complete with photos

he was sleeping so soundly, but a peep out let me know he was aware of my presence....and he never let go of that nicu habit of kicking a leg out.

for those who have read aj's blogs...

...it is by far, not lack of sheer ecstasy when embracing this new baby that i don't gush all over the blog world as much. it is a matter of finding time for these fingers to pursue something that is off the direct course of caring for baby. these are both firsts with each boy. each experience is wholly different. but as i go back and read how very little i've written lately on this site, i feel kinda guilty for it. there's so much more involvement when there's two little ones...
anyhooo, let me quit making excuses.
luke is smiling. we've been smiling at him so long, and now we reap the rewards. that little gummy grin is kept elusive and i only get it when someone else is around to induce it because apparently, mommies are not for testing out the new smile. gregg says it's that he's in awe of me...i think it's just that he smells the milk. :) either way, i have seen it. and it's !@#$ beautiful! he's a whopping 8 lbs and 20 3/4 inches. it seems as if we never missed bringing him home straight from birth. he's still a tiny little thing (this only applies to others; those who held him when he was just barely a handful think he's a moose!:)) we were out at dinner the other night and the waiter was gushing over him...yknow most men don't but he was a new father...complete with pictures of his fat little pink girl. he, like everyone, assumed he was brand new. ..but he stopped later and asked how old. he said he knew when he saw him lifting his little head and holding it, he wasn't as fresh as he seemed. nope, he's our little old guy. :)
he a ravenous little wolf and eats a bottle before you can blink. altho, he savors the boob...smart man, it will never be this easy to get again. :) most babies don't need burping after breastfeeding...nope, not luke. he gets so passionate about eating that he inevitably gulps down a couple a good burps, even without the bottle. and then, the return the burps to the surface takes work and patience. he's usually a mellow little guy, looking around and cooing...but let an air bubble get stuck, he'll cry and kick those little sexy legs. gregg says that it's like he was reincarnated and ended up in this little baby's body. he reminds him and apologizes that he can't go anywhere no matter how hard he tries to run off. :) so funny. omg, trying to change the munchkins diaper. it's a nightmare. he screams bloody murder. i guess i can't say always. not if you get him nice and full of milk first. but usually, it's just insane. don't get it. but he's back to charming as soon as you finish the diaper.
okay, i am now headed off to bed. this is one of those few times daddy is in charge of baby. in fact, i think this is the first time i've been alone at home in a LOOOOONG time. and now, i'll go snuggle in my lonely bed. :)(

awww!

tippin the scales...

at 7#6 oz. and about 3 ft tall...okay, that last parts a joke, but it certainly seems like that. he's, luckily, got his daddy's long lean build..wheras, aj is purely my small little dwarf twin. :)

luke is trying really hard to catch up with his peers. he's just starting to really look at you and listen when you talk to him, which, as you may imagine, makes it really hard to leave for work! he's forming his little mouth into would-be sounds, but none are quite coming out yet. he's still with the grunts, but they're morphing into more coo-like sounds. he absolutely loves snuggling. can't help but do it, too. he works on tummy time more on our chests than anywhere else and he responds well that way...looking up to see our face. and no matter where aj is, luke will turn to see him when he talks. i think the first smile will come by way of these other fellas in the house...he seems to enjoy all the ruckus when they start playing. as long as it's after he's eaten, he likes to sit and "watch" them. little mouth open...still with the "air leak." he's eating so much and we've thickened it per dr. k so as to prevent that awful gerd. and it seems to work...not to mention it helps fill that endless every 3 hour pit so we can actually get more than an hour sleep at a time. that is, if you can convince yourself that he's not just about to wake up starving....he definitely has us trained! it's funny because he changes from day to day and i forgot how that happens. it's still so magical with a second one. alas, he has started whimpering...got a few seconds to start some pics...

just a photo op

catching up

oh my...where do i start. i haven't really really sat down and wrote in a minute. i did a quick jot the other night, but i've been trying to switch back to a day sked after working my normal weekend. this, too, is written on borrowed sleep time. i think luke is finally snuggled and fed enough...if not, i'll be doing this one handed as i toss him over a shoulder and pat his little back. (he loves that.) well, he's been an absolute joy to have home. definitely a work in progress, but we're getting the swing of managing a wound up four year old and a spoiled little peanut ...all while trying to maintain a little normalcy in the place. it's a matter of directing energy...mostly aj's, because mine usually tries to sleep in no matter what time of day. :) we're eating at mostly every 3 hours still...sometimes we stretch it as far as six hours the other night. (as you might imagine, i lost several hours of sleep waithing for the grunts and groans that signal luke is fully awake and ready to eat...) and the most he's gulped down is 3 ounces before getting that glazed look and lying helplessly satisfied in your arms in his eyes half open sleep. when we go out, people see how small he is and i hear them (if they don't directly ask) ponder at how new he is. those who ask are shocked when i say he's 3 1/2 mos. they think i meant to say weeks. i forget how small he is. of course to us, he's big now. he looks perfectly normal except for that bad haircut. i can see the expression on people's faces when they notice his bad haircut. it's almost laughable...altho, i hope they don't think i did it...or worse, paid someone else to do it. when i tell people about his shunt, they give pity. i remember when the word was first mentioned to us, i thought i was gonna fall apart, but as the time passes and i hold my perfect little sweetheart, "shunt" has become a pattern of letters and nothing more. no thing to feel dread.
luke loves getting a bath. some pics were posted. adorable. and i love to snuggle him and stick my nose in that new baby scent. he hates to be lotioned, but that's tough beans, it makes him all the more cute. we don't do it everyday, just on those special days when someone's gonna be sniffing his head. :) well, besides me.
as i mentioned about that borrowed time. baby is finally satisfied and sound asleep, so i think i should at least redirect ot the bed. hope it's been enough baby talk to enjoy.
oh wait...one funny story. luke has gerd. dr. k, pediatrician extraordinaire (we heart k), suggested adding a tiny bit of cereal to the bottles luke gets to thicken it. (he gets at least one a day, even with me.) anyway, and i passed the info to gregg when we returned from dr. k and the following was the story...:
me: k said....blah blah blah
gregg: cereal? you mean like cheerios?

my usual slow self

let's see how fast i can chart some thoughts.
luke is growing and changing faster than i can keep up. home did a body good. he weighed in last time at 6.5# and is 19 ins. long. i swear he looks like he's 4 feet long. hes still bald on his surgery side. gregg's starting to wonder if he has a hair growing complex. and i'm starting to think bald's the new black. he's beautiful. i caught his eye the other day with a alittle peekaboo. he's not quite ready for it, but he was interested for a quick second. we'll keep playing and talking.
he loves his bath...mostly. he actually likes when i pour the water over his head. his bright eyes light up and he looks thru the water. omg, he's so sweet! but it's getting dressed afterwards when he makes it sound like a murder scene. he screams to no end. i try talking him thru it, but he is PISSED! and there's nothing but finishing with that last button that will make it better. as soon as the last one's done. peace. i don't get it, but that 2 mins is a loud loud LOUD time. and that cry, lusty is the description used in nursing books. love it. it's so sweet. he shivers his chin and has a full on frown. it's the cutest thing.
okay, you have a little bit of an update. alas, i must get ready for work. :( aj and luke are with daddy on the way to visit grandma, papaw and aunt katie....and maybe the bucs. on a boy adventure. woohoo. will add more later. maybe not this weekend, sometime during the week after the boys are down.