Little Levi: 9 Months Old

Hello, Levi here with your monthly update!

Well, I am now 3/4 of a year old! Say whaaaat?! PS this is a blog that contains both month 8 and 9. We've had a lot going on including sickness (all of us have had it!) and Mommy was busy preparing for her best friend's bridal shower in Florida.

Growth: There was no health check at 8 months. But at 9 months my stats were...
-18.7lbs (20th percentile.. I'm moving up the growth chart! If you remember, I was in the 5th percentile)
-29" long (75th percentile)
-Head circumference in the 50th percentile
I am meeting all my milestones and the doctor said I am growing just fine. Mommy and Daddy actually have to buy a new car seat for me because the infant one I have goes up to 30" and I am 29"!

Mishaps:
-Earlier in my 8th month, I had been tugging at my ears (while fussing) for months and Mommy and Daddy really wanted to get to the bottom of it. I didn't have an ear infection. Mommy wasn't happy with stopping there so she made an appointment at the ENT doctor (Ear, Nose and Throat). I got my fluid levels checked and had a hearing test done. My ears were as clear as can be. The doctor stated it could be me growing into my adenoids and could be causing me some discomfort in my ears. He said the sensation tends to feel like pressure or popping. This also could just be a result of teething. If it hasn't stopped by the spring, we will go back. (Now in my 9th month, I have
-I have had  my first cold :( I hada stuffy nose and was congested and a little irritable. There were a few nights we had the humidifier in my room. I also had saline drops in my nose and some infant Advil when needed.
-I am currently starting to teethe again! My two top teeth are visible just behind the gums, and I can sometimes be very unhappy about it. It is affecting my sleep schedule a little bit.

Happenings:
-Had my first professional photo shoot at Shady Wagon Farm (one of our favorite places!) with a fantastic photographer, Amaris. I did pretty darn good for being a baby. We took pictures for a bout an hour and some times I was too distracted by the world around me, but for the most part, I smiled and was great! You can preview the images here and the password is "King10".
-Both of my grandmas watched me quite a bit these past 2 months. I have a blast with both of them and they always spoil and love on me! I am one blessed baby!
-I went to Pullen Park for the first time with Mommy, Daddy and my Grammy (Daddy's mom). It is a huge park in downtown Raleigh that was remodeled about a year and a half ago, and it is so cool! There is a nice playground, a train, a carousel, boats, walking paths and a little eating area with a lawn to play. We had a blast!
-I went to the NC Zoo in Asheboro with Mommy, Yaya, Grandpa, Uncle Garrett and his girlfriend Kayli. Mommy was sick, but we still had a lot of fun! I did so well!


Levi-isms:
-I think I am the stuff when we go out to eat and I sit in the big boy high chair at the table. A few times, I was hollering and making all sorts of silly noises... the whole restaurant could hear me! I LOVE when people share bits and pieces of their food with me.. I can't get enough!
-I like to grunt and make loud noises. Then if you copy me, I'll copy you right back. It can go on for a few minutes.
-I make this raspberry/blowing sound with my mouth.. and sometimes it's at the most random times.
-I will belly laugh, HARD, if tickled just right.
-I tap my feet all the time while laying on my tummy. Either while in my bed, or laying on the floor playing.... I just tap, tap, tap away.

-I can put myself in a sitting position from a laying position

-I can pull myself up on just about anything I put my mind to (this all started in the bathtub which was my practice ground, but then I started trying it on furniture, tables, in my crib, mommy's legs, ect)

-I belly crawl with wicked spped

-I am starting to cruise a little. I will walk a few steps with my walker and along the side of a chair or couch. Daddy saw me take a few steps without holding onto anything the other day. Maybe I'll be walking by Christmas!

-I am a finger food eating machine! Right now I am still eating formula, although I'm starting to drink a little less some days. I also eat pureed solids with oatmeal cereal and I eat regular food cut into tiny pieces. I will eat veggies if they are pureed, but I will spit them out of they are whole pieces. 

-In my 8th month, I was a great sleeper. I would usually take at least one 2 hour nap, and my other nap would be anywhere from 1-2 hours. 

-As my 9th month drew near (and ever since Mommy went to Florida), I am taking 10-30 minute naps, which is not okay by Mommy's standards! I am still sleeping 11-12.5 hours at night, but I am also becoming harder to put down. I don't like it all the time when I am put down and my parents walk out of the room. I used to do it no problem! Every night, and every nap is different. Some easy, and some I make difficult.  

-I like to jibber jabber.. my favorite syllable is "da da da da", although I am not saying "da da" in reference to Daddy, I am just mumbling. 

