Onward into a new decade....

So today starts a new decade for me....my thirties! It's kinda funny to actually think that I'm thirty now. I remember when I was a little girl, thirty seemed so....well....mature and grown up. (Notice I didn't use the word old!) I really don't think of thirty as old at all. It's not. And it's kinda funny to me when people say they feel old at 30. I tease about it, but in my heart, 30 truly is not old!! Anyway, back to my younger perceptions....30 as mature and grown up. In so many ways, I don't feel thirty. I'm not quite sure what age I 'feel' that I am, but 30 isn't it, according to my young perceptions. But when I take a glance back at the things I have accomplished in the last decade, I feel good about how far I've come! I have a good education, graduating near the top of my class both in undergrad and grad school, I am married to a wonderful, loving man who has known me literally half of my life as of today (remember that we met was I was 15!), I have a beautiful, miracle-child who has brought countless blessings to my life (as well as showing me that I am much stronger than I ever imagined I was!) and a new little life is on the way! I have a beautiful home, a loving support group of friends and family surrounding me, and at this moment, I am in good health. What more could a woman entering her thirties ask for? I've accomplished everything at this point that I set out to achieve before this birthday! So......today is not a day for mourning the loss of my twenties and my 'younger self'. No....not at all. Today is about celebrating all that life has brought my way and looking forward with eager anticipation to all that it will continue to hold for me. I consider myself a very blessed girl today!

And so how will I celebrate???? Well, for starters, Luke and I snuggled for an extra long time in bed this morning, which you know I LOVE! I had prepped him last night in the bath that today was my birthday (yes, I am shameless!) hehe and he practiced telling my "Happy Birthday" while we played in the suds. When he climbed into bed with me this morning (at 6am sharp, I might add!) I asked him, "So Luke, what special day is it today?" He hardly skipped a beat and replied in the cutest little excited whisper "Mommy's bird-day!" :) Then I asked, "Is there anything you wanted to tell Mommy this morning?" And he quickly responded with an adorable smile, "HAPPY BIRD-DAY, MOMMY!" Then he leaned over, kissed my face and snuggled in closer! Mmmmm.....warms my heart remembering it! I love that child!!!

We headed downstairs soon thereafter for a breakfast of almond poppyseed mini-muffins, coffee (for me, of-course) and milk while we cuddled on the couch under a blanket to watch Zaboomafoo. He is now playing quietly in front of the TV, half watching Sesame Street and half engrossed in his toys. I'll head up for a shower soon and will be dropping him off at Grandma's house (my mom) for a few hours while I indulge in some relaxation!

I'm meeting Krystal for lunch at our favorite little sandwich shop in downtown Redlands and then we are both heading over to a day spa for facials and massages! Yippeeee! My first prenatal massage! And boy! Do I ever need one!!!! I am soooooooo looking forward to it! After our pampering, I'll pick Luke up, head home for a few hours and then we will meet my parents and Ty's mom and brother for dinner at another one of my favorite little spots for Italian food. Mmmmmm....a day of good food, good friends and lots of pampering! What more could a girl ask for?! I'm sort-of stretching out the day a little too, because on Saturday night, Ty and I will be joined by a few other couple-friends of ours for a nice steak dinner out in the desert...kid-free, of-course!

So, that is my day! I'm going to hop off the computer for now and enjoy a bit more play time with my son before it's time to get ready for the day! Happy Birthday to me!!!

Baby's First Gift......

The mailman paid us a visit today! He dropped off a nice little box from my good friend Diana! What a surprise! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting unexpected things in the mail! They are always so fun! In that little box was a birthday gift for me....the cutest navy colored hat....and the other part of the box was for Baby. It was the first gift we've received for her in the mail. :) And when I opened it, my heart just melted at the sight of her precious gifts. Wanna see?


Inside was the most darling little outfit I think I've ever seen....a brown, pink, & cream polka dotted short sleeved top that ties loosely in the back, along with a pair of matching brown capri's that have little ties on the side of each leg. It is, in my opinion, the cutest thing ever! It actually made me cry! :) (No pregnancy hormones flowin' here.....uh-uh...not me!) There was also the coziest Bunnies By the Bay cuddle bunny....one that is half stuffed animal and half blanket and a precious little story book to go along with it. Awww...it just made me heart melt! I LOVE girl things! I can hardly wait until she is big enough to wear that outfit! It's a 12 month size, so it'll be awhile, but how fun is that! :)

Okay....as you can see, I'm just a little excited about this! It was a highlight of my day! What else did we do today, you ask??? Well, we had Gymsters this morning and this week's class was A LOT better than last weeks one. They all seemed a little more organized (remember that last week was their opening week, so I give them grace on that one!) and Luke seemed to enjoy himself even more than before. He was much more relaxed from the get-go and was eager to explore on his own much sooner. Today was a gymnastics kind of theme, so he got to practice headstands, swinging from the rings, walking on the Squiggly-Wiggly balance beam and the highlight of the morning was the Astronaut Swing, in which the kids rode a zip-line sort of contraption down an incline as they sat in a giant kiddie swing! It looked like SO much fun! I wished I was small enough to do it! Luke was a little hesitant at first, but he climbed in and smiled on the entire accent. On the decent however, I could tell he felt a little scared at the speed he was traveling, but his face was a mix of excitement and fear. He tried twice more and loved it!

After class, we headed to Target for some necessities, shared a Starbuck's Berries-n-Cream smoothie as we strolled the isles, and hit up Bed, Bath & Beyond for a table cloth for the accent table in Baby's room before heading home for Luke's nap. He was starting to fade a little in Target, and occasionally rested his head on the front of the cart as we strolled, but he didn't fall asleep until we were almost home. He napped for over 2 1/2 hours today, which was soooooo nice for me. I took the opportunity to create the baby's birth announcement on Photoshop (sans her photos and stats, of-course) and I must say, I'm rather proud of my work! It would spoil the fun if I shared the details now, but let's just say it would give any "professional" photo birth announcement that you might find online a run for their money. So.....yay for me! One more thing to knock off my to-do list! I've got all the address labels typed and ready for printing too, so once she arrives, all I'll have to do is order copies of the announcement on my trusty photo site and pop 'em in the mail! Yes.....I am still nesting...... :)

Speaking of nesting...Ty and I put together her crib last night. It took a little longer than we had expected and was a little more irritating than we would have liked, but it's done. And I like it! I'll like it a whole lot better once the mattress and bedding are in place though! We didn't get any work done on the chair rail yesterday however. Ty wasn't in the chair rail mood, I guess. Maybe next weekend. I realized last night as we were pouring over crib parts that in the best case scenario, we only have 11 weeks left. 10 weeks and 6 days to be precise! Whoa! How's that for a shocker! It's coming faster than I think!

What else??? Oh yes....remember how I said that Luke slept so long for his nap today? I think he's going through a growth spurt. Yesterday, as I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, I looked over to find this:


He was out cold in his highchair. Another first for him. Even when he was little, he never fell asleep like this. I could hardly believe my eyes....hence the picture! I un-bibbed him, wiped off the remnants of the apple from his hands and gingerly took him to his bed. He slept for 2+ hours then too! And this morning, he woke at his usual time of 6:15 and climbed into bed with us (Ty didn' t have to leave until 7:30 this morning, so he was still there too!) and I told him my usual thing "Okay, Luke. Grab Snuggie and close your eyes. Its still time for sleep." To my amazement and surprise, he did just that...he closed his eyes and slept for another 45 minutes! We all got to sleep in until 7am! Unheard of! I was a happy momma when I got out of bed! :)

So....I s'pose that's enough rambling from me for one night. Kinda a random post, but oh well. Tomorrow is already Wednedsay! Whoohooo! I love holiday weeks! Not much planned for the day I don't think. Just a trip to Sarah's in the morning to drop of Luke's outgrown baby clothes for a friend of hers, a quick trip to the grocery store for a few things and then to Redlands in the afternoon for Luke to see Mamaw for an hour or so. I'm treating myself to a pedicure tomorrow, since it's near impossible to paint my own toenails at this point. It's a good excuse, eh?

