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

Luke: 6 Months!

My sweet, sweet boy! You are 6 months old today. Where has the time gone? 6 months ago I was anxiously awaiting your arrival and was so excited to meet you, and today, you are the center of my universe and I am completely smitten with you. You are my biggest blessing and I am so thankful to God for such an incredible 6 months.


Your next well checkup isn't until Tuesday, but we've been having some ongoing issues with ear infections, so we've seen Dr. McClard quite a lot lately. Last time we went to see her, you were 21 pounds, 4 ounces and your head was 17.5" round. You are such a big boy and, besides the ear infections, are healthy as can be. You go to the ENT on Monday so we can discuss tubes with him. I'm anxious to see what they have to say!


You are in a size 3 diaper this month. You wear anything from 6 to 12 months depending on the brand. In RL Polo, you are already in 12 months, but in Carters, you are in a 9 month. I've packed away almost all the 3-6 and 6 month clothing. You're growing like a weed, and we are so thankful for all the clothes you got at Christmas!


You are eating 8 oz. of Similac 5 times a day. You started rice cereal earlier this month and you love it. We are starting stage 1 foods this weekend and I'm so ready for that. We're starting with pears, and I just know you are going to LOVE food.


You are still sleeping like a precious little angel. Your bedtime routine hasn't changed - you still get a bath between 6:30 and 7pm, 8 oz. of milk, and then a little rocking and you are down for the night. You sleep until anywhere from 6:30-7:30am. This morning you slept in until 7:45! What a champ!


This month, you began sitting up on your own and do it all the time. You still chew on your hands and love to chew on your thumb; it's so yummy! You can say hi and you babble all the time. When you are upset or really tired, you'll call out for mama. Melts my heart! You are constantly trying to pull of your socks to get to your toes. You love to play in your walker that Aunt Emily and Uncle Adam gave you and you can get from one end of the kitchen to the other in record time, backwards. We need to work on getting you to walk forward! You also absolutely love being outside, either walking with Mommy or swinging in your tree swing. I think it's your favorite activity right now.




You started swim lessons this week! You absolutely love bath time, so I knew we needed to get you into swim lessons as soon as we could. You are in Waterbabies I at Emler Swim School with Mrs. Amber and you are having a blast. You love all the activities and splashing and you adore watching all the big kids. You'll be there one day, kiddo, but don't do it too fast. Mommy adores you at this age!


You survived and enjoyed your first Christmas season. We were all over the state celebrating with all of the family, and you were a trooper. Christmas morning was wonderful, and although you received tons and tons of toys, your Sophie was still the toy of choice. You got a huge puppy pillow from Nana and Papa, and while I wanted to leave it at her house, you took to it and we had to take it home with us. You love to lounge on it while taking a break from all that sitting up!


The week after Christmas, you were so spoiled when your Nana came to stay with you for a
whole week. She took you shopping, played with you, rocked you like no one else will, and told mommy all your complaints (you apparently like your bottle warmer!). You were so sad to see her go because she taught you so much in that short week - like how to sit up in a shopping cart and a high chair. You also got to have a Nana slumber party when mommy and daddy went out for Mom's birthday and Daddy's test passing. So spoiled and so loved!


Last weekend, you went to Aunt Emily and Uncle Adam's house for Maddie Claire's 1st Birthday party. You had lots of fun playing with her toys and with her. You all are so cute together and just enjoy having each other around. You got passed around and were so sweet and giggly the entire time. Your sweet personality is something I love very much about you - it's very rare to see you without a smile on your face these days.


Sweet angel baby, mommy and daddy love you so very much. You are half way to 1, and while it seems like just yesterday that you arrived, you've already given me a lifetime of memories that I'll treasure deep in my heart forever. You'll never know how much you mean to me and how much love I possess for you. Although I'm sure the next 6 months will fly by even faster than the first, I'll soak in every moment, every sweet smell, every smile, everything I can and I'll never take for granted this precious time. I love you, sweet boy!

2011

I'll admit - I'm a little sad to see 2011 end. 2011 was a year of wonderful blessings, new beginnings and it was just an all around fantastic year for our family. Like all years, there were moments of sadness, anxiety, frustration and worry, but the Lord did immeasurably more for us than we ever could have imagined.

On January 10th, we were told we were having a little girl (boy, was that doctor wrong!). The next day, January 11th at 1:11pm, we welcomed our precious niece Madison Claire into this world. Immediately after her birth, we almost lost my sister due to complications. She spent 4 or so hours in surgery while the doctors worked furiously to save her life and her uterus, while we spent those 4 hours on our knees in prayer, begging God for her life. She made it out of surgery and spent the next few days in ICU, but recovered so quickly! On Friday the 14th, Jon was laid off from his job and being 12 weeks pregnant, I spent the next few days sobbing, wondering how we would make it through! It's so true that when something like that happens, something MUCH better always comes along.

