{Luke: 5 Years Old}

I am finally getting around to putting up Luke's 5 year old update! Only a little late :). But at least I am getting it done before another month rolls around and we add another child to the mix!

1.  Luke is 3'9.75" (93%) -- He is up about three inches from last year. He is on the tall side among his peers, but I see other kids catching up and him not being a head taller -- just maybe more like an inch or two or three. Luke is still the spitting image of his Chat. He wears XS or S in boys (no longer toddlers!) for clothes now and is growing like a weed!

{Waiting in the doctor's office!}

2.  He weighs 50 lbs 6.4 oz (92%) -- He gained about five pounds in the last year. He was in the 96% last year, so he is slowing down in weight. He is long and lean, but very, very dense. He is still a pretty picky eater which can be frustrating especially since he and Ben like everything opposite. He will eat apples, dried cranberries, milk, carrots, waffles, toast, tortillas, broccoli, Chick Fil A, oranges and grapes. Oh and of course anything bad for him! He loves candy, fruit snacks, chips and anything else sugary. The good thing now is that he knows when it is time to eat healthy. He will ask for some fruit snacks, and all I have to say is that he needs to eat something healthy first and he will gladly eat an apple or something before getting a snack. We try to limit that stuff as much as we can.

3.  Luke passed his vision and hearing test at his check up -- although his vision has changed a bit to 20/25 in each eye. Chat got glasses in the 3rd grade so I am definitely watching for any changes for him with his sight. I don't wear glasses so who knows whose eyes he is going to get! Lately he has been asking for glasses though. He wants 'pretend' glasses -- ha! They are hard to find though!

4.  Luke still didn't like his blood pressure being taken. He is such an agreeable kid so it is funny when he freaks out. He acted a bit panicky and started to tear up and wouldn't really keep his arm still. So the reading wasn't super accurate, but okay. I am thinking maybe next year he will do better. We have a little vet kit as a toy and he has been playing with it. I guess I should have been practicing with that earlier!

5.  He wears an 13 or 1 shoe and his foot is still sooooooo wide. He is super into picking out his own shoes now (although still will wear whatever I ask him to). Just this past month, he desperately wanted new shoes but we had gotten some earlier in the year. So I told him we had to wait until April. You better believe on April 1st, he reminded me it was April and it was time! He then has had to tell everyone and show even strangers his brand new shoes. Did I mention they are neon yellow and neon orange? He LOVES them.

6.  Luke is currently a great writer and learning slowly how to read. He knows most of the sounds of all the letters and tries very hard to make words out. He spends lots of time at home making "cards" for us and for friends and asks how to spell things so he can write messages. He likes to also draw now and spends most nights coloring for a bit before bed. I got him tested for the GT/Vanguard program for our public school system and he did extremely well and qualified. One less thing we will have to worry about for next year!

7.  Luke is currently playing soccer, baseball and taking swimming lessons. He loves soccer and baseball so much. And loves throwing the football around the house and playing basketball on the driveway. He is going to a basketball camp this summer at Rice and I can't wait! At swim, he can swim the entire lap of the pool now and is making so much progress. He is in school four days a week as well. He handles it all like a champ and loves all of his activities! We try to spend any other time at home -- just playing and doing things here. The boys are true playmates, so other than fights that happen pretty occasionally (read ALL THE TIME), they really do entertain each other here at home. He also goes to Sunday School on Sundays and loves when Chat and I are his teachers (which is about once or twice a month).

8.  Luke is my sweet, kind boy. He constantly tells me how much he loves me and wants everyone to be happy and get along. I call him our peacemaker. The best is he tells me that I am his "Love" and "Sweetheart" all the time. Seriously, I hope this lasts forever. If I were to act upset with him, he immediately gets sad and tries to fix whatever it is that I am upset with him for. He really cannot handle Chat or I mad at him. He is a such good friend to others and his classmates and plays well with others -- which I am so thankful for!

9.  Luke love of trains is slowing down. He still talks about trains a lot and wants to pick out all things train, but in actuality, he doesn't play with his trains that much anymore. He is being more influenced by what his friends like too -- which kinda makes me sad at times. I will ask him about what he likes and his answers reflect what his buddies like (right now it is airplanes even though I never see him pick one up). But I know that is part of growing up and being part of a crew.

