I'm sitting here listening to Levi 'talk' to himself in his bed. He woke up about fifteen minutes ago, but is perfectly content back there, so, guess what? Mommy's perfectly content to leave him there. Very important lesson #1, or at least tied for #1.
Maybe I should've included 'screaming' in my post title. That's what he loves to do any more. Scream, squeal, squeak and everything in between. Especially when he's in his jumper. That poor toy is getting a work out. He loves it and it's so funny to watch him.
He is not getting very much closer to crawling. He can scoot backwards again (he stopped doing it for a while) but still gets pretty frustrated on his tummy. He is doing better sitting up. I'll put him in the V of my legs and he needs the side support just a little bit. Still falls backwards, unfortunately. You can tell that he's frustrated not being able to do what he wants, but yet again he would rather have mommy and daddy hold him up standing and carry him around.
We went to the mall again today. He really enjoys looking around at everything. At this time of year we go only on a weekday morning. It would be too much stimulation for him if there were a lot of people. Well, that and mommy doesn't want Levi to see her freak out at all the people who don't know how to walk down the mall hallway.
We scheduled his dedication for the 16th. Our pastor is retiring at the end of the year and I asked if he could squeeze one in before then. Levi might be the only one. Now to find something for him to wear. Definitely not one of those crazy white dress things. Gah.
I should probably add the pictures to this and then post it. He's talking louder back there.
And I was just informed by Google that I'm out of picture storage space. Don't they know this is really important?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
5 Months (and 1 week)
The fastest five months of my life have wooshed by like, well, something really fast and wooshy.
It does go so fast. Five months? We're well on our way to having a little boy and not a baby any more. I'm taking advantage of everything that I can. Especially nursing him and rocking him to sleep. I love that he still wants to be close and snuggle.
He's been doing well in the nursery at church. The only problem is that it messes up his nap "schedule." He's been going down about every hour and a half to two hours. But with the different place and more excitement it's hard for him to sleep. The past couple of nights he's gone to bed around 6:00 because the way his napping works out he's just tired then.
Not much else is new with the little guy. He's getting stronger and wants to move in any way more and more. His new language is squealing and squeaking. At times it actually hurts my ears.
He's such a good baby and we're enjoying every day.
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| Our big boy and his favorite snack |
He's been doing well in the nursery at church. The only problem is that it messes up his nap "schedule." He's been going down about every hour and a half to two hours. But with the different place and more excitement it's hard for him to sleep. The past couple of nights he's gone to bed around 6:00 because the way his napping works out he's just tired then.
Not much else is new with the little guy. He's getting stronger and wants to move in any way more and more. His new language is squealing and squeaking. At times it actually hurts my ears.
He's such a good baby and we're enjoying every day.
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| You can juuuust kinda see his teeth. He won't let me get a good picture. |
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| Our cute blue-eyed boy |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Where no finger has gone before
I'm realizing that as a mother, I stick my fingers into more places than I ever have in my life. Nostrils, mouths, ears, through hair, between toes, you name it. Well, today I ventured into Levi's mouth and what did I feel? Teeth! Two little ones poking through on the bottom. He doesn't seem to be bothered by them. He normally drools, but the faucet has been turned on full blast it seems.
He ripped a toy off of his play mat last week and he sat and chewed on it today for at least ten minutes, so apparently it feels good on his gums.
Levi is so ready to move! He stands very well when we are propping him up, so his lower body strength is great. He's still so frustrated with tummy time and now trying to do a 'tripod' sit, where his legs are bent and he tries to hold himself up by his hands. He tips forward quite a bit. He's very content to lean back where I'm holding him so that he can look around.
He likes his jumper because that's pseudo-standing, but I think he still gets frustrated in there since he can't move. (We're going to have our hands full with this little guy.)
I tell him, "honey, you have to practice this so that you can crawl and stand up." I don't think it's sinking in. lol
Levi is so ready to move! He stands very well when we are propping him up, so his lower body strength is great. He's still so frustrated with tummy time and now trying to do a 'tripod' sit, where his legs are bent and he tries to hold himself up by his hands. He tips forward quite a bit. He's very content to lean back where I'm holding him so that he can look around.
He likes his jumper because that's pseudo-standing, but I think he still gets frustrated in there since he can't move. (We're going to have our hands full with this little guy.)
I tell him, "honey, you have to practice this so that you can crawl and stand up." I don't think it's sinking in. lol
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Naked and unashamed
Since the weather has been warmer around here the past few days Levi has had a chance to 'flap in the breeze,' as Tim calls it.
He looks like such a little boy in these pictures.
A friend of mine had a baby on Tuesday. I looked at her pictures I wondered if it was too early for me to miss Levi being that age. I absolutely love him now, discovering more things and being so expressive. But I remember those early days, too.
