Play Time

Levi has had so much fun discovering new toys! He played with this toy from his aunt Kortney forever the other night! I caught a little video of him playing...I was talking to him for a while before he noticed me! His reaction was priceless! You can see it around 1:00.

One Year of Awe

One year ago today was the day everything changed. My heart grew and my cup overflowed. From the moment my eyes first landed on those two pink lines, the only thing that mattered was God's mercy. And now, as I sit here holding my sweet baby boy as we talk all about his daddy, I reflect on all the Lord has done this past year and praise Him for allowing my heart to feel love like I'd never felt before.  To read more about that day, click here, here, here, then here!

Real Life.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: our sweet Levi is one magical baby. Rarely fussy and he has been smiling since birth. Sleeps through the night and nurses like a champion. No diaper rash, no reaction to laundry detergent or soap. Takes a bottle if he has to and can entertain himself like nobody's business. He's magic.

I read "Baby Wise" when I was pregnant and it made a lot of sense to me. The basic principles are that if a baby eats every 3 hours, has adequate wake time, and takes good naps, all in that order, you will have a generally happy baby. The baby will receive all of the calories he/she needs throughout the day to start sleeping through the night between 8-12 weeks old. Problem solving is much easier because you know when his/her tummy's full because they eat a full feeding each time they eat. A mom can plan her day with ease because she knows when the baby will (most likely) be hungry (with the exception of sick days and growth spurts in which case baby needs to eat more often.) The overall theory of Baby Wise is that if you can implement this routine into your baby's life, you will have room for flexibility and it will be easier to find a way to invest into your marriage as well, because you're not as stressed and the overall mood of the home is stable and as predictable as it can be with a child in the house! That was so important to me: to nurture my child in a way that would meet his needs and let him know he was so loved, but also to continue to grow in my relationship with my husband, all the while honoring the Lord.

That's all I wanted. So I began that routine in my baby's life as soon as he was born.

And you know what? IT WORKED! Levi went from getting up twice each night to once each night to sleeping through the night in a matter of 8.5 weeks. Rarely has he cried when I've had no idea why. Never have I ever sat and nursed all day long. I dropped the dream feed at 11 weeks old and ever since then he's been sleeping 12 hours a night, just like the book said he would. He is a super happy, easy going hunk of love. The kid is text book. 

Eh, not so much. His issue is napping, or lack there of. It has never been a struggle putting him down for nap. He let's out one or two whimpers, closes his eyes, and sucks on that paci until he's sound asleep. It's a beautiful process. However, since about 6 weeks old, he has never (well, with very few exceptions) napped for more than 45 minutes. Now, Baby Wise says a baby should nap anywhere between 1.5-2 hours (depending on age and time of day). The book contains all sorts of simple solutions to the problem. I found myself in the midst of a battle, trying to stuff my crazy baby into the author's formula: eat and play for 1.5 hours, sleep for 1.5 hours, then repeat. Except it wasn't working.

So then I tried everything. I asked my husband what I should do. He had no answers. I asked my mom, my friends, I read several blogs and re-read Baby Wise, sure to find answers! Apparently this phenomenon is known as "the 45 minute intruder," aka "I'm not the only one who's ever had to deal with this." Comforting, believe it or not. Anyway, my problem was that he wouldn't stay sleeping during his sleep transition that occurs in people after about 45 minutes of sleep. When he woke, he was clearly still so tired and desperately needed at least another 30 minutes of sleep, but couldn't fall back asleep. So I did what the experts said to do.

We tried cry it out with intermissions of reassurance. We cried it out without reassurance. We tried PUPD (pick up, put down), rocking, hand on belly, reassuring words, less wake time, more wake time, less stimulation, more stimulation, nursing one more time before nap, darkening the room, white noise, etc. I even considered Baby Wise's advice on "infant fatigue" in which a baby has been so tired for so long that it's recommended you let the baby sleep in your arms for a few days to catch up on much needed sleep, then place back in crib. But guess what? After days and days of trying each and every one of these, we ended up exactly where we started: a 45 minute nap.

After many afternoons of frustration, many days doubting my ability to even be a good parent, many times wondering if my kid would be able to thrive without good naps...I've come to a conclusion: it is what it is. Truth be told, Levi is not textbook. He

is not someone you shove into a mold. He is our Levi Jack. He is a unique individual created by my Almighty Creator. Don't get me wrong, all the books and all the unsolicited advice are great guidelines and I believe each have general principles worth applying. However, my kid is not going to squeeze into a parental one size fits all formula. I need to see him for who he is and do my best to meet him where he's at.

Here's a fun thought: our Creator sees us for who we are and meets us exactly where we're at. Funny how this whole "having a baby" thing really makes you better understand God's love for us.

So here's my conclusion: my little man is still most certainly magical, but it has nothing to do with what he does or doesn't do. I call my baby magical simply because he's mine.

My House Checklist!

Have you ever had so many ideas going through your mind you actually lose sleep thinking about it? Then when you actually fall asleep, you dream about it? That's been me lately. So many ideas for what to do to our house, and so much time to do it! At our old house, I felt more in a hurry to complete each room since I knew we wouldn't be there for a long time. However, when Brett and I bought this house, we bought it with the hopes we would be able to stay here long term. Assuming that we will and that God won't lead us elsewhere anytime soon, I've collected ideas for each room of the house. Over the next year, I hope to tackle a few of these projects, all within the realms of a very small budget. Granted, it'd be nice to be able to spend as much as my little heart desired for each room, but I like the challenge of keeping it reasonable and making something out of nothing! Here are a few ideas I have so far. Listed are both long term and short term goals. There are other rooms in our house I can't wait to tackle as well, but for now, this will have to do :)

Front of House

• Paint and add shutters, remove most of landscaping and add a few plants, paint front door
• Eventually replace and add more porch spindles, replace door, change light fixtures

Living Room 
   (pardon the Christmas decor as these are older pics...)

• Paint walls, paint trim and bead board white
• Eventually change light fixtures, replace carpet, replace furniture, replace baseboard

Family Room

• Paint walls, paint trim white
• Hang artwork and window treatments
• Eventually add built ins, rug, funky chairs, replace baseboard

Dining Room

• Paint walls, paint trim white
• Paint door
• Add window treatments and artwork
• Change light fixture
• Eventually add farmhouse table and chairs big enough for a few more kiddos, add proper baseboard, replace door with dutch door

Kitchen

• Paint walls and trim
• Eventually replace backsplash, add island, paint cabinets, add proper baseboard

Entry Way

• Paint walls and trim
• Paint door and paint spindles on staircase
• Eventually replace door and replace baseboard

Master Bedroom/Bathroom
  (previous owners pictures...)

• Paint walls, paint trim, paint closet doors
• Add window treatments
• Paint dressers and nightstands
• Create better bathroom storage (awkward closet not shown)
• Eventually replace baseboard

Backyard

• Update landscaping
• Strip and stain deck and swing, add proper support beams under deck
• Eventually add pergola, add lighting 

If you notice, there's one very strong theme when you look through the pictures: BROWN. I know there's a time and a place for taupe, but it's not now and it ain't here. My hope is that when you look at the "after" pictures, you see nothing but light and color and patterns and texture! Anyway, that's what's been on my mind lately! Now, to decide which project to start first...

Songs with Levi

   We are spending a good chunk of time on the backyard swing these days. I'm so thankful I get to spend time singing truth over Levi. What a precious way to spend my days. His favorites have been Peace like a River, He's got the Whole World in His Hands, and this little ditty...

Forgive the horse sound at the end...

Funny what noises you come up with 

during "baby talk" :)