Okay....enough from me.....g'night. But oh yeah....I had just one more picture of Luke for today...just a random shot I thought I'd share! :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day.....a time to remember and reflect on those who have died serving our country and protecting our precious, precious gift of freedom! Boy! How thankful I am for all those men and women!

On the home front, Memorial Day isn't much different from any other Monday, really. Ty actually has to go into work at one of his sites for the morning. Just for a few hours though. I guess his job is the job that never sleeps. In the facilities that he works, employees are there 'round the clock, and in order to provide trainings and have the opportunity to see most of the workers, he sometimes has strange and even holiday hours. So it goes. He'll be home a little after lunch, so we'll have the afternoon together, which will be nice.

Let's see.....what's been happening since Thursday??? Please continue to keep Amy's baby Sara in your prayers. She is still admitted to the NICU and on c-pap (an aid to her breathing). As with most preemies, it's two steps forward and one step back, and Sara is no different in that respect. She is doing well, but still struggling to catch on to the whole independent breathing thing. She has started feedings and does not appear to have an infection, so those things are good news. But we need to pray that she begins to learn to breathe on her own and go home with her Mommy and Daddy sooner than later. Amy was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, which was undoubtedly a horrible, miserable experience. I know the day that I had to leave Luke in the hospital when I was discharged was, without a doubt, the worse day of my life. It was gut-wrenching. I know Amy's day was likely much the same.

Anyhoo......
What else did we do this weekend?? Friday was a 'nesting' day for me. I had that age-old urge to ORGANIZE! So I harnessed my energy and organized Baby's closet, Luke's closet, and the linen closet. Then I tackled some of the Baby laundry, just so that it's clean when I need it. We still don't have her dresser yet (it's purchased, but not home yet) so I'll just pack them away in a tupperware box, or hang them in her closet until I can upack them. I just LOVE seeing her little pink, purple and green clothes hanging in the laundry room and folded on the counter. Can't wait until she can wear 'em!

Friday also marked the beginning of my 26th week of pregnancy. Phew! 26 weeks! It's going by so fast! It's crazy to think that at this point with Luke, I only had 5 more to go. I pray it's much longer this time around! I was checking the pregnancy journal I kept for Luke last night and at this same point in his pregnancy, I was a full 10 pounds heavier, my blood pressure was 130/70 and in the notes I wrote, I had already started to have facial, feet and hand swelling. It was Nov. 30 at this point with Luke. Our 2nd anniversary. I hadn't recalled until I read it that the facial swelling had started that early. Why didn't I take it more seriously?! Why did I think that facial swelling was even mildly okay?! But I had had a doctors appointment that very next day and there was no protein in my urine and my BP was still in normal range. Guess it was just an early sign.

As of now, I have had NO swelling (YAY!) aside from when the weather turns really hot and I puff up until I cool off. But nothing that lasts long and certainly no facial swelling. I'm still wearing my wedding ring, which I was not able to do with Luke at this point, and I'm encouraged that my weight is lower. I must've been retaining a lot even at this point with Luke. So.....I am again encouraged.

Okay....back to our weekend.....
On Saturday, Ty had a bow shooting tournament in the morning (he's taken up bow hunting in recent months) so Luke and I ventured out with him for an hour or so to offer our support and take a few pictures. He did really well while we were there! We were his good luck charms! :)

There was a horse Luke had to visit....



Once it got too hot for Luke and I to stand outside much longer, he and I headed out for some errand running and then awaited Daddy's return home after lunch.
Here's Luke giving Ty a "Good Luck & Goodbye Hug"


Luke took a nice, long nap and we headed over to a friend's house for a pool party. Luke is really taking a liking to the water! He doesn't have much fear, but is still cautious when it comes to putting his head under or when he knows the water is too deep. A healthy fear, I think.
Here is Luke and Owen playing telephone after dinner....cute kiddos!


We stayed late at Tami's house while the parents shot the breeze and the kids played endlessly with one another. It was 10pm before we arrived home, and Luke was STILL going strong when we left! We very, very rarely let him stay up that late, but he was doing so well and we were having a good time, so once in awhile won't do much harm. Despite his late bedtime, he STILL woke up at 6:15am. He's definatley not one to sleep in, even if he's tired. Bummer. Here's how he looked when I went to check on him before we went to sleep! How do kids sleep like this?


I worked in the NICU yesterday while Ty hung out Luke. Apparently, they had a busy day filled with Play-Doh, painting the chair rail for Baby's room, working in the garage and having tickle wars. :) It was close to 6:15pm when I finally got home, so we opted for an easy dinner of PB & J sandwhiches, delightfully eaten during our impromptu picnic on the family room floor. :) We layed out a cozy blanket, busted out our best paper plates and dined together on the floor. It was fun! Luke LOVED the idea of it all.

Today began early with Luke popping out of bed at an early 5:40. :( Grrr. I took him back to bed, explaining that it was still 'nigh-nigh time'. He cried at not being able to climb into bed with us, but I just needed a little more shut-eye. I rolled over at 6:15 to find him staring me in the eye and pulled him into bed with us then. He's taken a liking to 'snoozing' between Ty and I early each morning, and I must say, I've taken a liking to it too. He's so cuddly and calm at that time of the day. He willingly curls up next to me, nuzzles his head into my chest and lays very still while I catch a few more minutes of rest. Occasionally, he'll turn his face towards mine, plant a little kiss on my lips and say "Dood morning, Mommy." Who could resist that?! So I relish those little moments. Even if they're as early as they are.

I think we will spend the remainder of the morning tidying up around the house and waiting for Ty to get home. Then maybe we'll put up that chair rail and have ourselves a little homemade BBQ for dinner. Alright...for now, I'm off to do some block building with Luke. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your long weekend!

Naptime...

for me and for Luke! I just woke up from a little cat-nap on the couch! Guess I was more tired than I thought I was! Seems to be the case lately! I find that I am napping more frequently these days. Maybe it's just the lack of solid sleep at night or just the strain of this pregnancy on my body....or maybe it's just the sleep necessary for me to continue recovering from this illness.

Anyhoo....

Before I really begin for the day, let me say....
Welcome to the world, Sara Elizabeth Hershey! My good friend Amy delivered a precious little girl very quickly this morning! She was 36 weeks along and had been on modified bedrest for the last 7 + weeks, until last Friday when her doctor okay'd her to return to normal life again! Thank goodness for the bedrest, because Sara Elizabeth came into the world very rapidly this morning...so much so that the time between Amy's contractions starting and the time of delivery was only a little more than four hours! But Mommy and Baby are doing well so far! Sara was a tiny 4 lbs 15 oz (almost 5 pounds!) and 18 inches long! She will spend the next 48 hours in the NICU due to some breathing difficulties, but Lord willing, she will be well enough to make the journey home with her parents in several days! Please keep her in your prayers that her breathing improves and that no further NICU interventions or time there is needed!

Luke and I were on our way to the lab this morning when I got the call that Amy was in labor. Today was my day for the glucose tolerance test I needed to determine if I have gestational diabetes. (I highly doubt that I do!) So we packed Luke all sorts of toys and snacks to sustain him through the hour long wait for the test. Thankfully, Ty had an unexpected break from work this morning, and was able to come rescue Luke from the waiting. They went to the park for awhile together and returned to the lab to meet me just in time from what Luke called my "pokie" (my poke!)

