Luke: 9 Months!

Sweet Baby Boy - you are 9 months old today! I just can't believe that in 3 short months, you will be 1. People aren't lying when they say that time flies. Your daddy and I are so proud of you and the precious little boy that you are. You have such a sweet personality and we just love watching you grow and discover new things each day.

We don't go to Dr. McClard until tomorrow, but a couple of weeks ago, we went in to get your ears checked out (turns out it was those pesky allergies again!) and you were almost 25 pounds. You now have 2 bottom teeth and I think we will see the top 2 very shortly! When I ask to see those teethies, you get the biggest grin and show them off. You won't oblige for anyone but Mommy! 

 

You are still in a size 4 diaper, and I anticipate that will be the case for a while longer. We had to get the Pampers overnight diapers this week, since a diaper fell apart and made quite the mess during the night. You wear mostly 12 and 18 month things, but can wear some 9 month and some 2T things. It really ranges depending on the brand. 

This month, you decided that you had enough of all this big people food and have reverted to liking baby food the most. You still drink 6 ounces of Similac when you wake up, a couple of 4 oz. bottles during the day at school, and then 8oz. before bed. You still absolutely love the Earth's Best food pouches, so we try to give you at least one or two of those at each meal. Even though you have decided not to eat a ton of table food, you are still obsessed with cheerios, goldfish, ritz crackers, yogurt melts and baby cheese puffs. Basically, you love carbs! 

You started waking Mommy up earlier and earlier this month, so we moved your bedtime back a little to about 7:45, and you are sleeping a full 12 hours again. It's great because Mommy and Daddy can get up, get ready, make the bed, etc., and then get you up and ready for the day. It's great! Usually, you wake up, stand up on the side of your crib and wait for me to come and get you, and then, if I haven't made the bed yet, you crawl into Mommy and Daddy's bed for your morning bottle. You love laying up there surrounded by the pillows and covered in the blankets. On the weekends, you crawl around  on us and play in the middle of the bed, and we have family time while we wake up. 

You want to walk so very badly. You love to stand up, and you cruise along the couch and furniture and cabinets like it's your job. You can stand on your own for a second or two (or sometimes 5 or 10), but then you sit down. You are getting there, buddy! It won't be long before you are running up and down the halls. You still love your walker, and we have to be very careful not to get in your way or else you'll just run over our feet. Your Uncle Adam was especially impressed with your skills! 

This month, you are up to 10 seconds under the water at swim lessons, and you are still the best little kicker. You've gotten a little apprehensive about 10 seconds, but we are working on it and Ms. Amber says it just takes a couple of weeks to get adjusted. You are absolutely smitten with a little girl in your class, Bryn, and you just giggle and talk to her when she's near. She is precious and I think she likes you too! On the weekends, we will drag out the old pink pool your cousins used to use and let you splash around in that. You love it!

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated your first Easter. We went to Sugar Land and stayed with Nana and Papa. On Saturday, we went to the Annual Hill Easter Egg Hunt at Mimi and Bull's house. It was so much fun, and you enjoyed getting toted around by all the big cousins. You played and played and played and were so worn out that night! We tried to hunt eggs, but you were so interested in the first egg, that it was one and done. It's ok, though, because we have many more years of hunting eggs in our future. That night after baths, you enjoyed a goldfish picnic outside with Maddie Claire and you took turns letting Papa push you on the swing. The next day, we woke up to 2 Easter baskets filled with tons and tons of goodies, and then celebrated our Risen King at Nana and Papa's church. You got lots of play time with MC, and you really enjoyed riding the pony with Uncle Adam. It was a wonderful weekend! 

This month, we had lots and lots of fun every weekend. We spent a lot of time relaxing, letting you practice walking and playing with all of your toys, and spent time with friends. We enjoyed a crawfish boil at the Pinkston's house where you played with Brooks all afternoon, and we spent lots of time going on walks and swinging outside. On the rainy days, you took naps with Daddy on the living room floor and we just stayed inside watching tv. It's been a good month!

