healthy and happy baby boy - we are blessed infinitely beyond what we deserve and  are reminded every time we look at him what a gracious and loving God we serve. We pray every day that Luke will come to love Jesus and will seek after Him. We are just so grateful and cannot believe how something so tiny could make such a big difference.

Little Bama Fan

We had a great weekend, even though the Crimson Tide didn't play as well as we would have liked! On Friday night, GranT came over and brought us dinner and played with Luke - both were greatly appreciated! 

Saturday was very relaxing - we cleaned the house, did a little laundry, and then went to my mom's (she hasn't decided what she wants to be called yet :-) house for dinner with the whole Michael fam - SO much fun to see everyone and to get out of the house for a little bit. 

We headed back to our house to watch the game and Luke was pretty wild the whole time - he is struggling with acid reflux, so it was hard for him to get settled. He finally fell asleep around 11:30 and had a pretty good night - we both got a good nap on Sunday morning and we are ready for the week!  

Oh, and Luke's newborn pictures are in - check out this link to see them! 

http://cbmphotoblog.com/?p=826

Nothing Scary Over Here!

Luke had quite the Halloween! He had two "costumes" - as you can see, he was truly thrilled about the holiday :-) He went to the pediatrician for his two week check-up and is doing really well. He is now two full pounds heavier than he was when we left the hospital and has grown 1.25 inches. Dr. D was very happy with his progress and told us to keep up the good work - we were very encouraged!

Our days go by so fast! Luke eats every 2.5-3 hours, so that keeps us very busy. He is also starting to be much more alert, so we are spending some time every day doing tummy time and looking at our picture books. He loves the black and white baby animal books and likes anything that crinkles. He is starting to grab at things and has a really strong grip. It is so exciting to see how he grows and changes every day.

We got Luke's newborn pictures back this week and they are SO good - I will be posting some of the pictures very soon! We had the pictures taken when he was 4 days old - it is amazing how much he has changed between then and now - it makes me realize that I need to soak up every moment!

A Little Under the Weather....

Well, despite my germaphobia and obsessive-compulsive handwashing, Luke somehow got a cold this week. The pediatrician said that babies are likely to get 7-9 colds in their first year - yikes! We fired up the humidifier, got very familiar with the bulb syringe and now he seems to be on the mend. He is still eating and sleeping well, so we are not too concerned. We did get some good news at the pediatrician - Luke has gained 1.5 pounds since we left the hospital! Hopefully that trend will continue...

Here are a few pictures of daddy and Luke...they both had big days yesterday and were worn out! I can't imagine a better end to the day.

Out and About

Luke is 10 days old today! This has been the fastest 10 days of our lives and we have loved every minute. Luke has been eating and sleeping really well and has started to open his eyes more and more. He has gained over a pound since we left the hospital, so we are prayerful that he will continue to eat and rest well. We're still not sure what color his eyes actually are, but they appear to be very dark blue or dark hazel. He has mixed emotions on bath time, but is clearly against having his diaper changed. We have put a few little toys on the changing table that seem to capture his attention pretty well, so a little distraction seems to calm him down a little bit during that whole process.

We had a great weekend at home - on Friday, Aunt Kelly sent a very sweet lady to our house to clean for us and since my love language is cleanliness and organization, this was an awesome gift! It was so nice to go into the weekend with a very clean house. Kasey got a chance to head to Oak Mountain on Sunday morning and Luke and I took a great nap! Sunday night, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jim, Aunt Betty, Uncle John, and GranT came over and brought Tazikis for us - I love how dinner just "appears"  these days - a girl could get used to this :-)

Today, mommy and Luke flew solo for the first time. While I was convinced that everyone on the road was determined to hit us head-on, we survived our car ride to the drive-thru window at the bank and to The Preserve. Luke loves his stroller and loved walking around the Green at the Preserve - before anyone freaks out at my non-jacketed child in the photos below, it is almost 75 degrees here today and super sunny - warmth was definitely not an issue! It felt so good to get some fresh air and for me to get a little exercise. Here are a couple of pictures of our little outing - now it is time for lunch and a nap!

Day 5

This has, hands down, been the most amazing five days of our lives. We had an awesome experience at UAB and bringing Baby Luke home has just been wonderful. He still has his days and nights mixed up just a bit, but he is figuring it out. Julio and Rashad are adjusting well and seem to be okay with their baby brother...although Rashad seems a little jealous, so we'll have to watch him :-)

We have been so overwhelmed by how kind and generous everyone has been - our refrigerator is overflowing and our living room is full of beautiful flowers - there is no way we will ever be able to adequately express our gratitude!

We had our first visit to the pediatrician on Monday and he was very pleased with Luke's progress - he had gained weight, is feeding well, and his blood work was perfect - all very welcome news for two nervous new parents!

We also had our newborn photo session yesterday - he did so well! I cannot WAIT to see how well they are going to turn out!

Here are a few pictures of Luke as he got ready to leave the hospital - his newborn clothes are still a little big on him, but he will grow into them all too soon!

...and in an instant, our lives are forever changed

We are SO grateful and humbled to welcome our SON, Luke Davis Burleson, into the world! He arrived this morning (10/14) at 3:37 am. He was 6 pounds, 12.3 ounces, and was 20 inches long. He has a FULL head of hair and is just amazing (although we are probably a little biased, no?). 

My water broke last night at about 7:30 - within 3 minutes, I was having major contractions 2 minutes apart, so Kasey and I headed to the hospital - A little over 8 hours later, we were greeted by the absolute joy that is Baby Luke.  We are all exhausted but really happy. 

