Three Months and Counting!

Since our little guy is turning four months at the end of the week, I thought I would squeeze in a three month update before it's officially outdated. 

In his busy third month of life, Luke spent almost all of it with Mere Mere, Uncle Matto, and Opa D in Alabama. He took several road trips to Tennessee to visit Andrew Jackson's Hermitage and Gatlinburg and grew very sick of his carseat in the process. 

*on the left, Luke is having his diaper changed in the gardens at the Hermitage*

He smiled much more readily, though usually still preferred his serious scowl, and wiggled a lot more than he used to. He became much more dexterous with his hands, being able to occasionally grab onto toys if they were close enough, and was able to focus on people's faces and objects more easily. Luke loved sitting in Mere Mere's little baby seat to check out what was going on around him and still enjoyed laying by himself on a play mat. Luke enjoyed attending Sacrament Meeting and kicked off his first Alabama ward attendance by loudly messing his pants in the middle of the Sacrament prayer. He also had the unfortunate experience of getting his tongue clipped to see if it would help with his breastfeeding, which he did not enjoy but handled like a trooper. He started out the month sleeping for seven hours a stretch, which mom was extremely happy about, but then decided he missed her too much to go for that long and went back to waking up two or three times. With all of the attention and company and fun, he definitely misses the fun time he had in Alabama!

Water Baby

A rainy (unsuccessful) day at the pool.

Two Months

After Seattle, Luke spent a month with the Shaner side of the family in Boise getting to know his two uncles and grandparents better while his daddy studied for the bar. He also spent a few days in Buhl, ID getting to know his great grandma and grandpa Whitt.

Over the past month, Luke has developed an unfortunate sense of who is currently holding him, and has decided that he dislikes people he doesn't know, particularly when he is tired or hungry. He is awake for a big part of the day now, taking naps every couple hours or so, and is practically sleeping through the night, going down at 9 or 9:30 and sleeping until about 4:30 in the morning, then going back to sleep until about 8:00. He still despises tummy time, enough to roll over a few times from his tummy to his back a few weeks ago, an ability that unfortunately didn't stick since he hasn't done it since. He still enjoys looking at light fixtures, but is focusing much more on people's faces as long as they aren't too close. Luke is also smiling! Albeit still pretty stingily. He thinks his daddy is hilarious, though, and Ken can get a smile from him more easily than most people (including his mother). Luke usually talks quite a bit if he's in the mood for it and is very good at finding his mouth with his hands. He has very expressive eyebrows and deep blue eyes, and his hair is slowly but surely gaining lighter and possibly reddish highlights. Luke has also decided that a pacifier isn't for him after taking to it so readily when he was younger (much to the chagrin of his parents), and will only take it occasionally if extremely upset and coaxed into it by someone holding it firmly in his mouth. He will suck on his hands if he can find them, and once managed to suck his thumb for a good thirty seconds before accidentally pulling it out of his own mouth and becoming extremely mad that he had lost his treat. For the most part, however, Luke is extremely mellow and rolls well with the punches.

See Luke Grow!

Baby Luke's First Month

Luke's first month was far more eventful than his mother would have preferred. At two weeks Luke got to witness his daddy graduate from law school. He was an angel, only pitching a fit after the festivities were over. 

At three weeks of life we moved from our little apartment in Chicago to a wandering lifestyle for the summer, taking Luke's first plane ride to Seattle to visit his Young grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

The girls enjoyed peering quietly at Baby Luke and holding him, while his boy cousins were far more amusing in their first encounters. Danton fell prostrate, unhappy to see his mother holding another baby...

while monster baby Caleb grinned and promptly tried to bite his toes. 

After our brief stint in Seattle, Luke took his second plane ride to Boise to spend time with the Shaner side of the family. Being the only child and the first grandbaby, he was a little spoiled and, at times...

overwhelmed. :)

During his first month, Luke has become much more alert and awake during the day, and is a spectacular sleeper at night, going right back to sleep after eating. His favorite things to look at are dark shapes on the walls and ceiling fans, which he will occasionally smile at. He hates tummy time more than anything else and will handle most other annoyances with stoicism and an occasional grunt. He enjoys using his hands and wrings them while he looks around, but will calmly fold them over his chest while he sleeps. Some of the loudest noises Luke makes are his toots, which we have aptly named big man toots as they are often louder than anyone else's and are usually accompanied by very stern scowls and loud grunts. He's a little boy, through and through. 

Introducing...(finally)

the newest member of our little family, 

Luke Russell Young.
(and yes, he's been around for a while. for those of you who blogged before your first child was ten weeks old, I commend you.)

Weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs. 6 ounces, at 23 1/2 inches, he was a bit of a celebrity at the hospital, earning such nicknames as "the football player" and "baby hulk". 

His birth was remarkable.

Welcome to the family, little peanut.

Preggo Progress

We have been terrible at taking belly pictures every week, but have gotten enough that I think the difference is noticeable. 

From 21 Weeks...

to 28 and 31 weeks, respectively. 

As far as the actual pregnancy goes, everything is still pretty smooth sailing. I'll break it down into some easily manageable categories.

• Sleep: Better than it was for a while. I think I've gotten so exhausted that despite being horribly uncomfortable I still sleep through the night (mostly). 
• Cravings: Grapefruit. At least one a day. 
• Aversions: None, as far as I know. I haven't really had heartburn or unpleasant reactions to any foods--although Peanut does get more active after a spicy meal. 
• Weight gain: healthy.
• Baby movement: Constant. I can tell that space has become a bit of a premium in there. Movements have stopped being actual kicks and feel more like sharp knees and elbows and feet dragging around on the inside. They aren't painful (yet), but are definitely uncomfortable now. 

All in all, I think I have reached the best belly size. I'm definitely pregnant-looking (strangers ask me when I'm due) but I haven't yet reached beached whale. 

Only nine weeks to go!