In Other News

Matt is finally home from Detroit! For those who don't know, Matt has been in Detroit for the last 3 weeks - blah. He got home Friday and contracted the stomach flu on Saturday- lucky him!

Luke and I are headed to our neighbor's 1st birthday party today (sans Matt). Ben lives upstairs so it is so nice not to have to pack all of our stuff up to head somewhere else in this nasty wintery weather. We picked out the Fisher Price Little People Airplane for Ben - it is a cousin to the beloved Bus from a few posts ago. I currently have it hidden in the closet until we go to the party so Luke doesn't think it is his :(

Other than that, nothing really new here!

First Official Haircut

Until Saturday, Luke's haircuts were done by his personal sylist, mommy. I would chase him around with scissors and pounce on him the moment he stopped. I would manage to get a few snips in here and there but I couldn't exactly call them even. This has come to an end. Luke had his first "real" haircut on Saturday and Kid Snips. This place was beyond cheesy and was full of the kind of toys that are a parent's worst nightmare. I didn't let Luke take a toy out of the treasure chest for fear it was made in China and lead laced.

Anyway, back to the haircut -he did really well and loved his "car." I'm thinking he liked the painted on flames. What he did not seem to care for was the cape - next time we'll forgo that. Luke whimpered here and there but it was nothing compared to the kid who was screaming his head off from the moment his parents set foot in the place. All in all the 5 minute, $18 haircut was a success. Can you believe those "stylists" basically charge what comes to an hourly rate at the tune of $216? I digress... Anway, here are some pictures!

Sweet!

If anyone has ever doubted that Luke is, in fact, my child, rest assured that I have found the gene he inherited to prove it. This little one has received my sweet tooth! Cookies (cooks), candy, ice cream, you name it and he likes it. Luke has some sort of special super hero power to find sugar - it is unreal. Last week he managed to swipe the last Fannie May chocolate buttercream off the counter (by moving and climbing on a stool). Today, he convinced me to let him stand on the counter (with me spotting of course) where he proceeded to open the cabinets and sniff out the peppermint patties. The bag of peppermint patties was somewhat hidden in the cabinet (I have to protect my sweets from Matt) and he literally rummaged through the cabinet and specifically chose the bag of candy. And picture this, Luke standing on the floor on tiptoes, reaching up to the counter and blindly searching for the bag of cookies.

To be honest, this sugar addiction has been passed down through many generations on the Humphrey branch of the family tree ( my mother's side)...it really is no surprise but this phenomenon proves that the "Mini-Matt" got some of me too.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and Happy Birthday Tommy! Luke has been an extra special Valentine so far today. He slept in until 8:00 AM which is by far the latest he has ever slept- thanks Luke! Matt is on his way home from Detroit so we are having our favorite pizza tonight along with ice cream cupcakes from Coldstone Creamery - yummy!

I hope everyone enjoys the day.

Here is a picture of Luke from his first Valentine's Day and one from today. What a difference a year makes!

Bus! Bus! Bus!

We have a new obsession. Yellow buses. Well, to be honest, Luke started being interested in buses over the holidays but this weekend he took it to a new level. We (my mom, Luke and I) visited the outlet mall this weekend which (unfortunately for me) is not a favorite destination of Luke's. In an effort to appease the little non-shopper, we thought it would be a good idea to let him ride the yellow bus in the kiddie play area. You know the ones that you put 50 cents in and it wiggles and jiggles? It was a hit! Luke immediately started laughing and nearly fell out of the driver's seat because he was "steering" so vigorously. He was having such a great time I even let him go on it twice in a row - moving me into Mother of the Year contention. Naturally, some other kiddos noticed how much fun Luke was having and decided to get in line to be next. Well, as soon as Luke's second ride was over, I had to remove him from the bus kicking and screaming. What ensued next was nothing short of ridiculous - Luke threw the most intense tantrum to date!

