Stuck Bum

video: Luke likes to crawl under the tables, but yesterday he crawled under and couldn't get back out! He had also pulled the exercise ball in front of the table, so I had to send Derek on a treasure hunt to find where the frustrated grunting was coming from.

Today is the beginning of a very long week. After Wednesday you may not hear from us for a few days, because we are traveling to California on Thursday! That is very exciting, and we are going to be busy once we get there, but there are lots of things that need to happen before we go, too.

Today we are visiting Suzy and taking Sookie to the vet for her shot updates. Don't worry, Derek is going with me this time! Tomorrow we are visiting with Celeste and running errands (taxes, bleh). And Wednesday I have tried to leave clear so that we can have plenty of time to pack and relax at home with Derek before being gone for a week.

Luke's newest talent is walking along furniture holding on with only one hand! He is progressing so quickly. He can even pull himself up on flat things now, like the refrigerator and the bare wall. And he's beginning to climb. Saturday Derek laid down on Luke's bedroom floor and Luke pulled himself up on top of Derek and yanked his glasses off (glasses are always a target).

Friendly, Handsome Baby

Luke doesn’t know a stranger. Or a I guess you could say he knows lots of strangers. He smiles and waves at anyone who looks his way. I was the same way when I was a kid. My parents were always scared that I would wander off with a stranger. But the stranger usually had a dog, so I was justified in trusting them.

Luke also draws a lot of attention, simply by being so naturally good-looking. People stare and smile at him so much that once or twice I thought I must know them from somewhere, but really they were just googling at the baby. I’d like to take some credit for Luke’s good looks, but I also have to give Derek a hand here. When Derek was a baby his Mom entered him in a baby beauty contest at the town’s Harvest Festival (back then it was called Old Time Value Days). Derek refused to walk across the stage on his own, even though he was capable of walking along independently at this point. So his Mom hoisted this big baby up on her hip and walked across the stage while he stared and flashed the crowd a winning, brown-eyed grin. And win he did, first place!

I think we ended up with a really great combination of persons here: Luke has my outgoing, never-knew-a-stranger demeanor, and Derek’s good looks. How could you not love this baby?

Check out this drift in our front yard. We are tired of the snow, but look how the wind has sharpened it's edge...and isn't it pretty in the sunset?

In and Out

Above: 3 months Below: 9 months



18 months ago today, Luke was an indistinguishable multi-celled organism. He was as tiny as a person can possibly be, and still be alive. Nine short months of baking brought him to us as a fully recognizable little human. Today Luke is nine months older than that floppy, helpless, blinking baby. At exactly 9:30 tonight Luke will have been OUT as long as he was IN.

In nine months Luke has learned to hold his own head up, he's learned to recognize and use his own hands, he's learned how to roll over, push himself up to sitting, pull himself up to standing, walk along holding our hands, say Mama and Dada and banana, he laughs at appropriate moments (and not just when he passes gas), he can see further than a foot in front of his face, he plays with other children, he has developed a fascination with pulling hair, he decidedly loves the song "Where You Lead" by Carole King, he has rhythm and dances to tunes, he gets himself from room to room without help, he bathes in the big tub instead of in the sink and flaps and flips around like a baby whale, he sleeps through the night in his own bed, he eats whatever we eat (and sometimes just as much!), he uses some discernment as to what goes in his mouth now, he has two teeth, way more hair, and much bigger feet, he has really rounded out compared to the scrawny little creature he arrived as, he gives slobbery kisses and waves good-bye, he sits on his own in the grocery cart instead of in the infant carrier, he's so cheerful and alert that I am not afraid to miss nap-time when we are out and about, and now when he cries we usually understand why and are able to soothe him. My! What change nine months can bring!

Housebound

I don't have much to say today. I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and for me. Plus, the power's flickering and I don't want to be on the computer much longer. It's a dark, stormy day out there, taking pictures is the brightest part of our day. I keep reminding myself that Saturday is supposed to be 0 degrees and SUNNY. Saturday, saturday saturdaysaturdaysaturday.

Tiny Chewer

Everything is backwards! I was sick and it was warm and sunny and I had to cancel fun things, now I'm well and it's snowy and raining and everything's cancelled.

Luke cut a tooth last night, so he was awake a lot. We are now the proud owners of TWO teeth. Two bottom teeth to be more precise. Luke is already chomping away on food like a big boy! He chews and chews before he swallows. Perhaps it's a strange thing to notice, but I am so proud of his tiny chewing! He's such a PERSON.

He just chattered away at himself for the last forty minutes and now his bedroom is finally quiet. I think he's asleep. He stands in his crib now, and practices his chewing on the edge of the crib. There are tiny little teeth marks on the corner of his crib closest to the door! When you walk into his room in the morning he beams at you with his eyes and keeps his jaw working on the wood. It's really the most slobbery-cute thing I've ever seen.

Video: A regular night at home with the Thiessens (also from last week - very soon I will have some NEW stuff for you, I promise).

Buddha Baby

This video is from last week, getting ready for bed. Derek does Luke's bath and jammies, then Luke nurses and sometimes we read a book. Just before I got the camera, Luke was shouting and making little cooing noises. Of course he stopped the minute I turned on the video camera. Oh well, this is pretty cute too. See how he kicks his legs?

The ice is all melted off the driveway now. We've had several days, maybe even a week, of above freezing temperatures! It's been nice, but the last three days have been gray and rainy - uck. We want SUN.

Well, before all the ice melted off the driveway I was going out there and scraping a little of the ice off each day. A week or so ago it was above zero, so Luke came out with me and sat in his exersaucer in the doorway of the garage. He was getting sleepy in the warm sun and squinting his eyes at the kids playing across the street. His lower lip was sticking out like a little sausage. Luke sat there so fat and happy in the sun, that he reminded me of a miniature, smiling buddha wearing a fleece toque.

Following Dad

Last night Luke took a long trip. Derek went to start the bath and as he walked he and I continued to have a conversation. Luke followed Derek's voice down the hall and into the bathroom where a surprised Derek said, "Look what the cat dragged in!"

Luke has been going further and further on his own. Just now he followed me from his bedroom to mine and is now down the hall in the living room playing with the dog. It's pretty amazing watching him motor around. His wide open hands go "smack smack smack" on the floor, and before you know it, he's pawing around in the dog's water dish. I am enjoying his independence, but I still like when he'll sit quietly in my lap, lean back against me and listen to a story.