The end of 07

The first pic is Luke's reaction to seeing all of the presents that his two sets of Grandparents lavished on him. Lucky kid, as Mom and Dad kept it very very simple this year. A shot of Luke with Becca and I, my cousins with the little ladies man, and one with Mom Mom on Christmas morning round out the group.

Tonight is the grand finale to 07. Luke's birth year rolls to a close at the strike of midnight. I have to say that 07 has (hands down) been the very best year of my life to date. The proverbial cup overfloweth. I'm emotional tonight as I think about where we were this time last year (about 6 weeks away from Luke's birth) Where we are this year (in our new home, with a healthy totally fab little critter we call our son chirping away in the other room) and where we will be in just a few short months (with another baby welcomed into our family).


I feel like I have so much to catch up on, but there simply isn't time at the moment. We went down to the Farmers Market in Suburban Square to try to come up with some wildly creative menu for tonight's meal....but ended up with the same, or very close to the same, thing that we have made the past 4 years now....Filet Mignon and Lobster tail, washed down with a healthy serving of cheesecake. My Sparkling Cider is on ice. Party time. A happy and healthy New Years eve to everyone.

A Very Merry Kiss-mas

My son is a lover. Matters not if its alive, stuffed, plastic, food or dangerous materials ~ odds are if its in arms reach, it's getting kissed. As I reviewed the two million Christmas pics I took the recurring theme was Luke's mouth on someone or something.

I'm way way too tired to post, but it was a great Christmas and I am sure that I will get caught up at some point. Next life, maybe.

PS ~ Jen ~ The pic of Luke mauling the Fox was taken especially for you ~ we were thinking of you and Julien on Christmas day!

Christmas Eve

I can't believe that it is Christmas Eve already! We woke up to a beautiful, cold, clear day after a couple of days of fog and rain. Luke and I snuggled by the fireplace all morning, and I just put him down for his morning nap. Last night was our 7 fish dinner, it was so wonderful to have my family together and to get to see my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins enjoying Luke. He got some great books that I can't wait to read to him. Pics to follow once I download them.

Today I have to go to Carlinos to make the Antipasti for dinner tomorrow, and we are going to all go to the gym together. Church and opening our presents tonight. We will give Luke his presents tonight as well, and then in the morning go to Mom Mom and Grandpops (Where I have a little feeling that there may be just one or two more presents for Luke ;) Deuce was spazzing out last night ~ Baby is getting big in there all of a sudden. I have been getting requests from friends that I have not seen in a while for a current pic of the ole belly, so I am including a pic that I took at 27 weeks along.(The other pic appears to be my little Polar Bear wondering just what the hell is going on with his Mom's burgeoning belly) Anyone care to put in a guess on who lurks in there, a son or a daughter? I am also open to any and all name suggestions......Nate and I really should start talking about names soon, so if anyone wants to offer up some ideas I need em! The official "baby pool" will be coming out soon.....Jen Otto is already formulating her bet to be a repeat winner so lookout, all. I can't even believe that I am in my third trimester already. I am so happy and grateful to say that I am still feeling great, have lots of energy, and no complaints! Another easy pregnancy, thus far.

The invitations have started rolling in. Luke just got two birthday party invitations in two days. I can't believe that I going to be taking my son to first birthday parties already?!?!? How did this happen? And does this mean that I have to host a birthday party? What are the birthday party rules? I guess I go to the party too, eh? Sheesh. I need a book on this stuff.

A walking spaghetti noodle

Here is Luke. This is a tiny tiny snapshot of about 5 minutes in a normal day with my active little bugger.

Captain Curiosity has simply been utterly charming lately. I'm smitten. And busy!

Also, he now wants to run between things. Only issue, he can't run (like, at all). So he goes flying around the house looking like a marionette who has had his strings cut, or a bit like a wobbly cooked spaghetti noodle might if it decided to try to run around.

#100

We are in! Moving in turned out to be way easier than moving out, thanks mostly to the family and friends who helped with Luke so that Nate and I could unpack! Big thanks to both sets of Grandparents, Kevin and my Sibs, and my friends. All of our boxes are unpacked and we are all set up. There will be lots of furniture shopping and decorating down the road, but for now its time to hunker down, relax, and start getting mentally prepared for little Deuce's arrival in just a few short months. The house is awesome. I cant believe how homey and comfortable it feels already. We put up our tree on Monday night and Nate left Tues for LA....he gets in in the morning and I cant wait ~ Luke and I are missing him.
I had my first "I'm 27 weeks pregnant and have a little baby and Christmas shopping is HARD" breakdown at KOP yesterday. I (idiotically) thought that I could let Luke nap in his stroller while I shopped. Yeah.....not so much. Between the throngs of bit**y fur clad women, frantic men who all looked as though they were in desperate need of a drink, and the horrible, too loud piped in "rockin Christmas" music it was a nightmare. Luke was miserable. I was miserable. Shops were all so crammed with merchandise that it was a huge chore to simply navigate the stroller around. I cursed (more than once) as the stroller got snagged on racks. I kept looking down at my sweet, easygoing baby who was crying in his stroller with the knowledge that I DID THIS TO HIM by dragging him out at the wrong time of day. I was sweating, and lugging the stroller up and down escalators (walk around the entire mega-lo-mall to find an elevator??? Just not my style) and meanwhile the mantra "this is NOT what Christmas is about" kept swirling around my head over and over. I finally called Nate in tears. Poor Nate. He was in LA. I think that I just needed someone to feel sorry for me for just a moment. He told me to go home, relax, and that he would watch Luke for me on Friday afternoon so that I could go finish up sans baby. I pretty much RAN out of the mall, and smothered Luke in apologetic (and teary) kisses as I loaded him in the car seat. We came home, and cooked up some dinner as Jeannie was coming over to eat with us. Christmas music and candles did the trick until about 6 PM....I was feeding Luke when suddenly all hell broke loose outside with firetrucks and police cars swarming the street and front yard.....our neighbors home was on fire. Men with ladders and axes were running down the street, fire hoses wound through my front yard (well....what will someday be yard, right now its straw covered dirt/seed :)).......I could hear breaking glass as they broke the windows. It was about 3 houses down and across the street. The house has a lot of trees around it, so I don't know the extent of the damage or what exactly happened. How terrible to have a fire this time of year. It freaked me out and I will admit that I was scared going to bed....all alone in this big house I just felt vulnerable and wanted to gather up Luke and have a snuggley sleepover in my bed with him. However, I resisted the urge....went to sleep and lived through the night. Seeing that fire and my breakdown at the mall helped me regain some perspective......
Christmas is about family, and gratitude, and joy. NOT about gifts, or frantically "doing" everything, or obligations. I know all of that in my heart, but sometimes lose sight of it in my zeal to get everything done just "so".

