Our big boy!

Little man friend has gotten to be a hungry little guy! For a while now he's been sleeping pretty long at night before waking to eat at roughly 4-5am. But the last week or so he started waking up multiple times a night to eat! ahhh! felt like the newborn stage all over again. so, we decided he must be needing to eat more during the day. A month ago I made some butternut squash baby food, so we busted it out and let him try it. and he LOVED it! Oh my, I couldn't feed him fast enough. he grabbed the spoon and about gagged himself trying to eat his squash. he stared at the bowl and cried when we took the spoon out of his mouth! and he actually didn't spit it all up! so since then we've given him butternut squash a couple of times and a little mashed banana once. he's not eating a lot yet, but his little system is starting to get used to it.

And by the way, I am LOVING making his baby food! One butternut squash made 40 one-ounce cubes of food! holy smokes!! I also made 8 cubes with one avocade, 12 cubes with one banana, and 12 cubes with one sweet potato. It's so fun and cheap! Plus, it tastes good! I keep eating Levi's squash when I give it to him :) It makes me glad knowing that I'm feeding him something that I would actually eat myself. It lasts in the fridge for up to 3 months, so I've got a nice little stash going that should last a while!

Levi went to his first superbowl party last night at our church's youth group! all the girls loved our little man pants! next year he'll probably be able to play in the church's indoor playground...this year, mommy and daddy got to play in it :)

Next Wednesday our little guy will be 5 months! I can't even believe it. Stay tuned for his 5 month update!

Snow Day!

We were so excited it snowed....but only because we've been dying to dress levi in this very cute snowsuit that his friend Cole gave him!! I didn't ever want to take him out of it because he was so smushy and cuddly!!

He liked it too...can't ya tell!??

We didn't stay outside very long though...his little cheeks got so pink! He had a blast though!

And this is what happens when you try to sled ride on a cardboard box in your backyard....you land crotch first into a bush. hehehe.....nice one babe.

Our first snow in our new house! Isn't my husband the most talented man in the world to design and build us this house??

Well....I've been trying to upload a video of dean taking levi down a little slope in our yard on the "sled"....it's not working. I'll try again later.

Dean likes to call it "inside day" when we have days where we just hang around the house. Now because of this snow/sleet we've got, we're having inside weekend! and i looooove it!!

tori

Where are you??

so this 6am thing is finally getting going. God has been asking me to wake up early with him for quite sometime now, and I'm just starting to be obedient. what a learning curve I have. and of course, just as soon as I decided to get my rear in gear, satan comes along with his attacks. first i got sick. then levi had some bad nights, waking up a lot. then i got sick again. then a trip to atlanta....all this kept me from waking up early. but no more excuses! i have a great friend holding me accountable (thanks rebekah!) and I have the reward of time spent in the presence of God to look forward to. and in his presence i'm completely satisfied.

why do i get lazy and miss the awesome priveledge of spending time with God?? seriously. I'm so overly blessed, and yet i don't always make time for the One who has opened the floodgates and poured out his blessings on me.

I took a bible study once that briefly talked about adam and eve in the garden of eden. every day God would come to walk and talk with them. all He wanted was a relationship with them. on the day they sinned, God still came, but they were no where to be found. and God asked, "Where are you?" Sometimes I think He's asking me the same thing. He comes to meet with me every morning...and on the mornings when I don't show up I gently hear Him asking "Where are you?" And it breaks my heart. Sorry Lord, I'm sleeping in.

Where were you this morning, while God was sitting at your table waiting for you to show up?

Little ManFriend

Levi turns 4 months old today! I just can't even believe it. Our little turkey burger is now a big boy :)

Here's what he's been up to lately:

Yup, we gave him some rice cereal. He LOVED it!! he knew just what to do with the spoon and was so eager for more.

In fact, he stared at the bowl of food!!

He is loving all his toys! This is actually his cousin's toy, but he has one pretty similar that aunt Jaime let him borrow. He loves kicking his feet and getting his legs big and strong!

And he especially loves flying like an airplane with his daddy!

We love our little manfriend!! He's the best little manfriend in the world. We even have a "manfriend" song, just for him. Maybe I'll post the lyrics someday :) If you're lucky....

