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!