Roll Call

Well, this morning, Emma woke up early. Usually if she wakes up early, I just let her go on back to sleep, and she does. However, this morning, she just kept crying. Then Luke woke up (they share a room) and started calling "Mama? Mama?" I went in to get them up and found that Emma had rolled herself over! Yea Emma! Of course, I guess we'll never know what was the cause and what was the effect. Did she get fussy and roll over, or did she roll over and get fussy!

Sorry, no pictures. When you go in to get your little girl and she is mad and hungry, it just seems too cruel to get the camera!

Matt's Last Day at Costco

Today was Daddy’s last day to work at Costco!  Everyone was so kind to him.  They had a kind of on-going party all day in the pharmacy.  I was able to take the children there to join the fun for a little while, and Matt’s Mom, Aunt and Grandmother met us there, too!  (Friday is their usual Costco day anyway.)  Click on the picture above to see the rest of the photos.

FINALLY!!

Well, it seems we have FINALLY found a soultion to our photo problems! In stead of having to try uploading photos via Blogger's Photo Upload wizard (and waiting and waiting and hoping it works) we now have almost all of our photos on-line at Phanfare.com. Not only can I link to the pictures I have posted there, but I can actually provide you with a link to see the other photos in the album (no membership to any site required)! Plus, from the website, you can download (for FREE) the full images! This should make everyone a lot happier! (Note: The photo above is Emma modeling the new outfit her Uncle Ryan picked out for her as a Baptism gift! Thanks, Uncle Ryan! Click here to see the other photos in this album ... and you can get to all of our other albums from this page as well!)

P.S. I am going to go back to some older posts and add in the pictures. Scroll down to see them if you wish.

P.P.S. We are really LOVING Phanfare. If you decide you are interested in trying it out, I can send you an e-mail with an invitation to a free 30 day trial and a coupon for $7 off should you decide to join. Click here to e-mail me and ask for it.

OK ... Walking! ... ??

Well, as I just mentioned in the post that I published this morning (and actually wrote last night) Luke has not really started walking yet. The trouble is, that we don't really know when to say that he is officially walking. Way back when he took his first steps, I posted about that. Now he is making gradual progress and taking more steps at once. We can set him down and he will walk from one of us to the other.

Before today, his record had been about 3-4 steps at a time. Then, this afternoon, he took 9 steps from me to Ryan at my parents' house. Just now as the three of us came into the office, I set him down and he took 13 steps into the room before plopping onto his bottom. So, he's walking! ... kind of. He still really prefers crawling, and he still really doesn't initiate walking, but he'll do it if you aim him and clap when he's done. So, is Luke walking? Who knows. You be the judge. I guess all we can do is to continue to update you on the progress!

P.S. Just to let you know, we are having some very frustrating problems uploading pictures. At first we only had difficulty with Snapfish, but now we are having trouble uploading pictures to Blogger.com as well. In fact, I have almost half a dozen posts that are saved as drafts waiting for pictures. But I think I am going to just start publishing them without the pictures so that at least you can have the information, even if there are no photos. Hopefully at some point, I can go back and add in the pictures. (Note: This means that some "new" posts are going to appear before some that are already up. Be sure to scroll down and look for them coming soon.)

Thirteen Months

Yes, one year AND one month old. This is how many months old I have been telling people Luke will be when his sister is born, and now he his that old. My how time flies. So, here is a brief update on what Luke is up to in his last few days or weeks as an only child.

Communication:

• He just started doing "please" (in sign language) this week. We have tried to introduce it before and it just lead to a lot of sign confusion. This week, however, I only had to show him once, and he had it!
• He has been signing "Thank You" but just in the last couple of weeks, we think he has actually been saying "Thank You" except it sounds like "dee-do" or something similar. He says and signs "Thank You" at the same time (which makes sense as this is what we have been doing all along to teach him the sign).
• We are also about 97% sure that Luke has picked up a few other words. He says them with some regularity in a way that we can be reasonably sure we know what he is talking about, but the pronunciation is sometimes such a stretch that it's hard to be absolutely certain. Also, I'm not sure of the rules for pronunciation respelling in baby language, so you'll have to make your best guess!
  Daddy ("da-da") - this is the most likely (he even calls for Matt "DAAAAH-DA" from another room)
  bear ("baaaah") - the large stuffed bear in his room
  baby ("bah-bah') - himself in the mirror or any other baby
  I did it ("de DE de") - I first noticed him saying this after I said it to him following an accomplishment (like turning on or off the light switch or closing a door or drawer)
  gentle ("deh-dow") - we just noticed this one this morning (he was petting Charley and I was saying "be gentle" and I realized that he was repeating after me!)
• He has been using all kinds of his own made-up ways to communicate with us as well. For example, he has been pointing to things or places. Today, he was using the "more" sign to ask me to do something for him. I couldn't tell what he wanted. Then he pointed to the ground right by where he was sitting. It was like he was saying, "Come over here and I'll show you what I mean." I did and he did.
• It seems that Luke is quickly learning to understand more and more of what we say to him. The other day, he was standing by my desk chair in the office. I gave him a coupon to hold. A few minutes later, I needed it back. He didn't have it in his hand. I asked him, "Where is the paper?" His eyes opened wide, he looked all around, then he spotted it on the floor, picked it up and gave it to me!
• He also knows lots of commands, like "stay in this room with Mommy," "close/open the door/drawer," "give it to Mommy," "don't smush your food," etc/

