Judah- 3 Months (10/4/2012)

Judah, you are 3 months old! You are growing so fast! You weigh 15 pounds 2 ounces. We aren't exactly sure how tall you are since we didn't have a doctor appointment this month. You are wearing 6 month clothes and have almost grown out of size 2 diapers. You are such a sweet, content, happy baby! You bring me so much joy! You have started to giggle. It is the cutest thing! So are your dimples! You are super observant. You can move and groove all over the place. The days of leaving you on the couch or changing table are coming to an end. Your sleep is inconsistent. One night you'll sleep 8 hours before waking up and the next you might sleep only 4. I can put you down for naps and for bed very easily. You have taken a few bottles and do well with that. You like the swing but are not a huge fan of the car seat still. It's possible teeth are coming soon! Ah! You drool a lot and always have your hand in your mouth. I absolutely love being your mommy. You are such a joy, an incredible delight and a gift from the Lord! We love you!

Levi is 2! (10/7/2012)

Levi, you are 2 years old! What a big boy! We are so thankful for you! You are learning and growing every day. You weigh 28 1/2 pounds and are just over 3 feet tall. The pediatrician expects you to be 6'1" or taller as an adult. You wear 2T clothes and a size 5 diaper. You wear a size 8 shoe. You sleep about 11 hours each night from 8pm-7am. Naps are usually 3 hours from 1-4pm. It seems like they might be getting a bit shorter just in the past week or so. You still sleep in your crib and amazingly, you haven't tried to climb out of it yet! That being said, you have climbed out of the pack n' play at your grandparent's housesYou have gone in the potty one time, but haven't been a fan of trying that again. That's ok. We won't push it until you're ready. . You are very strong! You lift heavy things, push heavy things and are starting to get some impressive muscles. :) You are a total rock climber. You climb on everything! Your daddy wants to make you a rock climbing wall in the backyard. You are still a total rascal. And you're 2. I won't go as far to say you are in the "terrible 2's," but we are working on being kind, gentle, sharing and listening and obeying mommy and daddy. I'm pretty sure every 2 year old is working on those things! :) You are so smart. You can sort different colored pom poms. You can tell us when there are 2 of something. Last night we babysat a baby. He and Judah were laying next to each other. You came up and said, "Two babies!" You are talking way more. You put two to three words together.I'll try to remember all the words you say...truck, tools, food, two, blue, purple, please, baby, mommy, daddy, nana, papa, no, owie, keys, juice, nice, boots, shoes, bar, bubbles, crackers, Bob, (for Bob the builder) doggie, moo, rolly, that, eyes, nose...there are too many to remember!! You are obsessed with trucks! We just had the funnest truck birthday party for you. You are such a sweet older brother. You always want to know where the baby is and you get so excited when you see him! Judah gets kisses from you all day long. You say, "Hi, baby!!" in a very excited voice all the time. You hug Judah, you ask to hold him, you pat him and you even cover him with your very special blanket! We prayed you would be a sweet and gentle older brother and you certainly are! You love tools, run to see the trash truck and are all boy. You have great fine motor skills. You love Marley and chase her all around the yard. You love to give her some of your food. We have taught you that you shouldn't give Marley your crackers. You remind us of this by saying, "Dradras no woo-woo," while shaking your finger no. Translated this means, "Don't give Marley crackers." Apparently you like to call dogs woo-woos. :) You love to play with bubbles in the bath. You still don't like getting water in your face when we rinse the soap out of your hair. You have a very sensitive heart. Mama has to be careful with what you watch. You recently saw a movie at the pediatricians office that scared you and you talked about it all day. Speaking of talking about something all day...A few months ago we walked you down the street to watch the tree trimmers at a neighbors house. Ever since then, you talk about the tree, the truck and the tools every single day. It's usually the first thing you mention when you wake up. You even make a cutting motion to mimic the men cutting the tree branches. You are so cute when you dance. Sometimes you stop to clap for yourself when you think you've done something great. You also kiss some of your own boo-boos and move on without even telling me you've been hurt. You are still such a great helper. You love to empty the trash and vacuum. You love to be given a job like pressing the buttons to start the dishwasher and washing machine. You reach out to hold our hands when we pray. You love books! Daddy reads you the storybook Bible all the time. You sit next to him so nicely and listen very intently. We love you so much and are incredibly thankful for these past 2 years with you! We look forward to each day we get to spend being your parents. You are so special and smart. We praise God for your life and for the joy your bring to ours! Love you!!

