Levi {12 Months}

Yay I'm a 1 year old!!

Size: 12-18 month clothes, size 4 diaper and size 5 at night, weighs 21ish pounds

Eating: Levi's an eating machine! His favorites are pita bread, chicken, okra, and strawberries. We transitioned to almond milk at 11.5 months old and he loves it! He drinks about 20 oz of almond milk a day (usually at breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner/ before bed). 

Sleeping: Sleeps 7:30/8 p.m.-7:30 a.m. Still taking a morning and afternoon nap. Some days we skip morning nap and take an early afternoon nap instead.

Milestones: 
~no more breastmilk or nursing! We praise God for a wonderful, successful year of breastfeeding-- even through our dairy and soy challenges.

Likes: riding around in his cozy coupe truck, playing in his monkey pool, books!!

Dislikes: being in high chair too long- if he's not actively eating something then he really doesn't want to be in the chair.

Mother's Day 2016

Daddy and his boys

cheering on Daddy at his softball game

((Psalm 16:8))

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

A Letter to Levi {My 1 year old}

Dear Levi,

One year ago tomorrow, God gave us YOU! And boy have you changed our lives for the better. It has been a beautiful year with you and I have loved every minute of being your mommy. The laughs, the smiles, the cuddles and kisses, the milestones, and even the tears. Through it all, you have brought us so much joy! It is a bittersweet thing to watch you turn 1. I want to hold on to my sweet baby, but I am also excited to watch you grow into a little boy. 

I will never forget May 29, 2015-- the day you entered this world and our lives. My labor began the night of our due date (May 28th) around 11:30 p.m. After weeks of Braxton Hicks contractions, early progress at the doctor (3 cm and 70% effaced at 38 weeks!), you decided you were ready to finally meet us. I labored at home for as long as I could and let your daddy get some needed rest before I decided we better get to the hospital. I was scheduled for an induction at 5 a.m. the next morning due to high blood pressure at our 40 week appointment, but the Lord answered our prayers and sent us into active labor before we ever got to the hospital.

We arrived to LMC around 4:30 a.m. after a stop at McDonald's for Daddy's biscuit and Dr. Pepper (!!) and after calling en route for the nurses to "please have an epidural ready!!" I was 6 cm when I got to the hospital and 8 cm when I finally got the epidural around 5:30 a.m. We called the family and told them they better hurry up and get there because things were moving fast. Your daddy never left my side and was so interested in everything that was happening. We were both so excited and ready to meet you!

Around 8:15 a.m. I was told it was time to push! Your daddy saw you first and announced how much hair you had! He held my hand and after just a few pushes, you entered this world at 8:28 a.m. Your daddy wept when he saw you for the first time and I wept when you let out your first cry. All I could think to say was, "Thank you Jesus!" over and over and over again.

It was a perfect moment and better than I ever imagined it would be. The nurse placed you on my chest and I was in awe when I held you for the first time. Your daddy prayed over us and I cried with thanks to God for his goodness, a healthy birth, and for giving us the gift of YOU!

It has been the most wonderful year, Levi, and we could not be more blessed to be your parents. It is a joy to watch you learn and grow and kiss your sweet cheeks. I love the start of each new day with you when I pick you up out of your crib every morning. I love reading books with you, watching you play with Finley, and seeing you and your Daddy love on each other. I'm thankful for a successful year of breastfeeding and bonding with you, of no sickness, and the honor of praying for you, snuggling with you, and loving you- my precious baby boy.

Most of all, I am thankful for God's grace that has covered us this year as we have grown closer to each other and to Him. At the end of the day, Levi, Jesus is the only thing that really matters. It is our prayer that you will see that in our lives and in our home and that you will dedicate your life to knowing, loving, and serving Him. 

We love you more than you'll ever know, sweet angel! 

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Ready for Battle

Have you ever felt unequipped for something?  Maybe for a test?  The daily grind of life?  Or perhaps for war – not a physical battle, but a spiritual one?

