Fast Facts

It’s Mindy…can you believe it! I haven’t blogged since I was pregnant. I know I won’t be nearly as funny or entertaining as Chris, but I thought I would say ‘hi’ to everyone and catch you up on what’s happening in Baby Luke Land. Don’t worry, I won’t take over the blog entirely…it’ll still be Chris’s baby with an occasional blog from me. =)

First of all, thank you so much for your comments, thoughts, prayers, e-mails and phone calls. I apologize I haven’t been able to stay in contact as much as I would like to lately. We are beginning to get into a routine though, so I should be getting better. =)

Here are some fast facts on Luke: Luke is 6 ½ weeks now. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone! Now I know what parents feel when they say “you blink and they’re grown up!” As quickly as these few weeks have gone by, I feel like he’ll be walking tomorrow! Luke is huge…growing every minute. I have no idea how long he is, but he has to be at least 11-12 lbs. His skin has cleared up with the occasional baby pimple. He still has a bit of dry skin on his “old man hair” head. He’s really filled out too. He’s chubby from head to toe and oh so cute! He’s tracking things very well, sucking on his fist when a pacifier isn’t close by, he’ll look at you and really see you now, he starts with loud noises, he has developed many different expressions and cries, he makes cute little sighing noises and squeaks and grunts, he even rolled over from his stomach to his back yesterday! I think the rolling over thing was a fluke, but still, I was pretty impressed even so. We think he’s lactose intolerant for now. When I eat dairy, he gets really, really fussy and acts like he’s in a lot of pain, so I’ve had to cut dairy from my diet…which isn’t an easy thing. I’ve also cut peanuts because they seem to do the same thing. At least I can still drink coffee…for now! =) I’ll try to reintroduce dairy and peanuts later on when his digestive system is a little more mature and see if he can handle it, but for now, I’d rather have a happy baby then a glass of milk or a cheesy enchilada…and you know how much I love both of those! He’s starting to enjoy his baths and just looks at us with this perplexed expression when we wash him. The only thing he doesn’t like is the transition from the tub to the towel to a new outfit. Once he gets warmed up again he’s fine…but really, who likes the cold blast of air after getting out of a nice toasty bath or shower?

As far as postpartum Mindy, things are going well. I’ve healed nicely and things are starting to go back to normal as far as my body goes. I’ve lost about 26 pounds with about 10 more to go. My skin is still soft and stretched, but I know that takes time to rebound. I also didn’t get out of the whole thing without stretch marks…some of which I didn’t know I had because I couldn’t see the underside of my belly when I was so huge! It’s all good though and I don’t really care too much about it…as long as Luke is happy and healthy, I am as well. Feedings are going better. He’s cut his time in half. It used to take about an hour to feed him with only an hour between before he was hungry again. He’s still hungry every 2 hours, but it only takes about 20 or so minutes to feed him now. Feeding in public is something else I have to get used to. It’s hard to situate baby and blanket all while remaining modest. As much as we’re out and going though, I’m trying to learn quickly. So all in all, things are going well…busy, but good. =)

Well, Chris is ready to go back to work, so I need to sign off to take care of the baby. I do hope all is going well for everyone!!! Here are some new pictures!



Arts in the Park - we attended Oklahoma on Sunday night (Great Job Luke Petersen!) Luke Scott really enjoyed himself at the beginning, but unfortunately we had to leave before the end because his stomach started to hurt and he got really fussy.



Here is the evidence of Luke rolling over (the fluke)...I always have my camera close by! I'm obsessed with taking pictures right now!



Chris and Luke enjoying a little down time during lunch



Luke trying to warm up after a bath

More Luke-age

OK, "tonight or tomorrow" turned in to a few days more, but did you expect less? That's ok. Mindy is now done with VBS, so maybe we can be married again. This has been a busy week, or so it seemed. WIth VBS and everything else, it felt crazy. Yesterday I went to a cook-out with my battalion, and they gave Luke his honorary sippy cup with his name engraved on it. My dad said now he belongs to the Army...wow, sorry son. Mindy had a doctor's appointment for her post-partum check up earlier this week. She checked out ok, with a few stitches left to go but otherwise healing nicely.

