And Another One makes Four

Luke is going to be a big brother!

It's hard to believe, and I'm not sure what I've goten myself into, but we're still very excited!
Some days I'm very excited about having another baby, but then otherdays I feel more along the lines of anxious and overwhelmed about having another kid. I'm sure it will be fine; people do it all the time, but it's still hard to picture. But I do know that having another little baby to love and watch grow will be a glorious thing!

I will also say that being pregnant again is different than the first time. There are some things that are nice about it, but it's just not as exciting the second time around. I know I'll still love this baby as much as I love Luke, but pregnancy has lost a lot of its glow. Maybe it'll be more exciting when I can feel the baby move more and we know what the sex is, but for now, I find myself tired and cranky way more than I ever was with Luke. sigh....

But I am extremely lucky in the fact that it hasn't been a bad pregnancy. I really wasn't sick my first trimester, just extremely hungry all of the time. It was pretty bad and kind of annoying. I couldn't leave the house without an arsenal of things for me to eat. Now, that's under control and things have become pretty good. I do try and take a nap every day, and I just can't do too much or I'm utterly exhausted.

We'll find out the sex of this baby October 24th, so I'm really looking forward to that! I'm hoping we have smooth sailing!!

This at 15 weeks. Definitely bigger earlier this time around.

He will be an amazing brother!

I love this pic.

Fall Festival at the Arboretum

Today, Luke and I went to the arboretum with our MOPS group. They currently have all the pumpkins out for the Fall Festival. We went last year, and Luke was barely sitting up. Now, I can't get him to stay still. The arboretum was beautiful, as usual. It's nice on a normal day, but they have a lot out there for the fall festival. They do all of these elaborate set ups involving all sorts of different pumpkins and other squash varieties. They also do crafts, face painting, story time, musical presenatations, petting zoo, and more for kids during this time. 

Luke and I took part in the petting zoo. He got to pet his first sheep and goat. He was very good at being gentle.

He also had an excellent time running! He ran all over the pumpkin village. It's amazing the difference a year makes.

Here are the photos I got from our morning adventure.

Luke checking out the white pumpkins by one of the set ups. All the little girls were fascinated by the carriage.

He called this a ball and continued to throw it many times.

He would stand like this for a few seconds....

... and then he was off to find another place for the pumpkin.

He ran all around this pumpkin house.

He took a little break.

I caught him in front of one of the Chihuly exhibits. Beautiful!

Video Catch Up

There are a lot of videos we've taken that I've been really lazy about uploading. I'm going to spend some time getting those updated on here, but it won't happen all at once. Hopefully, one every few days.

This was taken 4/25/12. It shows off two of his awesome skills. Enjoy!

This one was taken 8/21/12, and he does an even more awesome trick. Love it :)

17 months

Well, honestly, Luke's growing and changing, BUT it's hard to document all the little things. He's mostly just funny now and does random things. I feel like I think of things to put on there and then when I sit down to write it, it all goes 'poof'. I'll do my best!

• I'm pretty sure he just went through a growth spurt. For one, he slept until after 7 for four days in a row which is a true miracle. Now, his 12 month shirts are way too short for him and don't quite go over his head unless you give them a good tug. He's in 16 month shirts, but he still fits fine in 12 month pants. The pants do have to be pretty generous on elastic, but they're not too tight to work. I have a feeling we'll still be in the bottom percentiles at his doctor's appointment at the end of this month, but that's the story of all of our lives.
• He's also still in size 3 diapers. I think he could move to 4's, but why push it? 
• He knows the sounds that a cow, cat, duck, sheep, and a dog. But he just grunts when you ask him what a dog says; he's consistent, but I'm not sure that's totally correct. He also calls most animals a cat. Except for owls and ducks, he knows what they are.
• He also things any mode of transportation is a car. When we go for a walk he will point out every single vehicle you see and say 'car!' So I think he literally says that word on average of 75 times a day. No lie.
• He does love boats, though. He does not confuse boats with anything else at all. He also loves to ride in boats with the wind in his hair. And he totally hates the life jacket, so we'll see how that works out next summer. For now, it wasn't pushed. He will literally squeel with delight and do his happy dance (stomping his feet) when you got for a boat ride. He LOVES it! I can't wait to stick him on a tube out behind the boat! I hope that rocks his world.
• He now loves to run. I asked him, "Do you like to run?" And he nodded his head. He must love it because he runs a lot. He runs more than he walks at this point.
• He also likes to kick balls. He'll run all around a gym kicking a ball. Maybe he'll enjoy soccer- we'll see.
• His favorite books now are ones where there are just pictures and he points to them and you tell him what he sees. We can do this for hours on end. I'm still waiting to see the payoff.
• He learned to use the slide all by himself. He can climb up the ladder and slide down feet first. The only problem is he's not that careful or balanced yet, so he's fallen off the top of the slide 3 times now. The slide has been temporarily removed. We'll revisit it in about a month or two when maybe he's learned to be more careful- or not. I'm just tired of picking up a crying baby off the floor right now.
• He just got another haircut. I think he's had 5 now.
• He's still an organizer. He closes doors, he moves things to where they belong, he puts things back- it's amazing. I don't consider myself a neat person, so maybe I can just count on him to pick things up for me. Awesome. He also doesn't like for his hands to be dirty. He asks for them to be brushed off regularly. He also doesn't like dirt between his toes. He will sit down and clean his toes about 5 times a day, maybe more. It's a little weird, but oh well.
• All in all, he's still a happy kid.  He's very entertaining on a daily basis. He is a kid who loves to say hi and bye to everyone he sees. He regularly leaves the grocery store and says, "bye", to everyone we pass. It's pretty funny. He is complemented all of the time about his wonderful personality and how laid back he is which is very true. We're pretty lucky to have such a fun, cute baby.