He seems to have awakened this morning into a language explosion! He is a non-stop chatter box today...more than usual even! The cutest thing that came from his mouth was when I hung up the phone with Heidi, who had just told me Amy was in labor. From the back seat Luke asks "Aunt Trystal, Mommy???" "No honey...it wasn't Aunt Krystal. It was Heidi. She was telling Mommy that Amy is going to have her baby today! You know how Mommy has a baby in her belly? Well, Amy has a baby in her belly too, and today is the day that the baby gets to come out!" After hearing this and pausing for just the briefest of moments, he replied, " WOOOW!!!! Dat's tool, Mom!" (Wow, that's cool!) Where he learned that phrase, I don't know. I must say that a lot or something. But it made me smile and laugh out loud! He's be incorporating quite a few phrases like that lately, come to think of it. A few moments later in the car, he saw a big truck next to us on the freeway and said, " WOOOW! Oh my dosh! Der's a BIG tuck, Mom!" (Wow, oh my gosh! There's a big truck, Mom!) and then on the way home, he saw the mountains in the distance and said, "Hey....look-it.....snow on da mountains!" He's never noticed the mountains much before (even though I point them out often on particularly clear days), and I've not ever really talked about snow being on them, since there hasn't been in months, so his words surprised me! He seems to be noticing everything and amazingly has most of the words he needs to describe them to me! He's even starting to use pronouns like she, her, his, you and me! And for one last little example, yesterday Luke pulled out a quacking duck from his toy box that Ty's boss Sonia gave to him at Easter. It's an annoying little duck, with a very loud "QUACK!" and as Luke played with it, he turned to me and said "Dut from Sonia, Mommy." It has been 2+ months since he received that duck! How he remembered the small detail that it was from her is beyond me! Again, he surprises me!

I've been super laid back about checking all the milestone checklists in my development books. I figure I will just pretty much know when/if he is staying on track for his age or falling behind in areas. After so many months of being so anal about his developmental milestones due to his prematurity, I've kinda swung in the other direction and really haven't had the desire to 'keep track'. But I know he's doing very age-appropriate things, both in the physical realm and the verbal/language one. He's right where he should be!

Well, I think that I'll wrap it up for today! Luke should be waking soon and I need to go cut up some of the yummy fruit I just bought from Costco! Mmmmmm! How my preggo belly LOVES fresh fruit! :) But before I go....I've continually forgotten to give you all an update on Brayden, my friend Kelli's boy! Sorry! He has been home from the hospital for several weeks now (after his 2+ week stay for the open heart surgery), and he is doing very well! The surgery appears to have been successful and Brayden is starting to gain weight well, eat more (solids even!) and has not had any more apnic episodes! I know that Kelli was very grateful for your prayers! So thank you on her behalf!

And.........
I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to my commenters for the notes you left on the last few posts! I can feel your love and support through your words and they are of great comfort to me! And as always, it's soooooo nice to know that you are out there reading! Thanks!

Okay....time to go! Hope you are all having a great week!

Hope renewed

I had an OB visit yesterday and I left with a renewed sense of hope that all just might go well this pregnancy! :) What a good feeling! Dr. Hage scanned me again to check the location of my placenta, and it has moved upwards, away from my c-section scar! Hallelujah! Thank you to all of you who lifted this issue up in prayer for us.....it worked! :) So...no accreta! My blood pressure was unusally low for me (115/58) and Dr. Hage was quite impressed, given the fact that I had taken Sudafed for my congestion just hours before. I guess that can increase my pressures. Not so yesterday. :) Good news!

We also have an official date for this little girl to arrive. Lord willing, at 7:30 am on August 16th, we will be in the OR awaiting the arrival of our second child! I'm officially on the schedule books! :) I was telling Ty last night that it is kinda strange to know in advance the exact date that our child will be born. Now comes the time to pray earnestly for that date to be hers, and not earlier! :) I will be 37 weeks and 6 days on that day. Will you all be my prayer warriors for this?? Please?

I also had a visit with my primary doctor yesterday morning. I do, in fact have a lovely sinus infection. She prescribed some antibiotics and by this morning I could tell that they were beginning to work. Today has been the first day in the last week where I can sorta breathe normally and my head, sinuses and jaw does not feel like they were going to explode! Hallelujah again!

Luke had his first My Gym class this morning. It was so much fun! In his usual fashion, he was a little slow to warm at first, but to my surprise, it only took just a couple of minutes for him to begin exploring all the equipment and begin playing on his own. In the beginning of the class, we have circle time, where the teacher, Miss Nicki, leads songs and warms ups. Luke was NOT into that part at all, but he did sit still in my lap for the duration. As I tried to 'help' him move his arms and do the motions to the songs though, he fussed and pulled his hands away. No big deal. Once circle time was through, he quickly found the trampoline and cars to ride and ran around throwing gigantic balls into the ball pit! He swung and climbed and hung on the bars. He was quite active and involved! They have a separation time where the parents leave their kids with the teachers to play solo for the duration of one song. MUCH to my surprise, Luke hardly noticed that I was gone. He engaged in play with the other kids and the teachers and had fun with all the toys they had provided. I was glad to see that he wasn't fazed by my absence. I greeted him with a huge smile and a hug when separation time was over and he was happy as a clam. The only trouble he had was during the Fox Game, where he was supposed to stand on the a white line of tape with all the other children (Mommies were right behind each child) and listen for Miss Tara to call out a number...the number of steps they were supposed to take towards her. He pretty much threw a fit at having to stand still and NOT go into the center of the circle. But over all, he did awesome! Especially for not having been there before and having so much stimulation around him!

In fact, the stimulation was my only concern, and I use that word lightly. It just seemed like they had the kids (all of whom are between 2 and 2 1/2) switch activities too quickly. To me, it would have been nice to have just an extra minute or two for each activity, and maybe cut out one all together in order to give the kids a little more time to 'dig in' and adjust. But I'm sure that as we go and learn the routine, the transitions won't seem so quick. We'll be able to anticipate them easier. All in all though, it was a ton of fun and Luke can't wait to go back again next week!

After My Gym, we headed to the grocery store for a few things and now he is napping soundly...having fallen asleep in the car on the way home...banana in hand and all! :) I'm going to wrap up this blog so that I can get some laundry thrown in the washer and clean up a bit before he wakes. Adios, friends!

Home, sweet home

We're back from our vacation weekend away, and at this precise moment, I am sitting on the couch, (feet up of-course), watching a show that I want to watch and smelling the yummy smell of freshly baked banana bread from the oven. The house is quiet (except for the TV) and Tess is sleeping soundly at my feet. Ahhhhhh! Ty took Luke down to see Mamaw for a little while in order to give me some quiet, rest time. I am STILL sick. :( Pooey! I think this stupid cold has manifested into my first sinus infection. I feel pretty crummy actually, as I did much of the weekend, but that didn't stop us from having a ton of fun!

Friday:
We headed out of town by 8:30, hit up a Starbuck's drive-thru on the way, and made it to the coast in about an hour. The weather was cloudy, but a nice temperature when we dropped our things off at the house we were borrowing for the weekend. We grabbed some early lunch after settling in and deciding against laying Luke down for a nap (it was still too early), and then we were off to LegoLand! None of us had ever been there before, so we really had no expectations. We were just happy to be 'away' and together! LegoLand turned out to be a PERFECT thing for Luke! Its a very hands-on, run around and climb on things kind of park, with some rides mixed in for good measure. Our first stop was a kiddie water area where Luke could shoot water at different types of creatures made of Lego's. As soon as we arrived, you could tell that he is in toddler-heaven! There were lots of tikes his age (but it wasn't crowded AT ALL!) and he soon found his way over to a big jungle-gym-maze play area where he spent about 30 minutes just running around, sliding down slides and exploring all the nooks and crannies of the area. I planted myself on a bench for awhile for a rest while Ty chased Luke in and around and through! It was fun to watch!