10.  He hates bugs, terrified actually. I am hoping this is a very quick phase because it is causing all sorts of issues. He flips out when he sees a mosquito in the house and has nightmares all around bugs. The good news is he actually wore a bandaid for the first time EVER about two weeks ago. Hoping that hatred is gone! What child hates bandaids?!?!? 

12.  Luke continues to be a great big brother. There are lots of arguing between Luke and Ben, but usually, Luke tries to fix it or stop it. When they are racing or competing in some way, Luke picks up that Ben gets so upset and always says things like, "Second is the winner Ben, so you are the winner...not me!'. He wants his brother to be happy. Just yesterday we were at the dentist and Ben was having some trouble sitting still and he was crying a bit when they were cleaning his teeth. Luke stops playing and comes stands by us and says, "Be brave Ben! I know you can do it!". He is Ben's biggest cheerleader. Again, it isn't always roses with those two, but they really do love each other.

I love my big guy so much and truly and such a proud mother. His kindness astounds me and I am so appreciative of it. He isn't perfect and has his moments (he is still very sensitive and cries at the drop of the hat), but overall, he is a wonderful little boy that I know is going to flourish this next year in Kindergarten.

{34 Weeks and 3 Days}

I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday and got an ultrasound of the baby. It was so fun to see the little one up on the screen again! Man, this child has some very pouty, large lips. Ha!

All went well but it seems we have a large baby again. It was measuring over three weeks ahead and they estimate over 7 lbs already. These are similar to Ben's stats at this time and I think it was a little inflated for what it really is. Although from feeling this baby, I do feel it might be a bit larger than Ben but not really convinced it is already 7 lbs. My doctor is concerned because Ben had a shoulder dystocia when delivering and the reoccurrence of that happening again is high. So we are watching the baby closely in the meantime and I will get a follow-up ultrasound in three weeks. I did have elevated amniotic fluid which is common with large babies. I go back in two weeks to check on that again. But I definitely think they will induce me betwee 38 and 39 weeks -- so we have about four weeks to go! There is a small chance of C-section, but I determined we will worry about that when the time comes.

Other news...the baby has tons of hair. It was the first thing the ultrasound tech mentioned. I asked if it was just a lot of it or was it long. And she replied "Both!". Which is so strange to me because neither Luke or Ben had much hair when they were born. I can't wait to see this! And it might prove the theory of hair causes heartburn because I have had it this pregnancy and never with Luke or Ben.

Here is a sweet picture of Luke showing off his baby brother or sister to his classmates. We went to the park after school yesterday and he found my ultrasound pictures. He immediately asked if he could show his friends and so I had to snap a quick picture!

 

I love how excited he is about having another brother or sister! Let's hope that excitement sticks around when it actually gets here.

{Trudy}

Spring Break was a bit rough for us this year. We had planned to go to Galveston for a few days, but canceled our trip because Trudy got sick. The Friday before spring break started she started having seizures. It was only one every few days and she seemed to be okay. We immediately took her to the vet once we knew she was having them, but all the tests came back normal. So we just crossed our fingers and said some prayers that this was not going to progress quickly. We did put her on prednisone in hopes that if anything was inflamed or swelling that was causing them, it would help.

Sadly that wasn't the case. By last Friday night, Trudy started having them every few hours. Chat and I stayed up with her all night and watched her and tried to calm her. We almost took her to the emergency vet hospital in the middle of the night, but we knew where this was going, and we wanted to be at our own vet to say our goodbyes. By morning, her vet agreed that it was time to put her down. She was suffering and we were losing "her". She had a glassy look in her eye and was pacing for hours..it just wasn't her. The boys saw one of her seizures and it scared them. We knew they would just keep coming and the suffering would get worse.

The last picture I took of Trudy the morning she passed.

Chat's mom came and watched the boys so we could take her. We talked to her and comforted her while we drove and while we waited for the vet. She came to a bit and we actually got to spend some sweet time with her. We were so scared she would have another seizure though that we didn't want to wait too long. It was horrible to say goodbye but we know we had no choice.