Transportation

• I was really sure that when I wrote the post for thirteen months, I would be able to say that he is walking. He almost is ... but not quite. More and more recently, we have had random episodes of two or three steps in a row, but it is clear to see that he still vastly prefers crawling.
• Luke has gotten so good a crawling and very quick. He can get around almost anywhere he wants to go. And if he is standing, he's pretty quick at cruising around holding on to the furniture, too. He can move all the way around the sofa (even the back, which really has nothing to hold on to) balancing with just one hand and moving his feet side-to-side pretty efficiently.

Eating

• Except for nuts and honey, Luke is allowed to eat pretty much anything now. His only real limitation is the consistency of a food (i.e. apples are too tough for him to handle, though he loves applesauce).
• He seems to have a pretty wide ranging appetite (from sardines to hot dogs to tomatoes and much in between) though I have heard that the scope of his preferences may narrow as we enter the toddler years.
• He has started using a spoon to feed himself occasionally. Matt's Mom gave him this really great spoon and fork set, each utensil having a big easy-to-grip handle. I let him try feeding himself applesauce one day, and he did pretty well. His biggest challenge is not getting the sauce onto the spoon or getting the spoon into his mouth with the sauce still on it (as I thought it would be) but getting to all of the applesauce that is in the deepest part of the spoon. Interesting. I guess that whole maneuver that we take for granted comes with practice!

Other

• Luke had his first bubble bath about a week ago. At first, he was a little puzzled by the bubbles and couldn't figure out how to get them off of his hands. Then, he was puzzled by the fact that he couldn't see any of his toys in the water. Finally, though, he adjusted to the new environment and was comfortable crawling around in the water - with little patches of bubble fuzz on his hiney!

Birthday Number One!

Well, technically, Luke's birthday was Wednesday, June 21. However, we actually had his party on Thursday, June 22, so this is a two-part posting: one part about what we did on his actual birthday and one part about his party!

Matt was off work on Wednesday (an extra treat). When Luke woke up, we both went in together to get him, singing "Happy Birthday!" Without discussing it in advance or missing a beat, we both sang "Happy Birthday Little Boy" (our little nickname for Lukey). We continued our special day by having waffles (Lukey got one with butter on it - new for him) and Daddy made an omelet for us to share.

Since the birthday party was not until the next night, I wanted to think of something fun and special (and free) that we could do to celebrate his first birthday, so after his morning nap, Mommy and Lukey went to the Mechanicsville library for storytime. He did a great job of sitting to listen to the stories. He was a little freaked out at the beginning when the story time lady had the kids stand for their "exercises" which involved clapping and stomping. But while she was reading, you could see him moving his head to get a good view at the pictures in the book she held up. We also signed him up for the summer reading program. I don't know what the prize is (likely something that he can't use) but we have been having some reading time together, so I thought it would be fun to document what we are reading.

Later in the day, Luke had some birthday visits from family members. Nannie, the uncles and Miss Donna came by in the afternoon. When Uncle Ryan came down, he and Luke spent some time playing the piano together. Luke loved it, and it made for an excellent photo op! Mr. and Mrs. Leonard (neighbors whom we met in our childbirthing class) and their daughter Audrey (just four days younger than Luke) came over to wish Little Boy a happy birthday and bring a really cool wooden puzzle of all sorts of planes, trains and automobiles! Just before heading to church for Bible Study, Granny and Granddaddy stopped by to give Luke some birthday wishes. Finally, that evening, we hosted Covenant Group and had a cake in honor of Luke's big day.

Yesterday, Matt had to work, so Luke and I spent our time getting ready for the party. Fortunately, since we had hosted Covenant Group the night before, there was not much straightening or cleaning to do, so we focused on decorating. Gran had sent us a whole party package from Oriental Trading Company, including everything: streamers, balloons, confetti, invitations, plates, napkins, plastic wear, etc. We even got 12 inflatable turtles, each the size of a regulation football. Uncle Ryan came down in the morning to hang streamers (no chair needed). Later Uncle Ryan, Ben and Josh came down to decorate outside with balloons, streamers and inflated turtles.

