23 WEEKS 1 DAY

Today I am 23 Weeks and 1 Day... so I'm more than half way to the finish line.
It's crazy to think how quickly this pregnancy has been going and that Kate will be here in about 3.5 months...


I had a prenatal appointment a few days ago, and she has a nice steady, strong heart beat.
She is also quite the wriggler and kicker these days.
I don't remember Luke kicking my bladder quite as much as she does...it feels like someone has shocked my bladder with a taser gun every time she catches me by surprise, but I am at least happy that she is so active, because it reminds me that she is strong and healthy. I forgot how much I enjoyed lying in bed at night, feeling her kick before I fall asleep... I think it's my favourite thing about pregnancy.

I haven't gained nearly as much weight as I had with Luke by this point in my pregnancy, so I am happy about that. However, I did also weight 7lbs less pre-pregnancy with Luke, so that might be a reason why I packed on so much with him... fattening up to a healthier weight maybe? I hope that chasing after Luke and sweating out the summer months will help a bit this time. LOL...

I feel quite good right now... I'm not as tired anymore, and my nausea has eased up to 'almost' gone... it certainly makes keeping up with my super active little monkey a lot easier.

I am beyond excited to be welcoming little Kate into our home... I just cannot wait. LOL
Her nursery is almost done... already... yes.. I know... VERY early and I tried my hand at making some rag quilt burp cloths the other night. My friend Kassi gave me a bunch of them for my baby shower with Luke...she made them... they turned out to be one of the best gifts I got, especially since Luke had reflux.
I just had to have some more to use with Kate (though I do hope she doesn't have reflux like Luke had) so I decided to try making some. I'm pretty happy with how they turned how.
They're so thick and soft... they are wide on your shoulder, which gives good coverage, and they are so thick that nothing gets through them very easily... I just love these burp cloths... far better than any store bought ones... and sooo much cuter. :)

And that's how things are going right now... :)

FUN WITH GRANDMA AND GRANDPA

This post is pretty late, but rather late than never. Earlier this month, Grandma and Grandpa Geddes visited us from Utah. What a fun visit. Our only complaint is that they left so soon... 4 days wasn't nearly enough time for Luke to completely exhaust his Grandma and Grandpa. :) 

While here, we all took a day trip to the coast. We went to Outer Banks, where we were able to go to the aquarium, Kitty Hawk (where the Wright Brothers memorial is) and of course, THE BEACH... Jake and I have lived in North Carolina, for 19 months and haven't until now been to the beach...
It was a long drive out there (2.5hrs each way), but we had a fun day together. Luke particularly LOVED the beach... sand, water, a shovel and bucket... a little boys dream outing :) 

Here are some pics from our adventures out Outer Banks

 Digging for Fossils at the aquarium with Grandpa

 Look Grandma, it's turtles

 Trying to touch a sting ray

 That's a big fish...

 Kitty Hawk, Wright brothers memorial... First in Flight

 Peek-a-Boo with Grandma

Sadly, the 'best' family photo we got the whole visit... :/

 Yippeeeeee..... we're at the BEACH!

 I love my grandpa and grandma! :)

 A silly face and a baby bump :)

 Building (or breaking) sandcastles with Dad

 Hanging out with Grandpa

Watching the waves

 Uh Oh.. tides coming in

Shoot.. it got me

BRRRR..... COLD!

 3 Generations of Handsome men :)

The BEST kisses in the world... :)

STRAWBERRY DELICIOUSNESS

Growing up in a fairly cramped suburb of a city, I never really imagined myself living in 'the country' and growing my own produce... but that is how things have turned out... and I do quite enjoy it.

One of the things we planted last spring was strawberries... we planted them from small root stems with nothing more than a leaf or two on them, and this spring they have grown like weeds... our strawberries REALLY produced.

We've eaten some fresh, frozen some for smoothies, and then I decided to try my hand at making strawberry jam.

I was so excited... my first fresh 'preserve'...

Here is the 'evolution' of our strawberries :)

And if I do say so myself.. the jam tasted YUMMMMMMMMYYY! lol

Thanks to my friend Tricia for teaching me how to make it...

LUKE TURNS TWO

My baby has turned TWO

Last Friday, May 6th, was his birthday.

I decided to have a much smaller party this year, and just do a 'moms and tots playdate party' on Friday morning... so we had 7 toddlers and their moms in the back yard, enjoying some sunshine, snacks and playtime.

Jake and I decided to get Luke some fun outside play items for his birthday... perfect for the spring and summer months. I looked on Craigslist, and found a great climber/slide that is in great condition, and a little turtle sandbox... then I had my family and Jakes parents contribute to the climber in lieu of a separate birthday gift. It worked out really well, and I think Luke will get a lot of fun out of his new play equipment. He LOVES his sandbox and spends lots of time sitting in it playing with the sand and shovels.

Lukes new climber

His new sandbox

Time for candles and cake

 Party picnic on the porch

 Our little spread

 Opening Gifts

Grandma and Grandpa Geddes arrived for a visit the day after Lukes birthday, so we decided to have a little family BBQ, and more cupcakes afterward... Luke loves having happy birthday sung to him, and trying to blow out his candles... and of course, the BEST part, is eating the cupcakes :)

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Yesterday was Lukes 2 year check up at the pediatrician.

He is growing really well...

His stats are...

Weight: 30 lbs (13.6kg) - 75th percentile

Height: 2ft 11inches - 75th percentile

I don't have a small kid. LOL... I laughed when I realised that at 2ft11, he is more than half of my moms height, and he's only 2. LOL... He's going to be taller than his 5ft Gogga in no time at all. :)

His language is still a bit behind, but he is slowly getting there.

He does animal sounds...moo, meow, woof and occasionally quack.

He says...hey, yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh, 'Daisy' (the neighbours dogs name), No, Let's see... and he also says one Japanese word.

He also sings 'ee i ee i, oh'... as in from 'Old Mac Donald'

He loves cars and trucks, his sandbox, changing the DVD in the DVD player, he loves to mow the lawn with daddy, get the mail, and throw away trash. He loves his snuggle monkeys, and yes, still his pacifier. He loves to flush the toilet.

He also has a little plastic step stool that he loves to carry around the house and use to reach things he shouldn't be into... I call it his 'troublemaking stool'

He has a very big sweet tooth, and is a compulsive snacker (not much of a meal eater)...favourite snacks and foods are Nilla Wafers, fruit snacks, cheese, grapes, anything candy and grilled chicken.

After a shower, he likes to be wrapped up tightly in a towel, and have some chill time propped on pillows on mommy and daddy's bed, before getting a diaper and clothes.

He still loves to watch Baby Einstein DVD's... and is starting to enjoy Toy Story, but not many other Disney/animated movies yet. He has a favourite picture book that he likes to look at, and point to the pictures for you to tell him what they are.

There are so many funny, sweet and quirky things about my little Luke, and we just love every one of them. He has been such a joy in our lives for the last 2 years, and we are so grateful that he is ours. I love my little monkey...

Happy Birthday my Sweetheart... mommy loves you xxx