Baby #2

So you may be asking yourself, why is Erica taking naps and not doing the zip line or ropes courses? Well it's because we are expecting baby #2! We are due on January 30, 2009. Levi will be 26 months old at that point so we'll be smack in the middle of the terrible-twos with a newborn. Not sure if this planning was a great idea or not :) Levi know about the baby and likes to lift up my shirt and give the baby kisses (zerberts) on my belly.

This is also the reason why we put the rails on his twin bed so early. We figured we could start now and we have a while before he actually needs to be in there. He's doing really well so hopefully it won't be an issue when the baby comes. The plan is to rearrange some furniture (yeah! I love rearranging!) between Levi's room and our "closet" room. We'll put a dresser in Levi's room and the glider and a bassinet/pack-n-play in the "closet" room (aka the new nursery). Our hope is that once #2 (our current name for the child) sleeps through the night they will be sharing Levi's room with him.

We have our second ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday, September 3rd. We are not planning to find out the sex of the baby - Andy liked running into the waiting room exclaiming "It's a boy!!" so we'll wait again.

Here is a fairly awful picture of me - but it shows how I'm showing now (at 18 weeks).

This week

Last Sunday we installed the bed rails on Levi's twin bed. This is a picture of the first night he spent in the big boy bed. He will sleep there about 50% of the time. Sometimes he asks to sleep in the crib. Today is the first time he's napped in the bed. He still cries himself to sleep some nights and even if he's in the big bed he'll get out, pound on the door and then after a little bit (because we don't go get him) he'll crawl back into bed and pull the blanket over himself.

We haven't done all that much this week - I was busy recovering from our annual church group camping trip. Levi spent the weekend with Andy's parents and we went to Butler Springs Church Camp. We slept in tents (well most of the guys slept on the raised gazebo area but the rest of us were in tents), cooked over the fire and had a great time relaxing and talking. On Saturday most of the group did a zip line and high ropes course. This is the group getting ready to do the zip line and Andy on the ropes course. The entire ropes course was about 20' or so in the air. I hope we go back next year so I can try it.

On Monday Levi and I met one of my former co-workers, Angie, and her daughter, Ava, at the zoo. The kids had a great time checking out the animals. Levi even had the chance to rise a carousel for the first time. He liked being on the pretty horses and "spinning!". This is a picture of Levi and Ava on the orangutan statue.

Today Carrie's two younger kids came over while Carrie went to a kindergarden parents' meeting at Noah's school. I'm glad I don't have to deal with school yet - they don't teach kids the way we were taugh anymore! Once Levi wakes up from his nap we'll be headed back to their house to work on some things for our moms group, MOPS.

Last week was a busy week!

Last week we spent the majority of the week going fun places with my friends Carrie and Kim and their kids. Monday we went to Alum Creek and played in the water - possibly for the last time this season. This is Levi and Hannah having fun in the water.

I know we did something with them on Tuesday but I don't have pictures and can't remember now.

On Wednesday we helped Carrie's son Noah celebrate his 6th birthday for a lunch at McDonald's. Carrie's dad bought everyone ice cream after they ate lunch and played on the playground area. It was a big hit with everyone!

Thursday we had a day just with Mommy and Levi and I caught up on my missed naps :)

Friday we went with everyone to Slate Run Living Historical Farm. It is a working 1880's farm south of Columbus that has horses, cows, bulls, pigs, sheep, chickens, roosters and turkeys. Plus they have 1880's toys to play with (hoops, marble shoots, wooden tops, etc.) and gardens. There is no running water or electricity on the farm and it is staffed by people dressed in the garb of the time period, working as if they were living in 1880. It was such a neat learning experience. They smoke all the meat and can their own foods. I'm not sure who eats this food, but it's neat to see! Andy would have loved it and I'm sure we'll go back when Levi is older and he'll appreciate it more. Here are a ton of pictures from this day.

As we were heading back to the cars we passed by a "farmer" who was building a fence - by hand. He was pre-drilling holes in the planks and then would install the planks with nails. The kids all got to help drill a hole with a hand-crank drill. Levi watched the other kids do it and then had to try himself. When Carrie held him so he could try himself he wouldn't look at what he was doing!

Our trip to PA

Sorry I haven't posted in forever. Andy went to Colorado with the men from church and Levi and I went to visit my parents and grandma in PA the first week in August. The first visit on our trip to PA was to see my friends Britany and Amie from high school. This picture is Levi and I with Amie's daughter Jordan. She is about 5 months old now and is built just like Levi was at that age :) Levi had fun playing, especially with Dave, Amie's husband.

The next picture is at Grandma Elsie's house. Levi had a great time

entertaining himself in her house - she has lots of open space which is not what he's used to in our tiny house!

When we were at Grandma's, Dad went horseback riding twice. I took Levi to see the horse up close and personal. He didn't love it...

We also got to spend time with my friend Meg and her kids, Julia and Tommy. Levi had fun playing with new friends at a park we found.

The group shot is right before we left to come back to western PA - it's fun to get generational family pictures. I'm not sure why he had his shirt off in the picture to the right, but this is how Levi has been recently. He'll be playing and then all of a sudden will run up to Andy or I and say "hi!" and give us big hugs. It's sweet!

The last day we were in western PA my mom had all of her siblings over for a get together. My aunt and uncle had been in Australia for about 18 months and hadn't met Levi yet. We had a great time catching up with everyone! Now that all the cousins are so spread out my guess is the next time this many of us will be together is at my cousin Katie's wedding in May of '09. Here is a picture of the cousins that were there.

State Fair

Today Andy and I took Levi to the State Fair for the first time. He was excellent! He loved looking at all the animals and people watching. Did you know that a horse says "woof!" That's what our little guy thinks he says :) Here are some cute pictures of Levi and Daddy looking at 2 day old chicks.

This one is of Levi pointing to the model train set - very exciting!!

Mommy and Levi had fun sitting in the "bobcat" - he's on his way to becoming a construction manager!

Watching all the rides was mezmerizing! He just stood there for almost a minute. And if you know Levi, he doesn't just stand there!

When we saw the big vegetable sign where you could take your pictures Levi ran over to it screaming "veggies!!" We had to get some pictures.

This video was taken right before we left for the fair. Levi was working on saying his words. He really is talking a lot more than he used to - even recently. At the fair we were looking at the Clydesdale horses and he said "horse" without repeating one of us saying it first. That's a first for that word!