Halfway

We're six months into Levi's life. Give us six more and we'll have a busy one year old on our hands. (I'm a little behind again with the monthly report... but hey, better late than never, right?)

Before this mark, whenever I was asked Levi's age I'd round up. For example, if he was three months and two weeks, I'd say four months. Now that we're over the halfway hump, I've got a feeling I'll be rounding down. He'll be six months forever, I swear.

Levi, however, has recently proved getting through a meal to be difficult unless he too has something to munch on. He wants big people food, bad.

He's teething something fierce, too. He chews, (or gums) on his fingers all. the. time. If he has his paci, he bites it. I've been thinking about picking up some ora-gel for the little guy as well, I can just see that bottom tooth about to cut.

We finally packed away the bassinet. I decided to wait until we moved to get him into his crib, thinking might as well do all the big adjustments at once. New house, new room, new crib... and he's doing great with it. I had to pick up a baby monitor and that thing is annoying. It's nice having our bedroom back to ourselves, but I do miss having my baby boy by my side. 

We have beautiful windows in this new apartment. They stretch from the floor to the ceiling, with little white ledges and trim. Levi quickly discovered he can perch himself in front of his while he plays, and watch all the cars zoom past below. I love working in the kitchen with this view... (and rainy, lazy mornings!)

Oh yeah, he plays now. All by himself. He'll play in his saucer, or with toys on his high chair. He's a regular ole self entertainer. I'm still trying to get over that. He's figured out how to make things light up and sing on the saucer, and is realizing he can make it happen again, and again, and again... it's so fun to watch him learn!

Happy six months little man! 

Moved

We are here.

By here I mean planted on my couch in a brand new, beautiful apartment. It still looks like the box monster threw up and bolted. At least the majority of these boxes are empty.

Moving is tough work. Especially when it's moving to another state. My mom, Michael, his best friend, Levi, and I left early two hours behind schedule on Thursday morning. The first day of driving went fairly smooth. We were on the road from 10am to about 7pm, with many breaks in between. (Baby + moving truck = lots of stopping.)

We spent the night at Embassy Suites in Des Moines. If you've ever been to an Embassy Suites, you know they are fantastic. Our room was gigantic and I hear the complimentary breakfast was delicious. (Of course, I didn't make it down in time.) We got it for the high price of 86 bucks. Thank you military discount!!

I wish I had taken out my camera more, but when I finally did, the battery died after only a few photos. These are all in Des Moines, shortly before we hit the road again.

Day two of road trip - not so smooth. Levi was done sitting in the car. He whined, cried, and screamed. Particularly during the tornado nasty rain/wind storm we hit in Missouri. That was freaky. We're driving along, and suddenly the sky is an eery shade of teal and the clouds are hanging real low. My phone rings and Michael asks, "are you ready for this?"

Enter minor freakout.

We ended up pulling over for a few minutes along with the rest of the highway, because the moving truck was literally a sail boat in that weather. The storm seemed endless, and I thought I was going to pee my pants or throw up if we didn't get out of it. So we kept driving... very slowly.

There were a few more of these storms before we made it to Manhattan. Gotta love tornado alley!

Move in went fast, considering we had four guys lugging everything up three flights of stairs in 90 degree weather. Unpacking and organizing? Not so fast. But I really enjoy this part. I love making a place home. Our bank account is not as happy, though. Moving is EXPENSIVE. Oy. We are going to be saving pennies for a while!

Michael is at work now. He should only be working half days for the next two weeks, which would be a wonderful time to adjust if the army decides to play along. Levi is napping, and there's a load in the washer. My mom leaves tomorrow night, hopefully we finish working today so we can start playing. I better get off the computer and go help!

I plan on taking pictures of the apartment once everything has a place. I can't wait to show you our 9 foot ceilings, archways, and floor-length windows.

Feels good to be here! 

Farewell

I hate goodbyes.

I've only made half of them tonight and I've got some of the toughest tomorrow morning. Feeling quite sick to my stomach and ready to get this all over with.  I'm bracing myself for the worst kind of heartache... Lord please let it wash over me quickly.

Today we loaded the moving truck. It was pretty emotional. This was my first place alone, and I loved every bit of it. White house, blue shutters, black top driveway good for warming bare feet. It's hard to realize I'm never coming back to it.

I try to keep my mind busy. It prevents me from falling back to that empty place where I know I have to leave. What's that word...denial? Yes. That. 

I picked up my little brother from his farm job this afternoon after grabbing lunch for everyone. I had Levi along in the backseat, and it was awfully quiet.

"So you're really leaving tomorrow." My brother says. Not a question, just a statement. A really heavy statement. He then grabs Levi's feet and whispers "next time I see you, you'll be so big." Aw kid, why don't you just stomp on my heart while you're at it?

I could have cried. I could have wept. But I didn't, and I probably won't until it's all over with. I'm stubborn. 

Then again, saying goodbye to my little brother and everyone else may just bring the waves crashing down without my consent. 

I hate goodbyes.