#3

So short of our wedding day, and the day that Luke was born, today probably registers as "Important Day #3" in our history (It will get booted down to #4 come March when little Deuce is born). Today we buy our new home. We had both bought houses before we were married, but somehow seeing both of our names on that deed makes this one even more special to me. I'm anxious, and excited, and worried, and calm all at the very same time (yes, that is tiring, luckily I am a gemini and rather used to being a conflicted emotional mess). Nate is over at Biddle now doing some last minute things as I am here at Mom and Dad's while Luke naps. Settlement on Biddle is at 12 and the new house is at 2. Then the move in begins (forewarning: moving in complaints to start soon, now that moving out complaints are over with :)) I started to cry today talking about selling Biddle, so many wonderful things happened there! Much as I am anxious to move on to a larger space I will really miss that little chapter of our lives. I will treasure it.

Luke is having so much fun showing off his new walking skills ~ and he is absolutely in Looooooove with this stuffed animal that is here at Mom and Dad's ~ just hold up Mr. Fox and Luke will walk right over for a giant "kiss" a la Luke (he shoves the Fox's whole snout into his mouth ~ Its hilarious because the Fox is about the same size as Luke is, so they really look funny, this fancy Fox in his hunt attire and this crazed little baby with his slobbery mouth just kissing away).

Here we go.........

Sneaky like Me

So Luke has the sneaky gene, just like his Mama. (I would like to say that Nate plays a part, but Nate is such a bad bad liar that I really cant even categorize him as sneaky. He gives himself away before he even has the chance to be sneaky) (That is a compliment Nate :)) Anyway. Luke has this new face. I see it whenever I turn around and catch him right after he has put a piece of dog food or some other contraband into his mouth. He honest to God affects this "innocent" big eyed look as he shifts the offending item into the side of his mouth. His face just SCREAMS, "absolutely nothin to look at here Mom, no siree.....nothing going on here at all" as he locks his jaw to keep my probing finger from fishing out whatever the item is. Then he affects total moral outrage that I feel the need to fish out the item. It completely reminds me of the "gum shift" that I used to do frequently when chewing gum in class during highschool. God help us.

We are boxing up the computers today, so I may not be on here as frequently in the coming couple of days. The movers come tomorrow, and then we settle on both houses and move into our new house on Friday. I cant wait. The house is done, just getting cleaned at this point, so we are ready to go. We still have some last things left to pack up but all things considered we are in great shape. Luke is going to playgroup today with sweet Laura who offered to take him so that Nate and I could get the rest of the house packed away. Im so jealous but so happy that even if I cant go he can go hang with all of his little buddies. HUGE thanks again to all of the friends and family who have helped us this past 2 weeks.

OH! Luke took 4 steps in a row last night ~ our kid is WALKING!

TOUCHDOWN!

So the Eagles stink, and the Jets really stink (sorry Nate) but at least Luke is cool. He learned how to do "Touchdown!" yesterday ~ We say TOUCHDOWN and he gleefully thrown his arms over his head as we get inordinately excited (essentially the "Who's so big?" version for athletic families). If our teams were better maybe he would have learned this months ago, there simply have not been enough opportunities to celebrate touchdowns this season ;) The pic is of him yesterday watching football with us.

The other pic is my big guy in his new carseat......he loves it. Packing madness continues around here. The big move out is Thursday......move in on FRIDAY!

I can't stop playing with this

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1255200022


Luke laughs out loud when he watches this, and so do I.

Enjoy.

Grandparents

So I had a long and productive day. We woke up to crystal blue skies and a couple of inches of snow all white and lovely clinging to everything in sight. Due to the snow, biblestudy was canceled, so I unexpectedly had the morning free. Mom called me to see if she could watch Luke for me to enable me to get some packing done. She picked him up around 11.30 and took him for the afternoon. I went to town on the basement, raising a veritible dust storm as I ruthlessly threw away, organized and repacked boxes. It was a lot of work, but getting it done felt great. We went over to the new house to check out the progress and make some decisions re: blinds. The house looks simply amazing....all of the hardwood flooring is in, all of the light fixtures, both decks are finished, and the office and downstairs powder room are completed. I still cant believe that in just a week we are going to be living there. Anyway. We picked Luke up and came home for a hasty dinner before I had to run out to my "reward" of a facial over at ACAC. I left my two men hanging out in the living room and escaped towards the relaxation that I needed.