The rest of the day was so hard. It was pouring outside and so we stayed at home and spent time with just us. I cried pretty much all day. Between the loss, the lack of sleep and pregnancy hormones, I really, really struggled. And continue to. We know it was the right thing to do, but it was so sudden and the loss is so apparent. We feel like our family is incomplete at the moment. I am hoping time will help heal that void.

The boys have done well. Ben is pretty much oblivious -- it is very out-of-sight-out-of-mind for him. Luke took it harder. We tried to explain it the best we could. We did tell him Trudy died and is in heaven. He cried some and still talks about her days later. He has told lots of his friends that his dog went to heaven. He also has requested we hang her picture up (Chat got me a drawing of her for a present years ago). But they are doing okay and that is the best I could hope for.

I am glad we have about a month before the baby comes. I don't know if I could handle all the change right now. The emptiness I feel is very real and I don't want to cloud a beautiful beginning with a new baby. So for now, I think of her and try to forget her last twelve hours or so which are continuing to haunt me. I say lots of prayers. Chat and I spend time each day talking about her. Slowly I know we will find a new normal without her. But I miss her with all my heart.



{34 Weeks!}

I am officially 34 weeks! I am heading to the doctor on Monday for a check-up and an ultrasound so I will have more details then on how big this baby is, the position it is in and maybe start talking about its arrival!

Here is a bump pic -- 34 weeks

Bump comparison -- 31 weeks vs. 34 weeks (I've grown!)

For right now, I am dealing with is some major pregnancy insomnia which I have never had before. It totally stinks and I have gotten pretty tired. I wake up every 1.5 hours or so -- whether to go to the restroom or just because. It has been a bit challenging, but I know it could be a whole lot worse.

I had some high blood pressure at my last appointment and the doctor was concerned since I ended up with preeclampsia with Ben. So I have had to check my BP several times a week, and luckily, all has been okay. Not sure what happened at that appointment, but it has been normal since testing it at home. Phew!

I am having some serious Braxton Hicks contractions. Every time I get up, I feel like I have to use the restroom and have a BH contraction. The baby is literally sitting on my bladder and any movement makes it painful. It makes going anywhere without a restroom is very hard! We have had to forgo a few things lately because it is just too hard to get that feeling several times while just trying to walk around after the boys.

Feeling big and tired, but nothing too bad luckily which is great considering I am 34 weeks! I am getting anxious to get this little one here though! More details after Monday's appointment...

{Kinder Roundup}

In about five months, Luke will be heading off to Kindergarten! I have been so excited about this upcoming transition. He will be going to our neighborhood, public school where he will not know one single kid in his Kindergarten class (I know he will do great!). He is excited and always talks about how big he is going to be when he goes there as we drive by the school. I can't wait for him to meet neighborhood kids and for me to get involved at such a wonderful elementary school.

 

We got the opportunity to go to Kinder Roundup in the beginning of March. Parents go and hear more about registrations, dress code, etc. and the kids get to go to a classroom for a bit and meet a "buddy" and shadow them for about 30 minutes. All in all it was a great time...

A quick selfie before the program started

...but after Kinder Roundup, I went to drop him off at his current preschool and I couldn't shake this funny feeling I had since arriving to his elementary school that morning. The morning was great -- we met nice people, saw a few faces that we knew and heard wonderful things about the year ahead. But when we got to his current school, I walked in a sighed with relief -- it felt warm, familiar and like home. It felt like a big hug wrapped around me. And I needed that hug.

 

I headed back to the car once I said good bye and felt tears well up in my eyes. I wasn't super sad, but for some reason, all that excitement I have been feeling about kindergarten was replaced with a bit of uneasiness and hesitation. I know Luke will do great once he is there, but I know we have a lot of change ahead of us and it feels good to be somewhere small, familiar and safe. So I realize this transition might be a bit harder on me than I thought it would be. But I have a feeling by the time August rolls around, my heart will be more prepared and the uneasiness will diminish. At least those are my prayers.

Luke outside his new school!

I am so proud of Luke. He amazes me everyday with his kindness and eagerness to meet new friends. I look forward to this next step...just need to get through a few months of some major change and come out on the other side. I love him so!

