Luke's 6 Month Photo Shoot

Little rascal scratched his forehead on the way there!

We took Carson along so they could get a few together. this is as good as it got...

Seriously, what is wrong with me?

I made these baby shower invitations for a friend of mine. All printed, in envelopes ready to deliver...Then I realized she is having a boy...

Luke Six-Month Update

Six months old already and Mom can’t believe it! I am almost rolling over now. I get about half way and then I’m not sure what to do. It doesn’t help that whenever I’m practicing brother rolls me back. I guess he doesn’t think I should be rolling…Just in the past week I have decided that I love baby food. I am still trying to figure out exactly what my tongue should be doing while I am trying to eat, but regardless it is very yummy. I have grown SO MUCH in the last month. I am so round and chunky. No one can believe how big I’ve gotten so quickly.

I can’t decide if I want to take 2 or 3 naps a day. I am getting a little more scheduled though. I’ve been swimming a few times and really like it as long as the water isn’t too cold. I love to grab at toys now and love to chew and suck on them. Carson is starting to get jealous when I am playing with a toy and grabs it away from me (lucky Mom). Carson loves me a lot though. Whenever Mom or Dad says we are going to go somewhere Carson makes sure I will come too. He loves having me around. Overall I am a happy, good baby boy. Mom, Dad, and Carson are lucky to have me!


Stats:

• Weight 17 lbs. 12 oz. (46%)
• Height 28 in. (88%)
• Head 44.5 cm. (17.5%)

Happy Father's Day!

"Dad, you're the best. Thanks for reading us stories before bed, wrestling, letting us mow the grass and fix cars with you, and all that other cool guy stuff. We love you" --Carson & Luke

Shoes...

I think you can separate the different "eras" of your kid's life by their shoes. Carson has been wearing these for close to a year and has finally outgrown them, not to mention they are falling apart as well. He has changed so much since the first day he put these on! He has explored his world, learned so many new things, had fun every day in them, gotten in trouble in them...you get it, the list can go on and on. Now I look at him and he isn't that little toddler anymore, he is a full fledged boy!

While I'm not the type of person to keep these shoes for sentimental reasons, but I know that whenever I look at this picture I'll be reminded of my cute, rascally, sweet 2-year-old boy running around and laughing, with a dirty face, even dirtier hands, and all that bright blonde hair. Now I'm getting teary eyed!

Just in case you weren't sure how...

Good thing these instructions came in my new box of garbage bags. I don't think I would have been able to figure it out on my own...

It was a beautiful day!

After more than a year of waiting it finally came. I went to U2 last night and it was awesome! If you remember a few of my sisters were going to fly/drive here last June for a sisters weekend/U2 concert, but the concert got cancelled because Bono had to have back surgery. None of my sisters were able to make it this time around which was sad, but I was able to go with my friend Leah (same name crazy I know) and we had a blast. It was great to go with a fello U2 lover. One of my favorite things to do is go to concerts and out of all the concerts I've been to this was the one I was the most excited about.

It was a little stressful because Luke will not take a bottle and I was worried he would starve so Steve drove us down and I nursed Luke the second before we went into the coliseum. Steve said Luke did fine and wasn't hungry at all which was a relief.

The concert was amazing, no surprise there. I am more of a fan of smaller venues with less popular bands for the most part, but the cool thing about a band this huge is the stage/lights/pyrotechnics, etc. were incredible. Lenny Kravitz opened and he rocked.

It is so wonderful going to a concert where you love every song and are exciting and jumping around the whole time. I have so many memories that are connected to U2 songs. When they played "The Streets Have No Name" I felt like I was in Rattle and hum =). It was really cool to be in the stadium with 60,000 other U2 fans where everyone was singing and dancing along.

Lenny

Anyway, it rocked. I loved it. It was nice taking a Mommy break and feeling like a real person again. Thanks Steve for watching the boys and braving a hungry baby!

Luke Five-Month Update

***New posts below this one...

(Believe it or not this was the best one I could get. Not very cooperative!)

I am a “big kid baby” now as Mom calls it. I’ve got so much personality. I smile all the time. Everyone comments on how happy I am. I love to jump in my little play seat. I am constantly chewing and sucking on my fists and anyone else’s who will let me. I am usually taking 3 naps a day, but they are still all over the place. Mom is starting to crack-down and make nap scheduling more of a priority. In the past I’ve been napping in my swing, but Mom is making me nap in my crib now and I don’t like it very much. I am a very stubborn boy and can cry for a LONG TIME before giving up and going to sleep. During the night I am a very good sleeper. I usually wake-up around 4 am to eat, and then go right back to sleep. On average I go to bed between 7:00-8:00. I still refuse to take a bottle. Mom really wants to go somewhere by herself for longer than an hour or two so she is starting me on solids very soon. I am getting very drooley and am constantly chewing on my fist or someone’s finger. Mom wonders when my teeth are coming in. I continue to be very entertained by my brother. Sometimes I just break into laughter while I am watching him. He is very funny. I love to be tickled on my chunky thighs and love taking baths.

PRIVATE

Yep, I've been meaning to do it for a while...It's time. Post in comments your email address if you want to have access to my blog. If you don't want to post it you can mail it to my junk email address: leah_bonner@hotmail.com

I promise when I have a new post I will make my blog un-private, then post, then make it private again so it will show when I have a new post. (Make sense?)  That's what I hate about private blogs, I never know if you have a new post or not!

Speech

A few months ago I noticed that Carson's vocabulary and annunciation seemed to be lacking compared to other kids his age. He was learning and improving, but at a very slow rate. As a special ed teacher =) I decided to contact the Regional Center and request a speech evaluation. A few weeks later a speech pathologist and representative from the Regional Center came to our home and tested him...and yep, he definitely has a speech delay.

I was so interesting observing how they tested him. His cognitive levels are high for his age, but he has a delay in his expressive language. Because of budget cuts a kid can only qualify for services if they are:
a) 50% or more behind in one category, or
b) 1/3 behind in two categories.
He was identified with having a fine motor delay as well which was a surprise to me. His gross motor is so advanced that I didn't even notice his fine motor was lacking. He doesn't get services for this though. They just told me things I can do to help him improve. They wanted to put the two delays down in writing so he would qualify for the speech delay.

ANYWAY, He had his first speech appointment today and he loved it. His therapist is so great and she has a lot of toys! Carson had so much fun. I'm happy because it is very close to my house. He gets two 45 minute sessions twice a week. When he turns three the Regional Center turns him over to the school district and he will get to go to pre-school, YIPPY (for him and me!)

I know if Carson wasn't doing speech he would catch up eventually. I'm just so glad that I went through these steps so he can catch-up faster and before he starts getting frustrated. It's nice after paying taxes to fund all of the various government programs we can finally take advantage of one =).

FYI: If you think your kid might have some sort of delay it is much easier to get them services before they turn two. I'd contact your child's doctor and he can let you know who to contact. It might have been more information then you wanted, but there you go.