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.

What a Hoot!

Luke and the Hoot girls had a little playdate today, and they all wore their matching froggy shirts that Kim bought them! So cute! The girls are almost five months old, and they're getting so big! Who knows -- Carson or Olivia might be Luke's little girlfriend someday ... wouldn't that be a hoot?