The Last Installment

Luke wanted to let everyone know that sometime in mid-Aug he'll become a big brother...no longer will Otis hold that distinction to himself! It's early, only about 6 weeks, but he couldn't wait another second to let you know. If you have any advice for him, shoot it our way and well make sure he gets it. :)

We See an Almost Tooth

At last...we almost have a tooth. It's the bottom front one on his left. It's white and just under the skin...just a little pink still stretched across. So, teething begins. Wish us luck!

Just Some Recent Pictures You Need to See

Walking will wear you out. Thank goodness for those two chauffeurs that follow me around!

This is just before having to get up on a Monday morning...it isn't easy disturbing such peace!
Playing on the floor with mom and dad...nothing makes him happier!

Luke can go all the way to the top...all by himself. Of course, I was one step behind just in case, but he didn't need me. He does stop mid-way and take a breather though, which is pretty cute. Note that this is also his signature look...one sock on and one sock off. The other is inevitably drying out somewhere after being used to occupy his mouth during a particularly boring moment of the day.

Calling all Grandmas!

It'd be a great time to visit...Luke's favorite past-time is doling out kisses! He and Ella apparently kiss all day long and the fun follows him home. He was kissing himself this morning in the mirror, then his dad through the glass while he was in the shower, and at any given moment he is kissing a stuffed animal. You too can be a proud kiss recipient! The picture above shows Otis receiving his daily dose.

Radio Flyer Marvel

Grandma Hurst sent an early Christmas present...a radio flyer walk-behind. And our super-intelligent son knew exactly what to do with it. James stood him up behind it with his hands on the handle and let go...Luke cruised all the way across the room. Watch him go! And...Luke says "thanks" to Grandma...mom and dad say, sarcastically, thanks a lot (now we have to walk back and forth turning it around for him to continue the journey!)!

Introducing...Santa!

Our house cloaked in cheer

Just before the crying...Santa touches Luke on the cheek

Professional Santa at the Corinthian Care Group Christmas Party

Santa looked amazing! He was the most magical, realistic (as if Santa is real) Mr. Claus we'd ever seen. Check out his facial close up...tell me that isn't a face you just love to believe in. Everyone at the party agreed that he was the best Santa ever, well, except for Luke. James sat Luke on the jolly guy's lap. Luke looked him right in the face, checked him out real good, and shortly thereafter decided Santa was overrated. Just after the professionals got a shot, I got a shot as Santa reached up to touch Luke's cheek and try to make nice. That was too much for the Noodle...he went into immediate ugly cry mode. So, Santa suggested a family photo to get one more shot. The things you'll do for your kiddo...we each took a seat on Santa's knees...poor guy, with the noodle in the middle. It was in vain, Luke just arched around to see if the red monster was still there and upon seeing him the outburst resumed. Oh well, luckily a Santa stop isn't really needed at our house this year anyway...mom and dad have gotten the baby pretty well stocked under the tree. Since everything these days is valued in terms of its' price in relation to the price of formula, I'd say Luke doesn't have too many high dollar items under the tree, but combined we could trade them at HEB for a good month's worth of formula...when the truth is if we'd just let him loose with Otis' dog bone on Christmas day it'd be a day he'd never forget. Christmas is for kids, sort of...I think primarily its for parents of great kids, like ours. Added bonus of having the little guy around, in the flesh, this year, is that it motivated James to light the house. Check out the front of our house: the trees, the snowmen, the wreaths, and the bulbs are second to none!

Strike a Pose

I think we have a run on Dancing with the Stars in the bag! Luke moves with the music so naturally...no prompting required. It is hilarious. Whenever the music starts, no matter what music it is, he starts grooving. I have no idea where he got that from. I mean we are prone to a waltz around the kitchen on occasion, but I usually supply my own rendition of pop favorites...James was so surprised that Luke recognized "real" music. Maybe he had to take up dancing to burn those extra calories he is taking in these days. He's up to a meat, a veggie, and his bottle every evening now. In fact, he'll eat about anything these days...with the exception of guava. Why they even try to bottle that is unbeknownst to me...I mean, who really eats that on a regular basis? But...of course, we wanted to expose him to whatever they had on the shelf. There is still one bottle of the buy1 get 1 free guava on the shelf at this house if there are any takers out there. Check out the shot of him just before busting a move. Then there are also some pics taken this past weekend at the Botanical Gardens. We thought he'd be enthralled with the train exhibit they had going on there, but actually the waterfall was much more appealing.

