Luke's birth story

Luke turned a year old yesterday. It's seems like a good time to look back and remember his birth.

I had been having very strong Braxton-Hicks contractions for over a month. Especially in the evenings or if I exerted myself at all my belly would start tightening up and I would feel so much pressure! This caused a few false alarms, since the contractions would be rhythmic and even seem to increase in intensity and frequency over time. However they always petered out and I would be so disappointed. For the last few checkups I had been measuring in at 2 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. We suspected that when labor started it would go quickly since my mom had very fast labors with both my brother and I. Her labor with me was only an hour and a half!

I was due on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. On the preceding Friday Hurricane Irene hit the Eastern Shore. My birth center was in Annapolis - an hour and a half and one very large bridge away from our house. We knew the hurricane was coming so we debated going to Annapolis and getting a hotel room before the hurricane hit us. We knew the bridge would close if the winds got to 50 knots and we didn't want to be stuck on the shore while I was in labor. Ultimately we decided to risk staying home, mostly because we didn't want to miss the hurricane party that would be going on at my parents house over the weekend. A few times over the weekend the contractions started getting stronger, but just like every time before they slowed before anything interesting happened. By this point I was convinced I would be pregnant forever.

That Monday morning I woke around 7:30am with strong cramps and heavy pressure. It was what I had been feeling all along so I didn't think much of it. The only real difference was my mood. I was annoyed and angry and ready for a fight. Chris saw the discomfort I was feeling and suggested I might be in actual labor this time. I reacted strongly to this. "I am not in labor! This is just like every other time! It's false labor! How could you not understand?"  My incoherent raving dissolved into tears and I retreated into the bathroom. I got into the shower on my hands and knees and positioned the shower head to spray on my back. It helped the pressure of the cramps. I was in there sulking for about 10 mins, crying if Chris even poked his head in, when Chris very wisely decided it was time to call in reinforcements. He asked my mom to come over. When she came in the bathroom to see how I was doing I sobbed to her that I was only cramping, but "Chris is being so mean to meeeee." Since this statement was so out of character and I was on my hands and knees rocking back and forth, moaning a little with the pain, she ignored my protestations and called the midwife, David. When she described my symptoms he agreed I could be in labor and told them to time my contractions. They were coming steadily and getting progressively stronger. Once I started to feel them get stronger than I had ever felt before, I allowed myself to start believing that this could really be it! Maybe I would get to meet my baby today! Once I let that hope in and admitted I might possibly be in labor my whole mood changed. I got so excited! I felt mortified that I had gotten so angry over nothing and hated that I had started the first day of my baby's life in a bad mood. Of course, looking back I know now that my mood was just a signal that labor was finally starting.

Chris holding me on the floor of the van,  mid-contraction.

We decided to head toward Annapolis and called the birth center to let them know we were on our way. That's when we found out that even though Hurricane Irene had left the Eastern shore largely unscathed it hadn't been as kind to the Western shore. There were massive power outages and the birth center had no electricity and no generator. They told us that I couldn't give birth there and I would have to go to Anne Arundel Hospital. I was horrified. I could give birth in a hospital 10 mins away from my house! I was driving over an hour and a half to birth naturally in a tub, with a midwife and candles if I wanted them, darnit! My anger had no effect on them. Neither did my assurances that I didn't need electricity to give birth. We began to drive and I hoped that the power would be restored on our way there. I loved that drive.Chris and I sat on the floor of the van in a little nest of pillows and blankets and he held me during every contraction. I got to stare up at him and I tried to imprint those last moments with just the two of us in my head.

When we got to the hospital they admitted me to an exam room so they could see how far along I was. I was sort of hoping that I wasn't very far along so that I could wait for the power to come back on at the birth center. When they checked me though, I was already at 5 centimeters dilated! I started crying, and told them I could stop the labor, I wanted to wait until I could birth the way I had PLANNED IT!! The midwife told me very kindly, but very firmly that I was going to give birth at the hospital. End of discussion. I think that the nurses must have taken pity on me because they gave us the VIP birthing room. When we walked into the very large room and saw floor to ceiling windows, kitchenette and a huge bathroom, I started to feel a little better about birthing there.

Fetal monitoring me while I balanced on a birthing ball.