In February, we were told we were really having a boy, and after a couple of days in shock, we hit the road running, prepping our home and our lives for the arrival of Luke.

Fast forward to April, and Jon began a new job as a Sr. Manager for a consulting firm here in Dallas. He went from traveling weekly to never having to travel at all. Such a great blessing right before the birth of our son! I also found out I had gestational diabetes, which is never fun, but after a couple of days of crying somewhat non-stop, it became an easy thing to manage and live with. And it had an upside - I was able to get an induction before my due date!

May and June brought 4 baby showers! It was so fun to be able to celebrate with friends and family and we got lots of great things for Luke.

On July 19th, Luke Holland was born via c-section. He immediately changed our lives and we are so incredibly thankful to be his parents. The first 2 weeks were extremely tough on me, with the recovery and baby blues, but we all survived and got into a routine that works for our family (again, the biggest thank you goes to Moms on Call!). Sleepless nights very quickly turned to full nights of sleep for both us and Luke, and he has been the most easy-going baby.

September was full of weddings of dear friends and lots of Longhorn football. While 2011 may not have been the best year for our Horns, we are ever thankful to be part of the Texas family. Our blood is burnt orange!

In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Austin, and truly, we have too many blessings this year to count. We have our health, a happy son who loves life, good jobs with great bosses, a beautiful home in a neighborhood we love, precious friends and a large loving family, a wonderful church home, our salvation - the list goes on and on. Luke and I like to sing the song - Count Your Blessings, Name Them One By One - Count Your MANY Blessings and See What God Has Done!

We spent December traveling our great state celebrating Christmas with both sides of the the family, our friends and Jon's coworkers.

As the year winds down, we've spent the day outdoors with Luke, letting him swing in his new swing and just enjoying the sunshine before the winter gets bad here. We're reflecting on how far we've come this year and looking forward to where we'll go next year. 2011 was a fantastic year for us, and we look forward to all the new year has to bring. Happy New Year!

Luke: 5 Months!

My sweet, sweet Luke! You are 5 months old and time is flying by. This month, you have shown us so much more of your personality, and I am absolutely in love. You are the funniest, sweetest, cutest little thing and mommy and daddy simply can't get enough of you!


You don't go the doctor for a well checkup this month, but you've been seeing Dr. McClard quite often for ear infections. You are so happy all the time that mommy can tell when you just aren't yourself and want to cuddle and sleep at odd times. Unofficially, you're measuring in at 18 lbs, 10 oz. I'm not sure of height or head this month!


You have moved up to a size 3 diaper and wear 3-6, 6 month and quite a bit of your 6-9 month clothing. We have been putting you in Christmas outfits almost daily, but you have so many cute clothes that it's so fun to dress you each day. You're getting more and more clothes from your family and friends this Christmas season too, so you have no shortage of things to wear.


You now eat 7 oz. of Similac Advance every 4 hours, and then 8 oz. at bedtime. We have not started rice cereal, but we'll probably do so in early January. Dr. McClard says you are doing just fine and growing big and strong on just formula, so for now that's all we are giving you. I have a feeling you're going to LOVE food!


You are sleeping so well! We put you on a new bedtime routine at a much earlier time and it's working wonders. You get in the bathtub at 7pm each night, play and splash around for a little while, and then pajamas and an 8 oz. bottle. Daddy rocks you until you are sleepy but happy and down you go (around 7:30pm). You sleep through the night until about 6:30 or 7 each morning. The only nights you wake up are when we travel, but we're working hard to get you adjusted to that as well.


This month you discovered tons of new tricks. You can roll over both ways, but really only love to be on your back. If we put you on your tummy, you're on your back in 2 seconds. You can also sit up for a few seconds at a time. You are so strong and so determined to sit up, so we try to let you as much as we can! You discovered your thumb and love chewing on that and your hand. You also discovered your toes and are working very hard to get those up to your mouth as well. It's funny and gross all at the same time! You still love your exersaucer, your bumbo and just playing on the floor. You got a new toy puppy that sings and dances and you adore it. It's your favorite thing.


You still love to go to school. You are happiest in the mornings and you just smile and giggle when I tell you it's time for school. You love your teachers and are busy making friends. It is such a joy to come and pick you up at school and see you smiling and laughing. I have a sneaking suspicion you are one of the favorites!


This past month, you've done a lot of fun things. You went to Austin for Thanksgiving at Uncle Mark and Aunt Jenn's house. You refused to take a nap because you didn't want to miss a second of the action. There was just so much going on. Mommy gave you a small taste of mashed potatoes, and you were a fan. In early December, you went to Brunch with Santa at the country club. You sat on Santa's lap and did so good, and then mommy and daddy got to eat lots of yummy food and listen to a wonderful pianist. Next year, I'm sure you'll love it even more.


