I went grocery shopping with my little boy in tow. I swear, every aisle that we went down someone stopped me and told me how precious Levi is. This one elderly lade with an oxygen tank came up to me, looked at Levi, touched me on the arm and said "Do you know how lucky you are?" and I said "I am very blessed," to which she replied "many many many blessings."
She is right.
---
Now that he is crawling, he has been introduced to the word "no." I think he's finally learning what it means, because today he was going for the outlet (his favorite toy) and I told him "no" and he looked back at me and did his look-how-cute-I-am head tilt thing.
I finally got his head tilt on video:
Just in the past few days this kid has figured out how to crawl all across the house on his hands and knees, pull up to a standing position, wave, and clap! THIS WEEK! I can also see his teeth beneath the gums and he's been putting his fingers in his mouth a lot (which surprisingly for a baby he really never does.)
Just thought I'd give you an update on the cutest boy around - just ask the folks at my neighborhood Tom Thumb.
Showing posts with label Levi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Levi. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Nine Months
There will not be a nine month slideshow (yet) for 2 reasons.
1. We don't have internet
2. I didn't take the usual 17 pictures and videos of him a day, since I wasn't with him for most of the day during this month of his life :-(
That boy is such an amazing little patoot! He is not quite crawling, but he's getting from point A to point B. He is up on his hands and knees all the time with a lot of rocking, great backward motion, and a little bit of forward motion. He likes to crawl backwards until he is in a sitting position.
He also is saying a few words, well one for sure. His first word was "bird" (if not "daddy). He loves the "da" syllable so much it's hard to tell if it's on purpose, although it really seems to be. But he is definitely saying bird. While over at his grandma and grandaddy, he has spent quite a bit of time outside looking up at the birds and the planes. If you ask him where the birds are (even if you're inside), he'll look up. He clear as day will see a bird and say "bur."
He is doing this adorable head tilt thing that I wish I could capture on video, but he is such a turkey when we get out the camera!
He is still sleeping about 8 hours (sometimes we'll get lucky and get a 10 hour night). But he either goes straight back to sleep after a bottle, or will play for less than an hour and then take a great nap (2-3 hours). He still also needs a nap about every three hours.
He has a morning bottle around 7ish, oatmeal with fruit at 11ish, another bottle around 2-3ish, whatever we're having for dinner around 6ish, and then bedtime bottle around 9ish. He is a great eater, and other than some fruits will eat just about anything you put in front of him. He is starting to get the hang of self feeding too. What a big boy.
His grandparents got him a swing for the swingset in our backyard which he loves. He's adjusted to his new house very well.
He weighed in at 23.7 lbs and 29 inches long. He's starting to drop in percentile, but not in comments from everyone he meets about what a huge baby he is.
Jarrod and I always talk about how we can't believe how blessed we are to have him - and not only is he the cutest thing on the face of the universe - but he's such a good baby.
WE LOVE YOU, LEVI!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
As long as I knew he was in my belly
Levi has now been in the outside world for as long as I knew about him inside me. The past eight months of his life passed WAY more quickly than the eight months I spent anticipating him. I know everyone says it, and everyone feels it about their kiddo - but I just can't believe how much I love this little guy (and by little I mean giant).
He still dwarfs even two year olds!
But those little chubby cheeks and thunder thighs that have more rolls than Spring Creek Barbeque won't last for long.
Sleeping:
the little turkey is still waking me up way too much at night! He can be settled with a pacifier, so Jarrod or I drag ourselves across to his room, plug him up and then back to bed. Usually that's all it takes till about 5-6 in the morning when he wants a bottle then goes back to sleep. This past week he has been waking up like 10 times and wanting his bottle at 4am! Not good for anyone. We toy with settling him the way we know he'll go back to sleep (give him his pacifier, give him a bottle, etc.) and ignoring it. You may think this is horrible parenting but I cannot let my child just cry. I can't do it. I won't. I don't have to, I'm the momma. Even if that means this phase drags out way too long. He won't need me to do this forever and I'm ok with doing it now. The last two nights have been much better. Today and yesterday I left him unswaddled for his naptime. He didn't take very long naps, and then couldn't stay awake for very long between - so he napped much more frequently, but at least he fell asleep and stayed asleep. I think we're going to say goodbye to the miracle blanket from now on.
Eating:
He is now eating table foods with us. I just throw whatever I prepare for us in the food processor for him. He's had speghetti, smothered chicken, meat loaf, chicken cacciatore, swiss steak, tacos, and all sorts of yummy foods. He loves loves loves to eat (if you can't tell by looking at him.) I take it for granted I guess that I have such a great eater, I've heard it can be hard to have a baby who has a hard time eating. He usually has a bottle way too early in the morning, then steel cut oats for breakfast with a fruit or yogurt, then a bottle in the afternoon, then regular people dinner, and then a bottle before bed. I like this schedule.
Playing:
He LOVES to watch cars. He LOVES to watch dogs. He LOVES to watch his baby einstein videos. He LOVES his jumperoo. He LOVES the water, drinking it, swimming in it, taking a bath, watching fountains - anything that involves water. He doesn't love laying on his back or stomach. He gets super frustrated when something is out of reach - you can just see him trying to crawl but just can't figure it out.
Happy eight months, Levi. Thanks for joining our family and making us laugh all the time. You're the best little dude around!
He still dwarfs even two year olds!
But those little chubby cheeks and thunder thighs that have more rolls than Spring Creek Barbeque won't last for long.