The party began at 7:00. Present were Mommy and Daddy, Nannie and Pop-Pop, Nana and Papa, Uncles Ryan, Ben, Josh and Lyle, Miss Donna, and Granny and Granddaddy ... in addition to the birthday boy himself, of course! Everyone who arrived chipped in to get snacks on the table (colored Goldfish, graham crackers and strawberries), ice and drinks out and the cake ready to go. We sang, allowed Luke to attempt blowing out the candle (which he declined to do) and gave him a piece of cake. At first, he wanted Mommy to feed him, but once we showed him that he could do it on his own, he proceeded to lift the whole piece to his mouth and shove it in. This resulted in icing all around his face, which was then wiped onto the length of his arm, which was then transferred to his forehead and eyebrows when he began to rub his eyes! Whew! What a time!

After the icing was wiped off, we had a chance to open presents. Luke sat on Mommy's lap while Mommy opened the gifts. The first thing we opened was from Uncles Ben and Josh: foam football, basket ball and soccer ball and a set of Lincoln Logs. Luke loved the foam balls so much that he hung on to the basketball for most of the rest of the present opening. He got so many wonderful outfits, and lots of great toys. We are planning to take a picture of him with all of his gifts so that we can keep track of what he got on this first of all birthdays!

Click here to see other pictures in the same album.

A New Direction in Life

When Luke was born, his car seat was one of those little carriers that can be snapped into and removed from a base in the car. (We'll be getting this out back out and strapping it into our car again before too long!) When he was about five or six months old, he outgrew this car seat and we purchased one that could be used from that point on through the next several stages of development.

The car seat was installed facing backwards and has been that way ever since. But this morning, we decided it was time for a change. Technically, a baby is supposed to be both 1 year old and over 20 lbs. before the car seat is facing forward. So, as he weighs about 24 lbs. (we can tell you exactly next Friday when he has his doctor appointment) and will be a year old in just four days (wow!) we decided this would be a good day. Today was Matt's last day of vacation and it was also the date of our church picnic, which was being held out in western rural Hanover county. We thought this would be a great opportunity for him to experience life in the "other direction" for the first time.

Apparently, he was fairly pleased with the change. He talked almost non-stop the whole way out and the whole way back. We did find, however, that there are some downsides to having your child's carseat facing forward. First, we have a new discipline to master: not looking at Luke too much while driving. Also, gone are the days when Mommy and Daddy can sit in the front seat and have a Slurpee without Luke seeing what Momm and Daddy have ... and asking for some!

Two-Step

Well, today we finally saw Luke take his first two steps. He was standing by the piano holding on to the piano bench with his right hand. I knelt down very close by and held out my hands to him. He took two steps (almost accidentally) into my arms. The best part was that Matt was standing right there with us and saw it happen. I was very thankful for this, as I had been fearing that I would miss his first steps!

I didn't title this post "Walking," as he has yet to repeat this little performance, even when the situation is arranged and he is coaxed. Actually, he is such an accomplished and speedy crawler, we think he'll hold off on actually starting to walk for a while. Matt says this is just fine with him, but I have to admit that I am hoping he'll start walking soon so that when Emma arrives, she can be carried to the car while he walks! Of course, I really am fine with waiting as well, because crawling is so good for his physical and mental development.

It's June?!?!

Yes, it is. Wow! It's hard to believe that Luke is steadily approaching his first birthday! My little baby boy is almost one year old! I felt that as we draw to the end of this first year, I certainly should add an update as to what Luke is "up to" in these days of his eleventh month. So as not to bore anyone, I'm going to do it in bullet form, rather than narrative. If you want more details, ask me, or come see for yourself!

