Precious Friends

Today at 4:00 Luke and I had plans to go over to my friend Brittany's house.  Luke and her son Shep would play and then when our husbands got off work they would follow for dinner.  Instead, we will be attending the visitation of Brittany and Shep.  Monday evening they were traveling home from her parent's house in Ozark and a vehicle crossed over the median and hit them head on.  Brittany was killed instantly while Shep was air lifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital where he later died. 

I have few words today but I believe Him when He says that his ways are not our ways.  I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust." 

Please continue to pray for her husband Clint. 

Shep and Luke at Shep's 1st birthday party



16 Months

Baseball season (Derek working crazy hours)

+ Tax Season (Me working whenever I can squeeze time into my day)

+ Babysitting a friend's 2 month old for the next 12 weeks

+ 10 weeks pregnant (sleepy and nauseous)

= Exhaustion for the Irons

I should definitely be spending this moment working.  Both babies are sleeping and we are heading to Montgomery at 3:30 for Derek's baseball game.  However, I didn't want to neglect the blog. 

Luke is so much fun.  Each day that passes I think he can not get any cuter or sweeter and then he does.  He is gentle in love but all boy...rough, tough and loud!  He is into everything and talking up a storm (even though we do not know what he is saying most of the time).  He is into puzzles and playing outside.  I really think he would spend the entire day outside playing.  No matter how long we are out there he cries when we come in.  I think he may have an engineer brain like his Grandpa Joe.  He will spend hours trying to figure out how something works.  He most recently has learned to unscrew a top and unlock an iPhone.  He is very observant and is still a copy cat.  Last weekend we were in Prattville for baseball all day and he spent 6 HOURS walking the ball field, playing in the dirt, and copying the big guys. This pregnant momma was exhausted!  We always say he looks just like his daddy but he sure does have a sweet tooth like me.  As you can see by these next two pictures. 

Wouldn't eat dinner but got after this chocolate chip cookie

yogurt.  He got upset when it was all gone ;)

Don't tell his daddy but he picked up an Auburn chick. 

Climbing into everything and so proud

Sleeping angel

Playing outside.  He loves to fill his wagon with toys and pull it.

Where's Luke?

Luke has the Croup cough again. I took him to the doctor yesterday and he put him on a steroid. We are hopeful that we caught it early enough to avoid an episode like last time. He acts like he feels fine he is just barking :) Dr Roy fit us in yesterday afternoon. That is code for come in and wait for hours until we've seen everyone else. Don't get me wrong, we love Dr Roy and are very grateful that he'd even work us in. However, entertaining a 15 month old at the doctor's office can be difficult. Who knew an empty cabinet could provide lasting entertainment.

15 Months

Here are just a few things about Luke at 15 months old that I wanted to jot down.

He gives kisses to everyone and everything. His stuffed animals, strangers, himself in the mirror...he is a very affectionate little boy. A few weeks ago one of our friends stopped by and she has an 8 month old baby girl and Luke gave her several kisses. I think he scared her a little bit.

The second he hears music he stops everything and starts dancing. He usually bounces his knees, shakes his head and waves his hands. I posted the sweetest video on facebook a few weeks ago of his dance moves. He can even do the moonwalk.

He is a climber. He climbs on and into everything. Is this a boy thing? Oh my goodness he is such a little monkey!

His favorite foods are spaghetti, grilled cheese, ritz crackers, blueberries, waffles and milk. I really think he would live on milk alone if he could.

He says: bye bye, mama, daddy, uh-oh, yea, and no (he says "no" more than I'd like). When he does something he knows he wasn't supposed to do he looks at me and says "uh-oh."

He is a great helper. He helps me put the groceries away and pick up toys (sometimes). He's very observant of what I am doing and if he can do it he wants to help.

Copy Cat

Luke is going through a phase where he copies everything we do. He is constantly watching us and trying to do the same.


Trying to get on the elliptical.




Measuring where to hang this picture.


