Easter Weekend!

Saturday April 23

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!


Saturday morning I was NOT feeling well at all, but I was feeling SLIGHTLY better than I had been on Friday, so I decided to tough it out & get on with the days' plans.

So, Tim got to work in the kitchen, while Luke & I did the housework & then got ready to go.

We left at about 10:55, drove to Virginia Beach to pick up the "ticket" for the Great Cloth Diaper Change event and then drove to downtown Virginia Beach, where the event was taking place.

We got there right about 11:45, and found out that the event had been postponed 30 minutes, so we hadn't needed to rush like we did.  Poo-y.  Oh well.

We toddled around and basically killed time until 12:30....when 59 folks all simultaneously changed our babies in the windy parking lot of Diaper Junction.

(excuse the quality of the pictures, these are swiped from Diaper Junction's Facebook)

Luke pre-chnage (sporting a Mama Made pocket fitted)

Pre Change Group Shot

Post Change Group Shot

As soon as that was over, I loaded Luke up in the stroller and we headed out.  We grabbed some Hardee's (for me) and then some McDonald's (for him) and then headed to Norfolk to the Lafayette Park.

It was a party to celebrate my "Milk Baby" Athena's first birthday & her big sister, Gianna's, 4th birthday.   We left both our food & cards at home on accident, but it was still nice to visit & see the girls.

Athena didn't want any parts of me, though, I guess because I no longer smell like her milkies!  (She is done with my supplement & I am all dried up!)

Around 2:15, it was time for us to head home and we couldn't have timed it better.  No more than 10 minutes after we got in the car Luke was SOUND asleep.  I headed home, hoping to get him in the house for a nap myself, but I didn't get that lucky.

Tim worked in the kitchen some, I putzed around, laid around, and did some housework.  Then around 7:00, we headed to Virginia Beach to have dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise with Tom, Peggy, and Beth.  Luke napped on the ride over so was a cranky-pants when we got there.

I as usual enjoyed the crab dip & did not enjoy the mini bacon burgers.  I think I'm just going to stick to ordering the crab dip as my entrée there.

After dinner it was quite late, so we headed home, Luke fell asleep in the car, and then we stopped at Farm Fresh for a minute.  I just ran in & grabbed what we needed, then we went home.

At home, it was pretty much straight to bed for everyone.

Sunday April 24, Easter 2011 (Luke's 2nd)


Tim got up with the sun in order to make it to church by 7:15 am, which is when set-up was scheduled to begin.  I'm not sure if he made it or not, because I think he overslept some.

Luke and I got up around about the time he was leaving & had to begin getting ready to go ourselves, even though our ETA wasn't until 9:30.

We ate breakfast, straightened up the house some, and packed an entire days' worth of diapers, snacks, bibs, and changes of clothing, before heading out just before 9 to get to church.

As usual Luke was ALMOST asleep when we got there, but still awake, so in we went.  And he was a holy terror.

He would not sit still, he would not let me hold him, and he eventually started just screaming his head off.

He had a runny nose, so he couldn't go into the nursery either. (Even if I was a regular user of the nursery & even if the runny nose is "just allergies" I still wouldn't put him in there, you never know, and if someone else's kid gets sick because of mine, I'd be sad.)

So, Luke & I made our hasty exit at about 10:30.

I think that is the end of us going to church.  It's just too hard to get out of the house & all the way to Virginia Beach, that early in the morning, and expect Luke to be able to behave during the service.  If we had been going all along he'd probably do better.  BUT, since the "big thing" back in September our attendance has been spotty at best anyway.  

The timing is off, it is his nap time by the time we get there (because we have to get up early & start our day earlier than normal)and then he is a cranky fuss pot.

So, I think until he doesn't need the morning nap, we're just going to save the time & gas and forget about it.  Maybe they can record the services with a digital camera or Skype it like Rachel once suggested.  I just don't know about dragging Luke out like this every Sunday.  (that's like the last 3 times we tried to go to church we ended up leaving early).

AND then, when #2 comes along, there's no way I'll be able to go to church since Tim leaves way before us for sound set-up, I'd be stuck getting them both ready all by myself.  Nah, its not that big of a deal to me.  I'm not feeling the "connection" I once had at the church and while I understand that distancing myself is the opposite of "getting it back", I think its what I need right now.

