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

Now I Can Say I Have

In their spare time, the summer staff plays a game called "I've Never". Here's how it goes: the group sits in chairs arranged in a wide circle around one person standing in the center. The person in the center completes the sentence, "I've never ______" (example: "I've never been to Europe.") and everyone who has done that has to stand up from their chair, and find a new chair to sit in before someone else gets there. The person left standing without a chair is now "it" and is responsible for the next statement.

We've got some adventurous types on our staff, but since I've not done a lot of things, I spend a lot of time sitting. I've never been to Europe, skydived, been surfing, or gone hunting like many in the group. I've also never gotten my nose pierced, had a sister, climbed Longs Peak, or been to Africa. It's fun watching everyone play, but it would be more fun if I had more shared experiences. This week, I had a couple of new experiences that may increase my participation. If anyone says, "I've never been thrown from a horse." or, "I've never dislocated a finger.", I can happily join the mad scramble for a new chair.

[Full disclosure: there is an image of the aforementioned dislocated finger below. I am stalling so that you can decide whether you want to see it, and skip it if you don't. It's pretty gross looking, and if you're at all squeamish, you should either skip it, or have a trash can handy.]

So I was having a riding lesson earlier this week, and my wrangler friend and I left the horse pen to practice trotting on some roads in the lower meadow. My wrangler friend is a great teacher, and she'd just given me some instructions when her hat blew off. I remember her hat blowing toward me and my horse, seeing my legs in the air, and picking myself up off the ground. It seems that the flying hat spooked my horse, and in my inexperience, I was unable to ride out the horse's buck and hop. I stood up pretty quickly, told Laura that I was fine, and then I spied my finger. Though it didn't hurt, it didn't look right. I looked at my friend and told her that my finger was either broken or dislocated, and that we needed to get back to the barn.

I'm aware now of the Lord's provision, big and small. I am grateful that He set me in the grass next to the road, far from the horse. I'm relieved that my finger was only dislocated and not broken. I am appreciative that I ran into Levi's babysitter on the way back to the barn so that Rob and I could get to the medical center faster. He really took care of me in the whole situation.

Rob and I were at the medical center within thirty minutes and the finger was reduced (I prefer relocated) in a short time. By the way, having my finger put back in place was not as bad as I thought it would be. Even if it took four attempts. The description that the physician's assistant gave me beforehand was worse than the actual procedure. They sent me home with a lovely finger splint and I'll return next week to have it checked.

Here's one last chance to skip the picture, if you're inclined to do so. Without further delay, I present my gnarly dislocated finger:
When you return from throwing up, do you think you might like to play "I've Never"?

Lynda

He's a Yankee Doodle Dandy

Clint Cox was born in the wee hours of the Fourth of July. He weighed 9 pounds, 8.4 ounces and measured 21 inches. Stephanie, Craig and Clint are all well. I can't wait to meet little Clint. Thanks for you prayers!

Lynda

Stephanie and Clint

My best friend Stephanie checked into the hospital today to deliver Levi's best friend, Clint. If you're reading this today or in the next few days, please pray health and safety for Stephanie and Clint. Please pray for Craig, too, who is about to meet his son!

Lynda

Happy Father's Day, Rob!

What a happy father and son! Rob, it warms my heart to see how much you and Levi love each other, and how proud you are of him. You are a great dad, and you help me to be the best mom I can be. I love you!

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