Levi – 26 Months

Little Levi has become quite the big boy. He went and had his first professional haircut this month! It didn’t turn out well but he sat perfectly quiet and very still throughout. His hair still has lots of body to it and if it’s humid out, it takes on some curl. I think the hair dresser was afraid to cut too much curl off. Ah well, he’s handsome either way. 🙂

Levi has mastered going on even the big twisty slides at the park on his own. It makes me nervous, of course. Especially since he broke his leg on a slide last year. But he really enjoys playing on the equipment like a big kid. Basically, if Levi is outside, he is happy. We spend lots of time outside just about everyday with the boys riding their bikes and coloring with sidewalk chalk. They also love picking grass for “pigger” and checking on all their berry plants. Hopefully some blueberries will be ready in the next week or so.

Helping Mommy water plants

 

I love the way Levi talks! It’s so cute. There is nothing that he can’t say; he’s got a very extensive vocabulary. But when he’s trying to think of the right word, he puts little pauses in his sentences and it’s absolutely adorable! I really need to get some video of him talking because I’ve been very lax with pictures and video lately and I realized the other day that I don’t have much footage with him talking at all.

Levi is super goofy (a trait that became apparent when he was only a few months old) and he loves to tease and joke. He doesn’t like loud sounds like motors (but he’s fine with stuff like fireworks) and he is afraid to ride on the lawnmower when DH gives Tru a ride. (Blades off, of course) Levi always runs up to me to keep him safe and it’s the cutest thing! So now, one of his favorite things to tell DH is “I scared you tractor! I not ride you tractor. I ride Pap pap’s tractor!” Or sometimes he tells DH “I ride you tractor.” And when DH pretends to get excited, Levi says “I not ride you tractor!”, with a goofy smile. And then he tells DH to be sad and cry. That’s just one of the many ways he likes to tease and goof around.

Super cool bros

In fact, Levi has always been a happy, easy-going kid. But it seems like lately he has to have at least one or two really epic tantrums per week. I’m talking, laying on the floor, can’t get ahold of his emotions, screaming, turning red and just completely inconsolable. There’s really nothing that we can do to calm him down and it seems the best thing is to just give him space until he gets his anger out (which was set off last night because he skipped his nap and it was time for bed, and the popsicles we bought weren’t frozen yet…. and that was just too much to bear). Once he stops crying, he’s usually really calm and happy. This is entirely different than what we deal with when Tru is upset. I try not to compare the two but it is interesting to see the different ways they handle their emotions.

Levi has always been really tender-hearted and he can’t handle being in trouble, it just breaks his heart. He has his obstinate side, but he is usually very receptive to even gentle correction. I usually try to get the boys to look in my eyes when I’m explaining why whatever they are doing is unkind behavior. Lots of the time, that works great with Tru. But getting Levi to look in my eyes while I talk to him is usually impossible (only when he’s mad). Really though, he’s a good kid. I mean, he has his moments like any kid, but I can’t complain. I really just want to find a way to help him channel his anger in a healthy way so he doesn’t have to have a complete meltdown every so often. It’s not so bad now, but can you imagine a 10 year old kid doing that? Because I can, and I’ll tell you, it ain’t pretty.

But, on to brighter things… Levi has grown a ton over the winter and this spring, I’ve found that very few of his t-shirts from last year still fit. He’s moved into mostly 3T clothes with some 2T still fitting. It should be no surprise how much he’s grown though, considering how well he eats! I can’t believe he used to be my picky kid who was a skimpy eater. He eats almost everything that is put in front of him. The only complaint I have is that neither of the boys like to finish all their supper and then they are hungry just as soon as we put everything away. They are always in a rush to go play so they are antsy trying to sit through supper. An average day would be, breakfast: yogurt and applesauce and sometimes cereal too. Multiple snacks all morning. One or all of the following: fruit pouch, raisins, cheese, 1/2 bagel and cream cheese, crackers. Lunch isn’t too exciting. Maybe just a half peanut butter sandwich or a tortilla with cheese (so gross but they love it). More snacks after naptime. Then supper. Then more snacks at night: a banana or half peanut butter sandwich (which, by the way, is called a “butter shirmps”). Usually the boys carry around their water cups all day (we have like 7 of them that we struggle to keep filled!) but once in awhile they have orange juice or chocolate milk.

