And a silly conversation:

Preston: You have another baby in your belly?
Me: Nope, the baby is Luke. Do you want another baby?
Preston: Yes, I think I want a baby brother.
Me: But you have a baby brother; he is right there. 
Preston: But it doesn't have a bow on it.
Me: Oh, you mean you want a baby sister? With a bow?
Preston: Yes. I want a baby sister now. And a snack.

From Luke:

Today my parents tortured me with a photo shoot.  I had to change outfits and scenery, and deal with mom "posing" me in the right position.  It was awful.  But at least they got some pretty cute photos out of it!

You can see the whole album HERE

Luke weighed in at an impressive 9lbs 4ozs this morning at his weight check.   That is a daily gain of 2ozs.  

From Luke:
Baths are exhausting, yet worth it for crazy hair that follows...not to mention that I smell good, again. 
Today, before my bath of course, I went to the grocery store with mommy, and then to visit daddy at work for lunch.
I was a huge hit at the grocery store and managed to make friends in every aisle, all while fast asleep in the sleepy wrap. 
Then at work, I was again a huge hit, and daddy showed me off to all of his friends. 

From Preston:
I got some awesome new shoes last night.  I have this problem where all of my shoes fall apart, the bottoms come unglued from the tops.  So we got shoes that will hopefully last for a while.  And they make me run super fast for little sports!!

Conversation with Preston:
Preston:  I'm done with dinner, can I watch tv?
Me:  Did you watch any TV at school today?
Preston:  Um, yeah, I did.
Me: Oh yeah? What did you watch?
Preston: (realizing his mistake in admission)  Ummm...I can't say.

From Luke:
Being a baby isn't easy.  I really have to try to keep up appearances with all the new people I need to meet: family, friends, doctors, fans.  They gave me a break for a few days when I was at home with Mommy, but those days of sleeping an eating non-stop are coming to a close.  My first week home Mom and I camped out on the sofa.  She took occasional breaks to make tea or get some snacks, but for the most part we never left.  She managed to make it through 30 episodes of "Scandal" in one week.  She admits that she is very lucky to be able to recover peacefully with just a baby home.  My big brother loves school and has more to do there than he ever would stuck at home with me and Mom.  
(Now Mom is typing with one hand while nurse.  She caught me trying to nurse the inside of my bassinet.  Apparently that is where I am supposed to sleep... not eat.  I'm still trying to figure out all of the logistics of this big world)
Anyway, our peaceful week at home ended when the weekend arrived.   Mom says she was "ready for reentry" back into the real world anyway.  On Saturday the four of us piled into the car to travel to Mema and Poppop's house to meet a whole slew of family, including my two cousins, and Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ted, and all 4 of my Great Grand Parents!  I got passed around for a while, the bigger people atr lunch, and then in the afternoon Mom and I took a nap (along with Talia and Grandma, too). 

I guess that I should mention that in my first few days at home I met my Uncle Joe, and Gigi and Grandpa came to visit again.  I also had my first sponge bath!  I hated the bath part, but didn't mind getting my hair washed.  It felt warm on my head, and it didn't hurt that Mom was holding me while she did it (can you tell I like to be held?)  My hair gets fluffy for about 5 minutes when it is clean.

On Sunday we went to a birthday party for one of Preston's friends.  Preston had an awesome time while all the ladies oo-ed and ah-ed over how cute I was, and wanted to know all about Mom's sweet "sleepy wrap" - Baby wearing is awesome and a life-saver!

Today Dad stayed home to enjoy some more of his paternity leave.  He's taking days off sporadically so that he doesn't get too far behind on his projects at work.  Mom and Dad made a new Cherry Lane video, and got a few other things ready to ship tomorrow.  It was a catch-up day for everyone.
Can you believe it is supposed to SNOW again tomorrow?  I was inside for most of the winter, but it hear it was a cold one.  When I was born there was still a lot of snow on the ground.  Mom thought she was going to get a spring baby this time, but so far, it's been very winter-like.

