6 Months!

I don't have any pictures to post, but just wanted to post a quick update with Luke's stats from his well visit yesterday. He is 16 lbs, 12 oz and 26 1/4" long. Everything looks good and he got four shots, which he was not happy about! He recovered quickly and has been a very good boy since his appointment. The doctor says that from six months on getting up in the middle of the night is a learned behavior, not a necessary behavior, so when he woke up at 2 last night I tried to just rock him and not feed him. But, as soon as I laid him back down after a few minutes of rocking he starting crying and I had to fix him a bottle. I don't know how to get this boy off of his schedule! I'm starting to feed him much less when he wakes up. He used to get 5 oz bottles in the middle of the night, now I've cut it down to 3 oz, and will probably cut it down to 2 oz in another week or so. I'll just try to get him used to not having meals in the middle of the night. Hopefully in the next couple of months we'll both be sleeping through the night!

Six Months!

I can't believe my baby boy is six months old today! Luke did three exciting things in the world of baby today! This morning he sat up from a laying position all by himself. He was on the couch at my mom's having his diaper changed, and he just sat right up. Then, at lunch time he ate a whole container of food for the first time. It was squash, and up until now when we give him food it's split between two meals. Today he ate it all! Then, he waved bye-bye at two different times today! Once to my Dad, and once to Bonnie and me. It was so cute! Other things about Luke:
*He's going into size 2-3 diapers and wears size 6 or 6-9 months clothes.
*He is becoming very aware of his surroundings and reaches for anything you pick up.
*Although he started out by rolling from his stomach to his back, he has now mastered rolling from his back to his stomach and once he gets on his tummy he sometimes pretends like he doesn't know how to get back over!
*He sleeps on his tummy almost all the time now.
*He seems to know his name now and will look in the direction of the person who calls him most of the time.
*He has said what sounds like "ma-ma" a couple of times now and makes lots of different sounds when he's telling us stories.
*He still loves his exersaucer and his jumper.
*He responds to singing with a big grin most of the time.
*He has a show already- he watches Jack's Big Music Show almost every morning when he gets to Grandma's. He will actually watch the whole show! After that, he's done with t.v. for the day.
*He raises up on his arms and can get his legs under him in an almost crawl stance.
*I already mentioned this, but he rode in the cart with no carrier for the first time last week. It made shopping so much easier!
*He amazes us and makes us smile and laugh every single day! It's wonderful to watch him grow and learn!

We've started giving him water in a sippy cup and he actually does pretty well with it. Sometimes he needs help holding it, and he doesn't quite grasp that he needs to tilt his head back a little to get the water.

Tonight Uncle Kirk came over for dinner and to spend time with his big six month old nephew!

I decided to take one last picture of him on his six month birthday. He always ends up with his head all jammed up in the front of his crib!

One more funny story to demonstrate how mobile he's becoming- we turn on a sound machine when he goes to sleep and set it on rain or waterfall. It's actually in his crib on the opposite end that he sleeps and it's an alarm clock as well as a sound machine. I haven't used it as an alarm clock in a couple years, but the other morning I heard something going off. I jumped out of bed really confused because I thought it was in my room. It was about 5:15 am. I finally realized it was coming from his room and he had made his way all the way to the other end of his crib and had his legs all over the alarm clock. He had somehow turned the alarm (which was still set from a couple years ago) on! He slept right through it :) The sound machine has now been moved outside of his crib!

First Tooth!!

I stuck my finger in Luke's fussy little mouth this morning and got poked with something sharp!! I freaked out! Tommy had run to the store and was walking in the door right when I made the discovery and I yelled to him "TOMMY! HE'S GETTING A TOOTH!!" Then, I immediately called my mother, of course. On top of being exciting just because it's a milestone, I think it made me really happy to know there's a reason why he's been a terror the past few nights. Having confirmation that he's in pain gives me much more patience.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I'm about to bring Luke down to my Mom's to spend the night with her. The original plan was for my sister to come down and watch him since her boyfriend is working today, but her car is stuck on the side of the street in D.C. She lives on Wisconsin Ave and has been relying on public transportation since the snow and can't get down here. So, now he's going to Grandma's and Tommy and I are just going to the restaurant in our neighborhood, half a mile from us.

Captain Super Cute yesterday

Riding in the cart like a big boy for the first time yesterday. We went to Target and Safeway and he was SO good! I got to take my time walking around the stores and didn't have to hold him while pushing a cart like I usually have to do when he starts fussing in his carrier.

my Valentine's Day hydrangeas

me and my mini valentine

Tommy and Luke reading his card together

what can I say... he's a ladies man!