The eighth month was a great one for you, Mr. Luke! I know that months 9-12 will go by so quickly, but I can't wait to see what adventures they hold. I can't say this enough - I love you so very, very much and it's my biggest joy to be your Mommy. I treasure every single second with you, and you are the light of my life. I'm so proud of you, buddy!

Easter Promises

My sweet Luke - Today is your first Easter!  Today you will hunt eggs, you will get a basket full of treats, and we will all eat some great food. But most importantly, we will celebrate our Risen King!

As you grow up, we will do so many fun things around Easter time. We will dye eggs, go on Easter egg hunts, make bunny cakes, get visits from the Easter bunny who will leave behind special gifts, take pictures with the Easter bunny, spend extra time with our family, and so much more. My hope is though, that while we do all of these fun things, that your daddy and I will teach you to know that Easter means so much more than eggs and candy and bunnies. It's much much more than that!

Easter is one of the very best holidays, Luke! We will spend the Easter season remembering Christ's life, His miracles and ministry, His death on the cross for our sins. We will remember, like we should every day, that He died so that we could have eternal life. But the very best part, Luke, is that on Easter Sunday, we get to celebrate that He rose again! We celebrate that death could not contain Him in the grave! That He was triumphant over our sins and that His sacrifice is what allows us to have the hope and promise of Heaven! It's such a special day for Christians to know that death could not conquer our Lord!

So, this Easter and every Easter to come, I will do my very best as your mom to show you and to teach you about your Savior and everything He did because He loved YOU. While we may have bunnies displayed throughout our home and we may decorate eggs and search for baskets filled with treats, we will concentrate on the most important part of this holiday - the empty grave! We will concentrate on praising the Savior who loved us enough to die for us so that we could be saved. 

I love you, Luke. Happy Easter!

"For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

Luke: 8 Months!

Lukester! You are 8 months old today! You are growing up before our eyes, and you are becoming more of a little boy and less of a baby each day! This month was a BIG one for you with lots of events and milestones, and we enjoyed every single day watching you grow and discover and mature.

This month was pediatrician free, but we did see the ENT for a tube checkup. All is well, minus those pesky allergies, which we are keeping at bay with some nose spray. You weigh approximately 24.4 pounds, your head is almost 18.5 inches round, and you are 28.5 inches long. You are still growing big and tall! No teeth yet, but you are definitely teething and I expect you to have the bottom 2 very soon.

You are now in size 4 diapers. You wear anything from 9 month clothing to 18 months, depending on the brand. Most of your pajamas are 9-12 months and 12-18 months. I put you in a Tyler's 2T shirt yesterday, thinking it would be big, but it fit just right! You can slow down on growing at anytime! 

You are a table food champ now. You decided this month (with a little help from Maddie Claire) that you would hold your bottle all on your own. You take between 4-6 ounces of Similac when you wake up, a couple of 4 oz. bottles during the day at school, and then 8oz. before bed. You absolutely love the Earth's Best food pouches, so we try to give you at least one of those at each meal. You are also eating table food such as bananas, peas, green beans, chicken, turkey, bread, pancakes, yogurt melts, nilla wafers, graham crackers, and lots and lots of Gerbers puffs. You actually prefer real food to baby food, so we are quickly moving in that direction! 

When we go out to eat, you are so well behaved (unless it's close to bedtime). Your favorite thing to do is stare down the ladies and then when you get their attention, you act all shy and coy and flirty. It's really cute, but as you get older, we're going to have to work on not staring! You like to lean back in your seat when you are done eating and just chill. Be still my heart!

You sleep great, and I'm hoping that doesn't ever change. You go down between 7 and 7:30 at night and sleep until 6:45 or 7 each morning. I'm convinced your favorite part of the day is bath time. You love to splash and play with all the toys and you cry and cry when it's time to get out. We got rid of the sleep sack this month because you love to move around at night. You have become quite the acrobat at night and I never find you in the same place in the morning. You've started waking up, playing a little, talking to yourself, and then calling out for mama to come get you. It's sweet and just another sign of you becoming more and more independent. 