Sleeping:
the little turkey is still waking me up way too much at night! He can be settled with a pacifier, so Jarrod or I drag ourselves across to his room, plug him up and then back to bed. Usually that's all it takes till about 5-6 in the morning when he wants a bottle then goes back to sleep. This past week he has been waking up like 10 times and wanting his bottle at 4am! Not good for anyone. We toy with settling him the way we know he'll go back to sleep (give him his pacifier, give him a bottle, etc.) and ignoring it. You may think this is horrible parenting but I cannot let my child just cry. I can't do it. I won't. I don't have to, I'm the momma. Even if that means this phase drags out way too long. He won't need me to do this forever and I'm ok with doing it now. The last two nights have been much better. Today and yesterday I left him unswaddled for his naptime. He didn't take very long naps, and then couldn't stay awake for very long between - so he napped much more frequently, but at least he fell asleep and stayed asleep. I think we're going to say goodbye to the miracle blanket from now on.
Eating:
He is now eating table foods with us. I just throw whatever I prepare for us in the food processor for him. He's had speghetti, smothered chicken, meat loaf, chicken cacciatore, swiss steak, tacos, and all sorts of yummy foods. He loves loves loves to eat (if you can't tell by looking at him.) I take it for granted I guess that I have such a great eater, I've heard it can be hard to have a baby who has a hard time eating. He usually has a bottle way too early in the morning, then steel cut oats for breakfast with a fruit or yogurt, then a bottle in the afternoon, then regular people dinner, and then a bottle before bed. I like this schedule.
Playing:
He LOVES to watch cars. He LOVES to watch dogs. He LOVES to watch his baby einstein videos. He LOVES his jumperoo. He LOVES the water, drinking it, swimming in it, taking a bath, watching fountains - anything that involves water. He doesn't love laying on his back or stomach. He gets super frustrated when something is out of reach - you can just see him trying to crawl but just can't figure it out.
Happy eight months, Levi. Thanks for joining our family and making us laugh all the time. You're the best little dude around!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Do any schools offer a degree in teething ring performance?
So I was practicing my sax the other day while the boy was playing with his toys on the floor. I look over at him and he is blowing into his teething ring and yelling and moving his fingers. I thought it was just a funny coincidence, but my mom seems to think he really was mimicking me. This kept on for a good while, him "playing" his teething ring right along with me. So I thought I would try to get a video of it. He would stop playing his teething ring when I wasn't playing, so I tried to film with one hand and play with the other. Ignore my playing, but see if you think it looks like he's trying to do what momma is doing.
Tell me what you think? Trying to play?
Tell me what you think? Trying to play?
Friday, July 17, 2009
Don't wake me up!
Jarrod had a gig at a coffee house tonight. He played with a brass quintet in Addison. Levi wanted to hear his daddy play, so we packed up and went.
Levi was a little unsure as he had been awake for two hours longer than he usually lasts between naps and the coffee shop was small and the brass quintet was loud. He made those awful rip your heart out bottom lip curl about to cry faces several times. His eyes were red from being so sleepy and he could barely keep those cheeks up. He was on the verge of tears for a while, but was content to stare off into space as if in very deep thought.
Then break time came. Daddy came over to say hi. Levi put on his most silly, happy, nose crinkling, open mouth gaping, eyes squinting, fist tightening, smiles possible. Delirious. I can't think of a better word. Smiling all over himself in disbelief that his daddy would come over and hold him. It was one of my proudest moments watching him just eat up his daddy (I think his daddy was enjoying it too). Levi just couldn't get enough.
Then break time was over, and I put in a special request for a reasonably quiet song so that Levi could get up close to the quintet and watch his daddy play and not be blasted away. They played a piece called Perfect Love for him. It's absolutely beautiful. As I was holding my baby and watching him watch my husband play I couldn't help but tear up.
I felt like I was dreaming... you know, one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming and you don't want to wake up.
I was overwhelmed with pride. The Lord has blessed me with such an amazing partner in life. Jarrod has an incredible gift. He is more passionate and works harder than anyone that I know. I absolutely love watching him play, whether it's in a coffee shop in Addison or in the Meyerson Symphony Center playing with the world renown Dallas Symphony.
Music is a huge part of who I am - music is what brought us together. I was lucky enough to marry a phenomenal musician - and to watch him with Levi, to see the joy that they bring each other is almost more than I can bear.
Here is "Perfect Love" performed by the Dallas Symphony Brass Quintet. Listen to when Jarrod comes in, what it adds to the piece - just spectacular.
Levi was a little unsure as he had been awake for two hours longer than he usually lasts between naps and the coffee shop was small and the brass quintet was loud. He made those awful rip your heart out bottom lip curl about to cry faces several times. His eyes were red from being so sleepy and he could barely keep those cheeks up. He was on the verge of tears for a while, but was content to stare off into space as if in very deep thought.
Then break time came. Daddy came over to say hi. Levi put on his most silly, happy, nose crinkling, open mouth gaping, eyes squinting, fist tightening, smiles possible. Delirious. I can't think of a better word. Smiling all over himself in disbelief that his daddy would come over and hold him. It was one of my proudest moments watching him just eat up his daddy (I think his daddy was enjoying it too). Levi just couldn't get enough.
Then break time was over, and I put in a special request for a reasonably quiet song so that Levi could get up close to the quintet and watch his daddy play and not be blasted away. They played a piece called Perfect Love for him. It's absolutely beautiful. As I was holding my baby and watching him watch my husband play I couldn't help but tear up.
I felt like I was dreaming... you know, one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming and you don't want to wake up.
I was overwhelmed with pride. The Lord has blessed me with such an amazing partner in life. Jarrod has an incredible gift. He is more passionate and works harder than anyone that I know. I absolutely love watching him play, whether it's in a coffee shop in Addison or in the Meyerson Symphony Center playing with the world renown Dallas Symphony.
Music is a huge part of who I am - music is what brought us together. I was lucky enough to marry a phenomenal musician - and to watch him with Levi, to see the joy that they bring each other is almost more than I can bear.
