Luke’s 6 month pics

I took Luke on the 22nd for his 6 month pictures.  Hard to do when all he wants to do is roll around on the floor.  Also hard when he cannot sit up yet so our positions are limited.  He is top heavy (go figure) and has a hard time sitting without support.  Ryan was sitting at 5 months old but weighed less.  Luke is 28 inches and 22 lbs.  Ryan was 22 lbs at 10 or 11 months.  Where did I get such big babies?

Today both boys got their seasonal flu shots.  Neither of them cried.  We’re just doing what we can to keep Luke healthy since Ryan already had H1N1 and we didn’t catch it.  Not sure how that happened but we are thankful. 

Enjoy some of the pictures.

look what i found!

getting a little help to sit up

who could say no to that face?

brothers

silly brothers

Sick

For those of you that didn’t hear through the grapevine or on Facebook, Ryan had the H1N1 flu.  Super fun.  Not.  It was a very long week filled with sleepless nights, doctor and urgent care visits, and the drive thru pharmacy.  It is scary to know your child has a virus that some kids are actually dieing from.  It is especially scary when your child has an “underlying condition” like asthma that seems to make it even worse.  Luckily, the virus did not go to his lungs.  He had a very high fever for 4 days, and twice in the middle of the night we had to sponge bathe him because Motrin wasn’t working.  Ryan is prone to high fevers, something we learned when he was 10 months old.  Then the fever was gone for a day and came back with a horrible cough.  That is when I took him in for the second time and had him tested.  He was put on Tamiflu and we saw a major difference with just 2 doses.  He has been fever and symptom free since Thursday so I think it is really gone. 

 Ethan, Luke or I never had symptoms.  Ethan and I rushed out to get vaccinated to protect Luke, and Ethan’s co-workers in case we were carriers.

The information seems to be so different on the flu that its hard to keep it all straight.  Luke is at the age where he can be vaccinated, but needs a smaller dose.  That is another scary thing to think about, but we also don’t want him to have a 104 degree fever and terrible cough for 7 days either. 

Luke’s croup is finally gone after almost 2 weeks.  He was on antibiotics in case a bacterial infection developed, plus a steroid and albuterol.  Ryan was also on an antibiotic because while at urgent care for our first visit they found double ear infections.  Poor kid.

So, we are back to real life, almost.  I am keeping Ryan home an extra day from school.  Wednesday his class is going to the pumpkin patch and he will enjoy that.  He needs some time outside in the fresh air.  I’ve also been going stir crazy in the house and went to Target last night after Luke went to bed.

Luke is still sleeping through the night mostly, since the croup he has been waking up between 2-4 am.  He usually has a dirty diaper so I can understand why he would be up, but it takes hrs to get him back to sleep.  I still love his schedule and that he goes to bed early, but its hard to do anything during the day.  There is only about 2 hrs between his naps so that doesn’t leave much time.  Sleep is still worth it

Its time for Ryan to take a nap, and most likely Luke will be up any minute.  I was going to write one day they will nap at the same time, but I don’t think at 4 yrs old Ryan will be napping much longer…but I can dream!

Luke is 6 months!

eating some bananas

he likes to eat!

this is way better than being stuck on my back

big boy carseat

October 10, 2009

brothers

I am a few days late, but Luke turned 6 months on the 7th of October.  I had an appt to get his pictures taken but we had to cancel due to this croupy cough he had.  We went to the doctor and it wasn’t real croup, mostly because there was never a constant cough, he just sounded horrible when he cried or sneezed.  Ears, throat and chest were all clear so he is fine.  It did mess with our new sleep which is a bummer, but I’ll make it.  He now likes to get up at 4am and because I want to make sure the fever didn’t spike I go get him, then it takes another hour and a half for him to go back to sleep which is right around the time Ryan wakes up!  He did not have a fever yesterday so one more day and he will be in the clear and back to the schedule we go.

Speaking of schedules, actually having one is harder than not having one in a way.  Sleep is worth it.  Totally. 

We are gearing up for Ryan’s birthday.  Its a SURPRISE, but Ethan bought him a motorcycle.  Let’s hope Ryan is as excited as Ethan is.  Its a small one, I think its called a 50.  It even has training wheels.   Ethan has spent the last few months trying to convince me.  Mommy has lots of rules about riding it but I know he will love it.  And then Luke can ride it so its not THAT much money…can you believe Ethan said that???  Luckily Ryan’s great grandma has plenty of space for him to learn to ride.  Remember, its a secret.  He has no idea we have it, eventhough its in the garage and he walks by it everyday!!!