You went to visit Nana and Papa in Sugar Land for the Nash family Christmas. You did so wonderful and did so well getting passed around to all your great aunts and uncles. You and Maddie Claire dressed up in matching gingerman/girl outfits to go see Santa again, but the line was just too long. You sure did look adorable though!


This past weekend, you went to celebrate Christmas with the Wallace/Dorsey side of the family.
You had so much fun and got lots of neat presents. You also got to see Pappy and KerrBear and you smiled and laughed and were so sweet the entire time you were at their house. You are so very blessed to have a wonderful family who loves you so much!


Luke, this is the best Christmas I've ever had because you're here to celebrate with. You are such a delight and the biggest blessing in my life. Your daddy and I love spending all of our time with you and you are absolutely the light of our lives. We are excited for 2012 and all the fun next year will bring as you grow and change. We love you, sweet boy!

Luke: 4 Months

Luke, Today you are 4 months old! I can't believe how much time flies and how much you are doing these days. We love you to pieces and just get so excited every time you discover something new or do something you haven't done before. Each moment with you is just so, so precious to us.


Your 4 month doctor's appointment isn't until the 22nd, but we went a couple of weeks ago for a checkup on your ear infection and you weighed 16 pounds, 12 ounces, were a little over 25 inches long and your head measured in at 17 inches. Today, we went for your cold/fever and you were 17 pounds, 11 ounces (with your onesie and diaper on)! You continue to be at the top of the growth charts. We just love your chubby cheeks and big, strong, chubby legs!


You are still in size 2 diapers and wear 3-6 and 6 month clothing. With the crazy up and down temperatures here in Dallas this past month, you have gotten a lot of use out of both your long and short sleeve shirts. I still continue to pack away so much each month - we're going to need a bigger storage unit soon!


You have graduated from your bassinet/nap nanny to your crib. Just like Moms on Call said it would, it took you 3 nights to get fully adjusted, but now you're doing so well and sleeping through the night again. Sometimes you'll cry for your paci, but as soon as I put it back in, you're back to sleep in less than 2 seconds. Your bedtime routine is still the same - bath, pjs, bottle and then bed. You are usually fast asleep by 9 each night and sleep until 6 or 7 in the morning. Some days, mommy has to wake you up for school. Your teachers say you LOVE to sleep and you take awesome naps at school.


You are still developing at rapid pace. You don't love to roll over, but we're working on that. You love to sit in your bumbo seat and stare out at the world. You grab and reach very well, and your favorite thing to grab is still mama's hair. You LOVE Sophie and just giggle when she squeaks. You love to chew on her too, but she's a good sport ;)! You've found your voice and you just love to talk. and talk. and talk. You smile and laugh all the time and you only cry when you are very tired these days. You're still trying to hold your bottle, but you're not quite there yet. I suspect this time next month, we'll be talking about how you're rolling all over the place and holding that bottle.


You love to go to school. Your teachers are the sweetest people and their faces light up when you get to school each morning. You love them too, and laugh and talk to them each morning when you get there. So far, you haven't cried once when I've left you. It makes me so happy to know that you are happy and being well cared for during the day. God really blessed us with such a good school and loving teachers and for that we are very thankful!


This month, you got to do lots of fun things. You watched lots of Rangers baseball this month, and cheered on your Rangers during the World Series. You also love to cheer on your Horns! When we put football on the TV or we go to a restaurant where they have sports on, you are absolutely fixated on that. There's something about football that you absolutely love, and I know Daddy is thrilled about that!


You were the hit of mommy and daddy's annual pumpkin carving party. All of our friends love you and you got passed around a lot. You even passed out on Melissa; you got very tired from all of the attention.


You dressed up as a lobster for Halloween and helped mommy pass out candy. Mommy dressed up as a chef, and we got a few pictures before you had a slight meltdown and the costume came off.


Earlier this month, you and daddy took your very first trip without mommy. I'll be honest - I cried big tears when you pulled out of the driveway, and although I had a busy weekend, I thought about you all the time and missed you every second you were gone. I know Grandma and all of your cousins had a great time seeing you, though!


You also got to go to Nana and Papa's house for Nana's birthday. You had such a good time playing and cuddling and helping Nana celebrate. She was so excited to show you and MC off at her church, and you were so good in their nursery. This month was jam packed for you, and I know next month will be even busier.


Luke, each day with you is such a gift. You are our biggest blessing and I can't imagine my life without you. You fill my heart with such joy and I am so thankful to God that He gave me you! The other day, Daddy came home late and you were already asleep. He went in to check on you, and as he was leaving the room, I heard him say "I love that little guy so much!" It was the sweetest thing, and I know it's so true. We love you more than life itself. I can't wait to watch you experience your first Thanksgiving this month and then watch you discover the lights and sounds of Christmas. This year, I am most thankful for you!