As promised, here are some more pictures:


What a face!


This is his lady killer pose- showing off the chest


Mindy always feels left out of the pictures, since when she holds him it's often while she feeds him and you guys don't want to see that. This is a rare non-feeding picture.


These next two are now Mindy's favorites...she finds new ones every week


What a future heart breaker...

"Mindy, as we stand here today on our wedding day..."

OK, I can't remember the rest of that particular vow. Of course that was four years ago....TODAY! Holy smokes, we're not even eligible for the Newlywed Show now. Yes, it is indeed our 4th wedding anniversary, and my how things have changed since then. I was a newly commissioned ossifer in the Army of these United States...and was a house husband while I awaited my orders. Mindy was a studious overachieving college senior, brought low by the poor influence of her Madden-ing husband. But we lived on love, so they say...

Well who said the romance was dead? Tonight, in celebration, we will conduct two simultaneous yet also separate ceremonies. Mine will be on the softball field, and Mindy's will be at church for VBS. Yes, we will celebrate four years of wedded bliss by spending the evening apart. Oh well. We'll do something fun next week after VBS is over, even if it's just dinner. This kid has really pretty much taken over everything anyway, God bless him.

So wish us a happy anniversary, and raise your glasses to another fun four years- heck, make it forty while you're at it. But be sure to subtract time away for deployments, CTC rotations, field exercises, and other Army related marriage-builders.

I'll post some more pictures tonight or tomorrow. Have a good one!

Random Luke Pics - Part Deux

Some pics to tide you all over while you wait for me to blog...I can tell it's been a while since Mindy is now bugging me about it. But for now, here you go:


He was upset when I beat him at NCAA Football




The double Luke action in this picture is cool


Darn...she caught me napping with him this time


But I got her back...


This is our new desktop background















Awww!

Random Luke Pics - Episode 1

Luke's growing like crazy- we looked at pictures from the day he was born (a month from yesterday) and he's changed so much. A lot of it is just putting on weight. Our daily routine is now quite boring; I'm having some trouble blogging often about how Mindy feeds him, burps him, Luke spits up, Mindy cleans up, Luke either sleeps peacefully or stays awake and looks around or fusses, then rinse and repeat. I think I'm going to start writing short stories just to pass the time on here, and to keep you all occupied before you see Luke pics. OK, that's too much work. I'd rather just watch ESPN.

I apologize to everyone for my slacking; I have no excuse. I could say since my parent's computer (2 actually, plus TV, VCR, phone, etc.) got zapped by lightning while they were here, I didn't want them to miss out. But that would be a lie.

Anyway, here's some pics over the last few days for everyone to enjoy:

Alone Again...

Everything is dark now. The fear set in this afternoon. What do we do? Where do we go? Luke's wailing echoes throughout the house, reinforcing the loneliness. Mindy lies on the bed, curled into a fetal position, crying. I remove my thumb from my mouth long enough to type these words. We are alone.

OK, things aren't that bad yet. Mom and Dad left this afternoon, and are in the air right now, returning back to the MD. They didn't look too distraught, but I think since Mom had a practice goodbye on Sunday that they were ready this time. I dropped them off at the airport just after noon (central time), and they should be home around 9 tonight (eastern time). It was a great two weeks, and they were a big help. I want to thank them again- this time publicly- for all their help and expertise. They have a track record of raising tremendously successful- and beautiful- children, so I relied on them a lot. So that makes a month and a half of continuous grandparent support, with both of our parents assisting over time. So now we're on our own...

It's a little scary on our own, but I feel very prepared (Mindy says she does too). I think I'll miss that third (or fourth) pair of hands to help us out, whether it's to run and grab a shower or whatever. But we'll make it. Both of our parents taught us lots, and I think we are ready to really take control...not that we weren't before, but you guys know what I mean. Luke seems indifferent so far, but once he realizes that he's stuck with just his mom and dad now, he may start to freak out a little.

So, here's more pictures. BTW, it's good to see that the comments are back. See, I told you I would fix it.


We came down and found Luke in Mom's suitcase...


They were trying to smuggle him through airport security...


Luckily we caught it just in time.