Some other things we've seen him copy (pretend of course):

-shave his face with a hair dryer
-point the remote at the TV
-hold anything and everything up to his ear and talk on it like a cell phone
-dip his cracker in salsa
-use Mr. Potato Head's mustache as a spoon to stir an upside down step stool.
-drink out of a big person cup
-write with a pen (which he is doing right now)
- move the mouse on my computer around.

Our Croupy Weekend

Thursday afternoon while eating lunch with my friend Laura Allyson I noticed Luke felt warm. I mentioned it to her and she agreed. I came home, confirmed the fever (first ever I might add) and laid him down for a nap. In just a few short hours Derek, Luke and I were headed to Birmingham for another coaches clinic. I got the car packed, baked some muffins for our breakfast and started on my work. Then my phone rang, it was my friend Laura calling to tell me her son had the flu. We had been with them the night before. I was a little concerned and thought I had just enough time to get in an out of the Troy Urgent Care before we were set to leave. I woke Luke up, his temperature had dropped, I went on to doctor anyway. Upon my arrival I saw a friend leaving who said it took her 3 hours to get in and out. I decided to scratch that idea and we headed on to Birmingham.

Friday morning Luke woke up with a terrible cough and his fever was back. There was a clinic across the street from our hotel. I got there right when they opened. The doctor diagnosed him with a cold and congestion. I left thankful it wasn't the flu. We went about our day as normal, lunch with a friend, browsing a few of my favorite stores at the summit and dinner with Derek. We came home and went to sleep.

At 11:00 pm Luke woke me up whining and coughing. I noticed he was having difficulties breathing. I held him while he slept off and on for the next hour or so. I started to get concerned as his breathing got worse. I woke Derek up and we decided to take him to ER. The lady at front desk of our hotel said St. Vincents was closest hospital. We arrived at ER around 2 am Saturday morning. They took him straight back, gave him a breathing treatment and told us they wanted to send him to Children's hospital by ambulance. At Children's they diagnosed him as having Croup. They administered two more breathing treatments and gave him a steroid but he was still struggling to breathe. The steroid was our best bet and it would take 4-5 hours to work. The supervising pediatrician came in and told us they would be admitting him to the Special Care Unit for respiratory distress caused by his Croup. At 6 am they took him to the SCU and we weren't able to see him until 8 am. This is what we saw when we arrived:








Sleeping somewhat peacefully with his sippy cup tight by his side. Luke was monitored here until mid-afternoon and then we were taken to our own room. Two nights and a lot of worries later we were finally discharged late Monday afternoon.

Last night was our first night home and Luke slept wonderfully. I on the other hand was up every two hours or so checking on him. Luke is definitely not 100% but he is acting more and more like himself as each day passes. We are praising God for so many things at this point. First of all, that we were in Birmingham and near Children's Hospital. We had such great care by every doctor and nurse that touched Luke. Secondly, that Luke and I came with Derek. After his fever Thursday I was so close to keeping Luke in Troy. Staying at Children's puts a lot of things in perspective. When we were in SCU there were very sick children in there. While Luke's illness was very scary I am fairly certain it wasn't as scary as what some parents were dealing with. We praise God for a healthy child, friends and family who encouraged us and prayed for us. I personally am thankful for his peace that surpasses all understanding. In the moment I was terrified as I watched my baby boy struggle to breathe but was able to rest in His peace. I am also grateful for my rock of a husband (this deserves its own post), a home to miss, the washer and dryer at the hospital, text messaging, Derek's parents, and our wonderful employers.

Here are some more pics:

St. Vincents ER

Not happy about his cage.

Feeling much better Sunday night!

Monday morning he finally felt well enough to eat.

This morning...home and happy about being in his crib.

The Great Outdoors

Luke loves to be outside.  This cold weather has been a real bummer for us  but the past few days have been warm enough to venture outside.  The only bad thing about allowing him to play outside is that no matter how long you play he cries when it's time to come inside.  Poor baby!

Love those cheeks!

So much fun!

He also loves to play in the car.

Sweet Dreams Little Man

Preface: Somewhere around 4 months old Luke started sleeping horribly.  I remember one time when we were immersed in sleep issues (and deprivation)  we were out to dinner with some friends who had a 2 year old and a 3 year old.  We were discussing our lack of sleep and he said, "I remember those days but looking back they were just a flash in the pan."  Derek and I both wanted to jump across the table and strangle him.  I hope this post doesn't do the same thing for you.  I really just hope it provides some encouragement that if you have a bad sleeper there is hope! 

