Buzz Cut!

So Leo's needed a haircut for a while and we talked to him about having Daddy buzz cut it. Yesterday, when Joe and Leo were leaving my work, Leo recognized that we were close to Kid's Castle, where he usually gets his haircut. He told Joe, "Daddy, I need a buzz cut from the store!" Joe agreed and Leo got his first buzz cut. He looks so grown up and boyish and when you have a face as handsome as Leo's, you can get away with any hair cut.

As for the house, we are still in the process of trying to make the deal. The selling agent, who is a relative of the sellers, has agreed to use part of his commission money to make the necessary repairs that we discovered in the inspection, but has requested that we put up $2,000 in earnest money. This means that for any reason, if the deal falls through, we are out this money, along with the cost for the appraisal and the inspection, but if everything goes as planned, the money will be used toward our down payment. We are hoping and praying that everything works out. The house is also getting appraised tomorrow, so things are moving along. The closing date is August 26, so that is the day we have to make it to and then we can breath a sigh of relief (hopefully).

The house has been a nice distraction. It has kept me from obsessing about the baby's arrival and all my nesting instincts have been invested in house hunting and now packing. What an exciting adventure!

31 Weeks

I am really starting to get big and uncomfortable. I think I am much bigger this time around. I have moments where I need to sit and relax because the pain is startling. However, I am more than content to have our baby stay put until her September 20th birthday. That's right! She has an official birth date, unless she decides to come early. Please don't little girl...we aren't ready!!!

Joe and I are almost homeowners. We made an offer on a house and it was countered by an offer we accepted. We had an inspection on Monday and made a revised offer based on the findings. The results weren't horrible, but we are hoping the sellers will make the repairs without a fuss. In the meantime, we are just waiting. We are super excited though and drive by the house almost everyday. We have already promised to build Leo a sandbox and he is holding us to it.

The whole family was sick last week (Joe got sick this week though). Leo threw up several times in one night and is still talking about it, "I'm all done throwing up now." Poor little dude. I think he had croup and we spent almost a whole week at home, which drove us both crazy. I was sick as well, which was especially difficult being pregnant and caring for a sick toddler. Luckily, we are all better now.

Recently, every time we went to the grocery store, Leo would ask for "monster cookies." We had no idea what he was talking about. Finally Leo took Joe down the bulk food aisle, where Leo pointed to yogurt pretzels. Apparently, he thinks the yogurt pretzels look like little monster faces. We both got a big chuckle out of that and were impressed by his great imagination.

Well, between Leo and Joe, the secret of the baby's name has been given away to my mom and Joe's mom. Joe keeps slipping and Leo doesn't know what a secret is. Oh well!!!

29 Weeks

Holy moly! I am really feeling pregnant now! I have started to feel more uncomfortable and even had some lower back pain, which I never remember having when I was pregnant with Leo. This little girl loves to do yoga moves in my belly and it can really hurt. She seems to have down some complete rotations this week and I audibly yelled, "ouch," on more than one occasion. This is also something I don't recall with Leo.

Joe, Leo and I are actively pursuing buying a house. It looks like we have been pre-approved for a loan and now we are getting close to making an offer. We found a house we really like in a well established neighborhood with a good elementary school within walking distance. It is owned by an older lady who never made any renovations, but the house is clean and well maintained, so we figure that if we get the house, we can make changes slowly over time. It is exciting, but it has been really stressful, so I hope that we make the right choice. Wish us luck!!!

The 4th of July

Veronica looking festive

Aubrey enjoys her popsicle

Shelly and Angie

Mike and Veronica

We had a fun and mellow 4th if July celebration. Our friends, the Marshes, came over with their 2 adorable daughters Aubrey, 4 and Veronica, 1. We had burgers, corn on the cob, salad, popsicles and brownies and the kiddos played in the backyard. It has been great fun watching each others families grow. I can't believe we use to hang out before their were any kids at all, and now, 3 and a half kids later, we are still getting together. It was a great day!

At night, we let Leo stay up well past his bed time to see fireworks for the first time. He was in awe of the "big fireworks," and loved every minute of it. Luckily, our neighbors, the Neps, had a whole mess of fireworks that we were able to enjoy. Fun times!!!