Schedule:
*After the time change, I woke up at 6:30, thinking it was 7:30. After a week of Mommy leaving me in there when waking up, I adjusted to 7:30 again!
7:30am: wake up, then eat a bottle
8/8:30am: breakfast which consists of either pureed foods and/or finger foods and sometimes with yogurt.
9/10am: Go down for a nap somewhere in this timeframe. In my 8th month, I would go down around 8:45/9 and sleep for 2 hours. Now my new trend is to go down at 10 and sleep for 30 mins to an hour. Hoping to get back on track soon!
11:30: Bottle
12/12:30: Lunch (finger foods, pureed foods)
1/2: Go down for a nap in this time frame USUALLY. (Sometimes we skip this nap and move it later in the day depending on what we're doing. If we're home we aim for this timeframe)
3:30/4: Bottle
*Sometimes we move nap after this bottle if I missed it earlier
5/5:30: Dinner (finger foods, pureed foods)
6:30/7: Bath
7/7:30: Bottle
7-8: Bedtime. I go to bed around 7 if I have been up a while from a nap. I go to bed around 8 if I had a later nap.

Here is me being cute as can be with a big belly laugh!


Here is how I crawl! Notice how I get upset when Mommy tells me "no"


Here is my Mommy coming home to me after 4 days of being away! (for some reason the iPhone videos are horrible quality when you upload them.. so it's blurry)


Pulling myself to stand up


Now for some photos...

Here is me and my parents at the Halloween party. Daddy is the Amish Mafia, Mommy is a cowgirl and I am a viking

Here is me and my Mommy on the Carousel. Daddy went, too, but he stood next to us the whole time. you can tell I am enjoying myself!

Here is me at my 9 month doctor visit :)

This is me and my Uncle Garrett playing at the zoo! I was way too distracted to look at the camera. 

Here is me when I was sick cuddling with Mommy on the couch

And here is me just being cute while eating dinner! Check out my crazy hair, it got stuck in a funny position because of the way I was napping

Until next time!

xox

Levi

Cloth Diapering for Dummies

Hey everyone! PS I'm the dummy.

I think most who know me know that we use cloth diapers (for the most part.. there are times we use disposables.. vacations, trips to Grandma's, ect). Maybe some of you don't. Well, let me tell you a little bit about it!

My initial spark in cloth diapers ignited 2-3 years ago when a blogger/make up artist I follow (Kandee Johnson) had her 3rd or 4th baby. She posted that she was going to use cloth diapers for the first time and I was highly interested, although, not pregnant. Click here to see the link to her exact post. Fast forward a few years later to me being preggo and the thought came up again, especially because Jake was interested, too. It's so funny because a lot of the decisions we've made during pregnancy, labor and baby-care tend to lean towards more natural, "tree hugger" type practices. And we are certainly not that way! But we do like to take a look at ALL available options and like to research things very extensively. It just so happens that in doing that research, we usually lean more towards things that are more natural. The diapers Kandee used were a little too complicated for us. Luckily, cloth diapers were starting to become a lot more popular, so different types were becoming more known and available. We decided we wanted an all-in-one cloth diaper (where the insert, shell and "clip" would be all one thing), which brought us to choosing the BumGenius 4.0 diapers. We now have 30 of them and haven't looked back!

The breakdown of a BumGenius 4.0 "All In One" Diaper in a video:

*This review was of a diaper with the velcro. Most of the ones we have are the ones with snaps, we only have about 5 that are velcro. (I prefer the snaps!)

Our main reasons for choosing cloth diapers:
-FINANCIAL SAVINGS! Seriously, this was our biggest reason. Ok so the cost up front is large, but the extended savings is HUGE. It is estimated you will spend around $2,000 for diapers during your child's diaper wearing stage. 30 of the diapers we have costed $500. Hmmmm.. you decide. Not to mention, these can be used AGAIN for our next kid.. ca ching! Cash in our pocket, basically!
-Better for baby. Let's be honest, even the most organic "green" diaper is still not the same as "cloth". Babies who have cloth diapers get diaper rashes less frequently.
-Better for the environment. Like I said earlier, we are not some radical environmentalists, but we still want to honor and respect the earth we live in. One diaper takes 250-500 years to decompose!

But of course, as you could imagine, the one "downside" is the care and washing of the diapers. Yes it is a little more time consuming, but the pay off far exceeds the additional effort!

There are a million blog posts, websites and Pinterest pins that tell you how to cloth diaper. But this post is about how we do it, the easiest and fool-proof way possible. (*Photos of any tools I use will be posted at the end)


1) After the diaper has been worn it:
a) gets tossed directly in *wet-bag if WET (I always take insert out before putting in bag, which makes life easier when it's time to get put in washer)
b) gets rinsed/cleaned if SOILED and then gets put in wet-bag. A *diaper sprayer is a great tool, but it's not necessary. We don't always use it. You can either spray the poop off with the sprayer into the toilet, or take a wipe or toilet paper and wipe as much poop as you can off of the diaper.