• Going up and down stairs reliably (knows how to turn around before going down). He has also carried this strategy (turning around and going feet first) over to other places where he needs to get down from a high or steep place (getting down from the sofa or Mommy's bed, crawling down into a ditch in our yard, etc.)
• Communicating by showing, such as placing goldfish on the edge of the chair where he wants me to put them for him, or pointing to something to distinguish what he is talking about when he makes the "more" sign. In the grocery store the other day, we were headed through the produce section when he saw the bananas. He very clearly pointed to them and made the "more" sign. So, Mommy bought some. Was that a bad habit to start?
• Eating bigger things (like pieces of bread, crackers, etc.) that he has to take bites of himself (instead of Mommy breaking everything down into pieces for him).
• "Cleaning up." When prompted and guided, he can put duplos back into the truck, Peek-a-blocks back into the bin, shoes back on the shelf, plastic rings back onto the stacker, silverware back into the tray, etc.
• One-finger tasks. Instead of slapping randomly at buttons on toys or light switches that need to be turned off, he is more able to use one finger or his finger and thumb to accomplish tasks.
• Walking assisted. He loves to walk along pushing the duplo cart, a laundry basket, kitchen chair or any other mobile object. We had to make the glass-top side table in the living room off-limits after he pushed it all the way down the hallway.
• Pointing to things and hearing them named. He especially likes to point to the animals and shapes on his wallpaper boarder, which is right beside his changing table. He also likes to point to parts of the face (eyes, nose, etc.) and hear what each is called. No sign yet that he is actually remembering the names (when asked "Where is the turtle?" he doesn't seem to know which one is the turtle).
• Laying on pillows. This one is kind of random, but very cute! If he comes across a pillow on the floor (while I am making my bed, one tossed down from the sofa, etc.) he will crawl right over to it and lay his head down on it, making a kind of sighing sound (probably because whenever he does this, I find myself saying "Awwww")!
• "Nuzzling" and "loving." When I ask him to "love mommy" he will lay his head on my shoulder and/or place his cheek up against mine (depending on how I am holding him) and make the same sighing/"awww" sound as with the pillows. "Nuzzling" is technically (or at least how I introduced it) rubbing noses (i.e. an Eskimo kiss). His version, however, involves opening his mouth and licking and/or sucking on my nose as I try to nuzzle him!
• Feeling the warmth of a coffee cup. When Daddy or Mommy is drinking coffee, he loves to feel it with his face. He looks up to the coffee drinker and makes the "more" sign. When the cup is lowered, he places his face (either his cheek, or his mouth and nose) up against it. Recently, he has been doing this with his mouth open to feel with his tongue.
• Waving "hello," good-bye" and "night-night." He's pretty reliable about this with people he knows. It's hit or miss when asked to say "hi" to kind strangers in the grocery store who have tried to strike up a conversation with him.
• Playing outside. I can't believe I didn't mention this one earlier in the list. He is VERY fond of playing outside. He loves to crawl all over the yard and touch and explore everything (grass, leaves, sticks, rocks ... especially rocks). We have already started to find rocks around the house that he has brought in with him from his adventures. He's very independent while outside. He'll crawl quite a ways away from me and then, occasionally, turn and look around to make sure I'm still there. I'll say "hi" and wave to him, he'll wave back and then continue his explorations. I have to put socks and shoes on him because he will crawl until (and even after) his little toes are scratched and bleeding.
• Big-boy baths. He loves to play in the bath tub, especially now that I give him free range of the tub, instead of confining him to a baby bath tub. If I need to take a shower while he is awake, I'll plug the drain and he'll play in the water while I shower. When he gets a bath, he will stay in until he is taken out. As a matter of fact, the last time we had a nice long stretch of time for bath tubbing, he stayed in fifteen minutes after the last of the water had drained (he played in the tub with water for a good half an hour).
• "Dust-busting." He has discovered how to turn on the dust buster, and knows how to move it back and forth across the floor. I don't think he actually accomplishes anything yet, but it is a skill I am encouraging him to develop!

OK, so I guess that turned out to be bulleted in format, but narrative in content. Sorry! Also, I know I haven't included many pictures recently. I'll try to be better about keeping the camera at hand. Usually all of the things that are so worth capturing are completely out of the blue and over before anything can be done about recording it!

28 Weeks and Counting

Well, Emma and I had our 28 week check-up today and everything appears to be fine. I had some blood drawn so that my iron and blood sugar levels can be checked. I should hear back on that by next week. I am measuring at 29 weeks, which is great. The measurements are supposed to be accurate give or take 2 weeks, so that's right about where I should be.

So, I am officially in my third trimester now, and I am starting to feel it a little. I had to sit for the hymns at church last Sunday as I got out of breath so easily and I have been a little lower on energy this week than I have been for the last 4-6 weeks. My next appointment is in 4 weeks (32), and after that, we go to a two-week interval (34 and 36) and then to a weekly interval (37, 38, 38 and 40)! Wow! Can't believe the time has gone by so quickly!

More Teeth and Other Items

Well, tooth number six is officially through the gum and present. Yes, I know, I never wrote about tooth number five. Well, after the first four teeth had arrived (the bottom middle two and the top middle two) it was clear that the next to make their appearance would be those on either side of the top two - you could feel them through the gums. When the first of these (the one on the left - from Luke's perspective) officially broke through on Sunday, May 7, it seemed like the second would be close on its heels, and I was planning to write about them both. Well, number six finally arrived ... today. More than two weeks later. I guess that just goes to show you how all of these areas of growth and development are so unpredictable!

Last Saturday we (my mother, Luke and I) went to the Flea Market on the corner of Meadowbridge and Azalea. I was supposed to be looking for clothes for Luke (he's into the 18 month stuff now) but didn't find anything. Somehow I am guessing that once boys that age have finished with their clothes, there's not much left to pass on to the next fellow ... hmmm. Anyway, we did find some really cute dresses for Emma and a ride-on toy for Luke (his first). He loves to play in the yard so much and I really wanted him to have something to use in the yard. Funny thing is that when he sits on the seat, he can't reach the ground with both feet at the same time!

