10 Months

Levi Max, 10 Months.
(the sign in the picture should say 4/19/11) whoops!

Where has the time gone? It is hard to even remember what he was like as a little infant, I am getting sad he is growing so fast! On the other hand, he has only been sleeping through the night for the past 2 months- which includes making him cry it out in the crib if he wakes up before 6am!
He is definitely a mamas boy, and I love it. Very clingy, snuggly, and loves to nurse. He won't take a binky, he prefers mommy. And I think I have been "babying" him even more so because he seems so young compared to his big sis! Sometimes he just hangs out and lets out a consistent whine, for no reason. And sometimes he lets out an ear piercing squeal, turning heads when we are out in public. But for the most part, he is a happy little guy who gives a flirty little smile to everyone he sees.

Super huge.....

I realized there is such a difference between Levi at this age and Emma at this age. Most of it has to do with the fact that there are two of them and I am so much busier now. So then, I feel guilty. I need to spend more time talking and playing with him, encouraging him to do more on his own, etc. instead of simply holding him on my hip while we run around town doing big kid things!
Yet Levi gets so much more than Emma did simply by having an older sister. They play together and giggle together and interact with each other...they even fight with each other! Actually, fighting consists of Emma ripping a toy out of Levi's hands while he holds on for dear life, until she finally wins and he comes crawling to me crying with the saddest little face you can imagine :(

Super happy!

We love you little guy! Still squeaking like a little piggy, just like your first night in the hospital :) Your personality is really coming out, and you are the sweetest little guy around. Your hugs are the best, the absolute best, and you are pretty generous with them! So smiley and flirty, waving hello to everyone. We love you!!!

Grandma visits!

Visiting with Grandma at the mall. Levi was smitten, and Emma was very excited to talk Grandma's ear off.......


Unbelievable. The first day after Passover, we are eating at Chick-Fil-A, and all Emma wants is the leftover Passover pancakes I brought for Levi. Yuck!

Passover 2011

The whole crew. In matching shirts! Passover this year was extra special having (almost) everyone with us. Glad we could make it happen. And thanks for the shirts Grandaddy- it was a fantastic idea!! Steph, Brian, & Felix- you were all definitely missed and it most certainly wasn't the same without you. But Grandaddy had shirts made for you too, so you were with us in spirit!

The Mercado family photo- Felix's shirt included :)

After a heated search (although, I don't think Emma even knew what she was looking for), Gavin found the afikomen and traded it in for some chocolate lollipops and gummies. Emma is super excited as Saba is handing over chocolate lollipops for her, and a baggie of fresh fruit for Levi....hah.

devouring their treats......

The Seder table. Quite a crowd, and so glad to be a part of it :) Also glad cousin Lisa was there to lead Hadgadya this year. Thanks Lis!!

Playing peek-a-boo at the table

The Ox and the Holy One Blessed Be She....

Emma loved meeting her new cousin Juliet. This was one of about 20 hugs during their visit!

We had a few late nights.....

After dinner playtime. The kids came in here on their own and made up games and played with toys for a short while before babies started getting trampled and pictures came falling off the wall. Reminded me of fun cousin time in Mamare & Grandaddy's basement back in NY- minus the scary secret witch's box hidden in the creepy laundry room.

The studs of the evening.

That's what big sisters are for!

Levi tried to make a run for it out the doggie door today. Emma took off and put herself in front of the door to block him.

Levi's face says it all.......

Daddy Love! What a perfect afternoon :)

-holding hands. I love it!

A little trim.......

We took down 2 dead trees in the backyard this afternoon. My friend's brother who runs a landscaping business took them down, in addition to cleaning all the debris that fell from the trees this winter, picking up all the brush, and cleaning up pine needles. It is amazing. The difference is HUGE! The yard looks great, and this is just the beginning! It really opened things up, and I am learning how to do some landscaping to tame this beast!!

