TWO Amazing Accomplishments

Luke's second amazing accomplishment, as you can see here, is that he is now able to get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. Since early on he has been able to use his arms to push his chest fully off of whatever surface he was on, and he has also recently learned to get his knees under him, though before today he has never really been able to do both at once and lift his whole torso up off the ground. This means that crawling may be in the not so distant future! (And yes, he was actually doing it with his head up as well, but by the time I stopped watching long enough to get the camera, he was getting a little worn out!)

So, you may be wondering why he is nearly naked. That leads me to his first amazing accomplishment of the day. The outfit (and diaper) that he had been wearing when he woke up this morning were both completely ... let's just say ... ruined. How did I know this? By the gooey yellow stain showing through his outfit ... on the SHOULDER!! Yes, his shoulder! Upon further inspection (i.e. changing the diaper and outfit) I discovered that the mess did indeed originate at the back of the diaper and had somehow made it's way up his back to his shoulder. This may not be a first for babies in general, but it is certainly a first for Luke! Though I supposed we should give credit where credit is due. This amazing feat could have had something to do with the fact that when his Daddy got him up this morning, he was playing with our boy by picking him up by his ankles so that he was hanging upsidedown! Oops!

(View more pictures of Trying to Crawl ... sorry, no shots of the other amazing event. )

Early Days at Home

OK, for those of you who were disapointed because you expected the last post to be about Luke, here's another "Flashback" to those early days at home. This post is actually more of a collection of photos, and just a little background on each set.

Of course, we took lots of pictures of Luke Sleeping ... or sometimes not sleeping when he was supposed to. My favorite was the time that he wiggled and fussed so much that he worked his little layette down around his arms. The minute we walked in with the camera, he stopped fussing and looked up at us as cheerful as could be! Our little boy in a straight jacket!

Luke has always been Daddy's Boy. We have lots of pictures of him doing various things with his daddy, such as working on the computer, drinking coffee, and of course, reading Russian novels.

We also have some pictures of Luke with Mommy. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Matt is much more of the "artsy" photographer, so these pictures have much more of a "feel" to them than most of the "capture this moment" pictures I take.

Enjoy the pictures!

P.S. Uncle Ryan, this post was just for you. ;-)

Thanksgiving - Part 2

As promised, here is the update on our second Thanksgiving gathering, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Usually my grandmother hosts this meal, but because she had quite a few house guests this year, my mom offered to host. It was different from any family meal we have ever had! First, mom had a list of jobs for everyone. The boys (ages 10-12) were supervised by Matt in carrying extra chairs and a card table from our house to my mother's. The high school girls were in charge of the drinks. Two aunts were given the job of decorating the house with "found objects" (holly, pine cones, and other greens from the yard, and then an assortment of candles and other decorative objects from around the house). Myself and another aunt pulled apart rolls and arranged them in baskets. Dad carved the turkey. In short, everyone had a job!

When the meal was ready, mom passed around a dish with a collection of small pieces of paper. On each slip of paper was a number. These matched with numbers on stickers at each place on the table. Everyone sat in the places for the numbers they drew. When dinner was finished, Dad shared part of a Thanksgiving sermon from John Piper. Then, everyone drew numbers again and changed places for dessert!

While most of the grown-ups lingered at the table to eat and chat, the kids headed outside to take part in another activity my mom planned: water balloon slingshot. A special tip was attached to the outside faucet. The kids filled up their own balloons (usually having Ryan tie the balloons for them) and then placed their balloons in the "pouch" of the slingshot. Ryan and Ben each held and end of the slingshot while the kids got to pull back and let-her-go! This activity was taking place just outside the dining room window, so it also provided great entertainment for the adults!

Of course, none of this has anything to do with Luke (though he was there and got to do a lot of visiting), but it was such a grand old time, I just had to write about it. I nominate mom for hosting Thanksgiving every year!

(View the rest of the pictures from the Hildreth Thanksgiving here.)

Thanksgiving - Part 1

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Matt's family in Chester. Luke had a great time visiting with all of his relatives. He especially liked his Nana, his Granny and his Uncle Lyle!

(See more photos of Thanksgiving here.)

P.S. Stay tuned for Thanksgiving - Part 2 as we celebrate with my family on Saturday and Luke gets to visit with the other branch of his fan club!

Bouncing Baby Boy

Luke is in a stage where he really likes jumping. He will jump if you hold him up on your lap or any firm surface. But he especially loves to jump in his "Ultrasaucer." A saucer is like the walkers that kids used when I was little, but instead of wheels on the bottom, there is a dish-shaped piece of plastic (hence the term "saucer"). The "legs" of the saucer are spring-loaded, so Luke has a grand old time jumping and bouncing. Even better (or worse, depending on your perspective!) there are several musical/noise-making devices on the saucer, some of which are activated by the bouncing! Mommy took lots of pictures of Luke in his saucer in the living room and Daddy (always the fan of natural light) took some great pictures of Luke outside in his saucer. The first group capture some really typical-Luke actions and facial expressions. But the second group is not to be missed as this is where you will see some really precious shots Daddy captured of our little guy.