I may well be the first person to cry while getting a pampering, relaxing facial! The estetician and I were talking about my move, and pregnancy, and Luke etc etc....I started talking about how lucky Nate and I felt to have all of the support of family and friends that we do during this hectic and stressful time. I went on to talk about what a blessing it is that Luke has four wonderful grandparents, three great grandmothers and a great grandfather. I was talking about how no one can really prepare you for the love that you feel for your child, but how I had known going into this whole parenthood thing that I was going to feel a love unlike any I have ever experienced. I was telling her that my biggest surprise of motherhood thusfar is the unbelievable and indescribable joy that I feel when I see the love that Luke's grandparents have for him. To see their faces light up when they see my child awes me. To see Luke kissing Carolyn's face, or him sitting so snug in Mom's lap this afternoon drinking his bottle cozy and safe and warm just utterly melts me. As I was talking about this I promptly burst into tears. I dont know if its exhaustion, pregnancy hormones, or simply a heightened awareness of all of the love in our life and in Lukes life, but either way, I feel a little awed tonight. In this world, with all of its unrest, strife, and pain, to have a little joy is a beautiful thing. Tonight I feel blessed beyond measure.

Boxed In

I am feeling hemmed in. There is a light at the end of the tunnel (Dec 14th has become my new mantra, over and over and over) ~ But my house is currently a very uncomfortable place for me to be. I need to rant a little. There is danger everywhere ~ it seems that every time I turn around I see a pair of scissors that we left on the floor while taping boxes, a marker with no lid on it....a knife or glass or silverware or loose change, all directly within the reach of the little hoover I call my son. Luke is living in a war zone with wickedly dangerous and enticing items all around him, ~ he has an insane mother who is obsessed with finding the "right" box for every job (if the box is too big I can only put light things in it or risk busting the box, if its too small its virtually useless. My quest for the perfect packing box continues, if anyone has any advice please do let me know) he has a dog who has been ignored too much and sorely needs a walk, and a father who is trying to keep his mother calm, make phone calls, travel for work, help pack and even earn a dime or two along the way. Poor guy. Thank God I married a great man. More venting: I hate all of my clothes, yet still have to pack them all up. Pregnancy really does a number on your wardrobe and fashion pride, let me tell you. I used to have a lovely collection of size 2 and 4 clothing, bikinis, high heels etc etc etc..... Now this is my wardrobe:

* an ugly hodgepodge of borrowed, stained tattered maternity clothes
* "fat" post pregnancy clothes ~ misshapen, unflattering, and stained with about 6 distinctly different types of bodily fluids....not only ugly but cheap to boot as I prayed to God that I would not stay those "in between" sizes for long so I didn't want to spend a lot on the fat clothe
* "almost cute" clothes that I got to wear for about a month before falling pregnant again.
* A confused jumble of shoes. I still have not gotten the "stay at home mom" shoe part of the wardrobe down. Big heels ~ too cumbersome when carrying the child. Flats, are just too, well, FLAT when you are short like me. I'm not the "wear sneakers all day" sort of girl, and flip flops are simply out when its 30 outside. I'm in a pickle over shoes of late.

I can't throw any of the ugly stuff away as God knows what size I will be this spring. It pains me, physically pains me, to pack up ugly clothes that make me feel icky simply looking at them. But I have to. Enjoy your stilettos my single or childless friends. Enjoy them. I look at mine like a lost love that I still pine for. They are like relics, archaeological interest pieces in my closet. They are actually dusty. I hate packing up cans of food. I hate the terror that is my basement, looming over my head with the thought of paint cans and varnish and dust and beat to hell boxes stuffed hastily down here one holiday after the other. I hate the trillion and one nicknack's that have somehow snuck into my home at night when I was blissfully sleeping upstairs. I hate figuring out how to pack up vases, and large pictures, and flat panel TV's. I hate packing tape and the way that it sticks to itself way way better than it sticks to anything else. I hate the way my hands hurt from washing them all day long.

There are some bright spots. I really really do enjoy bubble wrap, and so does Luke (its not dangerous to let him nibble on a little bubble wrap now and again, right? Uh, right???). I take a long, self indulgent bath every day and fantasize about the huge giant jacuzzi tub in the new house. I throw away some things that I probably should not when Nate is not looking, just to make myself feel as though I have some control. I get to listen to cheesy Christmas Music all day long on Direct TV and am learning some of those obscure 2nd and 3rd verses to the old favorites. I like watching Luke explore and delight in the ever shifting landscape of our dining room as it fills with boxes. I like finding goofy pics of Nate and I from years ago, and sweet cards that he has written me. I like sticking Luke inside a box every now and then and listening to him laugh at his predicament. I like this long drawn out somewhat painful goodbye that I am saying to the house we have made our home. I like the memories that I get to savor in the warm little house while its cold outside. I love the way that my friends and family have offered over and over to help with Luke or with packing. It makes me feel very loved, so thank you all. Rant over.

