Luke is 2!

There he is....Luke....my big 2 year old. On Wednesday, December 21st, Luke celebrated the milestone of turning 2! We really ended up having a few days worth of celebrating considering his birthday party was on Sunday. I will get to his birthday party in a minute - let me first tell you a little bit about how Luke, not so gracefully, ushered in his 2nd birthday celebration (I think it will also explain why I am so late posting.) Well, you know how I've always written about Luke's love of the #2 - he used to always carry 2 toys around and now he continues to have 2 pacis when he goes to bed at night. Well, to sum it up, this is how he continued his joy of 2 - beginning late afternoon on Sunday and, thankfully, ending late afternoon on Tuesday, this is what we dealt with - a temperature well above 102, 2 doctor visits, 2 different kinds of medicines, and 2 missed days of work for mommy. It was wild!

It all started at the very end of his birthday party on Sunday. The Lord was really good to us and Luke! He allowed Luke to enjoy his birthday party (which I will tell more about it in a minute) and then the last 10 minutes of his party, he began to look tired and weak. I suspected something wasn't right and sure enough, when we got home around 6:30pm, he had a 102.7 temperature in one ear and 103.5 temperature in the other ear. I couldn't believe he played so great at his party! It was like the fever just came on suddenly.

Luke has had a runny nose for a few days so I thought maybe we were dealing with another ear infection. I took him to the doctor on Monday morning and saw Dr. Myers. She checked his ears and confirmed that, yes, he had an ear infection and put him on amoxicillin. While we were there, I asked her to look at these little bumps around Luke's mouth - there were only 2 or 3 of them. I said, "Do you think these could be the hand, foot, and mouth virus?" Oh no - she said, that affects the inside of the mouth - these are bumps from where the snot gets behind his paci at night. She said this without offering to look inside his mouth at all. She's a doctor, so I thought - okay, well, let's go home. By Monday night, Luke's temperature was down to around 99 to 100 and he was feeling better - still a little puny, but much better.

I had already made plans to take Tuesday off of work because I was going to take cupcakes to Luke's preschool so he and his friends could celebrate his birthday. Well, that didn't happen - all night on Monday, Luke was restless, he would kick his feet, roll around, whine for no reason - he just couldn't get settled. I gave him some Tylenol but that didn't seem to help. He didn't have a high fever so I wasn't sure what was wrong. A part of me just thought he was having one of those usual restless nights that he will have ever so often. I think I slept a total of one hour on Monday night - it was awful! When Luke woke up on Tuesday morning, I first noticed that the bumps on his face had multiplied. Then, when I began to take his pjs off, I couldn't believe my eyes - his restlessness made total sense - he had a rash on his feet, on his legs, on his hands, elbows, and his bottom. I felt so sorry for him and now I knew that yes, he most likely had the hand, foot, and mouth virus that I suspected the day before. I looked inside his mouth and saw no bumps but all the other bumps matched pictures I looked up on the internet perfectly. So...our plans for the day changed. I already had the cupcakes for his preschool party, so on the way to the doctor, I dropped the cupcakes off at his school. While there, his teacher informed me that 2 other kids had been diagnosed with the hand, foot, and mouth virus. So, my thoughts were definitely confirmed - Luke had that nasty virus that we all dread. :) The doctor that we saw this time was Dr. Bunneman. As soon as he saw the bumps, he officially diagnosed him with the hand, foot, mouth virus and said that it was going around. Well, well - shouldn't Dr. Myers have known that yesterday????? Oh well - he told us that basically, the virus had to run its 5 to 7 day course and the only thing we could do was use cortisone on the skin and benadryl for itching. He also prescribed us a cream for the sores around his mouth because they looked like they could become infected. So, basically, I knew that for several days, Luke and I were quarantined to the house. I asked the doctor if me or Landis were likely to get the virus and he said that it depended on whether or not we were exposed to it as a child. I don't remember if I was, so I'm just praying that my immune system fights this off - it's been 3 days and so far, so good. Me and Luke have prayed each night for not only me and his daddy not to get it but also his mammaw and his friends from his birthday party on Sunday. I don't think he was contagious because he didn't start running a fever until we got home, so that's good news. So...to sum this part (of the novel) up, Luke is feeling great! Matter of fact, he was wide open as usual by Tuesday at lunchtime. The bumps don't seem to bother him, but he looks rough. His birthday pictures that you will see in a minute looked rough and his Christmas pictures this weekend should be interesting too. I guess the Lord just wanted us to make sure that we remembered Luke's 2nd birthday for years to come when we look back at the pictures! :) Anyway....onto the birthday celebration....

