I posted on facebook this morning that I was starting a journal for Luke, so I thought I’d share what that is here on the blog. I mentioned it back in October, but I actually started it today.

I’m writing a journal to “future Luke” for him to read when he’s older. Right now our conversations are pretty simple, usually revolving around Elmo, our elbow, or bananas. I can’t tell him how cool it is to see him grow or how fun it is to tickle him, and if I wait 25 years…I’ll probably forget all this little stuff. So instead of waiting and having to remember it all, I’m writing it down for him to read some day. I don’t think I would have truly appreciated something like this from my Dad until I was married and on my own, or even until I had my first kid, but some day he can read it and I think he’ll enjoy it.

Today I told him all about the day he came into the world. There’s all these fun little details like how I had to run through the hospital to get the camera from the car, or how it was pretty scary that first day. I’m not sure I’ll forget that stuff, but it’s something that doesn’t come up in regular conversation. Either because we don’t consciously bring it up, or we get so busy in our day to day life that we forget to reminisce and talk about the past.

So now it’s archived for all eternity. It’s a long project that will take years and dedication to keep up with, but it’s also priceless. It would be so awesome to read what my dad was thinking the day I was born, and to read that 20+ years after he wrote it. Not only is it fun to read about yourself, but to get that insight into what your parents were thinking and feeling is something that’s hard to put a price on. I can’t say exactly how it will turn out, but I highly recommend all new parents give it a shot, because once you forget stuff, it’s gone forever.

I owe a complete baby post, and I should also do a Cambria post, but you’ll have to settle for a hodge podge of the last two weeks.

Took Luke for his 18 month check up (18.5 month if you want to get technical). He weighed in at 27.5 lbs, 33.5 inches. Put’s him right around the 70th-80th or so percentile. He’s doing better in height than weight, which I think at this point is a good thing.

And speaking of Luke, I like posting that kind of stuff on here as a way of journaling. In the next week though I am going to get a nice leatherbound journal to chronicle his life growing up. I think it would be really cool to read my dad’s thoughts from when I was 1.5 years old…or my grandpa’s thoughts when my dad was 1.5! How cool would that be? That’s what I want to do…sort of write a memoir/journal to him that he can read when he’s my age. Maybe once he moves out and has his first kid I will give it to him. Then he can read about the excitement I felt when he scored his first run, or how it pained me to discipline him (but that I hoped he would understand some day). These are all things I could tell him eventually….but our memories just aren’t that good. So I’m going to start my Luke diary this week, and when I fill it up I’ll start a new one. When we have another kid I want to start one just for them. Another goal of mine is to write a short “book” about my life before them, because that’s another thing your kids don’t ever hear much about. What was I like growing up…what did I do in High School, and college…all these fun memories I’ll be forgetting (and I’m sure I’ve already forgotten a lot!)

Cambria was a lot of fun, but I’ll try and make a bigger post later. We did a lot of eating, walking around, and lying around. I broke my caffeine streak finally. It was kind of sad…but I didn’t really want to go my whole life without ever having a cup of coffee in the morning, or the occassional mountain dew. If anything though, I want to treat it like alcohol. Having some every now and then is fine, but I was having a cup of coffee in the morning, sometimes a big soda at lunch (with a refill!) and it was killing me doing that every day. So now it’s a treat (like a beer!).

Click here for HD!

Ever since the boy turned one I’ve been promising my thoughts on being a father, and I’ve finally been motivated to do that.

This morning I stepped onto our small back porch to water the few surviving green plants of winter. As I did, Luke crawled out onto the prickly mat just outside our sliding glass door and stared up at me. I walked over with the water nozzle spraying and sat down next to him. He stood up, held onto my shoulder, and grabbed the handle with me. We stood there, watering the backyard together, and it was perfect.

While a lot of work at times, I wouldn’t trade this time for anything in the world. Watching Luke grow and do new things is priceless. It gives me an appreciation for life and family that I otherwise wouldn’t have. I get to see how loving and caring my wife is, and what a great mother she is. I now understand the joy my own parents felt when I was a child, and what it was like from their perspective as I grew up. I realize what an important task God has given us as parents to raise and nurture our children. I’m sure it will be tough at times, but it is all worth it.

Being a daddy is awesome.

Click Here for HD

I forgot to post his one year stats from the other day. He’s 23 lbs 10 oz, and 30.5 inches long.

Luke turned one this weekend, and we had a fun party! I still want to make some “daddy” comments, but I’ll save that for its own post. For this one I’ll just post the video and some pictures.

Video shows some of the fun moments. He didn’t attack the cake like I’d hoped, so I helped him.

Click here for HD.

You can see those top teeth are poking through!

Booger wouldn’t smile. He was still in shock about what to do with that cake thing.

Cutie pie.

Luke is carrying on the tradition of my Grandfather. Bow on the head!

That’s one happy Grandma.

Thank you to my brother for all the pictures!

In a couple weeks our little booger will be a year old! It’s gone by both fast and slow at the same time. When he’s officially a year old I’ll post some “official” father comments, but for now, just pictures. The good ones are by Andrew.

We love holding our own bottle. We’re slowly transitioning to more solid stuff, but I don’t think he’s in any hurry. We’ve got two teeth on the top and bottom in the front, and a molar in the back is popping through. I think he might get a whole mouth full at once!

Coasters are yummy! He likes to hold them in his mouth and crawl around like he’s the dog.

We played in the fridge the other day. He knew what to do with the Powerade bottle.

Today we went to the cemetery with my parents. These are some of my Great Grandparents, so they would be Luke’s Great Great Grandparents. They’ve been buried there my whole life, not even five miles away, and I’d never seen their gravestone. I’ve got some photos of them, and I think it would be really cool to put together some kind of family history book with pictures, birth certificates, gravestones, etc. I have six ancestors buried at another local cemetery, which I think is so cool. Even though I really only knew three of them, between looking at pictures and hearing about them, it’s just a lot of fun to know my “history.”

I haven’t posted pictures since before Christmas! I’ve got a ton I could post, but here are some of my favorites. Pictures of the baby just sitting is fun…but unique situations with personality are a lot of fun too.

My son, the plumber. I apologize to all plumbers who will take offense to this joke.

We tried doing a piggyback ride…and then daddy’s neck hurt for the next two days.

Sometimes we cry when we don’t get what we want.

And sometimes we get fevers and don’t feel good.