2) Once my wet-bag is full and we need more clean cloth diapers it's time to wash them. Since I've already taken out the inserts, I can just dump out the shells and inserts into the washer along with the bag (it can and needs to be washed, too). We use *Charlie's Soap in powder form. (Side note: you can only use certain detergents because some aren't good to use, they can strip the diaper and break it down over time. You can research that on your own time.) We initially started out using a different detergent that was liquid, but it wasn't getting the stains out. So for a while, I had to sun-bleach the diapers. I thought that's the way it always would be until I tried Charlie's Soap. At first, the stains weren't coming out. But I learned it was because I was using the recommended amount of 1 scoop. One day, I tried 2 scoops and VOILA! Stains were gone. So, in conclusion, we use a normal wash cycle with 2 scoops of Charlie's Soap. We don't pre-soak or pre-rinse. This works for us.

3) Once the wash cycle is finished, I toss the INSERTS ONLY into the dryer and hang the shells on a *drying rack. The shells should not be put in the dryer because it can start to mess up the diaper over time (BumGenius tells you this on their website). I have accidentally put a shell in the dryer before, and there is no harm done. But it shouldn't be a habit.

4) After the shells and inserts are dry, I "stuff" the diapers (code name for putting the insert back into the shell) so they are ready to go when Levi needs a fresh change.

And that's it! Besides getting any poop out, it's pretty simple. There are other methods that will get you to the same end result: clean diapers; but this is the one that works for us.

WET BAG

There are a lot of cute wet bags with fun designs, but they usually are smaller than the one pictured above. We have one with a draw string that looks more like a "sack". I hang it on the door in our bathroom, that way it's right there near the toilet so I can put the diapers in after I've removed any poop, if necessary. 

DIAPER SPRAYER

CHARLIE'S SOAP

PS this doesn't smell like a bouquet of flowers or fresh linens like normal detergent. There is a little bit of an earthy smell. It doesn't make your diapers smell that way though. (Also, I have used this for other laundry items, i.e. towels) 

 DRYING RACK  

Well, there you have it. Our "anyone can do it" approach to cloth diapering. 

TaTa!

Jessica

(AKA Mommy who saves the planet and money)

My Mommy Must Haves (3-6 Months)

Hello all! I'll keep this short and sweet. Now that my little guy is OVER half a year (so weird!) I wanted to come at you with a post about items that have been really helpful to us the last 3 months. If you did not see my post on items I love for 0-3 months, click here.

First of all, there are some things we STILL use from my 0-3 month post... the AngelCare monitor (although, now that he is older, I don't freak out if we don't have it with us.. it really is those first few months I couldn't imagine life without it. We still turn it on if we're home though!). We still use the bouncy chair even though Levi has almost outgrown it. Now that he can sit up unassisted he doesn't prefer it. But when he was 4 and 5 months he still sat in it and did great. We of course still use the Ergo AND Moby and will continue to do so until he doesn't like it anymore (or until my back breaks, which ever). We still use the passy clips, those will always be handy as long as he uses a passy! And lastly, the Pack n Play. Although he sleeps in his crib when we're home, the Pack n Play is GREAT for travel. We've used it a whole lot! I'm sure in my 6-9 month post it will still be used but for a different reason: containing baby while you need to get things done!

Ok now moving onto my "must haves"!

1) Boppy Pillow
I did use a Boppy while I nursed and I also used the My Breast Friend Pillow. But I really find the Boppy to be helpful for 2 things at this stage: assisting a baby who's learning to sit up (incase they topple, which they will!) and also to teach them to feed themselves with a bottle. To do this, you lay baby down in Boppy so their head is supported and teach them to hold their bottle. It helps them do it comfortably while still having enough support and incline to feed well. Can I just say how nice it is to not have to HOLD Levi for every feed? Don't get me wrong I love the snuggle time, but I also love being hands free so I can catch up on the endless housework!

PS this is not Levi.. just a generic pic!

2) An exersaucer or in our case, the "Go Pod"

Baby will soon want to start being more independent and will grow tired of just "laying there". These are SO great for them (only once they can hold their wobbly heads up, which is about 4 months old) because it strengthens their legs as well as gives them a new perspective, an upright one! We opted out of buying a fancy-pants exersaucer (although they are awesome, I wish we did have one!) only because we didn't want to pay $80-$100 for a new one (yea, they're not cheap). We would of graciously accepted a hand-me-down one from someone, but no one offered one to us. And I'm not really comfortable from getting one off of Craigslist from a complete stranger. Unknown germs freak me out! If that doesn't bother you, I'd hit up consignments or Craigslist! Also, these only occupy them for 6 months if you're lucky. Once a baby starts to walk (I only know this from nanny experience) they don't want to be sitting in one of these anymore. So for us, the investment wasn't worth it. So instead, we got the Go Pod, which is a portable exersaucer. Now, it doesn't come with ANY toys or buttons and knobs. It is a plane jane chair, but it folds up which I LOVE. It has hooks on it to attach your own toys. I think this is great because it gives baby a chance to not get bored with the same "twinkling piano". One thing baby can't do, is bounce. That is a downside. Levi still jumps up and down in it, and it does give, but it's not the same as some exersaucers where there are actual "springs" where they bounce. The biggest advantage of having the Go Pod over an exersaucer is that it can be hidden easily (I still like my living room to look like it is inhibited by adults) and you can bring it with you anywhere! Going on a trip to the beach? Bring it! It folds down just like a camping chair making it fit easily in your car. Imagine putting an exersaucer in your car, it would take up the WHOLE trunk, if it even fits in there in the first place! So for us, the Go Pod wins hands down. However, if given an exersaucer, we would of gladly used it! 

