Why buy toys ...

when junk mail is so entertaining?

How did he know?

So, the other day I mentioned to my very dear (and super pregnant) friend Gina that she should take some of Luke's baby stuff to use. I suggested the travel swing as one of the items for her to borrow because, and I quote, "Luke is too big for it. He hasn't been able to fit in it for months."

And then, that very same night, Luke did this:

It's still going to Gina, whether Luke likes it or not. He hasn't paid one ounce of attention to it since I last forced him to sit in it when he was about 4 months old, and the darn thing hardly rocks back and forth with him it - he weighs too much!!!

Daddy's #1 Fan

And he truely is ... you should see the sheer excitement on Luke's face when Daddy walks in from work at the end of the day. It makes Michael's day - everyday.

Here he is rocking out with Daddy:

As you can see, Luke LOVES music. We started going to a baby/toddler music class last month, and he is really enjoying it ... my little rockstar!

Is that string cheese in his hand? ... NO, look again!

Daddy is "working from home" today. This is what happens when Luke is left in his care ... looks like a wild time!!!

Luke's Language

Luke is trying to tell us (or perhaps the dog?) something. He babbles like this just about all day - I love it!

A note from Luke

Dear Mommy,

Thank you for FINALLY letting me sleep with my favorite stuffed animal from Auntie Sarah - I love him very much! Please make sure to put him in bed with me every night.

Love,

Luke

Pool time!

It has been so hot here the last few days, so we were thrilled to spend yesterday afternoon at our dear friends, Peter & Debbie's, pool. Luke had a great time and just loved being the life of the party. Thank you so much for a great afternoon, Peter & Deb!

New things all the time

It is really hard to keep this blog updated recently because it feels like Luke does something new everyday ... and sometimes more than one new thing a day. Not to mention the fact that I can't leave him alone for even a few seconds! So, here are a few of his most recent adventures:

Luke learned to pull himself up ... but can't get back down in this photo (he's since figured that part out, thank goodness!):

He can now stand up at his LeapFrog table:

Bath-time continues to be a highlight:

Luke climbs EVERYTHING ... a mischievous look once he gets there:

He's learning to be gentle with the cat, and he and Linus are becoming fast friends:

Luke tastes his first bite of cake - banana and fudge for Grammy's birthday, and he loves it (no big surprise there):

Rolling around being silly:

Watching a video of himself on TV:

And, he can cruise ... walking is just around the corner(!):

Luke officially has 6 teeth with #s 7 and 8 on their way in (no photo of that - he won't let me near his mouth).

Where did my baby go?

Mother's Day is the best!

This was my first "official" Mother's Day, and boy was it nice. It might quickly become my favorite day of the year! Michael was such a wonderful husband. My only request was to sleep in without worry about Luke. So, Michael was up with Luke and all of our animals, took care of breakfast for everyone, and then brought me breakfast in bed ... complete with a glass of champagne. Luke gave me tulips, and Michael gave me a pot of freesia, which smell incredible ... not to mention that our sweet Brooklyn was my early Mother's Day gift. We had such a nice day. We spent the afternoon celebrating my mom with a gourmet meal (thanks to Michael, of course). I can't wait until next year (and I need to start planning Father's Day because the standard was set pretty high!).

I can't believe that I'm posting this bed-head, no makeup picture of myself, but it must be here to display the breakfast in bed!


All of my sweet babies on Mother's Day:


Michael with Luke and Brooklyn (and yes, Luke is chewing on the dog bone):


Luke, Brooklyn (almost!), and I:


Yay for Mother's Day and all of the wonderful mothers in my life ... especially my own mom and grandma, who have shown me what it means to be a great mom, and Michael's mom who raised such a wonderful man. And, of course, to all of my girlfriends who are moms and who have offered me so much advice and encouragement throughout these first months of motherhood (Kate, Joanna, Jess, Cheryl, Rocio), and the soon-to-be mommies Gina, Steph, Jess F. - happy belated Mother's Day!

He's a traveling man

We're back from a week in Cabo ... it was paradise. The weather was wonderful, the accommodations were fabulous, and Luke was the best traveler. He did so well the entire time, from flying to late-night dinners to sleeping in an unfamiliar place ... he truly proved how flexible he can be. It was such a joy to have him with us.

He especially enjoyed all of the attention from Grammy, Poppy, Uncle Kenny, Grandma, and Papa ... there was never a dull moment - always someone to play with, and Luke LOVED it!

Things are a changin' every day in Luke's world. It seems like he is constantly learning and practicing new things. So, here's a list of Luke's most recent "tricks":

1 - Crawling at break-neck speed! Don't turn your back, or he'll be gone

2 - Pulling up on EVERYTHING ... and, this just in, getting back down again (apparently this is more difficult than getting up in the first place!)

3 - Letting go when standing and attempting to move between two stable objects

4 - Making the clicking/clucking noise with his mouth that Michael and I use to call the cat :)

5 - Drinking good amounts of milk from the sippy cup ... which means that we're finally weaning (whoo hoo!)

6 - Waving hello to anyone and everyone

7 - Rolling his hands (as in the pat-a-cake song "Roll it and roll it and mark it with a B ...")

8 - Singing whenever he is in the car (he must get that from mommy)

9 - Definitely saying "Da-da" for Michael ... not just randomly anymore

10 - His 6th tooth is on its way in ... I can see it just below the gumline. This little guy is going to have a mouth full of teeth by his bday!

Here are a few pics from our trip

Randomness

Just a few random recent photos.

These are for Aunt Kate - Luke's modeling his "BabyLegs" in Harvest:

He's such a little boy in this one:

Crawling, playing, resting, and climbing:

Who says that dogs and cats can't be great friends?

Life has changed

Luke is now everywhere ... and he's fast! He can crawl, do stairs, climb, pull up to standing, and anything else that you can imagine. My life has changed completely. No more leaving him playing with his toys while I switch a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher, or make the bed. I thought that we had "babyproofed" ... I've since learned that there really is no such thing!



Here's a clip of Luke getting into Daddy's stuff (yes, I was sitting back and taping him instead of intervening!):

A beautiful weekend

We had the nicest weekend here - the weather was perfect and warm. We broke out the baby pool that we bought for Luke a while back, and let him try it out. He loved it (as you can see from the pictures - check out those top teeth that are now in full view!), and we loved watching him have so much fun.

Go Yankees!

Luke was decked out in his Yankees attire to help cheer on his favorite baseball team. Michael bought him the Yankee hat when we were back east over the holidays, and it is just about fitting Luke now. I couldn't resist taking pictures - too cute!

It's a dog's life

Luke has taken over Brooklyn's "room." He can't see why she doesn't want to spend the entire day in here!






Luke and the dog both like to chew :)