Here is "Perfect Love" performed by the Dallas Symphony Brass Quintet. Listen to when Jarrod comes in, what it adds to the piece - just spectacular.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Milestones
I want to not care about them, but I can't help but compare Levi to other babies his age. When I see a six month old friend crawling, or a seven month old pulling up in his crib I feel a little twinge of worry. I feel relieved when I see a six month old who is still having trouble rolling over.
I'd love to say that it just doesn't concern me and my child is perfect. Well, it's easy for me to say the last part because it's SO true :-)
But earlier this week I came to this realization: The first six months of his life the milestones were small: holding his head upright, using his hands, focusing on an object, smiling (and some bigger ones like rolling over and sitting up of course). But now the stakes are MUCH higher. Soon he is going to be crawling, then pulling up, then walking. These aren't just milestones - these things transform my BABY into a TODDLER, and I'll tell you I am content to wait for that as long as possible.
These next few months of having a BABY are so precious, and I do not want to wish them away comparing him to others that have gotten to toddler hood sooner. It will be soon enough, and too soon when it's all over and I look back.
So no more comparing milestones (though I will tell you even though he's only rolled over the one time front to back, he rolled over TWICE back to front last night).
No more wondering when he'll be rolling all over the place, when he'll be crawling, when he'll be going from laying to sitting, when he'll go from sitting to standing, when he'll be walking. I'm going to be looking back months from now kicking myself for not spending more time savoring his time as a baby.
And in other news, here's a new picture of Phoebe's puppy:
We like the names: Roscoe, Calvin (after John Calvin), Elliot (after Willard Elliot), Frasier (thought TV names would be cute, Phoebe and Frasier). Roscoe is the only one that looks like it matches him - what do you think? What other names do you like? He will probably only make it to 5-10lbs like Phoebe (same breed, possibly even related, not sure - same breeder).
Friday, July 10, 2009
Happy Seven Months!!
Levi turned a whopping seven months on the ninth! I feel like I'm doing one of these slideshows every week, he's growing up too fast! My big ole 21lb boy!
There aren't too many new milestones this month. He has been going from a sitting position to on his tummy... but then cries because he doesn't know what to do from there. Poor boy has still only rolled over the one time.
He has a very consistent sleep pattern now. I don't love it, but it could be SO much worse. He goes to bed around 9:00 every night, then like clockwork needs to be fed at 5:30am. (there are usually at least two trips into his room to put in his paci too). I give him is 5:30 bottle in the crib. He usually holds it while I lay my head on his crib. He goes immediately back to to sleep until around 8:00. He can usually only stay up one hour max and then it's a LONG nap, anywhere from 2-4 hours! (Occasionally I will take that nap with him :-)
Last month he was a fussy guy, but I figured out it was sleep deprivation. We were trying to keep him unswaddled, and he just never ever got a good nap. The boy will NOT take a nap without being swaddled - even if we don't do it for a few days. That was the problem. On his six month birthday I went cold turkey on the swaddling and he didn't get a good nap until about a week later when I started swaddling him for naps again. Perfect angel after that! He does however sleep at night without being swaddled, so I'm thankful for that.
This month brought his first illness :-( and he had pretty poor timing for getting sick too, the weekend we went down to visit my parents. He ran a fever up to 104! He was MISERABLE. I was very proud of him though, because he was such a trooper for how miserable he must have been. A trip to the urgent care and a dose of antibiotics later he's back to 100% - except for the rash. Turns out he's allergic to penicillin.
My boy has LUNGS! He has been doing his "scream" thing ALL the time. It's funny and cute at home, but when we go out in public it's a little embarrassing. I'm sure this phase won't last long though, so I'm enjoying every little scream he does.
These past seven months have FLOWN by, and as I pack up the clothes he's outgrown I both cry for the tiny guy he was and rejoice for the big boy he's becoming. I love this boy so much, and sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe this is really my life.
There aren't too many new milestones this month. He has been going from a sitting position to on his tummy... but then cries because he doesn't know what to do from there. Poor boy has still only rolled over the one time.
He has a very consistent sleep pattern now. I don't love it, but it could be SO much worse. He goes to bed around 9:00 every night, then like clockwork needs to be fed at 5:30am. (there are usually at least two trips into his room to put in his paci too). I give him is 5:30 bottle in the crib. He usually holds it while I lay my head on his crib. He goes immediately back to to sleep until around 8:00. He can usually only stay up one hour max and then it's a LONG nap, anywhere from 2-4 hours! (Occasionally I will take that nap with him :-)
Last month he was a fussy guy, but I figured out it was sleep deprivation. We were trying to keep him unswaddled, and he just never ever got a good nap. The boy will NOT take a nap without being swaddled - even if we don't do it for a few days. That was the problem. On his six month birthday I went cold turkey on the swaddling and he didn't get a good nap until about a week later when I started swaddling him for naps again. Perfect angel after that! He does however sleep at night without being swaddled, so I'm thankful for that.
This month brought his first illness :-( and he had pretty poor timing for getting sick too, the weekend we went down to visit my parents. He ran a fever up to 104! He was MISERABLE. I was very proud of him though, because he was such a trooper for how miserable he must have been. A trip to the urgent care and a dose of antibiotics later he's back to 100% - except for the rash. Turns out he's allergic to penicillin.
My boy has LUNGS! He has been doing his "scream" thing ALL the time. It's funny and cute at home, but when we go out in public it's a little embarrassing. I'm sure this phase won't last long though, so I'm enjoying every little scream he does.
These past seven months have FLOWN by, and as I pack up the clothes he's outgrown I both cry for the tiny guy he was and rejoice for the big boy he's becoming. I love this boy so much, and sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe this is really my life.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
vocabulary
Levi has expanded his vocabulary yet again...
