Luke's Ninth Month!

Luke is now nine months old!

This past month was an EXCITING one! Why, you ask? Because LUKE STARTED TALKING!

Luke’s first word? “Dada.”  For a few weeks, we were hearing “dadada” at the appropriate times, and Carl was so skeptical that Luke was calling for him.  I insisted he was.  But he couldn’t be sure.  Luke would be laying quietly in bed, and when Carl would walk into the room, Luke would look over and say “Dada.”  So sweet!

Then one night at church, we all got ready to pray. Luke was sitting in his daddy’s lap and he turned to try to nurse as we all bowed our heads. Realizing he was in the wrong parents’ arms to nurse, he screamed. Carl (turning red) shoved Luke into my arms so I could go nurse him and not be a distraction during prayer. Luke got a huge smile on his face and yelled “Mamama!” as I reached out for him.  He grabbed onto my shoulders, and I just beamed!  My little boy said “Mama!” How precious he sounded! Women around me lifted their heads and made eye contact with me and smiled, hearing him say it for the first time. It was a moment I will never forget. 

This picture was taken when we got home that night.

Since then, Luke has said several other words.  He was fussy for about a week before he started talking, and my mom kept telling me he might be getting ready to hit a milestone.  Little did I know, he would start talking!  Within the month, he picked up about ten more words. Belle jumped on the bed one morning and Luke looked at her and said “Hey Beh!” in the exact same intonation I use when I say “Hey Belle!” I was skeptical that he just said that, but when the intonation and the timing works out perfectly…well, how can I deny it? Since then, he he has said it many more times.

(Something you should know about Belle- she’s a barker. She barks at every noise coming from our front yard, every person walking by our windows…which can be a good thing, but more often than not I find it annoying and get on to her.) Yesterday, Belle was looking out the front window and started barking, and Luke was hanging out with his toys. In a frustrated sounding voice, I heard him holler “Beh!” I couldn’t help but laugh because it was obvious that he learned that from me telling Belle over and over to be quiet!

Last week, we had a yard sale (selling tons of stuff to get ready to move across the country, yay!) and Belle was in the house barking.  I asked Luke if he heard the dogs barking.  He said “dog” (which sounds like “daw”) and I said “Yes, the dogs are barking!” And he said “Beh!” I told him, “Yes! That is Belle barking!”

More often than not, when Carl walks in the door after work, Luke says “Hey!” to him. When people talk to Luke I tell Luke “Say ‘hi there!” and once I heard him quietly say “Hi deh.” It was adorable.

A couple weeks ago, I told Luke I was going to call Poppa and very quietly, almost in a whisper, Luke grinned and said “Poppa.”

Luke also says “Nay” or “Nay nay” when he wants to nurse.  When babies are young, they have  five “words” that they say that come from reflexes. When they are hungry, they make a sucking motion and if they vocalize it, it sounds like “Nay.” (Google it, I’m not making this up…) We would hear Luke say it, so we would always say “Nay!” and then I would nurse him. That apparently reinforced him because to this day when he is hungry, he’ll say “Nay” or “Nay nay.” Last night, Carl was putting Luke in his jammies after bath and Luke was looking for me.  He looked at Carl and said “Mama nay nay…” so Carl told him I was coming and he quietly waited! So precious.

This month, Luke has been busy rolling everywhere!

Even into my closet!

He will roll all the way across the room to get to a toy if he so desires.

A couple of weeks ago, our family went to Yosemite Bible Camp for a church family retreat.  We went to a couple of classes, and hiked to a little creek.

That's the same bench that we took our family picture on a couple of years ago.  My how we have changed! See?

Photobombed by Derrick!
Here's a better shot of Ruia and I with our babies (her little girl's name is Maya)!

By the way, here's a photo of me holding Maya last year at this same time... (so technically, it's Maya and Luke's first photo together...)

During down time at the retreat, Luke hung out with his buddy Jack.

 I handed Luke a soft baseball of Jack’s and Luke said “Bah!” He got so excited (and so did I because I didn’t know he knew what a ball was)! Here’s a video for proof…
https://www.instagram.com/p/mJ4w0xGSIgRaY81bgwK4nRrykhdaS1Qfj_d3k0/?taken-by=lindsey1020

I'm so blessed I get to hang out with my little buddies all day!

A few firsts...

This month, Luke swung in a swing for the first time! He loved it!

Here's Luke eight months out, on the same swing that we used when he was eight months in!

 

 Luke felt grass for the first time this month too!

Luke held a sippy cup for the first time...

Luke wore overalls for the first time....

And Luke rode in a shopping cart for the first time!

And, Luke wore a fedora for the first time! (Yes, I bought it for him!)

Luke loves....
his doggy...

...and napping with mommy. (His legs always end up on me like this.)

...the baby in the mirror!

...and books!


And Luke loves his Mickey jacket from his Great Aunt Eva! (Thank you!)

They say there's no such thing as too much fun, but I'm pretty sure I'm having it with Luke!
Here are a few videos from this past month.
Luke shaking his head:
https://www.instagram.com/p/lvdqxxGSFD3J-AflrcYp8ZsixVS5zShVtzLy00/?taken-by=lindsey1020

Luke being silly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4ckge-37fg

Luke being expressive and demanding some smoothie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pa3RjZnQqE


That's all for now, folks! Till next time!