Luke is pushing up on his hands and wants to crawl really bad.  He is constantly grabbing for things or rolling over to them.  It is only a matter of time.  This house is definately not babyproofed so we have our work cut out for us.

Here are some pictures from the last camera download.  There were 95!  They are from Aug til Oct 10th.

bath time

What! A new post!

Hello October!  It has been a while, but I am finally able to sit down with two hands and update.  Pictures still will have to wait a bit since I’m on the laptop and they need to be downloaded on the desktop.  Patience.  It will happen.

The biggest change since our last post is that Luke is finally on a schedule.  We had to do a modified cry it out type system and in less than a week I had him on track.  Even the first night we started he slept 11 hrs straight.  Poor kid has just been overtired his whole little life.  We are working on perfecting naps but wow, what a difference.  He is a different baby.  I’m finally getting some sleep and some much needed time that does not involve holding him.   Luke is so much more content and just generally happy.  Now he goes to bed very early and I have time in the evenings to cook dinner which makes Ethan happy.  I have more time during the day for Ryan.  IT IS JUST BETTER.

Ryan started back to school mid August and is enjoying it.  He gets great reports from his teachers.  I love the way he smiles and runs out to me when I pick him up.  We have seen such an improvement in his writing already.  Ryan is doing another session of soccer and continues to love it.  He also did a month of tumbling.  As soon as he turns 4 (whichis less than a month) he gets to sign up for martial arts.  We want to let him try whatever he is interested in and see what sticks.  Plus, he needs something to do on the days he doesn’t have school!

I will try and do a massive photo download this week.  Luke really has changed, not to mention the fact that he is probably 22 lbs already.  He is wearing size 12-18 month clothes.

Luke is 4 months old and some summer recap

I think this is our first family photo (July)

Luke is 4 months old today!  Time is really going by fast.  He has rolled over twice, once from back to front and once the other way.  Ofcourse we can’t get him to do it again.  He is drooling like crazy so we thought he might be getting a tooth, but nothing yet.  Luke is still a challenge for me.  He wants to be held all the time and screams if I put him down.  Needless to say its hard to get anything done or try to form any type of schedule.  I am trying to see the bright side in some of this, and enjoy the quiet times I have with him while he sleeps and I hold him.  I know that all to soon he will be running around the house trying to get away from me! 

Luke is about 17 lbs now.  He is a big boy!  All of the growth charts we have around here say he is off the charts.  He will go for his 4 month appt in a few weeks to make sure his shots are spaced out far enough and we’ll get a more accurate weight.  We are about ready to move him into the bigger carseat and Ryan into a booster.  Luke has tried cereal a few times but wasn’t a fan.  I keep trying every few days.  I’m hoping the cereal will help him to go longer between feedings and fill him up because he constantly seems hungry.

Luke 4 months

He found his toes last week and looks like this a lot

 

Ryan has had a busy summer.  He had a great time on vacation in Windsor.  Ethan’s dad opens his time share up to us and his sisters.  We don’t really have pictures since I was in the shade most of the time with Luke, but they had a great time at the beach watching the seals, and hanging out on the Russian River.  The pool and spa were great too.  I think there is one picture on Ethan’s phone of Luke and I to prove we were really there!

Ryan did about a month of swim lessons through our city rec program.  The first day was hard, but by the third day he was having a great time.  He refuses to go under water, but we were able to bribe him to go off the diving board.  Makes no sense, but that is our boy.  I think he jumped 3 or 4 times total.  He has gained a new confidence in the water and that is good.  Ryan also started soccer once a week.  He loves it!  Kicking the ball around seems very natural to him.  He scored a goal for their first scrimmage and again last week–but he was supposed to be the goalie.  Yes, he ran out of the box, got the ball and dribbled down the length of the field to score.  What can you expect from some 3 yr olds?

sporting his shin guards and cleats

there he goes

 

working on his kicks

 

Preschool starts again on the 19th and I am ready for him to go back   He is ready too.  He will go 3 days a week now since he has moved up to the 4 yr old class. 

