Simply Amazing

As you all know, I'm fascinated by everything that my child does (as every mother is).

The other day, Andie walked out of the room and Luke said "bye" and waved at him as he made his exit. But it was not his usual "wave" (which is just sticking his arm out in a Nazi salute kinda way) it was an actual real wave which involved bending his wrist to make his hand move up and down. Amazing!!

This past week, Luke also learned how to get into a sitting position from his tummy! This "developmental delay" was the whole reason that we have been going to physical therapy and now Luke does it like he's been doing it for months. So what if most 9 month olds know how to do that... when my child does it at 13 months - it is simply amazing!!

(yes, he can even do it with a stuffed flamingo in his mouth)

Ah, and let's not forget the objects that he knows!

me: "Luke, where's your key?"
Luke: (points to the key hanging on the hook)

me: "Where's Nemo?"
Luke: (points to the box of wipes with the Nemo sticker on the front)

me: "Where's mom?"
Luke: (scans the room with his eyes. scans it again. finally ends up pointing to the light fixture above the kitchen table.)

me: "Where's dad?"
Luke: (scans the room one more time. points to the box of wipes again)

Ok, I didn't say he was a genius.

He's making progress though and that means, again, that he is amazing!!

Here are a few other things that he's been doing lately (all incredibly amazing to me):

He likes to say "ah-oh" when he drops (or throws) things from his tray during meals. The photo above is a prime example of all the "uh-oh's" that can occur in one single meal.

He's starting to pull up a bit. He likes to get up on the ledge of the fireplace and crawl aross. He goes back and forth, back and forth.

The enthusiastic walker! The most amazing feat of all!

13 months and 4 teeth

Two on top and two on bottom.

Physical Therapy (Part 1 and 2)

Yesterday was Luke's second Physical Therapy appointment. As it turns out, this was actually his first "real" appointment.

Let me back up... we first met with the Physical Therapist last week. She observed Luke and asked us a bunch of questions. She gave us tons of really interesting information about preemies, developmental delays, etc. Her "diagnosis" of Luke was that, like many preemies, he was having issues with sensitivity and pressure - that's why he doesn't want to get up on his hands and knees or pull up.

To help with this, we were instructed to brush our child. That's right... brush him. She gave us a soft bristled brush to make long strokes on the front and back of his arms, and front and back of his legs. We are to do this at every diaper change (as a reminder to do it during the day). The brushing is supposed to help de-sensitize him a bit.

Our other exercise was to gently, but firmly, squeeze up and down his arms and legs. This will help with his pressure issues. Basically, he doesn't like the feel of the pressure on his knees in the traditional crawl position, so he avoids it at all costs. Also, she pointed out that when Luke walks (with us holding his hands) his feet look like he's walking on a tightrope (rather than having a wider stance). She said that he does this to reduce the pressure on his feet because it probably feels funny to him.

Interesting stuff.

Fast forward one week, and we can already tell that he's been making some good progress! I'm not trying to say that our physical therapist is a miracle worker - because he actually started improving a bit the week before our first appointment - but it should be noted that he's doing quite well! He started pulling up on my lap then kinda sitting back on his knees, he pulls up on the stoop of the fireplace, wants to "walk" (with us holding his hands) nonstop, and he's even started sleeping on his belly with his butt in the air (I'm thinking that during the night that's probably helping a bit with the pressure).

Our second PT appt, however, was not as short and painless as the first. My lovely, strong-willed little boy, did NOT like being "forced" to do things that he did not want to do! He had to "side-sit" and he was not shy about letting everyone in the world know that this was not his preferred position. Andie and I actually had to leave the room while she worked with him because he just wanted to crawl over to us (with giant tears rolling down his face) in hopes of a little sympathy from mom and dad.

Once we were called back in the room, she said that she was actually pretty impressed with what he could do (once he kinda got the meltdowns under control). She said that he pretty easily got up on all fours and with one nudge to the hip, he went right into the sitting position just as he was supposed to. The only problem is that he does not want to participate in our fun, new activities. He likes his belly crawl and is not interested in learning a new way. I'm already trying to mentally prepare for a weekend full of screaming and crying as we work on our new moves.

