Luke's Newborn Pictures

(my attempts to create photo collages in Picasa were just too frustrating, so scroll, scroll, scroll!)

We had newborn photos taken of Luke when he was 8 days old. Here are a few of our favorites!

Luke-- 3 Weeks Old

Right now Luke....

- Sometimes sleeps for a 4 hour stretch at night, but usually eats every 2-3 hours in the day and every 3 hours at night
- Loves bath time, seemed to like his first shower

- Likes being in his sling to walk Cora to preschool on sunny days

- Stays warm and cozy in his Bundle Me in the car
- Survived his first diaper rash

- Tolerates his sisters being two inches away from his face most of the day
- Can sleep through Violet singing songs at the top of her voice in the car

- Likes to be held
- Has several standard facial expressions, suspicion being one of the most common, along with a puzzled look, a surprised look, and a "I'm putting up with you" look... can't wait for a smile in the next few weeks!

- Makes all kinds of noises; he's definitely our noisiest baby yet
- Went to church for the first time last Sunday, and did great except for the last 5 minutes when he decided he was hungry and couldn't wait another second

- Has his daddy... and his mommy... and his sisters completely enthralled and wrapped around his tiny fingers.
PS to Liz and Keyton-- Thanks for the cute outfit! The sticker 'residue' came off no problem.

Violet's First Haircut

A couple of 'before' shots....
Violet's hair was getting scraggly in back, and I was too scared to cut it. I had no problems trimming Cora's hair, because it was curly and would hide any little mistakes, but Violet has none of her sister's curls. We had a good coupon and took her to Cookie Cutters. She was so excited all morning about getting her hair cut, up until they called her name for it to be her turn.
She wasn't too happy, but she did sit pretty still, holding her ponies, watching a Curious George and honking the horn in her car, and was even pretty good when the stylist blow dried her hair with a round brush (who knew they would do that to a 1 year old???).
She was too interested in the slide to stand still for an 'after' picture, but it does look much better and will grow out evenly for a while now.

Luke at Two Weeks

Luke had his 2 week appointment today. He now weighs a whopping 7 pounds, 7 ounces and is 21.5 inches long. So, in two weeks he has gained 9.5 ounces and 1.5 inches.... either that, or he just straightened out more for a better measurement! I've been wondering if he was gaining any weight, he's still so tiny, so it's nice to know he's getting plenty to eat.

Luke also got his heel pricked to get blood for the PKU test, which totally freaked the girls out. Luckily the nurse got a good stick and it was pretty fast. I had tried to prep Cora and Violet earlier today so they'd be ready, but Cora just said all the way home how scared she was for Luke. Granted, on the way out, she also said she wished she could have a shot too, when she saw another little boy with a sucker who got a shot. So shots were our main topic of conversation all this afternoon, along with how long you have to wait to go to kindergarten, since we happened to pass a bunch of school buses and an elementary school. Both Cora and Violet think it's so unfair they can't ride a school bus until they are 5!

Luke - One Week Old

Our Week

I have been incredibly lucky to have so much help since Luke was born! My parents took Cora and Violet for two and a half days while Kevin and I were in the hospital. Kevin was home with the girls and I for the weekend, of course, and for Monday and Tuesday too. My parents had Cora and Violet stay with them again Wednesday to Friday. And Kevin is home for the long weekend. So that means Tuesday will be my first day alone with all three kids, 12 days after the delivery! My delivery recovery has been great, even easier than the last two, so that's been nice. Having 12 days of help to rest, get to know Luke, get the girls acclimated, get in touch with friends, finish a couple of small projects, and take lots of photos and document everything has been every so helpful. Starting Tuesday my main job will be protecting the baby from too much loving, and I suspect I won't be doing too much more than that. Based on a couple of family outings this week with all five of us, I think outings with just the three kids and I are unrealistic for a little while!

Luke's first bath at home on Sunday-- the girls were fascinated! Luckily, his umbilical cord fell off on Friday, so now he can take a much more pleasant bath instead of being sponged off.
Proud big sister
Cora giving Luke a 'nose snuggle', one of our goodnight traditions.
Luke showing off his manly features and chubby cheeks.
Doesn't this look comfy? Don't worry, we rescued him quickly after this.
Kevin did lots of fun things with the girls while they were home this week. Cora and Violet have loved all the extra daddy time! They went to Discovery Gateway, a family missionary farewell dinner, ran a few errands, and a BYU basketball game. It was family day, so the tickets were only $1 apiece. The girls loved it! Here they are showing off their cougar shirts, while Cora does a 'Go BYU' cheer.

Coming Home from the Hospital -- Saturday

Kissie, Pata, Cora and Violet arrived about lunch time on Saturday, an hour or so after we got home from the hospital. The girls were so excited to meet their new baby brother. Shad and Jen also came by to visit Saturday afternoon to meet Luke.
We attempted some family pictures... good thing for digital cameras, we had at least a few successes out of a whole bunch of tries! The girls were way excited about the new baby and would rather look at him than the camera.

A Few More Hospital Pics

Of course, we think he's just about the most darling thing ever, but we're a little biased!