Thanksgiving

Yesterday afternoon when I picked up Luke, I was greeted not only with the standard super-smile and reach routine, but also with 4 big kisses...sort of. He kisses with his mouth open, so it is debatable as to whether he is kissing or trying to eat you, but the intent is clearly to show great affection and we have been working hard at teaching him to kiss...so we are going with kissing. Aside from that he is also a pro at pulling-up on anything and everything now. He can even do a little foot shuffle to move around. Only problem is he isn't as adept at getting back down. Every morning around 3:30 or 4:00 he gets hungry. I hear the first whimper, go downstairs, heat his bottle up, change his diaper and feed him. It takes a total of 4 1/2 minutes to get the bottle ready, during which he usually just talks and crawls back and forth in his crib. But night before last he instead was really mad and crying for that period. I knew he was o.k., but definitely different. When I got in there it was clear he had no idea how to re-sit after pulling himself up, so he had been shuffling in a square around and around the crib. He was clearly in a panic...realizing there was no way he could endure such boredom for another 30 seconds. I saved him just in time. In between learning new things, we also had a visit on Thanksgiving from Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Lynn, Cousin Michael, and Cousin David. I want Luke to know his family and he got a real taste of the Anderson half for a few days. I think the boys really enjoyed each other. Michael catered to little Luke, bringing him toys and patting him every once in a while, while David tolerated him as long as he wasn't near his own mommy. I doubt that he'll remember the first Thanksgiving get-together, but we'll remember it, not because the turkey and dressing were great, although they were, but because it was real effort made towards making sure our little guy knows what is truly important and as he grows I know it'll pay off and serve as a reminder every day. Now it is on to Christmas and as you can tell, we are getting him ready.

Not Again!

Oh no...not again! The flu shot, that is. The first time someone gets the flu shot they have to get a half dose and wait thirty days before getting the 2nd half. So, our poor baby had to do it the second time today. And he let us know he was none too happy about it. The first time he barely noticed, but today was a different story. Let me set the scene...it was 4 p.m., approximately an hour and a half past his nap time. While waiting for his dad to get done teaching and "hook us up" he had visited some 20 different stranger friends of his mom's throughout multiple floors of the hospital. He must have known something was up because he put on his shy-show and turned his head so he could only peek at people through his peripheral vision...very few smiles were dished out. Then just before the deed was done he tried to eat, but was so distracted by the odd hospital artwork that he just couldn't...so, he was also well past snack time. And then he got the dreaded shot and cried like we've never seen him cry before. Big fat tears flowed immediately and he was crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath. It was horrible! If I didn't know it was for his health we'd never do another shot again. In fact, for the weaker among us, I can see why some parents refuse immunizations for their children...does it really have anything to do with safety concerns or did they see a sibling, or a friend's child go through the ordeal and just not want to see their own child in such agony? It is almost understandable. But, our baby is a survivor, already. He whined the rest of the night, which warranted a full showing of Baby Einstein, his favorite foods (tainted with motrin), all the water he wanted, a long bath, and an early bedtime. Three more shot-free months up next.

Dallas Trip

Another successful trip...this time not by plane though. Instead he made the 5-hour pilgrimage to accompany his Dad to his annual Asthma and Allergy Conference in Dallas. Grandma and Grandad Anderson flew in the same day to meet us. It was a great week for them to get to catch up on all his advancements, to include clapping and waving. He claps when he is happy, when you come to pick him up, when he is proud of himself, when he wants your attention, and also when you are trying to show him something new and he just isn't getting it. He immediately goes into a clap to make sure you remember that he has skills. Waving he still has to think about. He waves backwards mostly, so that he can watch himself do it. Anyway...back to Dallas. We stayed at a fancy-smancy hotel and ate $18 breakfast (only once though). The town, which was actually a suburb called Grapevine, was very nice. I told James I wouldn't mind going back someday when my pockets were lined in cash, as they had lots of fun, unique items. We mostly walked the downtown area, visited the mall, walked the hotel grounds, ate incredibly fattening foods, visited, and indulged in baby fun. James has the ability to illicit the best baby smiles. He "crashes" Luke regularly and then he has some sophisticated tongue-sticking-out moves that Luke is constantly trying to imitate. Otis also got his first baby laugh last night, although he was not working for it. Actually, Luke let out a little giggle as Otis tried to escape from his grasp...again.

Halloween

Luke's first Halloween was a success...I'm just a little slow about getting around to writing about it. In this neighborhood it is not uncommon for folks to sit in the driveway and pass out their candy from there...which is what we opted to do. Unfortunately all the cute Halloween costumes that Grandma Hurst sent our way were too small by Halloween night. So, instead he wore a Halloween sleeper, also provided by Grandma Hurst before he was born. James made the back of his pickup a play land and got the candy positioned. We proceeded out just before dark and quickly found out that Luke was not interested in playing. He was a little apprehensive, so mostly sat in my lap all night long...which, of course, I never complain about. He wasn't fussy...in fact, he smiled at the trick or treaters as they came by...just not ready to be let lose. This slight bit of wanting to hold on to mom in scary situations is one that I do not take for granted. I know it'll be too soon that he wants his independence and no matter how much longer we have...it'll not be welcomed by me :( I told him just today that no one could ask for a better baby...he's cute, down-right happy, and to top it off he's ours.