We are really on a fresh grilled corn kick over here. Mmmmm!

 

I have noticed lately that Levi walks on the inside of his feet a bit. He’s definitely not flat-footed but when he walks, it kind of looks like he is. I think this might be leftover from when his leg was broken. I plan to mention it to his Dr at his next checkup but I think it’s probably ok.

One other little health concern I have with him is that he has developed several light colored “birthmarks” over the course of his life. The first one appeared right after he was born. The others have just started showing up more recently. I showed his Dr one on his groin and she found another on his leg. Then I noticed one on his back a few weeks ago. They are called cafe au lait spots.  Basically, it could be nothing but it’s something we are keeping an eye on because these spots can indicate a couple not so great things. I have at least one of those spots myself and it has never concerned me at all. But you know how everything is so much more scary when it involves your child.

Levi still likes to hold my hair when he needs security. “I hold you hair.” And if it’s in a pony tail, he gets so upset if he wants to hold onto it. I don’t mind, necessarily, but it can be kind of uncomfortable and I can’t stand it for very long. I still think this is leftover from when he would hold my hair while nursing and it still makes him feel secure. But, he’s doing it less now, so maybe he’s “weaning” from this as well? Thankfully he still likes to “muggle you” and “hold you” several times a day, so I’m happy we still have that bond.

Wow, this is getting really long and there’s still so much more I could say. I guess I’ll have to save it for later.

Dear God, thank You for all the joy that this special little boy brings into our lives. I am so thankful for his sweet and loving little self. Please watch over him and keep him safe and healthy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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14 Weeks 6 Days

 How far along? 14 weeks 6 days. 

Symptoms? 

• The lightheaded and heart pounding one is the big one right now. I know that staying well hydrated is very important in keeping this less severe, but it’s pretty much there regardless for now. I’m sure it will get better as things progress. I also have been getting out of breath really easy, usually in conjuction with the lightheadedness. 
• Most days this week I was merely a bit queasy off and on. I had to miss 2 days of my b-vitamins and those days were worse with nausea. I think b6 really does help me a lot! More than I had realized, for sure. 
• On the other side of things, (and definitely tmi), things are STILL not “moving along” without massive measures of help. I have given up on Colace. Miralax is really not that miraculous afterall, and I finally gave in and bought a bottle of nasty cherry Milk of Magnesia. Here’s hoping! 
• I am having little contractions already. I stopped my progesterone at 14 weeks. I was going to continue it till the bottle was gone but I was just really done with the mess, and being 14 weeks, there’s not much point to staying on. I do still think maybe the progesterone was keeping my uterus from being so irritable though. I generally get tons and tons of contractions from 10ish weeks on. All day, every day. Way more than what the Drs tell you is normal. But that has just always been the way my body works. Lots of things trigger them like having to pee, rolling over and tight clothes, to name a few. 

Weight? Difficult to tell at the moment. I weighed myself yesterday and was +7. Today I am +9. I definitely have varying degrees of water retention, especially if I’ve been on my feet all day or if it’s more hot out. 

Bump? I’m still not really feeling any movement. Once in awhile I’ll think I felt something but I’m not really sure. I wonder if I have an anterior placenta again like I did with Levi. With Tru, I could feel his kicks from the outside at 15+ weeks and so could DH. Of course, I was 25ish pounds less back then and had essentially no belly fat. 

Cravings/aversions? I’ve been wanting popscicles but not really craving them. No aversions except Ramen noodles will make me almost throw up. Like running out onto the porch because I really thought I’d throw up. Interestingly, they also made me sick when I was pregnant with Tru. I haven’t been too keen on pasta this whole pregnancy. Except for pasta salad, because of the dressing. And I eat a salad almost every day right now. Can’t get enough! 

