Luke Allan Thomas

Jenny and Alex's wedding

2009-07-08T19:40:00.003-05:00

We had such an awesome weekend celebrating Auntie Jenny and Uncle Alex's wedding. June 27th was a special day for our family. We were both in the wedding party and Luke stole the show as the ring bearer. He was such a good boy all day! He loved his tuxedo and shiny shoes. He walked down the aisle all by himself. Here are a couple pictures from the big day.

Special Visitors

2009-07-08T19:29:00.005-05:00

Uncle Rick and Aunt Cindy came for a visit from New Mexico! Luke had so much fun playing with them. Rick and Cindy are loyal blog readers. We love you guys!

Summer is Here!

2009-06-06T21:19:00.006-05:00

Luke and his best buddy Jack. Jack and his sister go to the same daycare as Luke. These two are so cute together. Jack likes to take care of Luke at daycare and show him the way. :) He's going to miss him this summer.

Buddies!

First trip to Canterbury Park...Luke loved the horses!

Luke and Matt in front of my cousin Tim's sign at Canterbury. If you haven't seen him perform, you should check him out this summer!

It was a rainy day on Saturday. We pulled out the Play-Doh for the first time!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T19:35:00.005-05:00

Happy Memorial Day!

We had a lot of fun playing outside in the beautiful weather!

Swinging on Mommy and Auntie Abby's old swingset. Grammy and Papa Rick gave it to the neighbors years ago and they gave it back to them for Luke!
Mowing the lawn and loving it!

Feeding the ducks with Papa Rick.

I Smell Summer!

2009-05-07T15:01:00.008-05:00

Luke has really taken a liking to golf and baseball this spring. He pretty much begs us non-stop to take him outside so he can hit the ball around the yard. Here are some recent pics.

Rainbows and the first trip to the Zoo!

2009-03-29T21:59:00.006-05:00

My spring break has come to an end and it's back to reality tomorrow morning. Despite the cold weather, we had a great week at home! Luke and I had tons of quality time together. Some of the highlights of the week...
*Story hour at the Wild Rumpus book store. If you haven't been there you have to go! Luke loved all the animals they have.
*Swimming lessons
*Playdate with Evan Morris
*Choo Choo Bob's Trainstore in St. Paul. This is another really fun and FREE place. We met my friends Allison and Mackenzie there.
*Shopping with Grandma Pedersen
*Luke's first trip to the MN Zoo...see pictures below
Matt took the day off and we had such a great time at the zoo! It was a COLD day but Luke didn't seem to mind! We are hoping for better weather soon. This cold is getting old!

First rainbow of Spring

The monkeys...our favorite!

We bought a stuffed monkey to remember our fun day!

"I love my new monkey Milo!"

All tuckered out...

Swimming Lessons and Easter Bunny Breakfast!

2009-03-16T22:09:00.003-05:00

Luke started swimming lessons today at the Chaska Community Center and was pretty excited about it. When I arrived Luke yelled, "Dada! Take a bath!" He has seven more weeks of lessons and should be ready for the lake this summer.

The whole family also attended an Easter Bunny Breakfast at Mount Olivet Church last weekend. It's a fundraiser for the Gustavus Library Associates and featured an Easter Bunny and the Teddy Bear Band.

First Black Eye and First Haircut!!

2009-03-13T22:22:00.005-05:00

Luke had a week of firsts this past week. After tripping on a shoe by our back door, Luke fell into a wooden shelf and got quite the shiner on his eye. He's tough though and actually only cried for about 2 minutes. After Dad had been begging Mom to get Luke a haircut for about two months (no hockey mullets in this family!) Luke finally got his first haircut. He sat perfectly still for the haircut which lasted approximately 4 minutes.

2009-02-15T23:50:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile since we've posted on the blog, so here goes. Luke made his first ever trip to a toy store today. Luke's Grandma's tend to do all the toy buying that is necessary, so Luke had never been. We returned a duplicate gift from Christmas and Luke got several toys including a baseball bat that he was very excited about as you can see from the picture. In another new development, Luke has started to feed himself with utensils!!

Christmas Pics (Finally!)