Judah- 2 Months (9/4/2012)

I wrote this in September and am finally posting it. :)

You are 2 months old! Time is flying by! You wear a size 2 diaper, size 3-6 month clothes, weigh 12 1/2 pounds and are 22 3/4 in tall. You are such a sweetheart! You love to coo and “talk” with us. You are so verbal already, ha! You smile all the time and love when we talk to you. You have discovered your hands and put them in your mouth all the time. You are super strong. You love it when we hold you facing out with our arm across your belly. You love to check out what is going on and I think the pressure feels good on your tummy.  You have already had your first cold but you got well quickly. You aren’t a huge fan of riding in the car. You are an amazing sleeper already! You typically sleep from 9pm to 4am! Wow! I am so thankful for the rest. You take about 4 naps during the day. You are so alert when you are awake. You are usually very content. I am so happy I get to be the mama to 2 amazing boys. We love you!

Judah- 1 Month (8/4/2012)

I wrote this blog post in August but am just getting around to posting it. :)

Judah, you are 1 month old! You wear a size 1 diaper, size 0-3 month clothes, weigh 11 1/2 pounds and are 21 1/2 inches tall. You nurse like a pro! You poor thing, we just discovered that your tummy is super sensitive when I eat dairy. You have been in a lot of pain, not sleeping well and up in the night with lots of crying and screaming. I am so thankful we finally figured out what was wrong, because now you are a happy little guy! Yay! I am now getting to know your personality, and you are a sweet little man. You love to be held and bounced. You nap several times a day and are sleeping better at night. You eat about every 2 hours during the day and more like every 3-4 at night. I can put you down drowsy but awake and you’ll fall asleep on your own. What a great baby! It’s been incredibly hot and we don’t have air conditioning, so you are living in either just a diaper or in a onesie.  Your brother can’t kiss you enough. You are so sweet and cuddly and cute! You have the sweetest ears. When you look at them sideways, you can see a heart. What a special gift you are from the Lord! We love you so much already and can’t wait to watch you grow! We thank God for you!

Judah Ray Carpenter

July 4th, 4:24pm
7lb 6oz 20in

We are so blessed. So thankful. So in love.

My little man has quite the sweet heart. He loves his mama. He sometimes stops what he is doing, and if needed takes his paci out, to come give me a kiss. Today at Target he wanted to hug me and have me hold him instead of riding in the cart. He climbs up with me on the couch to snuggle and watch Curious George. At bedtime, he wants to be held and rocked, read to and loved on before being put in his crib for the night. "Thank you" is often on his lips, especially when I've just given him food. Whenever we say, "Let's pray" he reaches out to hold our hands. At the park with strangers or whenever we are with friends, he usually ends up trying to kiss another child. Now he also hits or pushes or doesn't want to share with other kids, but for the most part, he is a sweetie. I love my boy. I think he learned all of this sweetness from his daddy. I love them so!

And Baby Makes 4

We are getting so excited to meet our second little man on July 4th! (If all goes to plan) I am feeling huge and tired, but very blessed at the same time. Everyday tasks are getting more difficult, but I have an amazing and helpful husband! Levi is as sweet, curious and mischievous as ever. We have been pointing out babies for months now and pointing to my belly and saying, "baby brother." I have been praying that the adjustment goes well for Levi, that he would be a kind and gentle older brother, and that he would still receive all the love and attention he needs once his brother arrives. I can't believe we are about to become a family of 4 and that I will have 2 rascals in the house! Phew! I am tired already, but ready for lots of laughs, memories, funny stories and "Dennis the Mennis" times like we had this week. Levi got into the cabinet and poured cornstarch ALL over the floor. While I went to the bathroom. For 1 1/2 minutes. I am in for it!! Our sweet friends took some maternity/family photos for us a few weeks ago and we love them!

