Luke is 4 Months Old!

Luke has gotten to try out a lot of new things this past month: bumbo seat, exersaucer, rice cereal, and Baby Einstein!! Luke thinks he is a big boy and wants to sit up to play all the time. He is very tired of having to play laying down so the exersaucer has been perfect!! :) He laughs a lot now which is so much fun. It is hard to capture his smile/laugh on camera b/c if he sees the camera he instantly gives you this "what is that big silver thing?" face. We are still anxiously awaiting spring so that we can get outside more - - hopefully it is just around the corner. We both have a bad case of cabin fever. Enjoy the photos below! His 4 mth old dr. appt isn't until next week. I can't wait to see how much he's grown and hopefully his shots will go as well as last time too!

One of my new favorite photos of my two boys.

Yes, it is still sweater weather here. His outfit is a little big, but I wasn't about to put him through another change of clothes or he would never cooperate! :)

Not too happy here!!

Now he's happy with momma :)


Watching Baby Einstein for the first time - he is mesmerized!!

Ok, the photos below are in reverse order. Our dr. told us we could start Luke on rice cereal at 4 months and we had high hopes. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give our first rice cereal experience a 2.5. He's not quite ready - maybe in a few weeks. Here he is after trying rice cereal happy to get his bottle again.

Not happy with the cereal.

"My hand tastes better than that cereal momma!!"

His first taste.

Sucking his thumb in the play gym.

Sitting in his Bumbo seat for the first time. He looks like a litte man here. He is growing up so fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mimi came to visit for a week...yay!! You can tell Luke had a great time with her. :)

Mimi wanted some photos of Luke in his overalls. Here you go Mimi:

3 Months Old Already?? (long post)

I cannot believe Luke is already 3 months old!! Time really does fly by with this little one. I want to take some time to reflect over the last 3 months. Let's be honest, the first 6 weeks or so with a newborn are tough. (Especially when Thanksgiving and Christmas fall between those 6 weeks.) It was definitely the most exhausting time of my life. There were days when I didn't even know if I had brushed my teeth or not. All I could think of is I should have been on those Suave shampoo commercials where the moms look terrible before getting their "Suave makeover"..... of course I always just looked like the exhausted mom and never the glamorous mom - maybe that's because I don't use Suave shampoo? Anyway, the exhaustion and crazinesss has obviously been completely worth it. I am head over heels for this little man. Some nights I can barely get through singing him a lullaby without tearing up. (Side note: Do any of you other moms find yourself not knowing any of the words to all the lullabies you sing? I just make up words most of the time and hope he doesn't remember) I am extremely grateful that God has given us this beautiful baby and am blessed beyond words to be a mom.

Here we are singing "The Wheels on the Bus". He loves to "sing" with mommy.

Luke continues to grow and grow everyday. He smiles and giggles and loves getting attention from anybody that will give it to him. He is sleeping on average 8 hours a night and fights naps during the day. Ever since I went back to work, he only takes bottles. It is challenging to get used to pumping and feeding him every feeding, but we'll get used to it. Let's just say I feel like all I do is wash bottles and shields all day long. Speaking of work, yes I went back and yes I QUIT shortly after! For those of you who don't know, I worked for a not very nice manager - I loved my coworkers, but my manager - not so much love for him. Danny and I are so excited that I get to be home all day with Luke now. :) We are also looking forward to the spring, b/c we got news that Danny was accepted into the University of Louisville's Family Medicine program!! We will be moving from Cleveland to Louisville sometime in May or June. Now we will only be 2.5 hours away from our family and friends in Nashville (instead of 9-10 hours). Danny also graduates from medical school June 6 and he cannot wait...I can't wait either. I am so proud of him!!!!! We will also be house hunting - so wish us luck! Needless to say, we have a lot to look forward to this spring! Here are some recent photos of Luke:

Luke giving his Nana some kisses

Some photos of Luke on his 3mth birthday:

**It was 60 degrees (which is very rare here) so he was excited to show off his bare feet

Ready for the Super Bowl - he looks like a little linebacker from this angle.

He loves his new turtle his daddy bought him (it's Squirt from Finding Nemo)

Luke is 2 Months Old!