I recently found myself in a similar situation.  It seemed like I was being attacked from every angle, and I felt unequipped.  Unarmed.  Unprepared.  Unable to fight.  It did not take long for me to realize that I was fighting the battle with the wrong weapons.  

When we rely on our own strength to combat life's tough issues we end up tired, weary, and discouraged.  Why?  Because this is not how God intended us to live the victorious Christian life.  He is faithfully waiting to go to war for us and for us to call on Him in prayer. 

One of my favorite quotes from Priscilla Shirer's latest book, Fervent, says, "We pray because our own solutions don’t work and because prayer deploys, activates, and fortifies us against the attacks of the enemy.  We pray because we’re serious about taking back the ground he has sought to take from us.” 

Yes, we will face trials of many kinds, but we have a God who is listening and is ready to fight for us!  We see this beautiful theme all throughout Scripture: God often provides an opportunity for us to wholly trust Him as He fights on our behalf.  A great example from the Old Testament is the story of David and Goliath. 

David, a shepherd boy, was the youngest of his three brothers and probably the most unequipped to fight the Philistine giant, Goliath.  But God specifically chose him for this task.  In 1 Samuel 17:37 David courageously said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  All along, God had been preparing him for this particular battle.  David was ready to fight. 

He approached Goliath “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones.  He wasn't dressed in any armor and did not carry any other weapons.  Goliath scoffed at the handsome, unarmed boy.  But David stood his ground and declared, “The battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

And it was with the Lord's power that David defeated Goliath.  He prevailed with a sling, a stone, and complete dependence on God, his Defender and Protector.

What a great reminder for our present circumstances – good or bad.  It was not David's might that allowed him to take down Goliath; it was his reliance upon and trust in the One fighting on his behalf!  It's amazing to me to see how God used previous events in David's life to prepare him for this moment.  Just like for David, the trials we face today and the tough seasons we endure are simply strengthening our faith to conquer the unknown battles ahead of us. 

The next time you feel like you are facing a giant that seems too big to defeat, engage the most effective weapon we have as believers in Christ and call on God in prayer.  When we clothe ourselves in spiritual armor and find our strength in God alone, we will find – just like David – that true victory is in the Lord. 

Levi {11 Months}

Size: 12-18 month clothes, size 4 diapers, weighs a little over 20 pounds

Eating: Eats lots and lots! As of 2 weeks ago, he can now tolerate soybean oil! Thank you, Lord! I am still nursing/pumping (and dairy and soy free) but introduced soybean oil into my diet about 2 weeks ago as a trial and he has tolerated it just fine. Which expands our options significantly- woohoo! He either nurses or takes a 5 oz bottle of breast milk 4 times a day.  We are going to start weaning soon and transition to almond milk by his 1st birthday. 

Sleeping: He had some trouble sleeping again during the first part of the month and was up once or twice a night because of his teeth. He has been back to his normal 12 hours for the last couple of weeks now- thank goodness! He sleeps 7:30 p.m. - 7/7:30 a.m. and still takes a 1 hr morning and 1 hr afternoon nap. 

Milestones:
~His bottom two teeth have popped through!!! 

~signed "more" on 4.19.16 for more turkey and has been doing it consistently and in context ever since! :)

~first haircut today 4.29.16 and he did well. Jumped and squirmed the whole time!

Likes: playing in Finley's water bowl, opening and closing cabinets and doors, clapping and waving, walking/running around with his walker, eating cheerios, playing "games" on my phone (aka listening to the Fisher Price app songs), reading and looking at books in our laps and by himself on the floor, his paci! {Ever since his teeth starting coming in he has really wanted his paci. We usually only give it to him when he sleeps or in the car/stroller, but he has wanted it during the day now too-- I guess as a comfort from teething}

Dislikes: Being on his changing table- we change diapers on the floor now, also does not like scrambled eggs or broccoli

Before and After of his first haircut!

Mommy's boy

This boy and his books! :)

Let's Go Braves!

Exhibit A: opening and closing doors with Daddy :)

Sweet sleeping boy

Just reading my favorite book in the kitchen!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

((Psalm 73:28))

But for me it is good to be near God;

    I have made the Lord God my refuge,

    that I may tell of all your works.