S S S Santa comes to town

Last night was "Old Fashioned Christmas" in WC. The family and the Rud's came over for some food before we walked up for the big parade, Santa's grand entrance to town, and Christmas Tree lighting. Town was HOPPING, there was a great turnout. I was a little nostalgic with the knowledge that it was our last time living in the borough and walking to a town event......
It was a perfect night for it, cold and crisp. Luke surprised me by actually managing to stay awake for the entire parade. Right now I am completely and utterly exhausted after an entire day of packing. Its amazing how much stuff (junk) we have accrued in a relatively short period of time. I have nothing interesting to say and am too tired to think, so I best sign off.

First Floater

In the toilet, that is. Yesterday marked the first day that the little bugger threw something in the toilet. While I was brushing my teeth, the little guy sprint-crawled into the bathroom, picked up the toilet lid (which, shockingly, I had remembered to close) and proudly plunked on of the cute leather boots that you see in the pic above into the water. Luckily he put in in sole down, so I managed to fish it out before the lovely toilet water got into the inside of the shoe. Please ignore his filthy clothes in the pic, his top tooth is just cutting through and he is a drool machine. The other picture is Luke digging into his first Thanksgiving Day Turkey. It was a huge hit.

Luke has a new obsession.....the "I'M GONNA GET YOU GAME" now is played over and over in our house. He laughs so hard he literally takes his own breath away. He loves the "chase" and has to turn around every 5 feet to make sure you are in hot pursuit. He crawls so fast in the getaway period that he sometimes face plants right into the floor, which only makes him laugh harder. I love this age.

First Steps?!

So, what does a milestone make?

Luke has been taking one step for a couple of weeks now. He is fully comfortable standing around on his own not holding onto anything, and that one step would come occasionally before a dramatic happy dive into Mom or Dads waiting arms. As of yesterday, he is now taking two steps at a time. So I guess Luke has officially crossed the 'first steps' threshold. I really think of the milestone being more "walking", but when I was talking to my Mom about it today she said "how incredible, have you put it in his baby book yet?" to which I had to sheepishly reply no. (Although I have a baby book for Luke, I really think of this blog as more of his baby book.) So hear ye, hear ye. A new milestone under the belt. First steps. Wah~hoo little Luke! I can't even believe that you have gone from the pink screaming little newt that you were on your birthday (above, moments after birth) to a funny little critter who walks upright in 9 short months!

I also experienced a milestone lately. It's officially my "SECOND PREGNANCY" as I totally spaced out on an OB appointment last week and was a no show. Last go round I could have told you to the day how far along I was, how many days were left until my due date, and the date and time of every upcoming doctors appointment. Nothing about the awe pregnancy gives me is different this go round ~ those moments laying on the couch after dinner when Deuce is kicking around for Nate to feel and being in bed in the middle of the night feeling kicks and rolls are just as magical and awe inspiring to me, getting to watch my belly grow and change still produces the same fascination in me.....but some of the day to day pregnancy obsession/fixation is gone. Sometimes I forget I am pregnant. In the same way someone who uses a cane or wears glasses forgets that they have them with them, after being pregnant two years in a row I sometimes forget about my protruding belly.....

The Scream

So "THE SCREAM" has resurfaced. I don't know if it is teething, temper, or simple vocal exploration, but dear LORD I hate the scream.

As a result, I felt more impatient with Luke today than I have ever before in his life. Then, this afternoon I read "On the Day You Were Born" to him and wept like a baby with guilt and shame at my feelings of impatience and frustration earlier in the day. I think back to the day that this amazing little critter was born, I look at what a beautiful, healthy, sweet, guileless and helpless little creature I have been entrusted with and just weep at how woefully and entirely inept I am ~ how incapable I am of ever attaining the perfectly patient, selfless, "mother ideal" that the world tells us we should all strive to be. But I, like all mothers, continue to try, stumbling on in my imperfect way. Motherhood. Motherhood while pregnant. Motherhood while moving, and while living life to the beat of "THE SCREAM".

Smashing Castles

This is Luke on the beach in Grand Cayman doing what (apparently) comes very naturally to children....smashing sandcastles. Right now I feel a bit like doing the very same thing to our house. I think that the very process of boxing up all of your earthly possessions is natures way of ensuring that any sentimentality you had concerning leaving your old house behind is non-existent come move time. I remember the first day that I stepped out on the porch to see a "For Sale" sign in the front yard and started crying.....right now if we had gotten home last night and seen that the house had somehow caved in upon itself I might have started cheering as it meant less things to have to move! I exaggerate, of course, but man. I am in that awkward place of not really being able to just tear into and box everything up yet as we are still too far out from our move. We still are using our plates, kitchen things, clothes etc...I cant yet pack them.....So it gives me lots of time to brood as I look around thinking, how the heck are we going to do this? And I know, I know, bit by bit, blah blah blah. I have no doubt that we can and will capably complete this move, but jeez will I be glad to simply be in the new house. We went and purchased our appliances this weekend. As it's new construction you have to buy a washer/dryer and Fridge.....for whatever random reason the builder supplies the rest of the appliances. It was frighteningly expensive (who knew that a simple device to keep your food cold could cost so much???) but I love what we got and am excited to get everything in place! If you had told me 10 years ago when I was single, childless and working that a fridge, washer and dryer could have made me so excited I would have laughed in your face. Oh how things change. It's starting feel real to me that very very soon we are going to be waking up in a new house!

