4 Months

Dear Levi,

You change so much each month! This month you have really started enjoying toys more. You like to kick/bat at the toys on your play mat. You even figured out how to make the frog on your bouncer sing. Although I don't have anything to compare it to, you seem to have incredible head/neck control, so we even tried out your exercauser the other day. You looked so little in it but you really seemed to enjoy it! Life with George is going to get even more interesting as you begin playing with more toys!

You are still mesmerized by your hands and love to chew on them. Sometimes I think you are trying to get your entire fist into your mouth! You're also enjoying pulling on your feet, but you haven't managed to get them in your mouth yet! You are working hard to roll over but haven't quite managed it yet. This is also starting to make getting your picture a little more difficult!

This month we started putting you down without rocking you to sleep. Spending time rocking you at night was my favorite time of day, but we knew you needed to learn to soothe yourself to sleep. It has not been easy on any of us, but we're making progress. I noticed just the other day that you've started rubbing your eyes when you get sleepy. You also make these really sweet noises just before you fall asleep every night. You go down for the night about 8 and sleep until 5 or 5:30 (although we have had to add a dreamfeed back into your schedule!)

This month you started going to Megan's during the day. One day, Dad said he dropped you off, and Lleyton looked at you and said "again?" I really think Kennedy and Lleyton are enjoying having you there, and I'm sure they will love it even more when you are able to sit up and play with them. You are getting used to a little bit more noise during the day too! Kennedy and Lleyton came over to play at our house the other night and you really seemed to enjoy watching them play and talk.

You have lots of people that love you and want to come spend time with you! A few weeks ago our friends Rob and Sarah came to meet you. They loved getting to spend the weekend with you!

We went to the doctor for your 4 month appointment and you weighed 12 pounds, 2 ounces (10%) and were 24 inches long (25%). You are a little guy, but the doctor isn't concerned about your size at all. In fact, she seemed to be impressed with how much you are eating. You still like to eat just about every 3 hours during the day. You have 7 feedings throughout the day, and when you have a bottle you are eating between 5 and 6 ounces. You got 3 shots and 1 oral vaccination at the doctor's office. You were not happy about the shots, but once Daddy picked you up, you calmed right down and slept for a very long time! I even got to take a leisurely trip to Target while you slept in the stroller.

4 months

Daddy wanted to make sure I made note of the fact that Dr. Spellings used the word "perfect" to describe you 3 times at this appointment. He thought she was only going to say it twice, but as she was leaving, her last word to us was perfect.

We love you so much and cannot imagine life without you!

Love,

Mom

Valentines Day

Grammy (my mom) came this weekend to keep Levi, so Mat and I could go enjoy a nice dinner out. We went to Truluck's and loved it! We also loved having some time to just sit and talk without rushing through our meal.

Today, Grammy had a Valentine card for Levi. Here she is reading it to him:

And I love this picture because it looks like he is laughing hysterically at something she said (really he's trying to jump out of his bumbo)

Sleep

The other night Levi did not want to sleep. He was happy and ready to play...we were not. :)

This was before Mat and I tried to get some sleep. It's hard to be upset about losing sleep when you look at this little guy.

Feet

This post is for you Mindi!

Ohh...what are these?

They look like they might be fun!

Almost there...

Success!

Last night, while I cleaned out his closet, Levi found his feet. He worked really hard for a while trying to reach them, and when he finally did he was so happy!

Newborn Pictures

Mat and I are blessed to have some very talented friends. Our friend Chad took our picture for our birth announcement and even made the announcement for us. (I was hoping he would address and stamp the envelopes too, but no such luck!)

At the beginning of December, our friend Megan came and took some newborn pictures for us. I waited to post these because we gave some as Christmas presents and didn't want to ruin the surprise! We love these pictures! Here are some of my favorites:

Early Morning

Levi hasn't slept well this week. I don't know if it's because I've been bragging on him and how good he was sleeping or if it's just a 3 month growth spurt. Regardless, I was up early this morning. (Early enough that I could write this down.)