2009-01-11T13:27:00.008-06:00

We had an awesome 2nd Christmas with Luke! As you can see it was hard to choose which pictures to add so I just put up a bunch. Highlights of our holiday include-
*Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with the Pedersen's and Great Grandpa Les
*Christmas Day with the Bolmgren side (Matt's Mom's Family)
*Sledding with Auntie Abby
*LOTS of new toys to play with. So many that we turned our loft into a toy room. Some of the favorites are a new easel, rocking horse, sled, basketball hoop and chair. We did major cleaning and organizing to make room for all of the new toys. Thanks to Grandma Pedersen for helping clean, Grandpa Pedersen for installing new shelves in our pantry and Grandma and Grandpa Thomas for watching Luke while all this was happening.
*Spending lots of time with friends and family!

Opening presents with Daddy

Snuggling with Great Grandpa Les

Snow! I like it now!

Faster Auntie Abby!

New chair

Luke's new sled and buddy named Bobby!

Shooting hoops with Auntie Abby

Opening presents at the Thomas'

I love Christmas!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T11:17:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-11T10:49:00.002-06:00

We hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. We should mention that last Sunday (Dec. 7) was the one year anniversary of Luke's heart surgery! It kind of passed us by without us even acknowledging it! We are so lucky to have such great doctors in Minnesota who have helped Luke to become a happy, healthy little boy.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-30T22:25:00.003-06:00

We had a busy, but great Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house. Friday we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen's house. We ate way too much, as usual, but had so much fun. We have so much to be thankful for this year. We have the BEST families that love us and help us in so many ways. We have great friends, many who have been friends since childhood. Most of all...we are thankful for this little guy.

Getting ready to head outside and play in the snow for the first time.

Not so sure about the snow...

This face tells it all. Winter sucks doesn't it Luke?

Fun Night at Home In Front of the Camera

2008-11-19T11:22:00.007-06:00

Brushing our teeth is one of our favorite things. Uncle Gary will be so proud!

Who's there?

Beep Beep!

We love basketball

We had some chocolate pudding!

Halloween and Heart Clinic Update!

2008-11-05T22:45:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures of our cute little penguin. Luke had a very busy Halloween. We made the rounds to visit Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen, Great Grandma Shirley, Grandma and Grandpa Thomas and the annual Okey Halloween party. Luke was a trooper and a big hit with his costume at all of our stops.

We also thought we should share some good news from our most recent Heart Clinic appointment with Dr. Baker over MEA. They did an echocardiogram as usual and found that Luke's mitral valve leakage has improved a little bit. It is still quite mild. The narrowing of that valve has stayed the same. Dr. Baker was happy with this news and decided to take Luke off of the blood pressure medicine he has been on since his surgery last December! Giving him that medicine 3 times a day has become such a party of our routine. It felt strange the first couple of days...but we are not complaining! Thanks for checking in with us and our little boy.

Election Day 2008

2008-11-03T18:35:00.001-06:00

While Luke won't be able to vote for about 16 and a half more years, we now know where his loyalties lie (with a little help from Daddy!).

Trip to the Apple Orchard

2008-10-20T13:34:00.003-05:00

Some Fall Pics

2008-10-14T16:17:00.003-05:00

Walking around Lake Calhoun

Hangin' out at the Gustie football game

New Video! Luke Walks!

2008-09-24T10:03:00.000-05:00

Back at the Cabin!!

2008-08-06T01:10:00.006-05:00

We have lots to update everyone on. Two new posts today, make sure you don't miss the birthday party pics below the cabin pics! We spent almost two weeks up north in Cass Lake. Luke loves the water, whether its in the lake, or in the sink! We also surprised Mom on her 30th birthday with some t-shirts that Dad had made. The bottom line after the two weeks at the cabin is this: Still not walking, but doing lots of talking!

Ready for a boat ride!

Lovin' Grammy

I love the lake!

Bath time!

Dad! What are you wearing?!?!

Happy 30th Birthday Mom!

I love you Auntie!

Luke's 1st Birthday Party

2008-08-06T01:03:00.002-05:00

A big group of family and friends were nice enough to join us at Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house to celebrate Luke's first birthday. While he wasn't so sure about the cake as you can see below, he had a great time with everyone who came!

