27 WEEKS

One more week until the 3rd trimester... then it's the final stretch until Baby Kate makes her appearance.

I had another Drs appointment on Monday to check on her, and everything is going well.
I had to have the glucose tolerance test, which involves drinking a bottle of sickly sweet glucose, followed by a blood test an hour later... I can't say it's a pleasant experience drinking pure sugar first thing in the morning.
Kate was on a sugar high for a few hours... she wriggled, and kicked like crazy after I drank the Glucola.

I haven't gained nearly as much weight this pregnancy as I did with Luke... well at least so far.
I'm hoping that I can keep things under control and avoid another 18kg (39lb) pregnancy... especially since I never did lose all of the weight I gained with Luke.

I think Kate will be smaller than Luke was. My belly seems to look a bit smaller this time, and when Dr Chandler measured me on Monday, I was measuring 1 week smaller than I was, so I think she's just going to be petite... well here's hoping at least. LOL :)

Tomorrow we're heading to the beach for an overnight trip, which we're really excited about, and then next week, Jake has 2 weeks off work, which will be when we get stuck in getting ready for my moms visit and Kate's arrival.

It's starting to get really hot now, which can be quite uncomfortable for me at times, but I'm really glad that I'm feeling so much better than I did with Luke. It has made such a difference, especially when I have had to keep up with a toddler this time. I hope Luke loves his little sister when she comes :)

FUNNY AND SWEET MOMENTS

Since my less than happy blog post on Sunday, we've had some good moments, and some bad moments, but I think Luke has sensed that his mommy needed a break, because for the most part, he has been a bit easier the last 3 days.

He's cracked me up a few times this week, so I thought I'd share a few of his sweet and funny moments.

On Monday morning, we all had a bit of a sleep in. Jake didn't have to be at work until 9am because he was working later that day due to a conference call to Japan, so we lay in a bit, and even Luke didn't wake up until 8am. Luke however has a very active bladder at night and despite us using thicker, overnight diapers, he often will still leak through by morning, just because of the quantity of pee in his diaper.
Anyway, I went into his room at 8am when he woke up, and I checked his sheets, and of course, they were wet... my response, "ah Crap" (it was only like the gazillionth time I've changed his sheets)... Luke who barely says any words at all, copied my exclamation with an attempt at, "ah Crap", sounding something like, "Ah Cra"
Yes, I shouldn't have laughed at my cursing child, but he caught me by such surprise, especially given his lack of vocabulary and it was pretty funny... so Jake and I both had a chuckle. I guess I need to start working on watching my own mouth. LOL

Monday, to my absolute joy turned out to be a much needed pleasant day with Luke... after my blog post on Sunday, and how much I was dreading the new week, I really appreciated his sweet, funny temperament while we ran errands together and hung out at home.

Yesterday, Luke walked into the living room with only a diaper on cos I hadn't dressed him yet. He must have realised for the first time ever that there was something in his diaper, because he proceeded to stick his finger into the leg of his diaper and then pull it out and look at the poop on his finger... when he realised it wasn't anything pleasant, he looked at me and started to cry. LOL...

A couple hours later I got out the shower, only to find Luke rinsing his toothbrush (that had toothpaste on it) in my drinking water glass... Kids are SO gross. LOL

Today we had a fun day at the park, followed by a MEGA nap... the longest nap Luke has taken in forever... of course, after such a huge nap, he woke up chirpy as can be. It was already 5pm so I asked him if he was hungry and wanted dinner... he got all giddy, ran into the kitchen where he got a bowl out of the cupboard and handed it to me for his dinner.. he then went and patiently waited at the table with his arms folded so we could bless the food and eat... I love that he is so sweet about blessing his food before he eats :)

Another quirk Luke has is his movie selection antics... Luke likes to watch DVD's, but when we allow him to watch one he likes to pick it out himself, and then put it into the DVD player and press play himself too.
However, what should be a 2 minute job of getting a movie on, usually takes us 10 minutes, because Luke sits on the floor pulling out one DVD at a time, and then meticulously looks over the characters on the cover, opens it up and stares at the DVD a while, and then puts it back on the shelf, just to pick another one and do the exact same thing. FINALLY, he'll decide on one and we'll get it started. We've learned to just let him be, because while he is 'deciding', there is no convincing him which one to watch. LOL.. he'll decide when he's ready.

Not anything funny or sweet, but I have taken Lukes bed guard rail off of his bed and for the past 2 nights and 2 nap times he has slept on his big bed without the rail to keep him from falling off. With how frequently I have to change his sheets, it was just a really big pain with the rail on, and it's also quite high which was getting uncomfortable for me with my growing belly, when I had to lean over it to put Luke into bed if he had already fallen asleep in the car etc.
So far, he has done really well... 4 sleeps in the bed with no falls yet...

Hopefully the rest of the week will continue to be an improvement from the last few weeks.

PUSHING THROUGH THE STRUGGLES

Funny how so often your greatest Joy, is also your greatest challenge.
PARENTHOOD...
I love being a mom, and I love my little boy so so much and it has by far been the greatest joy in my life to be a parent, but that doesn't mean that it has been easy. In fact, it's been far from that.

I know I've said this before, and some people probably think I'm being silly, but Luke is not an easy child.
My mom and dad always told me that I was a challenging toddler. I was apparently sweet as pie when we were out and with other people, but I was a complete monster child who made my mom cry when we were at home.
Luke I suppose has inherited my 'challenging child' genes.

