{A Fun Little Wednesday}

The mosquitos have overtaken Houston recently and we are starting to feel like hostages in our own home. Since Luke is a kid that LOVES to be outside, the days have felt a little bit longer than they usually do :). So yesterday morning, Chat and I decided to take him to feed the ducks and ride the train at the Houston Zoo. We were just praying that they were spraying the mosquitos in the area and that we could spend a little time there and get Luke's energy out. Luckily, we had a great time with just a few mosquito bites to show for it!

One of Luke's first few words was "DUCK!" and boy did we hear it yesterday. He loved feeding them with Chat and also enjoyed snacking on the bread as well :). This kid is such an animal lover...

We then headed to the train to take a ride! Recently Luke has discovered trains and really has taken an interest. We hear "choo-choo" a lot from him and he loves watching trains on TV, reading about them in books (actually looking at the pictures and making the sound) and also playing with a few trains and a track that we have gotten him. Our little wiggle-worm has not always done so great on trains or anywhere where he has to sit for a long period of time. But he must be growing up or just really interested in trains now because he did great for the whole ride (minus a few wiggles towards the end)...

(starting to get restless...)

After the train, we decided to head into the zoo just for a bit since it was still early. We got to see the sea lions, the meerkats and the elephants before the mosquitos descended upon us and we decided it was time to head home....

(Love this one...they look so much alike)

{Luke's 2nd Haircut...}

...did not go so well. Luckily his hair is cut and there was a lollipop afterward to make it all better :).

{Molly Catherine}

Molly arrived Monday, October 17th at 7:48 pm! I was in the delivery room with my sister when she came into this world and it was such an amazing experience. Courtney did great and David was a wonderful coach. Molly is a doll and is perfect in every way!

{Another Prego Sister Picture}

No baby yet, but Courtney is in full labor! We hope to have a pink little girl sometime after 5 pm today. In the meantime, here is a picture of the two of us at her baby shower!

{Becoming an Aunt!}

Tomorrow is the big day! I am becoming an aunt to a precious little girl and our small family will continue to grow with little ones. My sister Courtney and I have been pregnant together this time around -- just 10 weeks apart. I have felt so lucky to have been able to share this with her and know we will look back at this time with such sweet memories (and probably alot of laughs!). We have shared so much growing up, but this definitely puts the cherry on top. Having a sister is one of the most amazing gifts I have received in my lifetime and to be able to share such an experience as pregnancy with her has been incredible.

Courtney is past due so they are inducing her tomorrow so we can meet this little one. I can't wait to be there tomorrow to help support her and welcome her sweet baby girl. I get so excited knowing what she is about to experience tomorrow. She is going to be a wonderful mother and I hope to be the best aunt I can be and help her as much as she did when I had Luke. I hope Luke is the best cousin he can be as well! Lets hope there is no eye poking or smothering on his part in the near future...

We have only gotten a few pictures of the two of us pregnant together. Even though I probably should have dressed up a bit more and put on makeup for this one, I know we will be grateful we have it one day. Here we are (me) 30w3d and (Courtney) 40w3d.



I hope to post a picture of the little one and her name at some point tomorrow evening! Stay tuned...

{Luke's First Bubble Bath}

After a rough first introduction to the bubble bath earlier this week....

...I think Luke has taken to it!

{Museum Fun!}

Luke and I met his friends Christian and Sayler (and their mom's Candice and Lindsay) at the Children's Museum this afternoon for a little playdate. The kids all pretty much ran in different directions except for when they all hung out in these wooden cars they have in the center. At one point we looked over and they had all gotten in one car together. How often does that happen where all the kids are in the same place at the same time for a photo opportunity?!? Well, this is one of the pictures I got and I find it hysterical. The two boys (who of course are in the front seat each with a wheel in their hand) are looking back at Sayler like "What are you doing here?". Boys are such boys even at toddlerhood!!

(Sorry the picture quality is terrible...this was caught on a camera phone!)

{Out on the Farm}

Today has been quite a long day, so I am keeping this short and mostly to a picture post since I need to go pass out into my bed....

Luke and I headed out west to a pumpkin farm just outside of Houston. We had a great time even though I was sweating like the dickens! I can't wait for our first cool front so it can start to feel like fall. Luke did pretty well considering he is coming down with something and wasn't feeling 100%. He didn't love the tractor ride that we did first (mainly because the driver wanted to talk a little too much about irigation versus getting on with the show), but he perked up after that. Luke loved the animals the most from our time there...as you can see on the last picture of him smiling after feeding the goats. The apple does not fall far from the tree -- he is such an animal lover :).