Luke had a great Thanksgiving. I will download some pics of him tearing into his first, wonderful Thanksgiving day meal soon. He ate with a gusto ~ Cranberry sauce, mashed & sweet potatoes, stuffing, turkey, broccoli, corn etc etc etc.....His cold is getting better but not yet 100% gone. It was so good to get to spend time with family in friends up in the Burg before setting into this last phase of craziness before the move!

Pie, Poker, and Praise

I just found this photo from this day last year. I was maybe 28 weeks or so pregnant with Luke, and Mom was marvelling at my belly. It was pie and poker night ~ the girls were making pie's at Mom and Dads while the guys were at Waynesborough playing poker. This particular evening was overshadowed by fear and worry ~ we had gotten some troubling news regarding a possible mass on my Dad's pancreas earlier that day. That was day one of what was a long road for my entire family, but especially for my Mom and Dad. I still can't really write about it or dwell on it for too long without getting overly emotional, but I am thrilled and overwhelmed with gratitude to be able to say that today my Dad is healthy and back to normal after a mentally and physically harrowing time of it.

We never see things like health crises coming. Part of what makes illness shockingly painful is the suddenness with which it can strike. I just remember being so pregnant, and so filled with joy at the new life that was coming into our family, and then WHAM, this appeared on our horizon. Like I said, I cant really talk or write about it, so I have to cut this off before I get too upset. I can say that it taught me that the strength that faith can give can truly be unshakable. It taught me that marriage is truly a gift from God as I watched the patient, hopeful and fierce way that my Mom loved and nurtured my Dad through his ordeal. It taught me that at the end of the day, your family will ALWAYS be there, even in the darkest hours. It taught me that hope is something that you have to cling to, even when it seems you are hoping for a miracle. It taught me that each day is a gift and you never know what could lurk around the corner.

As I sit here this afternoon, the guys are out golfing in advance of their poker game. My Dad is healthy. I get to spend the afternoon making pies with my Mom and Sister. My sweet Luke is napping, and improbably I find myself 6 months pregnant again. Life is so good, so full. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family ~ and to all of the friends who have also become my family. Today I thank God for all of you, for our health, for our Country, for our right to worship as we please, to think as we please and to have the freedom that so many others lack. I cant even begin to contemplate what other mothers and wives are dealing with as their sons or husbands are fighting a war in a far away place, and I am thankful for the sacrifice that they make for our country. Life can be so hard, but is so filled with blessings. Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone. Love to all.

Messy Motherhood

Generally speaking, I am a slightly obsessive neat freak. I like order and neatness, if not actual sparkling "you could eat off the floor" levels of cleanliness. HOWEVER........I am particularly, gleefully, messy right now. I am undergoing some sort of juvenile rebellion after the strictly enforced OCD~like neatness that showing/selling the house required of me the past 6 weeks or so. I may never, EVER again straighten the slipcovers on the couches (the knowledge that the couches are not making the move with us to the new house further heightens my resentment of those blasted slipcovers). I refuse to pick up Luke's toys every 5 minutes. Sometimes I don't even wipe down the highchair from one feeding to the next. *Gasp* I never for a moment even considered how sinfully decadent and delicious it could feel to just revel in a little mess. Add to that the fact that I have fantasies of drilling a small hole in my nose to drain my stuffed up sinuses, Luke has a cold, we are beginning to start packing, and I have been running around like a madwoman picking out Granite counter tops, lighting fixtures, carpeting and plumbing fixtures and ugh.....its been hectic. Can I say that I never for even a moment considered how many sorts of plumbing fixtures there are in the world? And that doesn't even begin to touch the number and variety of finishes available for those fixtures! Its a whole world that I never knew about. Truly. And picking out your closet lights? MAN! Hardly the pinnacle of excitement, but still necessary and time consuming.
I have had a hard time sleeping the past few nights as I contemplate the move, packing, the new house, and this hole that I want to drill in my nose (the scar potential scares me, so the new fantasy involves somehow doing it up through one nostril....thank GOD I don't have chronic or even occasional sinus issues or I may well have maimed myself long ago....) I picture Luke looking out of the french doors over the back porch taking in his first snowfall...him running around the yard, cuddling with his new brother or sister and me on the couch in front of the fire....I love the idea that he is going to wake up on his very first Christmas morning in his new home! Then my mind begins to wander and I picture how wonderfully neat I will be "in the new house", the incredible meals, the entertaining, the creative arts and crafts projects I will do "in the new house" ~

I shamefully admit that I have created this fantasy wherein I will be a better, more together, thoughtful, creative and all-around-wonderful person "in the new house". Poor house. Has no idea what sorts of pressure I am already putting on it in my sleepless nighttime craze!

Luke is now a waving machine. Its his new shtick, and he loves to show it off to Nate and I, but when we try to take the show on the road he looks at us like we are crazy. He loves to make liars out of us already. He is still standing around, then taking one step, and appears in no rush to really start walking. He has a snotty nose, but no fever, so I am doing my best to get it out of his system before we travel up the the burg for Thanksgiving. I cant wait to see the little bugger dig into his first plate of turkey and all the trimmings. Meals have become a disgusting adventure in taste and sensory exploration. We are hot and heavy into the whole concept of "finger foods". It is funny and scary at the same time. Luke delights in his food. He picks it up, eats it, drops it, rubs it in his hair, throws it to the dog, spits it all over his chin, etc etc......Every time I change him into his pajamas I find a small snapshot of the days meals inside of his onesie.
Motherhood, moving, and mess.

We got the house!