The pictures below are from his first day of Mother's Day Out which just happened to be a few days after his 17 month birthday. He's only been once, but he did great! He even took an hour and 15 minute nap which is nothing short of a miracle! His MDO is at our church, First Methodist. His teachers are Becky and Judy. There's 7 other babies in his class. I think he'll enjoy being there! I know I will....

Shaggy hair dude

Blurry but cute- loves his bear :)

Always reaching for a book

Loves to read

Sweet face

Best pic I got with his backpack. He moves too quickly and too much

Trying to lift his heavy backpack

 

16 months

Luke is becoming a little boy, and it's so very fun to be a part of. He's the sweetest, most caring, non-moving child. I will say that as his personality and ability to do things grows, this is all becoming more fun. It's nice to think about a baby who will just sit so you can watch tv, but it's also not that interesting. Life these days is nothing but interesting, and I like it!

• He's crazy. He's insane. He's almost 1.5, and very much all boy.
• He loves balls! He walks around looking for balls to play with and repeatedly says 'ba-ball'. He will point out anything that remotely looks like a ball and want to play with it.
• He's saying a whole bunch and picking up words all over the place. He can say- byebye, hi, night night, thank you, more, yum yum, owl, cat, ball, this, mama, dada, uh oh (but he says it uh-ho)
• He never stops moving. He will literally run around in a circle until you stop him. He just constantly goes from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next.
• He loves to use his slide even though he would rather climb up it than figure out how to use the ladder.
• We spend as much time as we can outside. It's been a little hard lately because it's been sooo hot, but we'll still go for a walk in the morning or brave it out there for just 5 minutes. He's the happiest when he can run around in the grass and just be.
• He will bring the little stool from his room into the living room and sit on it to watch TV or do whatever. It's pretty funny.
• He can build with his legos. The other day he made his first tree with a jungle set all by himself. He can also build a tower really well- he gets them pretty high.
• He learned how to use a fork. It makes eating much more fun for him which is great!
• We've learned that he's allergic to peanuts and cats and dogs. We're seeing an allergist in a couple of weeks to talk about what we need to do. I don't think the cat/ dog one is too bad, though, because he's lived with KC since birth and I've never noticed an adverse effect. The peanut one could be worse, and I've seen what it can do to him. I'm really more interested in how to manage that one. We'll see...
• Luke loves to laugh. It's great when you hear his little giggle. He's also pretty ticklish which makes him laugh a lot!
• He does funny things with his tongue and lips. He sticks his lips out like he's making a duck face. He'll move his tongue from side to side while a little piece is sticking out. He does this when he's concentrating. It's really cute.
• Luke continues to be a good sleeper for the most part. He goes to bed about 7, and he's been sleeping until 6-6:30ish. He takes one nap a day from 11:30ish to 1:30ish. 
• He's starting giving kisses. When you ask for a kiss, he usually just leans his head up to your lips, but now he'll put his lips up to yours. He deoesn't really make a kissy face, but you know.
• He's starting making the fish face with his lips. So cute!
• He loves sitting on our fireplace. I think the step is just his size, so he prefers to sit there and drink from his sippy or eat his snack.
• Luke's eating has also improved so much! He's not real adventurous but he does eat good meals most of the time. He still loves fruit. He also loves sausage now. A couple of weekends ago he had a breakfast taco which he thoroughly enjoyed.
• Luke has definitely developed an opinion. When he gets mad, he'll bang his head on the floor. The tantrums have definitely started. They're not too often and they happen more when he's tired, but we get them for sure. 
• He can also be super whiny at times. We've had many mornings when I get frustrated with him because he will not let me do something simple like brush my teeth without whining and wanting me to hold him. I'm hoping this is just a stage for right now.
• One of the best things he does is when he wants something he'll say more while signing it and then nod his head yes, like you're going to do it, right?

We just continue to enjoy being with our little man. He's very fun and just has a great personality. He's so laid-back and such a people person; he's just easy to be around! I'm looking forward to the months to come as he reveals himself even more to us :)

Pictures!

His month pictures (the first 2 below) didn't turn out great so there are some others of things we should be doing. Enjoy!

LOVES his books!

Best way to enjoy grapes- pantless in your booster that supports breast cancer(!) while watching the tube.

He just needs a beach and a roasting pig.

Well, hello Luke 'Harry Potter' Jackson!