Levi {10 Months}

Size: 12 month clothes, size 4 diapers, weighs 20 ish pounds 

Eating: Eats just about anything! He eats oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, fruit and puffs/crackers for snack, a combination of meat/veggies/beans/pasta/potato for lunch and dinner, and rice cereal for bedtime snack. He is still exclusively breastfed and I'm still dairy and soy free. He has milk 4 times a day and either nurses or takes 5 oz of breast milk in a bottle. Only 2 more months to go!! :)

Sleeping: It's been a rough month for sleep! Between teething, being gone for vacation, and daylight savings time... his sleep schedule got pretty messed up. My awesome sleeper all of a sudden started waking up very early, in the middle of the night, and would only nap for 30 minutes. It took several weeks, but we are FINALLY back to 11-12 hours at night. He sleeps 7:30/7:45 p.m. - 7:00/7:30 a.m. and naps for one hour in the morning and 1.5 hours in the afternoon. 

Milestones:
~scaling furniture and walks with walker
~he can properly identify Finley, dada, mama, book, snack

Likes: MOVING!! This boy does not stop all.day.long. He loves crawling, walking with his walker, climbing, standing, jumping, scaling furniture, playing with his toys, reading books (we love the Llama Llama books!), swinging and sliding, grabbing my face and kissing me on the mouth (my favorite!!), and making a mess with his food. 

Dislikes: Hates when we rinse shampoo out of his hair in the bath and when we clean out his nose. Also does not like to have his diaper changed... he doesn't like to be still for that long!! ;)

Levi thinks it's his bone. He loves his puppy.

We love Pelican's!!

Had a great day trip to Greenville to visit Aunt Meg, Asher, and Isaac

Levi and Asher. 

All mess. All the time. :)

Happy Easter!

Loves to drive!

New bathing suit and some snacks from the Easter bunny!

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

((Deuteronomy 6:5-7)) 

Levi {9 Months}

Size: 19 lbs, size 4 diaper, 9-12 month clothes

Eating: Around 8 months I stopped making purees and started offering more finger foods-- so he is feeding himself for the most part with the exception of cereal and sweet potatoes, etc. We also introduced some protein (beans) and pasta (gluten free spiral noodles) and he loves them! He has had almost every kind of fruit, vegetable and bean now and we plan to introduce meat soon. He eats 3 meals, one snack, takes 3 (5 oz) bottles of breast milk a day, and nurses before bed (7 am, 10:30 am, 3:30 pm, 6:30 pm).

A few weeks ago I decided I would do an experiment and try to introduce a tiny bit of dairy, soy, and gluten in increments to see how he would react. He reacted fine to the gluten (Jimmy John's sandwich bread and oatmeal) but threw up and screamed with stomach pains after eating soy (Moe's chicken) and also with dairy (butter). It was miserable for everyone. It took several days to get out of my milk, but he returned to his normal self as soon as it left his system. So, I am still dairy and soy free but am now eating gluten by way of oatmeal. I have come to prefer the gluten free noodles and we don't buy bread- so I am still mostly gluten free as well. 

Sleeping: Sleeps 12 hours at night (7 p.m. ish - 7 a.m.) and still takes a morning and afternoon nap. I plan to hang on to both naps for as long as possible :)

Milestones:
~started crawling on all fours on Feb. 7. He is officially on the move and all over the place! He is lightning fast too! 
~pulling up on everything and standing. We lowered his crab a couple of weeks ago because he was standing and ready to jump out :)
~waves on command :) and clapping on command as of today! 
~reflux has been gone for a good 6+ weeks now. Thank you Lord!!!

Likes: riding in shopping carts, Finley's red bone (he thinks it's his toy), looking at himself in the mirror, still loves his jumper, finding every electrical outlet in our house, opening and closing doors, being outside, eating snacks, "yelling" and getting people's attention- this boy has some pipes!

Dislikes: occasionally resists being put in car seat or high chair

Mommy's running buddy

My littlest valentine 

Look mom!!

standing and playing like a big boy

((Psalm 73:28))

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.