Before:

when the tree fell down, I thought to myself "man, how is he going to get rid of all that without shoving it into a tree-chopper??", and as I watched, once again I realized it was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be! (granted, I wasn't out there doing the work.....but I saw HOW he was doing it!). And it is small and silly, but still- I learned, slowly but surely- hacking away at it just a bit at a time, and before I knew it- it was gone!

After:



And he even trimmed a bit of the big tree that blocks the view of the front door. There were a few discussions about possibilities for a real entryway/walkway, but we are putting that off for another year or so. Priorities baby, priorities....

This was a big project, and Felix & I are so blown away by the outcome. We did not expect it to look nearly this good!
By the way.....it is supposed to snow tomorrow. Seriously?!!! Crazy!

The Homecoming

Emma knew Daddy was coming home on "Sunday". She didn't know that this morning was Sunday, and I didn't tell her when I saw him pull up in the driveway. But I knew she would be excited, since every time the door opened these past few days, she would always yell out "Daddy??"

Just might cry tears of relief tomorrow!

10 days.
I know, compared to others who have had to be apart from their husbands, it may not seem long. But for me, it was a long long time. And tomorrow morning, he will return home, and I feel like I may really cry when he walks through the door. The same feeling that kids must feel after braving a whole day at preschool away from mom, tear free, then burst into tears when seeing mom again at pick-up time!

Luckily everything went smoothly. No major catastrophes! Emma & I even joined forces a few times- killing 1 stink bug in her room, 1 in the bathroom, and a spider in the guest room. I was on my own to bravely take care of the mr.stinky I found in my bedroom before going to bed late one night.
The kids were healthy (Levi now has a hacking cough and runny nose), playing well together, sleeping perfectly, and pretty much tantrum-free!



I had everything scheduled for each day, and I really worked hard to make sure I stayed on top of keeping the house/dishes/clothes clean. I even did 4 loads of laundry, ran the dishwasher twice, and took out tons of trash & recycling- household chores Felix usually handles, and I definitely have a greater appreciation for him. I may even let him off the hook next time he puts a toy away in the wrong basket :) I certainly do my fair share of household chores, but usually, once I put the kids to bed at night- Felix takes over with anything that is left to do while I cook us dinner. Spoiled I am, that is for sure! It's not like I'm never alone with the kids, but I was just really dreading this 10 day stretch without him. Aside from all the household chores, he makes for pretty good company too- and I missed him and his all encompassing hugs, very much :).

Oh, my little Emma girl.
Levi was enjoying his morning nap, I was rushing to get dressed before he woke, and offered to put on Curious George for her. But- she insisted on watching the food network instead. I quietly spied on her to see if she really liked the show. Her mouth literally opened as if she was subconsciously eating the food, and when they showed a nice shot of the soup, her eyebrows shot up to say "wow!". She truly enjoyed watching them cook!

She kept me on my toes this past week. Still can't keep her fingers out of her nose- and after her nap, woke up crying as blood literally poured from her nostrils- into her mouth and all over her shirt. I think this last episode scared her, and she is finally taking my advice to simply rub her nose now. We'll see how long this lasts!
We read a ton of books, especially before bed. I am really enjoying our nighttime routine- her imagination is just out of control, and the things that she says is amazing. I need to write them down.

On our way out this morning to the much anticipated 'flower show' at the museum, we discovered we had a flat tire. Major bummer, since it took Emma close to an hour, and about 5 threats of not coming with us to the show, to finally put her shoes & socks on. Good news is we only made it to the end of our street before realizing it, so we were able to get back to our driveway safely and call AAA to put on the spare.

I hear my sister took the kids swimming outside today in sunny FL. Must be nice :)


Patiently waiting for the tire to be fixed. This kid thinks everything is a joke! Never stops smiling!
And....much to my surprise, he signed "milk" this morning!! It is absolutely overwhelming- the proud feelings I get when he does these small little things. Makes me so happy!! On the other hand- he also picked up the house phone, my cell phone, and the remote control and held it to his ear :) The kid doesn't miss a beat!