2 months

Today you are 2 months old! What a wonderful 2 months we have had with you as our son.

What you are up to at 2 months:

You smile all the time now! It is the cutest thing and it just melts my heart.
You are starting to "ooh" and "aah" more and try to "talk" to us.
Your neck is getting very strong and you can hold that head up really well.
You weigh 12lb. 15oz.
You still LOVE your bath time! It's your favorite for sure!
You are still in size 1 diapers but are growing out of them quickly.
You are fitting in mostly 3 month clothes and some 3-6 month things.
You are majorly attached to your mommy. If I ever hand you to someone (including your poor daddy) you are ok for a bit but then start crying and getting really upset. As soon as your dad hands you back to me, he counts to three and you are happy in my arms again. You are your mama's boy!
Your sleep has been a little sporadic, probably because you haven't been feeling well.
Last night you went 7 1/2 hours between feedings and slept for 6 1/2 hours! Amazing!
You are starting to look a bit like me and not Just your dad.
You are such a good baby. You only cry when you are hungry or tired.
You are the sweetest baby and we love you so much!

I took Levi to the doctor yesterday for a follow-up visit. He has a new cold (bummer!) but his ears and throat both look better which is great. He weighs 12lb. 15 oz. I think it's safe to say his growing has slowed a bit. We are going to stay home for at least a week to make sure he kicks this sickness once and for all.

I wanted to write down something before I forget it..

When Lei was born he was crying (which I know is good.) The nurses cleaned him up, weighed him, warmed him and wrapped him in a blanket. After all this they finally put him on my chest, still crying of course. I said, "It's okay Levi" and he immediately stopped crying and turned to try to look at me. He knew right away who his mama was! So cool!

6 Week Check-Up and Thanksgiving

When I took Levi to the pediatrician for his 6 week appointment, I had no idea he would weigh 12 pounds already! The nurse kept going up and up with the scale and I couldn't believe it! The doctor came in and looked at his chart and couldn't believe it either. He actually checked the scale to make sure it was working properly. When I was leaving, I even heard the doctor and nurse commenting, "Can you believe how much he has grown?" I guess he is a pretty big boy! :)

We finally had to put Levi on antibiotics this past Saturday since he has been sick for 4 weeks. He is already feeling better which is so wonderful! Our pediatrician is wonderful too. He called us on Thanksgiving and the day after to check on him. We feel really blessed to have Levi under his care. He decided to postpone Levi's shots since he wasn't feeling well. (Not looking forward to those!)

Thanksgiving with family was a lot of fun. We spent the day at my parent's house and enjoyed everyone's company. Levi spent his first Thanksgiving with his Nana and Papa, Great-Great Aunt Mary and Uncle Jerry, Great Uncle Danny, Great Aunt Debbie and Uncle Doug, and cousins Joey, Karen, Katie, Jo-Jo and Melissa.

The next day we celebrated Thanksgiving with Randy's side. (2 meals- yummy!!) Levi got to spend time with his Great Grandpa and Grandma Carpenter, Pauline, Grandma and Grandpa, Great Grandma Virginia, Uncle Ryan and Jill. It was a wonderful time!

1 Month

11/7/10

Here is what's happening now that you are 1 month old!

You have outgrown all of your newborn clothes and your 3 month clothes fit you pretty well.

You are a big boy! Your cheeks and chin are chubby and so cute!

You seem to have grown every time I pick you up after a nap.

You are wearing a size 1 diaper, but we are mostly using g diapers now.

You LOVE bath time! Just not the part when you have to get out and it's cold!

You are smiling a bit, but we can't tell if this is still gas. :)

You already have your first cold/cough. :(

We are starting to put you on a schedule so you can sleep more at night and it is going well so far!

You are the most precious gift from God and we love you so much!

How You Were Born

Levi, you are the best thing that has ever happened to us. This is how you came into the world.

On Wednesday, October 6th, we arrived at the hospital at 5pm to be induced. By 6pm they had placed the cervadil. I was 1cm dialated. At 10pm, our doctor came in to check on us and warned we might have to go home in the morning if there were no significant changes. Well, 20 minutes later my water broke and we knew you would be born soon! By 12pm I received an epidural which was wonderful at first. I got really chattery with the nurses and everyone could tell I felt much better. At 1am I was 4cm dialated and by 6am I was 10cm! My doctor was in surgery so they told me we would wait to push and let the baby labor down on his own. Once 8am rolled around, I started pushing and 2 hours later I had made little progress. Meanwhile, the epidural seemed to be working on my left side more than my right, and it kept waring off completely. They kept giving me a little boost called a bullis. After 2 hours of pushing I took an hour break. Then 2 more hours of pushing. Even less progress this time. Then another break. Then another 2 hours of pushing. All the while the epidural would all of a sudden quit working. Ouch!! My nurse was absolutely amazing! She prayed for me and was so supportive and wonderful the entire time. God sent her to me knowing what a blessing she would be during such a trying time. She began warning me that the baby might not be able to fit and a c-section might be necessary. She said I was pushing well and he just wasn't budging. They called my doctor and he asked that the operating room be prepared just in case. When he arrived he talked with me about using the vacuum as a last-ditch effort. He knew how much I wanted to avoid a c-section and he tried all he could to help me do that. I was afraid of the vacuum but didn't feel any pain from it. Unfortunately, even with several good pushes with a few contracti0ns, he told me that the baby did not budge one little bit and that we would need to have a c-section. I knew I had tried my hardest and that I had given everything I possibly could a try, so I felt ok about going in for surgery. The anesthesiologist decided that my epidural wasn't effective enough for surgery, so he gave me a spinal. The whole experience was surreal. I felt like I was in good hands and my nurse was right by my side. I was so relieved when Randy was allowed into the operating room. He had been so amazing that whole time. He knew exactly how to encourage and support me. He counted during my pushing. He told me I was so strong and he was so proud of me. He was more incredible than I could have ever asked for. I couldn't believe how quickly they got the baby out. As soon as they held him up, I began crying tears of joy. He was finally here. He was beautiful. At that moment, I didn't care a thing about the pain or the time it took for him to arrive. I didn't mind laying on an operating table and being cut open. He was here! I was a mom. The nurses kept saying he looked so healthy. He peed all over the place when the nurses were cleaning him up. When they weighed him and discovered he was 7lb 15oz, they remarked that he would be over 8 pounds had he not peed everywhere! He was 22in long, but that was because his poor little head was swollen from all that pushing I did. At the pediatrician a week later, we discovered he was actually 21in long. You were born on Thursday, Ocober 7th at 6:02pm. What an experience! We felt the prayers of our family and friends and knew peace that surpasses all understanding. We are so thankful for this beautiful little life that God has created. Our prayer is that we will raise him to know the Lord and to come to a saving relationship with Him. Welcome to the world, Levi! We love you!

