Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Baby Dedication

We had such a special weekend! Luke was dedicated at church on Sunday and it was such a meaningful time.  My mom made his little outfit and he looked so precious. Gigi and Pappy, Betty and John, Gran, Aunt K and Uncle Jim all made the journey to share this day with us. There were only 6 babies dedicated during our service, which was a very small group (usually there are about 20 babies in each of the three services!). Our good friends Keith and Amy dedicated Anna Laura as well, so that made it extra special! Before the service, Luke fell asleep in the gym while we were waiting to go into church. I just knew that the child who never naps would sleep through the service! Luckily, he woke up just in time and was sweet for the dedication. 

Afterwards, we put him in the nursery for the first time. I don't think I heard a word that our pastor said because I was so focused on our beeper (the nursery gives the parents beepers so that the nursery can contact the parents if there is any issue with the little ones!). I hope it will get easier each week, as it was very nice to be in church with Kasey. We have been alternating Sundays, so it was good to have all three Burlesons under one roof for worship! 

After the service, we all went back to Gigi's for an amazing brunch. She made shrimp and grits, blackberry french toast, fruit salad, quiche, pecan and cinnamon rolls, biscuits, spanikopita, raspberry fizz, and mimosas...we were STUFFED. Luke was in a great mood and everyone had a wonderful time. 

Daddy and Luke in the gym before the service. Luke LOVES this yellow dog - it crackles and rattles!

Mommy and Luke before the service - Luke was out COLD!

Bulletin 

Our preschool minister, Melanie Sanford and us as we waited our turn


Our friends Amy and Keith and their children Tyler and Anna Laura - I LOVED Tyler's expression! He was making faces at his grandparents! 

The Burlesons - Luke was very focused :-) 

Proud Parents!

Our Pastor, Buddy Gray

Friday, February 24, 2012

Four Months Old!

Luke talking to his Elephant
So I am a little behind in doing Luke's 4 month post - to my credit, I did take the pictures on his 4 month "birthday," but am just now getting around to doing the actual post.

Notice Luke's hair goes halfway down his back - hence, the need for a haircut!

For celebrate Luke's 4 month-dom, I took him to the pediatrician for his 4 month shots - he was not pleased. AT. ALL. He did so well at the doctor's office - he weighed 15.55 pounds, was 25.5 inches long, and had a head circumference of 17 inches - 75th percentile for height and weight and 90th percentile for that big head. He got his shots and he seemed just fine. We went to visit Aunt Pat at work, then went to Early Bird Story Time at the library, and then ran to Barnes and Noble...and THEN, he LOST IT. I mean, crying uncontrollably, SO upset, SO mad. We got home and he finally calmed down after a little Tylenol and some lunch. He was just so fussy and sad all afternoon - a much different experience than his first little round of shots.

Two days later, he got an ear infection - wow. Once again, my usually happy baby was really upset, crying, mad, and very sad. A round of antibiotics, more Tylenol, and some ear numbing drops, and he is now finally back to his old self. The only remaining effect of his sickness is that he has regressed in his sleep patterns. He was finally getting to where he was sleeping 6-7 hours at night - now we are back to 3-4. I have hope that we will once again get to the happy place of 6-7 hours...

He continues to be a complete joy for us! He is wearing a size 2 diaper, size 6-9 month clothes, loves playing in his exersaucer, and just babbles up a storm. He laughs for his daddy and smiles for everyone. He is so cute in his bumbo chair and loves to grab and hold his toys. I think he is teething, as he puts everything directly in his mouth and is slobbering on everything. Bless his heart, his little shirts are usually wet by the time he's had them on for 30 minutes. I've seen some cute "teething bandanas" on etsy - I will probably look into ordering one soon. He also loves looking at light fixtures and bright colors (and he continues his love affair with ceiling fans). I took him for orientation at our church's nursery and he was mesmerized by all of the bright artwork all over the walls. Our church nursery is like a scene out of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, so it is very stimulating for little eyes!

We are having him dedicated at church on Sunday and he will be going to the nursery for the first time - momma is nervous. However, I know he will be in good hands and that he will have a great time. Gigi made him a beautiful outfit and I cannot wait to see how cute he is going to look. After dedication, Gigi is hosting a brunch at her house - it should be a wonderful day!

Luke eats like a champ, eating about 5-7 times per day. He refuses a bottle or a pacifier, so we don't stray too far from each other :-) I have tried every type of bottle on the market and he is just not a fan of any of them. I have tried every trick in the book and still can't get him interested. As long as he is happy and gaining weight, I am happy to feed him any way he wishes!

We love going to Early Bird Story Time on Tuesdays and he really tunes in and listens to Miss Polly. Several of his "friends" go to storytime, so it is fun to see them each week. It has been a great opportunity to connect with other moms who are in the same station of life and for Luke to learn to enjoy books!
Luke and Anna Laura at Story Time (Anna Laura's mom and I are good friends and Anna Laura was born exactly three weeks before Luke)

Luke thinks story time is hilarious

I have started back to teaching one class a week at the gym. While I'm not quite ready to get back to teaching my spin classes, the water bootcamp classes are going quite well. Gran and Gigi are splitting Wednesday night babysitting duties so that I can get to class on time since Kasey doesn't get home in time. We will eventually put him in the gym nursery, but we're just not ready for that yet!

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from Aunt Amy last week - Amy is my very best friend and it was just awesome to introduce her to Luke. We have been best friends for almost 25 years and have been through it all. Luke, of course, loved her. Incidentally, the elephant that Luke takes his monthly pictures with was a gift from Aunt Amy and has her voice recorded on it. It was such a special gift!

Luke loves his Aunt Amy
Sleep is not Luke's favorite activity :-) Once he feels better, we are going to start working on a daytime schedule so that naptime might come a little easier. Right now, he loves to nap on me or in his carseat, but just not in his comfy crib. We are very lucky that he is a happy baby when he is awake - it just makes it hard for me to get anything done. However, the way I look at it is that he is only this age one time - the housework will always be there.

We are amazed every day that God put Luke with us - we are just so happy and enjoy him so much!

Luke and Daddy watching football

Luke playing in his exersaucer

Monday, February 20, 2012

Luke's First Hair Cut

Check out this baby mullet...definitely time for a little trim!





So excited to see himself in the mirror! 
I realize that it is tradition (at least where I live) to wait until a baby is at least a year old to cut his hair. HOWEVER, Luke was rocking a baby mullet with which I was becoming quite uncomfortable. And speaking of uncomfortable, his hair was constantly getting stuck in his collar and falling down in his eyes. Additionally, Luke is being dedicated at church on Sunday and I didn't want him looking like a ragamuffin in front of the whole congregation. SO, off to the salon we went. I must admit that I felt silly making an appointment for my 4 month old, but the kind folks at Richard Joseph Salon gladly obliged. Gigi met us at the salon and Brittney got us ready to go.
Who is that cute baby in that mirror?

He LOVED the floor to ceiling mirror that was in front of the chair - he couldn't quit looking at himself...pretty cute. He was really still and let Brittney give him a cute little haircut. Of course, I saved all of the hair and will put it in his baby book (once I get going on that...) Everyone in the salon was just making a big scene over him and he loved every minute (as did his mama and Gigi :-)

Waiting for Miss Brittney to get her station ready