So, anyway, within about 5 minutes in the car, Luke was sound asleep.  We drove home & then both took a nap in the driveway.

Tim got home around noon & tended to the dogs & house, and then we headed to Emporia.

We got to Mom & Dad's house a few minutes after Amanda and everyone got busy getting settled in.  Luke was VERY excited to play with Grayson & Spencer's Buzz Lightyear doll.

I was tired & the chaos in the house caused me to have a bunch of painful Braxton Hicks contractions.  After Luke was dressed (we'd taken his church outfit off) in good clothes and Frankie & J.C. hid all the eggs (about 80) we let the boys go out into the yard to start their Easter Egg Hunt.

Luke had a blast finding the eggs.

When that was all said & done, Dad took the boys for tractor rides.

Luke wasn't quite sure of the tractor & all the noise it was making!

Grayson & Spencer actually DROVE the tractor & they LOVED it!

Then it was time to come in for Easter baskets from Grams & Pap & Luke was more interested in Buzz than in the basket.  He's still a little young to "get" candy.

After the boys got their baskets it was time to get things ready for dinner.  My contractions were kicking my butt, so I was pretty useless.  

Mom had ham, spaghetti, cavadils, salad, green beans, sweet potatoes w/ marshmallows, pineapple, and more for everyone to enjoy. We all ate our fill & had a great meal!

After dinner, I took the boys outside to play with bubbles & just get out of the house, while everyone cleaned up the dinner table.

When I went back in it was dessert time!

After dessert (chocolate creme pie!) we relaxed for a while & then headed home around 7:30.  Luke slept the whole way & I slept for most of it!

Happy Easter!

End of April-May OTW/ITW

Custom Diaper Bag set from Diaperswappers Co-Op

Shortalls on Kirkland from Carly Goode (shipped April 26) (Owe $16+shipping for newbie's pair)

Buttons from Tessa Ann (July)

•  Two 1" Woodsy Buttons
• $8.25 owed
• Need to ship fabric sample

Preflat from Glorimar--Paid 4/15 (Shipped April 25)

Fabric Squares from I-Spy Quilt Swap Shipping paid 4.29

Shorties (from Short-Alls) & Doll Shorties from Kelley H. (shipped yarn & short-alls April 25)

3 Disney Blankets from Woot (ETA April 28)

2 Woombies from DS Co-Op (Newborn Paprika, Preemie Green Dots)

2 Yards Purple/Lime Ooga Booga from Nature's Fabrics

Bug & Bear Noah on MMW-shipping to Stacey C.

Buzz Lightyear Key Chain from Ebay

Sunday Update--22 Weeks Preggo & Luke's 18 Months!

Monday April 18


Happy 18 Month Birthday Lucas Wayne Goetsch!!


Monday was our first day having Aaron over for Spring Break.  By 11:30 am it was over 75* outside, so the two boys headed out in the back yard to play.

Luke fell down on the patio & skinned his knee, but it was MINOR, so I just washed it & let him go back to play.  Well, within 5 seconds, he fell AGAIN and this time banged it up really badly.

So, into the house we went to take care of the now bleeding wound.  Nothing I tried calmed him down, so we ended up jumping in the tub.

He enjoyed that & calmed down enough for us to run to Subway for lunch.

At Subway, he ate more than 1/2 of my 6" double turkey & bacon sub!  It's a good thing I wasn't that hungry!

He fell asleep on the car ride home and took a nice nap when we got back.

He & Aaron played outside some more in the early afternoon & then Luke took another nap in the early evening!

I got to cut out some squares for the I-Spy Quilt Square Swap I'm participating in, so that was nice.

For dinner, Luke & I ran to Pizza Hut & got some of their Tuscani pastas.  They had 2 half dishes with bread sticks for only $13, and then I added a personal pepperoni pizza, in case I didn't like the pasta.

It was good though & we all ate well.  After dinner it was bed time.

Tim had gotten one coat of sealant on the grout in the kitchen after work too, so that is coming along.  We're hoping to be ready to install cabinets NEXT weekend. :)


Tuesday April 19


22 Weeks Pregnant


I did not get a good night's sleep & so was pretty cranky on Tuesday morning.  But, we managed to get up & out of the house by 9:30, to head to our 9:30 play-date at Fun Forest.