Luke celebrated his 2nd birthday at Central Carolina Gymnastics on Sunday, December 18th from 4:00 - 5:30pm. His normal Tuesday night teacher, Mrs. Amber, was the host for the party. Luke and his friends had a blast!

Luke loved being able to explore, run, jump, and climb wherever he wanted. On Tuesday nights, he's limited to one place at a time so he thought it was great that he had the whole place for himself!

Here are some pictures of him playing....

Here you see the pit....this was probably his favorite part. He ran right off the edge and jumped in. I think our family enjoyed seeing him have so much fun playing in this big ole pit. No fear at all!!
Another part of the party that we all enjoyed was the huge parachute. Luke doesn't get to do this at gymnastics very much, so it was neat. I enjoyed seeing all of his family and friends participate with him. Ms. Amber had us all lift the parachute up and then sit our knees on it so that it made a huge bubble and then the little kids crawled out into the middle squishing down the bubble. We did this several times. Then, we lifted the parachute up high and ran inside and let the big bubble surround us like a tent. It was so cute watching all the grown ups sit inside this big tent and just snicker and stare at each other. The kids thought it was great! :) Luke definitely had the attention on him. He sat on Me-Maw's lap while everyone looked at him and tried to get him to talk. As talkative as he normally is, the only thing he would say was, "This isn't normal." (Now, that's funny!!!) :) He had a shy look on his face that was absolutely adorable. He seemed to enjoy the attention in a sweet way. After we were done "camping" under the tent, Ms. Amber let Luke go get some pit blocks to put on top of the parachute. Luke was a great helper! We put the blocks on the parachute and popped them up like popcorn. Then, when the popcorn got stuck on one side, Luke ran on top of the parachute to get it! It sure was fun! Here are some parachute pictures....

Notice the grown ups laughing too....
For the rest of the party, Luke and the other kids played wherever they liked. I, of course, followed Luke around most of the time videoing while mom took a few pictures. Here are some things Luke did during the play time....

He did a perfect bear walk....
Played in the pit some more....look how tiny he looks in there...
There's Cash getting ready to jump...
Lexi getting ready to slide....Luke and Ella and several other kids also slid down this big slide into the pit several times...
Luke sneaking out of the gym to find Lexi...
Luke hanging on the bars...


Crawling under the tunnel...
And, then, using the tunnel as a rocking horse with Lexi....check out William chasing the ball in the background. He loved this big ball!
Here are just a few of Luke's family that attended - Gail, Mammaw Watts, Mammaw Carolyn, and Aunt Sonya....
Luke on the squishy mat - do you notice he is starting to look tired in this picture???
Luke playing with Avery (Ella's sister)....
Some things that Luke enjoyed that I didn't get a picture of included...

-the big trampoline - he ran down and jumped into the squishy mat as usual....mommy even jumped a few times along with Andrew and Ms. Amber - Ms. Amber even did a few flips for us. :)

-the balance beam - he showed off his balance beam skills a few times :)

After the kids played for about 45 minutes, it was time for snacks. All the kids went to the table and began eating. Luke was adorable sitting in the chair at the head of the table eating his grapes, apples, and cheetos. He sat there like such a big boy. He drank his juice and then requested some Coke. :) Here he is with his buddies enjoying the snacks...



Then....for the best part of all - the singing and cutting of the cake (which, to my disappointment was not videoed. My aunt Sonya had the video camera and I think she hit the wrong button. I was so disappointed when I got home and wanted to watch it and it wasn't on there. She got some cute video of several other things but not the song.) I did get some cute still pictures of his face and his reaction....
He had such a sweet look on his face for the entire song....I just wanted to cry....happy tears! :)


