LIVING WITH A BOY

Ok, so Luke and I haven't been up very long, and he crawls off down the passage... I have already picked up the trash can from the bathroom because he empties and eats the trash, taken the toilet paper off the holder cos he pulls it off, taken the carbon monoxide monitor out of the passage wall outlet, because he keeps pulling it out of the wall, and pretty much tried to make sure that there is nothing he can get into...so I left him to go down the passage and play (likely with his bath toys which are in a bucket on the bathroom floor and which is regularly tips onto the floor to play with.) I then proceeded to check my email etc like I do every morning...
Then came the splashing... Oops.. I had forgotten to check that the toilet lid was down... well, not too big a deal... he has splashed in the toilet before... we just washed his hands etc and realised we need to remember to keep the lid down... so in I went to get him and wash him... and then the big EEEWWWWW!!!! Jake was the last one to use the toilet, and had forgotten to flush, so there was Luke merrily playing in some pee water... soooo gross.... well, I washed his hands, and quickly took off his pj's because the sleeves had also gotten wet. Now I am pretty grossed out.

I just don't seem to be able to stay ahead with this little monkey...

"WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN"

I saw this video today, of an elderly couple who when going into the Mayo Clinic for a check-up, spotted a piano in the lobby and decided to play a little impromptu piece...
P.S the old man is a few months short of 90 in this video and they have been married for 62 years.

What made it so great to watch though, is the realisation that there are still people out there who despite the high rate of divorce, live long happy lives with a spouse - 62 years is a long time! In addition to that, it's great to see that even though the economy is bad, crime is high, finances are usually always a struggle, and sickness and trials are everywhere, there are happy people who enjoy the small things in life and make the best of every moment spent with a loved one...

What's funny about me seeing this video clip today, is that just before I saw the video, Luke was pulling books off of our bookshelf...when I went to pack them back, I spotted our wedding book, and took it out to browse through the pictures... It has the words of our 'wedding song' printed in it...
They seem so fitting for our journey into the future together...

We've Only Just Begun 

- The Carpenters -

We've only just begun to live,
White lace and promises
A kiss for luck and we're on our way.
And yes, We've just begun.

Before the rising sun we fly,
So many roads to choose
We start our walking and learn to run.
And yes, We've just begun.

Sharing horizons that are new to us,
Watching the signs along the way,
Talking it over just the two of us,
Working together day to day
Together.

And when the evening comes we smile,
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow,
And yes, We've just begun.

Jake and I only have 2 years of marriage behind us, so we still have a long 60 years ahead of us before we get to where that adorable couple is now...Jake is my husband and my best friend and I hope that we can still have as much fun together in our old age as they clearly still do. I hope that we can make the best of every situation that life presents to us, whether good or bad, and I hope that because we have started on a good foundation, that we can prevail and overcome the odds, to live long, prosperous lives building and strengthening our family together.

WHISTLING!

So, I mentioned in an early blog that Luke has started whistling. We have been trying for a few days to catch some of his whistling on camera, and today I finally got a few seconds recorded. It's so stinking cute, because he just crawls around the house whistling away. We just can't stop laughing at him.

Here is a short clip of our little mans awesome talent. LOL... seriously, what other 9 month old do you know that can whistle???

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

GROMMETS FOR THE LITTLE MAN

This morning, Luke went to the Wilson Medical Center to have grommets put into his ears. It was a VERY early morning for us. I was up at 4:45am to get myself ready, and then I got Luke up at 5:15am, in time to leave by 5:30am. Luke wasn't allowed to eat anything, so the little guy hadn't had anything since 10pm last night, and this morning he was starving. I was so proud of him though, because he was so good even with his rumbling tummy, and tired eyes, he continued to be a little lady charmer, just getting all the nurses attention.

He was trying desperately to bite off his hospital bracelet.

He is the only person I know who looks 'cute' in a hospital gown. LOL... his chubby little legs and nappy sticking out the back just made me laugh.

The surgery (once we finally got to that point after nearly 2 hours of just waiting in a hospital room and then in pre-op) was very quick. He was in and out in about 10 minutes.
For those of you who don't know the procedure, it's pretty much just a matter of putting him under anesthetic with a gas mask (he was only asleep for about 15 minutes) and then quickly making a small incision in his ear drums, and putting a little plastic 'tube' through his ear drum, to allow air into the middle ear (which is behind the ear drum) and to allow fluid from the middle ear to drain out so it doesn't get infected.

Anyway, after the surgery, Luke was beside himself in tears. He was starving, didn't feel good after waking from the gas, and he wasn't with his mommy (I wasn't allowed in the recovery room.. they brought him to me when he woke up)
I gave him a bottle, which is chugged down much to quickly, and then proceeded to between hysterical sobs, throw up the entire bottle over me. I was drenched through 3 layers of clothes right to my skin, so I had to wear a paper 'scrubs' shirt home. LOL... quite the fashion statement I made in my paper shirt!

