{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 :).

{A Boy And His Dog}

This dog has put up with an awful lot from this guy...

and she still seems to love him :).

{Drivin' -- Me Crazy!}

Here's another snapshot of one of Luke's new favorite things! The boy loves the car (loves is a huge understatement). We spend at least 45 minutes a day with him climbing all over the car, pushing the buttons, turning on the lights, playing with the stereo and "driving" the wheel. I am a little sad we started this because every time we have to leave to go somewhere, he wants to play in the car, not get into his carseat. So I have to set time everyday for him to get the 'driving' out of his system, so we can avoid any tantrums. I do love to see him get such a thrill out of it all though - and it is very low maintenance for me, I just have to sit there and make sure he doesn't drive away :). At least we just have to head to the driveway now to have a fun outting!

{My 18 Month Old}

I can't believe Luke is already 18 months old! This has been a FUN, but EXHAUSTING age. I enjoy watching him learn and soak everything in...it is really incredible to watch. When he learns something new, my heart just melts with pride. He is such a little guy now. We went to his 18 month check-up this week and his pediatrician gave him a great report :). His 18 month stats are:

Height - 34 1/4 inches (92nd percentile)

Weight - 29 pounds (84th percentile)

We clearly have one tall boy! One of my concerns over the past few months is Luke's lack of words. He has been extremely vocal over the past few months. He speaks tons...just in a language I could never understand (although it was kinda cute). I planned to have a big discussion with the doctor at this appointment, but low-and-behold Luke started talking about a week before his appointment. Seriously, four days ago he was saying only 2 words that I could understand. Today, he is speaking 12 that I can identify...

Dada

Mama

Dog

Bubbles

No

Uh-oh

Ball

Hot

Hi

Bye

Banana

Elmo

The pediatrician said that one day he would just start speaking and then rapidly increase...and boy did it! He seems to be learning to speak several words a day now. It has been very fun to see him do this...and has given me great peace of mind.

Other than that, Luke is just busy, busy, busy. I can barely take him anywhere now because he is so active and literally won't sit still (or be held) for more than about 2 minutes. The grocery store is now even a problem. Restaurants...forget it. The boy wants to run around like a chicken with his head cut off! It is actually very entertaining...when it is not frustrating :). He climbs on everything and moves furniture to be able to get to counters and tables that we put things out of his reach. The tantrums have started, but are few. We are learning to have time out when he gets upset and it seems to help, but somedays he can just have off days. Those particular days, all we have to do is spend a bit extra time outside and he is a happy camper. He is sleeping like a champ and napping so well. I guess he is making up for his first year where he did not sleep at all. The boy is dirty -- All The Time. He wants to be outside and be hot, sweaty and dirty. We cannot miss bath at night since he smells like a little goat by about noon everyday. I am glad he plays so hard though and enjoys it so much.

Here is a picture of the little guy after playing hard in the backyard today....notice something funny about one of his bottom teeth?

Yes, he fell out of a chair the other day and chipped his tooth. At times I get a bit comfortable with him climbing since he is doing it 24/7 and seems to have pretty good balance. Well, this time I was a bit too comfortable and could not get there in time to catch him when he fell. Luckily he will eventually lose this tooth, it will just take another 5 years. Until then, I am raising a little hillbilly :).