As you can tell, Luke LOVED his cake. As soon as we put it in front of him, his eyes brightened. When everyone started singing, he looked up at everyone and grinned. Almost like he was thinking, "All of this for me???" :) After the singing, he attempted to blow out the candles 2 times on his own and then we helped him. Then, he pointed to several different animals on his cake and told Ms. Amber that he wanted the cow. So...that's what he had... a cow cake and....an ice cream sandwich....actually, I think he ate more of the ice cream than the cake....he would eat a bite and then want to try to stand the ice cream sandwich up....it was cute! :)

After the cake, we headed to the big blue block to open presents. At this point, it was around 5:00 and Luke was starting to show signs of not feeling well. For example, when I picked him up to put him on the block, he shivered like he had the chills. My dad saw it and said, "He was eating some ice earlier." So, I thought, alright - he's just cold. While opening presents, he was a great sport! He tried his best to help me open each one. I made the mistake of letting him open the tool box kit that Landis and I got him first. He has been wanting a real screwdriver and drill and this toolbox had a battery operated drill and screwdriver. Well, after he got a hold of those, that's all he wanted to play with. You will notice the drill and screwdriver with almost every present. Here's some of the presents he got....he received some really neat things....a soft Bible from mom and dad...
He loves cards that make noise...this is one of them that his pappaw gave him and he is grinning as he listens to it sing...
See the drill???
And the drill???? He got a tunnel and a tent from the Mills family. We have been playing in the tunnel for days now....
Carolina toys from the Butcher family....:)

Reading another card!!
Some roller skates from Me-maw!! Oh my....the only thing she forgot - the helmet! :)
A flashlight from pappaw and a drum set from Mark and Melissa. This drum set is really neat! We have had multiple parades around our house lately. I take the clickers, Luke takes the trumpet, and then daddy uses the drum. We sing "Jingle Bells", the ABCs, and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as we walk around the house in a line with our instruments. Even Madi joins in the line - it's quite comical but FUN!! :)
Luke also received some neat puzzles and books from the Hollady family, a cute outfit from Pappaw Donnie and Gail, a police car and guitar from Mammaw Carolyn, a lightning McQueen super fast car from aunt Sony and Jack, and a Christmas read aloud story with Mammaw and Grandaddy Watts' voices (this was so neat!).

And, finally, some pictures for me to remember as keepsakes. Because Luke loves the book, "Click, Clack, Moo", I used that book as the theme for the invitations, the cake, the goody bags, and the thank you notes. Here's a picture of the invitations and the goody bags.

Up there was the front of the invitation....here is the back....the words on the invite said, "Click, Clack, Moo - Luke is turning 2! On his special day, Luke invites you to come and play. While together, we will do what 2 year olds do best. We will climb, jump, flip, and run until the grown-ups need a rest!" (Yes, I made that up - I've never been a poet and was surprised at myself.) :)
As I think back about his party, even though Luke ran out of gas at the end because he was sick, I still don't think it could've gone any better. Considering that we invited about 18 kids and only 7 showed up, I was a little worried that the low turn out would affect the fun, but it ended up being perfect. The smaller crowd allowed everyone to be able to have the space to play and to enjoy each other. I truly believe that Luke had a good time and I think his friends did too. And, something I didn't write about - the grown ups seemed to have a blast as well! There were several pit block fights that occurred. :)

Luke was in the sweetest mood possible - he played as hard as he could, visited with family, was a big boy during snack time and his birthday song, and enjoyed opening his presents. I, while still struggling with the fact that he's really 2, was so very proud of my little boy! Happy Birthday, sweet pea! :)

Here are some pictures of Luke playing with his toys on Monday and Tuesday....the toolbox kit seemed to be one of the top favorites....




The guitar and flashlight were also favorites......



On Wednesday morning, we began celebrating the actual day of his birthday. We started with a quiet mommy and Luke celebration during the wee morning hours. :) Here is Luke blowing out his candle and opening up one more small gift from mommy....
Check out the fake smile...


Now, that's sweet...





His present was the Roary car and DVD...

Showing Madi his car....

Another fake smile....do you see his face??? Now, some of that is yellow icing but most of it is those bumps...
Another favorite toy....the trumpet.....which usually leads the Bumgarner parade...




On Wednesday night, we celebrated Luke's birthday with his mammaw Carolyn (it's her birthday too) - what a present for her, right??? :) We celebrated with a spaghetti dinner (one of Luke's favorites) and cheesecake. Here are mammaw and Luke as we sing "Happy Birthday!" and blow out the candles....



