Michigan Trip from Reality

Week 27 and heading into the final trimester! I just can't believe this baby is coming so soon. It has been quite the mover and shaker in my stomach. Not sure if that means we are in for quite a ride with this child?! Overall I am feeling good but not enjoying this beautiful, hot and humid weather. 

Owen enjoyed some yogurt and his first ice cream sandwich. Well, I think he enjoyed some of it even though most of it was just all over him.  He definitely does not mind getting messy one bit.

 Last week we got away from reality and heading north to Michigan along lake Michigan in the northern part of the state. It was absolutely beautiful weather in the 80's, sun every day and no humidity.  It was just the break from work, heat, and life in the fast lane that we needed.  Every day we slept in, went to the beach, and just enjoyed not being on a schedule. Although by dinner time Owen was suffering from not sticking to his nap schedule and was usually in desperate need of sleep. But he proved that he is a beach baby! Loving the sand and lake and everything about the beach life.

 The only hat we have been able to get Owen to wear for a decent amount of time recently was this cowboy hat. Not sure where he gets it from because Ryan and I definitely are not country fans. But he loves his Papa and seems like he will do anything for him!

 A day in Fishtown. We had a lot of fun checking out this cool little Fisherman's village and buy some Petoskey stones!

 Ryan and I went for a hike with Lynn and Drew up and down a sand dune and then walked along Lake Michigan back to Drew's parents' house. It was a beautiful hike, with wonderful scenic views of the lake.  We said next year Owen is hiking with us and can slide down the dune. He seems to love to climb these days so we figured it would be right up his alley.

 This was at the top of the dune before making the plunge down.  The guys sprinted down while Lynn and I closed our eyes fearful of them tumbling down amongst the rocks. Lynn and I slowly walked down the dune.

 It was quite the hike down. We look like ants down at the bottom from the top of the dune. I said we needed to take pictures so that I could show my Nona. Should would have a heart attack knowing that I hiked down this pregnant. But I survived and so did the baby.

 Owen was always excited to make the trek down the trail from Drew's parents' house to the lake. He knew we were heading toward the water. He never wanted to be held, but instead wanted to walk like a big boy. Even if it meant a very long walk to the water! He is becoming more and more of a little man, wanting to do things on his own and becoming more independent. It is cute yet hard to see because my little baby is turning into a little boy. He will often swat our hand away because he wants to do something by himself.

 Owen has become quite the handy man. He loves tools and anything that has a cord or can plug into things. Here he found a cabinet large enough for him to sit in and he used my phone charger and was trying to plug it into the hinge on the door. He sat in here for quite a while babbling away to himself as he worked on the door. I swear he is going to be an engineer or something along those lines because he is constantly taking things apart, putting things together and trying to plug everything into one another. He is so busy, he makes me exhausted by the end of the day, but it is a good exhaustion watching my little boy explore the world.  I look forward to seeing him and his new sibling explore together in the next few years. It is amazing what children can do from such a young age and the things he understands and figures out on his own.

Summertime Fun!

I have some catching up to do on this blog post. Time has flown by, May came and went, and now it is summertime.  I am in  my 25th week, almost on the home stretch of the final trimester! Feeling the baby  rocking and rolling in my stomach.  Owen is turning into a little boy, exploring his world and having fun getting dirty and doing wild and crazy things that boys like to do.  He loves anything that has to do with the great outdoors, it is our second home these days now that the weather is nice.

Week 21 Bump

 Owen is still obsessed with any type of vacuum. He plays for hours with the shop vac out in the garage, he is his father's son!

 Getting his first taste of summer with 90 degree weather in May and playing out in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

 The morning of the Rockford Marathon.  Of course happens to be one of the hottest days in May with temperatures in the 90's by the end of the race. Andrea successfully ran her first half marathon. It was fun to run the race with her and cheer her on until the end. People were staring at me, probably thinking that I was crazy running while pregnant. Andrea commented when we got to the race how everyone was looking at my stomach.  Surprisingly, I felt great throughout the race and never felt sore the next day. I am still running and feeling good.

