The Lazy Days of Summer

It's about time for an update - a total mash up of things that I've held onto without blogging about them.  :)

We have stayed busy this summer, that's for sure.  Nothing that is too adventurous, just day to day stuff.  We planned to go on a trip to Omaha to see trains and the zoo, but then Luke got sick and we haven't picked another day to go up there ... but it is something we will do before it gets too cold.   Luke and I enjoy hanging out outside when the weather isn't super hot, so that leaves evenings or mornings when there is shade.  Our backyard gets the sun from the west, and we have no trees or shade (too many power lines above to even add a tree), so we stay inside and out of the sun's beating rays.  

Luke helps me water the flowers around our house this year and I think really is starting to understand and help after watching me do things.  When he waters, HE wants to do it all by himself.  So sometimes we get water on the plants, and sometimes we water random things ... like the border blocks or weeds or just random grass.  And we skip a few flowers, but then I go back and "finish."  Luke has figured out if he sprays water on our front porch, he can jump in a puddle while I finish watering.  My hope is that he will love (or at least like) flowers more than DH does.  DH does not like anything flowers or mowing or yard work.  :)

We have museum memberships to the local Children's Museum (Toys) and the Regular Museum (Animals), so we can go there anytime and let Luke run.  He is pretty familiar with where everything is and loves to look at and play with his favorite things.  We ask him if he wants to go to the Toy Museum or the Animal Museum and he will tell us.  We are thankful that Luke is using words and can tell us exactly what he wants to do without having a tantrum.  :)  

Playing in our back yard playset from Uncle John.  He sure loves the rocket!

Luke also loves going to parks when the weather isn't unbearable!  He and daddy have found a park with some new playground equipment (which in the town we live in is pretty amazing in and of itself).  They have enjoyed testing out the equipment and sometimes on their way to and from the park, they will stop by my work and say, "Hi, Ma!" and "Bye, Ma!" ... never staying longer than Luke wants to, as he is always ready to go, go, go!  It is all about his schedule!!

We took Luke to the "Minions" movie this summer ... and he and Daddy went to the "Penguins of Madagascar" movie, so Luke is getting familiar with what to do at a movie (hint - we don't talk and run around and lay down in the aisles!) and he also loves theater popcorn ... and his milk, as we sneak that in.  He sat and watched both movies and was really good.

Unrelated to movies (kind of), Luke is also becoming quite a well behaved little boy at church!  I know ... once I type this, next Sunday will be craaa-zy!  Since DH works 7-4 pm, Luke and I usually go by ourselves at the 11 am Mass.  Luke has learned that he can do almost anything as long as he is quiet and stays in the pew.  We have come a long way from the "crying-room-only-and-he-has-cried-for-45-minutes-already-and-is-making-me-crazy" kind of Sundays.  So for parents whose children are totally crazy at Mass and do not listen and you are sick of sitting in the cry room ... there is hope!!!

Luke is going to be starting Preschool with the local Head Start Program at the end of August.  He has had the Head Start ladies come to our home twice a month for the last year and this summer, he has gone to a "Toddler Group" where there are 7 little boys his age who need help with various skills (similar to Luke).  So Luke gets to ride the bus home after Toddler Group and he loves it!  He has a "Thomas the Train" backpack and even leaves his blankie and milk at home, he loves it so much!!  We will have to get Grandpa to take Luke out on the bus sometime before he retires (he has been a bus driver forever, it seems ... my sister and I would ride along when he was training to be one and it was pretty fun.)

I made DH take pics of Luke and the bus since DH is the one who sees Luke get off the bus and how excited he is to ride it.  I always miss it, as I'm at work.  

Smiley little guy!!  It was so much fun!!

We made things "Facebook official" in regard to our pregnancy announcement, with Luke posing in his "Big Brother" shirt and with his "Big Brother" doll.  We are also watching the "Daniel Tiger Season 2 on Netflix which talks about Daniel becoming a big brother, so hopefully Luke will learn through watching Daniel.  Although Luke looks happy in this photo, he was actually throwing a tantrum, so this is the best picture we have.  Thankfully, it looks like he is smiling, so we went with it.  

