My bad

Rob here. I write a blog for the ranch staff and mistakenly posted that message to this blog - ooops! So I deleted it, but assumed that you still received the email saying there was a message...so here is a message:

I'm not very good at the blog.

Also, I walked down to the office this morning and noted what a nice day we're having. Bright sunshine, no wind at alll, and about an inch of new snow to make everything look like a postcard. I walked into the office and checked the outside temperature - it was 6 degrees.

I think we're adjusting to weather...

Rob

Precious Boy

Levi now sleeps through the night! Two weeks ago, we decided it was time to let him 'cry it out' at naptime and bedtime, and it was the best decision we've made in our short parenting lives. Before we made the change, he'd sleep a total of about eight hours a night, with two or three feedings or diaper changes in between. Now he sleeps 11-13 hours a night, and naps better during the daytime. The best part is that we can lay him down fully awake at naptime and bedtime. He may wimper, but he quickly finds his thumb and drifts off to sleep. I've almost forgotten what it was like to get up three or four times a night and be sleep deprived. Almost.

In other news, it's snowing more frequently now. I haven't seen the ground in several days, and I'm enjoying the cold weather much more than I thought I would. It helps a lot that I rarely go outside! It's really the wind that's problematic; I don't want to take Levi out while it's so cold and windy. Here are some pictures of the first real heavy snow that we had a couple of weeks back:

I wish that my niece Sophia could have seen all this snow. We had a lesser amount when she visited with her parents, and even then I think she could have stayed outdoors all day long if they'd let her. In Houston, we buy fake plastic icicles to string up at Christmastime. I saw these and thought they were beautiful:

Rob decided to grow a beard this winter, and he looks so different! I told him that the beard would go well with a turtleneck and a beret, but I doubt I'll see him in that getup. We'll all just have to imagine it.

Levi has started making new sounds with his mouth. I saw him stick out his tongue and make a 'pbbbbb!' sound yesterday. He did it accidentally, but you can see his mind working now as he tries to figure out how he did it. I've been trying to show him how, and he just smiles at me. If I can catch it on tape, I'll be sure to post it.

There's not much else to report, so I'll just post some of my favorite pictures from the last few weeks. Levi fell asleep in his swing one day in the strangest posture. I took this picture because his fat cheeks hide his precious neck most of the time. I think it's one of his sweetest features.

I call this Levi's 'big boy' picture, because in it, he looks so much older than his three months to me.

We were wrapping Levi up in his swaddle blanket one night when I realized that Levi looked a bit like a little angel.

I think I like this hat a lot more than Levi does.

We really like getting Levi dressed in the morning, because that's when he's the smiliest. Yes, smiliest.


This picture is for Auntie LaNell, who gave Levi this great bib. You can see that Levi is wearing the boots that we bought the day we learned we were expecting a boy. We bought them expecting that he'd wear them this summer, but he'll likely outgrow them before then.


We took this picture just before Grandma and Pop left last Sunday. Levi was a little sleepy, but it's still a great picture.

Pop can get Levi to sleep faster and easier than anyone. Levi is just moments from drifting off...
Here's one last shot of Levi in his most common pose. He figured out how to clasp his hands together a few days ago, and now spends most of his time like this.

We especially like this Winnie the Pooh outfit (thanks, Cyndi!).

Levi

It's Official...

...he found his thumb! It's pretty cute, too.



Lynda

Like a Little Baby Owl

When Levi started snorting loudly right after he was born, we joked that we'd actually given birth to a little pig rather than a baby. When he slept on our chests with his legs tucked up under him, we remarked that we brought home a frog instead of a boy. And, since he's begun cooing, "Hoo!" all the time, we've wondered if our little boy is actually a little baby owl.


He first made the sound when he chased off a sneeze. I saw his eyes close, then the 'sneeze face' appeared, but instead of the expected sneeze, I heard a breathy 'hoo!' as his eyes opened wide. Now, 'hoo!' is his favorite sound. He'll repeat the sound when we say it to him. I wish I could post a video of it for you, but as soon as he becomes aware of the camera, he stares at it and ceases to do whatever cute thing he was doing before.


It appears that Levi is going to be a thumb-sucker. He used to suck on his hands as a sign of hunger, but about two weeks ago, he started sucking on his hand at all times of the day or night, hungry or not. Before we left the hospital, the nurses predicted that Levi would soothe himself by sucking on his hands; I guess they knew what they were talking about. Sometimes he does it with such enthusiasm that we can hear him smacking on his hands through the walls. Here's a little demonstration, caught one night after we put him to bed:

I'm surprised there's any skin left on those fingers.

Lynda

Again, I Say, "Hallelujah!"

Even though I said I didn't expect Levi to sleep long and sleep late again so soon, I secretly did. I was disappointed when he didn't the next two nights - he seemed to take a step back and wake every two to three hours. Yesterday was the worst daytime on record. I think he was overtired, and following a day-long trip in the car, he refused to sleep unless he was in motion. We put him in the car seat and took turns swinging him until I remembered that our neighbors had offered to lend us their little girl's swing.

We placed him in the swing and held our breath. He was asleep within five minutes and continued to sleep for abour 40 minutes, which appears to be his maximum nap length right now. I had a different baby on my hands post-nap; sunnier, funnier, and smiley, compared to the crabby baby that went to sleep in the swing.

