Luke Nathan Sherrill

So I am obviously not a pro at blogging yet, but I know you are all dying to see Luke. I am really sorry that I have been so slow. I should have just emailed you all pictures. Who knew that it would take so long to design a blog? :) Actually, I am amazed at how I have no free time these days. I guess that's what having a baby does to you. :) Hopefully I will get better at managing my time. In the meantime, here are pictures of Luke. Oh so sad! :( I'm sure he is wondering what in the heck he is doing here.

Luke was born on August 19, 2008 at 1:04 PM. He was quite a big boy, weighing in at 9 lbs 2 oz, and he was 22 1/2 inches long. Much to my pleasure, labor and delivery went better than I had ever expected. I had to be induced because my sister, Lindsey, was getting married. Nate and I had to be at the hospital at 5:00 AM. I wanted to know what contractions felt like, so I chose not to have an epidural right away. However, by 8:00 AM I had felt enough. (I am a baby.) Thank heavens for epidurals. I really admire those of you who have had your babies without them. Because it was my first baby, and because I had to be induced, the nurses told me to not plan on delivering until 6 or 7 PM. (Apparently those factors make labor really long.) Much to my surprise, and theirs, I started feeling really weird pains around noon. Obviously I had never experienced this before, so I had no idea what to expect. Naturally, I just assumed that my epidural was not working right, so I called the nurse to have her fix it. I felt extremely stupid when she told me that my epidural was working just fine, and that I was going to have my baby soon. She called the doctor and let him know, then decided she would have me try a push or two. After my first push, she looked at me and said, "Um...I'm going to go get your doctor." :) Then Luke was born at 1:04 PM. I consider myself very lucky that I didn't have to wait until 6 or 7 PM. He was everything we could have hoped for. It took him a little while to breathe normally because he swallowed a bunch of nasty stuff as he was being born. Luckily, the little guy pulled through so he didn't have to spend any time in the NICU. And, becuase he was a bigger baby, he had a hard time regulating his blood sugar. The nurses had to prick his heel every few hours to test his blood. It was really traumatic for him, and me. He would cry anytime anyone touched his feet for a few days. It was really sad, but luckily it got under control. We are so blessed that those were the only things that went wrong. Other than that, he was (and is) the perfect baby.

I know you have all noticed the hair. That is what catches everyone's eye. He definately has a lot!

Leaving the hospital

And finally home!

Nate is such a good dad. He'll just stare at Luke and say, "I love him!" It's cute.

Both of our moms were able to come for a few days. It was such a help to have them here. Thanks mom and Dorrie... You were lifesavers. I was really nevous to have such a tiny person completely dependent on me. Nate and I are definately still learning, but it's not so scary anymore. :)

10 days after Luke was born my sister Lindsey got married, so we made the trek to Idaho Falls. Luke traveled really well... He slept the entire time! It was really fun to see family and friends, and to be able to show Luke off. :) Lindsey was a beautiful bride, and Jason was a handsome groom. We love Jason... Welcome to the family!

Luke's clothes didn't quite fit him, but he still looked cute. (Thanks Kendra)

Makenna and Hudson were so cute with Luke. My parents have 3 grandkids now, soon to be 4. While we were in Idaho Falls, my sister Valerie announced that she is having a baby in February. YAY!

We were able to stay in Idaho Falls for a week before we had to come back to Boise and start real life. It has been so much fun to watch Luke grow. He is such a good baby. He only cries when he needs something. :) And, lucky for me, he started sleeping through the night when he was only 3 weeks. We feel so blessed to have this little guy! We couldn't ask for anything more.

It is sad to say that Luke has changed a lot since these pictures were taken. He is getting so big, and his features are starting to show more. I will post another blog soon with some updated pictures.