Favorite seat in the house

My favorite pic of him right now. How grown up does he look?!?

Also love with his CUTE smile!

 

Grand Cayman

A picture post of our trip to Cayman.

We love this place.

All these pics were taken the morning we left. We forgot to take any other pictures- oops.

We had an outstanding time- we ate, drank, dove, swam, laid on the beach, snorkeled, relaxed, slept, napped, and just had a wonderful, childless time.

If you've ever though of going to Grand Cayman, let us talk you into going. We seriously love this place!!

On the beach in front of our condo. It was cloudy, so the water isn't as beautiful as it usually is, but it still looks pretty good!

The yacht that we think is Paul Allen's. It was HUGE.

Looking down the beach from our condo. Ahh, heaven.

Beautiful flower on the condo grounds.

Our condo complex with the pool.

15 months

This month's update brings exciting news!

• Luke is in the 25th percentile for height and the 10th percentile for weight! Finally, things are looking up. His weight was 20 lbs 11 oz and his height was 30 inches. Little man is moving up in the world.
• We also have a walker! Well, maybe a 50% walk 50% crawl kid, but he is definitely exploring the world on two feet! We weren't sure this day would ever get here, but it has and it's very nice. He can just start to do so much more now which is very exciting. He's still good about staying next to you, so we don't have a runner yet- maybe next month, we'll see.
• Luke is looking pretty chunky lately, too. He's been eating really well. He still won't eat just anything I put in front of him, but he eats! He's a grazer for sure where he just eats a lot of small meals all day long. His snacks have become a constant thing- I always travel with food.
• Since Luke took swim lessons, he's really taken to the water. He even got in the lake in his float for the first time! When he hangs out in his float, he almost falls asleep every time. That thing relaxes him like nothing I've ever seen. We use his baby pool pretty regularly and if he can get his hands on the water hose, he's a very happy boy.
• Another of Luke's favorite things to do is to throw dirt. He consistently gets into my flower beds and throws mounds of dirt on to the sidewalk or deck. He also tends to do this on the playground. Playground outings have ended in bath time many times.
• The kid still talks all of the time. A lot of it is just babble in his own little language, but he's really good with hi, bye, mama, dada, and he can say ball and this. Pointing is still is favorite way to get what he wants. You'll pick him up and he'll point to where he wants to go which is usually to an exterior door to go outside and play. He's still just hanging on to the two signs, more and all done, but those have worked in many circumstances such as bath time, swinging, at the pool, etc. It's great!
• We're down to one nap! Occasionally, when he's super tired he also takes a quick morning nap, but that's used more as a catch up now than a regular thing. He goes down around 11:30 and usually will sleep for about 1.5-2 hours. He goes to bed at 7 and usually gets up around 6. It's not unheard of him, though, to get up at 5:30 or so just for fun. When he does this, though, he's good at lounging in bed with us until we're ready to get up. It's so kind of him.
• This summer Luke has been a traveling fool and done extremely well. I'm almost ashamed of how much we've stretched his schedule and his patience this past month, but he's been a champ about it all. We're pretty lucky to have such a laid back baby that will bounce right back after being away and drug along to things for weekends on end.
• He started his first Mothers Day Out program. The baptist church in Richardson runs a summer program, and he's going on Wednesday from 9-3. They do a splash time for them, feed them lunch, have a nap time, and then play time. Luke didn't nap the first day which was no surprise b/c he's not a good napper when other are around. He's too interested in what everyone else is doing. I'm hoping as he goes more, that'll change and he'll nap some. He seems to enjoy it and was happy when I picked him up after the first day. I'm enjoying it, as well, as I finally go the entry way painted, have plans to paint the hallway, plans for lunch out with a friend, and I'm getting to catch up on doctors appointments sans baby. All of this is pure bliss for me!
• Even though Luke is a very happy baby, he has started showing us his other side. He's throwing little temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He'll cry and put out these huge crocodile tears. At other times, he'll bang his head against the floor or whatever he's mad at (which is completely counter-productive on his part as it usually makes it worse, but I guess that's just how he shows frustration). I try to pick him and tell him to breathe deep. I'm really hoping he doesn't have a temper and this is the start of it. I don't deal well with short-fused people, so we'll see how that goes...
• On the 4th of July, Luke got to be in his first parade! He rode on the riding lawnmower with my dad through the lake's parade. He even got some beads on the route from some admiring girls, but don't worry, he didn't have to show anything for them! He loved getting to 'drive' the lawnmower and he looked pretty cute doing it.
• He also went on his first vacation to grandma's house! Trey and I went to Grand Cayman for four nights to dive and hang on the beach. Luke got to have a blast hanging out with grandma and grandad at their house while we were gone. He did amazing there and they said they really enjoyed having him which is great. My mom even made a little book of all the things they did which we put in his memory box. It was really cute!

I think that's about it for now. We're still loving our little boy every day. He's so, so sweet and kind. He makes friends everywhere he goes and continues to love everyone around him, whether he knows them or not. He's smiling constantly and loving life. We are so blessed by him everyday!!