On the Road to Recovery

Yesterday, we got up SUPER early and headed to Children's South for Luke to get tubes in his ears! Over the past six months, he has had four ear infections, so the ENT and the pediatrician told us that it was definitely time.

We had a bit of a wait (even though we were first in line) - we got there at 6, but the surgery didn't start until 7:55 - luckily it was over by 8:04...not that I was watching the clock or anything. In the two hours that we had to wait, Luke had a great time playing with the toys in the surgery center - he was such a trooper - he was so tired and very hungry, but you would have never known it - such a big boy! I am shocked that I actually allowed him to touch anything, but desperate times called for desperate measures - managing a squiggly baby for 2 hours granted a temporary lapse to my germaphobia.

They let us take him to the big double doors outside of the operating room and then a sweet nurse took/pried him from my arms and took him back. Of course, he was smiling and giggling and waving - I was tearing up, but mama managed to hold it together.

When the surgeon came back into the room (9 minutes after they took him back), he said that everything went well and that I could feed him and take him home as soon as he was out of recovery. I heard Luke crying in the recovery room and that was about all I could take - luckily, the nurse brought him in before I broke down the doors. I fed him, he perked right up, and we went home. We then slept for almost 3 hours - oh happy day!

I am hoping that this will help him feel better, as the surgeon said that his little ears were full of fluid. So far, he has seemed like his normal cheerful self - I am wondering if the fluid was impacting his hearing, as he has been babbling and "talking" about twice as much since these tubes went in. Of course, Kasey says that it is all in my head, but I think I'm right ;-)

Plans are underway for the first birthday party - I am planning a Barnyard Brunch - isn't he a cute little farmer?

TEN Months Old!

What. A. Month! It seems that this month has taken Luke from a baby-baby to an almost-toddler! At the beginning of the month, he was just mastering his army crawl and was starting to realize that things existed in the plane above his head. Fast forward to now and he is moving as fast as lightening (as evidenced today when he beat me to the laundry room and had the cats' water bowl emptied before I got to him!) and is climbing on EVERYTHING. He is cruising from his activity table to his tool chest to the ottoman to the sofa- he can pretty much get anywhere he wants to go. He doesn't like being contained in his pack and play (or in anything else, for that matter), but mama has to make dinner somehow!

He weighs right at 20 pounds and is about 30 inches long. He is wearing mostly 12 month clothes now and is still in a size 3 diaper. And speaking of diapers, oh. my. goodness. I think it would be easier to diaper one of the cats. When I put him on his changing table, he immediately flips over and tries to climb off. If I change him on the floor, he just crawls away with that little nakey booty up in the air. I've found my best technique is to change him while he is standing up - I cannot wait until he can wear the size 4 diapers - I will FOR SURE be switching to the type that just pull on.

He NEVER sits still and is always on the go. He wants to know what I am doing at all times and wants to hold/touch/eat whatever I have. He seems to have no fear and will go to anyone or investigate anything! In the picture below, he is trying to eat the camera. It is so fun to see him be so curious!

One of his favorite little tricks is to pull things off of shelves and cabinets. I have moved everything (I think ;-) that is dangerous to shelves that he can't reach! He will pull up on anything that he can get a grasp on and then will explore whatever it is that he finds! He loves to play with his books, loves to turn the pages, and loves to point to different things on the pages. He smiles when I get his favorite books out and gets so excited when he turns the pages.

One of the cutest things he does is at bathtime - we have been pretty consistent with his bedtime routine since he was about a month old, so he is starting to know the drill. Once we take his clothes and diaper off, he now crawls into the bathroom and pulls up on the tub and tries to climb over the edge - he LOVES his bath! He kicks and plays and would stay in there for hours if we would let him. He likes his bath toys, but his favorite thing to play with in the tub is the stadium cup we use to rinse him - he puts his whole face in it and then talks and squawks - he likes to hear how his voice sounds from inside the cup!

Unfortunately, he has had two more ear infections over the past six weeks - we are meeting with an ENT tomorrow afternoon and I think tubes are in our immediate future. I know that tubes are a very routine procedure, but it still scares me to think about having to put him under anesthesia. I don't want to continue to need antibiotics all the time, so I guess this will be a good solution. He starts Mother's Day Out in September, so I hope that the tubes will prevent every little cold from turning into a raging ear infection. We will see!

His two bottom teeth are almost completely in and his two top teeth are making their entrance! The top right tooth is in more than the left and it is just SO cute. Cutting these top teeth has been quite the production. It seems like the bottom teeth just popped up...not so with the top ones. They seem to have caused him quite a bit of pain and discomfort - sucking on his washcloths and some of his teething rings has seemed to help - hopefully we are in the home stretch on this!