He was doing this...constantly
and this:
And while his mom and dad think this a glorious noise, I'm sure that visitors and the general public will be glad that he has started doing a much more pleasant version:
This one is also pretty constant. I won't complain though, I love to hear him talking!
He was doing this...constantly
and this:
And while his mom and dad think this a glorious noise, I'm sure that visitors and the general public will be glad that he has started doing a much more pleasant version:
This one is also pretty constant. I won't complain though, I love to hear him talking!
***Keep scrolling down for more posts from today, and I think I've got one more that I'm going to add later***
Swimming!
One good thing about the unbearable Texas summer heat is SWIMMING! Levi loves swimming. It's so cute to see him actually kicking his little feet. This was his very first time swimming:
*keep scrolling down for most posts from today, and come back for more!***
Lullaby
Levi loves to listen to his daddy play. He'll sit and stare just mesmorized by it.
***Keep scrolling down to see more posts from today, and come back for more***
Too Big for his Britches
And his Bumbo seat...
***Playing catch up and posting a whole bunch in a row. Keep scrolling for more, and come back for more posts***
***Playing catch up and posting a whole bunch in a row. Keep scrolling for more, and come back for more posts***
Huffing
Levi's new weird thing:
**I am posting several in a row to catch up, so keep scrolling down for more blog posts***
**I am posting several in a row to catch up, so keep scrolling down for more blog posts***
Blueberry Millet
There is a direct correlation between how much Levi likes his food and how much food Levi gets on his face.
Yucky food = lots of food on the face
Good food = zero food on face (we like this one)
What do you think, is he a fan of blueberry millet? Or do you think that he, like I, thinks blueberry millet is worthless?
He takes after his momma.. it was on the back of his ears and toes and everywhere!
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Entertainer
I had my bible study group over for dinner last night, and Levi was invited. He was asleep when they arrived and we were all eating when he woke up. He decided that everyone was there to see HIM. So, he proceeded to entertain us during dinner. He was making noises I had never heard him make. Weird grunting noises. I was able to capture some of it on video. It was going on for a long time before I decided to get the camera. He can't just let someone else have a conversation if he's around. He needs to make sure that he is heard, and the people are listening to HIM.
Levi has already become a moocher. Whenever he sees that I am eating or drinking something, he stares at it and opens his mouth as wide as he can. So, we've been having snack time together. I've been letting him try to pick up these little Gerber puffs on his own, but he just can't seem to make the connection that he can put them in his mouth on his own. He likes to hit them and throw them, and then open his mouth as wide as he can so that I'll put one in there. Sometimes he'll get a few in a fist and put his fist in his mouth, but he hasn't actually gotten one in his mouth yet. Notice how he purses his lips when he's concentrating. I love it. He's working so hard in this video.
He loves his feet! Listen for him saying "okay"
Levi has already become a moocher. Whenever he sees that I am eating or drinking something, he stares at it and opens his mouth as wide as he can. So, we've been having snack time together. I've been letting him try to pick up these little Gerber puffs on his own, but he just can't seem to make the connection that he can put them in his mouth on his own. He likes to hit them and throw them, and then open his mouth as wide as he can so that I'll put one in there. Sometimes he'll get a few in a fist and put his fist in his mouth, but he hasn't actually gotten one in his mouth yet. Notice how he purses his lips when he's concentrating. I love it. He's working so hard in this video.
He loves his feet! Listen for him saying "okay"
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
It's not the teeth
Or alternatively titled: "where did my angel baby go?"
You all are sick of me bragging on my perfect baby, I know - about how he never fusses, or never cries, and is always perfectly content. About how if he was tired, he would happily take his pacifier and go right to sleep without any protest. About how you could use one of those terrible nose suckers on him at 3:00 in the morning and he would just smile about it. About how I could do whatever I needed to do, and leave him wherever I wanted to, and he would just lie there happy and content. Never a peep of discontentment out of this boy.
Not to worry, this post will have none of that.
I mentioned in my last post that I was hoping that his recent spells of fussiness were because of teething.
It's not the teeth.
My perfect, content as can be baby has been replaced by a just as perfect, but fussy/whiny/bordering on tantrum throwing baby.
What happened?
Now I have to learn a whole new set of parenting skills.
This is where I'm so glad I have a partner to raise him with. The other day, for the first time in his ENTIRE life, he protested when I laid him down to go to sleep for the night. There have been times where he would quietly whine for a few minutes before taking a nap, but NEVER after his nighttime bottle, and he would never down right CRY. Well, this night, he would have nothing to do with it. Jarrod and I took turns rocking him, we watched an episode of House and he finally fell asleep. The next night it was the same thing. Jarrod suggested we let him cry, and that's what we did. Thankfully I was up to my elbows in dishes and wasn't just sitting on my hands watching the red lights blaring on his monitor. It didn't take him that long to fight it and fall asleep, probably about 10 minutes.
Yesterday, he was full, dry, was not tired, but was not satisfied to lay on his activity mat and play. He started fussing for no reason at all. He wasn't happy sitting up, he wasn't happy in his jumperoo, he wasn't happy anywhere. We tried teething tablets, it's not the teeth. Finally, Jarrod put him on his activity mat and suggested that we just let him whine. He whined for a few minutes, but then started playing. Then as soon as I came into view, he started his whining again. I don't think that would happen if his teeth were bothering him. Unfortunately, it's not the teeth.
So that brings us to this morning when we took a bath. He was a happy as he could be while in the tub, but when I got him out to dry him off, I'm pretty sure he threw his first tantrum. He was crying as if I was drying him off with a Brillo pad. Sure, he was probably cold and was not having nearly as much fun as when he was playing with his links in the tub... but why the hysterics? I'm pretty sure it's not his teeth. So I continued drying him off and getting him dressed, much to his distress. Then I held him close to me in the rocking chair, and he just melted into me. While he's always been a perfect content happy angel boy, he's never been much of a cuddler. I loved it. He laid his head on me and was getting over his "ugly cry." Then my parenting instincts kicked in, and I thought I ought to put him down, now that he was calm and see if he would play.