This is a late post as usual, but Luke is now 2 1/2 months old! I can't believe how fast time flies with a little one. He brings so much joy to our lives - it is truly amazing! He smiles all the time and his little personailty is developing more and more everyday. He currently loves sitting in his swing, watching his mobile, eating his fingers and watching daddy dance - and I swear he imitates him sometimes and it's hilarious! Things mommy and daddy love - - Luke is taking the bottle well, smiling often, and most wonderful of all....he is sleeping 7 hours a night!!!!! Yay Luke! Hopefully blogging about this wonderful sleep achievement will not jinx us :)

Here are the most recent photos of Luke below. It is the middle of winter here in Cleveland and we have two more long months of cold, cold, cold! Luke does not get to go out often so we are most definitely looking forward to the spring weather. We have a bad case of cabin fever - even though as you can see below the snow is beautiful!! Hope you all are staying warm and cozy during these winter months!

**Oh, by the way, Luke was 12.5lbs. and 24 in. long at his 2 month check-up (putting him in the 75th percentile). He screamed only a little bit after his shots. Mommy and Daddy were very proud of him - - and Mommy kept it together too which was a good thing :)

Here is Luke on his 2 mth birthday ready for bed in his puppy pj's.

He is done with the photos at this point. We see this face a lot - it's just like his daddy's.

Here is Luke doing his tummy time - he is getting so strong!

Our little duckie after bath time.


Daddy washing his back - I think he looks so cute sitting up like this.

Here is Luke with his Auntie Leslie - one of mom's bestest friends. She came and visited us one weekend and we had a wonderful time!!! Mommy really needed some girl time. Thanks Auntie Leslie for visiting us!!! (Luke had a wonderful time with her - she's going to make a great mommy one day)

This is what Luke looks like when he's all bundled up for the below freezing temperatures in Cleveland. Let me tell you how fun it is to put this many layers on a 2-mth old only to get to Target to find that he's pooped through two of the layers already - did I mention we are anxiously awaiting spring weather????????

Luke and his first snowman built by daddy. Don't worry grandparents - Danny is holding him in this photo and he is not sitting directly on the snow. **A special thanks to Lauren for the AWESOME Patagonia snowsuit - it has been perfect**

Luke and Daddy checking out all the snow! I'm sure there is more to come this winter. Last year we got 20 inches in March!

Close-up of Luke's 1st Snowman.

Luke is 1 Month Old!

I cannot believe Luke is already 1 month old! It really does go by so fast - especially since the holidays are here too (time always flies around the holidays). We enjoy Luke more and more everyday. It is so fun to see his little personality develop. He is starting to smile and he has a fake cry that he uses to get our attention that is hilarious. Things he loves: bouncy seat, eating (duh), playing with his daddy and singing with mommy. Things he hates: baths and getting his finger nails clipped. I know he weighs well over 9lbs, but I'm not sure of his exact weight at this point. The outfit below was supposed to be his coming home outfit - it only took a month, but now it fits! Unfortunately, Luke has already had his first cold. He has had just a little bit of nasal congestion - mommy hopes he gets better very soon!!

Here are some photos of Luke on his 1 Month Birthday:

The face in this photo is just adorable - I had to post it!

Oops! He already snuck his little foot out of his sock!

Luke hanging out with daddy after his 1 month photo shoot :)

More visitors - Luke had a wonderful time with Granny Dolores and Grandpa George

Grandpa George had the magic touch for getting Luke to sleep :)

So much to be thankful for...

Sorry!! This is a very late Thanksgiving post...I've been a bit preoccupied these days with the little one. :) We had several visitors over the Thanksgiving holidays. It was so nice to see everyone....aunts, uncles, grandpas, grandmas, cousins, etc....we are truly blessed! A special thanks to Uncle Rick and Aunt Jess for preparing a fabulous Thanksgiving feast!

***Expect a Christmas post sometime in February...ha!!

(These photos are in random order, but who cares, right? I included a few more photos of Luke too...of course!!)

Luke is definitely hungry in this photo

Uncle Danny and the two little cousins
Cousin Grayden

Rob, Jen and Grayden

Uncle Randy and Aunt Lynsi meeting Luke

Uncle Rick and Aunt Jess meeting Luke

Our little turkey My favorite photo of all...Luke and his sweet daddy

Papa Hartman