3) Food Processor 

If you plan on making homemade baby food, this is a must! You can use just a standard food processor or buy one more geared towards baby food like we did. We purchased the Cuisinart Baby and we love it! The best thing about it, is it steams AND blends. Most fruits and veggies have to be steamed in order to be the right consistency for baby. The only thing I've put in it so far that hasn't had to be steamed was bananas and avocados. Levi's favorite meals that I make with this is sweet potatoes (mixed with either avocados, peas or squash), apples and bananas, and peaches and bananas. Haven't tried much else yet! This is a smaller food processor than your average sized one, but it still makes a pretty large batch (4 cups). Also this has a bonus feature that we've never used.. a bottle warmer! So this thing is 3-in-1, pretty stinkin' great! My ONLY complaint about it is it can be difficult to clean in the nooks and crannies. 

4) Teether Toys

Babies will put pretty much put anything into their mouth, but most toys are plastic with no "give". I'm sure any teething ring will do, but we really love Sophie the Giraffe. Initially, we are starting out with the smaller one and Levi really enjoys it. It's easy for him to grab and works better for smaller mouths. Once he gets a little bigger, we plan on getting the bigger Sophie. PS these things aren't cheap! Not sure why they cost so much, but babies love 'em. 

5) Formula Dispenser

If I was formula feeding during the 0-3 month period, this would of been on that list, too. But being we started giving Levi formula at 4 months, it's on this list now! You would think everyone who uses formula would know about this handy dandy item. Maybe they do. But I suffered without one for a month. Maybe it was a blonde moment? I mean I did KNOW they existed, but I kind of forgot haha. Anyway, let's just say for a while I was having a HECK of a time making bottles on-the-go. I would pre-measure formula into a plastic baggie and try with "OPERATION" precession to pour it into the bottle without spilling it (hey, that stuff is expensive, you do NOT want to waste a speck!). Well, I got my act together and ordered one off of Amazon (can you tell I'm obsessed with Amazon?). I ordered this exact one and LOVED it. It came with the 3 section dispenser and a 1 time use dispenser. Well, my Mom was trying to do a good deed and clean my 3 section one by putting it in boiling water with the bottles. Well, the hot water kind of re-shaped the dispenser and the lid didn't fit right anymore so I had to toss it :( Good news is she didn't clean the single serve one, so I still have that! I ended up getting another one, although it wasn't the same one because Target didn't have the one I really liked (I was in a bind and needed it fast). The main reason I prefer the first one I had is because it was smaller (still holds 3 8oz portions though) and I feel like the spout was shaped differently to help the formula out easier. The new one I got still works, but I just don't prefer it for some reason! 

Here is the one I really recommend. The one on the left is the single serve, the one on the right is the 3 section dispenser. 

Here is the new one I have, it's shaped differently which makes it seem "bulkier" although it holds the same amount. 

That's really it. I'm literally sitting here racking my brain trying to think of other things, but I can't! We keep it pretty simple around here. There are lots of items we use on a day-to-day basis but they are items most everyone uses (spoons, bowls, bibs, bottles, toys, ect). I think you use more when you have a newborn! 

One thing I was hoping would be on the list was an Amber teething necklace (they wear it, not chew it). Since we haven't tried it yet, I can't put it on here. But I've heard raving reviews! Right now, all we can do to ease Levi's teething discomfort is give him infant Advil, which does help but I'd rather try a natural approach. Maybe in the 6-9 month post I'll have it.. if it works for us anyway!

What are your guys' top picks for this age? I'd love to hear about it!

xox Jessica

Little Levi: 7 Months Old

A note from Mommy:  Hey everyone! This month has been jam packed with fun and our little guy's personality has really taken off this last month. We are amazed at how he is developing into his own little character and we are so in love. I sure hope Levi can recall all he's done this past month! Let's find out...

Hi world! Levi here. I am officially 7 months old as of September 23rd. There are no wellness check ups at this age (although I do get vaccines.. delayed schedule) so I am not able to inform you of my growth. We won't know my measurements until my 9 month check up. I guess Mommy and Daddy could measure me and attempt to weigh me. They don't have the proper equipment though. But who knows, maybe they'll get anxious and do it just for a rough estimate. It's crazy how fast babies grow!

We have done so much this past month, my baby brain can hardly retain all the information!

Mommy and I joined a "Stay at Home Mommy Group" with a hundred plus North Raleigh/Wake Forest area moms. The calendar is always full of activities in the area. You pick and choose which activities/events you want to go to. We went to our first "outing" at Durant Park and went on a stroller walk with 3 other moms and their babies. It was nice! We haven't been to any other activities with the group because of how busy we've been! But we are looking forward to going to more.