I had been in labor for about 7 hours at this point, but it hadn't been difficult at all. As we were getting settled into the hospital room I got my first indication that labor might become, well, painful. Up until that point I had only felt pressure during my contractions. For the next few contractions I the pain made me moan and groan. Truth be told, at this point I was kind of reveling in the fact that I was finally feeling real labor.They hooked me up to the fetal monitor and started tracking my contractions. Chris had spent the last several months doing clinical rotations in labor and delivery and he was able to read the printout. He made an offhand comment about my contractions being at a 20 or 30, but he was used to seeing women labor with a Pitocin drip and they started at 50 or 60. The comment stuck with me because I thought my contractions were intense already. I couldn't fathom what 50 or 60 could feel like. And then that thought went further. Did that mean the scale went to 100?!!? I felt like I could quickly lose control.

I decided I needed to move, so we began walking around the large circular corridor. It was during that first walk that I realized that I would either control this labor or it would control me. I realized that for me moaning was only making it feel like work. I felt that each moan was a complaint. They made me tense up and the pain was much worse. So instead I decided to start deliberately relaxing during each contraction.     (My mom had done a Bradley class with us and I found that it helped immensely. It was through the Bradley book that I had learned that it WAS possible to experience labor calmly.) So when the contractions would start I would breath slowly and repeat in my head, "You can do this. This is no problem. Just breath. Just breath. Good job. You can do this." Eventually I stopped just thinking this in my head and I started repeating it over and over in a low murmur. The unusual thing was, I found it very upsetting if anyone else tried to say these words to me. I was the only one going through it, so only I could tell myself it would be OK. This breathing and self-coaching gave me back my control during labor. I can't say I really felt any pain once I figured out my formula. It truly felt like I was riding a wave during each contraction. Over the next several hours it felt like we walked miles. When a contraction would start, I would stop, lean against Chris and rock while I talked myself through it. My mom or Bonnie would hold a lavender scented hot pack of rice hard against my back. Then it would ease off and we would resume our circuit.

I eventually felt the need to be in water. The hospital had said that they didn't have tubs in the room, but this wasn't entirely true. They had very, very shallow tubs that covered half of my belly if I laid down in it. Even though it wasn't a deep tub, it sufficed. I spent a long time in that tub, swishing back and forth, back and forth. My mom or Chris would hold the shower head on my belly, and I loved the feel and pressure of the warm water. Eventually the contractions got so intense that I didn't know if I could keep doing this. I threw up around this time and that's when I got excited, because I knew the self-doubt and the throwing up added up to transition! The end was in sight! Unfortunately after about and hour of this the midwife checked me and told me I was only at 7 centimeters. All those hours of labor and still only 7 centimeters? The next several hours were tough. I was stuck in transition and I could feel my body weakening. I knew that I couldn't go on at this pace indefinitely and as I got tired it became harder and harder to be in control of my pain. Around this time, David offered me an epidural and it shocked me that I considered it at all. I was determined to do it naturally, but I was so, so tired of the pain. I ultimately told him no, but when he told me he wanted to break my water I jumped at the chance. Once he did that things moved more quickly. I didn't have the energy to move much anymore, so I stayed in bed. I don't have very clear memories of any of it after that point. I remember that I didn't want Chris to be away from me for even a second. I remember my dad came in to see how I was, and I found it too distracting to have someone new in the room. I remember that David told me to try changing positions. He thought it would be helpful to lay on my side. Once I did that, within a few contractions I started feeling the need to push. I think Bonnie was holding my hand at that point. She told the nurse and the nurse ran to get David. He came in and did a quick check and told me I could start pushing!