Luke was "that" kid screaming his head off in public. About every 30 seconds, he would catch his breath and say "bus? bus?" and then begin crying again. This went on for a good 15 minutes until I decided I. couldn't. take. it. anymore. and we started off back in the direction of the bus. Of course, Luke was thrilled to be back on the bus. This story repeats itself. Tantrum #2 sent us straight to the car and off towards home.

My mom decided that Luke HAD to have a bus at home to play with so we checked 2 stores and then finally found the perfect bus at Target. Luke has played with the bus non-stop and I *think* he may be over the torture of yesterday. I've heard lots of "bus!...bus!...bus!" today and we are happy again. Thanks Mimi!!

Friends or Enemies

Wubbies (Chubs) and Decky (Declan) were leading quite the peaceful, spoiled life of two urban condo kitties until May 2007. Adopted as wee kittens from Wisconsin, Chubs and Declan used to spend their days sunbathing in the windows, sleeping on the sofa, and eating in peace. Enter a mobile Lukester and quite a lot has changed. My precious kitties now spend their days, sleeping in the most remote places in our condo, avoiding platic golf clubs, and darting from the enemy. Only once Luke goes to bed do they dare venture to the sofa where they immediately proceed to claim their spot on whatever warm body happens to also be there. We've been working on Luke's petting skills but he still doesn't get "nice kitty, gentle, nice kitty, gentle." I have to admit it is quite hilarious to see the look of terror in the eyes of the cats as Luke attempts petting or when Luke decides to "cuddle" with them by laying on them. All in all, to Luke, the cats are fun furry friends and to them, he is the arch enemy.

Why?

Why did I start this blog? I mentioned in my first post the purpose of my blog which is to be able to pass memories on to Luke. The reason I actually started this blog - it was my 2009 project. For a while now I've been trying to figure out a way to "capture" all of these moments in time. I have photos, sure, but I wanted a running commentary. I thought about a journal but thought that would be difficult to share so here I am with this blog. My only hope is that blogs won't be obsolete by the time Luke actually wants to read this. I'm sure it will be but hopefully there will be some way to convert this into the next trend. I'll leave this post with another picture: Luke reading the latest gossip magazines.

The Most Photographed Child Ever

I know I take a lot of pictures but who wouldn't with this adorable little subject! I have to take at least 10 of the same shot to get one that I am satisfied with. Tonight's photo shoot was done in the bathtub and Luke was workin' it. He's going to really dislike my photography in about 12 years when we break out the numerous naked baby photos.

I totally missed my calling. Forget corporate HR, I really should have been a photographer. Now, I'm not saying I take the best pictures or anything, but I clearly have a passion for the camera. If I could just talk a certain someone into buying me a ridiculously expensivc camera...hmm, I'll put that on my list!

Snapshot in Time

So that Luke will know what Matt and I looked like at this point in time, I'm including a picture taken the day after my 29th birthday. Uncle Nick was kind enough to come and babysit while we headed out to dinner and a movie (Slumdog Millionaire).

Where We Are Today

So Luke is currently 20 months old! I think he weights about 26 pounds now and loves to be carried. I've been visiting a chiropractor.

Things Luke loves to do:
making messes, harassing our two cats, throwing food on the floor, flopping about on the couch, climbing, reading books, dancing to music, riding in his wagon, riding his bike, playing with playdoh

Things Luke hates:

wearing clothes,going to bed, having his nose wiped, getting his hair cut, taking naps, sitting in his high chair, sharing toys

Favorite Toys:

cell phones (must be activated with a monthly calling plan of more than 200 minutes)!!, anything electronic, toy vacuum, the dustbuster (real one), keys, cleaning supplies, his piano, Thomas the train, our laptop, his laptop

Favorite Words:

ice,bath, trash, star (sta), kitty, book (Buh), boots (boos), eyes, socks (sos), pants, purse (murse), duck, dog, dada, keys, banana (ba), cookie (cook), milk, yes (yesh), boo boo (boo)...more that I can't think of right now.