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-09T09:46:00.005-05:00

We spent four and a half days up in Cass Lake at the cabin over the 4th of July weekend. Luke got to swim in the lake for the first time and go for his first long boat ride. He was pretty tired by the time fireworks started on the 4th, but he did ok with the loud noises. Both sets of Grandparents were at the cabin this weekend, along with Aunt Abby, Aunt Jenny and soon to be Uncle Alex. In other exciting news, Luke has a new friend as of this week because Matt and Mackenzie Anderson had a boy, Norse Gordon Anderson, on Monday morning. Congrats to the Andersons and Luke can't wait to meet Norse!

Luke loves his lawn chair

Not so sure about this flag sticking out of my hat!

He's a water boy!

Nice swim trunks!

Brrrrrrrrrr!

Happy 1st Birthday Luke!!!

2008-06-30T11:33:00.005-05:00

It was Luke's first birthday on Sunday, June 29 and we celebrated with a little family get together at Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen's house. (Luke's actual birthday party will be in a couple of weeks). He wasn't so sure about the cake at first, but eventually he had a few bites.

Ready For the Three Hour Tour

2008-06-17T16:10:00.003-05:00

This one was too cute to leave out! Hopefully the water will warm up by the Fourth of July weekend so he can play in the lake!

Cabin Weekend Pics

2008-06-16T10:05:00.004-05:00

We made our first trip to the Cass Lake cabin on June 13-15 for Father's Day Weekend. Luke did a pretty good job in the car during the four hour trips. The lake water was too cold to swim or ski, but Luke did take his first boat ride on Sunday. Luke is also becominging increasingly mobile as he has learned to crawl and stand up against furniture. The family now has a bet going on when he will be able to walk by himself. Grandpa Pedersen has a lot of faith in Luke and thinks by the 4th of July, but Mom and Dad are banking on sometime in August.

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-27T15:10:00.005-05:00

Another busy weekend! Memorial Weekend started out up north near Eveleth at the Cossalter cabin, where as you can see in the picture, Luke and Olivia had some play time. On the way home, after stopping to see Grandpa and Grandma Thomas at their campsite in Askov, we ran into some scary weather along 35W in Lino Lakes and had to hunker down in the back of a Target store during a tornado warning! Then Luke stayed with Aunt Jenny and soon to be Uncle Alex for a couple of hours while Mom and Dad went to their friend Joe's 30th birthday party. Now mom is counting down the days until summer starts! Dad is also enjoying a more relaxing time at work now that school is out for the year!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T13:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to Our Two Favorite Grandmas

2008-05-10T20:55:00.003-05:00

Happy Mothers Day to two wonderful ladies! We feel so lucky to have been loved and supported by you growing up and now in this adventure of parenthood! Luke is so lucky to have you in his life. He may only be 10 months old, but you can tell by these pictures that he LOVES his Grandmas!!!

New Pics!

2008-04-23T22:01:00.004-05:00

Here are some new pictures from the last three weeks or so. Luke made his first of what is sure to be many trips to Inwood, Iowa to visit the Kahl family. He had a lot of fun playing with his friends Tyler and Kenna. Luke also made his first appearance at dad's basketball game this week! We hope everyone is having a great Spring!

Our Big Healthy Boy!

2008-04-03T15:05:00.002-05:00

Luke had his 9 month check up today and we were told (as if we already didn't know) that we have a big healthy baby. Luke is in the 92nd percentile for height, 96th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for head size. Luke also gets to start weening off baby food and start to eat normal people food. Very exciting for him! Other news that we should share is that Luke appears to be starting to attempt to talk! He does a pretty good "Bye Bye" and an interesting version of "Uh Oh" that involves a gagging sound followed by an "ohhhhhhh" The best news for mom and dad is that Luke continues to be a champion sleeper. To bed by 7:30 and waking at 7:00 in the morning. It's really a great thing!

What a Week!

2008-03-30T18:02:00.006-05:00

It's been quite a big week for the Thomas family! So much to report, we don't even know where to start. The week started with Luke's first Easter which was very fun. He got some little bunny ears and a swimsuit from Auntie Abby and another cute swimsuit and some great toys from Grandma and Grandpa Thomas. He also got some new toys from Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen and a sweet book from Auntie Jenny. What a lucky boy!

On Tuesday we had Luke's check-up at the cardiologist and we got great news. They are watching one of his heart valves and a condition was upgraded from moderate to mild which was great to hear. They are going to keep him on some blood pressure medication, but all in all it was a great visit to Dr. Baker.