Our instructions/homework from the second appt are to keep up the brushing and also work on the side sit -> all fours -> sit routine, plus another standing activity with a big ball (which he actually seemed to kinda like).

The physical therapist was also laughing because she said that she's never seen a baby like Luke - she said that while he was screaming and throwing a fit with her, he was just reaching up like crazy wanting a little comfort from her. She said she's never had a baby reach up for her like that just wanting a hug or to be picked up (since she is essentially a stranger and also the "bad guy" making him do things that he didn't want to).

That's my sweet boy!

10 Year Reunion

The fam and I loaded up in the Tahoe this past Saturday morning and headed to Huntsville for my 10 year high school reunion.

We attending the family picnic for a bit and also Amy's baby shower during the day.

Here is a hilarious photo of Luke at the picnic:

Luke and I having fun at the baby shower:

The reunion was a fancy affair at the Ledges in Huntsville. It was so nice to actually get dressed up and go out (sans child)! It is a rare occasion for Andie and I to get out at night - together. Big thanks to Kristen's mom for manning the monitors while the parents went out for a little adult fun!

Barnsby's and Hammond's (pre-reunion):

Andie and I at the reunion:

The girls!! Amazingly enough, this group of girls (plus a few others that couldn't make it to the reunion) have remained close friends through all the years. Many of us have been friends since elementary and middle school. We still get together multiple times every year for weddings, baby showers, beach trips, holiday parties, etc. Love these gals!!

*note: where's Allison? :)

Our reunion could have been a movie - there were all the classic high school reunion moments that you'd expect:

• awkward conversations where you couldn't quite remember someone's name and were trying to sneak a peek at their nametag
• the people who looked completely different because they put on weight since the days of being a skinny teenager
• overhearing one classmate say to another "whoa... you got hot"
• the guy who was WAAAAAAAY too drunk and making a scene
• hilarious hook-ups amongst the single crowd
• and of course, Allison's letter to herself (from 1999) where she said that she hopes in ten years that she will visit LA frequently, learn cajun dancing, and have sex tonight. Classic.

We had a great time!

Two Pics

Ready for breakfast:

Driving the grocery cart at Publix:

Tomato Art Fest

This weekend we had some very special visitors come to town - the Barnsby's (well, not ALL Barnsby's - just Kristen and Andrew). We took the kiddos to the Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville. It was fun to spend the day outside, explore East Nashville, and people watch.

We had a great time, except for the fact that it was SMOKIN' HOT outside! We were all sweating buckets - but luckily were able to get our hands on some of those icy push-up pops from one of the friendly vendors, which provided some much needed relief.

When we all finally hit the level of being miserable in the heat - we headed back to casa de Hammond in Smyrna. On the trip back home, we captured this precious moment:


The little fellas were holding hands and watching Finding Nemo (Luke's new favorite movie). Sweet boys!

Nightly Routine

My favorite part of the day is our nightly routine with Luke. First, he eats dinner sometime between 5:30 and 6. Some of his favorite foods are: fish sticks, cottage cheese, blueberries, strawberries, grilled cheese, pasta with tomato sauce, carrots, black beans, kiwi, mango, oatmeal, and yogurt. I could go on and on - the little guy is a great eater!

At 6:30, we start bath time.

He loves splashing in the water and playing with his toys. His new favorite "toy" is his toothbrush. It usually doesn't get anywhere near his one tooth. :)

After the bath, it's story time! This is my ABSOLUTE favorite part of the routine!!! My little snuggly, cuddly boy loves to curl up with mom and read some books. He gets so drawn into the stories - it is so cute! Some of his favorite books are: Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon, Llama Llama Red Pajama, The Going to Bed Book, Pajama Time, and Dimity Duck.

Lights are usually out by 7 or 7:15. That's how we do it. Every night.

The Face

I know this was mentioned at the end of my last blog, but it has had us laughing for days!! The face. I guess this is his impression of how people squish up their faces when they "smile" for the camera. I can't get enough of it!