4.27.2012

Sickness, teething, worry, and a new trick!

(This was written Friday, but i couldn't get it to post)

(Also, blogging from my phone has been giving me trouble lately..so sorry if you get an email about the same post several times)

So yesterday I was sick..like couldn't get out of bed sick! So poor Levi pretty much just stayed on my bed with me all day! I felt awful but for him it wasn't so bad!  

There were lots of moments like this:

Tristan was amazing at helping me! When he came home from work he brought me some get well necessities and made me soup! He's wonderful!

Levi was extra super sleepy yesterday so I think he was fighting off whatever I had. Or it could be teething.

Speaking of teething, Levi has had a rough week as far as that is concerned. He's generally been happy most of the day with just a lot of drooling and fist gnawing.. but at his 5 pm feeding and until bedtime... wow...he has had some really sad, "I'm in pain" cries where he wouldn't      even nurse...he would just arch his back and writh in pain. He seems to be very sensitive when he is in pain and is very cuddly... I love that part!

With everything that's been going on (and the fact that he is so excited about the world around him)...he seems like he hasn't been eating as much...so naturally (but unfortunately), I worry!  Any tips mommas on how to not worry so much about things? Whenever he's upset or things aren't going well it's hard not for me to worry.."what am I doing wrong." Or "what did I do wrong." Anyone else experience this? I have these moments of deep trust in the Lord as a mom and in giving Him Levi's life...but I still find myself doubting everything I'm doing sometimes!

On a happier note..Levi has now not only found his feet but is obsessed with putting them in his mouth! It's sooo cute! He really loves his feet!

So, today we are trying to get back in the swing of things. We went for a jog at town lake and I made myself a ginger, lime,mango,carrot green smoothie in hopes of it giving me a shot in the arm!





4.25.2012

A day in the life- 5 months

Here is a view into what a day at home sort of looks like for Levi at 5 months! Obviously on days we get out more or get out all day things look much different... but you get the idea!

-7am- Tristan and I go get Levi out of his crib and Levi nurses.

7:30am- Levi hangs out with Tristan while he gets ready for work and I go downstairs make coffee, pack Tristan's lunch, and make us smoothies.

8am- send Tristan.. aka daddy... off to work

8-8:30 - Levi and I play or he watches me do the dishes and plays in his booster seat.

8:30am- we head upstairs and read and sing and cuddle to get Levi wound down for nap time.

9am-10:30am - Levi naps

10:30-11am Levi wakes and eats

11am-12:00 we play, or go for a walk or Levi watches me do more cleaning!

12:30- we head upstairs and wind down for the next nap time!

12:30-2pm Levi naps

2-2:30- Levi wakes and eats

2:30-3:30pm- more play time or Levi watches me prepare some dinner things

3:30-4pm we wind down again for nap time

4-5 or 5:30 Levi naps

5ish Levi wakes and eats
5:30-6:30 I finish dinner, etc and we play some more

6:30pm - Tristan gets home from work and we eat while Levi sits at the table in his high chair and eats his momsicle

7pm - Levi has naked time and we watch him roll and play! Then Tristan reads to us,  and we pray.

7:30 or so I feed Levi and Levi is usually down to sleep no later than 8pm.

Levi-5 months

-rolls front to back and back to front very fluidly.
- has found his feet and loves to play with them! - sleeps 7:30pm or 8pm to 7am unsaddled and loves it!
- wakes up happy and talking in his crib most mornings and gives us the biggest smile when we go in to get him.
- recently became a thumb sucker when he is sleepy, or during his sleep.
- nurses 5 times in 24 hours. about 10-15 minutes on each side.
- is very sweet while nursing and usually does something cute like touching my face.
- is VERY easily distracted while nursing.
- loves to be outside
- loves to watch other kids play
- likes to sit up, rather than recline
- is generally very happy, Smiley, and content most days.
- melts our hearts every time he flashes us a smile.
- laughs a lot...especially if I'm being utterly ridiculous. And sometimes laughs just because I am laughing!
- naps 3 times a day for about an hour and a half each time.
- is very flexible and does ok if we are out and about all day and some of his naps get cut short. Seems to love being on the go!
- still is content in the moby wrap when we go out and and about.
- can sit quietly through most of the church service.
- watches Tristan and I like a hawk when we are eating.
- loves to sit at the dinner table like a big boy at dinner and eat his momsicle.
- talks to family on Google talk or in a Google plus hangout at least once a day. He must think everyone lives inside my phone or computer.
- is really learning how to get around by rolling and semi scooting.
- doesn't mind being on his tummy like when we first started doing tummy time at 6 weeks... he has pretty much disliked it until just a few weeks ago.
- loves loves loves to read, even long older kid books.
- loves spending time with Tristan while he is getting ready for work and talks so much I hear him all the way downstairs in the kitchen!
- gets a huge smile on his face when he hears Tristan's voice when he comes home from work.
- can go down for naps and bedtime with daddy.
- took a bottle from daddy while I was away from home taking care of Larry and Jana's girls
- loves loves loves bath time!
- loves to listen to music, and has "sang" along a few times.
- grasps and picks up things well.
- loves to put everything in his mouth.
- drools constantly and acts like he is going to bit his fists off. Sometimes is very irritable and cries a lot from teething pain.
- has outgrown most 3-6 month clothes and some 6 month clothes due to his big butt cloth diapers!
- loves to get his diaper changed.
- may love being naked more than anything else in the world.
- has beautiful soft dirty blonde hair growing in.
- still has huge beautiful blue eyes.
- has beautiful,smooth, peachy skin.
- gets hot easily and does not like to be hot!
- loves to look out the windows of the car.
-arches his back and does this scream protest thing when he doesn't want to do something... to which Tristan and I have already been telling him "no sir" very firmly.
- has defiantly already shown us he is not perfect and needs our consistency and correction! ;)
- has me and Tristan totally and completely in love with him. We are crazy about our boy!
- has shown and thought Tristan and I more real and deep things about our heavenly father and life than anything else has to date!
- is very very very loved!
Thanks to Mary Beaver for giving me the idea to do monthly posts like this...and keeping me motivated to blog!
And though it is sooo hard for me to do things out of order I felt like I needed to start blogging in real time and just do back track posts when I can!