He has started to babble more and more. He says dada and baba and kihkih - I don't think he is actually associating those sounds with anything specific, but he sure loves to say them. He also loves to yell out and make very loud noises! We were in the grocery store last week and he just randomly yelled out - it was hysterical. He kept doing it throughout the store - he got tickled at himself and just did it more and more.

He has also started to look at some objects when I say the names - he definitely knows "kitty" and "dada" and "book" - we are working on adding more items to his little vocabulary every day!

A few days ago, Luke was playing in the hallway and things got a little too quiet - I quickly investigated to see what he was up to and found that he had discovered the toilet paper. Great. He had the best time unrolling it and then playing with it. We are now taking extra precautions to make sure that all of the bathroom doors are closed/toilet lids are down/etc - who knew the bathroom could be this much fun?

He is still nursing like a champ (about 5 times a day) and is a huge fan of finger foods. In fact, he refuses to be spoon fed - he wants to do it himself. He eats pretty much everything that we do and has liked everything he has tried. He loves chicken and is a huge fan of waffles. He has started to drink water from a sippy cup or through a straw quite well, although he still refuses to drink milk from a cup or a bottle - hopefully he will get the hang of it before Mother's Day Out starts next month! 

I have about given up on him sleeping through the night on a consistent basis. For a little while, he was sleeping from 7-4, then from 7-5, but now he is back waking once or twice. Between the ear infections and the teething, I haven't wanted to push it - he relaxes immediately once I pick him up - I just can't resist. Once we're on the mend, I might try to push him through, but for now, I am just not going to worry about it. On a positive note, he is napping much more consistently! Sometimes naps push past the hour mark, but they are usually at least 45 minutes - enough time for me to get at least one chore (or a quick nap - ha!) in.

Speaking of chores, one of the funny things he is doing right now is chasing the broom and vacuum. He is OBSESSED with both of them. When I sweep, he chases the dirt pile around and tries to touch the broom. He wants to be on top of the vacuum and loves to play with the cord. Needless to say, he has to stay in his pack and play while I am cleaning these days!

I simply cannot believe how fast time has gone. I am currently planning his first birthday party and just cannot believe it is time to be doing that - how did this happen?

We love him more and more every minute - we are just so grateful for this little man!

He's Up!

These pictures are not the highest quality, as I took them with my phone, but they do a pretty good job of showing what's been going on around here this week! Luke is pulling up! He can't quite figure out how to get back down once he's up, but he has definitely mastered getting up onto things.

He also started clapping today - who knew? I was sitting at lunch with a friend and he just started clapping out of the blue! He is also babbling and likes to talk most in the car - I wish I knew what he was talking about! I also got his covertible car seat checked out at the fire station today and he is such a big boy in his new seat!

Here are a few pictures of all of the fun we've been having!

And a few of all of the trouble we've been getting into...

Nine Months Old!!!

Excuse the blurry nature of the picture above - this nine month old boy NEVER sits still! He is constantly on the move - army crawling, rolling, pivoting, you name it - the boy can get where he needs to go. His favorite place to visit is where ever the dangerous things are - electrical cords, outlets, laptop, computer mouse, phone - you name it, he wants to eat it. We have quickly gotten on the babyproofing bandwagon.

He loves to make silly faces and stick out his tongue and spit at us. Someday, those qualities will not be so cute, but for now they are just precious. He has two teeth on the bottom and the top two will be here any day. We went to the pediatrician today for his 9 month checkup (and shots :-( ) and he weighs 19.5 pounds (40th percentile), is 29.5 inches long (80th percentile), and has a head circumference of 19 (99th percentile). The doctor said that his weight stabilization is most likely due to the amount of exercise he has been getting! He is wearing size 9-12 month clothes, a size 3 diaper, and is just about to grow out of his infant car seat - the convertible seat has been ordered and will be in the car this week!

He has started to wave at things and people, although never on command! He loves to "read" his books and flip the pages. He really loves his little bath book that has farm animals in it. He also loves to read Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo and likes to pat all of the pages before he turns them. He also loves all of his musical toys like his piano, his microphone, and his drum. He really likes his blocks and enjoys putting things in and out of his toy basket.

One of his favorite summer activities has been to go swimming! We got him a little float and his just loves kicking his legs and waving his arms. We are still going to swimming lessons and his is getting more comfortable with getting his face in the water. We went to Aunt K's yesterday and he spent over an hour in the pool - he would have stayed in all day if we had let him! Aunt K has a fountain that pours into her pool and Luke LOVES watching the fountain and listening to the water.