Bursting With Excitement!!!!

I am so excited to announce that my cousin Amanda and her husband Kevin are pregnant!!!! Luke is going to have a cousin who is just a little more than a year younger than him. Amanda and I are four months apart and have always been very close. I am so happy for her and her entire family, and so happy that Luke is going to have someone close to him! Congratulations Amanda and Kevin, I'm looking forward to being your "go-to" on all things pregnancy :)

Cluck Cluck!

Luke started imitating Tommy and I the other night when we were clucking our tongues at him! So cute!

Snowed In!

When I came to work on Tuesday I packed Luke and I up to stay for a day or two, knowing it was going to snow. I wanted to make sure I could get to work for the next couple of days because a couple of unpaid days can really take their toll! So, the best way to make sure you'll make it to work... is to sleep where you work! So, I've gotten to wake up and instead of driving 50 minutes to work for my Dad, I've just walked downstairs. Bonnie has stayed the past two nights, too. I'm ready to get home, and Tommy misses Luke alot. It's been fun being home, though. Especially with Mom's home cooked meals the past two nights :) Here's a few pictures!

Eating in his highchair like a big boy! He loves bananas, hates sweet potatoes, and is on the fence about peas and green beans.


snuggling with Grandma

playing on his blanket

We're Free!

We made it out today finally! We dropped my car off to have four new tires put on (could have used them a little earlier in the season, but whatever) and had lunch at Applebee's. I was really happy to leave the house. Here's some pictures from the last couple days.

Dad and Luke playing some PS3

I brought the baby out to visit with Dad while he was shoveling

Comparison pic- 1 month old and 5 1/2 months old


hanging out in his boppy

I have a question for my Mom readers- How do I keep Luke from rolling over in his crib? Is there something I can buy or a trick with a blanket or anything? He is constantly rolling over and then he gets so mad and can't seem to roll himself back over for some reason! It doesn't always bother him- several times last night and today I've gone to check on him and he's been on his stomach sleeping soundly, but I would rather just keep him on the back so I'm not constantly getting up and flipping him. It doesn't bother me during the day when he's napping, but I'd rather not get up at night when I don't really need to. Speaking of nights, Luke had a GREAT one last night. The best he's had in weeks. He woke up around 11 and ate and then didn't get up again until 4:40 :) Another super lazy day in the Baldwin house.
I put both boys down for a nap :) (Tommy's worn out from shoveling)

view from my front door looking across the street

view from my back door on my deck- notice that the last snow shattered my patio table on the left :( The pic on the left was taken at some time around 12 and the one on the right around 2- big difference!!

Simple Pleasures

I saw this on Mandi's blog and thought it was such a great idea because remembering the simple things in life is one of the easiest ways to stay happy! So, I decided to put alot of time thinking about this blog to remind myself of all the wonderful things I have to be happy about.

*Reading! I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. I love a book that's so good I can't put it down!
*When I stop complaining about the maintenance, stop complaining about the cost of chemicals, stop complaining about the cost of the electric bill... and enjoy my pool.
*A great concert
*A really good bargain or going to the grocery store and feeling like I got lots of food for the amount of money I spent
*My Mother's cooking and especially her iced tea!
*A bed made with clean sheets
*Laying in bed, listening to the rain- something Tommy and I have done together for many, many years.
*Going all by myself to get a pedicure.
*Making someone laugh really, really hard.
*Windows down, sunroof open.
*Creating a hairstyle that I'm really happy with. I've always had jobs that anybody could do, so it's really rewarding to be learning a trade that makes me special :)
*a fun day of tailgating

*Sisters <3

looking at old pictures

*Doing something adventurous

*A really fun vacation... which isn't always simple, but definitely a pleasure :)


"Inside Jokes" It's easy to have alot when you're still friends with the girls you grew up with!


*Of course, all things Luke. Since this blog is dedicated to him, I decided to focus on the non-Luke simple pleasures. But, I would say my favorite Luke pleasure is holding him when he's sleeping since that's the only time he's ever been cuddly!

*A great girls day or night out!

*Babies in swim gear (this is Claire Bear in May)

*Making things with my sewing machine like my Christmas valance and lots of other Christmas crafts this year.


I could literally think of blessings in my life all day. But, they can so easily be overshadowed by a "bad day." I am going to try to start every day by thanking God for a "simple pleasure."

What are your simple pleasures?