6 Months Old...Almost

Luke will turn 6 months one week from today. We had his pictures taken at Sears again last week, and this is our favorite shot. He is quite the challenge here lately as he continues to cut teeth and become much more active. We are trying to teach him to crawl, although I don't know why we are in a rush since that will just make life even busier. He is at a stage now where he wants to eat and drink with us, and he can be very difficult to put down for naps. It may be hard at times but John and I agree he is completely worth it, and it will only be for a short time. I'm sure some day we'll look back at this time and wish we could have it all over again.

The contemplative Luke. John really likes this picture of Luke. We had just walked outside, and he was taking it all in.

Up close and personal with Luke. 

We enjoy getting outside in the warmer weather. This is our Baby Einstein exersaucer that Luke loves to play in. This is also Luke's porcelain throne where he fills his diaper. I guess it's a relaxing spot for him because every time he's had a BM over the past 2 weeks, he's been in his exersaucer. No, that is not what he's doing here.

Time to eat!!! This was only the second time I pulled out the tray on Luke's high chair. We usually just use the chair with no tray since it's not as messy that way. He likes to chew on the tray so much that it becomes a distraction during his meal times. This was the first time I fed Luke where he was sitting up in the chair rather than laid back. 

Luke is sitting up fairly well now. He is propped up on our bed in this picture, but he can stay in a sitting position unsupported for several minutes. He catches himself from falling usually, but still needs our help at times.

Mommy, what are you doing? We have to go outside to get to the basement where I do laundry, so I took Luke along for the trip one day. I had to carry my laundry up in the basket so Luke fit well right on top. He wasn't too sure, but he didn't seem to mind the ride.

BIG EYES!!! That's the one comment we hear the most about our baby boy. "Look at those big blue eyes," they say.  

We call this Luke's old man face. He sucks in that bottom lip and looks so funny. He has started doing this since his 2 bottom teeth came in. 

Here's Luke at his baby dedication on Mother's Day. My mom and dad came in from North Carolina that weekend to see him dedicated.  

Here Luke is meeting a Luke-sized doggie. I think he thought she was a moving stuffed animal. This is my brother's dog, Missy Ann, who was more afraid of Luke than he was her. They checked each other out for quite some time. 

Luke absolutely loves seeing other kids. He really enjoys playing with his cousin Hunter. Hunter is so good with him. It's so cute to see them together. Hunter (4 yrs) will even talk to him with a baby voice and give him loving pats. We'll enjoy watching the boys grow up together. 

Mmmm.....hair. We found out 2 days after this picture that Luke was teething. So he really wasn't hungry here...just sore gums. He now has 2 bottom teeth. 

Luke and his Aunt Jennifer. This is my (Christy) brother Jeremy's wife. 

This is Luke's 4-year old cousin Hunter. This is my (Christy) brother's oldest son. We were at their house Mother's Day weekend visiting with all of my family. 

What a big boy! Luke is going to be too long for his car seat soon. In this picture I was trying to capture Luke's "stuck" arms. When I sit him down in his seat or in the high chair without adjusting his arms, he just leaves them wherever they are. It doesn't occur to him yet to move his arms down if they're hanging out of the sides of the seat. He's not really stuck. He just doesn't bend his arms to move.  

Let me out of here!!! We put look down to sleep while he's still awake. Sometimes he likes to play a little before going to sleep. This is how I found him during one of his playful moments. 

Our little thumbsucker. Actually, Luke enjoys sucking on his thumb and index finger. He occasionally takes a pacifier when he's hungry and sleepy, but usually he prefers his own fingers. 

Peek-a-Boo!!!! You are going to see some pictures of Luke below from the past week. He came down with a head cold on Wednesday and was diagnosed with a double ear infection on Monday. This picture was taken Monday night. As you can see, he is already feeling much better.
 

Here we are trying out our carrots on Friday. The poor guy was not feeling very well as you can tell from the picture 

Luke came down with a cold last Wednesday, and this was taken on Thursday night. He fell asleep in his high chair while he was eating his cereal. 

Yes, this is an old picture when Luke was 1 month old. I wanted to show how much he has grown. This is the "Before" picture. Check out the difference below. 

Luke is growing so much. I can't believe how he fills up the swing now. This is the "After" picture.  

Just hangin' out with Grammy. Luke was trying on Aunt Leigh Ann's hat.