After Levi ate, he was ready to play. George was still asleep and snoring loudly, and Levi loved it! Every time we'd hear George snore, Levi would grin and squeal. What a great way to start off my morning- listening to Levi talk and seeing that beautiful smile. It made getting up extra early totally worth it!

3 Months

This has been an eventful month, and Levi has done great adapting to it all! He did great with all of our traveling through the holidays and loved being held by all of his relatives.

Levi is a different kid than he was 1 month ago. He seems to be much more content with the world and likes to smile and "talk" a lot! I love coming home to see that sweet smile and listen to him tell me about his day! :) Recently, he has found his hands and loves to stare at them! They have also become his favorite thing to chew on. Levi also loves his tongue! Sometimes he looks like a little snake sticking his tongue out. He has also become more interested in his toys and play mat. He especially loves this duck that has crinkly wings, a rattle, and a mirror. He will stare at the duck and talk to him for quite a while. It's so much fun for him to be interacting with us more and more.

Levi has great neck strength and loves to sit up and look around. He still isn't a great napper, but we're working on that! We survived Levi's first cold this month too. Poor thing!

Right before I went back to work, he decided to start sleeping through the night (most nights) from 8:30 until about 4:30 or 5. I was very thankful for that! (I am probably going to jinx myself...) It works out perfectly for me because I am able to get up and feed Levi and then get myself ready for work, but Mat has had to change his morning routine quite a bit! He isn't able to get things done around the house or lounge around with his coffee watching ESPN much anymore, but I know he's enjoying his morning time with Levi.

We don't have an appointment with the doctor this month, but according to my very technical calculations (weigh myself alone and then again with him), he weighs about 11 1/2 lbs. His 0-3 month clothes are finally fitting him comfortably! I know I will look back on his little newborn sleepers and cherish them, but I'm enjoying putting real pants and shirts on him now! Here is a 3 month picture with the bear. It was hard to get a picture of him smiling today without his tongue sticking out!

Here's a slideshow of his pictures from month to month:

Levi's First Christmas

This year we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Austin area. My family came and stayed at our house, and we spent time with my mom's family in Dripping Springs at my cousin's house. Levi got to meet lots of new family members this holiday season!

Blair used the wrapping paper scraps to wrap this present

Grammy and Levi

Meemaw loves little babies!

My "little" cousin Holt with Levi

Levi with some of his presents.

He got a lot of stuff that was still on our registry.

Not very exciting for him but helpful for Mom and Dad!

Chad and Landry, Mat and Levi

After Christmas in Austin, we headed to Kingwood to spend the weekend celebrating with Mat's family.

Aunt Marilee and Kadence snuggling

Grandad and Cameron snuggling

Opening Presents

We are still recovering from all of our fun over the last few days- all 3 of us have colds.

We've spent a lot of time lately doing this:

2 Months

Today our baby boy is 2 months old! I can't believe it. We went to the doctor this morning. The two adjectives she used were "gorgeous" and "perfect." :) He weighs 9 lbs. 12 oz. and is 22 inches long. He is in the 30th percentile for both height and weight. He has finally graduated to size 1 diapers, but his newborn clothes still fit best.

The doctor heard a heart murmur but said that this type was very common in newborns. She wasn't concerned and just said it was something for us to listen for at his next appointment. Levi also has a clogged tear duct that she said should close up in the next few months. We love Dr. Spellings. We went today with quite a few questions about sleeping, eating, and vaccinations, and she answered most of our questions before we ever had a chance to ask them!

Levi got his first round of shots today. He was ANGRY while he was getting them but slept for almost 4 hours (without me holding him) afterwards.

Levi is on a good routine of eating, playing, and sleeping every 3 hours. He takes good naps- as long as someone is holding him! I am usually up with him 2 times at night- once around 11 or 12 and then again at 3 or 4. He has definitely become a more efficient eater (which I am thankful for!). The biggest problem at night is that I am falling asleep while he eats!

This month we have started seeing his beautiful smile and hearing him beginning to "talk." I have definitely seen a change in his overall mood. You can see evidence of this in the pictures below! His happiest time of day, and my favorite time, is after he eats his first meal in the morning. He smiles and laughs and enjoys looking around. He has especially loved looking at the Christmas tree and lights this month. He will crane his neck to look at the tree while he eats.