Once Luke had tired himself enough to relax in his stroller, we hit up one of the few kiddie rides that he was tall enough to enjoy...a safari ride through the 'jungle'. It was short and sweet, but he thought that steering the car was a riot and from my vantage point in the car behind him and Ty, he was pointing out every animal to Daddy. They were all formed out of a zillion Lego's, of-course! The rest of the day was much of the same.....running and playing....riding and relaxing. There were some really neat rides that we would have loved to take Luke on, but the height requirements were just beyond his. :( He's just about 35 inches, but most of the rides required a 36 inch minimum! :( At the end of the day, Ty tried to hike Luke's hat up on his head to add a little height in order that he might be able to ride a really cool dinosaur ride, but the attendant at the front made Ty remove his hat and turned him away. :( Bummer! Can't say we didn't try! Ty was cute....when they came back to where I had planted myself on a bench (again!) , Ty was telling Luke "Sorry, buddy! Daddy's just too little to ride. Maybe another time." He didn't want Luke to feel badly about being a shorty! :) Cute, huh! We were able to ride some other, less 'exciting' ones, and enjoyed the day just the same. Luke's favorite was the bumper boats, which weren't actually supposed to be bumper boats, but turned out that way due to his lack of steering skills! When I would try to take over the wheel and steer us away from oncoming traffic, I was fervently met with "NO!!!!! I DO IT!!!!" Okay, buddy....whatever you want! :P We laughed our entire way through the ride together....it was fun! The rest of the day was much of the same....playing, running and just enjoying being together. Luke was zonked by the time we headed out, and opted for a ride on Daddy's shoulders rather than the stroller. I just love, love, love seeing them together...father and son! Warms my heart!

Saturday:
Saturday was our beach day. We lounged around the house in the morning, while I tried to muster up enough energy to get moving. I was feeling pretty horrible that morning, so it took awhile to get started. We made it to a yummy cafe for breakfast around 10:30 and then headed to the ocean from there. It was overcast again, but not cold. Just right. The sun barely peeked out from the clouds most of the day, but that was fine by us...I think it might have actually been too warm had the sun been shining brightly! The beach day, despite it's beginnings for me, turned out to be my most favorite time. Luke absolutely LOVED it! Ironically last year, we had to practically drag him down to the waters edge, but this time around, he was begging us to take him down! He discovered the joys of chasing the waves in and out and didn't seem to mind the chilly water at all! He took a few face plants into the water on several occasions, and after a brief moment of shock, he would giggle, wipe his hand on his shorts and run back for more!

Ty and I both took turns digging holes and building sand castles with him and Luke loved every minute of it! Wasn't it great to be a kid and not be bothered by all that sand in your pants?! He couldn't have cared less about it all! He dumped, dug, patted and built for hours...in between trips down to the water to run in the waves, of-course! Towards the end of the afternoon, we decided to finally break out the new kite I had bought awhile back and Ty relished showing Luke the ropes. It was a favorite past time of Ty and his dad's when he was young, and Ty has shared found memories with me of his kite-flying days with his dad. So when I saw this little kite in the store not long ago, I just had to pick it up for my boys! Sure enough, the minute the kite took to the air, Luke AND Ty were all smiles and I could just see Ty's childhood flooding back to him! It was awesome to watch! Isn't that the best part of parenting, after all? To be able to be a kid again and recapture your childhood?! I think so! And this weekend, Ty and I did just that! We found joy in the littlest moments...we giggled and laughed....ran and played....built sandcastles and ran through the waves. Ahhhh....pure parenting bliss! :)

Saturday night, had made plans to meet our friend's Jeremy and his fiance at the Oceanside peer for dinner, so we left the beach around 3 in order to have time to get home, let Luke nap and get cleaned up. On our way to dinner, we had to drive right past the place where we had played at the beach that day. Looking at the window at the ocean, Luke pointed, gasped and said, " Mama! Sand and water table!!" Ha! He equated the ocean to a gigantic sand and water table like he has at home! Yup...pretty much! :) I just thought that was so cute! Dinner turned out to be nice, although all of our food was kinda crappy! The company was good and Luke kept us all entertained with his antics! We headed to a coffee shop after dinner to visit a bit more, and then it was time to head home.

We just cleaned up the house and hung out watching movies this morning, rather than making plans to do much more. I was STILL feeling ill, so relaxing around the house in our jammies was much more appealing than heading back to the beach or some other adventure. We were home by mid-afternoon and here I am....blogging! :)

I think I'll try to upload a little slide show of all the pictures from our weekend, rather than posting them one at a time. I took 250 shots in all, but won't be able to share all of them, of-course. Hopefully it'll work for you!

Monday brings a day to unpack and rest...maybe a trip to my primary care doctor to see what she has to say about this icky cold thing I've got. Then in the afternoon, I have an OB appointment, and we'll hopefully get to find out if this placenta issue of mine has resolved or not. So...again....stay tuned. I'm sure I'll have an update for you on Tuesday!

TGIF!

We're trying to head out of the house early this morning to get on our way for our weekend vacation, so I'm going to have to keep this short and sweet. (Am I ever brief??? Hardly, but I'll try.) I still have several things to do before I can even get myself ready to go. Before I begin though, thank you to my commenters (and those of you who call instead of commenting online) for your care and prayers. I'm still sick....still sleeping in the guest room and still sounding like a pack-a-day smoker, but hopefully both Luke and I are on the mend. It just really stinks to be sick! Anyway....here is a quick recap to the last few days....

We ended up going to Children's Day at the hospital on Wednesday, even though it was rough. We arrived there around 10am, and Luke wasn't himself from the get-go. There were SOOO many cool things to do and see, and LOTS of neat goodies being handed out, but he was just in a mood!!!! At first, all he was interested in was seeing Laura, which was not surprising, so we headed over to her booth to say hello. Once there though, he hardly paid attention to her but opted instead to fuss and whine. :( The rest of the morning was much more of the same. At just about every stop or point of interest, he would just stand there and look at me, not wanting to interact or explore. And people....these things were COOL! There was a firetruck there with real firemen's clothes and boots to try on, there was an ambulance and a police car to crawl inside and look around, there was finger casting to be done, smoothies to drink and goodies to collect in his special little bag. But Luke really wanted nothing to do with most of it. This is how I often saw him....kneeling on the grass, refusing to move and crying. Nice. Right after this particular shot, he threw a nice, little tantrum for me!

But when we came across the fire extinguisher section, where the kids could shoot water at balloons out of fire extinguishers, his eyes lit up and he was all for it!

I could hardly drag him away! And later, when Sarah and Hudson arrived, Luke had a one-track mind to get back to those extinguishers! We made a second pass at them and he had a blast!

About an hour or so into the morning, I was ready to get home. I was feeling crumby, and Luke was obviously not up to all the activity either. But when Sarah and Hudson arrived, Luke perked up and was eager to run around with his buddy! Thank goodness! He actually participated in a few things after that, which was nice. I was admittedly pretty grumpy though by this point, I was loosing my voice and felt every moment of my 3 hours of sleep the night before catching up with me. Blegh!!! But we chatted with some work pals and went through the Teddy Bear Clinic where I caught these pics....

Luke and Hudson meeting the nurses who were going to give their Teddy's a checkup:


Luke had brought his bear, Tucker and Tucker got to meet all the nurses at the table. Each one performed a different task on Tucker and filled out his little examination sheet with all the appropriate information. Tucker was weighed, measured, had his eyes & ears examined, his temperature & blood pressure taken, and then the visit cummulated in an immunization. I had prepared Luke at home for the process that Tucker would go through, and in the car on the way there Luke said, "Mommy....Bear get poked. Owie, Mommy!" When I asked him if Bear was scared, he nodded and then I asked him how he would help Bear to feel better. "Hug, Mom. " He would give him a hug. Awww! And then he said fervently, "Sutter!!!!!!" He wanted to be sure that Bear was going to get his sucker after his poke! Ha! :) How cute is that! My boy definitely has a one track mind when it comes to suckers!

