Reminiscing

Next week, Luke will be one year old. I cannot help reminiscing about his first year. The worry and uncertainty of a newborn in the house for the first time. The sleepless nights. All the calls to the nurse for the silliest of questions. The pack and play in our bedroom where he slept for three months. His first night in his own room. The first smile and first sounds. The first time he rolled over. The transition from crawling to standing to walking. I know we have so many more firsts in our future, but none will compare to those of his first year.

My little baby is now a little boy. My heart over flows with love when I look at him. He is so happy and full of energy. It is hard to keep up.

Since I was thinking back, I thought I would share my favorite picture from our first weeks together. He was just three weeks old, so we slept whenever we had the chance.

Gigi Visits

Last weekend, my mom came to visit. She had so much fun hanging out with Luke. I think he spent more time being held by my mother than playing with his toys. She was sad to leave to soon. However, she will be back for Luke's birthday in two weeks. Before she left, I took a compare picture in Luke's room. He sure has grown a lot in 6 months.

Looking forward to your next visit Gigi!


5 Months


Almost 12 Months

Bieber Fever - A Mom's Take

For the past few weeks, Justin Bieber has been everywhere. I turn on the radio and his latest song is playing. I watch Regis and Kelly and there he is teaching them how to do the "dougie". A dance I had never heard of before. I watch TV at night and I see see the trailer for his new movie, Never Say Never. Tonight I am watching the Grammys and there he is again performing with Usher. Which by the way, was one of my favorite performances.

The more I see Justin, the more I like him. He is truly talented, determined, and hard working for a kid his age. Usher is a talented performer and Justin can hang with him on stage. Old video footage shows Justin had an interest in music at a young age. He had a raw talent which was helped along through the support of his family and his mentor.

I am thirtysomething, so it is not as if I will be singing Justin Bieber songs at the top of my lungs. Instead, I see Justin everywhere and have a different take on his success. I think of his mother and the talent she saw in her son. The role she played in helping him achieve his dream. How proud she must be everytime she sees him perform.

As a mom, I think about Luke. I think about his future interests and talents. What will he want to be when he grows up? How will I help fuel his interests? How will I help his talents grow stronger? I know I will teach him to work hard and to believe he can do whatever he puts his mind to. That with hard work and determination, anything is possible. No matter what he chooses, I will support him. I will be his biggest fan. Always wanting him to do what makes him truly happy.

In the words of Justin Bieber, I will teach him to "Never Say Never".

My Little Vampire

Luke got his first bottom tooth at Halloween. Soon after, the second bottom tooth made its appearance. We have been waiting for the next set. Last week, we noticed Luke was very "gummy" on top. It looked like all four top teeth were getting ready to make there way. The first came through last weekend. Followed by the second this week. There is no correct order, but for Luke the top two side teeth came in first. He now looks like my little vampire. At least for a short time. The top two middle front teeth are cutting through as of today.

He sure is a cutie...fangs and all!

Snow for his 11 Month Bday

Luke is 11 months old. He wished for snow last night and he got his wish. We woke this morning to snow everywhere. We could not miss the opportunity to take some pictures of his first snow experience. At first, he did not know what to make of all the white stuff. He loved it since we took him in his red wagon.

(See pictures for below)

11 Months and loving...

1. Sippy cups: We are off bottles! Thought this day would never come.

2. Books: He pulls all the books off his book shelf and turns the pages over and over. The books are also the first to be pulled from his toy basket. I think we have a scholar in the making. Harvard here we come!

3. Taking steps: Luke is taking his first steps with assistance. He holds on to the couch or table and takes a few steps to get around. It is so cute! I think he will be walking by his first birthday. Fingers crossed.

4. Bathtime: Luke loves bathtime. He babbles and babbles. It is our conversation time. I am sure he is telling me all about his day.

5. Following mom around: Anywhere I go, Luke wants to follow. He is definitely a momma's boy right now. I love it and know this will all change as he gets older.


What is this?








Snowed in means more books to read. Which one first?

Visit From Aunt Kristi

This weekend my sister came to visit. Luke loves his Aunt Kristi. He spent hours showing her his favorite toys, how he can stand on his own, and how he can make so many new sounds. Luke even showed her his dance moves while playing the songs on his musical toys. This was by far my sister's favorite. We finally got it on video.

I love hanging out with my sister. It makes me miss the days when we both lived in Austin. She would come over to my apartment for a short visit on Friday and end up staying the entire weekend. We would relax, watch movies and order takeout. These visits are just as fun, but now Luke takes center stage. And we would not have it any other way.

Love you Sister! We miss you already...

Happy Birthday Rachel

This is Luke wishing his cousin Rachel a Happy Birthday!

Starting the New Year!

Luke is now 10 months old. I look at him and do not see a baby anymore. He is a little boy now. He has such a personality and the cutest smile ever. His birthday will be here before we know it. I am already planning!

Here are a few of Luke's favorite things. And cute pictures of course.

1. Loves Music. Each morning I go into his room and say "good morning". Then I turn on the radio and take him out of his crib. Then we dance and laugh before getting the day started. The day starts with a fresh diaper and breakfast. Breakfast consists of cereal and any type of fruit. He loves them all.

2. Obsessed with electronics. Luke loves computers, keyboards, phones, gaming systems, remote controls and basically anything electronic in the house. It is exhausting trying to hide these things from him all day long. At the same time, they are great motivators for getting him to stand on his own and take some practice steps.

3. Favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. Ok, so I never wanted to be the mom who watched all the kid shows or let my child watch them at a young age. However, this show is cute. It teaches a theme and plays music which Luke loves. This is his absolute favorite show. He will sit and be so mesmerized for the entire show. It is the only time he will sit and snuggle with me on the couch, so I love it too! "Dancing and listening to music is awesome!" Thanks DJ Lance Rock!

4. Loves his new car seat. Last month, we upgraded Luke to a convertible car seat. He still faces back, but has much more room. He was getting too big for the infant car seat. He loves it! He also loves to look at himself in the mirror while riding in the car (not sure where he got this from) and make funny faces while talking out loud. No words yet, but he babbles all day long.

5. Loves to eat. So far Luke is not as picky an eater as his father. He eats everything. He likes all the fruits and vegetables. He also likes the meats. We are introducing table food now. So he has had apples, avocado, bananas, yogurt melts and puffs. It took a few times, but he now can pick them up and feed himself. So far he weighs 18 lbs and 14 oz.

6. No longer hates the sun. As an infant, Luke hated the sun. He would hide from the sun while in the stroller and look for the shade. That is no longer the case. He likes the sun just fine, so that is a relief. Owen was starting to think I created a vampire.

7. Loves wagon rides. He loves loves loves his red wagon. He gets so excited when Owen takes him for walks in it around the neighborhood. He loves that way more than the stroller. It has been so cold lately, but he insists on getting in the wagon. So at times, we just pull him around the house. This for him is equally exciting.

8. Pooh is no longer his best friend. Luke had a Pooh bear lovie, but he no longer needs it everywhere we go. He received a ton of toys at Christmas which are far more entertaining. He is into toys that make noise and light up. He loves his musical Leap Frog table (thanks Aunt Bibbi) and big blocks (thanks Kaleb). He also loves to play with books. He will sit and turn the pages back and forth and back and forth. However, getting him to sit while we read him a story is not so easy. Owen tries every night, but is not always successful

9. Amazed by cause and effect. Luke has learned the art of cause and effect. Owen will stack blocks and Luke will know them down. We will roll him a ball and he will roll it back. He will tap his musical square and it will play a song and he knows to tap it again to change the song. My favorite is how he picks up two objects and raises them high in the air. Then he drops them behind his head. Then laughs as he turns around and sees the toys behind him on the floor. Seems simple,. but it is so cute to watch. He is easily amused.

10. Loves his new found Independence in standing on his own. Luke loves to practice standing. He up while holding on to the couch. He stands while holding on to me. He stands at his entertainment table. He stands at the window to look outside. He is amazed at how different the world looks while standing. He is also taking a few steps as he holds on to the couch. I have a feeling he will be walking soon.


Mr. Intellectual


Mr. Independence

First Christmas Times Five

5 Christmas Celebrations
5 Cities
5 Outfits
30+ Presents
400 Pictures
Luke's First Christmas: Priceless

Luke's first Christmas was packed full of family, travel and lots of presents. We had 5 different Christmas celebrations over the span of 5 days in 5 cities. (Corpus, Alice, Kingsville, Austin and Georgetown)

Luke got so many gifts. Although, he did not quite understand the concept of unwrapping, he loved playing with the paper. If we opened a toy which played any type of music, he was mesmerized and uninterested in any other gifts. Needless to say, our house now looks like all the toys have taken over. Everywhere you go there is a toy. Luke loves it. I am trying to get over the constant clutter and mess.

Tonight was the first chance I had to download the pictures from my camera. I took more than 400 pictures. That is a lot of pictures to sort through. I included the greatest hits below.

I am sad Christmas is over, but I look forward to the future celebrations. It will be exciting to leave cookies for Santa and see Luke's face light up as he opens his gifts on his own. Until next year...

Standing By Myself

Luke is very mobile these days. You cannot take your eyes off him for a second. He is very fast at getting into all the things we want him to stay away from. If it is a cord, he wants to pull it. If it is plugged into the wall, he wants to unplug it. If it is a room with the door closed, he waits for you to open the door so he can make a mad dash toward it. He is very smart and patient I might add.

Lately, he has gone from army crawling to crawling on all fours. It is extremely hard to get a photo. Believe me, I tried. I am most proud of the fact he is pulling up and standing on his own. I always try to motivate him with items I know he loves. This time, it was my computer. As you can see, he tried and tried until he was standing on his own in order to reach the computer. The smile on his face shows how proud he was of his accomplishment.

Easily Entertained

Open Close Repeat...

I get asked a lot if I enjoy being a stay at home mom. The truth is I do. At times, I miss the adult interaction of the office. I miss putting on makeup and real clothes each day. To be honest, I really do not need to do that for Luke. He does not know the difference. He actually has a harder time recognizing me with my makeup on. I am sure he is saying, "who are you and where is my mommy?".

Then I think about all I would miss if I were not at home with him. He is learning so much these days. He crawls to a sitting position, moves toys from one hand to the other, bangs them together to make sounds, pulls up on the couch and is learning to give kisses and wave bye bye. These are all little things we take for granted, but for Luke they are all firsts. I love that I get to share that with him and take some credit for teaching him.

This morning was a first. He learned on his own that a door can open and close. His face was so amazed at this small task. I had to catch it on camera. I sat there for 30 minutes as he opened and closed the door over and over again. Smiling and laughing each time he did it on his own.

It is these little things that make me smile each day.