Luke meets Silas

What a great weekend it's been. My brother Mark, his wife Denise and their 4 1/2 month old, Silas & Buddy drove up from Florida to visit. They had never seen Luke and we had so much fun playing together. Silas was so sweet & fun, it's hard to believe that he and Luke are only 3 months apart. Just a reminder to me of how fast they change.

O so sad...

My heart is breaking this week. For the last few years I have been busy being a Mom. My days were filled with diapers, bottles, preschool, sippie cups, car seats, cooking/cleaning up meals, bathtime, and watching Noggin together. All of a sudden, I have been hit hard with what happens when your babies grow up.
Monday I dropped Nate off at school at 7:45. After school he had Mad Science Club until 4:00. We had a PTO meeting scheduled for 6:30. That leaves what, 2 1/2 hours for our family to be together? Needless to say, I skipped the PTO meeting. What has happened to our family time? I want to see my boys build a fort together in the living room, I want to let them play in the bathtub until the water gets cold. I am not ready for this busy life of running from one scheduled activity to another. I like downtime at home. Unfortunately, I know that this is going to be the way it is. Before I know it, they will be asking to participate in other sports and activities.
Everyone tells you that your children grow up fast, but I never realized just how right they were. I am so thankful for every moment that I have spent with my boys. I am even thankful for those days when I was longing for more adult interaction, when I was bored, thinking that I had only talked to a 2 & 4 year old all day.

Growing

2 weeks ago newborn size diapers swallowed Luke. Today, he can hardly fit in them. He is growing so fast. And he's yelling at me now....

Bedtime

Bryan always reads the boys a story before bed and last night this was the scene when I walked in the room. Luke was so content to be laying in the bed with his brothers. They were so adorable I had to take a picture.

Luke - 2+ weeks

Luke is 2 weeks now and is doing great. Henry started preschool today and had a good day.

Nate & Henry are crazy about their brother. In fact, Henry has been getting up with me for all the middle of the night feedings! He still sleeps in the bed with us and he wakes up when I get up with Luke. I knew it would be a problem before Luke was born but I didn't have the energy to deal with it. We are now working on bribing him into sleeping with Nate. Thank goodness I have one child who is finally sleeping through the night in his own bed.

I must say, though, that I don't regret a single night that I have shared my bed with the boys. They are growing up too fast. Before long, they won't even want to get in my bed at all. I try to remember that everything, the good and the bad, will pass.

Some cute boys...

Nate & Henry at Stumphouse Tunnel, one of their favorite places to visit.

It's Friday!

It's Friday and I am so glad the weekend is here. I have missed my family. Nate being at school has really thrown me for a loop. It was so nice to have an evening where the boys played together in the yard while Bryan and I watched. Luke joined us outside and was very interested in everything they did.

I am so completely overwhelmed with how God has blessed me with family. A great husband and wonderful sons. We laid down together tonight at bedtime, Bryan and Nate in Nate's bed, Me and Henry in the bottom bunk (in Nate's room) and Luke in the bouncy seat in Nate's room. All five of us in one bedroom of our house and I felt so content. I think God created children so we could catch a glimpse of how he feels for us. How he delights in our happiness, just like we delight in seeing our children smile. And, how His heart breaks when our heart breaks.


Here is Luke after his bath today. He is such an interesting baby. I can already see that he is going to be very different than his brothers. Much more laid back, but possibly the boss of the house.

What a Week!

Wow! It's finally Thursday and I feel so much better than I did this time last week. Me & Pregnancy just don't jive. Luke is amazing. He can sleep through the loudest, craziest noise the boys can make. He has had some jaundice and we've had to go check blood twice this week, but other than that he is doing fine. So, the other big news is Nate starting kindergarten. He loves it. I hate it. I miss him so much. 7:45 - 2:45 is a long day. When I catch a glimpse of "Deadliest Catch" on TV, it breaks my heart (Nate loves that show). Henry is lost without Nate. His best friend is gone. I know this is the way it is going to be now, and he will probably grow up very fast. I am thankful that he likes school. We are starting bedtime at 7, that sounds crazy, but he wakes up happy and feels good during the day. Until he gets used to going all day, we will go to bed early. Which suits me fine, I can go to sleep at 8 every night.
I only lost 18 pounds in the hospital. I came home and got on the scales and was devestated. 30 lbs. to go to get back to prepreg weight. I suppose he was worth it (haha).

We're home!

Check out this little man!

More of Luke

Okay, he is an awesome baby. He eats good, never cries & sleeps through loud noises! Here are some pics.