I've been hesitant to write this post for 6 months.  I definitely wanted it documented after the lack of sleep we had from about 4 - 8 months of age.  I was afraid a post "bragging" on him would jinx his amazing sleeping skills.  It really has been 6 months now since he started sleeping through the night consistently.  It's as if his crib is his favorite place on earth.  He sleeps 11 hours at night and then he takes a 2 hour-ish nap in the morning and a 2 hr-ish nap in the afternoon. 

Here is the most amazing part.  When he wakes up, he just plays in his crib.  I've really never tested him to see how long he would stay in there.  I think the longest I've left him post-sleep is 45 minutes.  What's the secret you ask?

The Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium.  This might be the best gift to-date.  I'm not sure who got it for him although I think it was my Dad last Christmas.  If Luke is awake, this aquarium has to be going.  He pushes the button and it plays music, the water swishes around and it lights up for 8 minutes.  He will listen to it over and over and over.  If he wakes up in the middle of the night he just pushes the button and it puts him back to sleep. 

I really think each child has their thing and sleep just happens to be Luke's.  Well, that and drinking milk.  Doesn't each child come with their own set of frustrations and worries though?  Sometimes I read other mommy blogs about what their child is doing and I start to fear that Luke is behind or maybe even that something is wrong.  I've come to realize (not on my own-through prayer and divine revelation) that each child has some things that they do really well and then other things that are a struggle. And these struggles tend to create unwarranted concern for us parents.  I don't mean to air Luke's dirty laundry but I know we seem to only remember the good things and I think when we have another child I might want to look back at this post as a source of encouragement.  For instance, Luke isn't by any means advanced when it comes to expressive verbal development.  He turned 14 months old last month and at that point the only word he said was bye bye.  His vocabulary has expanded now but it was a major concern for me.  Another concern is that he hates to read books.  I so badly desire for him to sit in my lap and let me read him a book.  He won't have any part of it because it requires him to sit still.  He has also turned into a picky eater.  There are a handful of foods that I can bank on him eating and everything else is hit or miss.  And then there's the concern that he sleeps too much...is that possible by the way?  Or what about the fact that he throws a fit most every time we strap him into his car seat.  And don't let me forget that he has approximately 100 toys and he doesn't touch them.  He wants to play with pots, pans, kitchen utensils, remotes, cell phones, hair dryers, brushes, bottles, etc.  Or maybe the concern that he could care less when we drop him off at the nursery or with a stranger for that matter. 

I could go on listing but you know what I could list even more of?  The precious moments that make it all worth it and even seem to replace the worries.  I think I've come to grips with the fact that there are just concerns that come with raising every child.  But doesn't the good so far outweigh the bad?  I totally know and trust that God is in control and that he cares for Luke more than even I do...doesn't that just blow your mind, moms?  So this morning I spent some time in prayer for all of you moms before I wrote this post.  I prayed that we would be able to leave these concerns at the foot of the cross and trust that He is in control and allow his peace that surpasses all understanding to guard our hearts and minds.  Whether you have a little one and are potty training or you have a grown one living all the way across the country.  And lest I forget, I prayed specifically for a good nights sleep for all of you sleep deprived moms!

Baby William

Whitney and Bryant welcomed sweet little William into their family on Tuesday.  Holly and I rode up to the hospital Wednesday to see them.  When I look at this picture I'm reminded of God's love for me through these precious blessings of friends. Whitney, I am just thrilled for you...you are already such a precious little momma!!

Bama Saturday

We are having a relaxing, rainy, football Saturday here in Troy. Luke took a 2.5 hour nap this morning and has looked like this since. If you can't tell they are watching football.









Hope Bama hangs on to this win. What a treat to ring in the new year.









Since we've been home Luke has learned how to open doors and is now tall enough to reach into my drawers. I better go tighten up my child proofing.






Happy New Year to my blogger friends!