Tuesday, June 30, 2009

New (and less messy) Interests

Music and books- mommy likes this!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

10 Months!

How fast these milestones pass me by!

This month has been wonderful. Besides struggling to keep some kind of schedule with Luke's constant changes, it sure has been a joy to be mommy to such a wonderful little guy. :)

Luke is getting really fun to play with. He has a bucket and a set of plastic blocks that go into that bucket. I have been dumping them out and showing him how to put them back in. He LOVES putting them back in (yay!) and enjoys it even more when I smile and clap and tell him what a good job he is doing.

Luke also like to take things out. His clothes are mainly stacked under his changing table for easy access. Well, now he is accessing them... and then throwing them all over the floor. I am going to have to fix this at some point, but he does get so much joy in throwing them all over the place.

This morning, Luke finally figured out that it is easier to crawl on hands and knees than to do his usual belly crawl. I was shocked! I had completely given up hope. He also pulls up on anything and everything, and has more than once, let go of whatever he was holding onto. He will be standing very soon.

Yesterday we wen to the beach with some friends. It was a disaster (made better by my friend's calm presence). Luke loved the waves. He sat in the sand and waited for them to come and get his little legs wet. I stood right next to him and picked him up whe the bigger waves came. At one point, however, he pulled his hat off and leaned over to try and crawl around. I grabbed for his hat (argh! baby must wear the hat-no sunburns and skin cancer!), and at the same time, a wave came and pushed him over. He was a very sandy, wet, crying baby. Poor baby- I felt horrible.

We went to get him cleaned off at one of the beach showers. He screamed all through this process and kept trying to rub his eyes with his sandy hands. I got him rinsed off as best as I could (sand on babies is soooo sticky!), and then we sat and ate cheerios and applesauce in the shade. He took a while to recover from the fright, but after some quiet time with Mommy, and the yummy snacks, everything was ok again. Whew!

I will end with a video of Luke trying to let go of the coffee table:


Monday, June 22, 2009

Our Grand Adventure

Yesterday, Nathan, Luke, and I announced publicly that we are planning to move to Houston at the end of July.

Our reasons for moving are many and varied. Above all, I suppose, is that we want to put down roots and live somewhere where the cost of living is not so demanding. Nathan has been working a second side job on and off which takes away from family time. It is sad when Luke is already asleep when Nathan gets home. Other reasons for moving include moving closer to family, moving closer to church (right now our drive is 30 mins w/o traffic), finding a place with better long-term job prospects for Nathan, and realizing our dream of owning a home and having a backyard for Luke and any other little ones who come along.

We have been thinking about this move since Christmas last year. We have seriously looked at all of our options and compared them again and again (truly. I have an excel spreadsheet to prove it). We looked at real estate around here that was closer to our friends and to work, we explored the possibility of living in Escondido near Nathan's family, and northern CA near mine. In the end, Texas seemed the most prudent choice.

In saying goodbye to California, we will leave behind many great blessings. Mostly, we are sad to leave behind our family and friends. Yesterday at church, I was up in the choir loft and noticed Luke's little fingerprints on the wood beam in front of me. I will always remember holding him there. It was sad to think that I would leave those little prints and the church behind. Nathan and I were married in this church, we were chrismated in this church, we were loved and encouraged in our Christian life in that church.

At the same time, we are looking forward to the move. We are looking forward to living near Nathan's sister and her family, and beginning our new life in Texas.

Here are a couple of pictures of our Little Cowboy :

Friday, June 19, 2009

Up

This video is great because it shows a bunch of Luke's new abilities. He pulls himself up, gives me a high five, and mimics something I said. I taught Luke to give me a high five while we were swinging at the park. Every time he would swing towards me, I put out my hand and he slapped it. I should note that he usually likes giving a high ten better.

Oh, and it doesn't show in this video, but he often sports a one-sock-on, one-sock-off look. He is trying to make a fashion statement. What do you think?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Traveling




We've been busy and we've been traveling- hence the lack of posts. I'll update more this evening when I have some time, but for now, here are some Baby Luke pictures:

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A New View

Yesterday, Luke learned to pull himself up all on his own! I plopped him down in his pack and play so that I could do some dishes, and when I looked over to see how he was doing, I was met with his toothy grin. He was so proud! I am amazed at how much effort it take him to get up. There is nothing like watching a baby do things for the first time.

Here he is playing at his activity table:

Monday, June 8, 2009

New Baby Boy Souldatou

Yesterday morning Beth (Hupp) Souldatou called to let me know that she was in labor.

Yesterday at 11:04pm (20 hours later), she and Yannis welcomed a baby boy into the world. He was 8lbs 11oz! The name will be announced one week from now, as is tradition for them.

I will save the labor details for Beth to tell about later on at her blog. She is in the hospital and resting well. Thanks to all who were praying!

God grant this little one many, many years!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Standing up and New Shoes


Luke wants to stand ALL the time. Every time I try to put him down, he stiffens up his legs and tries to plant them. He can't stand on his own, but the coffee table, pack and play rim, mommy's leg, etc... are great to hold onto. My dad was in town this week and helped him work on pulling himself up. He can almost do it and is so proud!

Also, I just made this pair of brown leather shoes. I have made several pairs now and I think this is my favorite. Some ladies oohed and awwed over them today while we were out walking in Seal Beach.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

It is 8:15am

Luke is still sleeping! Hurray! He has been getting two more top teeth this past week and sleep has been scarce for mommy and daddy. Maybe we are through the worst for now?

Something sweet: The other night, Nathan discovered that one way to get Luke to sleep is to hold his hand. As he drifts off, the death grip slowly loosens and he finally lets go. This is adorable.

Also, we had a Dr. appointment yesterday. To quote the doctor, "He is as healthy as a horse." He also had a growth spurt and now is 29 inches tall and weighs 24lbs (oh, my back). This means that he is moving up in the height percentages to 75% and is holding steady for weight 90%. In cuteness, he has always been off the charts. :)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Bad Start

Someone hijacked an old email account of mine and sent out a nasty email. I am working on damage control now. Sorry if you got an unpleasant email! Please pray that this does not get any worse!