A Little More Christmas

 Luke the Gnome... or Elf...

 Going to Church

Awww... cartoons with cousin James.

Christmas!

We have had such a wonderful Christmas.  My whole family was able to be together, all six kids, and five grandchildren.  We did "Christmas" on Christmas Eve since that is the only time that everyone was available.  The 2 1/2 year old little boys loved opening presents.  Cooper was so into it that we kept giving him presents to open then he would hand them to whomever they were given.  James was good at opening presents, but got hung up reading a "Thomas the Train" book.  We didn't get started with the presents until after 8 and Luke actually slept through most of it.  He did have some really cute Christmas jammies though.  He got some clothes, some "Star Wars" chew toys, a big box of wipes, a soft soccer ball, and an exersaucer!  He made out pretty well.  He also got some rice cereal puffs in his stockings... it's just about time to start on the solid foods!

We are still looking forward to almost a whole week of fun with everyone in town.  Sam and Brittney's friends came up tonight and will be here all day tomorrow too.  We will have 7 kids under 4 running around here.  It's going to be so much fun! 

 Their favorite thing to do is get thrown into the giant "Love Sac"

 Grandpa fixing the activity table.

 The whole family at Andy and Naomi's house.

 Luke and his new cousin Ellie.  She is four weeks old!

 Super Cute Santa Jammies!

 So many presents!

Baby's First Christmas

 Luke and Aunt Cindy

 The Boy Cousins

Parker, Cooper, Luke and James

Here comes trouble! 

5 Months Old

I can't believe Luke is already 5 months old!

Love this boy so much!

Thanksgiving

We went up to my Grandmother's house in St. George Utah.  It was a lot of fun to see Aunts, Uncles and cousins.  My Cousin John brought a huge bounce house for all of the kids.  It was a huge hit.
After Thanksgiving dinner we made gingerbread houses as is the tradition.  I made a small house for Luke and in the words of my 4-year old cousin Jack, it was "freaking dang beautiful!"
Luke was a huge hit.  Everyone loved him especially Jack.  He always wanted to hold him or feed him or play with him.

We stopped in Las Vegas on the way home so Luke could see his other Grandma, Aunt Teri and Uncle Kevin too.  It was nice to visit with them. 

Hafen, Jack and Spencer Stevenson

 Jack and Luke.

 They just happen to have matching Superman shirts! 

 Luke and Grandma

"Freaking Dang Beautiful!" 

How we are doing...

Luke is changing so much by the day!  He is getting smarter and smarter and stronger and stronger.  It is so fun to see him start to develop a personality and discover his body.  Within the last week or so he had discovered his hands.  He can grap the loop on his pacifier and take it out of his mouth.  Putting it back in is a little harder, but he gets it sometimes.  He usually ends up chewing on the side of it.  Sometimes it looks like he is concentrating so hard on it.  He stares at his hands and furrows his brow and looks like he is "willing" it back into his mouth.  He is also chewing on his hands all of the time.  He probably likes those more than his pacifier.  He has become much more "drooly" too.  His gums feel like there are some teeth coming in.  Some people say its too early for teeth, but I just tell them that Luke is very advanced and ahead of the game.  He is starting to recognize his bottle too.  If you put it in front of him he will hit it with his hands and open his mouth and lean towards it.  Often times he will help you hold it while you are feeding him.  He has started to grab things too, clasp his hands together and pass a rattle from one hand to the other.  I have seen him roll from his tummy to his back twice now.  He is getting so big so fast, I just want him to slow down!  I feel like I am missing it! 