He is obsessed with Baby Mum Mum crackers - he will eat as many of them as we give him. He also loves bread (like his mama!). He is still nursing 5-7 times a day and has actually taken a bottle once or twice - woo hoo! He likes to drink water out of a straw and is getting much better with his sippy cup. We are still hit or miss with other food - I have been making most of his food, but we have ventured out to some packaged foods - so far, the Happy Baby Chick Chick food has been his favorite. He also loves the Tyler Florence Sprout Apricots and Peaches - he is still not a fan of oatmeal, but we will keep trying. We are going to try yogurt this week and maybe some egg yolks (cooked, of course ;-) He loves peaches, sweet potatoes, carrots, and bananas - he seems to like anything that is on my plate! 

Sleep still continues to be a challenge - he has really gotten better at napping - they are not long naps, but they are consistent! He is still waking up once or twice at night to nurse - lately those nighttime nursing sessions have lasted almost an hour each, so mama has been TIRED! I am hoping that as he eats more solid food, he will sleep a little better. I have implemented a little bit of sleep training at night, as he was waking up an hour into his sleep - a little bit of fussing for a few nights and I think we are almost over that. Although, he got his shots today, so tonight will probably be a rough one - ugh.

This little man continues to delight us beyond our wildest expectations. He is so curious and joyful - we are just so blessed to have such a precious gift!

Where's Luke?

I left the room for about 90 seconds this afternoon - when I came back, Luke was nowhere to be found! I could hear him chattering, so I knew he wasn't hurt, but I was awfully surprised when I found him! He had crawled from the blanket in the center of the room, around the sofa, underneath the side table, and underneath his exersaucer. He got stuck once he got there, but enjoyed hanging out for a little while until mommy rescued him. Why he decided to get under there, I will never know! Such a funny little fella!

Remembering My Dad

My dad died. Those words are really hard to type. Even harder to believe. He had several serious health issues and they all came together at once - the combination was just too much for his body to handle. It doesn't feel real yet, but the emptiness is undeniable.

This is what I said at his memorial service, which was held at in the penthouse of a beautiful office building downtown. It was just what he would have wanted - it was a casual gathering of friends who spent time together, talked about old times, and celebrated his life.

Many of you knew my dad as friend, the guy with the guitar, the salesman, or the life of the party. I just knew him as dad.  I learned quite a bit through being his daughter – some through things he did right, some through his struggles, but the Lord in errantly chose him to be my dad and for that, I am thankful. 

I will never forget how my dad taught me to swim – we were standing on the side of Midfield community pool and he dropped me in the water – I splashed around, swallowed a lot of water, and finally got upright and looked up – he was standing there grinning – he said, “Allison Lee, I knew you could do it.”  That is the first lesson I learned from my dad – be proud of those you love, believe only the best and let them know it. My dad never let the fact that I was a girl stop him from teaching me (and my friends) to set up and break down a campsite, tie a knot, bait a hook, cast a line, catch a fish, build a fire, hit a ball, or pilot a boat. My dad was so proud of me – whether I deserved it or not, he always thought everything I did was just (to use one of his words) “spectacular.”  

Knowing how my dad felt about me allowed me the liberty to take chances  because I knew, win or lose, he would be delighted in me – honor my dad by truly delighting in those you love – let them know how special they are and give them the freedom to try great things.

My driving lessons were eerily similar to my swimming lessons. Instead of taking me to a nice flat parking lot, dad fired up the Dodge Omni and turned me loose in the in the middle of Mountain Brook. I remember thinking that he had lost his mind, but my dad just laughed.  To laugh when times are hard –that is the second lesson I learned from my dad. It was not a secret that my dad made some unfortunate choices and lived a very difficult life – especially during these last few years. However, even when he was at his lowest, he tried to keep his spirits up and tried not to let on how bad things really were. However, as I have heard from his friends over the past week, one of the things that people are going to miss most is his laugh – he certainly could find good in the very least of circumstances - honor him by sharing and finding things to smile about, even when you don’t feel like joy is there.

The final lesson I learned from my dad was to not take life (or anything for that matter) too seriously. My dad had a big child’s heart and was never threatened or intimidated by much. Maybe he should have taken some things a little more seriously, but he liked to live for the moment. I remember helping him with his resume and he had a section that listed the things he liked – among them were rainbows, a good cup of coffee and a finely tuned guitar. He also had a section of things he disliked – rap music at intersections, sales reports, and mean people. That sums my dad up pretty well…live simply and don’t get too worked up about anything, everything will work out in due time.