Luke's newest favorite pleasure is watching the ceiling fans in my room and his. Of course, you may wonder what he does if the ceiling fan is not on. Simple. He looks up at it and makes the "more" sign! It's funny, he uses that sign so frequently that there is sometimes some ambiguity as to what he is asking for. However, recently, he has learned that when I say "More what?" he can usually communicate by looking back and forth from me to whatever it is he wants. When he has food options, I can hold two things in front of him and he can tell me which he wants by looking directly at it while signing. Amazing. I'm convinced that there is so much more going on in a baby's mind than I ever realized!

"First" Haircut

Well, technically, his first haircut was a few weeks ago. The hair over his ears was getting so long and shaggy, hanging into his ears, I thought it would be simple to snip, snip and trim up just that part. So, my first experience with cutting hair was not successful. But we need not discuss that further.

This, his official first haircut, was completed with the assistance of his Nannie (my mom). OK, so maybe it would be more accurate to say that she completed it with my help, as my main contribution was supplying the fruit puffs and holding his head still. But in the end, he wound up with a cute little cut, but still looking very much like a little boy. Yes, I hated to see those little curls go, but the other option was to let it get longer and longer until Luke's daddy (ever protective of the male-ness of his little guy) pulled out the electric clippers and gave Luke a style like his daddy's! And I did save some of those little curls. Besides, as I told my mom, my consolation is that we have a little girl on the way, and her hair can get as long and curly as it likes!

"Biter Biscuit?" "More, Thank You"

Well, the next sign we have been working on with Luke is "Thank You." I figured this would be a little more difficult as it is rather abstract, compared to "more." With "more" there is a direct result. Not so much with "thank you." So, I asked some friends how they taught "thank you" and it was suggested that I hold out the item, but don't let go of it until Luke said "thank you." This was a fine idea, except that the items he usually asks for are served on a spoon (like banana) or too small for me to imagine both of us holding on to it at one time (like Cherios or Goldfish crackers). So we came up with a new plan. When he asked for "more" I would put small items on his tray, but not let him touch them until he said "thank you." (Of course, what this meant was that I was holding his hand and doing the motion for him.) The sign for "thank you" involves touching your chin with your fingers and then bringing your hand down.

Yesterday, he was sitting on the kitchen floor and I was offering him a piece of some banana bread I had made. He continued to give the "more" sign from about three feet away. I was trying to encourage him to come over to me to get the bread. Finally, he started signing "more" followed by putting his fingers into his mouth. At first, I thought he was saying "More! Right in here!" But then I realized that this was his way of signing "thank you"! Apparently, he has decided that since he has to do both the "more" sign and the "thank you" sign before he gets to eat, he might as well do them both at the same time and get it over with! Hence the second half of the title of this post.

The first half of the title of this post relates to a treat that the "Easter Bunny" brought to Luke. "Biter Biscuits" are like hard-to-dissolve crackers. It takes several minutes of chewing, gumming, gnawing or whatever a child is capable of doing to get even a piece into your mouth. However, in the meantime, baby is amply rewarded with biter-biscuit soup: a delicate combination of biter biscuit and drool. This soup not only covers the mouth, but also the nose, cheeks, bib, hands and anything touched by the hands. As you can see in the picture below, this is not at all disturbing to Luke!

In other news, Luke's fourth tooth (top right front from his perspective) has finally come in. (By "in" I mean that you can actually feel the edge of it through the gum, as opposed to yesterday where you could feel the tooth, but it was still encased in the gum. It will be some time before it shows up in photos like the other three.)

Ten Months!

Wow! It sure is hard to believe that our little guy is already ten months old. As I take a moment to reflect on these last ten months, I think my primary feeling is surprise at how much change and development can take place in such a short amount of time. Here is a summary of what Luke is "up to" these days:

Communication

• signing "more"
• waving hello and goodbye (including waving to a musical toy that says "Bye-bye" when it is turned off)
• clapping (seems to mean "I like me, don't you?")
• putting his hands on the edge of his high chair to signify that he is ready to get "down"
• working on learning to sign "thank you" for food and other items

Transportation

• crawling furiously
• pulling up on all kinds of objects (furniture, mommy's legs, etc.)
• moving along the edge of a piece of furniture holding on with one or two hands
• moving from one object (like the coffee table) to another (like the sofa) when he can reach both at the same time

Nutrition

• asks for anything Mommy and Daddy (or even complete strangers) are eating
• likes: bread, bananas, grapes, fruit puffs, cherios, Goldfish crackers, apple juice
• has tried (with success): meatballs, lemons, black olives, ice cubes, jelly, pineapple
• has also tried (without success): corn, peas, carrots