Levi loooooooves.......

getting his diaper changed!! how funny! he just LOVES his changing pad...he thinks it means play time :) here he is just chatting and giggling away! he's not quite sure if he likes me blowing raspberries on his tummy yet...

levi grabbing for stuff!

Levi's new "trick" :) we love this little turkey.

one more thing....

yesterday Levi started reaching for things! ahhhh! so fun :) I had his little baby paper in front oh him and slowly, but deliberately, his little hands reached right up, got it, and put it in his mouth :) He so entertaining every day. I couldn't wait for dean to get home so I could show him Levi's new "trick."

And his current nicknames:

lilttle man friend (this on is sticking around)
man pants
mr. farty butt
sweet cheeks
big boy (cuz he tries to walk and talk like a big boy :))

if he wasn't sleeping right now i would just have to squeeze him!! but i'll wait for another hour or so and let him sleep :)

3 months!!

I can't believe it's already been 3 months! everyone said time would fly by, and it certainly has. but each new phase of levi's life has been so much fun!

He is now giggling all the time! it's so funny to hear him giggle too! he's rolling over from his tummy to his back. he loves to talk to us while he's on his tummy...and he is SUCH a talker! his favorite toys right now seem to be his orange monkey (orange is his favorite color) and his "baby paper." He loves holding onto things and of course EVERYTHING goes into his mouth already :)
daddy has him doing "pull ups" to get his arms strong, hehe. he is sitting up sooooo well! he loves sitting in his bumbo already and he even sits in his high chair while we eat dinner....just like a big boy!! he's going anywhere from 8-11 hours at night, which is great!! now if he would just be a quiet sleeper maybe mommy and daddy could get that much sleep! he's such a grunter!! and for some reason about once a week he gets bad gas that keeps us all up all night long because of his grunting.

i tell him all the time that he's the strongest, smartest, cutest baby in the world :) i'm sure all mommies say the same things to their babies. I'm sure he thinks his mommy is a wierdo because, as most of you know, i am the WORST baby talker ever!! and i get all giddy and excited every time he does even the smallest thing.

we LOOOOVE when he first wakes up. when we hear him stirring in the morning or after a nap, we both get sooo excited and go running into his room! haha! like two little kids at christmas, i tell ya. but he wakes up so stinking happy and cooing and smiling....it just melts our hearts! plus, we love when we unswaddle him to see his little arms fly up....he loves to stretch out after a nap!!

we're guessing he's about 13lbs now?? he's still wearing some of his 0-3 months clothes, but he's also started wearing a lot of his 3-6 months stuff. he has the cutest clothes!! everyone who bought or handed us down items gave us the best stuff! we love dressing him up in his "man pants" :) He has little man jeans, camo pants, and cute little sweat pants! haha! who new little boys clothes could be so much fun!??! we spike his hair up like his daddy's too. what a stud. his grammy made him the BEST little hat and shoe set! I can't wait to post some pictures of him in them.

anyway, that's our little man friend! we love having him around!! stay tuned for updated pics and videos and thanks for sharing in this fun adventure with us!!

tori

all. your. heart.

6am?? seriously God?? I've felt God asking me for quite some time now to get up early to spend time with him. and now recently he's specifically called me to get up at 6am. for those of you who know me....you know i am NOT an early morning person. and really, God, don't you know I have a baby now?? I mean seriously! 6am??? so i've fought it and fought it, like i usually do, and am just now starting to get diligent about getting up. ok, ok, you can't call getting up a couple of days a week DILIGENT! praise God for having mercy on my learning curve. i'm such a work in progress.

but as i was praying last night i kind of had this vision. God was asking me to seek him no matter what. he wants me to show him that i will run after him even in my hardest of times. he wants me to prove that i will chase after him, even when i dont have the will-power to do so. when i'm tired. beat down. exhausted. frustrated. did i mention tired??? so my vision was of me running after God. my hair's a mess from not having showered (pretty typical these days). i've got work papers in my hand, baby on my mind, cell phone on my ear, and coffee in my other hand. i'm tired and frazzled...but i'm running after Him. and as i approach his throne of grace with confidence...i drop it all. with open hands, i let it all go. and i simply come. and he cleanses me. renews me. refreshes me. in his presence i'm completely satisfied. and as i fall to my knees, with hands still raised, you know what i find there? i find Jesus. waiting for me. what a great reason to wake up early. no wonder God gives me the awesome opportunity to start my day with Him. just like God wants the first-fruits of my money, he wants the first-fruits of my day. and i sooooo want to give it to Him.