 Week 22 Bump

 Memorial Day weekend was spent up north at the cottage. We spent every waking minute outside with Owen. He was in heaven playing on the bobcat and backhoe loader.  From the minute he woke up in the morning he would point outside for us to take him to the equipment and play on it.  I guess we need these machines in our yard!

 Owen also found a love for the boats and being by the water. He was content walking around in the fishing boat, exploring this new surrounding.

 Let's just say that Owen loves anything that moves and makes noises.  He is definitely 100% BOY! He loves anything with power, getting dirty, being on the move and acting rough!

 Owen was not fond of the life jacket, but eventually we got him to calm down and relax while sucking on his pacifier and holding on to a container of animal crackers.  I guess that I do not blame him though for not liking the life jacket. I think I would probably cry also if I had to wear one for an entire boat ride.

 Loving his High Life just like his dad! Maybe some day, like  in 20 years!

 Chillin with grandpa, driving the pontoon

The Cavanaugh Garden is in Full Swing!

I am playing catch up for not having updated my blog in a long time. Things have been so busy between work, chasing Owen around, and trying to take care of the house the little bit of time that we have been home.  We have taken a few weekend trips in the past few months. One of which was going to St. Louis and we got to visit the zoo with Owen for the first time. It was so fun to see him react to the animals and be so interested in watching them move around in their surroundings.  

Owen also enjoyed his Easter egg hunt. He got the sippy cup as a gift and would not put it down the entire day, until he found a Peep in one of the eggs and then he decided a sugary chick was tastier that a cup.

It was hilarious watching him devour the Peep. He was on a sugar high after that, falling all over and being goofy!

I have not been so good with keeping up with my bump pictures this time around. Here is the week 17 bump. I will try to keep up from here on out so this baby doesn't look back and feel too left out.

Owen definitely is "all boy"! He loves playing out in the garage with dad, playing with his tools, vacuuming with the shop vac and playing with the mower.  We could run the shop vac or any vacuum all day and his little heart would be content.

Week 18 Bump. Definitely popping alot earlier this time around. I guess that is what happens when your body already knows how to stretch out to make room for the baby.

We are excited because the Grayslake Farmer's Market has begun and the Cavanaugh garden is under way. We loaded Owen up in the backpack carrier and headed to the market to get some tomato plants and veggies to cook for dinner tonight. I can't wait for the summer Farmer's Market when there will be so much more goodies to choose from. I love that Owen is an outdoors' boy and loves anything that we do outside, whether it be working in the garden, going for walks, or playing with his toys.  We have been enjoying the nice weather every chance we get and we have to do everything to get him inside at night.

We planted arugula, some varieties of lettuce, spinach and carrots back in April. It is exciting to see our lettuce finally begin to sprout. For a while I was getting worried that we had planted it too deep.

It is Mother's Day weekend and all I wanted to do this weekend was get our garden planted. And that is just what we did. Saturday morning we got our garden planner, seeds, tools, and vegetable markers out and we headed to the back yard to begin our 3rd annual Cavanaugh garden.  Owen was in heaven eating dirt, playing in the garden, helping us with the markers and watering the seeds.

Owen was very interested in figuring out what was under the umbrella. He is so inquisitive about everything, having to know everything we are doing.

This is the latest and greatest bump at Week 21. We had our ultrasound this past Thursday and everything looks normal and developing great. We had Owen in the ultrasound because his babysitter was heading that way and dropped him off. He lasted maybe 10 minutes and the final straw that made Ryan take him out was when he was on the table with me and rubbing his hands all over my belly and getting the gel all over himself. Needless to say, I do not think we will have him in the delivery room with us! And no, we did not fund out what we are having! It is a boy or girl

We did the crazy legs run in Madison in April. It was rainy and cold but we survived the 5 mile run. Next year we will do and hopefully enjoy the day in Mad town.

And Owen doing more of his usual boy things that he loves to do!