My Grammy (Daddy's mom) has watched me a few times this past month. It's been such a big help! And of course, who doesn't love hanging out with their Grammy? She always takes me on walks in my stroller because she knows how much I love it. Thanks Grammy!

Mommy and I also joined a weekly Women's Bible study. It's not affiliated with any church or denomination. It's called CBS (Community Bible Study) and classes are held all over the nation. This year Mommy is going through the book of John for 9 months! She's very excited. There is child care during this 2 hour period each week, which is great! I love socializing :)

My "aunt" Autumn visited from Florida and we went bridesmaid dress shopping with Mommy. Autumn helped play with me while Mommy tried on dresses. After that, we went to the mall and some stores and hung out. I miss you already Autumn!

I initially was going to go on my grandparents (Mommy's side) boat on Labor Day but Mommy and Daddy ended up going by themselves and left me with Grammy. So I thought I would have more to tell you about my first Labor Day, but it was pretty low key for me! Just hung with Grammy for the afternoon!

I also had my first sleepover AWAY from my parents. My grandparents (Mommy's side) kept me all day one Saturday, I slept over and then returned back to my parents Sunday at church. I did really well! This makes Mommy and Daddy very happy and now they are confident that I am able to sleep somewhere without them. I am a great sleeper so who ever watches me doesn't even need to get up with me until I get up in the morning. They took me to the mall again (I love to people watch!) and they had fun keeping me to themselves. Mommy and Daddy REALLY enjoyed sleeping in Sunday morning.. like, REALLY. 

My Mommy celebrated her 26th birthday on September 6th. Happy Birthday Mommy! On the 7th we had a "50s/Rockabilly" party at our house for her and her good friend Yana (Mommy of my baby friend, Ezra). Lots of people, and 2 other babies, came and it was so fun! I went to bed at my usual time and although the party was really loud, I slept like a champ! Before I went to bed, of course the adults had to get pictures of the babies.. here are a few!

This is Arianna, she really digs me!

Here is my buddy Ezra.. we plan on getting into lots of trouble as we get older

Here is me with my parents, 50s style!

The last big event that happened this past month was my first out of state trip to Florida, which included flying on a plane for the first time! We went for my Grandpa's (Mom's side) brother's wedding. I cut TWO teeth the day before we left (we'll get to that later) so Mommy was very nervous about how I would do dealing with that and being on a plane. I pretty much rocked it, to say the least. Our first flight leaving Raleigh left at 7:15am meaning I had to wake up at 5am, which I am NOT used to. So my day started very early. We finally landed in Miami around noon and then had another 2 hour drive in the car to the Keys. I only slept maybe 30 minutes all day until we got to our hotel. I was a little fussy on the plane, but nothing major. Then during the trip we were on the go a lot so my schedule was off, but even with that, I did pretty well. The only break down I had was after we took a day trip to Key West (2 hour drive from where we were staying). Since I didn't nap all day (I'm not an "on the go" napper.. I prefer my bed!), I was exhausted. When we got in the car at 9pm I fell asleep.. for about 45 minutes. After that I screamed and cried my head off. You could not comfort me, I. WAS. TICKED. Who could blame me though? Other than that incident I did pretty darn well. On the plane rides home, I did even better than before. I took better naps on the plane and even slept in the car better. Besides traveling, I had a lot of fun meeting family I have never met and may or may not see for a long time. Everyone doted on how cute I was :) There was a pool on the property and I really enjoyed it because I could sit in 2-3 inches of water and splash away! At first I was a little uncertain because the water was a little cool. By the last day, I was a splashing fool! Here are some pics...

Lounging with Mom at the pool

Daddy getting me acclimated 

Me being super cute sitting in some rose petals after the wedding

Family photo.. I wasn't looking though, whoops!

YaYa, Uncle Garrett, Granpa, Daddy, Me and Mommy

I loved watching/listening to the steel drums

Hanging out with Daddy at Fat Tuesdays in Key West (a daiquiri bar, of course I couldn't have any)

Having dinner at the original Margaritaville in Key West

Key West sunset.. beautiful!

Ok now you are filled in on the events that have occurred in the last month. Now let's talk milestones/habits! 

-I am a champ at sitting up now. I still fall over, but very rarely.

-I had TWO teeth pop through at the same time. Mommy initially felt them before they were really visible. It's been 2 weeks and they still aren't all the way up. They are visible tough. Can you see them?

-I do this "beating/patting" thing with my hand (usually right hand) on my toys or objects. Daddy and Mommy think it's hilarious. I'll take a toy and just tap, tap, tap it. Sorry I don't have a video, you'll just have to visualize it!

-I blow raspberries with my mouth

-I babble and talk a lot.. the syllable I say the most is "bah"

-I get upset easily at new/startling situations. For example, Mommy brought me over to the house she used to babysit at with Addie, Austin and Cameron. When we walked in the door, all the kids were really rambunctious (what's new?) and coming up to me saying "Hi Levi" and all up in my grill and I'm just not used to all that commotion, so I busted into a full fledged wail. Apparently, I need to ease into situations. 