And we finally came to terms with the buyer of the WC house! Here is a pic of it several months ago, the exterior is finished now. Settlement is currently slated for Dec 14th, but we may try to push that back one week, we will know more today. What a horrible process buying and selling is. Not suitable for personalities like mine. Thank God that it is all over with, and that we have found a wonderful home for our family to grow into. I cant wait to have everyone over now that we will actually have space to entertain you in! Thanks for all of the prayers and encouragement as we dealt with all of this madness. Nate is off to settlement on the condo today, and we are celebrating tonight :)

Shout Out

Luke requested that I post a special shout out to his Grandpop tonight ~

On the day Luke turned 9 months old Grandpop shot an 80, with two birdies, at Augusta. "Golf Heaven" was the exact terminology that Grandpop used in his text. No further details are known at this time, but this is certainly a milestone for Grandpop, and ought to be celebrated as such. Way to go, big guy. Love you.

9 Months!

Here is a pic of our little (growing) family 9 months into this whole parenting thing. I cant believe that Luke is 9 months old today. He has made it so very easy and enjoyable for us.

Luke has had a few milestones lately.....

*He takes a step now, just one or so, before diving into your arms. Walking is right around the corner.
*He officially ate his first piece of dog food. I would like to say that it will be his last, but I have no illusions. He seemed to like it as it has only increased his fervent need to run crawl to the dogs bowl whenever he spots it on the floor.
*He has tasted Mahi Mahi, meatballs, pork and all sorts of other delicacies in the past two weeks. My little blond hair blue eyed part Italian baby really seemed to dig the meatball. Go dego baby, go.
*He has learned to point. Its a weird sort of point, one where he holds up his outstretched hand almost as though he is singing opera and hitting a high note. He plays around with his fingers, occasionally getting one to stick out in a pose not far off from a real legitimate "point". Sometimes its his middle finger that he is pointing with, which adds another element of humor to the whole process.
*He has become aware of his boy parts. I feel like a bad mother writing about this, but, well, its just funny. We had him naked on the beach in Grand Cayman feeding him lunch in the shade one day when he got this funny, glazed, far off look in his little eye.......suddenly I realized where his hand was and nearly fell off of my chair laughing. His life is really just beginning. You boys are strange creatures. Lovable, but strange.
*He wont stop talking. The Dad Dad Dad song is a near constant lately.....interspersed with the Na Na Na chant, the Moms and the blah blah blah, its always interesting. He also dances. He gets so excited that he bounces up and down and bobs his head like a small diapered lunatic. Its awful cute.

Nate is away and little man is upstairs sleeping. Its a big day here as we hope to wrap up the negotiations with the buyer of my house for repairs/credits related to the inspection. I have been praying for a number that works for everyone so that we can nail down the final deal on what we are buying.......will update tomorrow.

Jiggety Jog

We are back from a wonderful trip to Grand Cayman. Luke went eye to eye with his first turtle, went on a snorkeling trip to see giant stingrays, had a whole series of bubble baths, swam in the Caribbean, and was an amazingly easy and adaptable traveller. He slept on planes, napped by the pool and on the beach, went out to fancy restaurants without a hitch, and generally spent his days charming the pants off of both the hotel staff and his parents. There is a lot going on ~ lets just say that I have spent the day meeting with plumbers, HVAC people, and chimney people. Fun times. Working on the results of the inspection of this house. Argh. While I love the charm of our 107 year old house, I am really looking forward to some of the conveniences of new construction. I have a lot more pics to share and updates to write about, but no time at the moment. Missed blogging. Good to be home.

Beach Bound

Off to the Cayman Islands for the week.

In need of sunshine, relaxation, and a brief respite before the packing/buying/selling madness comes to a crescendo when we get home.

Will take lots of pics and naps, God willing.

Ciao!

PS ~ Luke is bringing a souvenir from home with us.....his first diaper rash. Ugh! It seemingly bothers me way more than him, but lets just say I am looking forward to flashing lotsa naked baby boy flesh around the Cayman's in an attempt to get it to go away ASAP :)

Two Words

Under Contract.

So happy.

Both houses.

Nov 16th.

Dec 14th.

Pressure's On.

Househunting Frantically.

AFTER Vacation.

Little Lothario

Luke and I had a busy day yesterday. We had an awesome Halloween Playgroup, all of the kids were (at least briefly :) in costume. The pic of Luke giving me one of his trademark kisses above was taken by Laura at Playgroup. Luke loves ladies. He was caught red handed planting one on Stella, Marie, Gabriella, and Nathan. Not sure how Nathan slipped into that group, but Luke sure does love his buddy Nathan. There were monkies, a ladybug, Princess Leah (!), bumblebees, Cowboys, etc etc. The food was RIDICULOUS in both quality and quantity(I had 2 reeses pieces rice crispy treats before noon) and it was a great time at Laura's house. I didnt want to leave, but by 2 PM my little love bug was rubbing his eyes. We got home and both went straight to bed, Luke for a nap, me with an an attempt to sleep off my food hangover........
We woke up around 4 and Mom Mom and Grandpop got to the house bearing gifts ~ we went straight up to the park for a swing and Lukes first unassisted flight down a sliding board. Grandpop took him up to the top of one of those tube slide thingys and down the chute he went. His eyes were huge. As soon as he got to the bottom he turned around to look at Grandpop up top.....which of course we all took to mean "I want to go again!" So again and again he went. We had a great dinner courtesy of Carlinos, then Mom Mom and Grandpop said their goodbyes to go home to attend to their coming hoarde of trick or treaters. After the party last week and the playgroup today, we were pretty much Halloweened out, so we got Luke into his pajamas, and he helped us greet the earlybird kids before conking out at 7 pm. A great first Halloween for the kid.