Chores

• turning off light switches when we leave a room
• emptying the silverware tray (from the dishwasher onto the floor)
• taking out the trash (especially from the wastebaskets in the office onto the floor)
• reorganizing the pots and pans (on the floor in front of the cabinet)
• exercising the cats (mostly Charley, whom Luke is fond of "chasing" around the house)
• grocery shopping (holds the list for Mommy)

Favorite Activities

• crawling to the door when Daddy comes home
• playing with Daddy
• patting Daddy's head
• taking a bath (or a shower with Daddy)
• peeking at whomever may happen to be taking a shower (not shy about pushing aside the shower curtain and leaning in to look, even when it involves getting wet)
• dropping toys (or cat toys) into the bathtub
• playing with Peek-a-Blocks
• sitting with one leg out in front of him and one leg tucked under him
• trying to figure out how things work (the latches on his high chair and the Snuggli, especially)
• playing with drawer and door handles
• opening and closing drawers and doors
• pushing the cat door in and out
• dropping things into the garage through the cat door
• looking out the front door
• playing with any kind of paper
• testing out the sounds a Duplo block can make when banged or rubbed on all different surfaces in the house
• pushing on the plastic-covered seat pad on his toy chest because it makes a crinkly sound
• watching Dr. Phil

Of course, we can't help but to be proud of our little guy, but mostly we are very thankful to the Lord for the wonderful blessings he has brought into our lives through this little boy. Please continue to pray for us as we learn how to be godly parents and to serve Him through loving and training Luke each day.

Definitely a Girl

Emma and I had our 24 week check-up today. We had another ultrasound. This one was referred to as a "gender check". The technician said right away "It's definitely a girl!" We got some wonderful profile shots of our little girl. Personally, I think she looks a little like Luke, but it's so hard to tell in an ultrasound photo. Emma is growing right on schedule and was super active during the ultrasound and check-up. All seems to be going well!

Sweet Success!

I wish you all could have been there to witness this moment. It wasn't particularly amazing or earth shattering. It was just so precious and wonderful to see the joy of a real "light bulb moment" first hand.

As I mentioned earlier (see Signs of Despiration) we have been working to teach Luke the sign for "more". Tonight, I was sitting in the living room, and Luke was crawling around on the floor playing. Then, as clear as could be, he made the "more" sign to me. Not like a clap. Fingers together, tapping. I said "more" to him, to confirm what he was doing. Then, I took him and put him in his high chair so that he could have some tangible confirmation of what he was doing.

I got out a really yummy butter croissant that I had just bought today. I gave him a little piece to eat and then I asked him if he wanted "more." First, he just clapped. As he was clapping, I said "clap, clap, clap." Then, he switched to the "more" sign. I said "More! Good boy!" and gave him some more of the croissant. He seemed really pleased with himself. But it got even better. You could just see the excitement in his face as he gradually realized that he was actually communicating with me.

He began a game. When he was finished with his little bite, he would begin clapping. I would say "clap, clap, clap" and then he would switch to the "more" sign, and I would say "more" (and give him so more to eat). When this happened, right on his cue, he began laughing hysterically. I have never seen him laugh so hard at anything - especially if it doesn't involve being tickled or tossed up in the air. This game continued for a full 10 or 15 minutes following the same pattern - clap, more, laugh! Matt came in to observe the fun.

Of course, it was wonderful to see that he had made the connection about the meaning of the sign, but it was far more fun to see how excited he was that he could "make" Mommy say different things based on what he was doing! What a joy to watch a little boy develop his God-given skills of interpersonal communication! The only question now is what sign to teach him next!

Signs of Desperation

Matt and I decided that it might be a good idea to try and teach Luke some sign language. The theory - which we have heard from other families whose parenting we highly respect - is that a few simple signs will give a child who is old enough to communicate, but not old enough to speak, the means by which to make his/her needs known. In other words, we could teach Luke to let us know that he needs more Veggie Puffs by using a sign, rather than by hollering "ma ma ma ma" in a tone that sounds more like a flock of Canadian geese flying overhead.

We decided to begin with the sign for "more" (as this would address the Canadian geese issue mentioned above). This sign is made by tapping the tips of your fingers of one hand to the tips of your fingers of the other hand. (The fingers of each hand come together as if you were holding a piece of paper between your thumb and finger tips in each hand. You then tap the finger tips of each hand together.) When he wants more food, I make the sign while saying the word "more", then help him to make it before giving him more.

Anyway, we had had little success with this sign, but we weren't discouraged as Luke is still young to be picking up on this. In fact, the only thing he was doing that approached the sign was to clap. But, as Matt put it, clapping was his way of saying "Do whatever it is I'm thinking." (i.e. more food, get me down, etc.) Still, it was encouraging that he seemed to have the idea that he could communicate by doing something with his hands.