Here is Luke holding Tucker's hand while he gets his poke and then offering him a cuddle when it was all through:




You can tell by his eyes in all the pictures that he wasn't feeling well. :( Poor kiddo. We headed home after Tucker's exam and Luke fell asleep in the car and missed lunch AGAIN! When we got home, we both laid down for a much needed nap and by the time he awoke 2 hours later, we were both in a little worse off shape and he was NOT a happy camper! Whether he was feeling yucky or just tired, I don't know. Maybe a combination of both, but he spent the remainder of the afternoon until bedtime crying. Literally! The whole time. EVERYTHING I offered him made him burst into to tears. Even when he asked for a yogurt and I brought it to him, he threw a fit when I handed it to him! He refused it, then asked for it again and refused once more. Argh! What was with my kid?! I was exasperated and feeling crappy myself, so I felt like throwing myself on the floor and crying along with him! I didn't of-course, but I came close!

He eventually calmed down when we turned on the Wiggles and we shared a peanut butter and honey sandwich for dinner, sans Daddy who had his late night at work. Then it was off to bath and bed. Phew! What a day! Thursday was MUCH better thankfully, and he seemed to be feeling more himself. We spent the morning running some errands to pick up a few last minute things for the weekend and then came home to clean up the house and pack. And here it is, 5:30 on Friday morning and we are off in just a few hours. Yay! I just hope we are both feeling well enough to enjoy our family time! We will be going to LegoLand today, which I heard is very cool for kids his age (we've never been) and then tomorrow will be a fun beach day. Sunday has yet to be planned, but maybe we'll just take our time in the morning and head home sometime after lunch. We'll see. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well! I'm sure I'll have more pictures come Monday, so stay tuned! :)

Midnight ramblings...

1:42.....that's what the clock on the computer reads as I sit here on the couch in the dark to write. You could hear a pin drop in my house...with the exception of Luke's white noise machine quietly humming from atop the stairwell and the occasional clank of Tess's collar on the tile in our bathroom upstairs as she shifts positions in her sleep. The world is asleep. But I am here in blog-land. I cannot seem to drift into a sound slumber. I've actually been laying awake in bed for sometime now....thinking...and analyzing.... praying...and planning. I hear Luke cough in his room. We are both sick now. :( He is fairing this cold much better than I am however, and seems to be on the mend. I, on the other hand, feel downright miserable. I was blindsided with it yesterday, and spent a lonely night sleeping in the extra bed that currently resides in the baby's room. I am there again tonight. I would hate for Ty to catch this nasty thing. And besides, I am finding myself awake half the night anyway, either sniffling, sneezing or coughing, and my poor hubby needs his rest. Man! I hate being sick!! I hate it even more when there is very little I can take to relieve this crappy, eyes watering, sore throat, stuffy head, heavy chested feeling. It's settling into my chest now and I think I might just injure this poor babe in my belly somehow, between the gut-wrenching velocity of my sneezes and this hacking cough. Is that possible? Sometimes it feels like my stomach muscles are going to split down the middle...I actually have to hold my belly for support. Poor child. She is getting jolted around in there! She's been a lot more active today, I've noticed. She's probably kicking me from the inside, thinking to herself "Can't a girl get some sleep around here?!" (That is, if she was able to form complex thoughts yet...which she can't!) :) As I laid in bed a little while ago, I felt her having the hiccups for the first time. They were strong little buggers too! I imagined her in there, with her little chest jolting time and again from the spasm. Oooohhhh, how I long to hold her! And to see her face. But not for 13 more weeks or so! :)

I am officially 6 months now...25 weeks on Friday. It's going by so quickly. Too quickly in some ways. I'm starting to notice that I have good days and harder days lately. A combination of pregnancy hormones and an increasing sense of worry, I think. Monday was one of the hard days for me. I was just in a mood all day and could not shake it. I felt a sense of dread that morning for some reason. A sense that the cards are stacked against me right now and that this pregnancy won't end up turning out as I have hoped and prayed. A feeling that things are moving faster in some indescribable way than they should. I hardly know how to explain it. But I didn't like feeling that way. I am trying so hard to stay positive and to take each day one at at time, but some days, it's hard not to fall victim to the fear. Monday was one of those days. Just a mood, I guess. An 'off' day. I don't like those times much though. I tend to actually feel guilty for feeling worried. Almost as if I let all of you down when I'm not feeling strong. :( Its hard. (sigh...)

But...yesterday, my spirits seems a bit better, despite how horrible I felt physically. I was up for the day at 4:15...just couldn't sleep....and my mental energy was back for while in those wee hours on the morning. I got 2 loads of laundry done and the house picked up before my boys woke for the day and was looking forward to my swap-day with Tami. I had planned to get to Target to add just a couple of things to my little baby registry. A much easier task to accomplish without Luke. It was a travel day for Ty for work, so we were treated to having him home for a bit of time in the morning. As the morning wore on though, and I finished up showering, I realized that I wouldn't be able to drop Luke off with Tami due to his lingering cold (I didn't want to expose them to it!) so I called and cancelled. :( Bummer. Once Ty left, Luke and I headed down to Redlands anyway and I just packed my bag full of snacks for the Target excursion. Surprisingly, he did pretty well in the cart as I browsed the baby isles. He snacked on his alphabet crackers and pointed out all the things he saw in the isles. "Diapers for Lutey, Mama!" "Loot-it, Mom! Banket (blanket) for Baby!" or his now favorite phrase in any store: "Have it! Have it, Mom!" THAT'S a fun one! Especially on the toy isle! :)

He fell asleep on the car ride home, like I wished I could do, and missed lunch again because of it. His sleep schedule is so screwy lately now that he's rising with the sun...usually around 5:30 or 5:45. He gets tired much earlier and has been missing lunch a lot due to falling asleep in the car. Hopefully, we'll be able to remedy that soon and get on a better schedule. We'll see.

Today is Children's Day at the hospital where I work, so after I hit up Employee Health for my annual screening, Luke and I will head out to the festivities. Its a day where kids from all over the area can come and learn about the hospital. My department runs many of the booths, so Luke is looking forward to seeing La-La (Laura) and some of our other work friends. All the kids are encouraged to bring a teddy bear for the Teddy Bear clinic, where they will learn about 'pokes' and hospital related things. If Luke is up for it, we'll do some finger casting too. Should be fun, if he's cooperative and not too shy. He's still on the young side for a lot of what today will hold, but that's okay. It'll just be fun to go.

Well....I s'pose I should try to head back up to bed for some sleep. We'll see how that goes! Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post from our day today, which I'll try to do tomorrow. Okay.....off to bed.

Mother's Day Re-cap

Since it's May and my birthday month, I decided to change my color scheme to reflect my favorite color...GREEN! :) I updated Luke's "This Time Last Year" pic too....look how much he's changed!!

Okay...now to the real stuff...
First off, Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all of you mommies out there in blog-land! Hope you enjoyed your day!