Mom's last few minutes with Luke...until she gets the shakes and buys a plane ticket back to Kansas


Luke appears to be smiling, but we all know what he's up to


At the airport...for good this time


That's the look of a full stomach


Inspired by Kobayashi, Mindy chooses hot dogs for lunch today. She just missed the record...


Luke, walking like an Egyptian

Happy 4th to everyone!

Delayed Departures

Sunday afternoon we tried to get rid of Mom....but US Airways wouldn't let us. Her flight got delayed in KC, and before we got her on the plane here in Man-happenin, they told us she might not make all her connections and could get stuck in Philly overnight. So she ended up staying in town until tomorrow, and is on the flight back with my dad. Crazy...she swore her boss wouldn't believe that it was really out of her control. So Henry, if you read this, I can be a witness that she really did try. She was so disappointed she didn't get to leave...OK, that's a huge lie. She was definitely glad to come back home and surprise Mindy after she'd already done the tearful goodbye.



I do have to apologize for accidentally disabling the comments feature on the blog last week. I was messing around with the settings and inadvertantly checked the "moderate" option. When I looked in the moderate tab tonight, I saw we had 22 pending messages...whoa. So sorry. I set it back the way I had it, so if you comment and it doesn't show up, I'll know what to do now.



In that same vein, Mindy wants to thank everyone for all the comments. She reads them all, and appreciates all your interest in our lives, even if it borders on obsession. She also wanted to thank everyone for the birthday greetings. She swears that she'll post one day... I know you are all sick of my smart aleck comments. In her defense, she's a little busy...Mom described it as being "udderly occupied" if you catch my drift (Mom has spent way too much time married to my dad). She ends up spending a lot of her time attached to Luke. But she will comment, I give you my word.



So this has been a busy several days since last post. I went back to work for Friday, during which time Mindy and I got our ID cards redone (since I've been a captain for four months now and my ID still said 1st Lieutenant), as well as got our vehicle re-registered on post because of our new windshield. We ended up staying in that night, watching a movie, and playing Balderdash- at which I destroyed everyone, FYI. I really am that good. Saturday we went bowling in Manhattan. It was a great time, and Mindy definitely enjoyed getting out. After that we went to Famous Dave's (for the first time since it induced Mindy to labor). I honestly think I've eaten so much food the last four weeks that I'm now two times my normal size. I'm all over a diet when everyone leaves. We did the church routine on Sunday morning, Cracker Barrel for lunch, and then got the word mom was staying in town in the afternoon. We went out to Chili's last night for some dessert, continuing our non-stop food binge. Dad and I played golf this morning (I won by three strokes...and yes, there was a little cheating from both of us) and then we all went out to eat and do some grocery shopping. Tonight has just been spent relaxing and trying to find something interesting to watch on TV.









Luke has been changing so much over the last few weeks. It's kinda hard for us to really see it since we're with him constantly, but he's gotten so big and he's more alert more often now. He can hold his head up for a long time when we sit him up, which is really cool, especially when he looks at you. He can't track too well- at least it's hard to tell what he sees sometimes- but he definitely sees things in front of him. It's really amazing. He's been feeding like a madman- I think he's competing with the rest of us in some sort of eating contest. Mindy feeds him, at which he eats for almost an hour per sitting. Then we have about two to three hours to do something before he wants to chow down again. We're still not on a true routine, but it's developing. Night time is still routine-ish, but days are up and down. He still gets gassy a lot, so we're taking comforting tips from dad before he leaves. He's much more alert, so we have lots of fun looking at him and making over him when he's awake and not crying or feeding.





As before, here's the latest pictures for you all to enjoy. My apologies again for the comment snafu; hopefully all's well now. I was wondering where everyone went...and then I realized it was my fault. Yes, I am the guy who helps defend the nation- in fact my job is in communications and involves computers. Sleep well, America. Sleep well.


Yes, Mindy's birthday cake was decorated with a "25" written in sugar


What an idiot...


We tried to get mom to act like she was mad she had to come back, but she just couldn't find her motivation


"Oh, I do declare"


Mom Mom and Luke


Jabba the Hutt


The three generations of Scott men- Steve, Chris, and Luke


Luke is not happy here


Nor here...you can tell the order we took the last three pics, huh?