This month, you started crawling like crazy. You move from room to room and are getting into everything. You especially like to crawl towards computers, iphones, iphone chargers and basically anything you know you are not supposed to have. We've had to start teaching you "no". You absolutely love to stand up, and you prefer that to sitting. You can cruise along the couch pretty easily and you are working on standing on your own, which is just too much for this mama! You have the will, you are just working on the balance. I think we have an early walker on our hands.  You started saying "dada" and "mama" this month.  Mommy and Daddy are always competing to see which one you will say more!

This month, you are up to 7 seconds under the water at swim lessons, and you are the best little kicker. All the parents are impressed with your skill, which is by far the best in your class. You love to be under the water and kicking, and you don't like it when we put you on the duck or have to work on tummy, tummy, knee, knee, which means being out of the water. You also love the slide, so we're going to have to get one of those for the pool this summer! 

This month, we had lots of fun seeing family and friends. Earlier this month, Grandma came to visit and play with you while Mommy and Daddy went to the Junior League Ball. You had lots of fun with her, and you loved the toys she brought you from her cruise. The bathtub cruise ship is your new favorite bath toy. That Sunday, we went up to Daddy's office to grab some things and you loved playing and spinning around on the chairs. You looked like a mini CEO!

 

The next weekend, Mommy and Daddy went to New Orleans for Daddy's birthday, and Nana and Papa came to stay with you all weekend. You played and played and played, and they made the whole weekend entirely about you. We missed you while we were away. I'm sure you missed us, but we know you had a blast. 

 This month, we took a mini-vacation to San Antonio with Nana, Papa, Aunt Emily, Uncle Adam and Maddie Claire. On our way to San Antonio, we stopped and stayed the night at Grandma and Pappy's house where you got to play with Julianne. The next morning, we had breakfast with Aunt Becca and Uncle J, and you got to meet your girlfriend, Marlie, and all of the Henkens. You were quite the flirt and even stole a kiss from Marlie. We can't wait to go visit the Henkens in Alabama, hopefully very soon. 

 After breakfast with the Henkens, we headed to Grannie and PawPaw's house for a quick visit. You had such a good time playing with PawPaw's iPad and Grannie's Tupperware. You were so sweet until it was time for a nap, so we had to cut our visit short. We love them so very much and so do you! 

 

Once we got to San Antonio, we did lots of fun things - we got to go to Sea World and watch Shamu, we spent lots of time by the pool, we went shopping and we ate lots of yummy food. You got to play with Maddie Claire non-stop and had so much fun. You two love each other so much and it's so cute to watch the two of you together.  You also got to spend lots of time cuddling with Nana and playing with Papa, and you were worn out by bedtime each night. You slept like a champ in the hotel room, which is a great indication for future trips for this travel-loving family. 

This weekend, we are just hanging out as a family and relaxing. We went to swim lessons, ate some crawfish and spent some time smoking ribs and taking long walks. Our St. Patty's Day was much more low-key than in past years, but we spent it with you which is way more fun! 

This month has been so fun and very entertaining. You are all boy!  You bring us such unspeakable joy, and we thank God each day that he gave us you. You are the best little boy, and we love you very much!

 

"From the fullness of His grace, we have received one blessing after another" - John 1:16 

Luke: 7 Months have Flown By!

Kiddo - You are 7 months old today. I want time to freeze so we can keep you at this age, but I know it will  just get better and better! This is such a wonderful age/stage, as you are so playful and content and happy. You are the very sweetest baby, and I could seriously kiss your cheeks all day long! 

You've reached the stage where you don't have to go to the doctor every other month (big boy!), so we don't have "official" doctor stats, but we did the at home version and you weigh 22.4 pounds, are 27.75" long and your head is 18" round. You are still as healthy as can be, which we are so thankful for! You haven't had any ear infections since you got tubes last month. You were such a champ for that, and so brave! The tube surgery took only 7 minutes, and you were only fussy until you were able to eat. You were hungry after that busy morning! This month, you had pink eye and an upper respiratory infection, but you didn't let it slow you down and you weren't fussy at all. 