I just started reading The Second Nine Months by Vicki Glembocki. Summary: One woman tells the real truth about becoming a mom. Finally. What I've read so far is hilarious. Her daughter, Blair, was born jaundiced and had extra doctor's visits at first. In response to her description of how nursing is going, the doctor says, "Hmmmm." Her response: "I envision what Dr. Weidner is writing in that manila folder of his: Mother inadequate. Bad boobs."
That made me laugh right out loud. Quite a bit of what she says is spot on with some humor added in. Which is necessary for motherhood survival. I've found that if I don't laugh, I'll cry. Thankfully Levi's big smiles and funny antics keep me laughing.
A friend of mine had a baby on Tuesday. I looked at her pictures I wondered if it was too early for me to miss Levi being that age. I absolutely love him now, discovering more things and being so expressive. But I remember those early days, too.
I just started reading The Second Nine Months by Vicki Glembocki. Summary: One woman tells the real truth about becoming a mom. Finally. What I've read so far is hilarious. Her daughter, Blair, was born jaundiced and had extra doctor's visits at first. In response to her description of how nursing is going, the doctor says, "Hmmmm." Her response: "I envision what Dr. Weidner is writing in that manila folder of his: Mother inadequate. Bad boobs."
That made me laugh right out loud. Quite a bit of what she says is spot on with some humor added in. Which is necessary for motherhood survival. I've found that if I don't laugh, I'll cry. Thankfully Levi's big smiles and funny antics keep me laughing.
Monday, October 22, 2012
12: my new favorite number
Levi has been a great sleeper lately and has gone about 12 hours getting up only once to eat. A few nights ago he went down at 5:15 for a 'nap.' But it ended up being his bed time and he slept until almost 7am the next morning. Wowzers! That happens, though, when you don't hardly nap during the day.
I'm so afraid that when he goes to bed at 7:00 he'll be up for the day at 5am. But it's been longer than that, thankfully. He's been kind of erratic in eating and of course I get worried and google 'low milk production,' etc. I'm always fine. He's having normal diaper changes and acting the same, but of course I still worry.
A new realization that I've had is that reading parenting books can be a very bad thing sometimes. Right now I'm feeding/sleeping, etc. on demand. And it's working just fine. We have a little bit of a routine: bed time/bath, morning nap. But other than that I just do what Levi wants to do. Well, within reason. But then I read a book that says I need to have him on a set schedule because that will help me figure out more easily what he needs or why he's upset. Also because babies need to have a routine. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to wake up him at 7am if he's not already up just to start a set schedule. I mean, what real-life mother purposefully wakes up her sleeping baby unless there's an important reason? And what if he's not ready to eat when the schedule says he should be? Anyways, I've decided I'm going to be very picky about what I read from now on. Not that the book doesn't have some good points, but I didn't want to wade through the bad and guilt-inducing ones just to find them. I love 'What to Expect: the First Year.' Mostly because it offers 95% information and 5% opinion, which includes the disclaimer that all babies are different and the book should just be a guideline.
Now eventually I do want to have a routine for him. But I'd rather let it develop around his needs than my own anality. Is that a word? Well, I do have a tendancy to be that way, but Levi is definitely mellowing me out. I'm so thankful that I can be at home with him and have the opportunity to have this lifestyle.
Kind of along those same lines, I've decided not to push solids right now. Yes, I've read that it's better to wait and start closer to, if not at 6 months for a variety of legit reasons and they seem logical to me. In all honesty, though, I love nursing him and don't want to let anything interfere with that yet. I know that even when he starts, breastmilk will still be his primary source of nutrition, but I'm afraid that my milk supply will go down too quickly. I really want to nurse him as long as I can and hopefully until he's 12 months old. I guess part of it is that I don't want to have to supplement with formula. Why do I have such an aversion to that all of a sudden? Weird.
Yesterday was our second time in the nursery at church and Sunday school went fine. He slept for most of the time, so... I went in to feed him before the service and there were a couple other little kids in there. He was so distracted while nursing and started to cry when another baby was crying. He's just not used to that extra activity. So I stayed with him during the service. He was very clingy. And then, stupid mommy, I took him down to the lobby to find Tim and that was WAY too much stimulation for him. It was a bit of a rough morning.
Well, he's been down for over two hours now, so I better post one last picture.
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| Quality time with Dad |
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| "I'm king of the world!" |
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| Lovin' the football |
A new realization that I've had is that reading parenting books can be a very bad thing sometimes. Right now I'm feeding/sleeping, etc. on demand. And it's working just fine. We have a little bit of a routine: bed time/bath, morning nap. But other than that I just do what Levi wants to do. Well, within reason. But then I read a book that says I need to have him on a set schedule because that will help me figure out more easily what he needs or why he's upset. Also because babies need to have a routine. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to wake up him at 7am if he's not already up just to start a set schedule. I mean, what real-life mother purposefully wakes up her sleeping baby unless there's an important reason? And what if he's not ready to eat when the schedule says he should be? Anyways, I've decided I'm going to be very picky about what I read from now on. Not that the book doesn't have some good points, but I didn't want to wade through the bad and guilt-inducing ones just to find them. I love 'What to Expect: the First Year.' Mostly because it offers 95% information and 5% opinion, which includes the disclaimer that all babies are different and the book should just be a guideline.