By that point it was just about midnight. We realized that Luke would be born not on August 29th, like we had thought, but instead right on his due date, August 30. Once David announced I could push the whole room exploded with excitement. People appeared out of nowhere and the bed was surrounded. My mom, Chris and the nurse held my legs and David sat on the bed in front of me. (I hadn't intended to push in bed, but for me it was the most comfortable position. The room had a special bed designed just for birthing and it had a bunch of different configurations it could morph into. I loved that bed. At one point I tried pushing on my hands and knees and I hated it. It felt so much more painful.) When it came time for my first push I did it just like you see in the movies. I screwed up my face and I screamed! David said me that wasn't going to do anything and told me to concentrate on his voice. I closed my eyes and did exactly what he told me to do. He told me to hold my breath and push with all my might when a contraction hit. Then one very quick breath in and hold it again for another mighty push. I managed to get 2 pushes out of each contraction. All I remember about this time is peoples voices. David's telling me when to push and everyone else cheering me on. It was wonderful to feel so surrounded by love and support. When they saw his head you could hear Chris almost bursting from the excitement of it. They brought a large mirror in so I could see, but without my glasses I couldn't focus on a thing. Between pushes I thought I would pass out from exhaustion. I would let my head loll back and my whole body would go limp. Then the next wave would start. Finally he started to crown and I experienced what they called the ring of fire. His head came out not in one, but two pushes. There was most definitely no relaxing between those two contractions!! Once his head was out David told me to reach down and pull my baby out with my next push. That moment will always be one of the highlights of my life. I pushed and at the same time gently reached down and hooked my hands under my baby's arms. I have lifted my baby up a million times every day since, but I will never forget what it felt like the first time I did it. I put my baby on my chest and felt hands toweling him off and checking him, but all I could see was his little blueberry colored eyes blinking up at me. He was moving his mouth like a baby bird, so I did exactly what came naturally to both he and I. I put him right on my breast to nurse. We never had a problem with nursing. From the very beginning it was exactly what we wanted to be doing all the time. I know that eventually they cut the cord and weighed him and checked him, but all I could see was those big eyes looking at me while I cradled him. Even now I can see it like it just happened.

I found out later I had lost a good deal of blood, nothing dangerous, but enough that I was very woozy. There was stitching to be done, since I had torn a lot. I got to shower and I was moved to a new room where they tucked us all in for the night. Luke was placed in a bassinet by our bed, but I couldn't bear to be away from him so I slept that night with him tucked in right beside me. He had spent the last 9 months inside my body and I couldn't let him spend his first night away from me, the only familiar thing in his new world. I found out later it is against hospital policy for a baby to sleep with the mom, but the nurses never said a thing to me about it. They were all mothers too and must have understood that overwhelming need to be near your baby.

When we woke the next morning after only a few hours sleep. I stared at my baby and tried to memorize every bit of him. I couldn't quite believe that my baby was outside of me and so very beautiful.

Learning to change him that first morning.

It took me one year to the day to process Luke's birth. At first I was so disappointed that it hadn't been how I pictured it. Giving birth in a hospital was so different from what I had planned, but now looking back all I feel is satisfaction with the way things turned out. I had a healthy baby and was able to do it completely naturally. Ultimately what I remember about the birth are the people that I love surrounding me, pride that I was able to labor on my own terms, and the joy I felt when I held my son for the first time. In the end, I got exactly what I had hoped for.

A letter to Luke at 11 months

Dear Lucas,

I'd like to start this letter by saying that I LOVE 11 months. You are so much fun! There's a lot going on around here.

First of all, you are communicating a lot. No real words yet except besides Mommy and Daddy, but every once in a while we here you say stuff that sure sounds a lot like a word. like the other day you were staring in the mirror and said "baby" and twice yesterday after I said "bye" to someone, I would hear you say "buh" like a little echo. But so far there's no consistent enunciation. You do have a wide repertoir of pointing however. It's amazing to me how you never seem to tire of it. From the moment you wake up in the morning until the time we put you to bed your little hand is emphatically gesturing towards anything that interests you.

Speaking of pointing, it was so fun to watch you when Titi Cyn and Uncle Alex brought your cousin Claire to visit. You guys LOVED being around each other. You particularly loved pointing things out to her. You'd get so excited about it as if there was just so much that you had discovered and you were just waiting for someone littler than you to come along who you could share it all with! She was a very appreciative audience for you. She would obediently look at whatever you drew her attention to. It was so cute hearing you two talk to each other. We had no idea what it was you were saying to each other, but you guys seemed to think it was hysterical. All of us parents couldn't believe all of the new stuff you both started doing in the week that you were together. I guess that interaction spurred both of you on.

Nursing time.

I think you're wondering why Claire isn't standing up with you.

The only downside was that you seemed to have a fondness for Claire's delectable plump feet. You bit her pretty hard once and after that we had to watch to make sure you didn't go back for another nip!

We've been enjoying summer in the city. It's been HOT. To cool off a little we've headed to a kids fountain near the harbor that lets you run in and out of the water. You love it because of the water, but also because there are a ton of kids running around and you love to watch them.

Practicing lunges

We had a wonderful surprise this month. One Sunday Grandma, Nonni and Grandpa came up for a quick visit. You were very sleepy when they first got here. Can you tell?

Once you took your nap you felt a lot better. Then we all went for a walk by the harbor.

Yep. All better now.