-I am developing quite the attitude. Mommy refers to me as the Dude with the Tude. I am generally a happy baby, but I certainly know how to show my frustration at any given moment. I whine, grunt.. just to let you know I'm not happy. I may only be 7 months, but I know how to work it and try and get my way!

-I KNOW when it's bath time and get SO excited. When Mommy brings me into the bathroom and turns the faucet on and starts taking off my clothes I kick, flail and squeal and laugh because I just love it!

Here is my "general" schedule (subject to change if we are out doing something during the day.. then we modify as needed).

7-8am: wake up, eat breakfast which includes a bottle and rice cereal with fruit

2 hours after I wake up I am ready for my nap, so around 9-10am and I sleep anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours. If I wake up after 45 mins Mommy leaves me in my bed for a while to see if I'll fall back asleep. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't!

11am-12pm: Bottle and rice cereal with veggies

1-2pm: Go down for nap #2... sleep for 45 mins to 2 hours, just depends!

3:30/4: Bottle and rice cereal with veggies

4:45-5:15: Nap 3# if needed (depends on my temperament, sometimes I can skip. More often than not, if I'm home, I usually take this nap). This nap is always 30-45 minutes. 

7/7:30pm: last bottle of the night

7:30/8: bed time! And I go down without any fuss! Mommy and Daddy read with me, pray with me and lay me down and I'm usually asleep in minutes. Most people are amazed by this. Mommy and Daddy never got in the habit of rocking me or any other night time habit to get me to fall asleep (don't get me wrong, they love to snuggle me! But they really enjoy that I go right to sleep with no qualms) . They've always laid me down when it was time for bed and I eventually learned that laying down and lights off meant bed time! After I fall asleep I sleep all the way until the morning. Occasionally I whimper in the middle of the night and all I need is my passy replaced. 

Overall, my 4 feedings stay consistent day-to-day, it's my naps that move around depending on our daily activities. The above schedule is typical on days we are able to be home for naps. 

Here are a few videos of me over the past month!

Here's me having fun in a mirror

Chatting with Mom

Sitting Up (compare to last month's blog.. such a difference!) 

Ticklish Baby

Island Baby.. Enjoying Steel Drums at the Florida Keys

Ok I think that's all my baby brain can muster up! I've filled you in on everything that's happened this past month. Talk to you in another month!

Love,

Big Boy Levi

Little Levi: 5 & 6 Months

Hello everyone! This is Levi filling you in with what's been going on in my life the past 2 months!

*Things I am doing now...

-Rolling over from back to tummy with ease
-I can roll from tummy to back, but I don't do it as much
-I can sit up (with help! Or else I'll topple over after a few seconds)
-Jibber jabbering and cooing.. my version of talking to myself!
-Pushing up really high on my arms when I'm on my tummy, almost to a 90 degree angle. Mommy and Daddy had to lower my crib because they were worried I might push myself over!
-Fake coughing (used to do it a lot at 5 months, I have kind of given it a break recently)
-Laughing when tickled, ESPECIALLY under my arm pit when you hold my arm up
-Splash like CRAZY in the bath when I'm in the mood
-Laugh at my dogs
-I love to observe.. people, animals, nature.. it's all so interesting!
-Grab everything. Have a glass of water on the table and I'm there? Forget it! I'm spilling it for you.
-Recognize strangers, or people who I don't see often.... sometimes I give the cutest pouty face and cry!


*Mommy continued to have supply issues, I am now weaned off the breast :( This was not how it was supposed to be, but things change! She would always offer the boob (hehe) to me before each feeding and I would latch for about 2 minutes before getting really frustrated and would look for the bottle (hey, it's easier, do you blame me?!) so eventually Mommy's milk supply lowered and pretty much has no milk. First, she would offer it before every feeding, then morning and night feeding only, then we were barely hanging onto the morning feeding alone. But eventually nothing at all was coming out so now I am officially getting no breast milk at 6 months. I was strictly breast fed until my 4th month though, so at least we made it that far!


*Here is what my schedule was like at 5 months
(at the beginning of 5 months, I was still on a 3 hour schedule, similar to what's listed in my 4 month old post... but a week into my 5th month Mommy switched me to a 4 hour schedule once we found out I was gaining weight again)
7/7:30: wake, nurse, bottle
8:30/9-10/11: nap (sometimes I nap for 45 mins, other times 2 hours!)
11:30 nurse, bottle, solids
1/2-3/3:30: nap
3:30: nurse, bottle, solids
5/5:30: 30-45 minute cat nap if needed (I get real fussy if I need this!)
7: bath time!
7:30: nurse, bottle
7:50: story time, prayer time with Mommy and Daddy
8: Lights out! I go right down when I'm laid in my crib.. and usually sleep all the way through the night. During my 5th month, I might cry one or 2 times in the night but Mommy just comes and puts my passy back in and I would go right back to bed.

