Cool Hand Luke

The Best Gifts Come in Boxes

2009-09-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

Dear gift-giving world: save your money on gifts and just send empty cardboard boxes.

Gluttony, Thy Name is Luke

2009-09-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Luke's first birthday was a huge success, with the little man scoring lots of good presents and an unprecedented amount of attention from grandparents, great-grandparents, and a slew of aunts and uncles. The evening turned sour, however, when the guest of honor up-chucked all over his mother, perhaps resulting from the zealous consumption of birthday cake. This last picture shows how he was already beginning to regret his decision to be such a piggie.

Future Dawg

2009-07-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

We went to Athens today for Luke to get his first view of the UGA campus (and to visit some friends).

Pickin' and a-grinnin'

2009-06-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Luke taught himself a new trick last week. We went to the mountains to visit my grandparents (all three were there) and Luke decided this would be a good time to work on his fine motor skills. What kills me is that he does this fluid movement (into nose, slide down into mouth) as if the mouth is the natural progression for boogers. Is this an innate habit, to pick and then to eat? Charming.

You belong in the zoo....

2009-06-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is homo sapiens, in his natural habitat.

Battle with the Sippy Cup

2009-05-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

Luke has been having trouble mastering the sippy cup, preferring most of the time to chew on the spigot. I also think he tries to shove the entire thing into his mouth. Finally tonight he got it, and even figured out how to pick it up himself and get it in his mouth the whole way.

The Namesake

2009-05-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is Luke's great-grandfather Ford Morris, for whom he is named. Papa Ford loves Luke ("Pretty boy," he says).

The Cookie Monster

2009-05-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Luke loves cookies. The only ones he's had are these nasty teething biscuits that get slimy and smell awful. He thinks they're great even though a couple of times he's shoved them so far back he's gagged himself. He likes the idea of being able to feed himself. As you can tell, he eats cookies the way he does just about everything - with gusto and reckless abandon.

Piano Man

2009-04-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how remiss I've been in keeping the little man's blog up-to-date. It's been a busy spring now that I'm back in school full-time. Luke is also staying quite busy - constantly learning new things and testing his boundaries. As soon as he's conquered one feat (like pulling himself up to a stand) he is immediately seeing how he can improve - like by letting go with one hand and trying to inch out away from the table or couch. I love the fact that he's not complacent - always on to newer and better adventures! He's been crawling for a while, and he motors very quickly. Last weekend my whole family went to the cabin in North Carolina, and I think Luke's favorite part was discovering the piano. He loves to create racket.

Old Man Winter

2009-03-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Graham and I were very irritated at the winter blast this weekend (we left DC for this kind of weather?), but Luke thought it was very cool, and Homer loved turning the snow yellow. Here are some photos from the very brief time we spent out in the snow. It was kind of pretty, the flakes were huge and fluffy.

Budding Biped

2009-03-02T17:11:00.001-08:00

Luke thinks he's a super big shot when he's "standing." He can't pull himself up yet but, if he's holding on to something, can stand by himself for a long time. He loves to stand, but unfortunately doesn't seem to have much interest in crawling (he sort of scoots and plows his way across the room pretty quickly, but hasn't figured out the hand/knee locomotion of crawling).

A boy and his dog...

2009-02-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Luke thinks Homer is the most wonderful, funny thing in the world. Homer thinks Luke is a pest, but he tolerates him very sweetly. If Homer is lying on the floor, Luke will scoot over to pet (which mostly means pull/yank) and Homer will usually lick Luke's face and hands because he's an easy target. I've been very pleasantly surprised with how mellow Homer is around the kid. Look at the particularly pitiful look in poor Homer's face in the picture where Luke is jerking on his ear.

My Funny Valentine

2009-02-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

This was our first Valentine's Day with Luke. Graham and I cooked a really great dinner and had some wine. Luke always tries to grab at Graham's beers, and we learned that he also has a yen for wine. Mommy's little lush. Graham and I made chocolate covered strawberries for dessert and Luke kept trying to grab those too (he's quite the piglet), we we let him suck on some. It's his favorite taste so far. We thought he might like the strawberries and savor them like a lollipop, but instead he attacks them like a vampire and sucks the juice completely out. Luke will never learn how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a Tootsie Pop, I'm afraid.

2009-02-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

Sitting Up

2009-02-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

Luke is sitting on his own now (although he still needs help getting into the sitting position). He thinks he's quite the stuff. His posture is not great yet, but at least he's not lopping over anymore. He's learned that it's much easier to play with a lot of his toys in this position.

