Changing of the Guard

Ana Maria and Elise have been on Luke duty since last week and they got right into the swing of things! The cousins started off on the same eating and sleeping schedule so Ana Maria had a good first day. They haven't been in synch like that since then, but they've been pretty good for her so far. I think she'll do just fine with a few of her own!
On Saturday we all went down to Lady Bird Lake to get a little exercise and fresh air. We got to use the Baby Bjorn for the first time and we showed Ana Maria our brick at Lou Neff Point. Luke slept the whole time, but Elise really enjoyed checking out the trail and all the people we passed. The walk was a little longer than we planned so when we got home it was time for all of us to take a little nap. Afterwards we watched the Texas game in our burnt orange. We ended the day with an early bird dinner at Maudie's. Of course Ana Maria had to get some Mexican food in while she was here!


We only have a few more days left before little Luke has to go to daycare. The doctor says he'll be fine, but it's scary with the swine flu and all the other illnesses out there. Wish us luck next week when the three of us are on our own! I don't know how we're going to do it, we sure are going to miss Grandma Cheryl, Auntie Ana Maria and big cousin Elise!

Chunky Monkey

The biggest news is Luke was 11 pounds yesterday! He's finally getting enough food and I think he's made up for those weeks when he didn't gain that much. Yay! He's made it to the 10th percentile for weight so maybe he'll catch up before he's 2.

Grandma Cheryl finished her shift taking care of Luke last week. They had a great time together and she was a huge help for my first week back at work. While she was here we tried to get some good routines established. One of them is story time before bed. We haven't been able to this regularly, but I think he really enjoyed Pat the Bunny that night!

Back to reality

It's been a busy two weeks. Last weekend we had the Ferro and Simpson grandparents over to visit and watch the UT game. Luke had a good time and enjoyed getting some extra attention.

On Monday I decided to get Luke weighed again before I had to return to work on Wednesday. It's a good thing I did this because he hadn't gained as much as we expected. He was 9 lbs 2 oz and we discovered he hasn't been getting enough food. That explains the extra fussiness! Poor little guy. As soon as we found that out we upped his feedings and he's now a happy camper. It's amazing what a difference this has made. He's like a different baby and much more content.

He's changed alot over the past week or so. Even though he hasn't gained that much weight Brad measured him and he is definitely getting longer - he measured 23 inches yesterday! He's made good progress with his tummy time and can push up on his arms a little more, hold his head up and turn it from side to side. Check him out! He's able to do it for a longer period of time before he gets frustrated. He's much more alert, makes eye contact and follows you when you move. He's smiling and laughing alot and starting to make more sounds. I wish we could understand what he's trying to say.

Returning to work this week wasn't easy, but leaving him with Grandma Cheryl made it less difficult. My coworkers made me feel welcome with some breakfast tacos, a cake and some beautiful flowers. We also went to lunch that day so it was a nice return. It's been good to get a break from being at home for 3 months and it's nice to think about other things again.

Luke's been great for Grandma Cheryl, just doing his baby thing and looking cute. He's even played along with the loose schedule we're trying to follow. He's eating well and taking long naps snuggled up in his crib. Aunt Kitty sent him a cd of lullablies and he listens to it to help him fall asleep. Keep your fingers crossed next week goes just as well!

Big Saturday

Saturday was a day of several firsts for Luke. He started off by taking his first nap in his crib. Until now he's been napping wherever and whenever he falls asleep, either in his bouncer, lounger, car seat or on me or Brad. He's been taking either short cat naps or long 2 hour naps at random times throughout the day. We're not sure if he's considered 10 1/2 or 3 1/2 (adjusted age) weeks old in this area of development, but between 2-4 months he's supposed to be able to have some type of schedule. Since we had a long weekend we decided it's a good time to try to get him on one, or at least figure out what his schedule is. He took two naps in his crib that day - they were only 15-20 minutes long - but he was able to go to sleep in there on his own!

He also got to go to Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Mack's for the first time to watch his first UT game. Although his outfit was way too big, he enjoyed the game and we were able to stay for most of it.

When we got home it was time to try something else new. He's been sleeping in the lounger pillow inside his pack and play and since he keeps getting longer and longer we knew it couldn't last long. Well he had no problem at all sleeping right in the pack and play so another accomplishment for the day!

Since we won our freedom last week we've been busy galavanting around town. We've been on several outings to places as exciting as Pei Wei, or Pee Wee as I like to call it, Target and Babies R Us. He's been very good on all these outings. It's been really nice for me to be able to get out of the house and feel like a normal person again.

Today's big adventure was to GSD&M to meet everyone. I wanted our visit to be very smooth and cry free. Rookie parent lesson number 5: accept that you can't predict what these babies will do, no matter how much you plan.

I pumped him full of food right before we left - 100 ml, which is more than he gets in his big bottle overnight, and I willed him to poop before we left. He followed this part of the plan. We headed out right after his belly was filled and emptied, so to speak. Once we got there he cooperated for a while, sleeping then waking up nice and peaceful, like a little angel. After about half an hour though he started to cry. And he looked hungry. Only 1 1/2 hours after I stuffed him he was hungry. And I thought I had a good 3 hours. It turns out he had a burp in there, but he was hungry too. I had to give him the bottle of formula we've been toting around with us. He was a happy little camper after that, but I had to use Jerry's office to change him. That formula really makes them go more often. He let Barbara and Brenda hold him, and this time he had more than some gas for Brenda. Luckily Jerry hadn't returned yet so we were able to use his office for the dirty work once again.

We were there for a while and despite my anxiety we had a good visit. He performed all his tricks and I got to use a bunch of goodies from the the diaper bag! As difficult as it's been I can't believe it's been 10 weeks already and that I only have 2 left with him.