Best moment? Today we went to the lake and hiked a 1/2 mile trail. The boys did great walking by themselves! Levi let me hold his hand almost the whole time. (Precious!) It started pouring rain and we got pretty soaked, but standing huddled under a tree, I just felt so happy. Our little family, spending time together, making memories… priceless. And you know what? All the better that we got rained on. The boys loved it and it just made it that much more exciting for them. After that adventure, our little thrill-seeker Tru wasn’t ready to go home. So we hit the store in our soaked-rat state and bought some stuff, but the most exciting purchase was a bag of puffed corn that the boys enjoyed on the way home. Love them. 🙂 

I have our anatomy ultrasound scheduled for 18+3 but DH can’t get off work any that whole week. So, since we really wanted to find out gender together, we scheduled a gender ultrasound at an elective place for 15+4. They do them starting at 15 weeks. I asked the girl scheduling us if it would be better to wait an extra week or two but she said no, they are good as long as you are 15 weeks. That’s surprising because most of the other places I looked at around here are from 16-17 weeks. Super excited about that! By my next update, we should know what we are having as long as baby is showing us the goods and we can get a clear shot. I don’t think I’ll be able to trust this early of an ultrasound but it at least should be 90ish% accurate. I think we might go ahead and take the boys with us. I feel like they would enjoy seeing the baby on the screen, however, as with all things involving kids, I know I could end up being super wrong and they might be bored. At least it’s only a 10 minute scan. 😉 DH’s aunt and grandma might come too. 

SO, this is your last chance to guess the gender, if you are so inclined. DH has put in his guess of girl (third time, maybe he’ll be right this time) Levi has remained very confident that baby is a girl. Tru says girl. I have been really sure it’s another boy all along, BUT, now that it comes down to it, I’m kind of leaning towards girl, only because I’m not feeling kicks so I wonder if it’s a dainty little lady in there. On the other hand, baby measured 5 days ahead at both early ultrasounds which immediately made me think it’s a big boy. I still don’t have 1 iota of preference but we do finally have our middle name for a girl picked. Her name would be Journey Kalea (ka-lay-uh), meaning joy. 🙂 For a boy, we still don’t know. DH is awful about not wanting to pick names until he knows what we are having. Drives me nuts! Just sit down with me and look at some names already!! 

Ok, this is getting long so I’m going to go. In desperate need of getting a Levi update posted! So much going on with him lately. And a life update in general. Lots of new things around here as well. Anyway, maybe I’ll find the time to do that next week, between all the picnics and parties…. 

Dear God, thank You for a wonderful week! Thank You for all the things I was able to do and for the fun I got to have with Tru and Levi. Please continue to bless this pregnancy and watch over the baby. I pray that our ultrasound will go beautifully and be fun for everyone who is there. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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Please pardon this picture. Our camera battery quit before we got an “acceptable” shot so you are stuck with this…. 10pm, post rain-soaked hike.
Also, my old chalkboard got ruined so I picked this one up today. 🙂 

13 Weeks 5 Days

I wrote this a few days ago thinking I’d post it once I took the weekly picture, but this weekend was too busy and we didn’t get to take it, so this post is photo-free.
How far along? 13 weeks 5 days (5-19-17) Second Trimester! YAY! 

Symptoms? 

• A little bit of swelling in my feet at the end of the day. Nothing major. 
• Lightheaded when standing sometimes. My OB said to try eating more foods with sodium and to drink more water and to try gatoraid. I’ve had this in all my pregnancies. I’ll get really lightheaded and nauseous and if I don’t sit down, I will black out. It seems to get better as the pregnancy progresses usually. Today I ended up folded over the checkout counter waiting for the cashier to finish my order. 
• I only took Zofran twice this week! The rest of the time I’ve felt pretty normal. 
• Even my acne is starting to clear up! True second-trimester blessings. 🙂 
• I have most of my energy back and I feel pretty close to my normal self most of the time. 
• I dropped down to just 1 Prometrium at bedtime this week and I plan to be done when my bottle runs out. 🙂 Might as well finish it up. 

Weight? +7 lbs. 

Bump? I’ve thought that maybe there was a flutter or two this week but I can’t say for sure. I do know that my uterus is only an inch or two under my belly button now but I mostly still find the baby really low on the doppler but I hear it’s kicks higher up. Maybe it’s head down? 