Our amazing photographer/friend Carmen came right after Luke was born to capture a few moments...here's a little preview...

Wreath Project

Waiting for Baby Burleson to arrive has provided me with an abundance of nervous energy. This, combined with my usual inability to sleep soundly or completely, could be a very dangerous combination. However, I have decided to use my powers for good and channel some of my jitters into making craft projects. SO, yesterday afternoon I decided that I needed a fall wreath for my mantle. I did a little online research to get some ideas and then headed off to Joanne's to hunt and gather.

We have to be very careful what we put up on the mantle, as Julio and Rashad love to jump up and walk across. We learned the hard way that anything fragile/breakable is not suitable for mantle display :-) SO, here is what I came up with (pardon the picture quality - the picture was taken with my phone, as the camera is optimistically packed in the baby bag).

The base is a 24" grapevine wreath, wrapped in a multi-colored yarn. I made the flowers out of felt...192 handmade felt flowers, to be exact. I made the flowers in three different sizes and four different colors. I tried to place them in some sort of pattern, but ended up with a relatively random design. I am planning to hang it with a coordinating ribbon. The project was really easy, but a little tedious...a perfect outlet for nervous energy!

Total work time was about 5 hours, total cost was $25...not too bad for a bored and antsy mama-to-be on a budget!

As for the Baby Burleson update, I go to the doctor tomorrow and we will see what she says regarding how much longer the wait will be!

Perfect Timing

Well, I thought for SURE I would be posting baby pictures today! I guess this is the Lord's way of preparing me that my life is about to change in a major way. I have always been a bit of a stickler when it comes to being on time and being prepared - I have major anxiety about being late. I don't like letting others down and I hate the thought of someone waiting around on me!

My lateness anxiety really revs up when we travel...let me tell you (KB will heartily testify), I am truly a joy to travel with - HA! I get the shakes if we're not at the airport 3 hours before a flight to Atlanta...Lord, help us all if I ever take an international flight.  I like to take multiple "trial runs" before we go somewhere important - I am lucky that I ever get anyone to go anywhere with me!

HOWEVER, I am so grateful to know that the Lord's timing is perfect. I am overwhelmed by the thought that the little one who is being knitted together right now will join us at just the right time, in just the right circumstance. I have tried to focus on enjoying the calm and peace that is in our house right now. I even counted our afternoon outing to Wal-Mart as precious, as it will probably be a while before we both can just wander around and take our time looking at random stuff we don't need. Whether it is tonight, tomorrow, or next week, I know that we will be holding that precious baby soon...and that the Lord will be holding us through it all.

Photo Aversion

Let me preface this post by telling you that I haven't had any pictures taken since our wedding in 2000. I don't know why I am so picture-averse, but I truly am. Part of my aversion probably has to do with my clutter neurosis. I am a bit over-the-top when it comes to organization - the thought of pictures hanging out on the memory card or being thrown in boxes just makes me crazy. Also, the camera we have been using eats through batteries at an unacceptable rate - we only get 20-30 pictures per battery - and that just gets annoying and expensive!

HOWEVER, with Baby Burleson on the way, Kasey and I have made the commitment to be more photo-friendly. We bought a camera and are learning to use it - so far, we love taking pictures of our cats - Julio and Rashad are fabulous subjects. They will be 3 in November and we are just crazy about them. We aren't sure what they are going to think of their new brother/sister, but we think they will be very protective and curious.

                                                     This is Rashad - he is such a little love!

                                            Julio is our big cat - he is obsessed with this blanket.

ANYWAY, enough about my neurosis and our cats. To make sure that we capture Baby Burleson's big moments, we have hired an amazing photographer. Her name is Carmen Michael and you should check out her website at www.cbmphoto.com or her awesome blog at www.cbmphotoblog.com - she is just brilliant! (And no, I have not been compensated in any way for the endorsement - she is just so good that I want everyone to know about her!) She will be capturing Baby Burleson's first year and we couldn't be more excited.

Remember what I said earlier about not having any pictures taken since my wedding? Well, I decided that I would have my once per decade photos taken a few weeks back...I mean, why not? 8 months pregnant? check. Swollen face, legs and ankles? check. Barely able to move? check. These were taken at the beautiful home and yard of my sweet friend, Bea.  While these were being taken, Bea was inside putting the finishing touches on what was a FABULOUS baby shower - it was SO much fun!

Hopefully, Baby B will make his/her debut soon! I'm heading out to do a little walking this afternoon - maybe that will encourage Baby B to join us in the world!

Baby Burleson Is On the WAY!

It is hard to believe, but Baby Burleson is scheduled to arrive in 8 days. That's 192 hours. It just is amazing that after 11 years of marriage, Kasey and I will have our lives forever changed in just 192 hours...we cannot wait.

I have cleaned the house until it is begging for mercy. The bags are packed and in the car. The car seat has been installed and inspected. I have made a "don't forget" list and have taped it to the back door. I think we are as ready as we can be, yet I feel woefully unprepared for what is about to happen. Everyone who has been through this has told me that our instincts will kick in and that we will just "know" what to do - I really hope so because I have a feeling the folks at the hospital are going to expect us to take the baby home all by ourselves :-)

Here are a few pictures of the nursery. I wanted something that was soothing and elegant. Kasey thinks it is a little too "fluffy" for a boy, but I figure that we can "boy" it up quickly if Baby Burleson is indeed a boy! It has been so much fun to put the room together, especially not knowing if Baby is a boy or girl!

We will update as we know more information, but for now, we ask for your prayers for an uncomplicated delivery and healthy baby!