From Preston:
I had SO much fun playing with my cousin Liora on Saturday at Mema's house.  Mom and Dad were sleepy with Luke, so it was nice to have Grandpa and cousin Sarah around to keep us toddlers occupied.   We took a walk to the playground... in a wheelbarrow!  I was really worn out by the end of the day and slept the whole way home in the car.  When I woke up and we were at home, I only wanted to know why Liora hadn't come with us.  I still wanted to play!  
Tonight Mommy was on her own to put me to bed, so Luke ended up joining us for stories in my room.  I loved having him there for story-time.  I even brought my own baby to bed, too, so Luke wouldn't feel lonely.  Mommy was kind of impressed with how well she did with two little boys at bedtime!  If only every night could go that smoothly.  

Introducing Luke Robert Nedick
Born March 12, 2014 at 10:43pm 
8 pounds, 7oz - 21 inches

It's been a little while since my baby brother was born.  We have been settling in and finding our new routine with a tiny new guy.  
I LOVE being a new brother, and I am so proud to show off my new baby.  I even got to show him off to all my friends at school yesterday, and I was the ONLY one who could touch him and rock his seat.  I love to give him kisses and touch his small ears.  
It's hard for me to share Mommy with this new person, but I'm getting used to it, and I like to keep my eye on her to make sure she is ok.  Daddy and I get to hang out a lot, too.  

I'll share some pictures, and Mommy wants to share baby Luke's birth story.  

Baby Luke's Birth Story - Part 1

It all sort of started on Tuesday morning, March 11, when I went to a routine doctor's appointment (one that I was SURE I wouldn't need to go to because I'd have a baby by then), and found out that was 4-5cm dilated.  They sent me straight to the hospital to be monitored for signs of labor.  John met me there.  And there I sat, for 5 hours, or rather walked, around and around the labor and delivery unit.  I was having mild contractions, but nothing that would indicate that I was in labor.  I tried, I really did, but it wasn't meant to be.  I was SO ready to have a baby right then and there, but they sent me home.  It was for the best.  If I had stayed I would have been induced, and therefore started the chain of interventions that I've always wanted to avoid.  So I went home, relaxed, and went to work the next day.  Because there was no baby.

Part 2
While at work on Wednesday, March 12 (really?  I didn't have much to do at work, but would rather not sit at home, so there I was... at work) I got a phone call from daycare that Preston had tripped and fallen and that he had a lump on his wrist.  They told me that it wasn't bothering him at all and didn't hurt him, but they wanted me to know about it.  I didn't think much of it until I picked him up later that afternoon and realized that the bump on the top of his wrist was really WEIRD.  I couldn't describe it any other way.  It was about the size of a nickle, not black and blue at all, and caused him no pain.  Clearly that meant that I needed to call the pediatrician and see if he needed to be checked out.  After getting the confirmation from both the pediatrician and a surgeon, who just happened to be working with our neighbor when we texted a picture of the bump to our neighbor, that we needed to get it checked out, I reluctantly headed for the ER.  John met us there.  
The ER was packed, but we thankfully avoided the crowd by having a 3 year old patient who could go to the children's ER.  
He totally freaked out from start to finish when he was getting checked out.  He wouldn't even sit down on the super fancy bed that also checks his weight.  He thrashed around like crazy to have his blood pressure taken, and don't even get me started when they brought in the mobile x-ray unit.  It was complete chaos.  And sometime during the chaos, while I was hold a thrashing around 3 year old at 39.5 weeks pregnant, I'm pretty sure I sprung a leak of my amniotic fluid.  My water didn't break entirely, and my labor didn't start, but I felt different.
Preston turned out to be fine.  There are a lot of theories as to what the mystery bump could be.  It was related to him injuring his hand, but nothing is broken and he is fine.
So I maybe had sprung a leak, but there were no other real signs of me being in labor.  I told John I was fine, and that I just wanted to go home.  Because we were at the hospital already, he wanted to hang out a little bit to see if anything happened.  So we went to the cafeteria to get some dinner and mull over the situation.  After much persuasion I called the OB to see what they wanted me to do.  I was worried about a repeat of the day before when I wasn't actually in labor, but the OB said that I could be in an out of triage if all was well, so I headed upstairs to get checked out.