Cravings/aversions? Nothing really either way. I’ve had a few iced frappes this week and they were goooood! The thought of hot coffee still grosses me out but me and cold coffee are friends again. 🙂 

RANT TIME: So, I had a check-up with my OB this week and it went well. TMI: I told her about some weird discharge I was having and she did an internal and a swab. Seems this may be normal this time around even though I never had this with the boys. She said because of a prior “natural” birth. Anyway, she said she read the entire report from my birth with Levi and you won’t believe this…. The Dr who delivered him and wrote up the report said that the reason I hemorrhaged was my “uterus was tired and stopped contracting”. WHAT?????? There was 7 of my family members in the room. My mom, DH, MIL, SIL, 2 of my sisters and myself. We ALLLLLL know I had retained placenta.  TALK ABOUT COVERING YOUR BUTT WITH A LIE THE SIZE OF TEXAS!! That Dr knew she should have stopped pulling on the cord when I told her to please stop and she knew she tore my placenta. To blame it on my lazy, “tired uterus” and apparently not mention the placenta at all, is just…. wow! 
So, I sat there in shock when my new OB told me the report said this and that she would give me medicine to prevent a hemorrhage this time, and I didn’t even stand up for myself and tell her that was a big fat lie in the report. I just couldn’t form the words at that time. Not like she would believe me over the report written by an MFM…. Like she would even think I knew what I was talking about. But I do know. I’m the one who had 2 Drs scraping my insides with their hands trying to fish out bits of placenta. I’m the one who lost so much blood I couldn’t hold my eyes open. I know. And my family knows. DH and my mom were both upset that I didn’t tell her “NO! That is not what happened.” I just couldn’t and I didn’t and I wish I had. Not like it would do any good though… I’m just letting it go for now but if the opportunity arises, I will say something.

As an aside though, I’d rather just forgive that Dr and pray for her and move on. Harboring anger would only put a cloud over what was otherwise, a beautiful experience, getting to meet my little Levi. Could it have gone better? Almost definitely, yes. But it’s all part of the story and he was brought here safe and healthy and I’m safe and healthy and that’s what matters. 
RANT OVER.

The rest of the appointment went well. We heard the baby on the doppler kicking all around and the Dr was super happy because “healthy babies kick”. I really do like this OB. She is reassuring while also hearing me out on my concerns. I told her about my worries about my cervix possibly being torn with Levi’s birth and she said she wanted me to let that worry go as much as possible. She really thought it would be ok. We set up the Anatomy scan for 18 weeks 3 days, so we should definitely know who is in there by then. 🙂 AND, I keep dropping hints at DH about how much I’d love a 4d ultrasound this time. I didn’t even know about them until recently and I know the 3d was awesome when the tech gave us a peak with Tru and Levi, so 4d has to be even better, right? DH said we could do that for our anniversary gift to ourselves. I called the place (we have one locally now!! yay!) and they said after 24 weeks is best. So it’s still a ways off before we can do it, if we get to. But I think it would be really fun. 🙂 The local place is way cheaper than the big city places. Only $99 for a 1-hour slot (to give you time in case baby is in a bad position or something). I don’t know if you get a dvd but I’d imagine so. 🙂 

Dear God, thank You for the good check-up this week and for me feeling better and being able to enjoy this pregnancy more. Thank You for all the little kicks and wiggles on the doppler. Please continue to bless this pregnancy and protect the baby. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

12 Weeks 5 Days

How far along? 12 weeks 5 days (5-12-17) 

Symptoms?

• I’m happy to say that the nausea has faded into occasional queasiness and has become less noticeable as the week has progressed. I plan to keep taking the Unisom for awhile longer but I think I would probably be ok to stop the Zofran now. 🙂 YAY! 
• Still having breast tenderness and very minimal leakage – not so much that I notice it on my clothes, but I think they have slowed down their growth this week. 
• I think baby must be having a growth-spurt as I’ve had a couple days this week where I simply could not stay awake and fell asleep randomly, once on the floor! This, after sleeping in until 11am! I know, I know… that’s embarrassing. Actually, the boys skipped naps several days when we were running errands too late and that combined with rain in the mornings making everything dark, caused them to sleep in. Really late. So I did too. It was a little disappointing when I realized that the whole morning was gone… Obviously we all needed the rest. But wow!!! 
• I’m still definitely having pretty bad skin on my face. I bought a new face scrubber gadget that I’m hoping might help a bit, but honestly, I’m not sure much can be done when the cause is hormones. 
• I notice more round ligament pain that catches when I first stand up usually. It’s not bad but it does give me a start. 