 

You are wearing a size 3 diaper until the ones we have run out, and then we will be moving you up to a 4! You're growing so much that the storage unit is getting so full of outgrown clothes. You wear a size 9 months or 12 months in some things and then 18 months in others. When I went shopping for shorts and tees this past week, I bought mostly 18 and 24 months. You are one big boy! 

You are eating like a champ, and you prefer to eat food now over having a bottle. You're still on Similac, but you drink less and less each day. You aren't much of a breakfast eater, and you generally only take 2-4 ounces of formula and then a couple bites of fruit. For lunch, you like to have cereal, a fruit and a veggie. For dinner, you usually eat a jar or 2 of food and then before bed you have an 8 oz. bottle. Your favorite foods are corn and butternut squash, peas, sweet potatoes, and spinach. You don't love fruit, but you will eat it if it's cold. You prefer the squeezable packets of fruit over the jars. You've been eating organic Ella's Kitchen and Earth's Best food, and so far, you've done so well. You also are obsessed with the Mum Mum crackers, and I keep at least 3 packages in my purse at all times. You also love when we give you tiny bites of bread or chicken from our plates. I think as soon as you have some teeth, you'll be a table food eater. 

 

Oh - and we can't forget - you started using a sippy cup this month. While you haven't quite mastered it, you are starting to get the hang of it and like to do it all by yourself. We have given you apple juice, pear juice, and water, and you have liked all 3. 

Your sleeping schedule is awesome. You still go to bed between 7 and 7:30 and usually wake up now between 6:45 and 7:15am. You wake up so happy and always have a big smile on your face when I pick you up. You usually fall asleep again while taking your morning bottle, but then you are up and happy to change clothes and play in mommy and daddy's bed while we get ready for the day. 

This month, you started trying to crawl. You aren't the best at it yet, but you are determined. You can get on all fours so quickly and then you try so hard to get where you want to go - usually towards a toy or a shoe or mommy's phone. You go backwards no problem, but you want so badly to go forward. It will be no time at all before I'm chasing you around the house. 

You're doing so well in swim lessons. You're up to 4 seconds under the water at one time, and you love going and doing all the activities. 

This month, we didn't have to travel at all! We got to spend our weekends at home with lots of naps and playtime and just being together with our little family. We play lots of peekaboo, let you spend extra time in the bath, cuddle and watch movies, and read books. Since you don't sleep a lot at school during the week, you catch up on naps and so do mommy and daddy. Sometimes we get out of the house and run a couple of errands, but mostly, we enjoy staying home, grilling out and just being together.

We've started a tradition with the Pinkstons of eating at the country club every Friday night. You are so well behaved at dinner most of the time, and you'll sit in the high chair and play with your foam toys and eat your mum mums and laugh at Aunt Am and Uncle Brad and Brooks. They love you and you love them - and I know you and Brooks will be best friends one day! The only time you boys get fussy is if we stay too late and we don't get you home at your usual bath time.

You got to see Pappy and KerrBear this month! Pappy came one night after swimming lessons and bath time and got to play with you for a few minutes before bedtime, which you thought was the neatest thing. You laughed and laughed and were so delighted you got to stay up a few minutes late. That Saturday, Pappy came back and brought KerrBear, who played and played with you and wore you out. They took us out to lunch - afterwards, you took a good long nap!

Your Nana and Papa also came to visit this month. You adore them, and they can't get enough of you. All of your Grandparents can't stand living so far from you and want to come see you all the time!

 This has been such a fun month, and you are such a sweet angel baby. I'm not really sure how we managed to live without you all these years - you bring us unspeakable joy. We love you so much and are just in awe of the blessing God has given us in you. Luke, I never ever want you to doubt how much you are loved by so many people. You are such a very special boy and we are so happy to call you ours!

     

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! - 1 John 3:1

...But the Greatest of These is Love!

Happy Valentine's Day! While we don't do this holiday up big in the Dorsey household, this year I am beyond thankful for this cutie-pie love bug and the man he calls Daddy! 

Hope your day is full of hugs and kisses! 

XOXO - Molly