Part 3
Back in labor and delivery and back in Triage Room 2, things felt like de-ja-vu.  John stayed downstairs in the hospital to keep Preston occupied, so I was by myself when my water definitely broke, minutes after arriving at L&D.  Just like my labor with Preston my contractions started immediately, but thanks to the universe and my perfectly unharmed toddler I was already at the hospital, on fluids, and headed for an epidural in record time.  It probably took an hour and a half before I got my epidural, but after that things were smooth sailing.  
Let's rewind a little bit, because if you remember John was with Preston when my water broke, so we had the little problem of me being in labor and needing John's support, and Preston being at the hospital with us.  Not to mention that when I first tried to call John to tell him that I was in labor he didn't answer is phone... 5 times.  So I tried plan B, called my friend Destinee and then called my Mom.  Somehow in the next hour John came to check on me, Destinee came to hang out with Preston while we waited for my parents, Mom took Preston home in my car (because we had two cars at the hospital), and John had to orchestrate all of it.  He was back by my side in time to be there for my epidural.
We didn't have to wait long, and if I hadn't gotten an epidural it might have been an even shorter amount of time, but I started pushing around 10:30pm, and Luke arrived at 10:43 - 3 hours after my water broke.  All the nurses were excited to have a surprise baby, and they ALL voted that it would be a girl just minutes before he revealed himself to be very much a perfect little boy.  
The rest is just recovery, way too many trips to the pediatrician for nothing, and a very tired, but very happy Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother, and new baby.  

Maybe this will help some of you "not-so-sure" baby identifiers to know where the baby actually is in the last photo. 

I really hope I look back on this time and laugh, because waiting for a baby to arrive is absolute torture. 

On what was supposed to be a post-big brother outing to get me out of the house after the baby way born, Grandpa and I went to find some trains.  

The baby isn't here yet.

We checked out some local train spots with a high likely-hood of some action and saw FOUR trains all together.  I just wanted to watch the trains from the car, and when we were parked Grandpa let me sit in the front seat with him!  

We were out all morning and came back in time for some lunch; afterward I played outside for a few minutes.

Grandpa took these two pictures:

39 Weeks.  More pregnant than I've ever been. 

Let's hope the baby is a bit cuter and a little less smushed looking when it comes out!!

Measurement: 8lbs 4oz
The baby is head down and "really wedged in there" - All good news!

The photos are sideways because you can see the baby's face better.  So first, play "find the baby," and let me know if the face looks boyish or girlish (I have a definite opinion one way, but we'll take a poll).

Hints on finding the baby: 
1) Just look for a face, not a whole baby.  The face takes up about a third of the picture
2) The baby's nose is almost exactly in the center of the picture (and looks like a sideways "Thumbs-up")
3) The baby appears to be looking down

Poll update (2pm March 6):
13 - Girl
8 - Boy

Poll:

I could get used to this. 

My parents probably feel a little guilty that I'm not going to be an only child anymore.  They realize that I will have to share their attention with a sibling, and so they are laying it on thick now.  Of course, I'll be fine.  Kids like me have accepted siblings into their lives for thousands of years.  But parents still feel guilty. 

There is evidence of this.  I'm not just making it up.  
I ran down the driveway to help mommy get the mail, tripped, fell flat on my face, and got a small scratch on my belly.  I was fine.  But I cried a little bit, and Mommy felt so bad that she gave me a lollipop.  I managed to hurt myself at least two more times tonight (but neither resulted in any further rewards, she must not feel THAT guilty).  
So then I had a new target.  Daddy.  I threw a pretty epic tantrum at bedtime.  Mommy snuggled with me on my bed until I calmed down, and when I was finished with snuggles I looked her straight in the eye and said "bring lots of books for me and Daddy."  I found Daddy in his bed; he tucked me in on Mommy's side and we read books.  There I remain at this exact moment: sound asleep on Mommy's side of the big bed.
SO SPOILED!

From Mommy:
So, I guess we might feel a little guilty.  It's no secret that I am READY to have this baby out, but with each night that passes I can't help but wonder if it is going to be the last night with just our sweet little boy.  
And so he's getting the royal treatment.