(See Luke in his saucer Inside and Outside.)

P.S. Friends from church just recently lent us their "Jumparoo." Luke is a little apprehensive yet, but I bet this gadget will generate some really hilarious pictures in the not too distant future!

Bundle of Joy

We had our first really cold day last Friday (as I told Matt, it was literally the coldest day of Luke's life). We pulled out the snowsuit we got on a really great sale at Kohl's and the knit Gap hat he got from a friend. He was about the cutest little bundle I have seen!

(See more of the Bundled Boy here.)

Family from Florida

Last week family members of mine from Florida stayed overnight at my grandparents' house (two houses down from us) while on their way through town. The visitors were my mom's great-uncle Walt, his son Larry and Larry's wife Sarah. Larry and Sarah's daugher Karen is about my age and she and her husband Nathan have a little guy named Silas who is about 8 months older than Luke. Luke and I went over to say hello. We got to see some pictures of Silas and we also got to take some pictures of Luke with his Florida family. We also got to hear the music that Larry and Sarah's son Jason has written for a kids' mission program he is involved in developing. Luke seemed to like it and could be seen "swimming" to the music!

(More pictures of the Florida Family here.)

Mommy's Birthday

Last Saturday was my birthday. I got my first ever birthday card addressed to "Mother." Inside, in shaky (but still impressive for a four month old) handwriting, the note said:

Mommy,

Daddy let me pick this card. Thank you for taking care of me and loving me. I love you because you keep me safe. I hope I can move soon!

Love,
Luke

Since my cousin Kendall and I share the same birthday, my aunt hosted a family party for us, which was a wonderful way to celebrate. Afterwards, Nana and Papa (Matt's parents) came over to our house to have some extra visiting time with Luke. All in all, it was a wonderful evening.

(View more pictures of the Birthday Party and Visiting with Nana and Papa.)

Luke Gets Some Comfort

As mentioned in the previous post, Luke has been struggling with a cold since Wednesday. Today, particularly, he has not been sleeping well. He started getting fussy and making a little noise that sounded like a quiet moan. I took him to our bed and snuggled him up with the comforter. Then, Charley (our kitten) came to snuggle with Luke and give him some additional comfort! He seemed to cheer up immediately! In case you were worried, yes, Luke was closely supervised while in my bed.

(Click here to see more pictures of Stuffy Boy - viewer discretion is advised.)

Coming Home from the Hospital

This Wednesday, Luke woke up with a cold. He's such a little trooper - he hardly seems to notice. When his nose runs, he just puts his hand up to his face and shakes his head so that the substance running out of his nose is smeared across both cheeks. Lovely. His bedding and clothes are all, well, let's just say "crusty." Lovely. So, since Master Luke hasn't been up to much that is pleasant to discuss in public (yes, I know I did anyway) I'll take this opportunity to do some more catching up on the Luke story.

***

I was discharged from the hospital on the afternoon of Thursday, June, 23 (the normal end of a hospital stay for a regular delivery). Luke, however, had to stay in the hospital in order to stay on his course of antibiotics. We were hoping to keep our room on the L&D ward, but unfortunately, that day several people had come in to give birth and all of the rooms were needed. However, we were thankful to be offered a place to stay on the first floor (L&D is on the third floor). Luke had to stay in the nursery in the L&D ward. This meant that every three hours (or more often, if needed), I had to ride the elevator up to the third floor to feed him. I must say, however, that I imagine this was vastly better than getting up every three hours to drive to the hospital to feed him.

While in the room downstairs, I was feeling blue. Matt went out to get some food for us and when he came back, he brought a picture of Luke in a frame! He had stopped by CVS to print out some of the digital pictures he took and bought a frame for one of them so that I could have a picture of my little boy in the downstairs hospital room where we were staying. We also watched a DVD on Matt's laptop that evening, which was a relaxing together time for the two of us.

The next day, a wonderful nurse in the baby nursery made some phone calls to find out the results of some blood tests Luke had and then to share those results with the necessary party (a doctor from our pediatrician's office) so that permission could be granted for Luke's discharge. When the news came (at about 10 a.m. on June 24) we couldn't be happier! We were finally able to take our little boy home to his own house!


