Smiley Face

Luke’s first Christmas was very busy but merry.  On Christmas Eve morning we attended church and then packed up and headed out to Jackson for the day where we visited with family.  Luke only napped for about 10 minutes the whole time we were in Jackson, so he was beside himself with exhaustion by the time we piled all the presents and kids in the car and headed home.  The next morning Luke found that Santa had been very kind to him and left him many fun new toys.  So far his favorites seem to be the linking rings, peek a blocks, and Lamaze soft fish bowl.  He also enjoyed opening presents with the help of his big sister and then trying to eat the wrapping paper and ribbon.

A friend of mine who is pregnant with her third child recently commented that she is getting anxious for the joys of having a little newborn in her arms again to snuggle and enjoy.  I thought to myself “wow, I really didn’t have much of that at all with Luke” and felt a little sad about it.  Luke was enjoyable like that for the first two weeks, but there is so much upheaval and pain to really savor any of those moments.  Then we entered the screaming stage, and nothing was enjoyable about Luke for a long time.  But now I do try to make up for that loss in some brief but blissful moments I get to share with Luke.  I love holding him in the glider for just a moment after he finishes his bedtime or early morning bottles.  His eyes are droopy, he snuggles in against my chest, and sometimes he will gaze up at me with a soft smile.  These moments only last a minute or two, and since I know they will soon be gone I try all the harder to enjoy and remember them.

I can’t believe that Luke is already seven months old!  Luke still doesn’t have any teeth, but we keep saying that with all the gnawing and drool they are bound to show up any day.  Luke is eating 2nd foods and gets a fruit, a veggie, and a bowl of cereal each day.  Luke loves his food, but you have to watch out because he also likes to blow raspberries right after you put the food in his mouth.  This causes quite a spray of baby food.  Right now Luke’s favorite fruit is applesauce, favorite veggie is sweet potato, and favorite cereal is barley.

Luke’s favorite mode of transportation (other than being carried by Mommy in the Bjorn) is rolling.  He will roll clear across the living room in the blink of an eye.  He sits well and rarely falls over.  He can go from sitting onto his hands and knees and then belly by himself.  On his belly, Luke has not yet figured out forward or backward propulsion.  He will kind of turn himself around in circles and then just roll wherever he wants to go.  His choice of direction is usually towards Brooke or her Little People garage.  Luke adores his big sister.

Overall, Luke is getting to be a lot of fun.  He smiles and squeals a lot and is starting to be able to interact and play a little more.  Christmas should be a lot of fun this year.

I just wanted to post to let everyone know Luke is doing better.  He will be on his meds through the weekend, but he is doing so much better.  His wheezing is finally gone, and his cold symptoms are minimal at this point.  Thanks for all your thoughts and continued prayers.

Luke seems to be smarter than we would give him credit for at 6 months.  He is entirely non-cooperative about taking his medicine (perhaps I should model this behavior and formulate a strategy using non-cooperative game theory).  His latest response is to hold the medicine in his mouth and wait until I remove my death grip from his chin.  Then he proceeds to spit it all out.  He also like to blow raspberries as you try to get the syringe in his mouth.  Luke is a little smartypants already.

Luke’s cold seemed to be getting worse, so I took him to the doctor yesterday.  I was correct.  Luke has developed bronchiolitis (most likely caused by RSV) and an ear infection (often a related side effect of the bronchiolitis).  So, he is now on Amoxil for the infection and Albuterol for his lungs.  The good news is that we caught it early and that he is responding well to the Albuterol.  After the first dose we could already notice that his wheezing had stopped and his breathing was a little less labored.  So, he should be fine.  We are a little concerned about the statistic that 30% of kids with this illness end up with asthma, and I will have to ask more about this when he goes back in 2 weeks to get checked again.  If you are the praying type, please keep the little guy in your prayers.  He is still smiling all the time, but it is a little scary to see him having a hard time breathing and knowing how serious this can be.
Luke also seems to have had quite a growth spurt since he gained almost one and a half pounds since his last visit to the doctor on November 14.  They didn’t measure him, but I know he has grown longer just by the way his pants fit.