Luke's 18 Month Stats

Luke went for his 18 month check-up while Max went to his preschool pajama party yesterday. Luke weighed in at 24 pounds and was 32-1/2 inches long, right in the middle of the growth chart for both measurements. In other  words, he's practically perfect in every way!

Well... practically. We've been dealing with skin rashes with Luke for some time now, and nothing seems to be helping. We've narrowed it down to some type of allergy, but we're unsure what exactly he's allergic to. After discussing this with the doctor for months, we decided to forgo allergy testing for the time being and focus on treating the symptoms with prescription skin ointment. I still have mixed feelings about the course of treatment. I just don't feel like we've really narrowed in on what the problem is yet, and Luke is the one miserable in the meantime. He's so itchy that he'll scratch until he's bleeding in his sleep. I just want to get this figured out and give him so relief. I feel so bad for him!

Luke also took a tumble down the last few stairs today, so I'm hoping his week improves from this point on. It's hard being little sometimes, but he sure is a trooper about all his difficulties. We sure do love our little monkey!

Happy Half-Birthday!

Today is Luke's half-birthday, so happy 18 months to our littlest man! I feel like it's been forever since I wrote an update on the boys, but sometimes no new is good news. Both kiddos are doing well- learning, growing, and thriving.

Luke is still his sweet-natured self, even though he's going through teething right now. His favorite activities are sitting on the heater vent looking at books and chewing on his stuffed animals. Well, chewing on anything really! He can say mama, dada, banana, and yes, but his most used word is "this". Whenever he wants something, he points and says "this, this, this...". When you finally guess right, he goes "yessss!" I wish I could describe the way he says yes better, because it's seriously adorable. He also loves taking baths and chasing around Max, who usually responds by pushing him down or taking whatever he's holding. We're working on the brotherly love thing!

I would love to say we did something awesome to celebrate Luke's half-birthday, but I'll probably never be one of those moms. We did enjoy some extra snuggle time and a quick photo session, not that he would hold still long enough for pictures. Now we're looking forward to Luke starting nursery full-time this Sunday. He went a little last week and did great, so I'm hopeful it will be a success. He's certainly outgrown going to adult classes with us. Luke is crazy in church!

His favorite foods right now are bananas, oranges, pears- basically any fruit- and cheese sticks. However, no one would accuse him of being a picky eater. He always seems to be hungry, and he looooves to eat! He's also a good sleeper and has no problems going down for nap time or bedtime. All in all, he's a really easy little kid- easy to take care of and easy to love.

And, no post or photo session would be complete without Max butting in a little! He insisted on getting pictures taken as well.

The House That Wasn't

We've been house hunting semi-seriously since we bought this house. I feel lucky to have the house we have; don't get me wrong. However, we wish we had a larger yard and less transitory neighbors. We also have an unusual financing situation, and we don't fit in well in our ward, which is mostly military. On a purely personal level, I don't like the style of the house. I feel whiny even writing that. I have a lovely roof over my head, but I'm here complaining about the fact that the roof covers a boring ranch style. It's just not my thing. So, we've been looking.

There is a particular house that we've been stalking for the past nine months, all the way through a short sale attempt and a foreclosure. We thought we finally had a shot, but today we found out they wouldn't accept our offer because we have to sell our house first. This was my dream house. It's a 1936 six bedroom, three bath beauty with all the original built-ins. I loved it, and we lost out on it.

On the one hand, I'm happy we went for it and tried to get the house. There is nothing worse than pining after something and not going for it; that's how regrets are formed. Now that we know it isn't an option, I'm at a loss for what to do. I can't shake this nagging feeling that I need something to change. Maybe it's simple boredom, but I feel stagnant right now. I hate feeling like I'm not getting anywhere in life. Maybe it's simply the stage of life we're in right now. Having young kids is a challenge without a lot of visible rewards. Maybe I just need a new project.

For the time being, we're talking about what to do next. We're not sure if we should keep looking for another house or just focus on the challenges in front of us. I don't like not knowing what direction I should take. It's an uncomfortable place for me, which is probably why I need to embrace it as a life lesson. We'll see what the next year brings.