**During my 5th month, we tweaked how and what I ate quite a bit. Mommy was trying to figure out do I get more solids or milk (formula or breast) and how much of each? She is still kind of new at this ;)

**Also, normally babies don't go to the pediatrician at 5 months, but we went to get me a weight check and to get vaccines (we do an alternative schedule). At this appointment I weighed 13lbs 10oz, which was almost 2 pounds gained in a month.. Whoo hoo!


*Here is my current schedule at 6 months (pretty similar to 5 months)..

7:30/8: wake up, bottle, solids (fruit and cereal)
9:30/10-10:30/11:30: nap (naps are still unpredictable! Sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 45 mins)
11:30/12: bottle, solids (veggie with or without fruit and cereal)
1/2-2/3:30: nap
3:30/4: bottle, solids (veggie with or without fruit and cereal)
5-6: cat nap if needed
7: bath time
7:30: bottle
7:50: story time and prayers
8: bed time!

**Note: sometimes if we're out and about when I normally nap around 1/2pm, I may cat nap in the car or on-the-go and then I'll take a real nap at home after my 3:30/4 feeding, usually I'll sleep from 4-6pm if this happens.

**At my 6 month check up, I got 2 vaccines (normally get 5-6) and got weighed and measured. I am 26 3/4" (75th percentile) long, 14lbs 11oz (still 5/10th percentile) but I'm gaining and the doctor said that's what matters. I am following right along with the projected milestones, too.


*When I was 5 months, we went on my first vacation to Carolina Beach. We rented a beach house with my grandparents (Mommy's parents), my Uncle Garrett and his friend, and my parents friends Margaret and Kyle. It was so fun! I was kind of fussy the whole trip, but overall I was still good, compared to some babies I guess! I did really well the first day at the beach, I managed to be content for 3 hours playing in the sand and water, relaxing in the shade and I took a great nap back at the house. The subsequent days weren't quite the same. I managed to have a little time at the beach, but not too long before I became unhappy. My sleep schedule was still consistent, I woke up a little early some days but that's because the room I was in was bright in the morning.

Here are some photos from the trip!

In my play pen under the shade at the beach

Relaxing on a dock... ahhh beach life

Out to eat in Southport.. Mommy was taking the picture

At the Fort Fisher Aquarium, which I LOVED.. so much to see!

Group photo before leaving (minus Kyle)

My 1st ferry ride (to Southport)

Being a baby is hard work!! Taking a nap with Daddy in Southport

My first day at the beach. I love my Mommy!

*Also, when Mommy worked all day for one of her weddings, my grandparents (Mommy's parents) watched me all day at their house and put me to bed on their own for the first time. Mommy came to their house after the wedding and spent the night, too. I loved being with my YaYa and Grandpa! They took me to the mall, where I really enjoyed walking around and people-watching. They even bought me a little toy, I love them!

Me sitting with Grandpa at the mall watching all the kids play

*Here are some videos of me!

Me sitting up!

Mommy tickling me :)

Rolling over in action

*Current nicknames:

-Squishy (that one continues to stick!)

-Little Mister

-Mister Man

-NiNi ("knee knee") don't ask.. Mommy recently started calling me this, what am I? A doll?

-Peanut

And many more random ones that are said in the heat of the moment. Why not just call me by my name? Who knows...

Things on the horizon for me that will be in my next post...

-Mommy's 50s themed birthday party

-Trip to the Florida Keys and my first time on an airplane for a family members wedding

-All day at Jordan Lake for Labor Day 

Lots to look forward to! Thanks for reading :)

With love,

Little Levi

Little Levi: 4 Months Old

*A note from Mommy: Sorry this post is a little late. I didn't really feel like posting it ASAP because our 4 month appointment was a little disappointing and we've been trying to fix the "problem" since then. I've been having different emotions and trying to deal with the facts in a way that makes me seem/feel not guilty, although I feel very guilty. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about.. here's what has been happening. The past month I have noticed Levi was on the skinny side and planned that we had better start rice cereal sooner than our original plan of 6 months. I just had a feeling he wasn't getting enough milk from me. We had been strictly breast feeding up until then. We went in for Levi's 4 month check up and found out he has only gained 11oz in TWO MONTHS. So he weighed in at 11lbs 11oz. He is in the 3rd percentile for weight :( Other than his "poor weight gain" (as the doctor labeled it on his chart), he is very healthy and amazingly strong. Now this had the doctor a little concerned, but it wasn't an emergency... just something we needed to solve to get him gaining weight again and will want to see him back at 5 months (where otherwise we would come in at 6 months). My instincts proved right in that I wasn't making enough milk and I was (still am) really upset. We had planned on not using formula if at all possible and not starting solids until 6 months. But we will do whatever we have to for our precious son. I find myself wondering all the time "what if we caught this sooner?", "why didn't I notice and do something?", "have I ruined his growth because I couldn't give what he needs?" and the fact that he's basically been starving eat at me everyday. I can sit back and wonder what his weight would be right now (supposed to be about twice his birth weight, which would put him at 18 pounds), but this is my first baby, and honestly I have no clue what I'm doing most of the time. Now please do not take this as "whoa is me" and I'm not asking for sympathy. Lord knows there are families going through really hard stuff right now with their little ones (I know a handful who have either lost their baby recently or are dealing with a lot of medical issues). My heart breaks for these people. I know Levi's poor weight gain is insignificant when compared to that, but to me, it's his health and I want the very best for him and it tears me up that he hasn't been getting what he needs. So we have basically been trying to fatten him up ever since! He still gets a little breast milk from me throughout the day, he also eats solids 3x a day (rice cereal with veggies and fruit) and formula a few times a day after nursing on me. Now, I have nothing *against* formula per se, but it is a synthetic form of the good stuff, let's be honest. I am glad it exists for instances like mine and for all of the other mommies who have low supply issues as well. I just wish we didn't need it, but am thankful to have it. Ok, rant over. I'll let Levi take over from here ;)


