Levi Love

9 Months

Yes he is. Nine months already. Yet, I feel like he just joined the party! He is so so so so fun. A complete 180 from when he was a miserable newborn :) He really is smiling most of the time, giggles out loud, and my favorite- he plays with us. He really does.
He is only 9 months old, but he knows when he is funny and he does it on purpose.

Major milestones right now? Pulling to stand, and even a little cruising. 1 super giant tooth has come through on the top, and the one next to it is starting to poke through along with one on the bottom. But, he has about 4 more on the top and another on the bottom that are just begging to pop through those gums, so the poor guy must be in a bit of pain. I'm nervous to see how his teeth actually turn out- but am hopeful he has Felix's teeth to go with the good looks he got from his Daddy too!

He goes to bed around 7pm , but lately has been waking up around 5am to nurse, sleeps for another hour next to me, and then wants to play. This morning was the first time I made him cry (ok....scream) in his crib at 5am until 5:30 when he finally fell back asleep for another 45 minutes. I then went up to his room, nursed him on his couch and let him play safely on the floor while I caught a few more minutes of semi-sleep. I opened my eyes to find him standing (holding on to the couch) in front of me babbling "blah" in my face, which I think is his way of saying "boo" and laughing.

He is learning what I am teaching him!!!! Such a silly little thing, but I could not have been more proud. I taught him how to give a high-five, and he actually does it! When he started doing it consistently, I was so excited! I also taught him to do "so big" when asked "how big is levi?", and by accident, taught him how to click his tongue. He will look at me and do it from across the room and just smile. Oh you just gotta love this little munchkin! Plus, the fact that he can happily play in the playroom all by himself while Emma finishes off naptime is beyond exciting for me. And I don't consider it neglect, we all need a little quiet time in the afternoon! (I'm still watching him, just working in the kitchen while doing so......don't get worried!!)

He seems to be playing with more purpose now. He actually plays with the toy cars pushing them down the ramps instead of only trying to eat them. Loves music, rocks his whole body side to side, bounces up and down, and loves shaking the maraca or clapper toy. Oh and he claps his hands, all the time with a big grin. He smacks his lips and opens his mouth a bit just staring at us if he wants some of our food. If anyone claps hands, he is quick to follow. And finally, he is definitely a mama's boy! Starting to get a little panicky when I leave the room or leave him at the gym daycare- but not too bad. He definitely didn't like it when I held another newborn the other day! And today, while Emma was napping, he & I were playing in the playroom and he climbed up on me and completely wrapped his arms around my neck, burying his head in my shoulder. This was different than usual- he wasn't tired and just trying to snuggle or nurse, it was a full out tight squeeze and he was smiling, as if he really knew what he was doing. My. Heart. Melted.

I mean seriously! Look at him. He is such a love- and he is so much fun. Perhaps because he is just an innocent little 9 month old, but he seems to think everything is just so funny.
(I did not tell Emma to kiss him in this pic, but clearly she was doing it for the camera!)

9 months old, 22lbs, and strong!


And this little one. Looks old to me with her hair down in these pictures, I forget how young she really still is though. I find myself expecting a lot more from her now, and she is such a trooper!

Her imagination is out of control! She is always doing/talking/playing with something pretend and it always catches me off guard, every time! Even today at the library, I was getting frustrated with her because she was taking forever to just walk towards me to go out the door. And then, I realize she is pretending to put imaginary items in her imaginary purse before we can leave. And of course, gives me my imaginary items to take as well.

Posing for the camera, once again.

She is quite friendly. Today at the store we were picking out all different types of storage containers to organize her playroom. A woman walked by to browse the aisle, and Emma felt the need to let the lady know we were getting boxes for her playroom.
This is her singing face. Incase you can't tell.....it was a sweet, soft song. When I went to get her from the crib this morning she asked if I wanted to hear her new song. She totally made one up- I wish I could remember what the words were, but she was so proud!


And finally, the fake whine face. I can't stand this one, and she knows it.

Tonight before bed we were reading a book about a boy who went fishing. He finally caught some fish and brought them home to his mother. When I read the page that said "and his mother cooked the fish and they all ate it for dinner".... Emma looked at me with a funny grin and said "that's silly!" as in.... who would ever cook a fish?? I didn't have the heart to really explain it to her, especially since she is a die-hard Nemo fan right now. Plus, I can pretty much guarantee that I won't be cooking fish in our house anyways :) But now that I think about it, she probably doesn't realize where her chicken nuggets (hopefully!) come from either.....

And a great day was had by all!

LOVE his smile. He is starting to get some teeth, and loves to eat our faces. He comes at us, mouth open wide, just waiting to suck on our chin. He even does it to Emma.


She did it! This morning was her first 3-hour morning without mommy, and she did great. Felix got her up and dressed. Really? Didn't the ruffles & buttons give it away?? To his defense, he was in a major rush........

So, "mom's morning out" turned out to be more babysitting than "preschool activities", but that is just fine with me. Emma had a lot of fun, she played with toys, had a snack & read books, did an art project, and played with more toys. She was great at drop-off, giving me a big hug and kiss....and then went into total panic as I went for the door (as usual), but the teacher picked her up and she was fine within 2 seconds of me leaving. Apparently, halfway through the class she asked the teacher where Levi was. While it was a bit concerning it took her so long to ask about him (considering she thought he was there the whole time), it was heartwarming to hear. And when the teacher asked WHO Levi was, Emma said "my brother!". So sweet when I picture her little voice saying it!

Emma has been a very picky eater lately. Basically eats pancakes/waffles, crackers, PB&J, yogurt, hot dogs, quesadillas, and canteloupe. Of course, desserts are a no-brainer. I have been able to get her to eat frozen blueberries recently (she won't touch them once they start to defrost), but definitely no veggies. Not even beans or potatoes. She won't even eat mac & cheese and hardly touches chicken nuggets!!! These used to be my go-to meals when all else failed!!
Luckily she found this gigantic strawberry intriguing, even though she tells me strawberries are "disgusting".


Today for lunch I made her PB&J and gave her a side of sliced strawberries & peaches with a dollop of cool whip I topped with colored sprinkles. And ......wahlah! She licked that plate clean!!! Yet another perk of a few hours of activity away from mom.... lunch devoured!

And what did I do today from 9-12? After dropping Emma off, I rushed home with an excited smile on my face and put Levi down for his nap. Dishes were waiting to be cleaned in the sink, bathrooms were dirty, floors needed to be vacuumed.....but I just sat on the couch and read my book, and it was truly fantastic. I felt like I was being pampered at a spa :)
And the best part is that when I picked Emma up, we were both in such a good mood that we turned on her new Laurie Berkner music and danced around the house really having a great time. Even little Levi was sitting on the floor clapping and scooting around on his bum out of excitement.