Pirating Around

Here are some pics from the WC Halloween Parade ~ It was great to see everyone and to watch the kids enjoying their costumes and all of that free candy! The parade excitement utterly wore Luke out, and he spent the majority of the time passed out cold on his adoring Aunt Becca, before being tucked into bed by her and Flava Flav.

Ultrasound News

Well, I wanted to post about the Halloween party/parade, but something is wrong with blogger at the moment and I can't upload pics.


I am thrilled to say that we had a wonderful 20 week ultrasound today. Deuce looked fab ~ Right on track for our due date and kicking and squirming away. Everything checked out just right. Thank God.

For some reason I felt more anxious coming up to this ultrasound than I remember feeling with Luke. Perhaps just a feeling of "how on earth can I be so greedy as to expect or hope to have TWO healthy babies??". But God is good and it was nothing short of a total thrill to see the pics of my sweet baby groovin around inside of me. We got some pretty good 4-D pics which I will upload as soon as we get around to taking them off of the fridge and scanning them. Pretty cute little kiddo, if I do say so myself.

Get yourselves prepared for another "baby pool" from us ~ last go round Jen won $640 for getting the date and sex right.......

(By the way, I have to note that after thinking "boy" my entire pregnancy, somehow and against all logic, for some reason that grainy little black and white alien skeletor baby of mine seemed, well, more like a girl to me. So now I am totally confused and have absolutely no 'intuition' as to what gender of baby I am carting around in this round little bally of mine. And if someday you read this, oh child of mine, and you turn out to be a boy ~ Please forgive me for saying that you looked girlish at 20 weeks gestation. )

As soon as blogger is working again, I will post some pics of our little parrot dressed up with his pirate parents at his first Halloween Parade ;)

He wakes up running.

I wish that I could wake up as joyful and energetic as Luke does. I am a morning person (unlike a certain person who shares my bed.....) but I still don't hold a candle to the kid. We have a morning routine that consists of Nate going to get Luke after he has been babbling in his crib for a while. Nate changes his diaper, and brings Luke into our bed for some family cuddle time before Luke and I actually get up for the day. This morning Luke awoke at 7, and Nate went to get him as usual. Its a dark and very rainy day in PA, so it was still dark in our room at 7 AM. Luke came into bed and we stuck him in between us as usual, but today, as it was so dark and 7 am is on the early side of Luke's waking up continuum, we tried to keep our eyes closed, instead of playing with him as we usually do. Luke thought this was HILARIOUS! He cackled with delight, while sticking his sticky little baby fingers directly into our eyeballs and nostrils gleefully. He grabbed onto Nate's nose as though it was a handle, and gave us wet slobbery suck-face "kisses" until he had us both cracking up. Then he commenced with his favorite "non grabbing or kissing Mom or Dad" bed activity ~ Scaling Mt. Pillow in his quest for the holy headboard. Luke LOVES our wrought iron headboard. He climbs up the mounds of pillows and can now reach up to the very top of the headboard. Once he has reached his goal he literally screeches with the thrill of the conquest. Luke is being a parrot for Halloween ~ and I swear, standing up way above our heads, cackling and screeching, he sounded exactly like one. I raised one eyelid and looked up at him ~ my little man, arching his back with laughter, wearing his striped pajamas and his polka dot socks, looked EXACTLY like a bald escapee from a mental asylum. The cutest little escaped lunatic you could ever hope to see, let me tell you.

In other news, Luke seems to be phasing out his middle of the night (3 or 4 am) feeding. Last night he went to bed at 7 as usual, and slept till 6, had a bottle, and slept till 7. This is wonderful, and has been the trend this week, with him even sleeping as late as 8. Heaven. The only issue is that he has me very effectively sleep trained......I wake up around 3.30 every morning waiting to hear him. One beautiful side effect ~ this morning as I was laying there I felt Deuce start to move.....and when I put my hand on my belly I felt two distinct kicks from the outside. That was the first time this has happened this pregnancy. I have been worried that this pregnancy would not be as thrilling or special to me now that I have already "been there done that" if you will. But in the still dark of the night, feeling those two distinct little "hello's" from my tiny unborn babe with my hand....tears came to my eyes instantly. I honestly think that it was the first moment that I truly became aware that there is a baby in there. Our baby. And I love that baby already.

Excuse the bad pic, I need to take some new ones.....this Luke and I having a wrestle during dinner the other night....he in his PJ's and me in my gross gym clothes. I won the wrestle with a convincing pin/tickle combo maneuver. Someday Luke will likely tower over me, so I'm taking my wrestling victories while I can still get them. :)

Looking Back

I already can't believe that he was this small. This was about 2-3 weeks after Luke was born. My guy, smiling in his sleep.

Other Children Are the Devil

And so is my Dog.

