luke gets a visit from his gram and an update on luke's follow-up neurology appointment

luke's gram from georgia came up for a visit last week. we had a great time visiting and trying to stay warm during the coldest weather we've had so far this winter.

luke had three doctor appointments last week and gram came to all of them with us. he had great check-ups across the board. luke's follow-up neurology appointment went very well. his doctor said that luke is meeting (and in some cases even exceeding) all of the developmental milestones for a two-month old. now the plan is for luke to have a repeat EEG in early january (the 6th) and assuming that comes back all clear, we will start weaning him off his nightly dose of phenobarbital (the anti-seizure medication). we pray for good results of that test. after that he will then be seen again by his neurologist every couple of months for a check-up, again, to make sure he is doing well and that the seizures have not returned.

additionally, luke met with a physical therapist from the northwestern NICU follow-up clinic. she had nothing but great things to say about luke and was impressed with his neck/head control (thanks to all the tummy time he does). he will continue to see her every couple of months just to make sure he continues to develop as he should. and luke continues to have a physical therapist through early intervention see him once a week as well as an occupational therapist once a month.

we are so thankful for all of the doctors and therapists that watch over luke. it certainly gives us peace of mind to know that he is being cared for and watched closely by professionals. we continuously pray for his development and for the spot on the left frontal lobe of his brain to heal.

now, here are some pictures from luke's visit with gram.

luke and gram relaxing on the couch.

gram singing and talking to luke on his changing table - this is where he does his best talking!

gram brought luke his very own advent calendar. luke loves staring down the wisemen. he's actually reaching for baby jesus in this picture. coincidence...i think not! luke already knows the true meaning of christmas! :)

luke meets santa claus!

today we went up to northbrook mall to meet santa claus! luke has been such a good boy and we just know santa will bring him lots of goodies on christmas day!

waiting our turn to sit on santa's lap.

psst..."hey, do you know who this jolly guy is? it's santa claus! hope he's flattered that i have a matching hat."

and this is just a bath time picture from tonight that we had to share. luke is smiling so much these days!

luke is 2 months old! 12.6.09

luke turned 2 months old on december 6th. here's his monthly picture.

yep, i'm a 2 month old stud. look how much i've changed in just four weeks! i had my two month appointment with my pediatrician last week. here are my new stats:

12 lbs, 4 ounces (75th percentile)

24 inches long (90th percentile - did we doubt, i'd be a tall guy? i'm already wearing my 3-6 month clothes!)

i also, got four shots and i was "strong like bull" during them. my mom, however, wasn't so strong.

being two months old can be tiring.

luke prepares for christmas

luke is really excited for his first christmas this year!

luke is a jolly little guy trying out for the role of santa claus.

well...maybe he's not jolly all the time. :)

and just another santa hat picture for fun!

while asleep, luke puts the final touch on our christmas tree this year.

a special ornament for luke - baby's 1st christmas!

luke found his thumb!

luke has a new friend that he likes to discover when he is tired or bored. he doesn't always get just the thumb in his mouth and usually ends up with several fingers, but we've been able to document the full-on thumb three times now. we're sure he's going to be a hard core thumb sucker once he gets the full hang of it.

luke got bored and sleepy with tummy time, so he found some comfort from his left thumb.

sleepy time in his crib. left thumb again...

luke sleeping on his gram. this time he found his right thumb! guess it doesn't matter which one as long as it's a thumb! luke's also showing off how well his IV burn continues to heal.