Grandparents Visit

This past weekend Al's dad, Steve, and Step Mom, Patti, came to visit and meet their first grand baby. The picture above is of Steve holding Luke for the first time at the airport (I'm pretty sure he let out a few tears). They had lots of baby bonding time. We went to the Redhook Brewery for a tour and lunch.

Three Generations

Grandma Patti getting smiles

Hops (used in making beer)

Drunk Baby

I returned to work this past Saturday. I have mixed emotions about it. I did like the break and some adult conversation (not to mention we could use the extra money) but I did feel like I abandoned my baby a little. He was well taken care of by Alan. We're all going to have to adjust to the new schedule. I'm also interviewing nanny's to watch Luke for when I'm in school. Hopefully we can find someone we trust. Here are some recent pictures of Luke:

Driving his car/walker

Close-up in the car

Eating hand and smiling

Bath time

Very serious in the carseat

Costumes

I know it's barely September but I'm ordering the costume online and will need time for shipping. And I realize this Halloween is more for Alan and I than Luke but I can't help dressing him up in one of these cute costumes. I'm a little indecisive, so we need your help. Let us know which one you like best.

Little Skinker

Tootsie Roll





Teddy Bear





Hotdog

Super Baby

Muscle man





Lion




Nemo

Leavenworth

Jordan, Dave, Mom, Luke and Me (Al is taking the picture) in downtown Leavenworth

This past weekend my mom took us to Leavenworth for some relaxation. It was great to get out of town and our daily routine. For those of you who don't know, Leavenworth is a little tourist town on the other side of the mountains that has been made to look like a town in Germany. Alan and I spent some time in the beer garden enjoying some bratsworth, yummy German beers, and sunshine. We also went tubing (tubing is when you float in an inner tube down a river). I wish I could do that everyday, so relaxing.

Jordan enjoying some Brat!

Luke is a good lil' traveler. He passes out on car rides and only cries when he's hungry. For now I carry him around in this nifty sling. He loves it. He's tightly bundled up and can hear my heart beat, kind of like being in the womb.

Family Picture

1st Blog

Hi Everyone... I'm going to attempt to keep up a blog about our family. I don't have much time but I am dedicated to adding monthly entries at the very least. I will write about what's new with our family, jobs, school, life events, and of course anything to do with Luke. For those of you who are not up to date, here's the latest: Alan is still with Allied-Barton at Amgen pharmaceuticals. His most recent promotion was to Assistant account manager. He's an avid Seahawks and Packers fan (and still watches Favre occasionally too). He is very into photography (and is very good). Check out his work: http://goletaal.deviantart.com/gallery He has become a loving and attentive dad to Luke. I love watching the two of them interact. He has even been late a couple times to work because he's listening to Luke babble and smile.

The Boys

For myself, I go back to work Sept. 17th after 3 months of maternity leave. I left Starbucks last Feb. and have been going to school. I'm currently working on my prerequisites for nursing school. I have loved returning to school and even have a job in the evenings as a receptionist where I can do my homework. Motherhood has been the most rewarding and also the hardest single event I have ever encountered. We decided to exclusively breastfeed Luke, so I have been a little confined to the house. Besides that I have cherished my time with Luke.

A few minutes old

Luke entered our life (and turned it upside down) on July 1st, 2008. After a hard labor we were left with a healthy 8 pound 4 oz. baby boy. We named him Luke (not Lucas) Vincent Stetson. We choose Luke because it was short and strong sounding. We choose Vincent to honor Alan's grandpa that passed away last April.

Birth Announcement

As for Luke, he is now 2 months old and about 12 pounds. He changes and does something new everyday. He is smiling and speaking baby talk to anyone who will listen. It's adorable. He likes being put on his tummy and is holding his head up very nicely. Luke sleeps pretty good, he wakes only once or twice at night to feed and drifts back to sleep. The toughest part about taking care of Luke is in the evenings when my sweet baby turns into a cranky, fussy, and colicky baby. This is particularly hard on Alan because it' the time of day he spends the most time with him. We have lovingly (and sarcastically) dubbed this the "happy hour". I've been told this will end when he's 3 months old.

Happy Baby

Cranky baby

Anywho, check back here for updates and pictures. We'd love to hear from friends and family, and welcome any questions or comments.