Something else you love to do is make messes. you really prefer things that present a bit of a challenge to get into. Case in point: This box of straws took a good 15 minutes for you to get into. There was a little window on the front that you kept sticking your hand into. You would reach in, get a handful of straws and then cry out for me because of course your hand was stuck in that small opening. It's very hard to convince an 11 month old to let go of things. This happened a couple of times until you decided there must be a better way. You realized the top opened and Voila! the mess was made. This one took quite a while to pick up. Those little straws are slippery!

The box of cards is also a favorite mess to get into.

Playing with daddy at the park is also fun!

And when mama tries to get away you can always take her down.

Love you little bear. All the way to the moon and twice around the earth.
Mommy and Daddy

Swollen foot.

Luke dropped a can of tomatoes on my foot this morning. Not the tomato paste size either. The biggest size whole tomato kinda can. It hurt. I cried. Luke thought I was laughing at first. He got so excited and laughed too. Then he realized I wasn't rocking back and forth and holding my foot cause I was happy. He got so concerned. He stopped laughing and crawled over and patted me while babbling in a soothing way. It was almost worth the hurt foot to see him do something so cute. Almost.
Have I mentioned that I LOVE living in the city? It fills a little spot in my heart I didn't even know was empty. Running errands is an adventure every day. We had to get Luke's health insurance sorted out today. The office is downtown so Luke and I walked there. It was fun to finally go into one of the big high-rise office buildings. It was fun to have the doorman make us sign in and then tell us to take the elevator to the 15th floor. It was fun to look down on the roofs (rooves? Roovi?) once we got up there. I wonder if the novelty will ever wear off?
We went to the opening of Anthropologie in Harbor East after that. It was amazing. It's a huge store and it's laid out in a really cool way. I think that with the exception of the Anthro at Rockefeller Center it's the prettiest one I've seen. I have a feeling that we're going to be spending lots of time there browsing.
We rode the bus home and I came to the reluctant realization that this stroller is just not practical for the city. Some bus drivers let me keep it open on the bus, but most make me fold it up. There is absolutely no way to fold it while holding Luke and whatever bags I have stowed away in the bottom. Plus it's huge, so I can't carry it one handed. I have to rely on strangers to help me every time. I think that we might to need to get one of those cheapy umbrella strollers for any time I suspect we'll be using transit. Of course, it is fun seeing how kind people are. I have yet to ride a bus and not have several strangers offer to help me.

The everyday.

One of my favorite things about being a mom is that the everyday things we do are now so exciting when seen through the eyes of a 10 month old. Like touching water. Before I had Luke, when was the last time I bent down to put my hand in water as we walked by a fountain? Uh, not often. Now we do it all the time.
There's this park near us that has a shiny metal fence. Part of the fence is a xylophone that you can tap to play music. Luke loves to put his hands on it and feel the vibrations when I hit it. Now every time we pass a metal fence his breath catches and he starts waving his arms to touch it. This makes me look very funny as I try to oblige him by producing vibrations out of wrought iron.

A letter to Lucas at 10 months.

Hello little one!

Ten months has been a fun age for all of us. We've had so much fun watching you grow. We’re starting to notice more and more traits that we associate with toddlers. Like the way you now prefer to wander and explore between bites of food. How you love to point at each new thing you see, waitingfor us to notice and then identify it for you. How you like to play with your toys now in a totally different way. You’re using them now, not just as chewtoys and objects with which to hit things, but in the way in which they wereintended to be used. You’re favorite at the moment is a small foam ball thatyou roll and then chase all over the apartment. You like to hit it with thehandheld cheese grater. The grater is flat so it looks like you’re playing cricket. The other day you spied the cheese grater in the dishwasher and crawledup into the dishwasher to get it.

Lucas in the dishwasher, trying to get to the cheese grater.

We've moved to Baltimore and have been settling into citylife over the past month. You've handled the transition really well. There hasbeen a lot of clinginess to me, but that's really to be expected sinceeverything is so new here. You've been having a great time exploring our newapartment. It's huge - over 1100 square feet -so you've been getting yourexercise crawling all over it. You've banished that belly crawl once and forall. You've got serious space to cover now and you've decided that it requiresserious crawling. Hands and knees only!