On Wednesday, Mom and Dad left for a five day trip to Chicago to visit Matt's cousin Kim. Luke stayed two night's at Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house and two nights at Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen's house. Mom and Dad had a great time in Chicago with Kim, her boyfriend Steve, and Aunt Jenny and her boyfriend Al.

The week ended with some BIG news! While in Chicago Al proposed to Jenny and they are now engaged! Everyone is very excited! Luke will begin immediate training for a possible ring bearer position in the wedding!

What a great week! Enjoy the pictures.

Ready for Summer!!!!!

2008-03-25T14:43:00.003-05:00

PRICELESS!!!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T09:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter to all our blog readers! We will be spending the weekend with both of our families! Check back next week for some new pics! Also...check out our poll. We are curious about what YOU think about this Easter bunny. :)

Lots of Smiles!

2008-02-24T19:44:00.004-06:00

This month seems to be flying by for us! Luke's newest accomplishment is surviving a week of teething. His top two have finally started to pop through. His bottom two teeth came through during his surgery week so we were curious about how it would go this time un-medicated. Below are a bunch of pictures from the past couple of weeks. These are for you Barb! :)

Luke playing with his new hoop.

Go Gusties! We went to watch the GAC women play on Saturday with
Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen.

So sleepy...
I love to smile!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2008-02-13T19:10:00.001-06:00

Luke's First Super Bowl

2008-02-04T21:59:00.001-06:00

Luke attended his first Super Bowl party this weekend at our friends Charlie and Joe's house. His favorite girl Olivia was at the party too! Olivia is only 10 days older than Luke. You could say she is on the petite side and he isn't. :) These two have a lot fun when we get together. Olivia is such a sweet baby and is always very interested in touching Luke's ear and head! A good time was had by all...Luke is just hoping next year we let him stay awake for the fourth quarter.

Luke and Olivia
Olivia-"He is pretty cute...why won't he look at me?"

Luke-"Why are all these people looking at us?"
Luke-"Ok, enough pictures! Stop laughing and leave me alone with Olivia! We are trying to watch the game!"

Back to Blogging

2008-01-22T19:29:00.000-06:00

It's been too long since our last post! Let's just say that going back to work has changed some things around our house. Last week was my first full week back. My second week back I got strep throat and only worked 3 days. So last week was reality. It actually has been going really well! We are so thankful to have a wonderful in home daycare provider. She lives right by my school so it is perfect. Luke is happy when I leave him and happy when I pick him up after work which makes things so much easier. He is the only full time child there so we are lucky that he gets lots of love and attention each day. He has been sleeping and napping so well and has finally decided that drinking a bottle is ok. Below are some pictures Auntie Jenny and her boyfriend Alex took when they babysat on Sunday while we went to the Gopher Men's Bball game. We hope everyone is keeping warm! I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired of this cold! :)

Gustie Game

2008-01-05T21:33:00.000-06:00

Luke attended his second Gustie Women's basketball game this afternoon. We were excited to dress him in his Gustie sweatsuit that Auntie Abby gave him last Christmas! Check out his first pair of Nikes! Go Gusties!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T12:55:00.000-06:00

Happy 2008 to all our blog readers! Today we went for Luke's doctors appointment with his cardiologist at Children's. His doctor reported that the mitral valve sounded "a little better" and said he wants to see us back in 2 months. Luke will continue to take the blood pressure medicine as his numbers were much better today. We are very happy about this since it seems like everytime we have an appointment something else happens.
I will be going back to work tomorrow which is the biggest change around our house. It is going to be hard but I know that Luke will be in great hands at our daycare and summer is just around the corner right? :)
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for our family! We hope your 2008 is great!

Christmas Pics

2007-12-31T14:57:00.001-06:00

We had a great first Christmas with Luke. We spent Christmas Eve with the Pedersen's and were the Holy Family at the 11pm candlelight service (photos will be coming!) at Westwood. The costumes were interesting to say the least but it was a special night for us. Christmas Day we opened presents at Pedersen's and then headed to the Bolmgren Christmas at Great Aunt Nancy's house. As you'll see from the photos our little guy was very spoiled by all of the loving people in his life. The Grandmas outdid themselves for sure. :)

"Where do I even start?"

All tuckered out from all the fun...

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2007-12-23T15:20:00.000-06:00

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Hangin' In There...

