My Baby Luke

My baby is about to turn one! He won't be a baby for much longer, a fact that is really pulling at my heart strings. I really can't believe it's almost been a year. I am feeling a little guilty today because I haven't blogged about him as much as I should have. There are a lot of things I just haven't recorded yet, and I've missed out on some great opportunities. I'm going to try to make up for it, so let me tell you a little bit about Luke.

He is an eater! Holy cow can that boy pack in the food. Case in point - for breakfast this morning he ate two whole pancakes with a side of applesauce! He will eat anything I put on his plate and then he has to try anything he sees me eating. I know he eats way more than Ashlyn or Trent did at that age, but he is definitely smaller than Trent was. Remember Trent's thighs? They were huge! I am curious to see all Luke's stats at his one-year appointment.

Not only does he eat anything he can get his hands that is edible, he goes for the 'inedible' as well. I'd like to think I keep a pretty clean house and don't have a lot of trash on the floor, but I have pulled all sorts of things out of his mouth. Really, it's amazing what he's found. His favorite thing used to be the rubber caps off of door stops. I was constantly taking those out of his mouth and replacing them until I got smart with a little bit of super glue and took care of that problem.

He is up to all sorts of tricks. He can clap. It's adorable. He can crawl. It's tiring. He can feed himself. It's messy. He can 1) climb up the stairs, 2) slide down the stairs, 3) pull himself up to standing, and 4) open drawers. All four of which have resulted in numerous bumps, bruises, and smooshed fingers.

He is teasing us with his verbal abilities. He has said 'mama', 'hi', 'Ash', 'Ashlyn', and 'Dad' - but he won't say them frequently and he will rarely do it on demand.

He's doing everything a boy his age should be doing. And I am extremely grateful to have a healthy, active baby who continues to grow, explore, and learn. My only complaint about this kid is that he won't kiss me! No matter how hard I try, he just won't do it. (Well, not very often anyway) Now, I know he loves me. He showers me with hugs and love, but if I pucker up, that stinker turns his face away. No kidding. Drives me crazy!

Even still, he brightens each and every day with his beautiful smile and infectious laugh.
I love him.