Adventures in Chow

2009-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

I know the last post was about food, but I thought these pictures were hilarious. We've been slowly introducing real food into Luke's diet and he's very happy about it. So far he loves peas, sweet potatoes, and apples (that's all he's had so far). He likes to "help" by putting his hands on the spoon to guide it towards his mouth, which usually means it ends up in his ears. He also loves to take rub his bib on his face so that any residual food gets all over the place.

First "real" food

2009-01-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

The little piglet has been requiring more and more food, particularly at night, and so we thought it might be time to introduce a little rice cereal into his diet. It was an interesting experience. He seemed to like it but, understandably, didn't quite know what his role in the whole process was (he sucks on the spoon and then does a raspberry, meaning most of the cereal ends up outside his gullet rather than in it). We're not sure if he's ready to continue with this - we'll try it a few more times and see if he really has any interest in the cereal. These are pictures from his first real feeding (notice the cereal that made its way up his nose).

Christmas

2008-12-29T07:54:00.001-08:00

Luke had a very eventful and prosperous Christmas, raking in lots of goodies. He also got to spend time with relatives who live far away, like Gramma and Pop, Aunt Gretchen, and Uncle Zach and Aunt Jessica. Luke had the starring role in our church's (St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church) Christmas pageant, playing baby Jesus. He was absolutely perfect during the pageant, looking cherubic as the congregation "beheld" him. I think he likes the attention. I will try to get some video footage of the pageant up soon.

And so it begins...

2008-12-16T17:19:00.001-08:00

Luke has figured out how to suck on his thumb and seems to prefer that to his pacifier. About half the time he's sucking his whole hand but sometimes, like in this picture, he singles out the tasty thumb. I also caught his index finger in his nose today - not sure if he was really mining for gold or if it just seemed like a comfy place to rest his weary finger.

The Drool Team

2008-12-10T13:53:00.001-08:00

Homer has really learned to love Luke. Today I thought I'd see if he would let Luke cuddle up to him. Luke needed a bath today anyway, so I put the stinky-slobber twins together for a photo op. Homer just curled up and kind of nuzzled Luke, like he knows this is his little boy and he has to protect him. It was really adorable.

Bad Mommy

2008-12-01T18:20:00.001-08:00

My mom doesn't believe that Luke ever cries or gets upset. Those of us who've been exposed to him recently know better. Tonight Graham was busy washing bottles and I was busy updating his blog (see previous post), and he was very irritated that he was being ignored. His little tantrum was kind of funny so I snapped some shots to show the not-so-lovely side of Luke Barron. The more I laughed the madder he got. I hope he doesn't end up in therapy because of this.

Christmas Ham

2008-12-01T18:06:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to get some good shots of Luke with the hopes of having a decent Christmas card this year. Unfortunately, he's such a ham that what I often end up with are funny pictures rather than cherubic smiles. The ones below I've titled "Christmas Grinch," "Gimme More Presents," "Mommy Can't We Stop With The Camera Now Please," "No Autographs, Please," and "I Just Pooped."

Sneaky Little Dude

2008-11-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we thought Luke had learned to roll over. Turns out that what he's learned to do is to shift his weight just enough so that he flops back on to his back - a cheap ploy to avoid spending time on his tummy (which he HATES to do). Now whenever I put him on his tummy he'll "roll over" just to get out of having to exercise. Very clever, Luke. You've outsmarted your parents.

rolling over - sort of

2008-11-18T18:59:00.000-08:00

Today Luke was being very playful and cute so I of course got out my videocamera. We've been practicing rolling over, but he hasn't done it on his own yet. About halfway through this video I turn him on his tummy, and he flips himself onto his back. We haven't practiced that at all. I'm not sure if this was just a random movement or something purposeful, but we got excited all the same. It doesn't take much for Graham and me to be impressed. I shot about 5 mintutes worth of video here, which was too much to download at once, so I divided the video into two. What's really incredible is how much progress he's made in just a few days. Compare this video with the last post and you can really see how much more he can crane his neck now .

Slobberpuss

2008-11-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

We just learned how to upload video to the blog. I shot this footage of the wunderkind today. He gives Homer a run for his money in the drool category. This was shot towards the end of tummy time so he gets kind of cranky, but not before he lets a big slobber make its way down.

Getting Strong!

2008-11-14T13:58:00.001-08:00

Luke surprises us every day with how much stronger he is getting. Some days he's a lazy bumb and then some other days he's crazy active. Today was a little of both - when I put him on his tummy this morning he just laid his head down and refused to squirm. This afternoon, he decided to humor me a little and work on his upper body strength.

Happy Baby

2008-11-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

Luke smiles all the time, but rarely for the camera. He was being especially cute today, so I decided to trick him and get some pictures. He caught on to my ploy.

