Christmas 2015

The 2nd Christmas in our house

Waking up on Christmas morning!

My little Christmas cutie

Levi's first stocking

Sitting in the rocking chair that I got on my first Christmas as a little girl

How Finley spent Christmas

Levi loves his Aunt Holley

Noah's Ark from Mimi and Poppy but Levi just wants the paper

Levi got some Bible story books!

For Levi's gifts we did "something you want, something you need, something you wear, something you read." This was his "something you read"and I absolutely love them!

Playing with all my new toys! Holding his favorite: a cell phone :)

First Christmas as a family of 3!

These two cuties are my whole entire world.

Our birthday cake for Jesus! And a dairy, soy, and gluten free one at that so mommy could enjoy :)

Christmas Eve service

Hamming it up at the student Christmas worship service

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

((Isaiah 9:6))

Levi {6 Months}

A whole half of a year, Levi?! How can it be so? We love you more than you'll ever know and have enjoyed every little bit of you these last 6 months. You are the sweetest, cuddliest, happiest baby boy and we thank God for blessing us with you! 

Size: Wearing size 6-9 month clothes. Just switched to size 3 diapers. Weighs 15.5 lbs on our home scale.

Eating: Nurses 5 times a day (or takes 5 ounces of breast milk in a bottle) and we started rice cereal  (Earth's Best whole grain organic- allergen free!) at 5.5 months old which he eats once a day around 6 p.m. as a snack before his last nursing session at night. I started the rice cereal to get him used to using a spoon and get him acclimated to "food" before we start solids. Now that he's got the swing of this eating thing, we are going to start rice cereal twice a day (at morning after first feeding and at night before last feeding) and will add a solid at lunch in a few weeks-- planning to start with avocado. I am still dairy, soy and gluten free and no symptoms to report in little Levi! Praise the Lord for a healthy, happy baby!

Sleeping: Sleeps anywhere from 10-11.5 hours at night! I think the rice cereal has helped keep him fuller a little longer. He has slept 12 hours a handful of times but 10 or 11 is usually the norm. He takes two naps: one morning (2 hours) and one afternoon (1-1.5 hours). Most of the time he will take a 3rd nap around lunch time for an hour. A few weeks ago he started sleeping on his tummy! I always put him down on his side and one night he rolled over to his tummy and stayed there. He's been sleeping that way ever since! He sometimes sleeps with his lovey at naptime and enjoys cuddling with it. I haven't let him sleep with it overnight just yet. He nurses around 7 or 7:30 (about an hour or so after his rice cereal) and then we put him down for bed at 8 or 8:30 p.m.

Milestones:  

~Started rice cereal at 5.5 months 

~Sits up well by himself for about 30-45 seconds before he falls over :)

~Rolls all over the place when I lay him on the floor 

~Found his feet and loves grabbing them

~Reflux is clearing up and hopefully just about gone!

~Put up our Christmas tree on Nov. 23- Levi's first tree!

~Sleeps on tummy

~Rides up front in shopping cart and in Bob jogger without carrier

~Traveled 5 hours to New Bern to see family for Thanksgiving 

~First pic with Santa! 

~Experienced some Black Friday shopping (on Thanksgiving night) at Belk and Target. I carried him in the Bjorn and he laughed, smiled, and grabbed at clothes the whole time. I guess he was amused at all the people out shopping! 

Likes: Jumping- in his jumper, on the floor, in our lap-- he just loves to jump! He loves being tickled, singing songs, reading books, snuggling, sitting on the floor and playing with his toys, wants everything in our hands, grabbing my mouth and nose and Ryan's beard, lights up when he sees daddy walk in the room, watching Finley, basically everything he liked last month x10 :)

Dislikes: Socks and shoes- they stay on for about 5 minutes before he kicks them off. He's now at the age that he's becoming unsure of new people and unfamiliar places. When we were in New Bern for Thanksgiving, he got very panicked when I left the room and cried until I could hold him. 

Santa sighting in New Bern

Visiting Mimi and Poppy and the Fickles for Thanksgiving

Levi's first Turkey Day 

These two. 

Sleigh Bell Trot 5k 

Nov. 22-- remembering 7 years without Dad

Blocks are yummy

My favorite little Gamecock

Rice cereal is yummy!

((Psalm 100:4-5))
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Levi {5 Months}

Size: Switched to size 2 diapers a few weeks ago. Wearing size 6 month clothes. At his 10/22/15 well visit he weighed 14.4 lbs and was 25 inches long. 

Eating: Nurses 5 times a day every 3.5 or so hours (or takes 5 oz of breast milk in a bottle) and we are now dairy, soy and GLUTEN free. He had a reaction to (what we know now) was gluten a couple of weeks ago. I made (and enjoyed!!) this amazing, dairy and soy free, from scratch, chocolate chip cookie recipe that called for 2+ cups of flour and he reacted to it a few days later. We know it was gluten because I basically eat the same things every day and the only thing new to my diet was the cookies. While I had been eating small doses of gluten in my diet (like pita bread) since I've been dairy and soy free, I haven't had baked goods or that much flour since he was born. His reaction came on strong and consisted of a red rash on his face/cheeks, diaper rash, vomitting, rough eczema patches on arms and tummy, diarrhea, and trouble napping. Doctor confirmed our suspicions on 10/22 and advised me to now cut out gluten. This time took a little bit longer to clear his system-- about 2 weeks. It's another challenge to work through but still more than worth the sacrifice to breastfeed. By God's grace, we can do this! 

We are planning to follow the AAP suggestion and begin solids at 6 months. I am also planning to make our own baby food and I'm pretty excited about it! My friend Sara Lynn referred me to this website for help with introducing solids and making your own baby food. Check it out!

Sleeping: Still sleeping great at night (usually 10 or 11 hours) and we've dropped a nap so he has more awake time during the day. He takes 3 naps a day: 2+ hr morning, 1.5 hr afternoon, 1 hr evening. The goal is to put him to bed no later than 8:30 p.m. 

Milestones:  

~Puts paci and bottle in and out of his mouth

~Rolls side to side and working on rolling from back to tummy (UPDATE! Rolled from back to tummy on 10/30!)

~Sits up with support (but would rather stand)

~Very curious about everything! I love watching him learn and take in his surroundings

Likes: He LOVESSSSS his "precious planet" jumper/exercauser-- he could jump for days, petting Finley, things that light up- toys, phone, TV, vaccuum, blowing bubbles with his mouth, playing peekaboo, really taking interest in his loveys (and it melts my heart), singing Wheels on the Bus and Old McDonald and hearing all the animal "noises" with mommy, touching faces, shaking his rattle, when he hears/sees Daddy, feeling new textures (loves to scratch the couch and other surfaces)

Dislikes: Still the same here... this child is happiest when he can see or touch people :)

((Psalm 139:5))

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.