Sister Suzy from Seattle is Engaged!

Suzy and Michael are engaged! Yay! He asked her on Christmas Eve under the big tree in Marble Falls. Suzy wasn't expecting it -- she says the last ten times she thought he would ask, he didn't, so she didn't think anything of it when he told her wanted to look at the lights.

I feel like an ass -- I kept calling Michael and Suzy to ask where they were because they weren't following the family caravan to our pizza bakeoff. We started putting two and two together when Dad acted a little weird about it, too -- "they just wanted some time alone, Nicole." I knew it! When Suzy and Michael showed up, we were so excited:

Christmas Day 2009

Luke had some loot, that's for sure! He got a ton of toys! We had dinner at my grandparents' on Christmas Day, and a couple of days later had Christmas at the Scotts. This was such a great day...so much to be thankful for -- healthy baby, healthy family, jobs.

Just a year ago, we were announcing I was pregnant to our families. Here is a picture we took Christmas Eve '08 at the Scotts'. My sister-in-law Michaela just found out she was pregnant, too, and Ryan and Adam told the family to say "Micki and Nicole are pregnant!" instead of "Cheese!".

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas has come and gone, and it was a huge success! Luke had a great time -- all he knew is that he was held 24/7 and got a ton of kisses and hugs from his aunts and grandparents.

After Adam got off of work, he, Brooke and I drove to Marble Falls to make the Christmas Eve service with my parents, Suzy, Michael and Katie. To say it's a little stressful to bake cookies, and get myself, a baby and a car full of suitcases and toys ready in time is an understatement. We made it to church after the service started, then I had to take Luke out about five minutes after we got there to feed him. Once we were finished, the service was over. Ugh! Oh well...next year we'll be more organized.

Christmas Eve night we all went to my Aunt Patty's and Uncle Tim's new house outside of Johnson City to have a pizza bakeoff (we always have pizza on Christmas Eve). Tim and Patty are opening a brewery next year, so we drank their Christmas Ale and ate as much pizza as we could stomach. Adam and I would've had the award-winning pizza, but there was some tough competition. My cousin Sean grilled all of his ingredients, and his pizza was awesome! And, Suzy and Michael had some sort of pear, mozarella concoction that was pretty yummy. Then, we had a book exchange and got the book "A Christmas Carol" -- it was my grandpa's when he was a kid.

Sitting Up

Luke's doing a pretty good job of sitting up (with a prop of some sort) and holding his head steady. I think any day now he should roll over. He's putting his feet into the air and tipping them over when he's on his back. And, he spends most of his day drooling and sucking on his fist or anything else he can get into his mouth.

I noticed tonight that he was scooting himself down in the bathtub, so we'll really have to keep a close eye on him. I turned my back for literally five seconds to put something under the sink and he'd already managed to scoot his bottom over the little seat that's in the baby tub.

Under Construction

The house is coming along, albeit slowly. We had a meeting with the contractor last week, and we're hoping for a closing date before June 2010 so we can take advantage of the $6500 home buyer tax credit. Hopefully, it'll all work out!

Meeting Santa

Luke had his first meeting with the Big Elf. We waited for about an hour and half, and Luke didn't make a peep. Just sat in his stroller or in my arms, observing everything going on in the mall. Maybe he'll be a people watcher like me. (Adam tells me sometimes that I have to quit staring.)

All that waiting for a 30 second photo shoot and $25 photo. Oh -- and I spilled my smoothie before I even got to drink it. But, overall, it was super cute and Luke told him he wanted two front teeth this Christmas.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Methinks my son's head might look like his Great-grandpa Madden's.

Thanksgiving 2009

Katie and Lauren are the best older cousins. Maybe they'll start a Cousin Squad like my cousins and sisters had. We spent most of our time initiating my sister Suzy and cousin Rachel, but it was so much fun! It's even more fun to read through our meeting "minutes" and club rules. My cousin Becky kept all the paperwork (she was the secretary, of course), so I'll have to show the girls...

I think it goes without saying that I'm most thankful for a happy, healthy baby and a wonderful husband who I love so so much. This has definitely been a great year -- can't wait to see what's in store for us in the future! Thanksgiving was at the Scott house this year. Christmas will be at my parents'. Adam's brothers and sisters and my sisters are all on the same schedule, so it works out perfectly!

Clearing the Lot

They've cleared the lot for the new house, so there's no turning back now! We've already picked out the granite, tile, paint, doorknobs...everything! I kind of zoned out when it was time to choose the grout -- so many details and minutia make my head hurt.