You're trying to talk to us all the time now, and you talkto yourself a lot too. We can understand some of the babbles. When you want toeat  you do a really distinctive coughing sound in the back of yourthroat.  When we're out of your sight youdo this high pitched sound that reminds me of a sonar. Perhaps you're hopingit'll ping off of us so you will always know our exact whereabouts?  When you wake up from your nap and you wantme to come get you, I swear you say "Coo-eee" in a sing-songy voice.You know, like an upper-crust, 60 year old British woman? When I go in to getyou, I always expect to see you sporting a gray chin-length bob, wearing an ill-fittingmen’s hunting jacket and waving your gardening gloves at me. Perhaps somedayI'll be changing your diaper and you'll confide to me that Mrs. Watkins downthe street is letting her rose bushes get into the most dreadful state. ThenI'll know that it wasn't just my imagination.

You aren’t in a car that much anymore. We either walk, ortake the train or bus now. You love not being confined to your car seat whilein a moving vehicle. The only challenge has been to stop you from licking everysurface on said buses and trains. Well that, and getting you to not press thebright yellow strips running down the sides that say “Press To Signal Stop”.More than once you’ve pressed them and I’ve had to yell to the front that it wasa mistake. I’m seriously thinking of writing the city and asking them to paintall of those strips a very boring Soviet-style gray. It would no longer beattractive to babies and since it would be hard for everyone to find, the busdrivers would no doubt have far less stops to make.

Lucas on the train. Isn't he pretty?

Living close to daddy’s work has been wonderful. It meansthat daddy can come home for lunch. This means that twice a day as you hear daddywalk in the door you start waving your arms excitedly and then crawl toward thedoor while saying “dada, dada” over and over. It's adorable. It’s a  long hallway you have tocrawl down to get to the door, so you’ve also learned to say ” I’m just goingto take a little breather”, “Water, please” and “I’d be there faster dad, butmy sciatica is killing me.” 

We love every minute that we spend with you sweet boy, and we love that you make everyday so much more fun as we see it through your eyes.

We love you little bear,

Mommy and Daddy

A Letter to Lucas At 9 Months

My 9 month old.

Dear Luke,

I love you sweet boy! This letter is a little overdue since you are now 9 1/2 months old. We've had a lot going on lately, we found out we're moving to Baltimore and we've been going back and forth a lot looking for an apartment. We went to the convention last weekend in Newburgh, NY and the you've been sick with lots of mucous and a cough. Oh and I have jury duty all month long. Phew! All of that has made our life very busy.

No one has been busier than you, though. You have done so much in the past month. When you crawl now it's always on your hands and knees - we rarely see that army commando crawl now. In reality, though we don't really see you crawling all that much these days. Once you started pulling yourself up on the couch and cruising around it you lost interest in crawling.

This is the sight we constantly see.

Here's a video of how Luke feels about it.

You are developing the the sweetest personality. I still don't see any signs of possessiveness in you. We play a game where you when I make a popping sound with my mouth and open it, you take the pacifier out of your mouth and put it in mine. It gets me every time. Speaking of games you have so many that you love. Of course peekaboo is still your favorite, but you also love to have a ball rolled to you, you love to be read to, you love to imitate every gesture we make and you love to discover new things. To show your enthusiasm for all of this fun you will clap enthusiastically whenever we say "Yay!"

You really, really don't like being out of sight of me these days. If I leave the room you let out a wail like you'll never see me again.

You've gotten so very cuddly. You love to be carried while you snuggle your head on our shoulders. You easily fall asleep in our arms now. We love all of the cuddling, in fact I think we like it more than you do. At night now, when you sleep, you slide one chubby little arm around our necks and pull us closer to you.

I'll end with a video of your favorite new game. You shake your head at us and think it's the funniest thing ever. We do too.

We love you little bear, all the way to the moon, twice around the earth and back home again.
Mommy and Daddy

Grandpa and Luke

It's a special relationship between a guy and his grandpa. Grandpas let you drink out of their seltzer cans. They let you taste stuff that mommy would never let a guy try. And they make the best funny sounds and faces. Yep. This baby loves grandpa.

Lucas and Nonni

Luke hasn't been feeling well for the past couple days. He's really congested and hasn't wanted to eat. We suspect that he's working on his top teeth and that's what is causing all this unpleasantness for him. It's made him very cuddly and sleepy. That means that he'll fall asleep while being held. Mom and I were visiting this morning and while we talked Luke cuddled in and fell asleep.

I think Nonni liked it:)

Chris Graduated!!

