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:

We survived

Last Sunday at church, Mat was telling people he was terrified about me going back to work. He knows me well and knows what an emotional mess I can be sometimes! He was so worried about how I was going to handle all of this! Well, we all survived. I only had a few emotional breakdowns, but I think I am handling it all pretty well. Blair enjoyed her time with Levi (I think!) and things seemed to go pretty smoothly for her. He did have a few fussy days, but she did a great job with him!

Things at school are falling into place, and I don't feel too stressed out- at least not yet. Stepping back into things wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected it to be. That was in large part due to the great team that I work with! They have been so supportive and helpful while I get adjusted to things.

I told Mat on Friday that I have never looked forward to a weekend more than I did this one. We both agreed that it was nice to be home and just enjoy a lazy weekend with Levi.

Back to Work

Tomorrow will be my first day back at work since October 13th. I have lots of emotions about the day. I'm glad to finally be getting into my new "normal" routine. I know it will take us some time to figure out what this routine is, but it will all fall into place. I'm sad that my time here at home with Levi is over (at least for now- I am already looking forward to the summer). I'm nervous about how Levi and I will both do with all of these changes, and I'm overwhelmed with stepping back into my classroom and picking up where my substitute left off.

Mat and I feel very blessed to have our very dear friend, Megan, watching Levi. Knowing that Levi will be in such good hands makes this much easier on both of us! Megan isn't able to keep Levi until the end of the month, so for the next 3 weeks we have family members that have graciously offered to take time from work, help us out, and spend time with our precious baby boy. This week, my sister will be here. She doesn't start back to school for another few weeks. The following week Mat's parents will be watching Levi, and the last week my dad will be here. We are so grateful that we have their help! I think they are all looking forward to their time with Levi! :)

I know that there are lots of mixed emotions among people about working moms and stay at home moms. This is the best decision for our family, and we appreciate our friends and family's support and prayers as we begin this new phase of our journey!

Before church this morning