2007-12-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

Our little boy might be struggling through all of this heart stuff but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him! Luke started eating some cereal this week and LOVES it! Being the strong and opinionated little guy that he is, he has also decided he doesn't really like bottles anymore. (A bit of a problem when Mom is going back to work in 2 weeks!) We have been trying a sippy cup and that seems to be working better. How is it possible that our baby is old enough to hold his own cup???

Luke's favorite bathtime position! So funny!

The Rollercoaster Continues

2007-12-18T13:28:00.000-06:00

We had Luke's first post-op appointment at the heart clinic on Monday and we got some good news and we got some bad news.

First the good news: Luke's surgery was very successful and everything with his Aorta looks great. Everything appears to be healing as expected.

Now the bad news: While listening to Luke's heart, his cardiologist heard a curious "sloshing" sound and decided to take a closer look through an echocardiogram (for those of you who are counting, we think this was Luke's 5th so far in almost six months). The echocardiogram showed some leakage in Luke's Mitral Valve which is one of the two main valves of the heart. Luke's cardiologist was cautiously optimistic that this leakage might be temporary due to the recent surgery and Luke's high blood pressure, but from reading between the lines, it seems more likely that the problem might be more serious and require more surgery.

For right now they are going to try to lower Luke's blood pressure with medication and hope that the valve repairs itself. We will be back at the heart clinic in two weeks for another echocardiogram to see if that is the case. If it does not correct itself, it will be a wait and see game as to when and if Luke would need another surgery to either repair or replace the Mitral Valve.

So while this is obviously a stressful time for us, Luke continues to be a very happy boy who is to date showing no signs of discomfort due to his heart conditions.

At Home

2007-12-15T13:07:00.001-06:00

We are home and doing really well! Sorry for the lack of updates. Luke is doing so well it is amazing. The only medication he is on is Tylenol and we're not sure if his scar or NEW TEETH are causing his dicomfort. Great timing huh? You can see the incision in the picture. It is quite a bit larger than we thought it would be but is healing really well. We have been staying home and trying to keep Luke healthy. On Monday, we will make a trip to Children's Heart Clinic to see Dr. Baker, Luke's cardiologist to make sure all is well. Hopefully we'll get the OK from him to get back to normal life! Christmas is just around the corner!!

Day 5: Goin' Home!

2007-12-11T09:12:00.000-06:00

9:00 - As you can see, Luke is all smiles as we are set to go home! We just got our final instructions so we are free to leave as soon as we can gather all of our belongings! For those of you who didn't get a chance to visit Luke in the hospital, feel free to call us and stop by our home in Shakopee. Luke would love to see you!

Day 4: Feeling Like Himself

2007-12-10T09:41:00.000-06:00

9:45 - Luke is acting more and more like himself this morning. He smiled for the first time this morning and pooped for the first time which are both good signs! His chest x-ray looked good this morning and our cardiologist said we will likely be able to go home tomorrow. Yeah!

7:00 - Today has been a great day! Luke's spirits have been up almost all day. He is eating regularly and smiling more than ever. Dad even got to leave the hospital to run some errands! We are almost 100% sure that we will be discharged tomorrow! Thanks to everyone for their support during our hospital stay. It has really meant alot to us.

Day 3: Lookin' Good

2007-12-09T09:56:00.000-06:00

10:00 - Good morning! Luke is looking very comfortable right now. His heart rate and his blood pressure numbers have both dropped since last night so that is a good sign. It sounds like we will be moved out of the ICU sometime today, hopefully sooner than later. If we do get moved, we will be able to have visitors so we will keep you posted.

1:15 - More good news! Luke has been moved out of the ICU and up to the third floor. We can now have visitors! We are in room 3110 and our telephone number here in the room is 612-874-4960.

9:30 - We're really enjoying our new big room with our own bathroom and shower, fridge, tv and dvd player. Luke continues to improve. He is eating more frequently and requiring less pain killers. Mom and Dad might even venture out of the hospital tomorrow!

Day 2: On The Mend

2007-12-08T09:03:00.001-06:00

Some pictures to look at! The first picture is from today post-ventilator - looking pretty good. The second picture is from yesterday.

9:00 - Good morning! Molly and I actually slept very well last night to our surprise. Luke did well last night also and is actually awake right now. They have taken him off the sedation drugs and will be taking out his chest tube and taking him off the ventilator within the next half hour or so. Luke has his eyes open and is moving his arms and legs quite a bit. He is also doing almost all of the breathing on his own at this point. We will update frequently again today!