Weight? I think I’m up 6lbs. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little concerned to have already gained so much so early on. That’s definitely a record for me. I’m sooooo hungry all the time! I am being careful to snack on mostly healthy stuff – carrots with either ranch or seasoned salt, salad with dressing only, tortilla chips with salsa or avacados, yogurt… I guess I just have to keep doing my best and try not to stress about it. It’s not the weight gain itself so much as the implications for pregnancy and birth. BUT, I might as well not worry about what I (obviously) cannot control. 

Bump? Oh, it’s there! And it’s obvious. 😉 My maternity stuff is still mostly too baggy but I bought a new pair of maternity capris with demi panel and I’m pretty sure I’ll still be able to rock them after pregnancy, so, that’s nice. 🙂 Most days I just wear maxi skirts and either a t-shirt or loose top if I’m going anywhere. At home, I love me some leggings or pj pants. 😉 

Adversions/cravings? Not much. However, I cooked a deer roast in the crockpot overnight lastnight and woke up in the night thinking that I smelled vom. It was the roast cooking and putting off cooking smells … and now I really don’t want to eat it. 

Best moment? I think I felt baby move in the night at 12+2! I woke up to use the bathroom and when I laid back down, I felt this little flop-flop. I haven’t felt anything since that I could say was really the baby. It’s still early… I also had a cute moment with Levi. He told me that he wants to share his things with the baby. Melted my heart! He keeps talking about the “Baby in you body. Baby grill.” LOL! I told him today not to get too set on it being a “grill” because it might be a boy. 😉 

Randomness…. I had a dream that the baby was a boy and we named him Zane Trey. He looked nothing like our boys but he was cute. I couldn’t remember anything about the birth at all or even how he was born and that made me kind of sad (in my dream). I think I had a dream that we had a girl too, but that is less clear. 

As an aside, we have been talking about names a bit here and there. Nothing for a boy so far (unless we actually do name him Zane) and no middle name for a girl although I’m thinking about Selah. 

Dear God, please continue to watch over us and bless our upcoming Dr appointment. I pray that the baby will keep growing well and healthy. Thank You for all of our blessings so far. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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That belly!! I should note that this was about 10:30pm and it really pops at night, but really, it’s pretty obvious at any time of day. 😉 

11 Weeks 5 Days

How far along? 11 weeks 5 days (As of 5-5-17. Posting this over a week late.)  Mostly time has went by really fast. Almost 3 months already!! I feel like things just started slowing down a bit the last week or so. 

Symptoms? 

• So happy to say that I only had 1 bad day of nausea this week, and that was after skipping my Unisom for 2 nights because I ran out. Let me tell you, it really does make a difference! Otherwise I’ve felt pretty decent. Queasy but not badly. I tried to skip my Zofran today and that didn’t go so well, so I think I’ll just keep taking it for now. 
• I went back on my morning dose of Prometrium because I was cramping and thought it might be related to stopping that dose. I cramped a ton with both of the boys but not hardly at all in the beginning of this pregnancy. I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the progesterone being via V… who knows. 
• I’m not nearly as tired anymore and don’t take naps at all now and can stay up late again. (I’m a night owl.) 
• The acne is unreal… I don’t know what to do about it. I guess it will clear up eventually? 
• I just have a few other random symptoms here and there. OH, round ligament pain! That’s started. It’s not bad but you’d think my body would have those bad boys stretched out by this time around! Apparently not. 

Weight? Still about 4 pounds. 2 of which have got to be bbs. I mean, wow! I bought new maternity/nursing bras today because mine were threadbare. 