Now eventually I do want to have a routine for him. But I'd rather let it develop around his needs than my own anality. Is that a word? Well, I do have a tendancy to be that way, but Levi is definitely mellowing me out. I'm so thankful that I can be at home with him and have the opportunity to have this lifestyle.
Kind of along those same lines, I've decided not to push solids right now. Yes, I've read that it's better to wait and start closer to, if not at 6 months for a variety of legit reasons and they seem logical to me. In all honesty, though, I love nursing him and don't want to let anything interfere with that yet. I know that even when he starts, breastmilk will still be his primary source of nutrition, but I'm afraid that my milk supply will go down too quickly. I really want to nurse him as long as I can and hopefully until he's 12 months old. I guess part of it is that I don't want to have to supplement with formula. Why do I have such an aversion to that all of a sudden? Weird.
Yesterday was our second time in the nursery at church and Sunday school went fine. He slept for most of the time, so... I went in to feed him before the service and there were a couple other little kids in there. He was so distracted while nursing and started to cry when another baby was crying. He's just not used to that extra activity. So I stayed with him during the service. He was very clingy. And then, stupid mommy, I took him down to the lobby to find Tim and that was WAY too much stimulation for him. It was a bit of a rough morning.
Well, he's been down for over two hours now, so I better post one last picture.
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| Mommy and her little man |
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Bang!
Levi has decided he wants to start off his fifth month with a bang! That sentence really isn't that extraordinary, but it just feels wrong to put a period next to bang!
He was a big boy last Sunday and spent Sunday school and the church service in the nursery. He's just a little too active now for me to keep him with me. They have a bouncer there, so I'm sure he had fun. I went in to check on him after Sunday school and he was dozing off. He slept for about an hour, I guess, and they buzzed me near the end of the service because he was hungry. I told Tim that it was weird not having him in Sunday school and it kinda felt like it 'used to be' with just us. I was so glad to see him afterwards.
I realized that there will be 6 new babies in the span of a year at our church. Four boys and two girls.
Grandma and grandpa came for a quick visit Sunday afternoon.
And brought this for Levi. As I said on Facebook: cuteness of this magnitude can't be put into words.
His four-month check up went super well. The doctor was happy with everything she saw and that I reported to her. He weighs 13 lbs. 15 oz. (28%) and is 25.5 inches long (70%). I think he might be kind of tall. Levi did ok with his shots. They were the second round of his two-month appointment. The second one was the bad one, but as soon as I picked him up he calmed down. The doctor also asked me if he was still taking just breastmilk. I said yes and asked if I should be concerned about starting solids if he's content with nursing. Apparently it's important to start earlier because babies need more iron at this age and breastmilk doesn't provide that much.
So we're going to break into things gradually.
Step #1:
I've read (and think it's a good idea) that you introduce things gradually so that there's not a shock all at one time. I found a really good high chair that can be attached to a regular dining room chair and that can go all the way up to a booster seat. Once we get that I'll give him some opportunities to sit in it. I think he'll do fine with everything. He likes to watch me eat when I'm holding him at dinner and that's a good sign.
Not much more to report since I actually am somewhat up-to-date on this. I'll end with a cute video that I took the other day. (I'm having problems uploading it, so I apologize if it doesn't work.)
He was a big boy last Sunday and spent Sunday school and the church service in the nursery. He's just a little too active now for me to keep him with me. They have a bouncer there, so I'm sure he had fun. I went in to check on him after Sunday school and he was dozing off. He slept for about an hour, I guess, and they buzzed me near the end of the service because he was hungry. I told Tim that it was weird not having him in Sunday school and it kinda felt like it 'used to be' with just us. I was so glad to see him afterwards.
I realized that there will be 6 new babies in the span of a year at our church. Four boys and two girls.
Grandma and grandpa came for a quick visit Sunday afternoon.
His four-month check up went super well. The doctor was happy with everything she saw and that I reported to her. He weighs 13 lbs. 15 oz. (28%) and is 25.5 inches long (70%). I think he might be kind of tall. Levi did ok with his shots. They were the second round of his two-month appointment. The second one was the bad one, but as soon as I picked him up he calmed down. The doctor also asked me if he was still taking just breastmilk. I said yes and asked if I should be concerned about starting solids if he's content with nursing. Apparently it's important to start earlier because babies need more iron at this age and breastmilk doesn't provide that much.
So we're going to break into things gradually.
Step #1:
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| Spoon! |
Not much more to report since I actually am somewhat up-to-date on this. I'll end with a cute video that I took the other day. (I'm having problems uploading it, so I apologize if it doesn't work.)
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