To end, allow me to share a thought from my friend, the Reverend Jesse Foster: Death “…is a reminder that there are things that the world cannot give me. We must all look to God for a peace that goes on even after life has ended. For a joy that outlasts all trials. And a home that is not made with hands - A place eternal with our creator.”  I hope my dad now rests in that eternal joy – I hope he is sitting cross-legged in the presence of our Creator, strumming his guitar and asking the Lord if he wants to hear a song he just wrote.  Rest well, daddy.

Heavenly Father, we come before you as your children, knowing that you truly love everything you have made. We are so grateful for your promise of mercy, joy, and peace to those who love you and know that one day all who believe in and love you will see you face to face. I thank you for the life of my dad. I pray that you will bring comfort and peace to all of us who loved him and that you will, as you say in your word, not allow our grief and sadness to consume us, nor allow us to lose sight of your compassion and mercies, which you renew every morning. You are a great and faithful God and we desire only to know and love you more. In Jesus’s name, Amen. 

Eight Months (and a few weeks....)

What a month! I am about two weeks late in posting this (although I did take the pictures on the actual 8 month day even though he wasn't feeling too well!), but we have had so much going on that it has been hard to get a few minutes to write! At eight months, Luke weighs a bit over 19 pounds and has started waving and chattering. I wouldn't call it babbling, as he isn't repeating the same consonant over and over, but he is making lots of noise! He has TWO TEETH and they are just so cute - they make him look like a little boy instead of a baby - sad for mama ;-(

He is still nursing about 5-7 times a day and is slowly but surely getting the hang of eating solid food. We are trying to get the hang of a sippy cup, but he just isn't interested in it. I have not been very consistent in trying it, so I need to get better about that. He really likes to touch his food before it goes in his mouth, which makes for a very messy mealtime! He is also still a big fan of playing with the spoon. He has tried some different foods this month, including peach rice pudding, oatmeal with apples and cinnamon, and cinnamon peaches. He seems to tolerate spices well and has liked almost everything he has tried.

This has been a tough month because it seems that he has been sick almost all month! We started out with hand, foot and mouth - which has been rampant around here. Next, we got a cold, then an ear infection! Yuck! Two rounds of antibiotics later, I think we are finally on the mend.

He is pushing up on all fours and is doing a little army crawl. Life is about to change, as there is no more leaving him to play by himself! He seems to find the most dangerous thing in the room and go right for it. This morning, he was playing on his mat and I ran to get something to drink and when I returned, he had crossed the room and was chewing on the cord to the laptop. Mother of the Year moment for sure. He also LOVES necklaces and earrings - mama will be unadorned for the forseeable future.

He seems to be tired of most of his toys, so we have been on the lookout for some new things for him to play with. I've tried to put some of his toys away and then reintroduce them - that has worked pretty well. He still loves his piano and his drum and just smiles and laughs when he plays. It makes us laugh every time.
He also is learning to roll a ball back and forth. Sometimes he just bats at the ball, but he has actually pushed it back and forth several times - it is just so fun to watch him learn!

He loves to "read" and turn the pages of his books. Right now, one of his favorites is I Love You, Goodnight. He loves to pat the pages and then turn them when we've finished the page. He also still likes In My Den and any peekaboo or Karen Kane book.

He is a HUGE fan of his daddy and grins and giggles every time he walks in the room. They have enjoyed some early morning walks since it is WAY too hot to go out after about 8 am! Kasey comes up with all kinds of games and fun things to do - it has been so amazing watching him as a daddy - they are going to be such good friends one day.

Sleeping continues to improve (although I hate to put that in writing ;-) He is waking once at night instead of 2 or 3 times and is taking pretty good naps. He usually gets 2 or 3 naps a day, usually for 45 minutes to an hour or so each time.

He is such a happy baby! He will just go to anyone and puts on a show when we are in public. Case in point - when he got an ear infection last week, he was acting all pitiful and sick when he was at home, but the minute we got to the doctor's office, he turned on the charm and had everyone wrapped around his little finger. He is obsessed with the table paper at the doctor's office and loves to pull it and wrap himself up in it. I don't know why I spend money on all of these toys when he would seemingly be just as happy with a roll of table paper!  He also loves newspapers and magazines - we have to keep them way out of reach, or they become a baby snack. I'm not really sure that I want him eating newsprint!

Separation anxiety has started to sprout up here and there - he is Mr. Friendly as long as he can see me, but if I get too far out of sight, he gets a little rowdy.

I will not go so long between posts next time - I don't want to forget all of the things he is doing - it is just going so fast!