We ended up arriving at exactly the same time as my friend Sabrina (from Diaperswappers) and her son Caleb.

The two boys didn't really play TOGETHER, but we still had a good time.  It was Caleb's first time at a playground, on a slide, and on a swing.

After the park we rant to Target to get a few things & then headed home.  Luke fell asleep in the car but was woken up too early from his nap.

He also had a runny nose & a fever, so he was a cranky fuss pot.

Aaron & Luke went out to play in the back yard but Luke was just too cranky & by 3:00 I decided we were going for a ride to get him to nap.

We drove out to Amanda's house & picked up the steam cleaner and then drove to the Frederick Blvd. Wal-Mart where Betti works.

Luke had JUST fallen asleep & it was almost 4:00, so we waited until Betti got off & then she & Aaron sat in the car while I ran in to buy carpet cleaning solution.  I also found a Color Wonders Dinosaur Train set on clearance for $5.00, so I picked that up for Luke.

His big-brother gift when the baby is born is going to be a collection of Color Wonders sets to play with.

Then it was time to head home.  We had left-overs for dinner and called it a night.

Wednesday April 20

Wednesday was our day off, so we slept in & then took it easy around the house.  Except, I realized that Luke's hand was quite swollen from when he got STEPPED ON at the playground & bruised.  He wasn't using his ring or pinky fingers & freaked out when I touched them.

So, I made the required calls & arranged for Tim to meet us at CHKD, and we took Luke in for his X-ray.

Tim took Luke back & held him during the x-ray & the resulting tantrum.

It took a long time at the hospital & Tim still needed lunch, so it was pointless for him to go back to work.  So, we drove to the Applebee's near the house & had a good lunch while Luke had a nap.  (actually I didn't eat the lunch, but I did enjoy the Blondie brownie I had!)

Afterwards, we went home & Tim worked in the kitchen.

I had to fight with the doctor's office to get Luke's x-ray results, but they called & said it wasn't broken.  It must be a REALLY bad bruise, though.

We had left-overs for dinner again.

Tim wanted beer & a Slurpee, so I went out without Luke & got those things and then headed home.


Thursday April 21

I cancelled Luke's doctor's appointment (for them to look at his not-broken finger) and worked on housework instead.  The boys played outside until lunch time.

Then they ate lunch & Luke fell asleep.  While he napped I cut out quilt squares!

I've got 130 squares for the swap, 30 squares from E-Bay that are all Disney, and 44 squares of my swap fabrics that are all unique "i-spys".  I also have 6 yards of uncut Blue Jean Teddy fabrics (all different) that I am going to use to make the squares for the border.

After Luke's nap, the boys went back outside to play & I steam cleaned the hall way carpet.  That took me a good part of an hour & Betti showed up just as I was finishing.

She & I visited for a little while & then Mandy showed up right after she left.

Mandy hung out with Luke while I showered & got ready to go & then we headed to the Mall to meet up with Frankie.

They had Sarku Japan for dinner, I had a baked potato (yuck) and most of a chicken sandwich.  Luke refused to eat his chicken nuggets.

Then we went to the pet store & played with a little Bichon Poo puppy.  Luke is too little for a puppy still, so it'll be more than 2 years before we can get one.  We don't NEED a third dog any more than we need holes in our heads, but I'd love to have a LITTLE dog, that can actually be a house pet & not a danger to the kids.  Frankie was 4 or 5 when we got Tippy & that seems about right, but I guess it'll have to be #2 who is 4 or 5, and not Luke.

That would probably be best anyway, since Zowski is going to be 5 this year and Rosie is going to be 4 this year, which means 4 or 5 years from now, they'll be getting on in age.

Anyway, after the mall, Amanda, Luke & I went to Kohl's.  Mandy found a dress shirt that she could buy for $0.80 and I found a Water Wow Thomas the Train activity kit for under $5 and a set of 3 Thomas Bath Tub Squirters (he has one & LOVES it) for about $7, so I got both of those with Mandy's 15% off coupon.

Like the spoiled boy he is, we gave him both last night, though technically we will say the Squirters were for Easter!

On the way home we stopped at Food Lion for some groceries & by the time we got home it was time to settle down for bed.

