One Year!

Levi is one year old! He is very different from the tiny baby I brought home last November. He was born with lots of dark brown hair, but he now has wisps of blonde hair. On the day he was born, he looked like a mixture of Pop Howell and Pop Luttrull, with a bit of Uncle Steven thrown in, but over the months, his face has morphed into a baby version of Rob's, with a bit of me around the eyes. He can crawl almost as fast as I can walk, and he's talking to us all the time, though not in words we always understand. He stands on his own, and eats almost everything we put in front of him. He has a laugh that makes us laugh in return, and he's learning new things every day. He's grown so much. I put all of his Tex pictures below so that you can see the progression:

We went on his birthday to have his picture taken. He did so well! Look at my big one-year-old!

Levi's YiaYia, Aunt Sandy, and cousin Sophia came up from Texas to help us celebrate his first birthday. I'll soon post pictures of our visit, along with pictures from his birthday party.

Lynda

Halloween 2009

Deciding Levi's Halloween costume didn't really take any consideration. Early on, I knew I wanted to dress him as a sock monkey, but I was disappointed with the costume options I found online. They didn't look exactly like the socks used to make real sock monkeys, and accuracy is very important to me. So...I decided to make one.

I ordered about eight pairs of extra-large Rockford red-heeled socks, and when they arrived, I thought, "Now what? I can't sew!" I visited websites looking for ideas, and one clever mom suggested sewing a costume over a sleeper, for added warmth. Well, it's quite cold here by Halloween, so I knew this was the solution, and hoped I could pull it off.

Here's an early shot of the construction...

And here's the finished costume. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

He'll wish someday I'd never taken this picture...but I did. And I love it.

And a bonus shot. After the costume, we tried on Levi's new hat and mittens. This picture makes us so happy!

Lynda

11 months!

Levi is 11 months now. I'm actually getting this post in under the wire, because he'll be 12 months in - gulp! - one week! He weighed in at 16 pounds, 15 ounces at his 11-month check up. That's a gain of just 1/4 of a pound over the last month. He measured 28 inches again and I've finally lost complete faith in the length measuring tool at the doctor office. I am responsible for holding him down straight as a board, and making sure my end of the measuring tool is flush against his feet, so it's operator error, and I'm looking forward to the time that he can stand on his own two feet and be measured against the wall. Here's his 11-month picture with Tex, all dressed in his sock monkey pajamas:



We just returned from a trip in Oklahoma, and somehow, his hair doubled in length and lightened while we were there. I can now see his golden, downy hair from a distance. While we were there, he called out for his Pop Luttrull, which often sounded like "Tot!". He also stood up unaided in Deedo's living room early in our visit. We haven't had any repeat performances, but it gives me hope that his balance is improving such that it won't be too long before he starts walking. Here are some pictures from our visit:


Reading with Pop




Bathing in Deedo's sink

Exploring with Pop

Having a quiet moment with Daddy

We returned home to our first big snow. Winter is unaware that she's early!

The night we got home, Levi was sitting in his high chair when Aggie walked through the kitchen. He pointed at her and said, "Cat!". We celebrated so much that he has continued to say "cat" (which sounds a lot like "tat") over and over the last few days. It's a lot of fun to see him make these verbal connections. His vocabulary is now up to five words: oh, Pop, cat, hi and bye.

I am happy to report that I evidently left morning sickness and nausea behind when I started my second trimester. I feel pretty good most days; there are still a couple of foods I can't quite bring myself to eat (including my favorite, Taco Bell), but otherwise, this is much better than the first time. I'm still not showing, but I will post pictures when there's something to see. The baby is about 3.5 inches now, or the size of a lemon. Levi will provide the visual:

I started my 15th week today, and I'm looking forward to feeling the first baby 'flutters' soon. We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time two weeks ago. It is really an amazing thing to hear that rapid heartbeat and know that all is apparently well. We've mostly referred to the baby as a girl; this is probably more desire than intuition, but from the get-go, this one just 'felt' like a girl. Our obstetrician, Dr. K, told us that mother's intuition is right about 60% of the time. We'll be thrilled either way. If the baby is a boy, we'll know what to expect, and if it's a girl, she'll be the first born on Rob's side of the family in a generation. A girl would probably make my niece Sophia happy too, as she'd have someone to do little girl things with. I have no idea what those things are since I was a tomboy, but Sophia will be a good teacher. We'll have an ultrasound sometime in January, and will share the news right away.

Well, that's all from our neck of the woods. Tomorrow is Halloween, and I'm very excited about Levi's costume. Stay tuned for pictures...