This afternoon he seems to be pretty much back to his normal self again. He has been quite tired today, and a bit cranky, but over all, I am so proud of our little man for handling the days events so well. Right now, he is loudly, but happily shouting from his crib to let me know that his nap is over and I need to come get him. Every now and then between his shouts, I hear his little 'whistling' which I am still trying desperately to catch on camera for all of you to see.

Our sweet boy is a real champ and we are so grateful that he is strong and healthy and a happy part of our family.

P.S Thank you Tara who was able to email these pics to my computer. I took them on my phone and have no way of uploading them myself.

CRAYOLA MOMS & WHISTLING TUNES

I don't have any pictures to go with this blog, but I wanted to write something anyway.
Today was mine and Luke's first time attending a 'Crayola Moms' meetup. Crayola Moms is a mommy group I have joined here in the area, where moms get together with their babies and children and do fun things. Today's meetup was at a local 'restaurant' (ok, it was more a fast food place) with a childrens play area for the kids. There were a lot of moms there, and I think it's going to be a great way to meet new people and have Luke interact with other kids. I am looking forward to getting more involved in that.

On other news... Luke likes to WHISTLE... I noticed a few weeks ago he was starting to pucker his lips and blow a whistle, and he is getting better and better at it, and today he is just whistling as best he can over and over again. It's very cute... he has a good laugh if I whistle back at him ( I think he thinks he does it better than me and that I just sound silly)

He is just so smart, and cute right now!

9 MONTHS AND MORE

Luke turned 9 months old a little over a week ago. It's scary to think that in less than 3 months he will be a year old already. WOW!
Anyway, his 9 month stats are:

Weight: 22lb 10oz/10.26kg (75-90%)
Height: 29 Inches/73.6cm (75-90%)

He clearly didn't get my genes.

On Friday, he is going to have Grommets put into his ears to help with the chronic ear infections he keeps getting.
He is pretty mobile right now, and getting into everything. Just tonight, he discovered the toilet had water in it, and Luke is a big fan of water, so that is another room in the house that we will need to keep him out of.

Here are some recent pics of what our little munchkin has been up to lately.

PLAYING BALL AFTER BATH TIME

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP STREAKER???

THE DAY HE DISCOVERED THE TOILET PAPER

GORGEOUS, EVEN COVERED IN OREO
(his first taste by the way - and his moms biggest addiction)

PLAYING IN THE DISHWASHER
(If only he knew how much he is going to hate unloading it when the chores start. lol)

GOING FOR A RIDE

FAMILY DAY

This past Saturday, we had a family outing. In Rocky Mount, they have a place called 'The Imperial Center' that has an art museum, an animal museum of sorts and a childrens play museum. We took Luke to the childrens museum and to see the animal displays.

He is so bored with his toys right now, so he absolutely loved having new things to touch (or eat) and play with.

WHO'S THE BIGGER KID?

WITH HIS CURRENT SIZE, PERHAPS THERE IS A FUTURE IN FOOTBALL!

PLAYING WITH THE THING-A-MAJIG
LEARNING TO COUNT

 
FIRST TIME ON A MECHANICAL ANIMAL RIDE

CATCHING THE TORNADO WITH DADDY!

After playing a while in the childrens museum, we took Luke to the animal display. Here we were able to see a live alligator, some snakes and a splash pool that before Luke started splashing had visible fish, crabs and anemones. He loves water so he had a great time playing in that.

I think Luke had a great time out, and in the coming years, as he gets older I am sure we will be making many more trips to the Imperial Center for our growing boy to play with all the gizmos and gadgets they have there.

MR HANDYMAN

Luke has only been crawling for 5 days now, and already he has found many ways to 'help' around the house.
On Wednesday, Luke decided that our dryer is possibly not working 100%, so he would take a look and see what he could find.

Today, I was in the kitchen, cooking dinner nice and early while Luke played on the floor with an empty milk bottle and a cereal box. Once dinner was in the oven, I left the kitchen, and Luke seemed content to stay there and play a while longer on the floor. It wasn't long before I heard a clanking sound... neither the milk bottle nor the cereal box should be 'clanking' and as far as I as aware, there was nothing else on the floor or in his reach that he would be able to 'clank'... so I went into the kitchen to see what he was up to. Well... unbeknown to Jake and I, we have a loose vent in our floor. Luke, our very helpful little handyman, decided to point it out to us.

I can't believe that in the short time he has been mobile, he has 'discovered' so much. These are just 2 of the many things he been up to in the last few days... needless to say, it's time to start a bit of baby proofing around here. LOL.

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