Having your baby smile at you is a thrill. I still become overwhelmed with joy every time he does it. At the same time, it's terrifying, because I remember that this little creature is a person and will probably end up more intelligent than me.

He will smile in response to me making a funny noise. Usually I'll have him sitting in my lap and I'll lean over so my face is really close. Then I'll make up some very loud animal noise, such as an elephant that just saw a mouse.

He will usually respond in one of three ways. One is he'll smile immediately. It might be that he just likes how goofy I look more than the noise. Secondly, he'll get a confused and concerned look on his face, then smile. I think he's actually responding to the noise in that situation. Thirdly, he'll stick out his lower lip, clearly ready to cry. I have only had that happen a couple of times; I'm not sure if it was the noise I was making or if I scared him or what. It's hilarious when he does it, but it breaks your heart at the same time.

Our cats still behave oddly around Luke. Melissa thinks they're out to get him, but I think they just don't understand why they get so much less attention. Puma will occasionally come up and sniff Luke, but he still won't touch him. Missy caught Puma sleeping in the pack'n'play the other day. "Why would he even want to be in it?" I asked. "Because he knows he's not supposed to be," she replied. She's probably right.

Luke has discovered his hands a few time in the past few days. A couple times I've been occupied with something else, then I notice he's being quiet and I'll look over. He's got both hands up literally inches from his eyes, and he's just staring at them expressionless. It's amazing to watch him learn.

I'm scared he's going to poke his own eye one of these days. He still moves his arms and legs in twitching motions. I like to hold him standing with support, so he basically supports his weight while I keep him from falling. He doesn't really have balance, so he looks like he's making a poor attempt at a hula dance. He'll usually accompany this dance with random giggling, grunting, farting, etc.

I've tried walking him a couple times. Although the instinct to stick his feet out are there, he tends to not want to support his weight in those situations. Along with the standing, Luke likes to demonstrate his leg press ability. For example, when sitting and laying him in my lap, he'll press his legs against my stomach, and sometimes he nearly pushes himself off my lap. Missy predicts he'll be crawling by Christmas.

He's added a lot of weight. His eyes continue to look more brown, but he's clearly a light blonde and has much fairer skin than me, so he's not my clone. Sorry, ladies.