I sat him on the floor surrounded by his favorite toys, and he cried. I let him just sit there and cry while I got ready. He would be fine for a few minutes, then he would see me and raise his arms and cry. I resisted him while I was getting ready. Then I put him in his bumbo chair and tray with some Gerber puff snacks while I ate my oatmeal. I could tell he was really tired, but he was happy to have me paying attention to him, and very happy to be eating his puff snacks.
Here is my dilemma: when do I run to his rescue and scoop him up in my arms and let him know mommy is here for him whenever he needs me, and when do I let him cry it out so he learns to be a man? This is where I'm so glad to have Jarrod for support. He can be much more objective about this kind of stuff than I can. (although, Jarrod is quite a softie! He's the one who is sure to put cheese in Phoebe's bowl every time we all walk out the door because 1. He feels so bad for leaving her 2. because the cheese will keep her occupied until we are out of earshot so he doesn't have to hear her crying for us.) Phoebe is a brat. She's a great dog, and we love her more than people should love a dog - but there is no denying that she is a brat! I don't want Levi to be a brat.
If I took one thing from the book babywise, it was that your baby should be a welcomed addition to your family, and not become the center of it. I think of that often when there is stuff that I really need to get done and Levi just has to wait. But what about those times when I'm available to rescue him and hold him when he's discontent? What do I do then? I mean how can you resist that arms up in the air boy?
This is going to be hard.
I really wish it were just the teeth.
You all are sick of me bragging on my perfect baby, I know - about how he never fusses, or never cries, and is always perfectly content. About how if he was tired, he would happily take his pacifier and go right to sleep without any protest. About how you could use one of those terrible nose suckers on him at 3:00 in the morning and he would just smile about it. About how I could do whatever I needed to do, and leave him wherever I wanted to, and he would just lie there happy and content. Never a peep of discontentment out of this boy.
Not to worry, this post will have none of that.
I mentioned in my last post that I was hoping that his recent spells of fussiness were because of teething.
It's not the teeth.
My perfect, content as can be baby has been replaced by a just as perfect, but fussy/whiny/bordering on tantrum throwing baby.
What happened?
Now I have to learn a whole new set of parenting skills.
This is where I'm so glad I have a partner to raise him with. The other day, for the first time in his ENTIRE life, he protested when I laid him down to go to sleep for the night. There have been times where he would quietly whine for a few minutes before taking a nap, but NEVER after his nighttime bottle, and he would never down right CRY. Well, this night, he would have nothing to do with it. Jarrod and I took turns rocking him, we watched an episode of House and he finally fell asleep. The next night it was the same thing. Jarrod suggested we let him cry, and that's what we did. Thankfully I was up to my elbows in dishes and wasn't just sitting on my hands watching the red lights blaring on his monitor. It didn't take him that long to fight it and fall asleep, probably about 10 minutes.
Yesterday, he was full, dry, was not tired, but was not satisfied to lay on his activity mat and play. He started fussing for no reason at all. He wasn't happy sitting up, he wasn't happy in his jumperoo, he wasn't happy anywhere. We tried teething tablets, it's not the teeth. Finally, Jarrod put him on his activity mat and suggested that we just let him whine. He whined for a few minutes, but then started playing. Then as soon as I came into view, he started his whining again. I don't think that would happen if his teeth were bothering him. Unfortunately, it's not the teeth.
So that brings us to this morning when we took a bath. He was a happy as he could be while in the tub, but when I got him out to dry him off, I'm pretty sure he threw his first tantrum. He was crying as if I was drying him off with a Brillo pad. Sure, he was probably cold and was not having nearly as much fun as when he was playing with his links in the tub... but why the hysterics? I'm pretty sure it's not his teeth. So I continued drying him off and getting him dressed, much to his distress. Then I held him close to me in the rocking chair, and he just melted into me. While he's always been a perfect content happy angel boy, he's never been much of a cuddler. I loved it. He laid his head on me and was getting over his "ugly cry." Then my parenting instincts kicked in, and I thought I ought to put him down, now that he was calm and see if he would play.
I sat him on the floor surrounded by his favorite toys, and he cried. I let him just sit there and cry while I got ready. He would be fine for a few minutes, then he would see me and raise his arms and cry. I resisted him while I was getting ready. Then I put him in his bumbo chair and tray with some Gerber puff snacks while I ate my oatmeal. I could tell he was really tired, but he was happy to have me paying attention to him, and very happy to be eating his puff snacks.
Here is my dilemma: when do I run to his rescue and scoop him up in my arms and let him know mommy is here for him whenever he needs me, and when do I let him cry it out so he learns to be a man? This is where I'm so glad to have Jarrod for support. He can be much more objective about this kind of stuff than I can. (although, Jarrod is quite a softie! He's the one who is sure to put cheese in Phoebe's bowl every time we all walk out the door because 1. He feels so bad for leaving her 2. because the cheese will keep her occupied until we are out of earshot so he doesn't have to hear her crying for us.) Phoebe is a brat. She's a great dog, and we love her more than people should love a dog - but there is no denying that she is a brat! I don't want Levi to be a brat.
If I took one thing from the book babywise, it was that your baby should be a welcomed addition to your family, and not become the center of it. I think of that often when there is stuff that I really need to get done and Levi just has to wait. But what about those times when I'm available to rescue him and hold him when he's discontent? What do I do then? I mean how can you resist that arms up in the air boy?
This is going to be hard.
I really wish it were just the teeth.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Six months!