After 3 years of juggling work, spiritual responsibilities, a pregnant wife and then a new baby, and an incredibly rigorous schedule at nursing school, Chris is officially DONE. Graduation is over and he is now a registered nurse. I'm so proud of how he persevered even when it was very difficult to keep going. We also so appreciate the support we received from both sets of our parents. There is no way we could have done it without you guys!

Would you like to see how Luke enjoyed the ceremony? 

I suggest you turn down the volume on your computer before watching. 

Lucas with Grandma and Poppy

We're going back in time a bit with these pictures, but I thought you would still want to see them. These were taken when Luke was 6 months old. I think they like each other, don't you?

A letter to Luke at 8 months.

Dear Lucas,

You're 8 months old! And what a fun age eight months is turning out to be! You are increasingly more of a person now with a personality and a sense of humor and very specific preferences. We love how you are so playful! You find every single thing you come in contact with fascinating. Tonight as I held you at the meeting you reminded me of a Tasmanian Devil - twisting and turning to get at objects that were out of reach or to grin at people behind us. Seeing your excitement about everyday things makes daddy and I see it all with new eyes.

You have 2 teeth now. Right on the bottom in the center. You handled these new mouth invaders really well. About 2 weeks before they popped up you were a little fussy and you got a slight fever and then in the week after they were out you were a little fussy. I think you just had to adjust to sharp objects in a formerly soft place.

You wave goodbye now whenever anyone walks out the door! It's amazing! As soon as someone waves at you your little arm comes up and you flap it back at them. It blows me away that you're old enough to do that.

Your starting to pull yourself up using chairs or any other stationary object. Of course in the tub you've been cruising for a while. Since the water makes you buoyant you walk all around the outside of the tub holding onto the sides, but it's just been in the last week that you've really been attempting it on dry land.

You've starting to remind me of a baby koala whenever we're in a situation that you're unsure about. You will cling to me so hard if I try to put you down and if I do manage to get you down you'll cry as if I've broken your heart. That means that you and I are spending a lot of time attached to each other. I'm getting very adept at doing everything one-handed.

You are a very large baby. The last time we weighed and measured you was a month and a half ago and you were almost 21 pounds and 28 inches long. Since then you've grown out of all of your 9 month clothes and you've moved onto a 12 month size. Remember how I said you've gotten clingy lately? Wanting to be held all the time? Thanks to you sweet boy I now have shoulders that would make a linebacker jealous. You think Iron Man is tough? HAH. He's got nothing on your mama with SHOULDERS OF STEEL.

You remind us more and more of a little boy and not just a baby. We're seeing glimpses of the toddler you will soon be. You love to roughhouse and to play Chase the Baby. (Although you don't really understand the concept of a game of chase yet. Most of the time when I come after you you grin with delight and head straight into my arms. Then you cover me with kisses. You ARE very good at chasing me, but if I crawl away you cry because all you want is to get to me so I'll hold you tight. I wish our games of chase would be like this forever, but I know that soon you'll be big enough to run in the opposite direction.) You love to follow the vacuum cleaner all around our little house and when it gets close enough to touch you try to lick it as if that will help you to figure out how it gets it's Amazing Powers. You love the kitchen because that's where all the fun doors and drawers that slam are. You pull them open and shut, open and shut just because you can.

We love watching you eat. You have started to get preferences with food. Most nights I give you veggies cooked in chicken broth and some butter until they're very soft. You love them. Actually the veggies are so yummy that daddy and I love them too and sometime we steal some off your tray, but you think it's funny so that's okay. You love fresh juices even if I mix greens like kale or beet tops into them. You also will eat liver!  I'm glad because I have to choke it down, but you seem to relish it.

You're sleeping beautifully now. Eight hours a night without waking, then you eat and go back down for four more. To get you to do this I very slowly weaned you from your feedings at night by feeding you for a minute and a half less in each feeding every night. Since it was gradual you didn't seem to realize it was happening until one night instead of eating when you woke up I just patted you each time you woke. Then each night after that I would sooth you less and less so that you would learn to sooth yourself. It took about 2 weeks total, but it was so worth it. Now that I 'm getting more sleep I'm starting to feel like a functioning human again.

Sitting up so straight in your stroller.

You love the outdoors. If you ever get bored or upset all we have to do is step outside and you are instantly happy. When we take walks you sit up as straight as you can in your stroller so you can see as much as you can. You like to lay in the grass, and you like to roll in the grass, and you like to eat the grass. We think you're part cow. Or maybe that you need the fiber so you can cough up a hairball. Perhaps if you didn't lick the vacuum cleaner so much you wouldn't have hairballs that you needed to cough up. Just a thought.