10:30 - Luke's ventilator is off and he is breathing entirely on his own now! The doctors say that everything looks and sounds good and that he appears to be on his way to a full recovery. It sounds like he might spend one more night here in the ICU before we are moved to the third floor. Now the only thing keeping us from going home is Luke's blood pressure. They will watch that for the next couple of days and if it stabilizes and remains normal we will get to go home sometime next week!

11:45 - Luke just had his chest tube removed and he wasn't very happy about it, but he is back resting now. He is starting to get his voice back, but his little cry is still pretty weak. Everything is still going well though.

3:00 - Just added some pictures. Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen just delivered lunch and Grandma and Grandpa Thomas are coming a little later with dinner. While Luke might lose a little weight this week, Mom and Dad might be putting a few pounds on!

8:20 - Another day has come and gone...Molly got to hold Luke for a little while and give him a bottle. We had a little bit of a choking incident, but other than that everything is going great. We hope to be moved out of the ICU tomorrow morning and up to the third floor. We will let you know if Luke is ready for visitors sometime tomorrow. Good night!

The Big Day Is Here

2007-12-07T09:04:00.001-06:00

We will try to post updates throughout the day.

9:00 - Luke is currently in surgery. We are waiting patiently in a family waiting room. We are lucky to be surrounded by our great families as we try to pass the time. Check back soon.

9:30 - A nurse from the operating room just called and said that everything is going great right now with the surgery.

10:20 - Luke's cardiologist has just given us an update. The surgery is mostly complete. They are just waiting to make sure he doesn't have any bleeding and then they will close him up. They said we should be able to see him an about an hour.

11:15 - Luke is out of surgery and everything went as planned with no surprises! They are currently getting him all set up in the Intensive Care Unit and we should be able to see him in the next half hour or so.

12:00 - We were just able to see Luke for the first time since the surgery. He is hooked up to about 30 different monitors, but is resting comfortably.

4:45 - No changes to report. Luke is being closely monitored by the great staff here to make sure his vitals are all where they need to be. The doctors still anticipate that Luke will be taken off the ventilator tomorrow. Molly and Matt will be spending the night in a "sleep room" in the ICU. If you are wondering about visiting, it is possible you might be able to visit on Sunday, but maybe not until Monday. We will keep you posted!

8:30 - No new news to report and right now that's a good thing. We did receive somewhat of a reality check about an hour ago when a five or six year old little boy two beds down from Luke had his heart stop. After witnessing multiple doctors adminster CPR for about 20 minutes, I'm not so sure how well we will sleep tonight. Thankfully the doctors were able to stabilize the boy, but still very scary to witness. Unless something dramatic happens, this will probably be the last update tonight. Tomorrow will be an important day for Luke, and we thank all of you for keeping him in your thoughts.

Luke's Surgery

2007-12-06T18:58:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, and for those who we haven't had the chance to tell yet, Luke is having surgery to correct a heart defect on Friday morning, December 7. The surgery will be done at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis at 8 in the morning.

We want to thank all of you for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Over the next week or so we might be a little hard to get a hold of on our cell phones so check the blog as we will be posting updates on Luke's condition as well as a telephone number for the recovery room we will be staying in.

If you want to read more about Luke's heart condition - Coarctation of the Aorta - you can click here.

My Friend Olivia

2007-12-06T18:37:00.000-06:00

Luke and Olivia Major spent some quality time together at a recent get together at the Knutson's house. Luke and Olivia were born 10 days apart. Thanks for hanging out Olivia!

Look What I Can Do!

2007-11-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

Luke's Baptism

2007-11-26T14:33:00.000-06:00

Luke's baptism was this weekend. It was such a special day for us and our families. Luke is so lucky to have so many loving people in his life.

A Weekend in Mitchell

2007-11-16T13:23:00.001-06:00

We had a great time with the Kahl family in Mitchell, SD. Highlights included Luke attending his first basketball game and seeing Coach Kahl get his first win as a head coach. Congrats Aaron! We are so proud of you. We had so much fun and hope to do it again sometime soon!