Once at home, we had several visitors that day and over the course of the next few days. Luke's Nannie and Uncles came down as soon as we let them, and soon after, Luke's Pop-pop arrived home from his business trip and got to hold his grandson for the first time! Rob and Lisa Garnett and the Tan family also came to visit that weekend. On Sunday, Matt's mom came to stay with me while Matt went to church. It was so nice to be able to stay in my P.J.'s while she took care of everything! She even made me breakfast! Not too long after, Uncle Lyle (Matt's brother) and Cousin Austin came for lunch on a Sunday. Cousin Austin was so good with Luke and has been a wonderful, loving friend to him every time they are together. Those first few days at home were slow moving and relaxing, and it really was a treat to share that time with those who came to see our boy!

(View more pictures of Going Home and Visitors at Home.)

Photo Problems Fixed ... I Think

If you have had trouble following the link on any of the postings that is supposed to lead to more photos, please don't give up. I made an error in the hyperlinks that I believe should now be fixed. Yes, you will have to create a Snapfish account to actually view the pictures. However, creating this account is free and any albums you view will be stored in your account for you to view (or even share) at any time.

Snapfish offers you the option of ordering pictures (either printed copies or downloadable files) through their website ... for a fee. Of course, you are welcomed to do this if you choose. However, I am more than happy to send you a picture file via e-mail. If you see one you like, just e-mail me and I can send you the photo as an e-mail attachment.

If you have any further trouble accessing the pictures, please leave a comment on this posting or e-mail me. I really want to get this problem ironed out so that everyone will be able to have access to the pictures. Happy viewing!

Visitors in the Hospital

You guessed it - this post is another flashback to our first days with Luke. The day after he was born (June 22) he had his first visitors. His Nannie (my mom) came with Uncle Ryan and Uncle Joshua. Because Uncle Joshua was too young to come into the L&D wing, Uncle Ryan and Nannie were going to take turns waiting in the lobby with him. But while Nannie was visiting us, the midwife who delivered Luke (Nadine Brunk) came in to check on me and see how we were doing. When mom asked about Joshua coming back to see Luke, she agreed to "sneak" him in through a back door. Our room was at the very back of the L&D unit and there was a staff door right next to the door to our room. Nannie went around to get Uncle Joshua and Nadine met them at the staff door and let them in! Uncle Joshua seemed to feel that he was trespassing, however, because he didn't want to hold Luke and seemed eager to head back out to the lobby. He did get to see his nephew, however, and we were thankful for that.

Both Nannie and Uncle Ryan did get to hold Luke that day. Later, Uncle Ben came over as well (though I don't think we got pictures of that). Unfortunately, Pop-pop (my dad) was out of town (D.C.) for business that week. The day I went to the hospital (Tuesday 6/21) he left as soon as he was done for the day and drove down to be with the family in the hospital. He stayed until about 1:00 a.m. on June 22 (when we found out that Luke would not be returning to the room that night) and then drove back to his hotel room in D.C. He did not get to hold Luke until Friday afternoon when he returned home, though everyone did get to see Luke through the nursery window when he was about an hour old.

Nana and Papa (Matt's parents) also came to visit Luke in the hospital on his second day. Papa pretended to be unsure of what to do with one so little, but he soon betrayed his act as we saw just how wonderful he was with his new little grandson! Robert and Virginia Ann Loftin (friends from church) also came to visit us in the hospital that day. This was especially exciting as Virginia Ann was just a few weeks from her due date (her son William is mentioned in several other postings on this blog). We also got visits from Linda Cox, a dear and long-time church friend, and Jessica Mallory, one of my former students, and her mom Angela.

(Click here for a few more photos of Visitors in the Hospital.)

Playgroup

Yes, Luke went to his first Playgroup today. Carrie Ludovico, mommy of one of the little guys in Luke's "class" has been hosting a monthly playgroup and this is the first time we have made it. Several of Luke's contemporaries were there and, while the mommies chatted about babies and other topics, the little ones had a chance to check each other out. Enjoy these photos!

(Here you can view the rest of the photos from Playgroup.)

P.S. Luke also had his first experience in the voting booth this morning, though I don't think cameras were allowed. ;-)

First Bee Sting

We were in the fabric department of Wal-mart when I saw a bee buzz around and land on Luke's chubby little arm. I hesitated, not sure if I should just let it fly off on it's own or shoo it away. Before I could decide, the bee decided for me. Right before my eyes, that nasty little bee poked my baby right in the arm. Luke let out a single wail, and then just looked up at me ... big, round, red eyes with tears brimming, the bottom lip quivering. After that, however, he was fine.

A Wal-mart employee found a swab with rubbing alcohol and we cleaned the site. He had a tiny bit of swelling just around the sting itself, but that only lasted for about 30 minutes. After the initial shock, he didn't cry a bit or even seem to remember what had happened. Of course, as soon as we got out to the car, I called our pediatrician on my cell phone. When the CNP called back, she confirmed that any allergic reaction would have happened within the first 15 minutes (this was a half hour after the incident). He went down for a nap shortly afterwards and slept soundly ... if only for an hour.