Baracking the Vote

2008-11-04T11:10:00.001-08:00

Luke is all about Hope ("I hope mommy doesn't make me do tummy time today") and Change ("Please change my diaper now"), so I think he would definitely vote for Obama. Alas, I could not find a "My Daddy is for Barr" t-shirt for Luke.

The Great Pumpkin

2008-10-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

Caroline gave Luke her first Halloween costume to wear this year. Unfortunately, we didn't get many trick-or-treaters, so only Graham and I saw the little pumpkin. He was terribly cute.

Miscellaneous Cuteness

2008-10-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

These pictures are just some cutie-pie moments we captured and thought we'd share.

Bumbo

2008-10-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

We've found that children's products often have the dumbest names (Bumbo, Boppy, Binkie, etc.). This is a prime example. The Bumbo is an awesome invention - it's a squishy foam-like chair that helps babies learn to sit up straight. I put Luke in his Bumbo for the first time today (it's recommended for babies 3 months and up but his neck is really strong so I thought I'd try it for a few minutes). He seems to like the independence of doing it himself. Then I realized that I only have a few more months of being able to just cuddle the daylights out of him before he gets mobile so I took him out of the Bumbo and smooched all over him. Luke's not crazy about the smooches, as you'll also see from some of these pics.

best seat in the house

2008-10-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

Luke feels quite comfortable taking the best seat in the house away from his daddy. He is so easy-going that he'll just sit here, then eventually he'll slide down the leather but he won't complain at all. Graham likes to prop him up and then watch him slide. So cruel.

Petting Homer

2008-10-19T16:51:00.001-07:00

Luke and Homer shared some cuddle time tonight. Homer kept sticking his nose in front of the camera, but I was able to get a few cute pictures. When Homer decides to pay attention to Luke (which doesn't happen often), he is very patient with him. Luke is still not sure what to make of Homer.

Growing so fast!

2008-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast Luke is growing up. Two weeks ago I saw his first non-gas-induced smile, but he wouldn't let me capture it on camera. This past week, I took him up to the family cabin in North Carolina and he started smiling much more, almost laughing even. I've snapped a few pics of the cute little grin. He also started holding on to his rattle and shaking it around. I don't know if he's made the cause and effect link of his shaking the rattle, but he does seem a little amused with his new trick. He'll hold on to it for several minutes at a time.

Fairy Godmother

2008-10-14T14:59:00.001-07:00

This is Luke with my best friend, Carey Andrzejewski (pro. ahn-JEV-ski). She and her husband, Mark, will be Luke's godparents when he is baptised (sometime this year). Carey and I have been best buds since we were 11 years old. She recently received her Ph.D. and is on faculty at Auburn University. Mark is an extremely talented chef in Auburn. He is also one of the smartest people I know, and really the only other Bama fan in Luke's life besides me and my cousins Christen and Andrew. I'm hoping for some strong influence there on the SEC loyalty front.

Monday at the Park

2008-10-13T14:29:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of Graham's day off for Columbus Day and went to Piedmont Park with Homer and Luke for a walk and a picnic. We were not the only parents with dogs who had the same idea, but Luke was by far the cutest kid there. A little Yorkshire terrier puppy talked trash to Homer (who outweighs the Yorkie by about 90 pounds) - poor Homer looked really afraid and backed off. We were all very embarrassed for him.

Luke's New Trick

2008-10-13T14:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Luke discovered he can stick his tongue out. He does it constantly now. It's really cute, but I'm certain he's secretly backsassin' me.

My Boys

2008-10-08T18:50:00.001-07:00

I caught a really sweet moment tonight between Graham and Luke.

Homer the Guardian

2008-10-08T12:34:00.001-07:00

Today, Homer took an interest in Luke for the first time. Luke was having tummy time and Homer decided to take a few sniffs. Then he plopped down beside Luke to stand guard. Luke didn't quite know what to think about such a big snout in his face. I learned, about five minutes after these were taken, that Luke had delivered a nice "fudge" in his diaper - which probably explains Homer's sudden interest.

Grandparents

2008-10-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

Graham and I anticipate a lot of spoiling to come from these four people. That's what grandparents are for!

First Outing

2008-10-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

This was Luke's first walk around the neighborhood (he's about 2 weeks old here). He looks like such a little man!

Cousin Caroline

2008-10-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Luke's first (and only) cousin Caroline loves to hold him. He really loves her too - he seems perfectly content to be in her arms. I think they're really cute together.

Luke's first few days

2008-10-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from Luke's first few days at the hospital. He was born on September 4, 2008, weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz., measuring 21 inches long. Soon after he was born, Luke had some respiratory problems (pneumothorax, and a partially collapsed lung) which meant he had to spend 4 days in the intermediate nursery of the NICU. He recovered quickly and went home with a clean bill of health. Since then, he's been growing like a fiend. He's the love of our lives.