In keeping with last week's track record, my Mother's Day began rather crappy, to be honest. :( (Sorry to start on such a happy note, huh!) Let me explain. On Saturday morning, Luke woke with a runny nose and the grouchies. He had caught another cold. It is/was mild again, but it's there and so he was a bit 'off' most of the day. I had to work in the ED Saturday night, so Ty was home with him that evening. He bathed him and put him to bed at his normal time (7:30ish) and when I arrived home at 11pm, he was soundly asleep. I was zonked from my night (Saturday's are always busy around the emergency room, but I am also moving a bit slower these days!) and I made a b-line for bed as soon as I got home. I think I must've been asleep before my head hit the pillow! Asleep that was, until I heard Ty come to bed a bit later, and then I heard him get back up because Luke began to cry from his room. It must've been somewhere around midnight or 12:30. That first trip Ty made to his room started a sleepless night much akin to the nights of having a newborn babe at home...up every 45 minutes or so and becoming increasingly exhausted and frustrated as the night wears on. For SOME reason, Luke was indescribably restless in bed that night....unable to sleep or stay asleep. And when he would wake, he would cry for me. ARGH! We made sure that he was comfortable with medicine for his congestion and that he wasn't hurting anywhere, but still, he continued to wake. Literally people.....EVERY 45 MINUTES! Halfway through the night...errr morning....somewhere around 3am, as I sat next to his bed trying both to stay awake and get him back to sleep, I got the hugest (is that a word???) bloody nose in history and spent several minutes trying to get that under control! Grrr. Once I finally made it back to bed, I snoozed in between the episdoes of mytwo-year-old-acting-like-a-2-day-old, and when I awoke to see Luke standing by my bed, it was 5:15. Being completely frustrated by this point, Ty and I both decided that he needed to be confined to his room, so Ty got up to place him back in bed and lock the baby gate. If Luke chose to sleep or play quietly, we didn't care. We just needed some sleep!!!! He was quiet for about 45 minutes (or I was too tired to hear him!) and then he began rattling his gate, asking for us. We got up AGAIN and let him come into our room to play with his toys there quietly. He did great at that, but within a few minutes, I was jolted out of bed by the sound of him gagging. I scooped him up in my mommy-is-faster-than-the-speed-of-light mode and we made it to the bathroom just in time for him to throw up in the toilet. Happy Mother's Day to me!!!! At-least we made it to the bathroom, I guess!

Of-course, we were ALL now up for the day (I think it was 6:30) so we headed downstairs to brew some much needed coffee and wake up a bit more. The day redeemed itself as it wore on though. Thank goodness!! The boys made me a very yummy breakfast of Ty's famous french toast, hash browns and fresh strawberries and served it to me on our special family plate. Here is a little picture of them working hard in the kitchen....they looked so cute together!

After breakfast, we headed to Redlands for awhile. We stopped into the Verizon store to check out their phones, since we will be switching cell phone service and getting updated phones soon, and then we got some sandwiches for lunch. We planted ourselves at an open table on the patio by the big water fountain in the shopping center, and let Luke run around for a bit while I let the sun spill onto my shoulders and we relaxed. It was much needed! Our friend Shawn, who is a fireman, was there picking up some lunch with his crew and Luke was treated to a personal tour of his fire engine. That was pretty cool! He even gave Luke a fireman's hat (a play one, of-course!) while they explored the driver's seat! Man! I wish I had had my camera!

After we had had enough sun and Luke had tired himself out running and playing by the fountain, we headed home for naps. Ty opted to stay up, but Luke and I both hit the sack for a nice, long 2 hour rest! I felt indescribably better after that! :) Around 5pm, I was still desiring some more fresh air, so we headed to the park to let Luke play. I spread out our blanket and sat in the sun while I watched Ty and Luke explore the play equipment. I was much more content to just sit and observe than I was to participate like I normally do. I was fun to watch them interact and be silly. It made my heart happy to see them together! We brought bubbles along, and Luke scooted up next to me for a bit and we blew bubbles into the wind. It had turned out to be a beautiful day, both weather-wise and with my family! I felt relaxed and happy once again! :)

We headed home around dinner time and decided at the last minute to try out a new restaurant by our house instead of cooking. Glad we did! The food was great, (italian! mmm!) and Luke surprised us with how well behaved he was. One of the older ladies seated at a nearby table took a liking to Luke and talked with him for awhile during dinner, and even sang to him at one point. Kinda strange, but kinda cute at the same time. Luke was enamored with the lit candle on our table for the duration of the meal, and I had promised him that if he was well-behaved, he would be able to blow it out when we got ready to leave. When the waitress brought our check and heard Luke ask to blow the candle out, she started a conversation with him, and eventually lured him to go with her (I stayed close-by, of-course!) to blow out all the other candles at the now-empty nearby tables. Luke thought this was a riot and kept asking "more tandles, peeeze!", so the waitress would pull down one after another for him to extinguish! The older lady from earlier called him to her table and asked him to blow out her candle too and then she erupted into a rendition of "Happy Birthday". Again, kinda weird, but pretty cute at the same time! Luke's expression on his face showed that he was pretty darn proud of himself too, which made it all the sweeter! :)

We finally made it home around 7:30 and got Luke ready for bed. I ended my day with a quiet, bubbly soak in the tub with the book I am reading and then snuggled on the couch with Ty as we finished up a movie. Not bad for a day that had started out so horribly! Like I said, the day redeemed itself! :)

So...........it is now Monday morning. A new week.....one that is hopefully better than the last. We have a few play dates planned and will be preparing to leave on Friday morning for our last family weekend away before the baby comes. We were originally supposed to spend the weekend camping in my sister's motor home at Lake Isabella, but we found out on Saturday that the motor home is not working properly, so we had to cancel those plans and opted instead to head towards the beach for a few days. We are lucky enough to be able to use her mother-in-law's beach house for the weekend, so we're now looking forward to some nice, relaxing fun in the sun near San Diego. It will just be nice to get out of town for a little while. I know it will be our last time away for a LONG time to come!

Anyway.......I think that I will wrap up this novel of a post before it gets TOO out of hand. But I will leave you with my 24-week belly shot that I did on Friday and the updated pregnancy progression. This baby is definitely a-growin'! In the first one, by the way, the pictures were taken on the exact same day of pregnancy. Not that I planned it that way per se, but it when I looked at the dates, they matched! Kinda cool!

A roller coaster Wednesday!

And have I ever mentioned that I HATE roller coasters????

So... my day actually started off really nice. I slept well last night (for the most part) and Luke was happy when he got up this morning. We spent the first part of our day making smoothies for breakfast, working on laundry, picking up the house and just hanging around. Nothing was planned for today until the afternoon, so things were pretty chill around here.

I did have to put a call into my OB this morning though, which is where our roller coaster ride for the day began. You see, over the past two days or so, I've been having mild cramping here and there. They (the cramps) weren't strong...just twinges really...but they did feel like menstrual cramps and not just growing pains, so I just took a mental note of them and went about my day...making sure I was well hydrated and didn't over do it. Last night however, I woke up at 1:30 with a stronger version of them. Thinking that my belly discomfort was probably just a really full bladder, I headed for my midnight pit-stop. But when I returned to bed, the cramping was still strong and it was even in my back. I was able to go back to sleep easily, so they weren't really too bad or anything. Just there. Enough to get my attention. After a long debate with myself in the shower this morning, I decided that it was probably a good idea just to give Dr. Hage a call and let him know what I was feeling. I knew in my heart that it was likely nothing, but just to be on the safe side, I opted to give him a jingle. That was 8:23 this morning. I STILL had not heard back from their office when I left the house at 1:30 this afternoon (grrrr!!!!) so I phoned them back and got a-hold of the nurse practitioner. At that time, I was actually on my way to drop Luke off at Ty's mom's house for a planned visit so that I could meet up with my friend Laura for an hour or so.

When I told Debbie (the NP) what had been going on, she decided that my little twinges warranted a visit to L&D....just to be monitored for a spell to make sure I wasn't contracting. So...much to my dismay, I dropped Luke with Mamaw, called Ty to let him know I was headed over to the hospital, called Laura to meet me there and made my way to L&D. Surprisingly, I wasn't really concerned. I really felt okay. This was just precautionary. But as the elevator doors opened on the second floor of the hospital and that old familiar 'hospital smell' filled my nostrils... and as I checked in on Labor and Delivery, I had a lump in my throat. That is, until Laura arrived and kept me chatting for the duration. All is well. They monitored me for an hour, took a urine sample and my blood pressure and did my first ever cervical exam (I never even had one of those with Luke!). No protein, no UTI, no contractions, no dilation and a good BP. I was released with instructions to call Dr. Hage if I have more cramping or any other problems. Phew!