Here is a helpful website I found giving information about Bee Stings.

Learning by Example

I only wish I had a picture to publish with this post. Last night after the evening worship service at our church, I had Luke on the floor on his tummy. He was trying his best to move (meaning that all four limbs were flailing in the air beside his body). This usually results in his moving steadily backwards. Several of the kids from the church got down (literally on their tummies as well) on the floor with him and were talking and smiling with him. I pointed out that you can tell how far backwards be has moved by observing the trail of drool!

Then, Benjamin Hutton (a friend of Joshua's) asked if Luke knew how to crawl. I explained that though he could alternately get his knees under him or push up with his hands, he hadn't yet been able to coordinate doing both at once or how to move in that stance. So, Benjamin organized about 7 kids to "teach Luke how to crawl." They all got down on their hands and knees and crawled in a circle where he could see them so that he could watch how it was done! No crawling has yet resulted, but twice yesterday he did manage to get his knees under him and at the same time, push up with his hands ... for a grand total of about two seconds, but hey, that's progress!

A Visit to Granny's House

Yesterday, Granny had the family over for lunch. Luke got to spend some special time with Uncles, both "great-" and "tall"! (And a very special Aunt, as well!)

(View more pictures of Visit to Granny's House here.)

Future Basketball Team

Within the past year, a huge number of babies have been born at our church, and many of them have been boys. One of these little guys is William Loftin, son of our friends Robert and Virginia Ann. He was born in August. On Thursday, William and his mommy came over to visit. Luke and William had a chance to check each other out and say hello. Another of the little boys was born in September to our friends Duncan and Melissa Hannegan. His name is Grayson. Grayson and his parents came over for dinner tonight. Other babies in Luke's graduating class are Peyton and Elise Pilson, born in September 2004, Jackson Pritchett, born in November 2004, Jacqueline and Evadne Tan in December 2004, David Ludovico January 2005, Miranda Wood born in June 2005 (just a few days before Luke) Dominic Odom in July 2005, Jacob Lewis in August 2005 and Sasha Stewart in October 2005. Yes, you read correctly - we had two sets of baby girl twins born this year in our church!

(Click here to see more photos of Friends to Visit.)

Flashbacks

As you can see from my first post, our "little baby" has actually grown quite a bit since he was born. Yes, sadly, I allowed four months to pass before I got this blog started. So, that means I'm going to have to start posting some "flashbacks" to catch up on all of the things he has been up to since he was born. And speaking of birth, let's start there. This photo was taken by Matt just minutes after Luke was born at 7:25 p.m. on June 21. Although he turned out to be perfectly healthy (8 lbs. 1.6 oz., 21-1/4 inches long), there were some concerns about his condition at birth and he was immediately whisked to a table in the L&D room for suctioning and other care. His mommy didn't get a chance to hold him for another 45 minutes. When mommy finally did get to hold her boy, daddy was out in the lobby sharing digital photos of his pride and joy. Unfortunately, our dear little guy had to be taken to the progressive care nursery because, due to a fever, he needed to be put on a course of antibiotics. Family who had waited all day for the arrival slowly began to head home as it became apparent that it might be quite late before this new little Sutherland was available to meet his fan club. Eventually, only my parents and two of my brothers remained. Sadly, they headed home at 1:00 a.m. when a nurse came to tell us that Luke would have to be kept in the progressive care unit over night and would not be coming to see his visitors that day. Finally at 3:00 a.m. June 22, Matt and I went to the progressive care nursery so that I could nurse Luke. It was there that his daddy got to hold him for the first time. He had monitors taped to his chest. He had a splint on his right arm to hold his wrist steady so that the little tube inserted for administration of antibiotics would not come loose. But he was still our little boy. In that tiny (literally, closet-sized) room, we were alone as a family for the first time. Just the three of us!

(See more photos of Labor, Birth and the Progressive Care Nursery.)

Join Us, Will You?

Well, being that this is an age of technology and we consider ourselves to be a fairly tech-savvy family, we (well, I) felt it was time to take our family blogging. I am sure this is not even close to an original idea. However, it seems like a good way to post information and photos and keep everyone (near and far) up to date on our latest happenings. Don't worry! This blog is not meant to replace personal calls, e-mails or even the annual Christmas letter. It (hopefully) will just be a way to catch up with us on your own time ... and in doses of your choice. I'm not making any promises about how often I will be posting. I guess it will all depend on how often the Sutherland family experiences something that could be considered an "Adventure." Of course, when you are the adoring mommy of a practically perfect chubby little baby boy, "Adventures" come in all shapes and sizes ... literally. So, don't hold your breath, but don't be a stranger, either. Check back as often as you like. And, hey, while you're at it, post a response to let us know how you are doing!

(View more photos from the Tabletop Photo Shoot here.)