I haven't talked much about anything but Luke, but here's what is going on aside from Luke.  James and I are now divorced.  We seperated in May and the divorce was final at the end of September.  I am living with my two sisters in Running Springs.  My parents live down the street and my two brothers and their families live very close as well.  I am still working for Cleo Design however I am working remotely from home.  I need to work 30 hours per week to maintain my benefits.  That is so much easier said than done.  I feel like every free moment I have I am trying to work and I alwas have that "30 hours" hanging over my head.  Sometimes I feel like I am missing Luke growing because I am so preoccoupied with trying to get work done.  It seems that only time I can be really productive is late at night when Luke has gone to bed (which means no sleep for me).  The other option is that someone else hold him and play with him during the day so that I can work, but then I am totally dependant on someone else to take care of him.  I know that things will get easier when Luke becomes a little more independant, but I'm aftaid of missing his baby phase.  It goes so fast, and I will never get it back.

I have to say how very grateful I am for my family.  I couldn't have got through any of this without them.  My parents have been at my side from the very beginning and I know that anyone in my family would drop anything to help me, and they have.  A seperation, relocation, baby birth and divorce is a lot to handle within a few months and my family is what has kept me toghether emotionally, physically and financially. Anyone who knows them knows that they are the best. 

It seems that something else always comes up for me to deal with, but I am confident that in a couple more months I should be in the clear and working towards putting my life back together again.

Here are some random pictures of Luke over the past few weeks.

 Holding his bottle for the first time.

 He looks like an Angel.

 First thing in the morning.

Such a big boy!

Veteran's Day

 We went to a Veteran's Day Celebration at a park in Yucaipa.  My brother, Hans, plays the Bagpipes and his group performed at the ceremony.  They played two songs.  One of them was Amazing Grace which for some reason always makes me teary when I hear it on the bagpipes.  It was a really nice program.  There was also a great turnout which made me happy.  My grandfather was in the Air Force and Luke's Great Grandfathers were both in the Navy.  The men and women that served and currently serve our country seem to be under appreciated.  They sacrifice so much on a daily basis and I am so grateful for them.

 Mom, Dad, Sonali and Luke

 Hans is on the right.

Dad says that you are not allowed to hold a baby while wearing a Kilt... I guess it is not manly or something... says the guy wearing a skirt :)

Laughing!!!

November 10, 2011

I had the camera phone unsidedown, but you get the picture.

4 Months! November 7

4 Month Stats:

12 lb 15 oz

24 1/2" long

He is a little bit small for his age, but the doctor is not worried.  We talked about his spitting up because he still does it a lot.  She said that as long as he is happy and gaining weight we shouldn't worry about it.  She said he is just "A Happy Spitter"... so I guess we just deall with it.

He had to get shots again, but he took it pretty well.  He gave a HUGE scream, but settled down afterwards and slept for a few hours.  I was able to go to a few stores with him asleep before heading home.

 Reading a book with Grandma and thinking really hard.

Halloween!

Luke dressed up as an Ewok for his very first Halloween.  He looked so cute.  Honestly though, he didn't really like the hood.  He was mostly unhappy when he had it on.  We went to the church Trunk-or-treat party and everyone loved him!  I dressed up as Princess Leia, but Luke looked way cuter than me.

Luke and his coisun Cooper (he was a dragon!)

I think my "buns" needed to be bigger... my head looks HUGE!

2 Months Old!

Mr. Luke is already 2 months old!

Weight: 9lb 8oz.

Height: 21.8 in.

We took Luke to the doctor for his 2 month checkup.  He is doing fine except for some reflux.  He has a hard time keeping food down so he has not gained quite as much weight as the doctor wanted.  She gave us a perscription that is supposed to help.  He also got 3 shots which he DID NOT like at all.  I definately know what the "I'm in pain" cry sounds like.

Luke is such a good boy.  He eats well, but hates the "half time" burp and he still doesn't keep his pacifier in his mouth very well.  He is starting to smile more and recognizes faces and voices.  He seems to really enjoy his baths and has already started to outgrow his newborn clothes.  It is so sad to pack them away.  His cousin Cooper likes to come over and visit and is good to take him his pacifier or bottle whenever he cries.  He is getting so strong and is getting better at holding up his head.  He still needs to be held all of the time which makes getting anything done a little difficult. He is such a cutie and gets cuter by the day!