Ethan and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary on the 14th.  We are still trying to figure out our plans.  It is hard to leave Luke for an extended period of time without worrying he is screaming his head off.  Hopefully we will be able to squeeze in a half day trip.

brothers

Catching up on pictures

brothers

We just got back from vacation, but before we left we downloaded all the pictures and video on our camera.  It took 30 minutes!  So, here are some catch up photos that date back to May and continue through June.  I’ll wait and post our vacation photos later.  Ryan starts swim lessons and soccer this week.  Luke is smiling, but continues to be a very loud baby.  Not sure what else we can do to try and make him happy.  Right now we just enjoy the smiles and hope his fussiness subsides as he gets older.

Ryan's preschool field trip to the fire station

 

Luke asleep on GG during Ryan's preschool program

Luke is 2 months old!

Can it really be?  Yes, Luke turned 2 months old on the 7th.  Eventhough I’m exhausted and my days are an endless wave of feedings, diaper changes and 3 yr old attitude, it has gone by fast.  Luke started smiling around 6 weeks and it is probably the cutest thing you have ever seen (except Ryan’s smiles).  He is holding his head up well, and on our scale weighs 14 lbs.  He is wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothing already.  He is not going to be a small child.  Though he is about the same size Ryan was at this age, he seems much bigger and longer for sure.  We had a few weeks of him doing 4 hrs of sleep at night, then fell  back to barely 3 hrs in the last few nights.  It is kind of a blur after he wakes up and eats because he seems to wake up again every hour or so, or not go back to sleep at all.  Then last night he slept 4 hrs, ate, slept another 4.  Woo hoo. 

Ryan still loves his brother and I’m glad it hasn’t worn off yet.  He loves riding his new bike, especially when daddy rides his bike too.  They go to a park that is pretty far away and Ryan rides all the way there and back.  Ryan is mastering several games on the Wii and we are surprised that a 3 year old can do so well.  His last day of preschool is the 18th.  He will start back again in August with the 4 yr olds…he will be 4 in November. 

I am starting to think Luke looks less like Ryan.  His hair is turning from dark brown to a lighter shade with some red in it.  His eyes are still blue, but they are fading.  I cannot get over his chubby cheeks! 

We are finally having cement poured in our backyard so we’ll have useable space this summer.  It will be a great place for Ryan and I’ll be able to watch him out the window and just might get something down around the house.

Here are some of the latest pictures.  Enjoy.

one of his favorite things to do...pretending to drive

he always pats him on the head

mowing the lawn at grandma and papa's house in his rain boots

just hanging out...

Finally, some pictures

Not a lot to report, other than we are still exhausted!  Luke has had 2 nights where he slept for 5 hrs straight, so we are working on making that the norm instead of a fluke.  Other than that, my days/nights all seem about the same.  We’ve been able to play outside a bit.  The weather is getting hotter, supposed to be in the 90s this weekend, but the breeze makes it bearable.  Ryan just got a bike with training wheels and he loves it.  Here are some recent pictures of the boys.  I’ll be better about posting pictures once we are on a real schedule. 

Ryan's new bike!

Mother's Day

Oh yeah, I cut my hair

#2 on Mother's Day

Quick update

We’ve had a hard few days here.  Luke has his first cold, sad at such an early age.  He is congested and has a low grade fever.  We’ve been to the doctor the last two days to make sure it is just a cold and nothing more serious.  His blood work came back normal and we are thankful for that.  Ryan was also sick, but with a cough and fever.  Needless to say its been a worrisome time, along with being exhausted and everything you expect when you have a new baby.  We are hanging in, and should have some pictures up this weekend.  Thanks to everyone who has called and e-mailed to check on us.  We are laying low, trying not to get any new germs or pass what we have.

Where are the pictures?

I’ve gotten some e-mails requesting more pictures and they are coming.  I’ve been doing most of my posts on the laptop, but have to download the pictures on the desktop.  Luke is now 9 days old.  He had a weight check at one week old and was back up to 9 lbs, so that is good.  He constantly seems hungry, but I guess its normal to have a big appetite when you are born at 9 lbs already. 

I managed to get Ryan to preschool today relatively on time.  He is starting to say he doesn’t want to go, but I know he loves it when he gets there.  He has had so many changes in the last week, but we’re proud of him for the way he is handling it.  For the most part he says he loves his brother, likes to pat him on the head, and calls him his bestest brother.  A few times he has said he doesnt like him and wants to put him back in my belly.  I told him it was way too much work getting him out, so there is no way he is going back in.  Ryan is a little more grouchy at times, a little more whiny, but in general, he is the bestest big brother

I will post more pictures soon.