3 Months!

Luke's a quarter of a year old! Three months! He weighs 13 pounds, 6 ounces.

The other day we had to visit the doctor because his belly button's been really irritated for about a week. When my mom, Adam's mom and the ladies at daycare had never seen/heard of it before, we thought it was time to call the doc. Turns out he has an umbilical granuloma, which sounds a lot scarier than it really is -- a small piece of scar tissue that did not become normally covered with skin cells. So, it remained a little moist and eventually became irritated. The doctor swabbed it with silver nitrate, and it should be healing up. Keep you posted.

Happy Baby!

Mornings are our best times! He's always so happy -- probably because he has a full tummy and a full night of sleep and he doesn't have to go to work like Mom and Dad.

Big Lips

Have no idea where these big lips came from, but they're just too cute. I know I'm biased since I'm his mother, but good grief! So adorable! I can't wait to get sloppy little kisses!

Luke's Rattail

With the little bald spot that Luke's sporting on the back of his head, he now has a rattail. It's so funny. Adam keeps wanting to chop it off, but I like it.

Luke's Favorite Things

Besides eating, Luke loves bathtime and sleeping (just like Adam). At bathtime, he'll splash his little hands and feet into the water -- I think he's figured out that it makes a noise. He's so cute.

The Breast of Times, The Worst of Times

A really great thing and a really bad thing happened to me this week when I was pumping at work.

The good -- I pumped a ridiculous amount on Monday morning. I don't know what happened, but maybe it had something to do with Luke sleeping completely through the night. I pumped 11 ounces in one sitting! That's never happened before -- usually I pump about 5 ounces each time. Here's a picture of all of the milk that came from the left boob in just 15 minutes -- unbelievable!

The bad -- a coworker walked in on me. I knew it would happen sooner or later! At least it was a girl. I freaked and just threw my shirt down, yanked off the suckers. Ugh. She didn't even really see anything -- the suite's pretty big, but still...

Big Developments

Luke changes every day. It's crazy. When he's on his playmat now, he bats and grabs for the toys hanging overhead. And, he's started to put a lot of stuff in his mouth, including his hands which he can suck on forever, it seems. He smiles a lot more, and it seems more spontaneous like he's really meaning to:

Completely Pooped

So, I've debated whether or not to post this picture, and decided ... eh ... no biggie ... it's just poop. Everyone does it. Well ... not like this.

A week or so ago, according to the report the daycare sends home every day, Luke hadn't pooped all day, which is really not that big of deal (from what I've read) for breastfed babies. It happens. But, I'm not sure if this complete poop explosion is supposed to happen. Needless to say, he was a lot less fussy after this dump.

A Day at the Park

We met Mikel and Michaela at the park today so Luke could hang with Grace and Nolan. So far, Grace is beating these two little boys -- she's three weeks younger than them, but already weighs more! They're going to have to catch up! We were probably there about three hours, and all three babies were great -- no crying or fussing. The only bad thing about it were the bees that kept hanging around.
Luke decided he was tired of Dr. Brown's bottles and went for Mom's bottle of red...

Happy Birthday, Cookie!

Happy birthday, Brookie Cookie! It's my sister Brooke's 30th birthday today -- hope it's great!! Brooke, me and Suzy in Dallas for Katie's tournament last Thanksgiving. At Ghost Bar in Dallas with Summer, Lisa and Mandy. February 2008.

On the Move

We're officially on the market. Adam and I are building a new house, and we're selling ours. So, if anyone wants to buy ...

The new house will be ready in about seven months, and the lot has a bunch of trees, which is great! It's at Slaughter and Brodie, so down the street (about five miles), still in South Austin. It was really windy when I took these pictures, and the sign kept blowing down.

The biggest downside I can see so far to having our house on the market is that it has to be spotless all the time, which is a little difficult with a baby! But, by far the hardest thing about it is that I've had to give Max to my mom and dad for a while, which makes me really sad. I hope he doesn't get doggy depression. Shoot. If anything, he's probably having the time of his doggy life hanging out with my mom's dog Buster.

Getting Big!

Luke's getting to be such a big boy! The ladies at daycare say he's their angel baby. I'm not sure what's going on there -- they say he hardly ever cries. That's weird. He cries at home. Maybe he's really stimulated since there are more people ... either way, I'm happy that they love him so much.