He is such a social boy.. he loves to play with other kids, and be out doing different things. When we're out, he is usually quite a pleasure - if we're doing something fun of course... shopping and errands don't constitute as fun.
I was also an extremely social child, and I lacked all ability to entertain myself... I required constant attention, which is exactly how Luke is.

We're going through a particularly challenging phase with him right now, and I think Jake and I are both mentally and physically exhausted from trying to keep up. Our patience has been tried, and stretched and has reached the limit. We have exhausted all our ideas, and are feeling like we're at our wits end with our little monkey.

Before I was a mom... and even after having Luke but before he realised he had an opinion about everything, I would see other parents with their challenging kids, and think, "What is wrong with those kids.. and why are the parents allowing them to be such monsters?"... I've very quickly begun to eat my words, and realise, that it's not always a lack of parenting or bad parenting that makes for challenging children... I think some children just really are that way... I know my mom was a good mom, and my two siblings were pretty ok toddlers, but despite me receiving the same parenting as them,  I was her challenging child.

Jake and I have really tried to get through to Luke, and not allow certain behaviors, but he is so stubborn, and so strong willed, and often nothing we do will change his pattern of behavior. I suppose much of it is 'terrible twos' and him discovering his preferences and opinions about things... all a part of growing up I guess, but no less challenging to deal with as a parent.

Right now Luke's most regular behaviors include constant screaming, and endless tantrums.
Part of it is frustration about his limited communication skills, and part of it is him just not able to accept 'NO' when Jake or I won't give him his way.
Much of my week while Jake is at work is spent enduring endless amounts of Luke screaming at me... it may seem silly to feel 'hurt' by attacks from a 2 year old, but I frequently feel worn down, tired and at my wits end after multiple hours or days of enduring his screaming at me. I try really hard to learn his needs and wants, so that he doesn't act out in frustration... but even so, sometimes I won't give in to his wants (like his 3rd cookie) and that results in a tantrum and screaming session all on it's own.

I'm exhausted, and sad that right now my life as a stay at home mom makes me feel miserable. I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom, and I know that eventually we'll get past this phase with Luke, but for now the struggles with him make me dread each day that I have to tackle alone. I want to be a happy mom, and I want to love every minute I get to spend with my wonderful little boy... and it makes me feel extremely guilty that I don't feel that way at the moment, but I'm just at a loss for what else I can do to make all of our lives more pleasant, and easier.

I'm so grateful for my son, and for the baby girl that will join us soon.
My life really is richly blessed by my family, and I do very much know that... but that doesn't make my challenges and struggles right now as a mom any easier, and it makes me sad!

BLESSINGS AND GRATITUDE

Over the last few weeks, small but significant things have been happening in my day to day life that have been constant reminders of how richly blessed I am.
The little things have sometimes been as simple as something someone has said, or a thought that popped into my head, but I've been thinking a lot lately about how wonderful my life is.

Life isn't always easy. We all have our challenges and trials, some harder than others, and each person or families challenges are specific to them.
I've really begun to realise though that a 'glass half full' or 'glass half empty' attitude can make the world of difference to how you perceive those challenges and blessings. It's so easy to get stuck in the hardships, and overlook what great things are right there in front of you.

Jake found out yesterday that there will be a week of 'furlough' in July (Mandatory unpaid leave when the company shuts down for a period of time due to financial difficulty etc)
When he came home and told me, I was relieved... relieved, because a couple months ago, there had been talk of the furlough being 1-2 MONTHS, not just a week.
We knew how much that would hurt our income, and I'm just so grateful that it is only 1 week at this point. Yes, 1 week less of pay next month will make our budget tighter, and eliminate the option for the overnight trip to the beach we had hoped to do with Luke... BUT... it's just one WEEK... not a month or two. And we have a great back yard, with fun toys for Luke, and a cute little sprinkler... put some burgers on the grill, and we can have a great week of family vacation right here in our own back yard... I plan to enjoy every minute of that unpaid week, because we'll have a week of family time, to spend with Luke and each other before Kate arrives and things get a little crazy.

Often I look around my home and think about the things I'd like to be able to buy.. furniture, decor items, carpeting etc etc... but then I've learned to take another look around my house, just to realise how much I actually already have... we have EVERYTHING we need... we have a comfortable home, and my family's needs are all taken care of. I am grateful for my hard working husband, and that we never have to worry about diapers for our kids, or food on the table. We may not have money for vacations or expensive luxuries, but our primary physical needs are met. I don't know if things will always be like this, but I am grateful that at least for now, our needs are comfortably met, and we have sufficient for our family.

I am also grateful for how wonderful my family is... I have the best husband on the planet...
He is honest, kind, considerate of all my needs, patient, strong and the most wonderful, hands on father I could ever have asked for. There is nothing that I can do as a mother, than Jake can't also do...
I love my adorable, healthy, active little boy. He sure keeps us on our toes, but we are so blessed to have him in our lives. He is smart, and oh so funny and we just enjoy watching and helping him learn and grow. I know he'll be a wonderful big brother to Kate. My family is perfect for me :)
I am also so grateful for our fertility. We haven't had to endure struggles to get pregnant, and although my pregnancies aren't always a breeze, I am mostly healthy through them, and so are my babies. Kate is growing big and strong, and will be just one more HUGE blessing in our lives.
I'm also grateful that we have such extended family... what a wonderful support system we have. There is never a shortage of people to call, for advice or even just a chat to share in the events of our lives. :)

Not everything about our lives is easy...we have our share of trials, but I like to think that my glass is always half full, and getting fuller...
My life is good and I hope that no matter what happens in the future, that I will always be able to recognize that.

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... :)