Trip to South Dakota

2007-11-07T16:24:00.001-06:00

The family is making a trip to Mitchell, South Dakota this weekend to visit the Kahl family. Luke is going to feel like the Corn Palace is his second home as this will be his second trip to Mitchell in his 4 and a half months.

Raaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

2007-10-31T22:25:00.000-05:00

We hope you all had a great Halloween! We sure had fun with Luke! We made the rounds visiting all the grandparents and also Great Grandma Bolmgren.

I'm Chubby!

2007-10-31T22:14:00.001-05:00

I like to eat! Remember when I was a skinny baby...not anymore!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T11:21:00.001-05:00

Luke is ready for Halloween! Stay tuned for pics in his cute lion costume!

Luke's Bedroom

2007-10-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

Auntie Abby (the lone artist in the family) painted some cool letters for Luke's room, which finally has some decorations! They match his bedding perfectly! Thanks Abs!

Family Fun

2007-10-25T19:50:00.001-05:00

Grandpa Rick came over to put together our newest toy. Luke is starting to jump in it. Thanks for all your help Grandpa!

We also had a fun night at Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house at a bonfire. Ele looks like a future baby-sitter and Lydia is happy that she is no longer the baby in the family.

Big Smiles!

2007-10-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

A fall family picture!

2007-10-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

Ready for Fall!

2007-10-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

Lookin' good in our fall colors!

A New Video

2007-10-08T23:14:00.000-05:00

Standing Against The Couch!

2007-10-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

Luke thought it was pretty fun that he could stand up by himself with a little help from the couch.

I'm so big!

2007-10-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

Luke is really starting to become a big boy! He has started to play (or eat) his toys, can sit up against things and likes to be on his tummy more! He loves to look in the mirror toy from Grammy and Grandpa Pedersen.

Looking Good in our Gustie Gear!

2007-09-29T19:02:00.001-05:00

Luke was looking pretty sharp Saturday afternoon as Mom and Dad decided to brave what looked like a windy and rainy day to go watch the Gusties play St. Olaf. It turned out to be a beautiful day, unfortunately the Gusties didn't look as sharp on the field as Luke did.

Luke's new best buddy!

2007-09-26T15:49:00.000-05:00

Luke has recently started to love snuggling with his little bear/blanky. We think it's just the cutest thing! Each day there are more and more smiles and "talking". He is pretty much sleeping through the night now and loves to wake us up in the morning with his baby talk. It sure makes getting up easier when you see this sweet little face.

Oh That Silly Aunt Abby

2007-09-17T08:52:00.000-05:00

More Cute Pictures

2007-09-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

Our Trip To Mitchell!

2007-09-16T15:25:00.000-05:00

Luke made his first trip out of state last week when Mom and him went to visit the Kahl's in Mitchell, South Dakota. Highlights included visiting the famous Corn Palace and hanging out with the Kahl's and Jaynes'.

Skol Vikings!

2007-09-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

Luke is ready for his first Sunday of NFL football! Luke says that Vikings fans need to be patient this year and that the keys to the season will be the play of quarterback Tavaris Jackson and the defensive secondary. Luke predicts an 8-8 season.

All The Way From Albuquerque!

2007-09-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

Unlce Rick and Aunt Cindy came all the way from New Mexico to see Luke for the first time!

Family Shower

2007-09-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Aunt Gay was nice enough to host a family shower in her party room. Great Grandma Bolmgren and Luke had some good snuggle time. Matt's cousins Ele and Lydia made Luke a blanket.

Another Shower!

2007-09-04T19:51:00.001-05:00

Some of Grandma Thomas' friends gathered at Ot's house for a shower!

Look At My Cute Shirt

2007-09-04T19:49:00.001-05:00

Luke has become quite the snazzy dresser.

A Trip to Wells

2007-09-04T19:47:00.001-05:00

Luke made his first trip to Wells last Sunday. Great Grandpa Tiedman was happy to see him!

Mr. Smiley

2007-08-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

Luke has really started to smile and make more noises lately! And, his jeans finally fit!

On Thursday Luke received his 2-month shots at the doctors office...he also tipped the scales at over 13 pounds.

Pics From Uncle Tom's Visit!

2007-08-24T17:51:00.000-05:00

2007-08-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

Matt's cousin Kim met Luke for the first time when she came home from Chicago!

We should also tell everyone that Luke's heart murmur has gone away. The cardiologist at Children's Hospital wants to see Luke again in 4 months just to keep his eye on a couple of things, but everything appears to be working great.