Pumpkin Patch

I don't know that I've ever seen two cuter pumpkins. Nolan and Luke are so adorable I can hardly stand it. And, they had quite the crowd at the pumpkin patch -- the ladies and little girls couldn't get enough of them.

2 Months

Luke had his 2-month appointment earlier this week, and he's passing with flying colors! He received four vaccines and. was. not. happy. He did that scream where he just opens his mouth but nothing comes out for about 15 seconds but he progressively turns more red by the second. But that was it. For the rest of the day, he was a little sleepy but never ran a fever.

There are some things we need to keep an eye on:

1. he always wants to turn his head to the right

2. he has a little bit of eczema on his cheeks

3. he's starting to get a little bit of a flat head

Otherwise, he's perfect! Right now he weighs 11 pounds, 6 ounces -- big boy!

Kissing Cousin

Cousin Lauren is just the sweetest with Lukey. She just loves babies and wants to hug and kiss all over him. She helped change his diaper the other day and will be the best babysitter one day!

Staying Connected

Luke had his first Skype call, so he's officially a wired and connected 21st Century baby. Mom and Dad called Aunt Katie in North Carolina. She hasn't seen him since the day he was born, and he's changed a lot! We miss you, Kate! Can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Baby Pumpkin

He's just the cutest little pumpkin ever! Kim gave us this adorable little pumpkin outfit. Good thing Halloween is just around the corner because Luke won't be able to wear this outfit much longer -- it's practically too small already, and it's 0-3 months!

Getting the Breast of Me

Since I've returned to work, I'm pumping three times a day in an empty suite. I know no one will walk in on me, but I can't help but be a little nervous that potential new tenants will come in and see me strapped to the breastpump. In my frenzied attempt to hurry up the process, a few mishaps and some overrall funnies have occurred:

1. Today I spilled about two ounces of breastmilk all over my jeans.
2. My friend Paula saw my new "bag" and said she had one just like it. Really?!
3. I wasn't really thinking when I got ready for work one morning and chose a dress. I had to hike it up to my shoulders to pump and was basically sitting there in my underwear.
4. A coworker asked me if I had any sort of measuring cup since she knew I was pumping. She needed to add some water to her microwavable meal. So, I handed her a 6-ounce storage bag.

We'll see how it goes! I really want to keep breastfeeding at least 6 months.

Starting Daycare

I went back to work two weeks ago, and we started daycare this week. I can't tell if Luke likes it, but the teachers seem really nice. When I pick him up, they're holding and kissing him. Basically, at this point, we just want someone to love and hug on him while we're not there. I cried just a teeny bit and called just a couple of times the first few days to make sure he was OK. So, come 4:30 p.m., I'm out the door, in my car on my way to get him. No more overtime for me ...

Two Years!

Adam and I celebrated our two-year anniversary this week -- went by so fast! And, what a difference a year makes -- this time last year we weren't even pregnant, now we have the new love of our lives!
This was on our cruise, about ten minutes after we'd gotten engaged. About an hour earlier at dinner, I'd asked Adam when he was going to pop the question because he'd told me that it'd be by the end of the year, and it was December, so I was getting impatient. He said, "Oh yeah -- about that -- it's going to be another year." So, as the mature woman that I am, I stormed off, mad ("I'm leaving!"), only to return a little while later after I'd reminded myself that I was on a cruise ship and had no where to go. All the while, the ring was in his pocket, and he was just waiting until we finished dinner so we could go under the stars. He's a sneaky one, that Adam.

Lil' Hunter

Luke and Nolan had their first hunting trip with their dads this weekend. Michaela's parents were nice enough to host us at their ranch so the boys could hunt dove. It's no secret that I've never been the biggest fan of hunting -- I'm a girl! We didn't grow up doing that! We went to ballet and tap. But, it gave me a chance to dress him in his little camo gear, so whatever. He's cute.

He's a Doll

Luke and I visited Mom at the Toy and Doll Show at the Travis County Expo Center today. I've often poked fun at Mom's hobby because it's taken over my parents' house -- she refurbishes antique dolls and resells them on a website she's created and at doll shows like this one. I think I need to stop making fun -- she made $4000 today! Mom and Dad make me laugh -- she wouldn't give him the money, and he kept telling her to quit waving her money (a $50 bill) around when she pulled it out of her pocket. Like the doll show patrons were going to jump her or something.

The lady at the booth next to Mom's sold newborn dolls that looked like real life babies. So, we put Luke next to them to see if we could tell the difference.