We love to listen to you talk to yourself. You'll babble away to yourself and be completely entertained by it. Oh, and the other day I think you told me a joke! You babbled a long sentence and then you started laughing and laughing. When you stopped to take a breath you looked at me as if to say, "Wasn't that funny mommy?" That look made me laugh which delighted you and made you chuckle more. We were both sitting on the floor just giggling about each others reactions.

We love this age so much that we wish we could pause for a little while right here, but we know that then we would miss out on the next super cool thing you'll do. So I guess you can keep growing little bear.
We love you, all the way to the moon, twice around the earth and back home again,
Mommy and Daddy

Learning to Crawl - The Lift

As you can see from the title Luke is learning to crawl . He practices rocking back and forth on his hands and knees every day now, but usually only when we put him down on the floor in that position. This video was the first time that he had ever lifted up by himself. We didn't know what had inspired him until I picked him up. The floor. was. freezing. Oops. 

You'll notice that we're totally silent at the beginning of the video. We didn't want to distract him at all while he did his thing. 

Oh and the molding is gone in front of Luke because we had termites in that spot last month and even though we got rid of them we have yet to replace the molding. Luke is obsessed with this area because we never let him play there. Termite carcasses we might have missed + toxic termite killing spray + wood splinters all seem to be irresistible. So yes, in this video you are seeing a baby on a freezing cold floor trying to get to a toxic area. Enjoy!

I Day. The Big Interview.

Chris interviewed at Johns Hopkins today. He found one job he really wants. The other he's not interested on at all. It almost makes it tougher that he found one he wants so much, it makes it harder to calmly wait and see.
While he interviewed Luke and I explored the city. We had great weather for walking and so we walked all over the city. We started out the morning at Mother Goose on the Loose at the central branch of the library. It was an amazingly organized story time considering it was very interactive and the target age was under 3 years. Then we walked through Mt. Vernon to Starbucks and then over to Bolton Hill. I fell in love with the architecture all over the city, but especially there. Here are some photos of the streets.

A park in Mt. Vernon. This is looking at the Peabody Library.

Also looking at the Peabody.

Here's a street in Bolton Hill. I think this was Park Ave. It was so peaceful and pretty.

After wandering all over Bolton Hill, we hurried back to our hotel to meet Kellyn. She took us to a wonderful Gluten-free bakery called Sweet Sin. I ate pizza! And cupcakes!
Then we explored Mt Washington by car so that Luke could get a good nap. After that we met up with Chris in Fells Point. We got to walk by the water and people-watch as everyone settled in for dinner at all the outdoor cafes. We loved it there and it was such a peaceful end to a busy day.
To finish our day on the perfect note we went to Pitango's for the best gelato in the world. I got crema with passion fruit. It was perfect. I wish I had some more right now.

Fit to be tied

Luke wore a tie to the special talk. It was the first time he's worn one, mostly because we figured that he would consider it an edible element to his outfit as opposed to a decorative one. Surprisingly though he didn't even seem to notice it was on. He was the only one who wasn't interested. He got lots of comments from the friends after the meeting. The general consensus was that it made him look very dapper. The consensus between Chris and I was that we need to start putting a little more effort into dressing him since it seems everyone is paying way more attention to his clothes than we thought they were! From here on out he's going to dress like a Ben Affleck when he was dating JLo. Super smooth.

A letter to Luke at 7 months

Dear Lucas,

As I try to write this you are squirming out of my arms to get at the laptop. The buttons on the computer fascinate you and the mouse is your personal nemesis. You are always almost catching him and then daddy or I move him right before you pounce. At the moment we're helping him outwit you, but judging from the speed at which you grabbed my glasses this morning I don't think we'll be able to keep the two of you apart much longer.

From the moment you wake up in the morning you are constantly looking for new things to learn about. You reach for everything, and when you get it it goes straight into your mouth! You're better than a vacuum cleaner because as you crawl every piece of lint/string/dust particle gets eaten. I try to catch it, but the only way to keep your mouth particle free would be to have a clean floor all the time and that's just not going to happen for the next year or so. So if as a 20 year old you find yourself craving a lint ball, you'll know that you developed a taste for them young.