The moment of truth, however, came this morning at the Women's Fellowship meeting. Several ladies of the church and their children meet every other Tuesday morning at the Ludovico's house. Luke had finished his bottle and was sitting on my lap while a church member spoke to the group. Then, across the room, another mother took out a bottle for her little girl. Suddenly, Luke began frantically making the "more" sign! He was so accurate that - without me even saying anything - both my mom and one of the other ladies looked over and recognized that he was making the "more" sign! So apparently, in times of desperate need, he is able to make his wishes known. (On a side note, I did not have any more formula, so instead, Luke downed most of a muffin and a half. He can be quite the eater when he sets his mind to it.)

Has he done the "more" sign since? Nope! But from what I have heard, there is often a lag between when a baby makes a sign for the first time and when he can use it consistently. We have started to notice other things that he is able to imitate as well, though. For example, when we sing "Clap Your Hands, All Ye People" he will clap and (though not a the right moment) put his hands up in the air! It sure is fun to watch this little guy being able to do more and more every day!

It's a Girl!

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and found out that the baby we are expecting in August is a little girl! Yea! We will have a "matched set" as my dad says. When we met with the midwife after the ultrasound, she remembered that we already had a little boy and asked us if he was hoping for a brother or a sister. As it turned out, she didn't remember that he was only 9 months old. ;-) From the measurements on the ultrasound, it looks like little Emma Caroline is growing right on schedule and the due date remains August 9. Please pray for her continued growth and development and for a safe and healthy delivery.

Clap Clap!

So the other night, we were having family worship. We have been working with Luke to help him sit still and quiet during this time and also during church on Sundays. All of a sudden, he started clapping. We hadn't practiced this. We hadn't modeled or coached. He just started doing it! Of course, what I was supposed to do was to encourage him to keep quiet, but I couldn't help watching with delight. I was kind of thinking maybe Matt wouldn't notice. But shortly, Matt stopped his reading and said, "Is he clapping?!?" We ended up taking a break from our reading to watch Luke clapping! The only problem now is that he wants to clap in church. I had to explain to him that Presbyterians don't do that. ;-)

Standing ... Sort Of

The weather this week and weekend has been absolutely gorgeous. It's the middle of March, and the temperatures have been in the mid 70's. Also, Joshua (my 10 year old brother) has been staying with us since Wednesday while Mom and Dad are away celebrating their 30th anniversary (Yea, Mom and Dad!!). Last Thursday, we picked up Joshua at school and went to the park. It was so lovely and we had such a grand time that we decided to go again on Saturday. Josh wanted to invite Ryan and Ben (who would be home from VCU on Spring Break).

Ryan and Ben met us at the park with kites, and we brought one of Matt's old kites. The kite flying didn't amount to much (mostly because Ryan had purchased $1 kites that were only 23" long and Matt's kite fell apart shortly after it was launched). But Josh found a family who was playing Frisbee and softball and joined them for some sports action. Ben had to head off to another engagement. So, Ryan and I sat on a blanket playing with Luke.

Donna (Ryan's sweetie) called him on his cell phone. While he was talking to her, Luke was standing beside me holding onto my shoulder and playing with my sunglasses. Apparently, he decided that he needed two hands to properly explore the sunglasses, because he let go of my shoulder. For about 5 seconds, Ryan and I (and Donna, sort of by way of phone) witnesses Luke standing all by himself! He was a little wobbly, but you could see his toes working to keep him balanced. In just a short while, he seemed to realize that he was no longer holding on and regained his grip on my shirt. It was fun while it lasted!

Matt claims he won't believe it until he sees it with his own eyes. Luke has yet to repeat the task and I expect he won't unless he has some good reason to stand and use both hands to do something!

I Get A Kick Outta' This

During my pregnancy with Luke, I was so excited about the idea of having a baby that I though about my pregnancy and my unborn child about 23/7. Because this pregnancy was a little bit of a surprise, and because I already have such a wonderful little guy to keep me occupied, this time I have to keep reminding myself that I really am pregnant and that we really do have another wonderful little package on the way.

This has all become much easier to visualize as just this weekend, I began to feel the baby kick ... for sure. If you've ever been pregnant, you know that when you are finally sure you are feeling the baby kick, you know (or realize) that you have actually been feeling it for a while, but that you couldn't be sure (or didn't know) that was what you were feeling. When the baby is first big enough to make its presence known, the little flutters feel about like bubbles of gas, or a faint pulse of your heartbeat just below your belly button.

Anyway, I loved this time with Luke and I am loving it again with baby #2. It's kind of special because at this point, while the little movements are strong enough for me to feel, they are not yet strong enough to be felt on the outside (i.e. by Matt or others). It's kind of like our little secret - just me and the baby!

Speaking of secrets, we still do not know the sex of the baby. We do, however, have an ultrasound schedule for the afternoon of March 22. Hopefully (Lord willing and baby cooperating) we will be able to tell the gender at that appointment. Check back for a posting some time that week.

Breaking News!