It was a very special night and a great day! Fun, fun, times! :)

One more tidbit to go along with the turning of 2! Even after being at the doctor 2 times already this week, we had to go back yesterday for Luke's 2 year old well check-up. It was a great appointment! Even with Luke's little infections here lately, the doctor said he was a healthy, very intelligent, active 2 year old! :) He weighs 24 pounds, 8 ounces and is 32 inches long. He is now in the 10th percentile for weight (which is an increase) and still in the less than 5th percentile for height (about the same). He is growing in a normal range - which is all that matters according to the doctor. There were no shots for this visit; however, Luke had his finger pricked and he did fabulous - he never whined or cried - he was more interested in the Garfield band-aid.

For this visit, we asked for Dr. Dillard and I'm glad we did. He spent almost 30 minutes with us just talking with me and Landis and watching Luke as Luke explored the room, climbed the ladder, and talked with us and the doctor. Luke kept telling the doctor that he was ready to go get chicken nuggets. :)

We talked with the doctor about a few things...

(1) How stubborn Luke is - we told the doctor that every time we are around other toddlers, Luke seems to be the wildest one - he is all over the place- he runs, rarely walks, wants to touch and explore everything, and will rarely sit still. When asked to do something, it sometimes takes several times to get him to listen, which ends up in a spanking. We told the doctor that we have tried time out in our house and it just doesn't work. :) Dr. Dillard was very sweet. He explained to us that he could tell by Luke's language skills that Luke was highly intelligent and that intelligent toddlers test the boundaries even more than others. The doctor told us that because he's smart and understands so much that he will pick up on inconsistencies faster than other children so strict discipline is very important. While at the same time, continuing to keep Luke going and learning so that his intellect continues to be challenged. :) Wow - what a task! Thanks, doc!! :) The doctor continued to say - take it day by day, situation by situation, and stay strong. Dr. Dillard said that he has a 2 year old at home and he said some days, he's the sweetest thing ever and some days his toddler causes extreme frustration. Dr. Dillard said, "I guess that's why God made them so cute at this age!" :) That's true - they are awfully cute but boy what a challenge! :) The doctor did encourage us by telling us that he thought we were on the right track with our discipline and structure at home and to just keep it up. :) He told us that we had made a good decision to put him in preschool at an early age because Luke needs to learn that there are guidelines and rules to follow. Thanks for that confirmation, doc - I had a feeling that mommy made the right choice on that one! (he, he) :) On to topic....

(2) Luke's eating habits - the doctor said that often times toddler's will go through a phase where they only want to eat a few foods. He asked us if Luke was like this. We explained that, yes, sort of....he only liked a few foods but, thankfully, they covered all the food groups - strawberries, bananas, apples, grapes, green peas, broccoli casserole, chicken and rice, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, nutri-grain bars, and cereal. The doctor seemed to think that these were all fine and to continue on as we are doing....on to the next topic....

(3) Luke's sleeping habits (or lack-of) - we told the doctor that Luke normally sleeps from around 8:00 to sometimes 4:00am or, most of the time, 5:00am, but never, 6:00 or 7:00am - we asked him if this was okay. Was Luke getting enough sleep??? Dr. Dillard asked us if Luke napped well and we said that, "yes, he sleeps anywhere between 2 to 3 hours a day." The doctor said that with the night time and nap time combination, he was sleeping plenty. This was good to hear - I just wish I would've heard that this would change soon so that I could get some sleep!!! The doctor said that kids get in a pattern of sleep and that this must be Luke's pattern! Great!!! :) Coffee....here I come.....GRANDE sized! :)

We were very pleased with our conversation, and, as always, extremely thankful for a healthy little 2 year old! He makes us smile everyday!!! We are SO looking forward to the next 2 days as we celebrate Christmas together and with our families. We are going to begin our celebration by making some cupcakes for Jesus tonight...and then, of course, we are very excited about Santa's visit tomorrow....stay tuned for the post of all the fun!

Here are some cute videos....

#1 -Luke playing his guitar.

#2-Luke inside the tent parachute at his party.

#3-Luke playing with his screwdriver set.

#4-Luke blowing out his candle on the morning of his birthday.

From the Bumgarner family - Merry Christmas! See you soon!

Toddy