Friday April 22

I woke up feeling super mega sick.  I got a stuffy nose during the night & it quickly developed into severe post nasal drip & a double ear-ache.

Around about 10:00 am I also got hit with a bad bout of morning sickness and have spent most of the day running back to the bathroom to lose it from one end or the other.  Not fun.

Luke & Aaron attempted to play outside, but since it was only 55* it didn't last long.  Luke fell down & then it started to sprinkle, so in they came.

I managed to get the living room carpet like halfway done before things started going downhill.

In the afternoon, Luke got so cranky I couldn't stand it any more, so we loaded up in the car and went for a ride.

Luke fell asleep before I could even get to McDonald's to get him some nuggets, but Aaron & I ate.  Then we drove around a bit & headed towards Dairy Queen.  Aaron & I also got some ice cream while Luke slept.

Then we headed home & Luke woke up, earlier than I would have liked.

Fortunately, he was happy enough to play with Aaron in the back of the house while I finished the living room, so the carpets were completely done when Tim & Betti got home!

I made egg salad from Luke's easter eggs for dinner, so we stayed in.  I went to bed at 7:15!  Luke came to bed at 8 & I think Tim was in bed before 10:30!

22 Weeks Pregnant

So, tomorrow I'll be 22 weeks pregnant!

This crazy surprise pregnancy seems to be blowing past!  (Which is good, considering how sick I've been!)

I'm still dealing with awful morning sickness & the pukey's.  I think today is going to be a medicine day, since I have a lot to do & don't want to be glued to the toilet.

While most people STILL can't tell I'm pregnant (and probably never will be able to) I am definitely FEELING 22 weeks pregnant.

My lower back & hips pretty much ache all the time.  I can feel the spreading & pressure going on down there.

The baby is transverse, with his head on my right side & butt on my left side.  He's folded in half and either has his face pointing straight out at the world or out & down.  I can feel his kicking & swatting with his hands on my right side a lot.  He also sometimes gets some good kicks in, in the direction of my cervix/bladder.  Those are the WORST.

He kicks the seatbelt the entire time I'm in the car (unless its a long highway ride, then he falls asleep!)  If I poke him near his head, he'll kick almost every time.

He kicks when I sing...I'm not sure if that's because he likes hearing my voice when its happy (which it isn't always) or if its because of my awful singing voice!  Ha ha! (I only sing in the presence of my child!  I wouldn't subject anybody else to that torture!)

I get tired easily and can't do a lot of walking or bending or working without having braxton hicks contractions.

It is hard on me to carry Luke and walk any distance at all.  I'm okay if he's in the sling or wrap (for a little while) but the stroller is my best friend.

I'm not sure if I've gained any weight or lost any since my 20 week appointment but I doubt that there has been any gain.

At 18 weeks I was down 19, (because I had gained back 1), but then at my 20 week appointment I had lost another 1.5 lbs, so I guess my total now is -20.5.  I don't have another appointment scheduled until 24 weeks, and if I make it to that appointment without going in early for something being "wrong" it'll be my FIRST monthly appointment!  All of my other appointments, I've been seen before 4 weeks were up!

My next appointment is another ultrasound, to check on the baby's heart & take some more measurements.  Unfortunately, I doubt he'll be in any better of a position, since I'm pretty sure he hasn't moved far.  (It's like he rolls onto his right side, that's about as far as he goes.)

Anyway, the nausea and illness aren't AS bad as they were, but eating & drinking are still a chore & I still feel sick a lot of the time.

Sleeping is uncomfortable, I'm most comfy on my left side, but to snuggle Tim or Luke, I have to lay on my right side.  Switching sides of the bed is not an option, since it will put me further away from the toilet, which is not a good idea!

Sunday was our Fun Day!

Sunday April 17

Sunday morning Tim got up bright & early and headed to church.  I had a BAD night's sleep, so I slept in a bit.

After a while, Luke & I got up, did some housework & then started getting ready for church.

No surprise, we were running late!  Luke was SO close to being asleep when we pulled into the parking garage but he was still awake, so in we went.

I managed to hear 99% of the sermon before I had to take him to the nursery, thanks to Diana helping out with him!  He happily went into the nursery for about 20 minutes at the end of the service.