Welcome Levi!

Levi Paul Carpenter
October 7, 2010 at 6:02pm
7lb 15 oz, 22in. long

Countdown...

So the countdown is on! At our last doctor appointment, he told us that he will check me at our next visit to see if we are ready to induce on the 7th or not. It might be a little later than that. I am hoping our little guy comes on his own in the next few days.

We are busy getting last minute things done and enjoying our last few days as a family of 2!

Our community group prayed for us on Thursday and I have been feeling more and more peace. I have been struggling with anxiety and nervousness because of the unknown. I know I can trust in the plan that God has for our baby to be born. The story is already written and now we get to see what it is!

Time to rest

I am officially on maternity leave! We went to the doc today and he decided I was done and that he is going to induce me on Oct. 7th. It is surreal to have a possible date our child will be born. Wow! Crazy! It will be so nice to have these next few weeks to rest.

Here we go!

Summer is over! School starts next Wednesday. My classroom is set up (thanks to my wonderful family) and I have most things prepped to begin the year. I'm not sure how long I will work, but am hoping to just make it through the first 2 weeks. I am actually looking forward to going back to work for a little bit.

We went to the doctor's yesterday for a check up and ultrasound. Everything looks good but the doc wasn't able to take any pictures of our little guy because he was hiding with his hands in front of his face. From what we did see, he definitely looks like Randy! He is measuring 4lb 14 ounces, which is in the 80th percentile. I know they can always be off at least a pound either way with those estimates, but I wouldn't be surprised if we had a big baby! We are on the home stretch... only 7 1/2 weeks to go! Who knows, we might even go sooner if he keeps measuring big!

Nesting

I believe nesting has begun! I'm cleaning out drawers, organizing, and thinking of a million things I want to do, get rid of or sort through. It's nice to have enough energy to accomplish some of these tasks. All the baby clothes I have so far are washed and put away. Baby hangers have been bought and things are hung up according to size. I look at these newborn outfits and can't imagine our baby will be so small. He might not fit into some of the teeny tiny things if he is a big baby. I was 9 pounds. Well, 8 pounds 15 1/2 ounces, but let's just call it 9 (for my mother's sake) and almost 21 inches long. Everyone comments on how they thought I looked like a 3 month old baby...ouch! So, all that to say, I am getting very excited to become a mom and to hold our little guy for the first time.

26 weeks, 5 days
Next appointment is on Monday, July 19th
We are loving the name Levi for now, but if you know us, that could change
That's all for now!

You're Invited

You've been invited. This invitation is not to a party but to a person. Jesus wants to open his heart to you, so he has said, "Come to me." This invitation is addressed to all who are weary and carry heavy burdens. This invitation is for you. Jesus wants you to come to him so he can give you the gift of rest. He knows that what you need is real rest--not just for your body, but also for your soul. And only Jesus can give you soul rest. He wants you to rest from trying to be good enough and from doing too much. He wants you to fully rest in his finished work on the cross, his provision of salvation. This is rest that begins now and continues into eternity. Jesus knows that if we don't rest in him, we'll sacrifice the important for the urgent, the personal for the public. If we don't rest in him, we'll end up empty on the inside, moving through life in a fog of meaningless religious ritual.

So how do you RSVP to Christ's invitation? He said, "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you." At first this may sound like just another burden. But the yoke of Jesus is the burden that makes all other burdens bearable. This yoke is what connects us to Jesus so that he can share our load. He wants to bear the weight of your burdens with his strong shoulders.

So when you find yourself searching for something to soothe the pain in your life, will you listen for the voice of Jesus whispering his invitation into your ear, "Come to me"? When you feel your frustration building and your strength fading, hear Jesus saying, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens." When you find yourself weighed down by unrealistic expectations or unbearable emotions, Jesus says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30, NIV).

Jesus stands with his arms outstretched saying, Come away from what is insignificant and empty so you can enter into what is eternal, essential, restful. Come to me. Let me love you. Who could resist such an invitation?

-Nancy Guthrie, The One Year Book of HOPE