life with luke: January 2011

As of January 13, Luke is 5 months old. He's eating oatmeal or rice cereal with fruits or vegetables for at least one meal a day - usually dinner. So far he seems to like everything, especially applesauce & bananas. He's still a very demanding, high maintenance baby which my sister says he gets from me. He wants constant attention, & if you're not giving it to him he will scream and cry until you do. It's very exhausting but he is so totally worth it! He loves to be held & walked around all the time (no sitting for him!). He will turn his body around & kind of push away so that we will face him out. We just bought the baby bjorn carrier & he LOVES it! I can't believe we went this long without it. I'll put him in it & just walk around the house or do chores & he is completely content. The only time that he's not needing constant attention is when he watches his Mozart Baby Einstein DVD - that thing is a lifesaver when I need a 25 minute break. He loves grabbing his feet & trying to get his toes in his mouth - it's so cute. He doesn't like tummy time & will scream until he flips himself over or someone turns him. Everything goes in his mouth, especially his hands. He will sit in his exercauser, johnny jump up, & bumboo in short spurts - no more than 10 minutes before he's crying to get out. We have 2 swings - 1 upstairs & 1 down, but he will only sit in it if he's watching his DVD - he does not like the swing otherwise. I think it's because of his need for attention & dislike of being alone.

Some other things he loves are being outside, taking a bath, looking in the mirror, seeing other babies, listening to me sing to him, funny faces, being tickled, & Oprah - & I'm not joking - I swear he loves her! I DVR'd an interview that she did & when she was on the screen he would smile & laugh at her. He obviously thought she was talking to him. I played it again the next day to show Brad & sure enough, he did it again! Then, tonight at my friend Jennifer's house we were watching the newest Oprah interview that she DVR'd where Oprah meets her half sister that she never knew she had & again he lights up & smiles only when she is on the screen talking. It was so cute! He also likes it when we read to him. His favorite book is the Cat in the Hat. He lights up & smiles real big as soon as I start reading that one. He always laughs at the same spots in the book too (I'm know it's just the way I say the words but I like to pretend that he understands!). He is the most precious baby & I love him more than life! Here are some recent pics.

This is Luke in his high chair - look how dirty it is! That's from one feeding. He insists on grabbing the spoon & guiding it to his mouth & that always makes a huge mess. I've since cleaned the chair & it looks like new again (for now at least).