Whoa! My little boy is six months old already. He had an amazing month of discoveries. This month he mastered sitting up all by himself. He was sitting on his own briefly since around 4 months (I think), but now I can actually leave him sitting while I run into the other room for a minute.
At his doctors appointment, he weighed in at 19.13lbs, which puts him in the 85% (down from 95% in previous months). He measured 28 inches long, 95% (which is up from 90%). So I guess my huge cheeks boy is leaning out.
He has rolled over ONE time. He did that pretty close to the six month mark, but has not done it since. I give him ample opportunity, but he just doesn't want to. The doctor said that he has all the physical ability to, and that he's right on target, he just doesn't want to roll over. I don't blame him :-). That gives mommy a little bit more time with a stationary baby, which I hear is much easier to take care of.
It's getting more frustrating to make these slide shows, because unlike when he was a newborn, I can't seem to capture his personality on "film" anymore. When he was a newborn all he did was lay there and be cute - all easily documented. Now he has such a big personality which is impossible to get across with stills and short videos.
He thinks loud noises are hilarious, especially dogs barking. He loves watching his daddy play the tuba. He loves playing with his feet, and making raspberries. He LOVES LOVES LOVES his jumperoo and really enjoys baby Einstein. He prefers veggies to fruits, but will eat anything happily. So far he has had rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, sweet potato, green beans, carrots, apples, bananas, nectarines, and pears. Squash is his favorite and nectarines are his least favorite.
He is still a good baby, and if I had posted this on time, I would have said he was still a PERFECT baby. Not that he's not perfect, but the past few days he has actually been fussy. He has fussed more in the past three days than in his whole life combined. I hope he's getting teeth and that this isn't just a new thing from here on out.
Enjoy a few of my favorite moments from his sixth month:
Since we are at the halfway mark to his first birthday, I thought I would repost all of his other slideshows as well:
At his doctors appointment, he weighed in at 19.13lbs, which puts him in the 85% (down from 95% in previous months). He measured 28 inches long, 95% (which is up from 90%). So I guess my huge cheeks boy is leaning out.
He has rolled over ONE time. He did that pretty close to the six month mark, but has not done it since. I give him ample opportunity, but he just doesn't want to. The doctor said that he has all the physical ability to, and that he's right on target, he just doesn't want to roll over. I don't blame him :-). That gives mommy a little bit more time with a stationary baby, which I hear is much easier to take care of.
It's getting more frustrating to make these slide shows, because unlike when he was a newborn, I can't seem to capture his personality on "film" anymore. When he was a newborn all he did was lay there and be cute - all easily documented. Now he has such a big personality which is impossible to get across with stills and short videos.
He thinks loud noises are hilarious, especially dogs barking. He loves watching his daddy play the tuba. He loves playing with his feet, and making raspberries. He LOVES LOVES LOVES his jumperoo and really enjoys baby Einstein. He prefers veggies to fruits, but will eat anything happily. So far he has had rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, sweet potato, green beans, carrots, apples, bananas, nectarines, and pears. Squash is his favorite and nectarines are his least favorite.
He is still a good baby, and if I had posted this on time, I would have said he was still a PERFECT baby. Not that he's not perfect, but the past few days he has actually been fussy. He has fussed more in the past three days than in his whole life combined. I hope he's getting teeth and that this isn't just a new thing from here on out.
Enjoy a few of my favorite moments from his sixth month:
Since we are at the halfway mark to his first birthday, I thought I would repost all of his other slideshows as well:
Friday, May 15, 2009
My five month old boy
So, this month has been the most fun so far! I do every once in a while look at the sleeper he wore in the hospital and feel a little sentimental for my tiny tiny baby, but he's been such a blast lately.
He is "talking" a lot more now. He's added some words to his vocabulary like "ga" and "da" and "mmm" and "th" (that one is accompanied by a lot of spit). Every morning he wakes up just talking and talking. I've never been great at waking up in the mornings, and it's still bad. I hear my little man start talking around 7:30, and he's just happy and talking, and I finally feel bad after about 30-45 minutes and go in there and get him up.
He's been sleeping in his crib this month!!! I know, I know... we just couldn't part with him before. I've been experimenting with leaving him unswaddled during the night. The first few nights went really well. We started to have him unswaddled in our bedroom in his co-sleeper and he did pretty well. Then we realized that if he's not bundled up tightly and he's free to move around, that he is much too big for the co-sleeper - so after getting him used to sleeping unswaddled we graduated him to his crib :-(. The first two nights he slept the whole night unswaddled, but then the next few nights he was restless and couldn't sleep. We've been back to swaddling since then. I don't know when he'll be ready for sleeping without his blanket, but I just don't see the problem with it. He likes to be bundled and cozy when he sleeps. If anyone sees a problem that I don't, let me know.
He sleeps pretty consistently about 8 hours. Very rarely he'll do a 6 hour night and then also as rarely he'll do a 10+ hour night. He usually goes to bed around 8:30-9:00 and wakes up around 4-5 in the morning. I bring him in our room to nurse him, and then I put him in the co-sleeper until around 7-9 when we get up for the day. He's really restless that first hour (after his 5 oclock feeding) going back to sleep and needs his paci to fall asleep. But then, he keeps dropping it. I counted the other night, and he dropped it 7 times in 45 minutes! Then eventually he'll drop it and not care. I'm just hoping that his 8 hour sleeps will stretch to 10-12 hour sleeps so that we can lose that final feeding, and paci fight. The other night, he woke up at 3:00am (after I had gone to bed at 1:45), and would drop his paci and wine every few minutes until around 7 in the morning when I finally gave up and just got him up for the day. Last night was perfect though. He woke up at around 4, but instead of me feeding him, I just put his pacifier in and he went back to sleep until 7:00, gave him his paci again, then awoke to a jabbering boy around 7:30. So hopefully that will become the new routine. (sorry for all the detail, this is just a great way for me to document and remember things - I know the general public is not interested in how many times he drops his paci during the night).
