Another Luke Fluke

The sleeping thing was a fluke. We're back to our regular schedule.

But yesterday Luke did another advanced thing: he rolled from his belly to his back! I looked up this milestone on the internet and this is not supposed to happen until he's four months old! Milestone or fluke? We knew Luke hated tummy time, but come on...

Of course the proud mama in me thinks we have an athlete on our hands. I started thinking about Michael Phelps, and maybe in twenty years, Luke will be at the Olympics and I'll be in Johnson and Johnson commercials...

So I asked Jamie, if Luke can already roll from his tummy to his back, what sport do you think this indicates he'll excel in? And Jamie thought for a moment before responding seriously, "Rolling down hills."


A calmer tummy time

This isn’t supposed to happen…

When we went to the doctor’s two weeks ago, he told us that we could let Luke sleep for four and a half hour stretches at night. When he told us this, I felt like he had given us the keys to the city, because up until that point, at best he had only slept about three hours at a stretch. Jamie and I got in the habit of feeding him right before bed and setting the alarm for four and a half hours ahead, just in case. And for two weeks we never needed that alarm because Luke alarmed us in his own dear way. So the past two nights I decided to forget about the alarm since we don’t need it and it’s just one more step to think about.

And last night, on Luke’s four week birthday, the unthinkable happened…

Luke slept five and a half hours!

Now of course I felt guilty before I felt proud and excited, although Jamie reassured me that we didn’t do any lasting damage, since four and a half hours was the doc’s call two weeks ago, and Luke cluster fed before bed. But still, if Luke gets addicted to drugs, or flunks out of high school, I’ll probably trace it back to last night…

Five and a half hours! I feel like a new person. I haven’t slept that long at a stretch since before I was pregnant. Now I know we can’t get used to this, that it was just a fluke (rhymes with Luke), but it was a nice treat!

Go Steelers!

The Steelers played the Vikings in a pre-season game Saturday night. This was a perfect opportunity to dress Luke in his Steelers outfit. (Don't worry, we dressed him in a Red Sox onesie the next day to balance him out). Because Luke was wearing his snazzy outfit, Pittsburgh won 12-10.




Proud Papa

And because this post wouldn't be complete without a token Luke sleeping photo (Jamie takes sleep where he can get it)...this time Sugar joins in on the fun:

More visitors

On Wednesday, Luke got a visit from Aunty Kerry. She left today, but Nanny and Papa Milliken are in town now. It's been wonderful to have all the company and help!


Enjoying the activity mat with Aunty Kerry


Boy, that was tiring!


Nanny and Papa were thrilled to meet Luke.


At the end of the day, it's nice just to relax with Dad.

Playdate

When do the children start having fun at these?



Luke with his friend Ryan Delaney

Let's Play Nap

Some grandpas like to teach their grandsons how to fish, or how to memorize all the presidents. Luke's Grandpa Hehir likes to "play nap." Since his grand-daughter Anna isn't a big fan of this game, Grandpa better enjoy himself while the going's good!



Grandpa joins in on the fun.

Chillin' in my football PJs

Boy, our Saturday nights sure have changed:

Guitars and Sleep

Luke seems to be taking after his dad in the music department.

Jamie playing a few songs for Luke (We have several adorable blankets for Luke but the only thing handy to keep him warm at this moment was a burp cloth!)

Later, Luke works out some chords on his own:

Air guitar

And some cute sleeping photos:

Happy Holy Lucas Milliken

Now that we've figured out how to take care of Luke's basic needs, this week we decided to focus on his spiritual needs. On Sunday, Luke attended Mass for the first time.


This is what he did the entire time:


We also tentatively decided to have Luke's Christening in New Jersey on October 5th.
More details to follow...

In other news, Luke continues to entertain visitors. This week Grandma Hehir is in town to help out.


Today he visited with his closest in age friend (only ten days older!), Ryan Delaney.


On Saturday he visited with Josh, Rachel, and Zach, as well as Saru, Justin, and Ryan. We forgot to take a picture with Zach, but here's one with Ryan:


Rachel took this gorgeous photo of Luke. It's my new favorite!


And finally, just another really cute photo:

Due Date

Hard to believe that Luke was supposed to arrive today. We sure are glad he decided to show up early. But can I just say that I am jealous of Clay Aiken now, because his son was born at 8:08 am on 08/08/08.

Yesterday Mike and Anna came over to help out and visit with their new nephew/cousin. Anna helped by cutting out photos of people (one of our baby books says that babies like looking at faces) and drawing pictures for Luke’s nursery. Mike helped with yard work, errands, and baby announcements. Since Jamie went back to work Thursday and Friday for a half day, it was nice to have the company and the help.

