5 Months

Here’s what you are up to at 5 months:

You are such a good baby! People tell us that all the time. You smile at everyone and have such a great personality developing. You get really excited and “talk” in a high pitched way sometimes. You still love the 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe song, and now you also love the song your daddy made up for you. “Cheeky chi-can or cheeky can’t!” Ha! You are rolling all over the place now and in fact, it is difficult for me to ever get you to stay on your tummy for some tummy time because you just roll right over! You are so curious about your surroundings and seem to really be taking it all in. You are so expressive and inquisitive. You LOVE to explore the world around you by touching everything and then putting it in your mouth! Speaking of that, you now put your feet in your mouth pretty regularly; it’s the funniest thing! You are very flexible to be able to do that! Whenever I take a drink of water from a glass or water bottle, you get super excited and reach your hands out to hold it and get a drink of your own. Just like your mama, you love water! We don’t give it to you to drink; you just get a tiny sip now and then. We stopped feeding you rice cereal until you are 6 months because you were actually sleeping worse when you were eating it. I don’t think your tummy was ready to digest it yet. We didn’t get an official height and weight check from the Dr. this month, but according to our home scale you are 17 pounds. You are wearing 9 month clothes and only a few 6 month things still fit you. You are still in a size 3 diaper or medium g diaper. You have started to use your walker and LOVE it!! I put you in it and you are independent for up to 20 minutes sometimes. It is the greatest thing. You cruise around and concentrate very intently on the toys on the tray. Then you find a way to put the bar with the toys on it in your mouth. You also love your exercauser. You can entertain yourself in that for a long time. I have started showing you a few sign language words; mostly just all done and up. When I say all done now you get excited and sometimes even reach your hands up for me to pick you up out of the bathtub or walker. You are learning so much and it is so exciting to see! To get you to fall asleep I need: to swaddle you, put your pacifier in, cover your head with a burp cloth, hold/rock you for a few minutes, then, you’re out! It’s the magic formula! On Saturday mornings, your daddy is so wonderful and lets me sleep in. That is your special daddy time. He takes you to Home Depot, or plays with you for a few hours and you love every minute of it! You love music. You love your puppy Marley! It is so fun to watch you noticing her. When you see her, especially when you are in your walker, you look down at her and crack a huge smile.  You still love your bath time and still aren’t the best sleeper. You usually can do one longer stretch (about 4-5 hours), then you are up every 3 hours or so after that. We know your sleep will get better and better. I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with you, even if it’s in the middle of the night! You are such an amazing gift from God, and we love you so much!

4 Months

Levi, you are 4 months old! Here's what you are up to at 4 months...

You smile and laugh all the time. You are such a happy boy! You weigh 15.7 lb. (60%) and are 26 7/8 in. long (75%). You still wear 6-9 month clothes. You have gotten long and lean! But you still have those wonderful cheeks! Your daddy calls you Mr. Cheeks! :) You can fit in a size 2 diaper but are mostly wearing a size 3 or a medium gdiaper. You have rolled over a few times! You are still not the best sleeper, but I feel like we are making progress every day! You are napping better and letting me put you down more. You fall asleep very easily when I hold you, you have your pacifier in, and your head is covered in a blanket. It's the funniest thing, especially since I love to sleep with a pillow over my head! You sleep well for the first 3 1/2 hour stretch at night, so I am consistently getting at least that much sleep. You are starting to eat rice cereal! You sometimes make hilarious faces as if you hated the stuff, but then you open your mouth excited for more! You still love your bath time and kick away! You grab at everything (including my hair- ha!) You don't really like car rides unless I am in the back with you. If I drive you anywhere, you are usually upset. Unlike most babies, you don't really fall asleep in the car, even on long car rides. You have learned how to scream. Don't worry, it's not an upset scream, it's more like you are talking to us but you just do it in a high pitched way. Sometimes this scream comes out when you are really tired. You LOVE to cruise around with your dad in the Baby Bjorn! You are facing out now and love to take in all of your surroundings. Your daddy is the best. He takes you on Saturday mornings and Sunday before church so I can sleep in. We are both so lucky!! He can make you laugh more than anyone else can. It is the cutest thing! You are so incredibly loved by everyone in your life. Your grandparents love you so much and come over to see you whenever they can. We are blessed beyond measure to be your parents and to watch you grow! We praise God for you Levi!

3 Months

Levi, you are already 3 months! Time is going by so quickly! Here is what you are up to at 3 months...

You weigh 14.1 lb (75%) and are 24 7/8 in. long (80th). You are wearing 6-9 month clothes and wear a size 2 diaper, or size med. gdiaper. What a big boy! You are finally feeling great! You smile all the time and are usually such a happy boy! You have even started laughing! It is the cutest thing ever! You coo and "talk" all the time. We have been having lots of conversations lately. :) You still love your bath! You kick your legs and splash all around. Not only do you kick in the bath, but everywhere else too. You often kick to show you are excited. You have found your hand and love to suck on it and bite your fingers. The Dr. says you aren't teething yet, but that some babies like to suck their thumbs and some chew on their hands. You love to be swaddled and only like your paci when you are falling asleep. You are sleeping 5-7 hours a night (mostly 5), and aren't the best napper in the world. Some days you will only doze off for 1/2 hour at a time, and others you might sleep for a few hours. I haven't been super strict about the schedule so you eat either every 2 or 3 hours.

Everyone loves you and says you are such a beautiful boy! We are so thankful to be your parents! We love you so much!

Christmas Cards make me so happy!

I love checking the mailbox every day in December in the hopes of opening a new Christmas card. Each card I open is like a little present! Ever since we have been married, we have sent out a Christmas card of just the 2 of us. I have dreamed of the day we would have a little one on the card with us (or instead of us!) That time has finally come. I have been attmpting to get a great family shot for weeks and weeks. This past weekend we were able to get some great photos of at the Pelican Hill resort in Newport Beach. What a beautiful setting! We spent the weekend there with Randy's parents and Ryan and Jill. Now that we have some pictures to work with, I have the exciting yet overwhelming task of choosing a card! Luckily, Shutterfly has tons of beautiful layouts to choose from. I just love Shutterfly and in fact, I did all of my Christmas shopping there this year! It might just be the easiest year to shop for people ever! Who doesn't want a photo gift of our cute little Levi? :) Check out the links so you can make someone happy with a Christmas card or photo gift. And send me a card!! :)

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts

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!