One day he took a four hour nap (two is usually his max, and that's rare). When he woke up from that four hour nap, he was a brand new boy. He had learned some more words, he had discovered his tongue and was making funny faces, he was actually raising up on his elbows during tummy time (when before he would occasionally raise his head briefly), he was grabbing stuff out of my hands (when before he would only grab something if you put it in his hand). I don't know what happened during that nap, but he really did wake up with all these new tricks. Bizarre.
So far, he's had rice cereal, squash, green beans, and apples. Surprisingly, apples are his least favorite. He is a HUGE fan of eating, as you've seen in his videos. We just can't get the bites in his mouth fast enough. Nursing has totally picked back up. I only give him a bottle at night now (and I nurse him). I feel like he's getting plenty to eat, and that makes me so happy.
He hasn't rolled over yet, but that's just fine. His daddy didn't roll over till he was 5 and a half months old, so he has about a week until he's behind daddy. I'm in no hurry for him to roll over though, because once they do that, then the roll over the other way, then the crawl... and I have a feeling motherhood will become a lot harder once he's mobile. I'm enjoying him a lot now when he stays right where I put him!
He is "talking" a lot more now. He's added some words to his vocabulary like "ga" and "da" and "mmm" and "th" (that one is accompanied by a lot of spit). Every morning he wakes up just talking and talking. I've never been great at waking up in the mornings, and it's still bad. I hear my little man start talking around 7:30, and he's just happy and talking, and I finally feel bad after about 30-45 minutes and go in there and get him up.
He's been sleeping in his crib this month!!! I know, I know... we just couldn't part with him before. I've been experimenting with leaving him unswaddled during the night. The first few nights went really well. We started to have him unswaddled in our bedroom in his co-sleeper and he did pretty well. Then we realized that if he's not bundled up tightly and he's free to move around, that he is much too big for the co-sleeper - so after getting him used to sleeping unswaddled we graduated him to his crib :-(. The first two nights he slept the whole night unswaddled, but then the next few nights he was restless and couldn't sleep. We've been back to swaddling since then. I don't know when he'll be ready for sleeping without his blanket, but I just don't see the problem with it. He likes to be bundled and cozy when he sleeps. If anyone sees a problem that I don't, let me know.
He sleeps pretty consistently about 8 hours. Very rarely he'll do a 6 hour night and then also as rarely he'll do a 10+ hour night. He usually goes to bed around 8:30-9:00 and wakes up around 4-5 in the morning. I bring him in our room to nurse him, and then I put him in the co-sleeper until around 7-9 when we get up for the day. He's really restless that first hour (after his 5 oclock feeding) going back to sleep and needs his paci to fall asleep. But then, he keeps dropping it. I counted the other night, and he dropped it 7 times in 45 minutes! Then eventually he'll drop it and not care. I'm just hoping that his 8 hour sleeps will stretch to 10-12 hour sleeps so that we can lose that final feeding, and paci fight. The other night, he woke up at 3:00am (after I had gone to bed at 1:45), and would drop his paci and wine every few minutes until around 7 in the morning when I finally gave up and just got him up for the day. Last night was perfect though. He woke up at around 4, but instead of me feeding him, I just put his pacifier in and he went back to sleep until 7:00, gave him his paci again, then awoke to a jabbering boy around 7:30. So hopefully that will become the new routine. (sorry for all the detail, this is just a great way for me to document and remember things - I know the general public is not interested in how many times he drops his paci during the night).
One day he took a four hour nap (two is usually his max, and that's rare). When he woke up from that four hour nap, he was a brand new boy. He had learned some more words, he had discovered his tongue and was making funny faces, he was actually raising up on his elbows during tummy time (when before he would occasionally raise his head briefly), he was grabbing stuff out of my hands (when before he would only grab something if you put it in his hand). I don't know what happened during that nap, but he really did wake up with all these new tricks. Bizarre.
So far, he's had rice cereal, squash, green beans, and apples. Surprisingly, apples are his least favorite. He is a HUGE fan of eating, as you've seen in his videos. We just can't get the bites in his mouth fast enough. Nursing has totally picked back up. I only give him a bottle at night now (and I nurse him). I feel like he's getting plenty to eat, and that makes me so happy.
He hasn't rolled over yet, but that's just fine. His daddy didn't roll over till he was 5 and a half months old, so he has about a week until he's behind daddy. I'm in no hurry for him to roll over though, because once they do that, then the roll over the other way, then the crawl... and I have a feeling motherhood will become a lot harder once he's mobile. I'm enjoying him a lot now when he stays right where I put him!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Belly
So lately, my biggest concern with Levi is what is going into his belly.
Ever since I realized that my milk supply was dwindling, I've been trying to figure out how to hold on to nursing for as long as I can. I've been trying to find a balance between nursing, pumping, supplementing, etc.
I knew that I was not producing enough to satisfy Levi. I figured the best course of action was to pump frequently, that way I knew exactly how much milk I was producing, and then supplement that with some formula so that I knew that Levi was getting plenty to eat.
After a while of doing this, I am seeing no increase in production and I'm afraid Levi has gotten used to the bottle.
I spoke with La Leche League, who informed me that pumping is not always an indicator of how much milk you are producing, since the pump does not have the same hormonal effect as the baby does. She told me to stop pumping, and to stop giving him bottles.