I'm just kidding on the other children part, but I will say that large herds of children and the germs they carry certainly seem to do the work of the devil. We had a great playgroup yesterday....here is a pic of Luke, Ryan and Stella playing away and swapping lots of spitty little germs. Luke got to see all of his buddies while I got to have a fantastic lunch and chat with my girlfriends. No one was sick at playgroup, but by 6PM Luke was DRUNK TIRED, I could not even get him to stay awake long enough to get all of his food into him. I finally gave up trying, and just let him go to bed at 6. He was out like a light immediately. Highly unusual, to say the least. I knew something was coming. He was up twice last night, also unusual, and clearly had a fever the second time. By morning, it was at 102. Blast. We were supposed to go to bible study at 9 AM, then over to my friend Jennifer's for lunch after that.....but instead we changed back into our pajamas, made up some oatmeal, and hunkered down for a day in. Luke is sleeping, I am in my sweatpants lingering over coffee and using the computer as my excuse to not do some of the things that I should do. I got a HUGE stack of pictures yesterday from Snapfish, so I really need to get to work on the ole' family photo album. Combine that with the Halloween costume making that I did on Tuesday with my Mom, cleaning up for showings all week, food shopping, cooking, and its been quite a domesticated week for me! Huzzah. Playgroup is just so much fun nowadays ~ Its just crazy to see how far these babies have come since we started it ~ Luke was maybe 10 weeks old at that point, and they were little more than cute little moray eels that hung off of our chests nursing all the time while we chatted about deliveries, the babies weight gain, us being fat, and nursing issues......now they are almost all mobile, climbing steps, standing up, chattering and bopping one another in the head gleefully. It's just so much fun to get to watch Luke interact with other kids....and when he looks up and catches my eye and gives me a smile like the one in the pic above, it absolutely melts me.

Onto the dog. On Tuesday we had a showing at 1. I had to go to the fabric store before hand to get fabric to make Luke's Halloween costume with. That took WAY long, the store had relocated, so simply finding it was a frustrating and annoying adventure. Then Luke decided to take a giant blowout poop right before we were to enter the store....back to the car, parking lot diaper change....then a spit up all over me and the interior of the car......Note ~ Don't even bother going into a fabric mega store when already frustrated, annoyed, and behind schedule. I was sweating, balancing Luke on my baby bump, holding mad tall bolts of fabric in my arms, and generally wondering what the heck my problem was ~ All I could think about was how my Mom raised 3 of us, was always homeroom Mom, was always making costumes or clothes by hand, and baking, and taking care of sick friends, and making things for people etc etc etc.....and here I was, unable to find the fabric store and buy fabric with just one baby. Did she have more hours in her day? Or am I just totally inept? Anyway. I digress.

Finally got out of there.

Raced home because I had to pick up the Dog ~ God knows Captain Excitement can't be at the house during a showing ~ him and his "Wheaten Greetin'" would ensure that the people did not buy the house. Got him and went straight over to my Moms house. Fed LUke lunch, and decided that as it was such a beautiful day we should get outside and play in the grass for a bit. I am trying to love the Dog again, so I wanted to play some fetch, and have some fun with him and the baby. I took some pics (above), threw some sticks, and generally was just having one of those lovely Hallmark moments with the boys. In the last pic you see Luke crawling over towards Mully, who is laying in the grass. In the very next moment, Mulligan started rolling in Ecstasy in the grass, gleefully grinding himself into the ground......My heart sank as I instantly knew what was happening. He had either found something dead, or the poop of some creature, and was rolling in it in unabashed delight.

I freaked. Ran over. Sure enough, my shaggy dog was panting with deer-poop-induced lust ~ COVERED in it.

I started crying. It was nap time, but I knew that I had no choice but to deal with this immediately. He could not come in the house that way, and I could not leave him outside to continue to get more disgusting. With no real choice, I went into action.

1. Called Nate while crying. Told Nate that I was either going to kick, or give away the Dog. Asked him if he had a preference. Nate asked me to please not do either, but he was up in Boston and in the airport so he could not really talk. Hung up. Cried some more, told Mully that I really didn't like him, and generally felt sorry for myself.
2. Call the Dog Groomer, see if I could get Mully in for an immediate appointment. No, said the dog groomer, not till next Friday. Heart sank. Could not leave shit-encrusted Dog in that condition for a week.
3. Fake-kicked the Dog (Just to make myself feel better), and asked him to please run away wile I was inside setting up his bath. Please.
4. Ran inside, stole shampoo from upstairs, cleared out items from the dog shower in the mud room at my parents house.
5. Got quaking stinking dog into mud room.
6. Turned on shower. Lathered up Dog. Shamed him into standing still.
7. Dealt with baby. I would put Luke at one end of the mudroom, and RUN back to the dog shower to lather feverishly while watching Luke crawl as fast as he could towards us. Let Luke get right up to the edge of the wet, soapy, shitty mess, and then scoop him up, put him back at the far end of the room, run back to the dog, and repeat. Over and over and over. I was sweating, and wet, and smelly, and just PISSED.

Luke missed his nap and was relatively cranky for the rest of the day. I missed Luke's nap, and was relatively cranky for the rest of the day. Mully is still unsure of what his position in the household is, but he knows that he is low low low on the totem pole at the moment.

After tossing and turning that night, thinking about my literally poopy day, I came up with "Operation Mulligan".
Mully is a part of our family. I have been frustrated with him, and complaining about him, but not doing a whole lot to really make the situation better. Nate comes home tonight, and we are formally laying out the plan for "Operation Like Mulligan".
It involves a daily commitment to long walks and/or trips to the dog park, and a concerted dual effort to improve his behavior when people come over. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

(P.S, is "poopy" not a word??? Spellcheck says that it isn't. In my world, it is)