Putting Luke to Work

Luke gets to the computer from time to time. It makes him tired.

Pop-Pop

Luke's Pop-Pop arrived last night. They are good buds already!

Unstoppable!

This blasted squirrel must be a genius. We heard him again yesterday. He is still up there - laughing at my carpentry and spitting upon my trap (who doesn't like PB&J with the crusts cut off?).

So Clean!

Squirrel Proofing II

With the staple gun back in commission, I resumed my efforts to protect the castle. I returned to the roof and finished plugging the holes from the outside. Then, I crawled into the attic with my supplies.

Squirrel has made himself quite the abode. His own little Bat Cave, complete with secret entrances and trap doors. I can clearly see where he runs his laps and kicks back to enjoy the warmth of the attic. However, out of his immense respect for me, I think that he goes outside to relieve himself.

I absolutely ransacked his house. He is probably crying in his bowl of nuts. Here are some pictures of his pad, post-operation Squirrel Proofing II.

Notice (a) he has a foul temper - evidenced by his foam mangling tantrum, and (b) my superb craftsmanship in blocking a few of his doors.














Don’t think that I stopped there. Oh no. I am in his head. Check out this sweet trap.



Although he was clever enough to stay well-clear of the beating stick, I highly doubt that he can resist the lure of a sweet, salty, nutty, peanut-buttery sandwich (with the crust cut off), which I left in my trap.

Now the waiting game begins. . .

Bzzzzzzzzzz

Squirrel Proofing I

A few people have asked about the status of my battle with Squirrel. Although it is painful and slightly humiliating for me to admit this - No, I have not yet tasted victory. We have had many battles, and the days have become a blur. But, I will continue to document the saga for those who are interested. I hope to break this story into a few parts and keep it as short as possible while attempting to maintain accuracy:

Not surprisingly, my first offensive attic-attack, while armed with the beating stick and peanut butter, was unsuccessful. It did not result in a bloody Squirrel (nor was I injured). However, it did make me feel like the superior being . . . for a few hours. The next morning, Squirrel returned. I devised a plan.

After work, I began implementing my defensive strategy. I took a trip to Home Depot and outfitted myself with chicken wire, a staple gun, steel wool, and a can of foam gap filler. Strapping the gear to my body, I climbed onto the roof. Things went well at first - I got on the roof without killing myself, which is a huge plus.

While on the roof, I took a survey and spied a few holes. Then, I began operation "Squirrel Proofing."












I crammed myself between the two roof-windows and shimmied my way up to a hole, with a hammer poised to strike and my staple gun ready to fire if Squirrel were to attack my face. I reached the hole and began to plug it. Then, the unimaginable happened . . . no Squirrel did not jump out of the hole and rabidly gnaw on my face like Lauren and I feared, rather, my staple gun jammed!

Although I was disappointed, I thought that I should wrap things up for the day. It was also getting dark. I think that Squirrel was waiting for the cover of darkness to strike at me (I believe he was preparing an attack on the other side of the roof). All I could do was ram the steel wool and chicken wire into the hole, then retreat quickly into the house. I would have to postpone the full implementation of operation Squirrel Proofing.

Asleep. Awake.

Luke most of the day.















Luke at night. . .

Back To Work

Well, I am back to full-time work now. I dipped my toe in on Thursday - it was unpleasant, so I took off on Friday (kidding - it was fine. But, I really did have Friday off). This little Luke fellow seems to need many supplies, so I guess I'll keep at it.

There is a Target near my work. They sell diapers and what-not. Apparently we'll be seeing a lot more of one another.

Lauren and the Nan are holding down the fort. They’re doing a great job, but they seemed really tired yesterday.

Cousin Laura

Cousin Laura stopped by for a surprise visit on Saturday morning. She came armed with goodies and we were all excited to see her. Luke seemed quite taken with her.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

(Yes, I know this post is late). One of my most favorite days of the year. You really can’t beat a holiday involving soda bread, green beer, and corned beef & cabbage.