Bump? It’s a bit bigger but still (I think) reasonable for almost 3 months. Levi handed me the doppler today and asked to hear the baby. His face lights up when we hear the heartbeat. Then he proceeded to use the doppler as a phone to talk to the baby. He said “Hi! What you doing?” Tru says the baby sounds like a choo-choo train. 🙂 I really look forward to them being able to feel baby kick! I look forward to feeling baby move myself. I’ve half-way convinced myself I felt it flutter a few times but probably not really. We do hear it kicking up a storm on the doppler sometimes and then othertimes it must be asleep. 
Cravings/aversions? Craving nothing. Probably getting past the cravings part of pregnancy anyway. Aversions aren’t nearly as bad as they were. 🙂 

My Ob is supposed to be on vacation at 4 weeks since my last appointment so the front desk offered me an appointment at 3 weeks past or 5 weeks past my last appointment. I took the 5 weeks past appointment because I thought I’d be going in for the NT test half-way through the month. When we decided not to do that test, I called to move my appointment to the one 3 weeks past. The front desk girl acted like that was just weird and wouldn’t even check the schedule to see if there was still an opening. She told me I had to talk to the nurse. So I told the nurse that 5 weeks is a long time to go without checking on the baby and she was completely fine with me switching to the 3 weeks out appointment. Not sure why the front desk girl made me feel like I was being stupid. I mean, I have anxiety about pregnancy in general (still) and 5 weeks is longer than usual. What is the big deal? Glad to have that taken care of. My next check up is in 11 more days now. Shew! 

I should have asked at my last appointment, but at my post-pardum check-up with Levi, the NP said I was still dilated. I also think (but not sure) that my cervix may have torn slightly at some point during the delivery. So I’ve been a little uneasy about that since I don’t really know for certain that everything healed properly. I am definitely planning to ask the dr about that at this appointment so I can hopefully put that worry out of my mind. 

I also plan to start working out again (lightly) soon if she thinks that is a good plan. Just enough to keep some good muscle tone. I’m not interested in being a super strong and dedicated gym rat (I admire those pregnant moms who are, but that’s not for me) but maybe a couple days a week on the elliptical with some walking, squats and lunges thrown in there. We’ll see what happens. 

Dear God, thank You for seeing us safely though another week. Please continue to watch over and protect this sweet little baby and keep it safe and healthy in there. Thank You for this beautiful blessing. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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Maternity/Baby Gear Favorites – Part 1

I thought I’d do a quick post to share some of my favorite baby care items. This is not an affiliate post and all opinions are my own. 🙂 

Sonoline B 3mhz

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Let’s start with my favorite pregnancy related item, my doppler. I bought it on ebay when I was pregnant with Truett. It was around $50. Interestingly, my OB uses the same doppler! I certainly have loved using it and my cousin used it during her pregnancy also. My SIL, 3 of DH’s cousins and 2 of my cousins have all had success hearing their babies on it from about 9 or 10 weeks on. If you’re contemplating getting a doppler, this is the one to have. The only downside is, the heart rate readout is often inaccurate. If I want an exact reading, I just count it out. As always, if you are feeling concerned about the health of your baby, don’t rely on the heartbeat alone. Always tell your Dr your concerns. 

Baby BUM Brush

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Go ahead and laugh now, I almost did. Is that seriously a butt spatula so you don’t have to touch your own baby’s butt? Yes. It is. And after months of using tons of different creams and medicine on Levi’s raw and often yeast infected butt, I was thrilled to have an item that spared me from having to constantly try to dig various creams out from under my finger nails. If your baby is frequently affected by rash, this is an awesome item to have.  I’ve already decided that this is going in my baby shower gift bags from now on! 

Honest Soothing Bottom Wash

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I buy a lot of items from The Honest Co. I like most of their cleaning supplies and personal care items. I decided to try this bottom wash for the boys. You know in the morning when you change that soggy overnight diaper, sometimes it seems that a wetwipe just isn’t really doing the job? Well, this stuff does. I like to use a soft baby washcloth to wipe it off. My boys don’t mind having it sprayed right on their behinds but I’m sure it would be less cold and still work well sprayed onto the washcloth.
I’m going to leave off here for now. What are your favorite baby items?