I have to say, I DON'T want to be back there for a REALLY long time still!! Blegh! As I was getting ready to hop in the elevator to leave, Ty called my cell with news that HE was on the way to the nearest Toyota dealership because his car had decided today was the perfect day to take a dump. :( Crum! Apparently, it was still drivable, but the gas gauge suddenly stopped working, as did the speedometer, the windows and door locks and a host of other things. Must be something electrical. So, I ATTEMPTED to phone Gloria (who chose NOT to answer her phone, despite me asking her to be SURE to answer when I call! It's a LONG, irritating story!) and then I drove to meet Ty at the dealership to help him arrange a rental car or figure out what to do next. It was 4:30pm and he still had several hours of work ahead of him that he had to get back to. (Wednesday is his late night, remember?!) I was pretty calm and confident at this point...relieved that the baby was fine and confident that the new rental reimbursement coverage I had placed on our car insurance JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO would cover his rental. No big deal. We can field this too. Or so I thought.

Since it was so late, the dealership said that they wouldn't be able to even look at his car until tomorrow. And as we sat in my car outside, I was informed by our car insurance company that our rental reimbursement coverage only covers rentals in the event that the vehicle is undrivable due to a collision, and NOT a mechanical failure! Nice!! How's that for a punch in the gut! I specifically placed that coverage on our account a few weeks ago with the knowledge that Ty's car is old and will likely have need some work done in the future....rendering him car-less. I was NOT informed that it was for collisions only. Grrrr again!

We headed over to the Enterprise rental agency across the street, knowing we would have to now foot the whole bill for a rental, but having been told by our insurance company that they contract with Enterprise, I was expecting a discount. Wrong again! No discount with USAA...but the sales guy did give us one for having our vehicle at the Toyota dealership. At-least it was something! We were hoping to get the smallest, least expensive rental possible. Nope. They were all out of compact vehicles....they only had intermediate sized ones left. Shoot! He ended up with a Toyota Corolla (do they really consider that intermediate???!!!) and Ty zipped off a short while late to finish his work day.

I headed back to pick up Luke from Mama's. I was still fuming a bit from my inability to get a hold of her when I left the hospital (like I said, it's a long-running thing with her...she NEVER answers her phone...don't ask me why. It's always been like that. She even missed Luke's birth for that precise reason! It drives me positively insane too!) and when I arrived at her house, I was so mad that I didn't even know what to say. Luke had been a good boy while I was gone, and kissed me sweetly when I arrived, telling me "Mommy....baby dotter" (His way of saying I went to the baby doctor). I lingered with him for a few minutes, still deciding if, or what I was going to say about the whole phone thing and then decided to spurt out in a half-sarcastic tone "Well...all I have to say is that you all need to answer your phone!" That comment spawned a nice, heated exchange of words between Rod (Ty's brother) and I. I was so upset from the day and from the exchange, that I scooped Luke up, began to cry and, through my tears, headed for the car as fast as I could. I sobbed the whole way home, with my precious boy in the backseat saying "Mommy....all done tying (crying). All done. Otay, Mommy?" That only made the sobbs come stronger. I had just HAD it for the day. I was done. I tried to calmly tell him (through my tears) that Mommy was okay...I wasn't hurt....I was just sad and that I would be all done crying soon. Man! What a day! I still cried almost half the way home. (And for someone whose not much of a crier, that's impressive! :) ) Puffy-eyed, tear-stained and weary, I opted for a drive-thru dinner (Luke had already eaten at Gloria's and I was in NO mood to think about making myself something) and Luke and I sat on the couch together while we munched on french fries and watched his Mommy & Me video before bed. He's soundly asleep in bed now, and I'm figuring I'm headed there soon too. Ty should be home in an hour or so. Hopefully a good sleep will wash away the day and tomorrow will be a sunnier sort of adventure!

The sound of silence....

Aahhhhhh...a quiet house (minus, of-course, the drone of the Wiggles show playing on the tv in the other room!) We've had my three nieces here since yesterday afternoon. We had SOOOO much fun with them here, but I must say, I will certainly not be having four children! :) Two sounds just about right for me.

Let's see....where did I leave off last time??? The animal park and our errands on Thursday? What on earth did we do the rest of the week and weekend???? Hmmmm....let me think back. Friday was a quieter day at home...just cleaning, doing mounds of laundry and the normal house kind of stuff. Once Ty got home in the afternoon, we headed over to Home Depot to purchase the materials for the chair rail in the baby's room and then came home for yummy home cooked meal....filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. Mmmm. The only thing missing from my meal was a nice glass of red wine! Missed that!! Friday night was date night for us, so once Luke was down for bed, Ty and I cuddled up on the couch to watch a movie. There's no better place than curling up with my hubby!

Saturday was the twin's birthday party up at Krystal and Will's house, which turned out to be really nice. The weather was great and all the kids ended up playing outside in the sunshine, drenching and dirtying themselves in the sand and water table. All, that is, except Luke. He played GREAT with all the kids, even willingly sharing his toys often, but somehow he managed to stay clean while all the others were pretty much soaked and muddied from head to toe. Way to go, Big Guy! The twins enjoyed their special day and we got a good belly laugh out of them destroying their cakes. I love first birthday parties for precisely that reason! Fun times!

After the party, we headed home for a nap and then hopped over to my parent's house for dinner and to watch Charlotte's Web with the girls. My mom was looking after them for the first part of the weekend, while I volunteered to have them last night and today. Jennifer (my sister) was on a much deserved kid-free weekend. All four of the kids get along so well now that they are all a bit older! They LOVE to play with Luke and he reciprocates. Our house was filled with giggles, laughter and LOTS of pitter-pattering little feet the last 24 hours! It was joyful and wonderful and very LOUD! :)

On Sunday afternoon, my mom and I took the kids to see the Great Y Circus performance. It seems to now be an annual tradition for the girls to go, but until this year, Luke was too small to appreciate it much. This year however, he was just old enough to go. He was awed by all the kids and especially loved the little tots (3-4 year olds) who did the cutest tumbling act! He nodded fervently when I asked him if he'd like to be in the circus someday. We talked a bit about how mommy used to perform in the circus like the kids we were watching, and I pointed out the things I used to do. I'm not sure that he understood, but in time he will. My mom asked if we plan to enroll Luke is circus. It would be a nice thing to pass onto our kids....since so much of my childhood was spent there, and my sisters and I learned much about personal discipline, teamwork and hard work...not to mention what great workouts we always got! We'll see. I see Luke as more of an outdoor sports kind of kid, but who ever knows. Maybe this little girl will be inspired to do some aerial acts (which would be very unlike her mother! I was more of a ground act kind of kid....handbalancing, acrogymnastics, unicycle, tight wire....you know, the things that don't involve too much height!) Time will tell.

Luke actually did quite well at the show, despite how LONG it ran! In total, its duration was 3 hours, but Luke and I opted to leave just after intermission 'cause he was just too restless to sit still anymore. Who can blame him! It was hard for ME to sit still that long! So we headed home to get dinner ready for the girls.

They arrived shortly after us, and our 'multiple kid experiment' began. :) I really wasn't sure how it would all go having all FOUR of them here at once and being preggy at the same time, but to my surprise, it was awesome! Getting Luke and Kailyn bathed and in bed at the same time wasn't too much of a hassle (I did that part on my own, while Ty hung out with the older two) and after the younger ones were soundly in bed, the rest of us snuggled into watch a movie.

I was up four separate times (once for each) between the hours of 9:30pm and 12:30am though, which was my only peeve. JUST as I would fall back to sleep, another one would awaken and need a drink of water, or to use the restroom or just be crying in bed. Hmph! I eventually got some sleep...somewhere in between midnight and 3:30, when my back started to ache so badly that I could no longer find a sleeping position that didn't hurt. :( That's been happening more and more lately. When Ty got up for work at 4:15, I was exasperated and in tears. :( He massaged me for a bit and I was finally able to snooze for 'bout a half hour longer until Luke got up. Guess I should consider myself lucky that I've made it this far without too much back pain or sleeping issues. Almost 6 months and I've slept pretty well, for the most part. I expect that the next several months won't be so easy, but so it goes. At-least it wasn't this bad from 6 weeks on, like it was with Luke.