{Happy Dance}

Since Luke has been able to walk, when he gets excited or happy, he likes do a little jig...or is it a jog.. well, it is definitely his "happy dance" as we like to call it. He was very wired today at my parent's house and he decided to do it several times in a row so I actually got it on camera. I just imagine him with some rockin' 80s music, headband and leg warmers. Guess if he ever wants a job with the River Dance people, he would be a candidate...

{29 Weeks And Counting...}

It is hard to believe I am already over 29 weeks pregnant with our second son! Even though it still seems like a far way off, I know December will be here before I know it and our family will quickly turn to four. Even though I still have almost 10 weeks left, I feel this pregnancy is going much faster than when I was pregnant with Luke. I think being distracted by a crazy toddler makes time just fly by. Here are few things about this pregnancy to note:

• This baby is a mover (which I love)! He is always moving, at all times of the day. This is very different than with Luke. I would go days without feeling Luke (which scared the dickens out of me!), so I just love this reassurance I get that this baby is growing strong. His kicks are typically very low in my pelvic area which makes me think this baby is still head up. Oh and he loves kicking my bladder...a lot.
• Many people have commented on my "pointy" belly. I have a torpedo-like roundness and it is making me look a bit further along than I am. When I tell people how many more weeks I have to go, I get very surprised looks and lots of commentary on where the baby is going to go over the next 2 1/2 months!
• Not only has my belly increased in size, but my chest has too. I can be the poster child for national geographic. Enough said about that.
• I do think this baby boy is a big one. I haven't had an ultrasound in about 9 weeks, so I don't know for sure, but every ultrasound in the past I have been 1 to 2 weeks ahead. I feel that this one might be bigger than Luke. I will get another ultrasound at 35 weeks and will be eager to see his size.
• My sleep has not been good for the past 8 weeks or so. Due to the sheer weight of the belly and also having to wake up to pee about 3 times a night, I just don't get long stretches. I am up about every 2 to 3 hours. Guess I am already back into newborn mode.
• Unfortunately we still don't have a name for this baby boy. I was really hoping to determine a name and share it before he was born (we waited until after Luke's birth to share his name). But I just don't think that will be the case. There are lots of names I like, but not that I just LOVE. I am hoping we come up with something and soon!
• I am hot. Not "man, that girl is so hot"... more of "oh my goodness, I am so freakin' hot that I am sweating through my shorts". I got through our terrible summer feeling normal, but about 2 weeks ago my temperature increased and it has not changed. Poor Chat just looks at me as I turn our a/c up and turn on all the fans. I can't wait for cooler temps!
• Even though this is my second pregnancy and second boy, I am having several "sprinkles" over the next month or so. I feel a little uneasy about this since this is the second and I don't want them to feel like they need to do anything since we have a lot of what we need, but I also feel so appreciative that I have such wonderful friends that are helping us celebrate this exciting new addition to our family.
• Luke is oblivious to what is going on which makes me chuckle. He has no idea that I am pregnant or what a baby is, but he does like sticking his crayons in my funny looking belly button. He also loves for me to pick him up by the arms and he puts his feet on my belly and pushes off and flips over. I am not sure how that effects the baby, so we try to keep that to a minimum :). The other day I asked him if he wanted a baby brother. He looked at me and simply whined "no"...lets hope that changes by Decemeber. Ha!

(Belly picture at 29 weeks and 1 day)

{Pipecleaner Fun!}

I found this idea online and thought we would give it a try....it was a huge success! All you need is a collander/strainer and pipe cleaners. I found these Halloween inspired pipe cleaners in the $1 bin at Target, so this was a very inexpensive activity for Luke and helped him practice his fine motor skills. Who would have thought trying to get the pipe cleaners in the holes would be so much fun?!?!

(excuse Chat's big ole feet in the background)

{Interaction}

Wow...how is it already October? I have a little bit of writer's block recently, so it is time I keep the blog updated. Luke is doing well, just busy as can be. Something new recently is that Luke is starting to interact with friends and other kids. For so long they just play side by side, so it is fun to see them interacting and have fun together. He especially likes to follow the big kids around and try to keep up with them. Here is a video of Luke and his cousin Kaden (almost 3 1/2 years old) having fun at a recent family gathering...I think they are going to be best buds as they grow up together :).