We weren't looking forward to bedtime, even if we did have the swing to fall back on. We started out late - 9:30 pm, and at 10:30 pm, we realized that he wasn't even going to sleep in the swing! I fed him again, put him down in his crib (crying), and went back to the living room to figure out what to do. We picked up the sleep book and searched for answers. Five minutes in, he was still crying and I had no answers. The pressure! I was worried that I was causing irreparable harm by allowing him to 'cry it out' so young. Eight minutes, and still crying. I found a section of the book advising us to let him cry 5, 10, or 20 minutes before going back in. I kept searching, trying to figure out if this advice was appropriate for his age. I checked the clock - ten minutes in and.....silence.

We didn't hear any more cries before we went to bed at 11:30. I woke up when I heard some small cries and checked the clock - 6:00 am! He slept through without any overnight feedings. He ate this morning at 7:00 and went back to sleep. He slept until 8:30. Here's hoping that today isn't as rough as yesterday.

Levi is returning smiles now, and it's so much fun!

Levi went to the pediatrician on Monday for his two month check-up. He weighed 10.5 pounds and measured 23 inches - he's grown 4.5 inches and 4.5 pounds in two months. Levi is so long that I brought out the three month clothes. This is one of my favorite new outfits:

We noticed when he was born that he had long eyelashes, but now they've darkened, and they seem to grow more every night. I took this picture to try to show just how long they are. By the way, I spend money to create eyelashes as long as his.

I found a plush lamb rug for his room that I thought would be good for what we call 'naked time', or more accurately, 'nothing but a diaper time'. The covering is very soft, and he loves worming around on it (Note to moms and Deedo: I turn the temperature higher so that he's warm enough.).

And one last picture - isn't be beautiful?

Lynda

Hallelujah!

This warrants an immediate blog post: last night, Levi slept from 9:00 pm until 3:30 am, and then went back to sleep until 8:00 am! I woke up on my own and took a shower before he woke up for the first time! I of course did the first-time parent worrying that I've read about but could not resist: I got up a couple of times to check on him to make sure he was okay, hoping not to wake him up in the process. I don't believe in luck, so I don't think I've 'jinxed' anything by crowing about it. I know full well that we may not have a repeat performance tonight, but I have enough hope that we may have more nights like these soon.

We're sitting on the couch now smiling and cooing at each other. My little boy is getting to be a big boy!

Lynda

Life

We're well past the six week mark now - Levi will be nine weeks old on Thursday. He's sleeping longer at night, he started vocalizing this week, and we've coaxed a few big smiles out of him in the last few days. He hates being buckled into his carseat, but once he's settled, he'll sleep through whatever errand or trip we're on. He loves his warm water baths, and really loves having his hair washed. He won't sleep unless he's swaddled, and whenever he cries, we can be certain that he'll stop if we lay him on the changing table pad (even if only for a short time). He gets the hiccups at least twice a day. He has a cowlick on the back of his head that makes a perfect little swirl, and he holds his head up all by himself. His feet are too big for his socks, so it's hard to keep any on. He makes the cutest little faces after he yawns, when he's full, and when he's about to sneeze. He's a precious and beautiful boy.

We went home for Christmas - to both Muskogee and Houston. Levi did amazingly well on the plane ride from Denver to Tulsa, and on the return trip. He got to spend a lot of time with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He spent a long, happy time in the arms of his great grandmother, Betty Eleanor. We went to Tallowood, saw the new sanctuary, and visited with a few friends while we were there. I'm so thankful we were able to make this trip.

We just said goodbye to my brother, Steven, sister-in-law, Sandy, and niece, Sophia, who came to visit us and play in the snow. Our neighbor, Emily, took us on horse-drawn sled rides, and Sophia ran around until her cheeks were bright red. We took Levi on his first wintertime walkabout, and he slept through the whole walk, snuggled in the bunting his grandma sent.

I just got a washer and dryer in the house! I'd been doing laundry at my neighbor's house or in town, but Rob and Steven installed the new appliances last week. A few adjustments must be made before I can use them regularly - they're stackable, and the washer's spin cycle sends the dryer right off the stack and into the wall.

Rob is working to recruit next summer's staff, write devotionals for the ranch's monthly newsletter, and complete projects on the grounds. Soon, I'll get started on the curriculum for this summer's Kid's Club. We joined a small group Bible study right before Levi was born, and we'll get back to meeting with them this week. I'm so happy to get out of the house and fellowship with friends from church.

This is what our life is like now...but enough of all that; I know that everyone wants pictures, so here they are:

This first picture was taken when Levi was just one week old - it's Levi and his sock monkey, Tex. My mom made me a sock monkey when I was little (I named her Diana), so I wanted Levi to have one, too. The second picture was taken when he was six weeks old. Look how much he's grown! By the way, I've shamelessly stolen the sock monkey/baby comparison concept from my friend Summer (thanks, Summer!).

This is the best example of what we call Levi's 'big eyes'. He makes these quite often, as those he's afraid of us...

Here's Rob testing out the cool baby carrier my mom found for us on Freecycle:

Keeping with the daddy theme, here are a couple of recent sweet moments: the first time Rob gave Levi a bottle...

...and the nap Levi took on his daddy's chest yesterday.

Here we are with Rob's grandmother, Deedo:

This is Levi all bundled up for his first ranch winter walkabout:

And lastly, two of the sweetest moments from our trip home; first, Levi snuggling with Pop Howell on Christmas Day...

...and Pop Luttrull spending some tummy time with Levi:


More pictures soon(ish)!

Lynda