Well, this post isn't technically about Luke, although the information contained herein will certainly affect him. The big news is that we are expecting another baby in August! We (the baby and I) just had our 12 week check-up last week and everything looks great, so we have been spreading the news. Please pray for us (for me especially) as I have been super low on energy, though this has been gradually improving over the last week or so. Also, it means that next fall, we will have an infant and a one year old - an exciting, but somewhat intimidating prospect!

Our 20 week appointment should be at the end of March, at which time we would like to find out the sex of the baby, if he or she will "cooperate". Speaking of "he or she", if this baby is a boy, we will name him Thomas Charles after an 18th century Welsh preacher whose writings Matt has greatly enjoyed. If we have a girl, she will be named Emma Caroline (the same name we had chosen for Luke, had he been a girl).

Sitting ... and Standing!

Last night after evening church, a bunch of the kids where helping Luke to sit up. It was precious! The were sitting in a circle around him so that they could give him a little boost if he leaned in one direction or the other! He actually did some sitting up on his own, and has done a little more today. I have noticed, however, that if he gets particularly excited about a toy and begins to shake it, he is prone to throwing himself over backwards!

The newest development occurred today at his early afternoon nap. I put him down around 12:30 and around 12:40, I heard him crying. I recognized it as the cry that says "Hey, I'm really tired and willing to go to sleep, but I have flipped myself over and now don't know what to do." I peeked in to see if that was in fact the case. It was not. Instead, Luke was standing (yes, in a sleep sack) holding on to the edge of the crib. The reason for the familiar cry was the fact that he was not sure how to get back down! Once I laid him down and tucked him back in, he fell off to sleep, and I called Matt to inform him that we would definitely need to lower the mattress tonight!

P.S. I actually got a short video of this last acrobatic feat, so if I can figure out how to post video to the blog, I will share it.

Crawling!!

Well, Luke had his six month check up this morning. As usual, he was weighed, measured and given a few shots. What was not "as usual" was that he actually started crawling right there in the doctor's office! The nurse had gotten all of his vitals and we were waiting for the doctor. Luke was up on the exam table (which is covered in that sticky-feeling vinyl/plastic type fabric). The nurse had laid out one of those blue and white paper and plastic square pads for him to lay on, but he was intent on eating it. I moved it to the other end of the exam table ... and he crawled to it! I couldn't believe what I had seen so I moved it to the other end ... and he crawled back! Eager for still more action, I put him on the floor, and he proceded to maneuver around the floor, wobbly but definitely crawling. Apparently he was intent on checking out each of the white floor tiles in a mostly blue/green tiled floor.

When we got home, he continued his little act. He crawled for his Nannie and his Uncle Joshua when they came to visit, and he crawled for his Uncles Ryan and Ben when they came bearing raisins. And most importantly, he crawled (smiling and happy) for his daddy when he got home from work. I will need to completely change my perception of his mobility for the future. I walked into the kitchen to put a tissue in the trashcan, leaving Luke playing with a toy near the rug in front of our fireplace. When I returned, he was attempting to pull the lights off of our Christmas tree! (Yes, I decided that this anecdote was too precious to omit, despite the fact that it reveals that our Christmas tree is still up as we sail merrily into mid-January!)

You may wonder what the best "carrot" is to motivate him to move. Is it the sweet voice of his loving mother calling him over? Is it the excitement of all of the new, colorful, lighted and sound-making toys? Or perhaps the cats which he so adores? None of the above. Want to see Lukey crawl? Drop a piece of paper on the floor. Yup. Paper. An empty envelope from junk mail. The instructions to one of the oodles of new Christmas toys that have been recently opened and assembled. Even the phone book. Yes, our child is a paper fanatic. A crawling paper fanatic.

Knee Scooting

Well, the latest development in the almost-but-not-yet crawling story is "knee scooting." As far as I know, this is not an official term, just one I made up for this blog. Now, instead of using his hands to pull himself along as he slides on his belly, he is using his hands to pull himself along as he slides on his knees. So at this point, he is in exactly the right position for crawling (on his hands and knees) and his arms are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing (moving one at a time, in a forward motion). And actually, I'm not sure what his motivation would be to get the knees in gear, because on our hardwood floors, knee scooting seems to be just about as effective as actual crawling!

As a side note, Luke has also started to do a lot of what his Nannie (my mother) says is trying to sit up. While in the crawling position, he gets one leg under him and winds up kind of sitting sideways on one thigh, resting his weight on one hand. He seems to prefer this position for playing with a toy, once he has reached and obtained it. Up until this point, his common MO was to drop to his belly once he got to a toy, meaning that playing with it was difficult since he needed both hands to hold him up (he usually just resorted to elbows), and the toy was only inches from his nose. Now he has one hand free to wave, bang, squeeze or poke!

More updates on these exciting developments will be posted when they become available!