4 weeks old, Luke's first Halloween & Picture day!

Luke is 4 weeks old today!  I can't believe how quickly time flies.  He is staying awake a little more each day.  We tried out the Baby Bjorn carrier the other day.  Luke likes to be held a lot, so mommy thought it would be a good idea to try this out to give her a couple of free hands for a little while and let Luke observe his surroundings.  He LOVED it!  He especially likes looking at the bathroom vanity lights.  It is so fun to watch him take in new things for the first time. 

We received a coupon in the mail the other day from Sears portrait studio.  It's amazing how much new mail you begin receiving once companies find out you have a newborn.  I'm not sure how we got on so many mailing lists.  Anyway, we decided it would be a great time to get Luke's first formal pictures so we can cherish the memories and save a little money at the same time.  It was a little difficult to keep him comfortable with so many outfit changes, but we did get a few really good pictures.  Here are some below, but we also have posted some on our picasaweb picture folder:  http://picasaweb.google.com/purdrew/BabyLuke#

Our First Formal Family Photo

 

Luke was not happy about picture day at first (he was very happy and cozy in his car seat before we took him out for pictures.)

Here he is in his monkey Halloween costume.

We actually got a little smile out of him while he was sleeping (the picture was snapped at just the right moment).

Getting a kiss from mommy

A Visit from Grandma, Aunt Holly and cousin Lilly

This past week, we were blessed to have a visit from Grandma (my mom) and Aunt Holly and cousin Lilly (my sis and niece).  It was great to have them in town and it was Holly and Lilly's first time to meet Luke in person.  Holly and mom were a big help and it was great to be able to spend some quality time with them.  Here are some pics from the past week:

 

It turns out Lilly and Luke both had cloud pajamas on:

Until this past week, it was really tough to get pictures of Luke with his eyes open.  But this week he spent more time awake.  Also, this past week he had some new firsts.  His umbilical cord came off, so we were able to experience our first tummy time and a bath in the bathtub.  Since he had some happy awake time, I also opened his musical gym and let him lay on the mat to take in the new scenery.  Here are some pictures from some of his firsts this week.

At first, Luke did not like his first bath in the tub, but as you can see, he later warmed up to it:

Eating, Sleeping & Pooping

Luke is still up to his usual:  eating, sleeping, and pooping.  However, the last few days he has spent a little more time awake, taking in the scenery.  Most of the pictures we have been taking of him have been of him sleeping though. I think he is trying to break some type of record to see how many diapers he can go through in a 24-hour period.  I was expecting 8-12 per day, but he is exceeding our expectations.  We have his 2-week pediatrician visit this afternoon, so we'll see how much weight he has gained.  We're hoping he is at least back up to his birth weight, and with how much he is eating, I am sure he will be there. 

  

Drew's parents (mimi and papa) were in town from last Saturday night until Thursday morning.  It was great spending time with them, and them being able to spend time with their newest grandchild.  Not only that, but they were a great help to have there as well.

And lastly, on Saturday, Luke was able to don some of his Oklahoma Sooners gear.  Here, you can see he is quietly cheering on the sooners:

He's dreaming of a touchdown:

Upset about a turnover:

Game over, no win for the sooners, but all is still well because it is time to eat again:

After the game, we checked the mail and Luke received a gift package from Drew's Aunt Beth, Uncle John and cousins Johnny & Tracee.  Beth & John sent a bunch of Ohio State Buckeyes gear, so he will be set to cheer on the buckeyes as well!

Luke's first bath and first walk

 

Here we are giving him his first bath.

My parents stayed in town all of last week and headed back to Oklahoma today.  They were able to see a lot of firsts with us and Luke, including our his first bath and his first walk with us.  I am breastfeeding and was completely against using a pacifier in the beginning, because I was worried it would affect his latch, but my mom thought it might help "pacify" him at certain times, so we thought we'd try it.  We're now using it when we change his diapers and we used it during his first bath--what a lifesaver.  I just hate hearing him cry and want to console him and make it all better, and this really seemed to do the trick.  It hasn't affected his latch at all. 

Just as content as can be during his first bath with his little pacifier from the hospital.  They gave him this pacifier with a little sugar water to suck on during his circumcision.

Being cooped up indoors for 4 days, I was extremely anxious to get some fresh air.  Unfortunately, it was barely 60 degrees, so we insulated Luke's stroller really well and then we all took him on a short, but nice walk.

Luke Thomas is Here!!

Luke Thomas arrived on Sunday, October 4, at 4:34am in Labor & Delivery Room 4 (we're guessing 4 is his favorite number). He weighed exactly 7 pounds and was 20 inches long.  On Friday, October 2, I had a very strong feeling he was coming very soon.  In fact, it was so strong that my parents even thought about heading into town from Oklahoma that night.  Niagara Falls relocated to our bedroom (translation: my water broke) at 2:08pm on Saturday, just after I arrived home from working on a house we are getting ready to rent out.  Drew was still at the rental house planting bushes in the rain.  I called him once I was able to run to the phone, conveniently located on the other side of the house.  He hurried home, took a quick shower and we headed to the hospital.  Both sets of parents, and Drew's sister, Erica, along with our nephew, Mitchell, hurried into town to be present for the birth. We arrived to the hospital around 3:15pm; contractions started not too long after--around 4:30pm--and progressed very quickly.   Contractions were about every 2-2.5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each--not what I expected.  After many hours of intense pain, I elected to have the epidural--at this point, I was 100% effaced and 7cm dilated (around 10pm).  I was complete--10cm--around 12:30am, but unable to push until my doctor completed a c-section.  I started pushing around 2:30am, and Luke was born about 2 hours later.  Pushing was not easy, as Luke was in a less desirable posterior (face up) position, and we had a scare as the doc had to remove the cord from his neck while he was still inside me (it was wrapped around his neck twice, cutting off his oxygen supply).   

We love you little Luke and are so happy you have arrived to be part of our family.   If you would like to see more pictures, we have posted many pictures of little Luke and will continually add more here: http://picasaweb.google.com/purdrew/BabyLuke# . 

Here are the our moms (mimi and Grandma) and Drew's dad (papa) waiting outside the Labor & Delivery Room Door.  Below is Grandpa & Grandpa with Luke just before we left the hospital.

 

Our 36 week appointment

So, we went to our 36 week appointment on Thursday.  The doctor had scheduled an Ultrasound just prior to the appointment to estimate the size of Luke--I'm measuring about average, but she was concerned because of my petite stature.  He has really felt to me like he has grown quite a bit over the past couple of weeks.  In my pregnancy week-by-week book and what to expect book, it states the average baby weighs about 5.25-5.5 pounds at this stage.  So, we figured he probably was around 5.5 pounds.   Drew and I were very shocked when she said he was measuring 6 lbs, 10 ounces.  We have a good size little boy.  Although he is still four weeks away from his due date, I'm now thinking he may be ready to come in just a couple of weeks.  His head is very far down, in position and he did not look too happy or comfortable in there.  We have been talking to him more lately, trying to convince him to stay in there for a while.  We'll see!  We still have a to do list to complete, so we are trying to move on that list a little faster now!  We do have his room ready though (see above and below).

 

Here is one more pic of his room: