Wednesday, April 29, 2009

happy two week birthday:)

Robert and I were driving past Martha Jefferson yesterday and commented that it felt like months since we'd been inside delivering our son. Despite the fact that he is now only two weeks old, it feels as though our pre-baby lives are a lifetime ago...such is the way with becoming parents, I guess. These two weeks have been "easy" and smooth sailing. We feel blessed to be surrounded by so many family and friends who have been stopping by to visit and help. We couldn't have been nearly as calm and relaxed without the daily dinners made for us by some of you. The reality will be when food doesn't show up on my doorstep at dinner time each night:)

Sunday, April 26, 2009

the boppy--the best invention of our time



For those of you who don't know what the boppy is, it just might be the best invention for babies ever! It looks like an enlarged pillow for neck, but cradles our son quite nicely, both on the bed alone while mom and dad get dressed or as a means to take the burden off of moms arms as she nurses...either way, it's a lifesaver.

Also notice the sweet onesie that Robert's in today...he certainly IS his father's son:)

lots of firsts

Obviously, each week we'll have lots of firsts...this weeks firsts were Robert's first bath and his first visit to church. Both were wildly successful. His daddy did a great job introducing him to the water...resisting teaching his son the freestyle just yet. With feet the size of little Roberts, we're thinking that swimming is in his future. The bath seat (thanks matt and T) was great and although little Robert was a bit cold, his warm towel made up for it in the end.


This last one is my personal favorite..
He successfully made it to and from church without crying, and got lots of admirers....the first of many sunday mornings as a family!

Friday, April 24, 2009

first visit to the academical village

So it didn't take long for us to get our son over to the old alma mater...Robert has been itching to get a photo with his son in front of the Rotunda. At present, with graduation eminent, the Rotunda is getting a face lift with lots of scaffolding, not so much picture perfect. So we enjoyed take it away in garden 2 (Robert and I's favorite under graduate garden), with Uncle Will.

Those of you who miss TIA, it was excellent as always!

We're pretty sure that our son will hate us for the picture below...but it's a quality rehearsal dinner photo.....

scheduling

So we've started to get little robert on a schedule for feeding and sleeping...the hope is that eventually we'll get him scheduled to sleep through the night, although that isn't quite happening yet. The feeding times at 1am and 4am are a bit brutal depending on the night and Robert and I seem to be in and out of consciousness at times for sure. In reality, the hardest part has been awake time, occuring post feed and pre sleep...as you can see, Little Robert hasn't quite caught on to the whole awake time concept yet. He's still loving sleepy time, which, in the long run, will be a good thing:)

Thursday, April 23, 2009

A mother with her son.

Mommy loving her handsome son. Being a mother seems to suit Lauren pretty well.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

yeah, we're a bit out of control


One of the many times that my husband and his son will be matching and trying to out-do each other in their preppiness:)

Monday, April 20, 2009

you know you're parents when

So I officially realized that Robert and I are now parents based on how excited we get about the little things...

Little Rob is a bit jaundice, which, I didn't think to be a big deal, especially considering that my father and myself were both jaundice, but the hospital staff makes it a very big deal (jaundice can, eventually, lead to larger problems), so as new parents, Robert and I have been very concerned. Over the last day or two, little Rob has gotten better at pooping, leading my husband to make a song to celebrate the event...especially comical late at night.

For me, I've had quite a bit of trouble nursing, making me feel incredibly inadequate BUT when he finally latched on last night, I definitely started crying!

it's the little things:)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Robert Sr. Robert Jr. Robert III & Robert IV

Little Rob with his great grandpa and original namesake. There are a whole lot of troublemakers in that group so I an sure the 4th will be no different.

Robert on Day 3

Some fun photos from Little Rob on his first days/nights home! You'll notice that he's a good sleeper...we're hoping that this trend keeps up. Swaddling is the key to an succesful nap.


why we love grandparents

My gracious parents have been here to help us get adjusted to being at home and running a household with a small child. My mom has been cooking and laundering, while my dad has been gardening and with Sabre. They are pros, obviously, and have been a ton of help.


Friday, April 17, 2009

night #1

note for future mommies: Husbands aren't always so coherant at 12:30 at night after spending all day taking care of their newborn son. Robert doesn't remember a time when he was more unconscious while sleeping, and there have been some classic things already that have come out of his mouth. Yet somehow, the mom reflex kicks in pretty quick, and I was completely alert and dealing with a code red crisis (diaper change and nursing attempt) at 3am.
The most complicated part of our first night was the combination of new baby and attention deprived dog...Sabre is still getting used to being relegated to the background, although he did spend a good bit of time with us last night in the nursery, laying down and smelling and attempting to be actively involved in the process.
Overall, a successful night.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Fun and not so fun

There are lots of things that people don't (and can't) prepare you for postpartum...many of which all you ladies either already know or can wait to figure out yourselves:) BUT, nursing...is hard. It all hinges on my small child knowing exactly how to get his food...at two days old, isn't this a lot to expect from him?
It pays to have a fantastic, loving husband who can help you through it all. My Robert has been such a blessing and a servant throughout the last two days, helping me and little Robert figure everything out.

The second thing that they don't tell you about, among many, is the ravenous appetite. My stomach went from being squished into a little tiny space to having lots of room to move around...and my stomach is taking full advantage of the extra space! The joy of being able to eat a full meal again is one that i'm treasuring thus far!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Welcome Robert the 4th

Here are a few pictures of our new Boy. He was full of energy and ready to go when he came out but after an hour or two, the activity of the day finally got to him and he has been pretty much like this since then.




























Hanging with Mom and Dad, just a few hours old.


















A few with Robert and Lauren. Both are doing awesome. Lauren has been resting very well and our little guy has been loving all the mommy time he can get.




























Three of the four RML's. We might get to see great grandpa this weekend.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

he's here!

Starting around 10:30 last night, while Robert was attempting to finish our taxes, my labor decided to begin! We started off slow at first...my body not quite sure if it was for real or some pretty painful braxton hicks. BUT, by 2:30, after calls to the doctor, we were headed to Martha Jefferson. After checking in, I discovered that I had dilated to 5 cm...excellent news. Not so excellent was that the pain only gets worse from there. So, I wimped out and took the epidural. In retrospect, I'm incredibly thankful that I did. My body totally pooped out around 5am and having the epidural was key to my successful delivery. It allowed me to pause my labor and take an hour long nap this morning before moving into the pushing stages of delivery. Plus, something that they don't tell you about contractions, is that they cause major league shivers...I felt like someone trying to recover from hypothermia...keeping several heavy, heated blankets on me at all times.

After the break and quick nap, we successfully delivered our sweet son at 12:24...so yes, I labored for 12 long hours. He weighs 6 pounds and 11 ounces, and checked in at 19 inches long...much to Roberts delight...he was worried that we'd have a short child.

Robert Miltz Luck IV has his fathers beautiful deep blue eyes and is already the apple of my eye. Robert should be posting photos after we take a bit of a rest tonight...there's a reason that I didn't pull all nighters in college!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

A luck family easter

Easter this year was in Charlottesville, as we aren't trying to go into labor while driving to and from DC! After early church at Trinity we headed to the Omni for brunch. Now, if you've never been there for brunch, they don't mess around. Omelet bar, Belgium waffle station, plus a regular breakfast and lunch buffet and a dessert section...let's just say that Robert was in heaven. Being almost 39 weeks at this point, I tried hard not to complain too much about the small size of my stomach. Overall great morning of family and food.






For those of you who didn't already know...Emily and Steven (Robert's brother) are expecting as well...their daughter is due in the middle of May!

Friday, April 10, 2009

No More School!!

First day of Spring Break, then Maternity Leave for Lauren.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Two Weeks To Go (Which means Any Day Now)

We are now in the home stretch, counting in days instead of weeks or months. Everything is ready, we hope. We have the nursery set up except for the crib, which should be arriving any day. All the little clothes, hats, booties, blankets, bibs, and sheets have been washed with special baby detergent. The pictures are hung and the stuffed animals set up. Interestingly, it was packing the bags for the hospital that really made it hit home how close we are.

I have had a few extended discussions with Sabre about what it means to have a baby around the house. He is trying to mentally and emotionally prepare himself for our son's arrival. I think he is pretty excited about it, but not sure he like the idea of something crying in the middle of the night to wake him up.

According to the doctors, the baby is positioned well, his head is at minus 1, so it sounds like he is getting himself in the starting blocks. Lauren saw the doctor Monday and was at 1.5cm but as of today still nothing more than a few braxton hicks contractions. She will have her last day of teaching tomorrow, so anytime after 3:00pm and we are good to go.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Last week of work

We're finally at the last week of work for Lauren...after Thursday she's done for the year!