6 Days Old

Imagine being so young that people count your life in days.

So we're officially and totally in love with this child God has loaned us. He is a perfect baby and never even fusses. Let the trend continue. ("To infinity and beyond...")

We have now assumed new roles: Richie has turned into the World's Best Diaper Changer, Professional Studier-While-Holding-Baby-Like-a-Football, and Royal Spoiler of the New Mom; Bethany has turned into a happy concoction of Pampered Princess and Dairy Cow. Moo. (Milk, anyone?)

Hundreds of pictures of our little one have flooded our memory stick and computer hard drive. Although we wish we could post all of them, here's just a meager sampling of little Luke.


Hi, Daddy! (Luke loves to stare and stare and stare at Richie; but when he sees Bethany he shuts his eyes, smacks his lips, and daydreams of... well, milk.)


Labor started Tuesday; Luke was rescued from his all-fluid lifestyle via C-section on Wednesday; we stared at him adoringly all day Thursday (and celebrated Richie's 28th birthday! Happy Birthday, Richie. Can't beat this birthday present!); Friday we were told we could go home but said, "Nah"; and on Saturday we were kicked out of the hospital. So on Saturday, January 13th, we bundled up our little bundle of joy and headed out. Here Richie exits the birthing center. Luke's first taste of outside air!


Luke gets his first try at sitting in a car seat. He turned into a rumpled up little ball. (But never woke up.)


From the hospital, we drove a long 5 minutes to Bethany's parents' house, where we will be staying for a while until Bethany is allowed to do things again. Grammy changes piles of poopy diapers and makes plates full of good food; Poppy tenderly trims Luke's fingernails and gives him lots of love. We are so grateful they are letting us be royal mooches!


Luke's middle name, Samuel, means, "God has heard." Lots of people sent up lots of prayers for this little boy.


Certain Bible verses have taken on new meanings now that we are parents. This shot reminds us of all those verses in the Psalms talking about God sheltering us in the shadows of His wings. So cozy!


Luke meets his great-grandma for the first time. She laughed with delight. He dons the Stanford sweatsuit she bought him for Christmas. We thought it would fit him. (It looked so tiny!) But we were kind of wrong...


"His faithfulness continues through all generations..." Here are four of those generations to whom God has proved His faithfulness again and again and again and again.


Who says men can't multitask?


Either Richie has a huge research paper to read, or this is one wee little human.


Grrr! (Nice try, Luke, but you'll have to work on that Look of Intimidation.)


Bethany's sister, Sarah, loves to hold Luke. We heard her call out excitedly from the living room, "Come see! Luke is holding my hands like a little monkey!"


Note to those of you who think we took Luke to a fake-and-bake tanning booth: He really isn't this orange in real life. But he is tanner than both of us. Is it the Italian coming through?


Banana Boy!