Lynda

Ten Months

Ten months already! Levi is getting so big! He now weighs 16 pounds, 11 ounces, and measures 28 inches. He's measured longer on prior visits, and since I know he's not shrinking, I can only conclude that measuring baby height is not an exact science. Levi has started signing 'all done' when he's full at mealtime. Sometimes he's so proud of signing that he indicates he's done when he's really not, but he gets it right more often than not. A couple of days ago, he surprised us by waving goodbye to Rob without any prodding. We didn't know he knew how to wave goodbye! He claps a lot, and really likes us to clap for him. If you clap for him, you can even convince him that it's fun to fall. Here's Levi's ten-month picture with Tex:

Every few months I go through Levi's clothes, packing away the ones that are too small and replacing them with the bigger clothes. I was thrilled this time to see that he's big enough to wear the dinosaur sleeper and hat that Rob and I picked out months before he was born. What a precious boy!

Raaaawwwwwrrrrr!

This is a picture of Rob and Levi holding a lima bean:

Why are Rob and Levi holding a lima bean? We've had so much fun showing Levi's growth next to Tex. We thought it would be fun to use Levi to show the growth of...the baby we're expecting in April! I'm eight an a half weeks pregnant, and the baby is about the size of a lima bean, hence the picture. The tentative due date is April 23rd, which would make Levi about 18 months when the new baby is born.

I'm feeling all right most days with the aid of some anti-nausea medicine. I haven't figured out what to eat that will satisfy my stomach without offending my mind. I lived on chocolate milkshakes and clam chowder last time, but just typing those words makes my stomach turn. I'll figure it out eventually, and I hope it's sooner than later.

I'm off to hunt for food...

Lynda

Nine Months

Since Levi is almost ten months old, I should probably give you all a nine month update! At his nine month checkup, Levi weighed 16 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 28 inches. He's getting to be such a big boy, and he didn't even cry when he got his vaccinations. This is Levi's nine month picture with Tex:

In the last month, Levi started using the 'big boy high chair', as I like to call it. He is now feeding himself part time; only about 60% of what he picks up makes it into his mouth, so we always spoon feed him a little bit to make sure he's eating enough. He's eating several fruits, vegetables, cheeses and some occasional meats for meals. He usually has Cheerios as an appetizer or dessert at each meal, too. God bless the person who invented Cheerios! They can keep him happy in restaurants when no other food or toy can. I know I'm in for it when I check his diaper bag and realize that I forgot to pack the Cheerios. Here are a few pictures of our proud self-feeder. The first, is of course, before the feeding:

And during:

Yes, that is a carrot cube stuck to his chest. Look how proud he is to have it there! Then there was the time he was managing carrots and Cheerios and got a Cheerio stuck to his chin:

He's still not aware that it's there.

He's still not aware that it's there.

He's STILL not aware that it's there. Oh, well.

Levi sprouted his two upper, middle teeth (which are about a mile apart), and just yesterday got his fifth tooth - one on the bottom right. All these new teeth explain the runny nose and the buckets of drool we've wiped for two weeks straight. He's been a little cranky, too, but we can't figure out if it's due to the teeth or a transition in his nap schedule.

Levi's learned to do so much in the last month or so. He graduated from the army crawl to the traditional, straight-arm crawl over the last week and a half. His Grandma and Pop Luttrull visited last week, and in that one week he learned to stand up in his crib, play peekaboo, wave, drink from his sippy cup, and say his first word: "oh!" (as in uh-oh, said when he drops something). Peekaboo is my favorite new skill; we can sometimes initiate a game by asking, "Where's Levi?", but mostly we realize that he wants to play when he's gotten very quiet and he's covering his eyes.

Levi and I spent some time in Texas last month, visiting family and friends. We went to meet my best friend Stephanie's newborn, Clint, and my grandmother (who goes by 'GG'). Stephanie and her husband Craig are wonderful parents, and I love how intentional they are about Clint's routines. From the start, they've practiced the same bedtime ritual, which includes a prayer and a special song that Craig wrote and plays for Clint. Their intentionality inspired us to start a bedtime routine for Levi when I returned home. Somehow, I got away without a single picture of the boys together. Shame on me.

Levi loved meeting GG. He smiled and laughed any time he heard her talk or laugh. They have quite the mutual admiration society.

One last picture...this is Levi in his new kicks. Lest you think we have more money than sense, we bought these shoes at the Nike outlet store for a super-low price, and we also bought them a size too big so that we'd get our money's worth out of them. Besides, it would be impossible for us to have more money than sense. We're very, very smart. He looks so grown up in his tennies!