You are starting to learn how to crawl on your hands and knees. You aren't as motivated to learn right now because you're already fully mobile doing your army crawl. I don't know how you manage it, but in the blink of an eye you will go from playing with your toys on the living room rug to getting to me in the kitchen and wrapping your fat little arms around my leg and trying to chew on my toes. Here's a video of you coming at me because I bribed you with  Tupperware. I love that that is all it takes to get you scooting towards me:

You're eating a lot now. You like EVERYTHING we put in front of you. Rice, bananas, kale, tomatoes with cilantro, beans, etc. We feed you a cut up version of whatever we're eating. I'm not giving you meat yet because you don't have teeth, but from the way you've been acting lately I think teeth will be coming soon. While you eat you like to be entertained, so I keep you busy at breakfast with the text, at lunch it's usually you watching me cook or clean, and at dinner you prefer for daddy and I to take breaks from talking to jump around and make funny faces. Not that we mind doing it. I love that from me merely jumping in the air and sticking at my tongue at you, you reach levels of glee that would usually be reserved for a guy being handed the keys to a new car upon graduation from middle school.

There is a long list of things that make you happy, mommy being at the top of that list. Everytime you see me now you grin. Every. Single. Time. I love that.

It's not just me you love. Daddy is your constant entertainer and the person you ask for most. (Granted, you only know the names of two people in this world and one of us is with you all the time, but still, you do love to say dada) Yesterday we went to visit daddy at school and as he put you in the car seat and walked away you started saying "dada?dada? Dada?" and you kept it up until daddy was out of sight. When I told him about it later he grinned really big and whisked you from my arms into a big hug and kiss. It's nice for daddy's to know how much they're loved.

You are addicted to your grandparents and your Titi's too. They love to shower you with kisses and you love to give kisses right back. Right now your kisses are big open mouthed, slobbery ones that leave trails of spit on everyone's face. We keep a lot of dry cloths nearby and let you go to town.

You love toys, but you find the contents of the junk drawer just as entertaining. A lint roller and a cardboard case for a deck of cards will keep you just as happy as a rattle and a stuffed animal. Since you follow me everywhere I just take stuff out of drawers and off shelves as we pass them. It keeps you happy and lets me get things done around the house. The spice drawer is your favorite because you get to lick traces of the spice off of the tops of the bottles. I almost handed you the cayenne pepper the other day until I realized what it was. I now store all spicy spices in the back of the drawer!

There are very few things you don't like. Loud noises being the thing you dislike most. When daddy finds something really funny his laugh could blow the roof off the house and every time he does it you burst into tears. Even the sound of the blender scares you. Loud sound's are really the only thing that will consistently get you upset.

You've been having a bit of a rough spell with sleeping lately. Waking up several times a night, sometimes to nurse, sometimes just to cuddle or hold our hands. I don't always like being woken up, but the feeling of a sweet, clinging baby holding on to you in the dark isn't something I would trade for anything.

You really are the sweetest baby that anyone could wish for.

We love you baby boy, all the way to the moon, twice around the earth and back home again.
Mommy and Daddy

Cottage Progress Pictures

I didn't realize that I haven't taken any pictures of our house in months. The living room and bathroom after pictures are from before Luke was born. As you can see the kitchen picture is pretty recent. Luke was definitely the focus of my photo, but you can glimpse the kitchen behind him.

So much has changed so I need to get some new pictures.

Before pictures

Here are some before pictures of our cottage back when it was nothing but an old garage.

This is looking in from the garage door into what is now our living room, kitchen and bathroom.

Here is the view from our side door into what is now our kitchen and bathroom.

Luke's first time at the beach this year.

It was a little windy out today, but we were all feeling restless so we decided to take a walk on the beach. Luke wasn't sure what he thought of it at first. He liked crawling in the sand, but that could have been cause it was easy to get around or maybe just because he thought sand was good food. Check out the video:  

Luke was unsure about the sand and decided NOW would be a good time for daddy to cuddle him.

After cuddling with daddy, a few mommy cuddles are never a bad idea.

Maybe this isn't so bad after all!

You know how being at the beach always makes you hungry? It evidently does that to babies too.

Luke playing in Vienna

We were driving over the Vienna bridge when Luke started to get fussy in his car seat. The water looked so pretty that we decided to pull off and take a break by the river.
Do you think Luke enjoyed himself?

Ahh, baby feet.

Doesn't Luke look like a Depression era baby living in the dust bowl in this pic? Maybe I just think that because he looks like my dad here. It's funny how sometimes he looks like a Johnson, but most of the time he's all Matthews.