4.16.2012

A few more pictures of the early days

 Levi spent a lot of time laying in the sun in our room. He was only slightly jaundice, so I mostly did it because he liked it, I wanted him to get plenty of Vitamin D, and I wanted him to know it was day time! I loved watching him lay there.  He was so calm and observant.




 Kaye came over the next week to meet Levi. We sat and talked about our favorite things. Natural childbirth(I told her everything and showed her ALL the videos), mommyhood, etc...and of course we did it all while eating some delicious healthful(as a cookie can be),chocolate chip cookies she brought! Kaye came over several times during Levi's first months of life and left me talk it all out! She was so encouraging and made me feel totally normal. She also brought delicious meals and treats everytime...and once she even cleaned our bathrooms, did the dishes and I think even swept and mopped and vacuumed!  It was amazing! She is amazing! Love you sister!



Katie even got to meet Levi shortly after he was born because she was travelling back from Thanksgiving in Dallas.  It was such a wonderful and unexpected surprise because I thought Levi wouldn't get to meet her till Christmas break!    








 Levi's first time to leave the house! We went to target to get me some nursing sleep bras! Levi did great in his car seat and loved walking around the store with daddy while mommy tried on bras! This was on the 29th and I remember being pretty sore from all the walking and standing when we got home. For the most part I tried to take it really easy and follow my midwifes advice. She mentioned to me that if I noticed I was bleeding more to slow down. If the bleeding wasn't slowly getting less, I was doing to much...it was a good gauge for me.  I remember using LOTS of ice packs to help with the swelling and not sitting on my bottom much at all. After 11 hours of pushing ..I had a lot of swelling. But fortunately only a few small nicks/tears..and I didn't get any stitches. 




 Beautiful sweet boy!







 Levi and my mom! I think my mom ended up staying with us 2 weeks and my dad was with us about a week.  It was wonderful to have my mom with us.  She just cooked and cleaned and worked and worked.... and did her thing so Tristan and I could just focus on our boy! It was wonderful and she was a work horse as usual. Tristan and I wish she could come live with us really..but not because she is the most servant hearted person I know but because she is my best friend!  I remember sitting with her one time and crying and saying, "I can't believe you loved(and love) me this much." I'm pretty sure I apologized a million times too about any grief I may have caused her. It was a sweet moment that made me even more thankful for my mother.  Thank you daddy for sharing her with me so much..your the best!







Bethany and John Ryan finally got to meet Levi the 1st of December.  They had come up here for the birth but because it was taking SOOOO long they ended up having to leave to get back for some important commitments in Corpus.  In hindsight I could care less that I had a super long labor...EXCEPT for the fact that it meant these 2 couldn't be there.  Tristan and I want to share every(ok maybe not every..but...most every anyway) moment in life with them so it was like a huge moment of completeness when they got to meet our son. It was a beautiful moment and I could feel the love! 

4.12.2012

First 5 days of life outside the womb

Levi's first 5 days of life in pictures! Looking back over these is such a joy...wants to make me go wake Levi up and just snuggle with him!  I love my boy!


All bundled up for his first night

My parents decorated our home inside and out!



Levi slept on grandpa for quite a while the next morning!




Since the next day was Thanksgiving my mom and dad made us a Thanksgiving spread and my mom even folded the napkins like diapers!!!


My midwifes assistant Nina came to check up on me and Levi on Friday! I love her!

Friday night Levi got to meet Heather, Paul, and Heidi when everyone was on their way back from Thanksgiving in LaVernia. We toasted, prayed, cried tears of joy and sang songs over Levi it was a beautiful evening!  










My dad even changed Levi's diaper!  


He's just beautiful!!!

Family Nap

Sunday morning Levi met the Gross family!





Levi meets Aunt Kate and Uncle Shane!


What a doll!  He was so alert and attentive from the start!

First Bath! We took an Herb bath together made from some healing herbs that came in our birth kit! He loved his first bath and still loves to take baths!



Blissed out!