I only have a few more weeks at home with Levi before I go back to work, so I am trying to cherish my time with him. I am hoping that he is able to sleep longer stretches at night soon so that I am not completely sleep deprived when January 4th gets here!

1 Month

2 Months

Levi is staring at the Christmas Tree

(and apparently so is the bear!)

Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving in Kingwood with Mat's family. It was a wonderful long weekend. We loved seeing everyone and getting to introduce Levi to a few family members who hadn't had the chance to meet him yet. I have so much to be thankful for, but this year I am especially thankful for these two guys:

My plan for Wednesday was to get Levi and I packed up so that we could leave as soon as Mat got home and packed. Of course, Wednesday worked out to be one of those days when Levi wanted to eat and cuddle with mom all day long! Mat and I both eventually got packed and got the car loaded up. Packing for this trip was a little different with George and Levi! I felt like I was taking so much stuff, but we used everything we packed for Levi. Our car was packed full! We had the trunk, the passenger seat next to Levi and the floor in the front of the car loaded down. This is what we looked like:

Do you notice anything odd about this picture? Yep, that's right. George rode shotgun, and I rode in the back with Levi. We don't think we can trust George in the back with Levi just yet. We got some funny looks from cars passing by! Once George figured out how to get comfortable, I think he loved getting to spend so much time right next to Mat. Levi did great on his first road trip! He slept almost the entire way (as long as the car was moving).

Levi did well being in new surroundings. He enjoyed having new fans and different shadows to stare at. The family enjoyed getting to spend some time loving on Levi. We stopped by my parents' house so that they could get a little bit of time with him too. We had a great time this weekend with family and friends. It was a great reminder of how blessed we are!

1 month

Today Levi is 1 month old. I can't believe how fast this month has gone by! Things around the Kelso house have changed drastically over the last month. We get a lot less sleep, we've only had a handful of meals that we were able to eat together and poor George has had a few less walks, but we love having Levi here with us and feel blessed to be his parents.

We won't see the doctor again until his 2 month appointment, so we don't have any official measurements. He is growing, but he is still little. He is still able to wear his newborn sized clothes. His favorite things right now are to eat and be held! At night he usually sleeps 3 to 4 hours between feedings. (We have had a few nights where he went longer.) During the day he likes to eat every 2 hours and doesn't like to sleep unless someone is holding him. While I do enjoy holding my sweet baby boy, we have to break him of this habit!

**Update** We went to the doctor today (11/19) to have Levi weighed. He now weighs 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The doctor was pleased with his weight gain.

George doesn't seem to mind Levi. The first few days Levi was home we don't think George even noticed there was another person here. Levi's crying doesn't seem to bother George- even in the middle of the night! Some nights, George has slept right through Levi's screaming. The other day, Mat had Levi in the carrier while he was getting George some water. When he looked down, George was sitting next to him licking Levi's foot. I think eventually George and Levi will be good friends.

Here is a picture of Levi and a teddy bear Mat gave me the very first Christmas we were together. You can tell that it was difficult to get a picture of Levi and that he did NOT enjoy the photo session at all!

What a Dad!

Mat gave me a little break tonight. He vacuumed the house for our guests and took care of Levi. Levi enjoys the baby carrier, and apparently he likes the vacuum cleaner too. He fell asleep and took a great nap while helping Dad clean up.

Happy Halloween!

Last night, we celebrated our third annual Pumpkinfest with the Baileys. (Things were very different this year since we added a few babies to the mix!) We ate pumpkin bread and roasted pumpkin seeds, and Mat and Chad carved some great looking pumpkins.

Today, the Tipps came over to spend some time with us and see Levi again. Mat figured out this morning that Levi loves this carrier. He fell asleep while Mat worked around the house. We spent most of the afternoon and evening doing this:

Mat said he couldn't think of anything else he'd rather do than sit with his son and dog and flip between college football games and world series baseball. We did dress Levi up for the occasion though.

I think he's an adorable little skeleton! Happy Halloween!