In the meantime, Joe and I have been house hunting. We are so fortunate that this is a great time to buy. We have targeted a neighborhood and now it's just a matter of waiting patiently for the right house to come along. With any luck, we will be in a house by the end of the year.

27 Weeks Pregnant

I am now 27 weeks pregnant and am still feeling good. Fatigue is my biggest problem and I am hoping it will subside once baby girl is born. I feel her move everyday and it is such a relief. She has poked me rather uncomfortably a few times, to the point where I actually yelled out in pain. Leo asks to kiss his sister everyday and he always says, "mommy, she's kicking." He calls her by name and even sings a little theme song we made up about her.

Speaking of singing, Leo has been our little song bird. He loves to belt out the "good guy" and the "bad guy" theme music to Star Wars. When I say belt out, I am not exaggerating. He is LOUD!!! He is also way off tune, but that's part of the charm. Also, Leo's knowledge of Star Wars has surpassed mine (not that that is saying a whole lot).

Leo also made up his first joke. There are these giant walking robots in Star Wars called At-Ats. Leo's joke is the following: "Where are the At-Ats at?" He tells this joke to anyone who will listen.

Leo now talks exclusively in sentences. His command of the language has grown leaps and bounds over the last few months. He still confuses a few phrases such as " Mommy hold you," when he wants me to pick him up. It is so endearing. Another very cute Leo habit is holding my face. He loves to cradle my face with both his hands, especially when it is nap time or he just needs some extra love. It melts my heart.

We just had Joe's brother come to town from Colorado for OSU's orientation. He stayed with us a couple nights and Joe accompanied him to the orientation for 2 days. Leo had a blast hanging with his cool younger uncle and was really sad to see him leave. Luckily, Aaron will start attending OSU is the fall and we will be able to hang with him more often.

25 Weeks

Leo lining up all his cars (he categorized them too).
Could he look more mischievous?

I am now 25 weeks pregnant and feel great! This is the best period of the pregnancy because I am through with all the morning sickness, headaches etc, but I still haven't gotten too big yet. I also get to feel her move everyday. She is definitely more mellow than Leo (yeah!). Instead of violent Leo style kicking, she tends to roll around more, as if she is somersaulting in there....so sweet! I hope she is a calm and serene baby, because I am terrified about caring for Leo and a newborn. I know I can do it, but the sleep deprivation is a scary thought too.

Leo is adorable as ever, but quite the little dickens. He is always testing his limits. He will attempt to do something naughty and look at us beforehand with mischief written all over his face (see the last photo for a visual aid). We are having a big problem with Leo throwing when he shouldn't.

Leo constantly asks to see the baby. He likes to kiss his sister, but can get a little rough with my stomach (a sign of things to come?). I think he will be a good big brother though.

May the force be with us!

Leo LOVES Star Wars

At the Children's Museum.....so cute!

Presenting his mommy with a flower

Leo in his war paint

He loves the water feature

23 weeks with baby girl!

Well, I am now 23 weeks pregnant and am feeling pretty good. Baby girl is active, but seems more gentle than Leo was (yeah)! I am hoping she will be a bit calmer and more easy going than Leo. I love him more than anything, but he has been a challenge!

Leo is definitely testing our limits. He throws and hits when he knows he shouldn't. We have talked endlessly about the differences between being a good boy and a bad boy and he wants to be a good boy, yet he keeps acting out. We have taken away his favorite things as a form of punishment (cars, Star Wars viewing, cheese crackers, Gymboree etc.) I refuse to hit him, so this is our best bet. Since he wakes up around 6 a.m. every morning, I am completely drained by the time he goes to bed, which is around 8:30 p.m. Yep, this kid doesn't sleep enough!

Leo became obsessed with Star Wars when he saw it for the first time in CO. He LOVES it and talks about the "robots, space ships, crash," etc. I think he is way too young for such interests, but I don't think it is doing him any harm.

Leo is also talking almost exclusively in simple sentences. It is amazing! Over the last few weeks, his language skills have improved dramatically. He uses words like "it," "that" "where" etc. He is one talkative cookie. He also loves talking to his sister and blowing raspberries on my belly. Well, she better get use to it with a big brother like Leo!