A Quick History

Because I am starting this blog and Luke is already 20 months old, I need to fill in a little bit of history that I want captured in the blog. This will be a long post so if you know the story, you might want to skip this one!

I found out that I was pregnant on September 16, 2006 (which now feels like forever ago) and had my first doctor's appt. at 8 weeks on November 9, 2006. It was determined that my due date would be June 21, 2007. Matt and I decided to do the genetic testing and by the time we had the results back, we were headed home to NY for Christmas. We decided to tell everyone the big news on Christmas morning with little ultrasound pictures wrapped up in gold boxes. These days, we are often asked when we are producing more gold boxes!

I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy for the first 2 trimesters. My only complaint was the horrible morning sickness that I had from 6-13 weeks. During this time, my favorite foods were McDonald's french fries, cheese, Fruity Pebbles cereal and orange juice. Quite the mix! I couldn't stand most odors so walking into grocery stores, especially Whole Foods (which smells like dead fish) was my least favorite activity. Matt and I almost got divorced over the smell of a pork tenderloin he cooked for himself.

The Birth

As I said, the pregnancy was uneventful for the first two trimesters but then we were in for a big surprise in trimester 3. Luke decided to come early with no warning at 33 weeks. 7 weeks early. Almost 2 months early. My water broke as I was getting out of bed on Friday, May 4, 2007. I knew right away that I wouldn't be going to work that day but I didn't think I'd have a baby 6 hours or so later. I decided to take a shower, do my hair, put on my makeup, even pluck my eyebrows - in the event that this was truly a false alarm. When I finished getting ready, I called the answering service for my doctor's office and spoke to Dr. Herman. She instructed me to go to the hospital and she told me that she would call ahead for me. Thinking that I wasn't truly in labor, I didn't bring anything with me (not that I had my hospital bag packed at that point anyway).

Matt and I headed off to Prentice Women's Hospital at about 8:00am and as soon as we got onto Lake Shore Drive, we were stunned by two things: 1-the terribly backed up traffic and 2-I started having real contractions exactly 5 mins. apart. Laboring in rush hour traffic isn't so fun.

We got to the hospital around 8:30 - got checked in, hooked up to an IV and the doctor came around 9:00 or so. Dr. Katz said "You aren't supposed to be here for another few weeks!" Duh. Anyway, she wanted to check me to make sure my water had actually broken and that I wasn't mistaking the fluid for something else. Yep, sure enough, I was right, my water had broken (they tell you in Labor and Delivery class that you'll think your water has broken but it probably hasn't). She told me I was already 3 cm dialed and then announce, "You're going to have this baby today!" Today? Really? Wow.

I think at this point I instructed Matt to call all of the parental units as well as all of the my girlfriends from college who were on their way to Chicago for my first baby shower. All of the girls decided to continue on their way - I'm pretty sure that they were extra motivated to come since I was in labor! My mom was in the middle of washing all of the curtains in her house and Matt's parents were both working.

Back to the story, I received the lovely epidural around 10:45. They kicked Matt out of the room for this one -apparently this is an event that causes husbands to faint. Matt continued with phone calls while I was being saved from labor pains.

When they finished giving me the epidural, Matt came back in and we just kind of hung out for the next 1.5 hours. Also during this time, we talked to the NICU team and all that. At about 12:00 noon, I had some pain and thought my epidural had worn off. Matt called for the doctor so they could come and give me more epi meds. Dr. Katz came in and said she just wanted to check me before she called for more meds. To her surprise and ours, I was fully dilated and ready to push. 7 cm in 1.5 hours is really fast.

I started pushing at 12:30 and Luke was born at 12:46 PM. He weighed 4 lbs. 11 oz and was 17 inches longs. He even received 8's and 9's on his apgar scores. The doctors told us that he was pretty big for a preemie and that his very thick umbilical cord meant that he was well nourished in the womb. Matt got to see Luke being weighed and took his first picture and I got to see Luke when he was wheeled by my bed on his way to the NICU. Luke spent 12 days in the NICU and came home on May 16, 2007 at 5 lbs.