Pregnancy info:
How far: 32 1/2 weeks along
C-section planned for July 4th at 39 weeks
Levi will be 21 months old a few days after the baby arrives
Gender: Boy
Sleep: Getting more difficult and uncomfortable, I toss and turn constantly
Cravings: Root beer (??), lemon meringue pie, Mexican food
Names: We like one but aren't sharing yet. I am struggling with middle names
Weight gain: Yeah right, like I would ever share that! :)
Baby gear: We have been SO blessed! We were given a brand new crib, tons of hand-me-down baby clothes, friends threw me a shower and gave us diapers, a carrier and other gifts, family is getting together tomorrow for a small shower, and my cousin is giving us her double strollers! Wow! I am so thankful!

God is so good to us! We thank Him for this new life and our many, many blessings!

18 Months

Levi, you turned 18 months old early this month! Here is what you are up to now that you are 1 1/2!

You weigh 25.6 pounds and are over 33 inches long. You wear 18 or 24 month clothes, size 6 shoes and a size 5 diaper. You are active, inquisitive, busy, curious, sweet, sensitive, hilarious and as usual, a TOTAL rascal. Some of my favorite rascal moments include you climbing to the top of the table and writing all over your hand with a pen you found up there, throwing ice all over the place at a birthday party we just attended, tipping your cup upside down to make puddles of water around the house, feeding Marley your snacks, pouring tons of water out of the bathtub, chasing Marley and hitting her with sticks, going down our slide face first on your stomach and your back and so many more. You are starting to talk more everyday. You consistently say: Daddy (your absolute favorite), mama, uh-oh, go, doggie, ah dun (all done), mil (milk), tank tu (thank you), yeah, yes and no. You've said Marley, Maggie and other words too. You shake your head "no" to a lot of things we ask like, "You want to go to bed?," "Do we need to change your diaper?" and so on. It is so funny. You are feeding yourself alomst completely and you love it. You eat well most days, but usually have a big breakfast or lunch and a small dinner. You drink milk a few times a day. You LOVE Curious George. You bring me the remote usually once a day when you want to watch an episode. Occasionally we watch Sesame Street, but that's it for the TV. You LOVE to play outside. We are outside for hours a day. You climb, slide, play in the house, dig in the dirt, "paint" with water on the fence, pretend to mow the lawn, chase Marley and hit her with sticks, push around your wagon or car and play in our play house. You love to explore. If I turn my back for one second, you are climbing on something that is too high and quite dangerous looking. You are such a great little helper. You love to use your small hand-held vacuum, you pretend to wipe things down, you pick up your bath toys and put them in the basket, you out your clothes in your hamper when I ask and you throw things in the trash occasionally. I hope this lasts! Your mommy appreciates the help so much! The other day you ate a cereal bar and got crumbs all over your hands and leg. You "talked" to me while making a hand motion. I finally realized that you wanted me to wipe you off. So, so cute! You LOVE to read. You bring me books all the time and your attention span has grown so that we can usually get through a whole book. You try to kiss Marley all the time now because I often tell you to be gentle. Speaking of being gentle, if I ask you where the baby is, you show me your belly or point to mine. Then you pat my tummy and sometimes you even kiss it! What a sweetheart! I am praying you will be a kind and gentle older brother. You are our greatest joy and blessing and we love you so much!

Life These Days

Life these days has been full, fun, busy, lovely. We are loving our new church, new friends, new life we are expecting in July. We celebrated Ryan and Jill's marriage in March. We are loving our little man. He is our joy, our most precious earthly treasure and responsibility. This weekend he will be 18 months old.

I am so thankful for these blessings I don't deserve. What a beautiful life.

Christmas Part 3b (Finally!)

Christmas at Grammy and Grandpa's included Grammy putting Levi in a Golden Retriever jacket (she's been waiting so long for it to fit him), a wonderful meal, a new rocking horse for Levi from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Jill, and a great day with family. We are very blessed.

Blessing

For the past few months I have had the joy of taking a parenting class led by Chelsea Cameron (Kirk Cameron's wife) at a local church. I am refreshed and renewed every Monday morning by Chelsea's teachings and encouragement in being a wife and mom. I have taken dozens of pages of notes because I don't want to forget a thing I am learning! Yesterday she talked about the family blessing. She gives each of her 6 children a blessing every night by laying her hands on them and saying a different blessing to each child. Kirk calls in from the road if he isn't home so he can be involved in the blessing. I am so excited by this and started it with Levi last night. Chelsea shared some Biblical examples of Jesus blessing people.
Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

What an amazing way to connect each night, give meaningful touch, make them feel special and loved, and remind them how very much Jesus, mom and dad love them!