He LOVES playing with the toys up there, but I have my own issue with USING the facilities when I don't volunteer up there.  I feel badly that I don't donate my time but expect to be able to use the service.  In my opinion, if you use it you should support it.  Maybe I'll see what kind of donations they need or something...then I could get over my hang-up.

Anyway, after church he was REALLY ready for that nap, so I headed out to the van with him & he nursed for about 5 minutes before falling asleep.

We chilled in the car while we waited on Tim to finish up with the break down.  When he finally emerged we headed to Regent to pick up Frankie's truck.

Then we headed to my friend Tabitha's house to pick up this beauty!  It has a small crack on the railing on the side of the slide, and her daughter Lily outgrew it!  

So, being the generous, wonderful friend that she is, she gifted it to Luke!  Happy 18 Month Birthday big-boy!

As soon as we got home, we got it set up in the backyard & he went right to it!  He can climb in & out of the swing all by himself, and when he sits on his knees he can make it swing!

He has a little bit of trouble going up and down the stairs/slide by himself, but I'm sure in a few days he'll have it all worked out!

We're so happy to have a toy for him in the back yard now that he can play on & have fun with, that the dogs hopefully won't chew up!

 After letting Luke play on his new toy for a while, it was time to get ready to head out.  Tim stayed home to work in the kitchen, while Luke & I went to the Fun Forest, at Chesapeake City Park.

We met up with Mandy, Grayson, and Spencer there & had a blast!  Three toddlers at that packed park was kind of crazy, but they all seemed to have a really good time!  There were a few nasty little children there & I actually put my hands on one of them.

This particular girl, was probably about 7 or 8 years old & was just being downright hateful towards Grayson & Spencer, pushing them off of the giant shark and telling them to get away & leave her alone.  They weren't doing anything to be especially annoying & weren't REALLY in her way.

The final straw came when all of the kids were throwing mulch into the shark's mouth, this little girl kept swiping it out & throwing it on the ground.  It was an okay game, but she was being mean about it.  The other kids just kind of ignored her attitude & kept doing it!

BUT, Luke was standing back a little ways, watching the commotion raptly.  I was standing just behind him, but out of arm's reach.  The little girl, swung her arm to get the mulch out of the shark's mouth & stepped back all at the same time & knocked Luke over, HARD, onto the ground, and then almost fell on top of him.

That's when I put my hands on her.  No way was I letting this kid fall on my baby!

Anyway, she didn't seem to mind & they all went back to playing that game, but Mandy & I took our three to play somewhere else....because Grayson decided to start throwing the mulch.

The boys all played in the big sand box for a while & then we all went on the swings for a bit too!

After the swings, we went to this big round seating area, and let the boys play with bubbles.  Mandy got some really great pictures of that!

After the bubble excitement wore off we headed back to the big wooden playgrounds.  Mandy followed the boys around while I walked the perimeter of the play areas, and caught them at the bottom of the slides.  It was a handful keeping up with all three of them, but we had a good time.

I let Mandy handle the picture-taking, since I'm feeling more & more pregnant each day!

At about 5:10 we decided to head out, so we hit the restrooms & then loaded the big boys' car seats into the van.  It took a bit of wiggling, but we figured out the best arrangement!  Grayson went in the MyRide 65 forward facing in the far back passenger side. Spencer went rear facing in his car seat (I'm not sure what it is) behind the driver, and Luke's seat got moved forward a bit, but still rear facing in his Radian 80SL behind the passenger seat.

We drove to Mandy's house then to drop off her car before heading out to Bone Fish in Newport News.

We had dinner with Lindsey (so she could see the boys) which was nice.  I ate a crab cake & some garlic potatoes.  Luke ate his first shrimp.  All of the boys ate & played and colored.  Spencer was the most well behaved of the three!

About 7:30ish, we were done with dinner & headed back to Mandy's house.  We dropped her off, I nursed Luke for a few minutes in the car, and then we headed to Regent to take care of the truck.

Tim met us there & then we went in the van to get gas & him some food.  Only we never got to the food because Frankie had a bit of a snafu on campus.

I left Tim with him to deal with that & headed home with my sleeping baby.

We were both in bed asleep when Tim got home!

I'll update this post with the pictures from Amanda's camera, as soon as I get it from her!