Yesterday I was able to not give him any bottles. I gave him rice cereal at lunch time and squash at dinner time (more about this below), and I think that helped keep him satisfied. I did give him a nighttime bottle so that I knew he had plenty in his tummy for a full eight hour night. His lunchtime feeding today, however, he was not patient with nursing, refused his rice cereal and I had to give him forumla :-(
The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends nursing for a full year, and no less than six months. The fact that he's not getting the amount of breastmilk he should breaks my heart. Not only is it a special bond between us - something that no one else can provide him - our special time together - but the health benefits that he is losing hurts too. Breastmilk is the best possible source of nutrition for my little one, it's God's perfect food for him. Breastmilk contains just the right amount of fatty acids, lactose, water, and amino acids for digestion, brain development, and growth. Breast-fed babies have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies. So it's very sad for me when I have to feed him a bottle.
To cheer me up about what's going into my baby's belly, I have decided to make all of his food. I thought it would be way harder than it actually was! I'm even making his rice cereal from scratch. I've never been really big on nutrition - but when it comes to what goes in my baby's belly, that all changed. I was surprised after reading about the health benefits of fresh homemade food vs. store bought commercially processed food.
It was super easy to make his food too. I made squash, sweet potatoes, and green beans. I baked the squash and sweet potato then pureed it with a little bit of formula. The most time consuming part about that was filling up the ice cube trays with the food. The green beans took a little more time, because after they were steamed and pureed, Jarrod had to mash them through a strainer. But even that took less than five minutes. With very minimal effort, Levi now has between 3-6 weeks of food now in the freezer.
Not only is it easy to make his food, and SO much more healthy, but it's way more cost effective as well!
Green beans, for example: I purchased about a pound of fresh organic green beans for $.66, and it filled up a whole ice cube tray. A $.45 jar of green beans fills up two holes in the ice cube tray, meaning that the whole ice cube tray of the store bought green beans would cost $3.15 instead of $.66!!! For just a little bit more effort (an no more effort than I spend on myself on a meal), you can have way more nutrious, way less expensive baby food!
I'm still working on perfecting my rice cereal. I've made one really good batch, and two not so good batches. It's not hard, I just have to figure out the right balance of formula - rice combination.
Feeding him fresh food made with my own two hands feels really good, and it makes me feel a little better about our nursing issues.
Let's see what Levi thinks of the squash:
He kept opening his mouth really wide after he was done with a bite. He's never done that before. He also kept the majority of it in his mouth. Usually, his rice cereal ends up ALL over his face. I guess he liked the squash enough to keep it all in his mouth:
Did you really read this whole blog? Sorry for the length, I just want to remember everything.
Ever since I realized that my milk supply was dwindling, I've been trying to figure out how to hold on to nursing for as long as I can. I've been trying to find a balance between nursing, pumping, supplementing, etc.
I knew that I was not producing enough to satisfy Levi. I figured the best course of action was to pump frequently, that way I knew exactly how much milk I was producing, and then supplement that with some formula so that I knew that Levi was getting plenty to eat.
After a while of doing this, I am seeing no increase in production and I'm afraid Levi has gotten used to the bottle.
I spoke with La Leche League, who informed me that pumping is not always an indicator of how much milk you are producing, since the pump does not have the same hormonal effect as the baby does. She told me to stop pumping, and to stop giving him bottles.
Yesterday I was able to not give him any bottles. I gave him rice cereal at lunch time and squash at dinner time (more about this below), and I think that helped keep him satisfied. I did give him a nighttime bottle so that I knew he had plenty in his tummy for a full eight hour night. His lunchtime feeding today, however, he was not patient with nursing, refused his rice cereal and I had to give him forumla :-(
The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends nursing for a full year, and no less than six months. The fact that he's not getting the amount of breastmilk he should breaks my heart. Not only is it a special bond between us - something that no one else can provide him - our special time together - but the health benefits that he is losing hurts too. Breastmilk is the best possible source of nutrition for my little one, it's God's perfect food for him. Breastmilk contains just the right amount of fatty acids, lactose, water, and amino acids for digestion, brain development, and growth. Breast-fed babies have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies. So it's very sad for me when I have to feed him a bottle.
To cheer me up about what's going into my baby's belly, I have decided to make all of his food. I thought it would be way harder than it actually was! I'm even making his rice cereal from scratch. I've never been really big on nutrition - but when it comes to what goes in my baby's belly, that all changed. I was surprised after reading about the health benefits of fresh homemade food vs. store bought commercially processed food.
It was super easy to make his food too. I made squash, sweet potatoes, and green beans. I baked the squash and sweet potato then pureed it with a little bit of formula. The most time consuming part about that was filling up the ice cube trays with the food. The green beans took a little more time, because after they were steamed and pureed, Jarrod had to mash them through a strainer. But even that took less than five minutes. With very minimal effort, Levi now has between 3-6 weeks of food now in the freezer.
Not only is it easy to make his food, and SO much more healthy, but it's way more cost effective as well!
Green beans, for example: I purchased about a pound of fresh organic green beans for $.66, and it filled up a whole ice cube tray. A $.45 jar of green beans fills up two holes in the ice cube tray, meaning that the whole ice cube tray of the store bought green beans would cost $3.15 instead of $.66!!! For just a little bit more effort (an no more effort than I spend on myself on a meal), you can have way more nutrious, way less expensive baby food!
I'm still working on perfecting my rice cereal. I've made one really good batch, and two not so good batches. It's not hard, I just have to figure out the right balance of formula - rice combination.
Feeding him fresh food made with my own two hands feels really good, and it makes me feel a little better about our nursing issues.
Sweet Potatoes:
3-6 weeks supply of baby food for less than $3.00!
Let's see what Levi thinks of the squash:
He kept opening his mouth really wide after he was done with a bite. He's never done that before. He also kept the majority of it in his mouth. Usually, his rice cereal ends up ALL over his face. I guess he liked the squash enough to keep it all in his mouth:
Did you really read this whole blog? Sorry for the length, I just want to remember everything.
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