She has us write our own blessing to share with our children. Of course, you could always use the Priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26:

24 ‘The LORD bless you
and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”

She shared a blessing similar to this:

"May the Lord bless you and protect you, keep you safe and give you peace, grant you wisdom and knowledge, keep you godly, righteous and pure, and may you know how very much Jesus and Mommy and Daddy love you every day of your life."

I said something similar to Levi last night. I love this so much!

15 Months

My little man is 15 months old today. He is such a joy, such a rascal, such a cutie. I'm sure it's pretty safe to say that close to all kids will learn how to talk, understand what others do and say and pretty much grow in every area. For some reason, I find it literally amazing when Levi shows us he has developed in a new way! Watching the body and mind of a little person grow daily is one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. Here are a few things Levi is doing these days that I don't want to forget (plus his stats):

At 15 months, you weigh about 24 pounds. You are super tall but we aren't exactly sure how tall that is. We go in for your official appointment on Jan. 20th. You are wearing 18 or 24 month clothes and are in a size 4 diaper. You wear a size 5 shoe. You are in a super awesome napping phase right now. I'm pretty sure you're growing. You have been taking 2 naps a day that are 2-3 hours each! At first I thought something was wrong, but now I am embracing it fully. :) You are starting to understand so much more. When I can tell you are looking for something, I'll point out where your water is sitting. You walk straight over to where I pointed and drink your water. The other day, you were fussy and I could tell you were tired. I asked you, "You want to go to bed?" You stopped crying, nodded your head and said, "Yah." Melt your mother's heart!!! You LOVE to play outside. You are such a little explorer. We have literally stayed outside for hours at a time climbing, falling, chasing Marley, playing in dirt and leaves, learning how to climb the stairs on your little slide, running around, pushing things, playing with sticks and sweeping the outside. You are obsessed with brooms rakes and vacuums. If you are fussy, sometimes I'll hand you the broom and you are perfectly happy again. You just started feeding yourself with a fork. You are so proud of yourself. Isn't that so exciting?! :) You are growing up so fast. You climb on everything, get into most things and have stopped being interested in cuddling. You still want your mom and have some separation anxiety, but you are too busy to cuddle. You are attached like glue to your blanket, still love your pac and bottle, and love your bear in the crib when you sleep. The newest addition to our routine is the use of a noise maker. I think it really helps you sleep more soundly as it obviously blocks out any noises going on in the house. Your new hobby is turning the noise maker on and off. As soon as you wake up, you are super excited to turn it off, so you reach for it and babble. Your Grammy taught you this. We have to move your crib away from the wall because you have also been enjoying turning the light in your room on and off when you should be sleeping. It is pretty hilarious to glance at the monitor and see you standing up flicking the light on and off. You are such a character. Lately, when you are excited or happy, you say, "ooooooooooooooooooohhhh." It is so, so cute. We are incredibly blessed to be your parents. We love you so very much!

Christmas Part 3 (a)

On Christmas day, we woke up and got Levi's toolbench out for him to discover. When he woke up, Randy went to get him while I waited with the camera. We wanted to catch his reaction to his Christmas present. Levi is super attached to his blanket these days. The funny thing is that he is in love with the same blanket I had in my crib as a baby. 28 years later my son can't be parted with it! He often wanders into his room throughout the day, pulls the blanket through the slats in his crib and brings it out to the living room. So, when Randy took his pac out and took his blanket away so he could round the corner and discover his gift, we did not have a very happy camper on our hands.

Randy gave Levi his beloved blanket back and all was well with the world once again. Once he looked around the corner, he was super excited to see a new toolbench! He kept saying "Ooooohhh!" over and over. Before he even got to the toolbench, he dropped his most prized possession like he couldn't get rid of it fast enough! He had a new toy to discover!

Christmas Part 2

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Friday the 23rd. It was such a nice time! I can't remember the last time ALL of my siblings and their children were together under the same roof. The kids all loved being together, we caught up on life, opened gifts and ate a yummy turkey dinner. I just love Christmas!