Baseball

We need to work on his pitch :)

 Slightly terrified

Luke mostly rolled around in the grass during the game.

 Spinning so that he could turn into Super Luke

 Wa-wa

 My little man

Baby Essentials

There is soooo much baby crap available these days. Having been through Luke I know that much of it is unnecessary. What you need:

• Car Seat
• Clothes... everyone wants to get you the 0-3 months outfits since they are so tiny and cute but honestly... they don't get worn very much. Luke grew out of clothes every 2-3 months for the first year and then every 6 months (still does). Luckily he has a summer birthday and then Christmas so it has worked out.
• Baby carrier: I loved my sling especially when traveling or grocery shopping. Creepy, germy strangers are less likely to try and touch your baby when it's strapped to you plus it's nice to have your hands free.

• Someplace safe for baby to sleep- I had plans that Luke would sleep in his beautiful crib or sometimes in his bassinet in our room but in reality it was much easier (meaning more sleep for everyone) if he stayed in our bed. Eventually he was put to bed in his room and would wake up at some point and join us (still does). Before Luke, the idea bed sharing horrified me but it really has been the best solution for us. I imagine this baby will be the same... we need a bigger bed.
• Receiving blankets: Probably the most useful baby item there is. Besides keeping the baby warm, it worked as a nursing cover or to wipe up spit up. I did not leave the house without one.

• Diapers/wipes: duh. I'm going to give cloth diapering a chance. They are pretty cute and will probably save some money (but I don't think much as I was always able to find some sort of diaper deal). Plus it will save on a ton of waste. It really is amazing how many diapers you go through for just one baby.
• Bottles/ breast pump: Even though we breast feed 90% of the time, I did have to go back to work and leave Alan to fend for himself. We did a little bit of formula but not much which was fine with me. 

• Chair of some sort: we had a high chair that attached to a normal sized chair for Luke but it didn't last. Our kitchen/ dining area is tiny so I think we'll opt for a bumbo.

• Odds and ends: nail clippers, mittens(or socks on the hands), baby Tylenol/ motron, diaper cream, baby soap, lanolin cream (for me), nasal aspirator, pacifiers (Luke wouldn't take one even though we desperately tried) and a thermometer (I like the digital one). 

Optional items (in my option):

• Changing table: we used ours but I know lots of people that just changed the baby where ever they were. For use it was convenient to have all on the diaper supplies and clothes in one place.
• Swing- I wouldn't call this necessary but it was a goddsend when you have a screaming baby that isn't hungry or wet and your arms feel like they are going to fall off.
• Nursing pillow: I used my Boppy in the beginning but then mostly used it as a seat for Luke.
• Stroller: We had the fancy big stroller that came as part of our "travel system" with the car seat but it is so heavy and bulky that it barely got used. I did however use my cheapo umbrella stroller especially when traveling in airports.
• Toys: Babies are easily entertained. Everything is a toy... a cup, my necklace, cell phone. You don't need to spend a bunch of money on them. 
• Baby bath- You obviously need a safe place to wash the slippery baby but that could be the kitchen sink or a big plastic container of some sort. Don't waste a bunch of money on something.
• Diaper bag: any big bag will work, you don't need anything expensive. I carried around a change of clothes, diapers, wipes,a big ziploc bag for messy clothes and a receiving blanket.

Totally dump items:

• Diaper genie: we had one (I had given many to friends) but it was just another trash can than often was forgotten about (think moldy diapers). And the refills are pretty expensive. The diaper smell wasn't that bad to justify a special diaper trash can.
• Wipe warmer (another gift I gave pre-Luke)- it destroys wipes, drys them out and the last thing you want is a baby that can't have anything on it's bottom but a wipe at the perfect temp.
• Infant shoes: though I can't blame anyone for buying them... so cute.
• Exersaucer: This is just my option, but it takes up a ton of space and is pricey. My friends have jokingly called it the circle of neglect. If you already have a swing or baby chair of some sort why would you need this ugly thing? 

That's just my 2 cents. We have adopted the "whatever works" policy when it comes to parenting and don't begrudge anyone that has different needs or uses for these items.

Baby Naming

I've become a baby name snob. My favorite websites are Nameberry.com and Appellationmountain.net ,  where fellow baby name snobs congregate and collectively roll our eyes when someone names their baby "Nevaeh" or "Jayden". Girls names have always been easier for me. They can take more whimsy than boys names. If Luke had been a girl we would have named him Audrey and this baby would been Juniper (with the nickname June) but alas, we're still searching for the perfect boy name.

We like classic, sturdy sounding names. Something that works well with Luke in style and isn't too matchy-matchy. I'm not a fan of creative spellings. I feel it sets kids up for a lifetime of correcting the spelling and a negative interection when meeting someone for the first time. And since our last name is Stetson we don't want any names that also end in -son (like Hudson) or ends in an -s (like Louis). We don't have any set plans on making the name a surprise but we might not decide until after he is born and get a good look at him.