{Mutton Bustin'}

Wow...what a night we had on Tuesday night! It was Opening Night at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and Luke got the opportunity to do Mutton Bustin' in the big arena. He has never ridden a horse let alone a sheep, so this was a first for him and a huge, exciting night.

We got to NRG Stadium around 5:15 pm so we could check in since Luke was getting to ride in a wagon for the Grand Entry! It was so exciting. You can tell by his smile, he was pumped! This was right outside the stadium...

We got checked in and got to go to the Grand Entry tent where the boys got temporary tattoos, snacks and pictures with Howdy!

I couldn't help taking a quick selfie with my big boy!

By about 6:15 pm, they started getting everyone ready for the Grand Entry. There was about 15 wagons/fire trucks filled with kids and adults. Luke was called back and he went back without Chat or I and got all situated. Then parents were called back to be able to take some pictures. I was so proud of him -- he wasn't scared and just went with the flow. The girl sitting next to him became his BFF that night. He kept calling her his "girlfriend" and had to know where she was at all times. Not sure where he learned about girlfriends!

Luke went off and we had to wait in the Grand Entry tent. Ben got to hang with us and 'Jeff' the pretend sheep that the kids got to practice on.

We weren't able to see him in the Grand Entry, but Chat's dad and stepmom were in the crowd and got a great picture of him. There were thousands of people and Luke just sat like a pro and waved at everybody!

When they got back, the announcer got the kids organized and said some fun things to get them excited. We were then taken to our seats to watch some of the rodeo.

And the boys proceeded to eat their way through that hour. Ben was a huge fan of cotton candy of course!

Luke loved the popcorn and the big pretzels. It was a night of very nutritious eating! The next day I forced so much fruit into these kids to make up for all the sugar and junk. Ha!

We then waiting to be called down to get ready. Chat saw some of his friends and the kids just ran around from seat to seat. It was fun, but at this point we had been there over 3 hours and I was getting tired! We did one more bathroom break and then it was time for Luke to get ready.

Luke went down with all the other kids to get his vest on and his helmet. Apparently they had some trouble finding a helmet to fit!

No siblings were allowed on the platform, so I stayed in the seats with Ben and Chat went out to be close to Luke.

I watched it on the jumbo screen. Luke fell off pretty quickly but we were so proud of him! He was so brave!

We left pretty quickly afterwards since it was well past 9:00 pm and this pregnant momma was TIRED! Luke got a trophy and a belt buckle for participating and he was one happy kiddo! It was such a fun, tiring night and we felt so blessed we got the opportunity. I asked Luke if he wanted to ride a sheep again and he pretty quickly said "No way!" so I think our mutton bustin' days are over, but oh the memories we made!

{Luke's 5th Birthday Party!}

We had Luke's 5th birthday party this past Saturday and this guy was so excited and had so much fun! I always question where to do his party -- February weather is so hard to predict. I originally booked a park, but then common sense took over and realized that probably wasn't a great idea. Good thing because Saturday was cold and cloudy and rainy. So we headed to Pump It Up and it was by far the easiest party. They do everything for you and we just show up with a cake and party favors. And as you can tell but this face...it was a huge hit!

 

We get a Moeller's cake every year -- it is tradition. This year Luke wanted a baseball cake! Chat of course was thrilled. Chat and Luke went to pick it up Saturday morning and when they saw it, it was a basketball cake. They messed up somehow but luckily had plenty of time to fix it and we got a brand new cake just a few hours later and in plenty of time for the party!

 

Here is my birthday boy when everyone was singing and he was about to blow out the candles. That smile just kills me. He is such a sweet, sweet boy!

 

I really wanted a picture of all of us. Let's just say it isn't the best, but hey, we got one. Maybe next year we will get a framer...

 

Here is a picture of the party room with all the guests. We had about 30 kids total with Luke and Ben, so it was hoppin'!

I just love this picture! He was so happy to finally be five and loved spending time with all his friends as did all of us. We are so thankful there are so many family and friends that spend time helping us celebrate!

And that is a wrap! Now it is time for thank-you notes...which I suspect I will be doing for the next few weeks. Ha! But we are truly thankful, so it is worth it.