Today I was on my own, so I had to be a little more creative. It wasn’t too bad, but an early afternoon eat-poop-clean-eat-clean-poop-clean mini marathon tired me out a bit. Plus in the morning we had a scare because Luke was projectile vomiting. We went to the doctor’s though, and he assured us that this was okay and somewhat normal, and as long as it didn’t continue, we shouldn’t be worried. Thankfully, my mom will be here next week to help out and provide adult conversation.


Look, I found my fingers


Anna kept saying "Luke's so cute" but once she said, "Sophie's going to be even cuter." (Sophie is her future sister) When she heard my gasp of horror though, she quickly covered for herself, ..."because Sophie's going to be smaller!" Smart girl...


Luke practices looking at stimulating black and white designs.


Anna goes to town on the magazines


If you've got to be sick, be sick in style.


I tried my first solo walk today!

Days Five and Six

It's hard to believe that last week at this time Jamie and I had just arrived at the hospital! The past two days have had their fill of excitement. Yesterday we had our first doctor's appointment. We arrived armed with concerns and questions, and left with reassurances and much needed direction. The best news we received is Luke is eating well and is already back to his birth weight after five days. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece are in town, so we'll be enjoying some time together. Here are highlights of days five and six:

Mom tries the bath this time


Another irresistible kid in towel photo


On his way to Dr. Winikoff


Reading We're Going On a Bear Hunt


Luke with Cousin Anna and Uncle Mike


Relaxing with Dad

A Few Firsts

The past two days have been full of firsts for Luke: first sponge bath, first walk around the neighborhood, and even a first date! Today Luke goes for his first doctor's appointment. Here are pictures of the highlights:


First sponge bath (He loved the shampooing, not so much the other stuff)



First visit to Hardy Pond


First visit to the park



First date: If Luke's anything like his dad, he won't have any trouble snatching up a girl three months his senior. Josie is the daughter of friends Jordi and Jen. Dating's not as much fun when dads are involved, but it looks like Josie's interested! P.S. Can you spot Sugar in the photo?

Also, we're starting to feel ready for visitors (as long as visits are kept short) so go ahead and book your appointment!

Thank you for all your well wishes, and we promise to get back to all of you slowly but surely. We’re hoping this blog will satisfy your curiosity in the meantime.
First, enjoy some photos from Luke’s second and third days. Then, only if you want to, go ahead and read the novel I’ve written below!

Second Day


Luke with Grandma and Grandpa Hehir


Jamie and Luke (in his cute going home outfit)


Luke in his carseat


Luke in the Boppy. He loves it, and we love it. It allows me to sit next to him and get things done, like this blog. Thanks Grandma!

We got home from the hospital Saturday right before noon, and so far things are going well. Grandma and Grandpa Hehir welcomed us home (they stayed at our house the two nights we were at the hospital) with balloons, lunch, and birthday cake for Luke. They left around 3, and there we were: a new family starting out on the adventure of a lifetime. Luke is a really good baby and mostly just sleeps and eats (not too much crying—yeah!) We’re working on getting organized and getting into a routine. Last night he slept between his feedings, from 12-2, 3-5, and 6-9. We’d eventually like him to go for three hour sleeping periods, but right now we’re just thrilled that he’s feeding well, and sleeping between feedings. Today we’re going to attempt a sponge bath.

Congratulations to Deirdre who won the baby pool! Both she and my sister guessed Luke would be born July 31, but Deirdre was more accurate with things like time and size. Also, Erica should be recognized for being the farthest off!

Jamie and I met through friends who worked together at Sapient, which had a philosophy of a WBL (pronounced “wibble,” it stands for well balanced life). It basically means that everyone works really hard but is also entitled to get to do a few things that are really important to them. Jamie and I decided to apply this philosophy to our life with Luke. I decided my first two things are a shower and one or two naps every day, but my third thing is being able to spend time on the computer and updating this blog. So some of you may be impressed that I’m able to write so much on Luke’s fourth day, but it’s part of my WBL!

This is borderline tacky, but so many local folks have asked us to call upon them to help, and it’s really hard to think of things on the spot, so I’m going to use this blog as a shout-out for help requests. Just call or email one of us if you think you can help out with a particular task. We’re also not ready to receive visitors just yet, but helpers might get special visiting privileges! Three things I thought of for now are:
1. We need someone to pick up a few items at Babies R Us or Isis (a bonus if you’re a member so we can take advantage of the discount)
2. I need someone to help me with birth announcements. It basically just involves picking up photos at CVS and writing the same thing on 25 announcements.
3. We would also never turn down food!
4. Stay tuned for more…