Okay...onto the morning. Once the coffee had been brewed and I was a little more alert (yes...I still have just one cup each morning....my only caffeine) I made a special breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and we sat at the table, singing along to Laurie Berkner and being silly. Fun times! I threw in a load of laundry and cleaned up from breakfast while the kids played and then we headed over to the pool for a few hours. Luke was pretty hesitant to get in the water at first, but he eventually made it in with the girls and I. By noon, it was time to leave and he was the one who didn't want to go. Here are a couple of pics from our time together.....

Just a little amped up after those chocolate chip pancakes...



Luke decided to harrass Taryn for a bit...notice the tongue!


A group shot at the pool...

Luke couldn't decide if the fountain was a good idea or not...

Should I go, Mom?

Getting ready for the big pool...a Humpty Dumpty impersonation! :)

He finally decided to venture in...




I couldn't leave Baby out of the photo festivities! :) I can still see my piggies, but just barely!


And finally, after all that swimming, a snack, poolside! :)


Okay blog fans.....was that enough pictures for today? :) I'm off now for a much needed goodnight's sleep! Sweet dreams, my friends! :)

Gorillas in our midst...

And monkeys...and giraffes...and cheetahs...and.......

Yesterday was Matthew and Megan's first birthday (can you believe it's been a YEAR already!?!) so Luke and I were invited to join Krystal, Will, the kids and their family for a day at the Wild Animal Park. (My poor hubby had to work, so he wasn't able to come!) :( We started our day (which was beautiful in San Diego!!) with a visit to the gorillas. Luke had missed seeing them during our last visit due to a much needed nap! He LOVED them this time around! He thought they were pretty cool and laughed at their funny antics. There was even a pregnant one! Luke didn't want to leave the exhibit, and was content to stand on the railing (with me holding him, of-course!) all day if we had let him! Here is a few cute pictures of his exploring the statue out in front, along with our only picture of the two of us for the day...



After the gorillas, we headed down for the Journey into Africa tram ride, where we got up close and personal with Ivan, the zoo's most well-known giraffe.

Isn't he cool?! Luke got a kick out him! We saw a few other exhibits and then opted for a much needed break for lunch.

The park had a really neat little tots play area, with fun tunnels, a 'jungle' gym and a few motorized jeep safari cars. Luke took his future girlfriend (Megan) for a little drive...

Then he needed to show Kale the ropes on the jeep too...

and then headed down the slide a few times...

He had a BLAST running and playing with all the other kids. I caught this cute little photo of the Stauffer clan...

It was close to 2pm by the time we wandered out of the play area, and Luke was in dire need of a nap, (he had gotten up at the now-usual 5:45!) so we all decided to take the LONG stroll around the outskirts of the park to give the kiddos a rest period. It did the trick, and while Luke napped, we saw the cheetahs, tigers and a whole mess of other four-legged creatures. Boy! By the end of the day, I was one tired mama from all that walkin'! It was a fun time though! On the car ride home, we drove through an area in Temecula where the freeway is lined with tall hills that are covered in white boulders. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when Luke exclaimed from the backseat "Loot-it, Mom!! Sheeps!!!" Ha! :) He saw the small, round rocks and quite literally mistook them for sheep! How cute is that!?

We joined Krystal's family for dinner on the way home, and made it back here just in time for bathtime and bed! I treated myself to a nice, long soak in the tub too when we got home to soothe my sore back and puffy feet, and then it was off to bed early for me as well! Geez....sometimes pregnancy makes you feel old! :)

Today, we got moving early so that we could be ready to go when Ty's aunt and uncle called for a last minute, quick visit. They were in town for just a few short hours before heading to a convention in LA, and we were able to squeeze in a super fast visit, which was so nice! They had never met Luke (I was pregnant with him the last time they were here to visit), so it was fun to get to introduce him to them. We met at Starbuck's for just an hour, and Luke was surprisingly chipper and outgoing for them! He is usually so slow-to-warm to new people, but not today! He was thrilled to tell them ALL about the animals we saw yesterday and show them his silliness. I was glad they were able to see his super fun side! Sometimes, I think he gives the impression that he is so reserved and subdued to people he doesn't know well. He is usually so shy at first. But for those of you who have been able to spend any length of time with him, you have seen his true (and sometimes crazy!) colors! He really is a fun little tot! Yesterday was SOOOO much fun us and I enjoyed every little moment of him! We had a blast!

After our visit at Starbucks, we headed over to the World Discovery Store to meet Sarah and Hudson for a little play time. We had hoped to participate in their Just for Tots craft time, but by the time we arrived, the class was already full! Bummer! :( We let the kids explore the neat toys instead, and signed up for the class in two weeks. Who knew it was so popular!? Then we popped over to Jamba Juice for a smoothie-lunch outside by the fountain. Luke again, was surprisingly playful and outgoing with Hudson right from the start, and they ran around, climbing on the short walls and being silly together. I'm glad he has a little buddy to grow up around! It's so nice! :)

We said our goodbyes around 12:15 and Luke and I ventured over to Target so that I could return the maternity swimsuit I had bought a month or so ago. Guess I was optimistic when I bought a small....it fit then....but when I tried it back on the other day, by belly was already peeking out the bottom! Oops! Guess I'll need to find a different one. (Not that I'm actually looking forward to squeezing my chubby, very pregnant, white self into a swimsuit this summer, but I know that the swimming pool will likely be one of my few repreives from the sweltering summer heat!) So I think that early next week, Luke and I will head down to the outlets to scout out Motherhood and Gap Maternity for a new suit. Target ended up appeasing my desire to browse, and we headed out of there a little later than planned. Luke actually fell asleep for the first time EVER in the cart as we strolled the isles! I had promised him a 'sutter' (sucker) if he was a good boy in Target (yes....even I sometimes resort to bribery!) since I was only planning to be a minute in there and I knew naptime was approaching! He got his beloved sucker, but was so tired as I was allured by the isles that he began to fall asleep sitting up...with sucker in hand and all! Poor tike! He was like a teenager in history class...doing his absolute best to keep his eyes open, but all the while loosing control of his little head and bobbing forward in sleep. It was pretty funny to watch! He was my entertainment for a spell! :) Mean Mama that I am! :) He soon found the squishiness of the Floppy Seat on the side of the cart and settled in for a catnap while I paid for our things. He napped the rest of the way home and for 2 more hours once he was in his own bed! Guess those early mornings are taking their toll, eh? :)

Just one last, cute story before I go tonight....while I was finishing up getting ready to leave this morning, Luke was playing independently with his Bear in my room (a little white, stuffed polar bear he got from the zoo on his birthday). He had been talking quietly to himself, obviously engaging in pretend-play with his beloved Bear, when I turned around to see him set Bear on the floor with an exaggerated frown on his face. "Time-out, Bear!" he said calmly, but sternly. When I asked him what Bear had done to warrant a time-out, he said "Not lis'ning, Mommy!" Apparently, Bear had chosen not to listen to Luke's instructions and was getting a time-out for disobeying! :) In my best Mommy-as-Teacher manner, I helped Luke with the words to explain to Bear what his transgrestion had been and why Bear was receiving a time-out. Luke diligently repeated my phrases to Bear, then quietly told Bear "when you talm down Bear, you tan be all done." "Otay...all done!" And he scooped Bear up to hug him! :) Guess my ways of discipline are sinking in! But how cute was that??! I wish I had a video camera handy! It was the sweetest thing!

Okay, so how's that for a Kris-like blog?? Better?? Hope so! :) And since Amy and a few others had asked about pictures of the twins, here is one last little collage to catch you up on their cuteness.


Okay....Night ya'll! Enjoy your Friday! :)