Luke Gracen Duncan

Meet Luke. 7 lbs. 9 oz. and so cute.

Gracen is for both my grandmothers whose names are Grace Powell & Grace Whittaker. We just added an "n".
I am drugged right now. More to come.

Finally....

The last few hours that I will ever be pregnant in my life. I am so excited. Yesterday we all went to the doctor (Bryan Joy Nate & Henry) and then to the hospital for blood work. We had a busy day doing things that you do in Greenville, like buy new cletes for the fall and go to Target for those last minute items that a new mother has to have. Things like trash bags and laundry detergent. For some reason I feel like it may be a long time before I am in a store again, although I'm sure it won't be. Guess I will post again with new baby photos. Please be praying for a healthy baby & safe delivery.

Olympics

My boys have discovered the Olympics. They love it. Nate can't get enough. He especially loves gymnastics, the uneven bars and the rings. Henry loves the Olympics too. He is waiting patiently for Sumo wrestling (is that an olympic sport?). I'm not sure. But Henry is sure it is. I love the Olympics too. I am spending a lot of time indoors these days and it is nice to have something interesting to watch. Saturday is the day! I am so excited.

VBS 2008

I survived an exciting week of VBS at church this past week. It was 100 degrees at least almost every night. The boys had a blast. Here is a picture of them dressed up with Uncle Cliff as Roman guards.

You know the old saying...

If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. I think that's me until August 16. I am huge and hot. I can't walk to the mail box without catching my breath. I am grumpy and tired because I can't sleep at night. So, I will try not to complain for the next 2 weeks. Which means you will probably hear very little out of me.
Oh, the name, lately we're thinking Jack Nolan. We also like Beau or Bo but we can't think of a middle name that sounds good. Thanks for all the suggestions.

August 16, 10am

I am so excited to have a date to look forward to. Unless something happens in the meantime, I am scheduled for a c-section on Saturday the 16th. I won't be home in time for Nate to start kindergarten, but at least the excitement will be over (or will it be just beginning...) The crib is up (although if this baby is anything like Nate & Henry, he will not sleep in it, ever), diapers and wipes stocked and baby clothes in the drawers. All we need is a baby. And a name for him...

The Magic Bullet & Jessica Seinfeld

Well, it's 10pm and I just put a loaf of banana bread in the oven. But, this isn't your usual banana bread. It has a 1/2 cup of pureed cauliflower in it! Plus 1 1/2 cups of pureed bananas. Yes, I finally got the infamous "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld & a Magic Bullet! The Magic Bullet is a food chopper/processor/blender that is supposed to be magical. However, so far I am not impressed. So the idea in the cookbook is to put pureed vegetables in your food somehow deceiving your children into thinking they are eating junk but really they are getting lots of fruit & veggies in everyday meals. She has recipes like brownies with 1/2 cup pureed spinach or chicken nuggets with beets or broccoli. The bread will be done in 40 minutes...... I'll let you know the verdict.

It can all go downhill fast...

Well today I had another ultrasound and passed out while she was doing it. I usually only faint when I donate blood, but I had been laying there (on my back) for a couple of minutes and I knew it was about to happen. I started sweating & got clammy and my ears were ringing. Luckily a Coke & cold towel were all it took to help me recover quickly. To add to the fun, my blood pressure is high. I have been on blood pressure meds for a few years (I know it's early to have to do that, but high bp runs in my family) and so far have had good bp during this pregnancy, but now it's going up. Great. To add to the stress, my doctor wants to do the c-section the very day Nate starts kindergarten. Which means I will be in the hospital half the first week of school. What happened to going into labor & not having any say so in the process?

Pick Your Battles

Ever heard someone say "pick your battles?" Well, this is a perfect example. Yesterday, the high was only 94, but Henry really wanted to wear this. Had I fussed about it, he would have really insisted on it. But, I said okay, and he only broke a light sweat before he was ready to take it off.

Yesterday was another good report from the baby doctor. I had another ultrasound which showed the baby about a week ahead of schedule, he is 4 1/2 pounds now & has lots of fuzzy hair! The ultrasound tech said it looked like an afro, maybe we'll name him Denzel! So far so good with the umbilical cord problem. I have to stay very aware of his movements, calling the doctor if he slows down significantly (which you should do anyway). This could be an indication that the blood flow has slowed through the cord & catching it early could prevent stillbirth.
I'm so happy that June is over. Now, I must survive July. I hate to wish my summer away, but have I mentioned that I hate being pregnant!