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

all.
your.
heart.

let that be my cry today, Lord.

strongest man in the world!

ok, so i may be the worst baby talker ever!! i just can't help myself. before levi came along i talked to my cats like this, so it was bound to be bad with a baby...right!??

anyway, our strong little man is rolling over these days! only from his belly to his back, not the other way around. he's been doing it since around 10 1/2 weeks. we are sooo proud of him! we have multiple videos of him rolling over, but this is just a little quick one. i love his stunned expression afterwards! ha!

i tell him all the time, in my best baby voice, that he's the strongest man in the world :) sometimes i even call him sampson....although i hope God doesn't require him to have long hair.....hehehe

loving every second with our strong little man-friend,

tori

Levi 11 weeks

Pimp my baby: Levi edition :) This is what happens when Savannah gets ahold of him....sideways hat, baggy pants, and one pant leg rolled up. hehehe

Our big boy likes to sit at the table with us when we eat dinner!! He even gets his own plate of food :) and apparently a knife?? yikes

All smiles!! this is one happy little guy, let me tell ya!

Holding his own bottle!! what a strong man

I enjoy smooshing his little cheeks together...so cute!

Dean looks pretty hot in this get-up

speaking of a strong man....check out this neck strength!

He loves sitting up in his bobby watching tv with daddy :)

Updates schmupdates

ok....i am such a slacker!! things have been hectic around here though. as if having an infant isn't hectic enough???

we have MOVED into our house!! yay! it's going to take a while to get settled in, but we are so thrilled to be living here...close to town! thank you Jesus!!

Levi is growing soooo much! he LOVES tummy time! he gets his head up, looks around, and tries to find me to make eye contact. and when he finds me, I get sooo excited...then he gets excited....and it's just the best thing EVER!! we both laugh and i usually cry because i'm so proud...and i'm kinda a mush when it comes to this kid. and he has already ROLLED OVER! ahhhh! i have no idea at what age babies start doing this, but he gets himself propped up so high when he's on his tummy, and his arms are so strong, that he rolls himself right over! we made him do it over and over the other night when he first did it. poor kid :)

anyway, i'm going to work on getting some video of tummy time! so stay tuned. and YES, i will try to get some pics up of the house too. i've been awful about keeping up with pictures these days! too much going on :)

later gators

tori

laughing levi

Levi has been smiling for weeks now, but we've had the hardest time catching it on camera or video!! so here we are trying, once again, to get him to smile and giggle! oh, and that's dean crunching on some chips in the very begining of the video :)

hope you enjoy our cute little munchkin!

tori

Craft time!

I finally got some time recently to get back into my "crafting!" Yay for nap time! I whipped up a couple of these fun flowers that can be worn on hats, scarves, shirts, headbands, and more!

Can't wait for more nap-time crafting opportunities!

You know you're a new mom when...

* during a mid night diaper change the baby gets pee and spit-up all over your sheets, and you're too tired and lazy to clean it up. soooooo....you go back to bed....in the mess.

* your baby makes noises in the middle of the night and you furiously try burping him, rubbing his belly, and moving his legs to get gas out....just to realize that he's a baby and it's normal for him to make noises in his sleep.

* you're feeding the baby in the morning in the bedroom, and you call your husband to ask if he'll come home from work early. his reply: "it's saturday. i'm in the living room watching tv."

* you wake up in the morning struggling to remember how many days it's been since you've had a shower....1? 2? 3???

* your husband makes a comment about your "mom butt." watch it buddy.

* you get really excited about a doctor's appointment, because now you have an excuse to get all dressed up and get out of the house!

* you realize that your nursing pads also make great bottle openers, coasters, wee wee covers, spit-up cleaners, and much much more.

have more??? feel free to add them to my comment section!!