Belly Pics - 30 Weeks

Reid's 2 Year Pics!

The Latest Happenings....

Is it May already? I’m finally coming to the realization that I don’t have a lot of time to prepare for Baby ….I need to get it in gear! I feel so much less organized this time around, but that could have something to do with an almost two-year old running around and ‘helping’ me with all of my various tasks. Reid is a mover and loves to be involved with chores and projects. His comprehension level absolutely amazes us each and every day and he is really starting to talk. Nate and I tried counting his words the other night and were amazed when the number exceeded 50! He picks up a new word (or five) every day and is starting to have mini conversations with us.

Reid knows that there is a baby in my belly, but sometimes there is also a baby in his belly and even in Daddy’s belly (Nate loves that!). He likes to kiss the baby and lay his head on it when we snuggle on the couch. He’s very sweet, but I’m not sure that he really grasps how much his world is going to change. He tells us when we ask that the baby is a girl and that her name is ‘Bed’. Though a lovely name for a girl, I think we will work on picking some other options 

His favorite things right now are tractors, airplanes, buses, trains and lawn mowers. He rides the tractor with Grandma Karen all the time, remembers flying on an airplane to Hawaii, had his first train ride a month or so ago with Grandma and Grandpa Neuschwander (they took him to Salem!) and his first bus ride today (again, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Neuschwander)! He also likes to mow the lawn with Daddy—he pushes his toy lion, appropriately named ‘Mow’ around the yard. In order to give poor ‘Mow’ a break, we got him a toy lawn mower, but Daddy is making me wait to give it to him until his birthday. The strangest obsession ever though is his obsession with the vacuum or ‘voom’. We have Grandpa Dale to thank for this one—but Reid can literally direct you to the vacuum section in any store in Albany and prefers to have our vacuum at home out of the closet and in the middle of the living room at all times (lovely décor, right?).

He’s learning to count and does a great job of ‘one, two, three!’. We are working on 4,5 and 6, but 6 sounds something like a male body part right now, so that will take a little more work  He is also fascinated by his ABC’s. We sing the ABC’s three times every night when we put him in his crib (he also kisses his pet rocks and socks—long story—good night prior to being put in his crib). He starts us off by saying ‘A, B, C….’ and Daddy and I finish from there. His favorite letters (or the ones he can pick from a lineup) right now are A, B, O, S, X. We are working hard on the others, but those seem to fascinate him most. Colors are also really big at the moment and he loves to color pictures and I can’t believe it, but actually keeps his creations on paper (for the most part). He knows red, green, blue, and everyone’s favorite, ORANGE, really well. The others are still a work in progress.

The really big news for Reid right now is that he is getting ready to make his move into his new Big Boy Room! Our house has been a flurry of moving parts and pieces in order to get this room done. Try to follow me here: The Den was turned into a playroom to accommodate the insane amount of toys this kid has, and our computer desk was moved into our bedroom. Not only are the lights and sounds of the computer very annoying at night, but in order to get the Big Boy Room cleared out, we needed space for our exercise machine (and yes, we do use it). So, we have our cabinet maker working on a custom desk to match our cabinetry and fill an empty corner in the great room and the computer will move out of our room and into the great room, the exercise machine will move into our room and leave the Big Boy Room free and clear for the Big Boy! And to think when Nate and I moved from 800 to 2100 square feet we thought that our house was ‘too big’….ha! The desk will be installed this week and our plan is for Reid to spend his first nights in his Big Boy Room this weekend. Cross your fingers for us, as we are letting him out of the confines of his crib (what we lovingly call baby jail). He’s a good sleeper and sleeps in regular beds during the day and doesn’t get up unless someone comes in to get him up, so we hope this continues! Thus a good reason to make the switch now! I’ll post pics of his new room here soon!!

The littlest Neuschwander and I are doing very well; 31 weeks and counting! It’s an active little thing and gets the hiccups at least 5 times each day. We had a doctor’s appointment last week and everything is progressing as it should be. We are focusing now on keeping Baby in there and happy for at least 6 more weeks and then on a safe delivery! We have decided on names, but won’t divulge until the little cherub joins us! We can’t believe how quick it’s all coming up and are getting very anxious to meet him / her! 

Attached are some pictures of Reid at 22 months and the little one in my belly at 30 weeks. Enjoy!