Here's what we have so far:

Levi- super cowboy name. Alan loves it... I don't like the alliteration with Luke but I like the name.

Archer- with the nickname of Archie. I LOVE this name.... Alan not so much. It's got a fun 50's vibe.

Henry- We both like this one. The nickname of Hank is adorable and sounds very western with Stetson (but most names sounds pretty western with Stetson). Alan likes the Indiana Jones reference (the character's real name was Henry).

Dean- strong, short, classic name. Lots of cool Dean's... Dean Martin, James Dean, etc

Andrew (Andy)- This is Luke's favorite. It reminds me of the kid in Toy Story.

Jude- Beatles classic and British form of John.

Cash- I think this might be a little too cool for us but it's becoming more popular.

Taylor- I'm pretty sure we've settled on this being the middle name. It's a family name on Alan's dad's side.

Bruce- I'm not seriously considering this name but Alan likes it since there are so many badass Bruce's out there: Bruce Wayne, Bruce Willis, Bruce Springsteen.

Liam- a very current Irish name but again it has the alliteration thing going on with Luke

Sam- not such a big fan on Samuel

Finn- maybe Finley... Alan isn't into it though

Summer wish list:

Luke and his friend the butterfly (named Tuck)

It's almost August! Summers are so short up here that I really feel the need to make the most of them before the gray settles in for 7+ months. Things I've accomplished so far:

• Berry picking: strawberries, raspberries, and blue berries. Next is blackberries and apples.
• Made jam... need to do more
• Been to many parks
• Grown veggies: the broccoli is being harvested as fast as we can eat it. The tomatoes and zucchini should be ready soon.
• Watched a Caterpillar turn into a butterfly
• BBQ... many more on the agenda

Need to do:

Aquasox game a few years ago... Luke was so little

• Go camping/make smores/ go tubing: It's on the calendar... Leavenworth in September.
• Go to the fair
• Watch outdoor movies (Top Gun is playing next week at the Redhook brewery. Might need to get a babysitter)
• Spend lots of money at the farmers market
• Go to a local baseball game or preseason football game
• Spend the day (or several) at the beach

22 Weeks

 Luke was listening to the baby. He says he can here him cry.

More than half way there!!! The baby is moving a lot... so much so that I can see the little jumps poking out of my belly. That is definitely my favorite part of pregnancy. My appetite is intense, as in wake you up for a snack hungry.  Today I tried to convince Alan to drive 20 miles for an awesome burger (slathered in Anaheim peppers). He declined but tracked down a substitute burger instead. We've been talking about names but haven't settled on anything yet.

In other news, we signed Luke up for Preschool. He has said he doesn't want to go or grow up for that matter. Every time Luke talks about growing up he tells us that his voice is going to change. In fact, he was surprised that it didn't change after his last birthday. I have no idea where he got that idea. But apparently when you grow up your voice changes and your face gets bumpy (pimples, I assume), according to Luke.

It took me a while to find I school I liked and was within our budget. But I found a cool program with a local theater group that is only a couple days a week. My hope is that he has a positive experience and is excited for kindergarten.

Luke's 4th Birthday Party

July 1st was Luke's 4th birthday party. This year we got to celebrate it on his actual birthday which was a treat. Luke had requested a snake themed party which I stretched to include bugs. I was hoping for a star wars theme or maybe monsters but he was very insistent. I guess I'll have to get used to him having his own opinion on everything.


What I don't have pictures of are the kids playing with their bug containers and collecting caterpillars from my broccoli plants since Alan and his dad decided to take an extended trip to costco and ended up being a half hour late to the party. But it was pretty cute, you'll just have to take my word for it.

Mr. Brad playing with the chalk. He's getting so big!

Handsome boy with his momma

The snake cake. Luke saw this snake at a local toy store and has been asking for it for months now. It's a Blue Water Snake according to the tag.

Nana got Luke a sandbox which he plays in daily. I can deal with the sand inside the house since it entertains him for at least an hour everyday.

Happy Birthday song and Luke's wish

The kids somehow all fit onto Luke's little bench

 Present time! He got a huge nerf gun with a bunch of spare bullets. He uses it to kill zombies and shoot the cat. There are bullets all of the house.

 Alan and I made him a treasure chest and filled it with cool rocks and minerals, a big magnifine glass, and a geode.

He loves to "inspect" things and has been collecting a shells for the past year. My boy loves nature. I love that about him. I hope he keeps that quality. 

The kids were entertained by how big Luke's eye looked in the maginfine glass.

Bugs! Electronic bugs.... his friends have them. I don't quite get the fascination.

Superhero undies! He wasn't so excited but he loves to wear them and make his tough guy faces.

Doggie guitar

Mustache cup... I use it more than Luke :)

Ruby crack

More of cute Bradley

Luke playing with his new air rocket.... Alan has launched a few onto the neighbors house.

Luke's best friends Jack and Ruby

Aren't we an attractive family?

It's a...

Some video from Luke's birthday party where we opened the envelope to reveal the baby's gender.