For fun, you should go back through the pictures and observe Levi's nose. Does it look a bit orange to you? I noticed several weeks ago that his nose looked a bit yellow...then a bit orange. I said something about it to Rob, but forgot about it once I reasoned that it probably had more to do with the lighting in the room than actual skin color. I could not deny it once I began to notice it in pictures, though...I asked our pediatrician about it, and he said it's quite common for babies who eat plenty of carrots, squash and sweet potatoes to acquire an orange nose. We're trying to vary his diet a little more now.

We are midway through our final week-long family camp. We have a short family camp over Labor Day weekend, and then just a few weekend conferences. I can't believe how quickly this summer has passed! Over the last couple of weeks, we lost so many staff as they returned home for school that I found myself back in Kid's Club. I forgot what hard work it is! In the off-season, I'll be busy trying to write or adapt a new curriculum for next summer, then I have several little projects I want to finish, like Levi's Christmas stocking, birth announcement cross-stitch, nursery curtains, and room decorations. Something tells me that if I don't get them done by next summer, they'll never get done. I'm going to be a busy mama...

Lynda

Eight Months

Levi turned eight months old on Monday! He weighs 15 pounds, 15 ounces and measures 28 inches long. He sat unsupported for the first time on July 4th, but he doesn't really care for sitting up much. He's more interested in army crawling and scooting on his belly. He's been rocking on his hands and kness for a couple of weeks now, and I think that we're just days away from crawling. Here's a rare sitting moment:

And a peek at his teeth:

He loves to play with us when we go get him in the morning or from naps. As soon as he hears our footsteps or voice, he flips over on his stomach and hides his face. We'll ask him, "Where's Levi?" and he just grins. Every once in a while he picks up his head and smiles, before burying his face again. He's so much fun!

He's always been fairly vocal, but it's gone into overdrive over the last few days. He 'talks' continuously - to us, to himself, to his toys. He's eating a lot, sometimes requiring us to make a small second batch after he finishes his first helping.

Here's his eight-month picture with Tex:

We went hiking up Twin Sisters a week ago. Levi's been going on short walks in the hiking backpack, but this was his first lengthy hike. He feel asleep after about 30 minutes and had his standared 40-minute nap. We can't get him a trail patch since we had to return before reaching the summit, but it won't be long before he gets one.

When I lay Levi down to sleep, he turns on his belly and puts his bottom in the air. I passed by his crib to check on him yesterday, and took a picuture of his odd sleeping posture:

Rob caught Levi and I both before we blinked - an amazing feat:

This last picture is so sweet and it wasn't posed; Rob was playing with Levi and the ranch photographer caught the moment. This one will be framed on our wall soon.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Lynda

Seven Months

We took Levi for a checkup on Monday, and found that he weighs 15 pounds, one ounce and measures 27 1/4 inches long. Here's his seven-month picture with Tex.

Levi sprouted his second tooth late last week. Like the first tooth, it's hard to see, but it's there!

He's eating like a champ - I've been pleased to see him eat whatever we give him, and he usually takes a full (baby) bowl of food each sitting. He's mastered green beans, broccoli, yellow and butternut squash, and carrots. We started on pears yesterday and we'll try apples in a few more days.

Bath time is getting to be easier and much more fun. We still bathe Levi in the kitchen sink, and when we put him in the water, he spreads his arms out across the top like he's sitting in a tiny little hot tub. Once he gets accustomed to the water, he starts kicking, and Rob and I get almost as wet as he does. Here's my clean boy, drying off.

Levi's spending lots of time in the Exersaucer these days. Whoever invented the Exersaucer is a genius, and I love him/her. He stands up the majority of the time he's in there, and his little legs are getting pretty strong. He shows no interest in trying to sit up, but he tries to pull his body up when he worms over to the couch or the Exersaucer. Do babies ever pull up before they sit up?

And now for the real reason I wanted to post today - this is my new favorite picture. I got this picture because our little narcissist looooves looking at himself in the mirror. Rob got him to mug in the mirror and I leaned in and grabbed a shot. Look at my handsome men!

We're about to finish week 3 of family camp here at the ranch. It's going by so fast - we'll be one quarter of the way through on Saturday. Last summer went quickly, but this one is flying. I'm already sad about seeing the staff leave at the end of the summer. Since most of them are in college and nearing graduation, we never know if they'll be back. They're so much fun, and it's exciting to hear them talk about the things that God is doing in them and through them. It's a great time of life, and I love living it vicariously through them.

Well, there's a bag of popcorn fresh from the microwave, and if I don't run, I won't get any. The Luttrulls love them some popcorn!

Lynda