Most of you already know that we had convinced ourselves that Luke Patrick was going to be a late baby and would have to be induced on St. Patrick’s day. I guess he couldn’t wait to see us. Anyway, the anticipation of his arrival and now his actual arrival have made Lauren and I particularly excited for this year’s holiday. While Luke was on a strict diet this year and chose to abstain from the standard fare . . . he still got into the spirit of things.



Luke is sporting a hat from Gramie & Pop, a bib from Nan & Pop-Pop, and a jumper from his Mom and Dad. Also featured are a frog from Great Uncle Jack and Aunt June, a blanky from Cindy, and a flag and embroidered bib from the Hetzels.

Guinea Pigs

Lauren tried out a new doctor today. Turns out she is quite healthy. On the other hand, ALL of doctor’s staff was sick. I’m thinking that this doesn’t bode well for the doctor. . . 100% illness with her closest guinea pigs - that is a rough batting average. We’ll take our chances elsewhere.
Another picture of Luke with the Nan.

The Blasted Squirrel

I went squirrel hunting today. It was my last morning of freedom before returning to work . . . my precious little slumber was cut short at 7 am by thundering in the attic followed by devious scratching. My nemesis - the squirrel - had come back for more. He may have gotten the better of me in the last battle, which ended with me falling off of a ladder flat on my back underneath the attic opening. But, this time I had renewed vigor.

I sent my wife and child out of the house into the cold on reconnaissance, and I stormed the attic armed with peanut butter, a flashlight, and a beating stick. Squirrel, my spotters saw you fleeing . . . coward. Its only a matter of time until you’re mine.
________

Oh yea, since 99% of you are probably only looking at this website for updates on Luke, I have thrown in a nice picture of Luke and his mom to keep you happy.

The Nan

Lauren’s Mom came up from Texas yesterday. Everyone was excited. Luke got some extra lov’in, the Nan got some baby coo’s, we got some sleep, and the laundry and dishes got some scrub’in. Thanks Nan.

The Great Outdoors

Luke went on a walk with us on Sunday. It was hard to gauge his enthusiasm for the outdoors. He slept the whole time. I think he may have been dreaming of hiking in the Rockies (or maybe just riding on the back of a tall, slightly gangly horse or something . . . like I said, hard to gauge). However, Lauren and I quite enjoyed the walk and the spring weather. If you look closely, there is some actual green stuff growing in the picture.

After the walk, Luke met a lot of the neighbors. It was hard to gauge his enthusiasm . . . lets just say it was a powerful 3 hour nap. However, Lauren and I quite enjoyed showing him off - especially his fondness for the outdoors and his dedication to leisure. (But seriously neighbors, we really appreciate the gifts and meals - quite nice) .

Luke's Jaundice Test

Oh yea, we had our first excursion yesterday. To change things up . . . we went back to the hospital. Luke has a bit of jaundice, so he had to get tested. He slept through the bad part. When we were in the parking lot afterwards, he realized something was up (see bandaged foot) . Apparently the jaundice is still there, but it is not so severe that he has to bake under the lights (yet at least). Anyway, all-in-all it seems like things are going well . . .

Luke Is Home

We are home from the hospital! This is actually our 2nd full day at home. We left the hospital Friday, March 10, 2006, at around 6 p.m. It was the first really nice spring day we’ve had this year - sunny and around 75 degrees! Great day, all around!

Our first night, however, was not quite as great... Looks like I’ve been out numbered. Night owls - 2; non-night owls - 1. I am not sure which makes me more relieved to be a male; the whole birth thing or breast feeding.

Luke Day 2

Well, everyone is doing great and having fun. Luke and I have managed to get a little sleep. Hopefully Lauren wil get some rest tonight. We had a few visitors today, which was nice.

Luke Patrick McDermott

Luke Patrick McDermott was born today (March 8, 2006) at 2:36am, right on his original due date. He is 7lbs 13.2 oz, and is 20 inches long. Lauren was one tough woman. She had Luke after only 15 minutes in the hospital (she tries to attribute it to our utter cluelessness in knowing when to go to the hospital - and while that is quite likely true - I prefer to say that she was just extremely efficient). Both he and Lauren are doing great! We are all relaxing in the hospital room right now. We will most likely hang out here till Friday. More later...

More Luke Pictures