Hello world! This is Levi and I am 4 months old now and boy have things been getting interesting! I keep hearing my parents say how much they love this age and how much fun it is to have me around. Well, duh! At my last appointment I was weighed (which you read about from Mommy) and my length was 25 1/4" (60th percentile). I never really let Mommy know I was hungry because I didn't fuss between feedings, to her I seemed content.. I guess I was just used to it! But I am so happy with my new diet. Eating all of these new foods is so fun. Except it is much harder to poop now because my poops are getting more firm. So far I've had avocados, sweet potatoes and bananas. I saw Mommy buy carrots, green beans, apples and pears at the store.. so those are in store for me soon! She makes my food homemade and it is so yummy. Look at the video of me below trying rice cereal for the firs time. The little voices you hear in the video are Addie, Austin and Cameron. They were over hanging out with us.

Me playing on my floor mat

Here I am chatting away.. notice how I gasp when my face hits the blanket

Since this is late (I am 19 weeks as I write this), my schedule has already started to change from what it was this past month, but I will describe it how it was in my 4th month. You'll see in my 5th month post what my schedule is looking like now (although it could change! I like to keep it interesting). 

*if I wake up before 7, Mommy comes in and puts my passy back in and I usually make it to 7. There are a few times where I wake up a handful of times a night, but she just comes and puts my passy in and checks for a poopy diaper and I fall back asleep. The goal is for my wake time to be 7am, no earlier. Sometimes I'm super tired and I'll sleep until 8!

7am: wake/nurse/play

8am-10 (sometimes 11am): nap (I used to be consistent about a 3 hour morning nap, but this month a lot of times it has been 2 hours)

10 (or 11): wake/nurse/play

11:30-12:30/1: nap (but if I woke up at 11 previously, it would be 12:30-1:30/2 nap)

1pm: wake/nurse/play (or 2pm if I woke up from previous nap at 2)

2:30pm-4/4:30: nap (or 3:30-5 if I woke up from previous nap at 2)

4:30pm (or 5)- wake (if not up already)/nurse

5-8pm: hang out/cat nap and maybe a bath (I don't take a "scheduled" nap in my crib, but if I'm a bit fussy I get put in my swing where I might take a 30 minute power nap to get me through to my bed time)

8pm: nurse then bed (in bed by about 8:15/8:30)

9:30/10pm: dream feed.. last feeding of the night (Mommy was working on moving this back until it was at 9pm which would be very close to my last 8pm feed so we could drop it all together, but after the Dr. appointment we decided to keep it until I reach a healthy weight).

After my 4 month check up, this schedule is a bit different as far as feedings go, but you will see that in the 5 month post. 

This past month my great-grandpa (Mommy's grandpa) and his brother came down from Ohio and stayed with us for 3 days. They though I was a hoot. They enjoyed visiting with me very much. 

I also started sitting in my Bumbo seat. I really enjoy it especially when I'm in front of a mirror! It's very convenient for when Mommy needs to get ready, I can just sit on the bathroom counter and stare at myself. Yes, it has straps so I'm not going anywhere!

One weekend in June we went to Lake Waccamaw with Mommy's parents, Garrett and his girlfriend, Margaret and Kyle and Gail and Joel. It was very fun! I got to ride on a boat for the first time. Here is a pic of me in my life jacket. I basically liked to munch on it. 

I am starting to get more interactive.. playing with toys, "talking", smiling at everyone I see. I guess you could say my personality is starting to develop. 

Also, I went to JCPenny for a little portrait session a day before I turned 4 months. Mommy only bought it because it was a Groupon and she wanted to get some 4 month pictures. Well it wasn't the best experience because I refused to cooperate. Normally I am all smiles, but I didn't crack one at the photo shoot. They also tried laying me on my tummy (which I am a pro at), but I just face planted the ground most of the time. I'm not some sort of circus monkey you know! I don't do what you want when you want me to. Here are a few shots we got...

We will be doing photos again this fall, I hear, when I'm able to sit up on my own. Maybe, just maybe, I'll cooperate then. Tee hee!

Ok I think I've filled you in on what has gone down in my 4th month of life. Until next time!

Love,

Little (working on it!) Levi