Also after six weeks of paternity leave, Matt headed back to work on Monday, Aug. 13. So if you are bored be sure to give Molly a call and plan a time to stop by.

Pics From The Cabin!!!

2007-08-07T00:30:00.000-05:00

More Pics From The Cabin

2007-08-07T00:16:00.000-05:00

Update from Up-North

2007-08-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

If you are wondering why there haven't been any recent posts to Luke's blog, we are finishing up a two week vacation at the Pedersen cabin in Cass Lake, MN. We will have new pics up sometime Friday night or Saturday morning!

We hope everyone and their family and friends are safe and sound after the 35W bridge collapse.

Lots of Family!

2007-07-24T14:56:00.001-05:00

Luke met lots of extended family on Monday night over at Great Aunt Gay's new house in Eden Prairie. Pic #1 is Great Aunt Nancy and second cousin Molly. Pic #2 is Great Aunt Gay, Great Uncle Gary and Great Aunt Nancy. Pic #3 is Great Grandma Bolmgren with her sisters Marlene and Gay. Pic #4 is all of the ladies with Luke. Lucky guy!

My Fishing Hat

2007-07-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

Luke made his first trip up to the Cass Lake cabin over the weekend. He was happy to come home with no bug bites and lots of new friends from Texas, Colorado and lots of other places!

More Visitors

2007-07-24T14:49:00.000-05:00

Molly's teacher friends Sara and Sharlene came to visit along with our friend Anne from college.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2007-07-17T19:51:00.000-05:00

Luke made his first of many trips to the ballfield on Monday to watch Dad play softball. Dad must have been inspired because he went 2-4 with 3 RBI's in a 13-11 win over the first place team. Dad was asked when Luke would be ready to join the team so our batting order could start out Matt, Mark, Luke and John. We think we're going to keep him in the minors for a little while longer.

Luke and Great Grandpa Thomas

2007-07-17T19:49:00.000-05:00

Luke made it three for three the other day as far as meeting his great grandparents as Great Grandpa Thomas came to Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jason's house.

2007-07-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

Amy D., who we learned is a one of many loyal blog readers, holding Luke.

The Old High School Gang

2007-07-17T19:44:00.001-05:00

Molly's High School friends came for a visit the other day. Back Row: Amy and Mackenzie. Front Row: Allison with her boy Matthias, Molly with Luke and then Laura.

Two Week Doctor Visit and Random Pics

2007-07-13T21:54:00.001-05:00

Luke had his two week appointment at the doctor on Friday and we got some good news. The doctor thinks that Luke's heart murmur is quieter than it was before. The other good news is that Luke weighed in at eight pounds even, which means he has already gained a pound since birth. His mom is not the least bit surprised at the weight gain after all the time spent breast feeding! The bad news for Luke is that he got circumsized on Friday as well and is not too happy about it. Vasoline is his best friend right now! :)

A Visit From The Kahl's

2007-07-13T21:49:00.000-05:00

Amy and the kids came to visit Luke on Thursday. Matt and Tyler spent some quality time at the park.

Bath Time

2007-07-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

Luke took his first real bath this week and didn't like it too much, but at least he
smells good.

Luke Meets Great Grandpa Tiedman

2007-07-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

After meeting great grandma Bolmgren last week and great grandpa Tiedman today, Luke only has great grandpa Thomas left to meet of the great grandparents.

Busy bodies

2007-07-11T00:23:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a busy week for the Thomas family! On Monday, Grandma Pedersen came out to Shakopee to babysit while mom went shopping and dad went on a bike ride. On Tuesday, Luke went to Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house while mom and dad went to dinner and a movie. On Wednesday Great-Grandpa Tiedman is coming from Wells to see Luke for the first time. On Friday Luke has his two week doctors appointment.

More Visitors!

2007-07-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

2007-07-08T00:24:00.000-05:00

Finally a picture with Luke's eyes open! Luke's first week home has been about as good as one could hope for. He is eating and sleeping a lot and rarely cries. We even ventured out to a little party on the 4th of July.

Everybody's Sleepy

2007-07-08T00:18:00.001-05:00

Luke Loves Visitors

2007-07-08T00:07:00.000-05:00

4th of July Outfit Pics!

2007-07-04T22:03:00.001-05:00