Fourth of July

On the actual 4th we just hung around the house and really didn’t do much, but on the 3rd we went to my Grandma’s for a big cookout and party.  Grandma’s on the 4th is what we’ve done for as long as I can remember.

 

Giving his favorite cousin Andrea a kiss.

he jumped right in the pool because it was SO HOT!

I love my family!

Those are the same swim trunks he wore on the 4th last year!  Size 9 months!  They were a little snug, but they worked!

Tommy with his friend Karen on his shoulder

some more friends joined him in the pool

he tackled Daddy

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!

of course he had a cupcake.  No matter how many cupcake pictures I take, they don’t get old!

The Baldwins at the end of a long hot day watching the storm on the river.  We only got to see some fireworks that were happening on the other side of the river in VA, but I didn’t mind because the storm we were watching from Grandma’s porch on our side of the river was a way better show!  I’ve never seen lightning like that in my life!! 

We had such a wonderful day spent with friends and family, living in the land of the free!

30 Weeks!

Your Baby:

• Weighs about three pounds and is 17 inches long. Since most full-term babies are between 20 and 22 inches long at 40 weeks’ gestation, your baby will pack on more pounds than inches in the 10 weeks or so.
• Is starting to get a little crowded in there, but still has room to wiggle and roll and punch and kick.
• Despite all the movement, it’s still damn near impossible to tell what position your baby is in for sure (head down, breech, transverse, etc.), but it’s also still too early to be worrying about it. MOST babies settle into a head-down position around 36 weeks, and some still manage to flip themselves around after that.

You:

• May feel like you’re gestating a pissed-off housecat rather than a chubby wittle baby at this point, with some movement and kicks causing ACTUAL PHYSICAL PAIN. Some women experience kicks so sharp and unnerving they mistake them for uterine contractions, even if they’ve already been through pregnancy and labor and should really know better.
• Some of these women may even write pregnancy guides on the Internet.

Aaahhhh… doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?  No real complaints over here, except for heartburn!  I don’t know how people who get heartburn on a regular basis deal with it.  I’m tired and cranky, but that can be expected. 

Dylan is extremely active and I feel him all over the place!  Way up high and waaaay down low.  Those are the ones that can be painful!  Everything looked good at my doctor’s appointment last week, and I’m starting two week appointments now, so I have another one next Thursday. 

I have certainly reached “large and in charge” status if I wasn’t there before.

Our Weekend In O.C.

Luke and I headed to Ocean City on Thursday night and came home Monday afternoon.  Tommy had lots of stuff going on this weekend and couldn’t come, but my parents and Melissa and Becca were with us.  We had such a wonderful weekend.  Friday was a great beach day and Luke is very content just sitting in the sand, filling up buckets with his shovel.  He does NOT like the water. 

“swimming” in the sand

 

going to fill up his bucket of water with Melissa

After a nice day in the sun we had dinner together and then Luke relaxed with MiMi (my mom has a new name… she’s no longer Grandma) before bed.

Saturday I left Luke with my Mom and headed to the outlets and picked up some awesome clearance at Carter’s for the boys, and some really good clearance at Bath and Body Works.  Then, I had a crappy pedicure and headed home. 

Sunday was back to the beach!

This is the only picture I took on Sunday- Luke getting the sand rinsed off of him by Becca.  He actually really enjoyed that cold shower but this picture doesn’t really show it.  I got “Scopes” done of him on Sunday and had a bunch of keychains made for Luke’s biggest fans.  They came out SO cute. 

It was a great relaxing weekend, and even though we missed Daddy big time, I’m so happy we got some time at the beach. 

Cutie

I. Love. These. Buns!

22 Months!

Luke just hit 22 months and is turning into such a big boy!  Well, he’s still tiny, but you know what I mean :) 

*This morning I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and he answered me “oatmeal.”  It’s so weird to ask a question and actually get an answer! 

*He also told me “bless you” the other night when I sneezed.  But, I think it was a one time thing because when Tommy came in the room and I fake sneezed to show him, Luke just looked at Tommy and wrinkled up his nose and said “neeze.” 

*He LOVES his “boops” right now, and we read about 10 books to him every night.

*This child went from having no interest in television to a full blown Elmo obsession in about 48 hours.

*He loves his Pop Pop (my Dad) and talks about him all the time.

*He loves the pool, and is constantly asking his Daddy to take him in the wa-wa. 

*He can be pretty moody sometimes and will just randomly burst into tears for no good reason.  Definitely showing some of that soon to be two year old attitude.  But, most of the time he’s laid back and fun loving. 

Of course I’m hurrying this post and leaving out 100 things, so I’ll try to remember some things and add on later…

cheeeeeeeeeeeeese!!!

shoving his golf clubs in the crack of the couch

28 Weeks!!!

Your Baby:

• Continues to get a longer and fatter by the day. Shocking, I know. His or her weight has actually doubled in the past month alone, which is why you’ve probably gotten comments about “popping” recently.
• Weight is around 2.5 pounds right now, which (if you’re like me, gazing in horror and your inside-out belly button and spidery stretch marks) might sound a little frightening, since the baby clearly needs to gain a LOT MORE WEIGHT before he or she is fully cooked, and oh my God, how in the world is anything bigger going to fit in there?

You:

• Are either feeling like this pregnancy will NEVER end, or that 12 more weeks is simply not nearly enough time to prepare. Or you might feel both ways, changing your mind one minute to the next.
• Must move furniture and fold clothes and organize the linen closet and replace the bathroom vanity and finally get rid of that sooty stain on the marble fireplace and yes, DARLING, these are all essential tasks that MUST be completed before the baby gets here, DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME, NOW GO HANG UP SOME SHELVES.

 

Third trimester!  So excited!  Definitely nesting.  Big time.  I’m trying to get rid of a bunch of junk that has accumulated in the spare bedroom, which is soon to be Luke’s new room.  It’s kind of a catch all of all of those things that I don’t want to throw away but don’t have a need for right now.  But, this stuff is going to have to go one way or another.  I’m feeling good most of the time, just pretty exhausted by the time I get home from work and I get out of breath SO easily.  Just walking up the basement steps at my parent’s house, which I do about 10 times a day when I’m at work, or walking through the grocery store and I’m huffing and puffing! 

That’s Luke on the left at 28 weeks and Dylan on the right at 28 weeks… way different!

Father’s Day

Our Father’s Day was great, but I didn’t take any pictures.  I have been so horrible about picking up my camera lately!  We hung out around the house in the morning, and then went to Capt. Billy’s for crabs for lunch.  When we got back from lunch, I really wanted to visit with my Dad, and Tommy seemed to want some serenity at home, so I headed to Nanjemoy and Tommy stayed home, played PS3, napped, and watched tv.  Luke and I had dinner with my parents and Aunt Carrie, and then headed home and spent some more QT with Daddy before bedtime.  Here are some of my favorite Luke/Tommy pictures from the last 22 months.

  

 

When I was pregnant with Luke I worried every single day.  I made myself crazy with it.  I would tell him about how scared I was that I would nitpick him to death until I sent him over the edge!  He told me I was being ridiculous.  I had this vision of myself standing over his shoulder criticizing his every parental move.  Then, Luke arrived, I relaxed (a little), and Tommy exceeded every single expectation I had ever had.  He is such a great Dad, and I know he’ll just get better heading into fatherhood of two boys!