As of this weekend, I am 17 weeks pregnant.  Doctors checkups have gone well and I am feeling good.  Now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, the super-tiredness has gone away, but I still enjoy my naps on the weekends / after work, as I can get them.  :)  DH says "milk it while you can."  He's awesome! And I will do just that.  :)  

I haven't gained much weight yet, which is actually good, as technically, I am in the "obese" category when it comes to weight.  I started January 25 of this year weighing in at 259 lbs and am currently 242 lbs and maintaining since about April.  This has dropped my BMI from 34.2 to 31.9, but I am still over a BMI of 30, which is considered obese.  Yuck.  I hate that word.  Obese.  It is just depressing.  According to the doctor, I should aim to gain 25 lbs this pregnancy at the most, and most of it should be in the third trimester.  So far, I haven't felt super hungry and have been eating until I feel full, but not really shoving food in my mouth with cravings.  I'm still watching my calories so I don't go overboard.  In a perfect world, I would have lost more weight becoming pregnant, but I still consider it to be pretty amazing that I got pregnant anyway, so I am counting my blessings that I have a baby growing inside me and just saying "screw it" to any weight gain.   

As I am not a "junior size" skinny-minnie, I really need to find a store for the "bigger, taller gal" for pregnancy clothes.  Currently, I'm looking the same and haven't changed clothing sizes at all or started showing at all.  I have a lot of fat in my stomach area that has to get pushed aside by Baby before I will start showing.  :)  I can "feel" a hardness behind my lower tummy, so I know baby is growing and I will be bigger before I know it, so I'm trying not to rush things while I'm still able bodied and agile.   Anyway ... I went into Gordmans locally where they were supposed to have Motherhood Maternity brand clothes, which I checked into on the internet as they should have plus sizes.  Perfect, I thought!  Except they didn't have those plus sizes at that store.  What they had were junior sized maternity pants that my calf couldn't fit into for the thigh area.  UGHHH!!  I was so depressed.  I should have known better.  Trying to buy clothes at Gordmans when you're not a 12 year old girl is depressing.  Nothing fits.  And the material is always so skimpy too.  Skimpy stuff on me hangs on my body and does not make me look good at all.  Give me some thicker material that holds its shape, please.  Good grief!  I'll have to make a trek to Lincoln or Omaha before long to get some better fitting pants for sure.  Either that, or order online, which I'm leery of doing, as me and clothes (pants especially) do not jive well at all.  So ... if you have any clothing hints, I'm all ears.  

To end on a high note, we are only 3 weeks away from finding out whether Baby is a boy or a girl!!  We are scheduled for our anatomy scan / gender ultrasound on August 20th and can't wait!  As we selected to find out with Luke that he was a boy when we were picked by Becca, we are going to find out with baby too.  If baby is a girl, we will need to get a storage unit nearby, as DH's mom is going to go crazy and buy anything and everything pink.  But we are going to be just as excited if it is a boy too ... as we know all things boy.  It is a win-win either way.  :)  

I also need help in narrowing down names, so knocking out one gender will help immensely.  I don't have any names that are totally jumping out at me now, as I want them to mean something, as they did with Luke.  Luke's name is Luke Ethan Joseph ... Luke we just liked as it was a classic name ... Ethan was what I liked as a first name choice (but DH didn't) and Becca wanted an "E" name since Luke's brother is Eli and was going to name Luke "Eden", so Ethan was close ... and Joseph is for St. Joseph's intercession for Luke's adoption the whole way.  He was and continues to be a very powerful intercessor for our family.  I want Baby to have the same "story" behind his/her name.

Well ~ I'll end the novel for now ... and now I need to get caught up on all my blog reading and what you all have been up to!  :)  I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!!