I'm just popping in to say that this blog will likely be a bit on the quiet side over the next two weeks or so. We're heading up to my parents' place for a few days and otherwise are just enjoying the season with our favourite little man. It's his first Christmas, you know...
So if I don't get back here before the end of 2010, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a safe and blessed new year!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
picture post...
There's not much to say so I'm just going to give you a sequence of pictures...
As you can see, the sound of the camera disturbed him from his peaceful slumber...*sigh* I just couldn't resist though! Look at that first face. How can you resist that? Either I was going to snap some pictures or pick him up and snuggle him and I figured there was more chance of him sleeping through the pictures. Not so much...have I mentioned that he's a very light sleeper?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Look! See bunny hop.
Ok, so I was just feeling nostalgic. I always loved those Dick and Jane books. These bunnies don't actually hop and "bunny" is a pretty advanced word for those books anyway. But yeah...moving on...(If that seemed completely random, read my status. If it still seems completely random, it's because it is.)
Aren't these bunnies cute? I found the pattern online and immediately thought of my nieces. I made these for my 7.5 month old twin nieces. They are adorable (the girls) and I hope they enjoy them!
This week I also made a sea creature mobile for Levi. We wanted something that he could look up at with colours and with toys that he could one day reach up and grab. I tied some sea creature bath toys onto an embroidery hoop and tied it all to a hook in the ceiling. It is a bit of an eyesore, but he seemed to enjoy it. Later I realized that it was actually the contrast of the black yarn against the white ceiling that drew his eye rather than the colourful toys but oh well. It kept him happy! The next day he got an actual baby toy, for Christmas, that he can lay under with toys and lights and music so this creation was short-lived.
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This week I also made a sea creature mobile for Levi. We wanted something that he could look up at with colours and with toys that he could one day reach up and grab. I tied some sea creature bath toys onto an embroidery hoop and tied it all to a hook in the ceiling. It is a bit of an eyesore, but he seemed to enjoy it. Later I realized that it was actually the contrast of the black yarn against the white ceiling that drew his eye rather than the colourful toys but oh well. It kept him happy! The next day he got an actual baby toy, for Christmas, that he can lay under with toys and lights and music so this creation was short-lived.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
christmas cookies
I made Christmas cookies last night. And I decorated them today. I could only find neon food colouring though...so the cookies are far from traditional. But I like them. It made me excited for a couple years down the road when I have a little helper to help me decorate them...
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
two months.
Levi is two months old today. Time really does speed up once you have kids. Unbelievable...
There have been many changes in this past month. Some of which include:
- the regrowth of Levi's hair...he still has a tufts on the top, back, and sides that never left, but the rest is slowly catching back up. He doesn't look as much like a balding baby anymore.
- sleep is almost always a fight. He always wants to be a part of what's going on (even if we're just home alone and NOTHING is happening). He's a cat-napper. The longest nap he's had in the past month (maybe even since the hospital) was 3.5 hours. I was worried. Usually his naps are less than an hour...much less. But, I'll take short naps if he sleeps at night, which he does quite well. Once we have him down, he'll sleep for 3-5 hours at a time and only be up for 15-20 minutes per feed. Nice...
- he's started to enjoy baths this month! Actually, just in the past week. YAY! Hopefully he'll smell like sour milk a little less often now...
- He's passed the 12lb mark...
- He's had his first taste of gripe water. He doesn't like it. Mommy and Daddy do.
- He's learned that he can cry in the car.
- He follows us around the room with his eyes and notices when we leave.
- Smiles have become quite common.
- He met his great grandma Reimer.
- He's found that his fist is the best thing ever for sucking. We'll often hear slurping and look over to see his fist in his mouth. He's starting to grab things like our hands/fingers and trying to get them in his mouth as well. Makes for alot of drool...
- He had his first road trip that was longer than 1/2 an hour and got to experience Grandpa and Grandma's house!
- He can hold his head up with only the occasional faceplant. The faceplant part is new...he's been holding his head up since the beginning.
- He's found his voice a bit. He loves to just lay there and coo and gurgle and even squeal in delight at times. And a few times we think we've even heard a little laugh.
It's so much fun to watch him grow and change every day!
There have been many changes in this past month. Some of which include:
- the regrowth of Levi's hair...he still has a tufts on the top, back, and sides that never left, but the rest is slowly catching back up. He doesn't look as much like a balding baby anymore.
- sleep is almost always a fight. He always wants to be a part of what's going on (even if we're just home alone and NOTHING is happening). He's a cat-napper. The longest nap he's had in the past month (maybe even since the hospital) was 3.5 hours. I was worried. Usually his naps are less than an hour...much less. But, I'll take short naps if he sleeps at night, which he does quite well. Once we have him down, he'll sleep for 3-5 hours at a time and only be up for 15-20 minutes per feed. Nice...
- he's started to enjoy baths this month! Actually, just in the past week. YAY! Hopefully he'll smell like sour milk a little less often now...
- He's passed the 12lb mark...
- He's had his first taste of gripe water. He doesn't like it. Mommy and Daddy do.
- He's learned that he can cry in the car.
- He follows us around the room with his eyes and notices when we leave.
- Smiles have become quite common.
- He met his great grandma Reimer.
- He's found that his fist is the best thing ever for sucking. We'll often hear slurping and look over to see his fist in his mouth. He's starting to grab things like our hands/fingers and trying to get them in his mouth as well. Makes for alot of drool...
- He had his first road trip that was longer than 1/2 an hour and got to experience Grandpa and Grandma's house!
- He can hold his head up with only the occasional faceplant. The faceplant part is new...he's been holding his head up since the beginning.
- He's found his voice a bit. He loves to just lay there and coo and gurgle and even squeal in delight at times. And a few times we think we've even heard a little laugh.
It's so much fun to watch him grow and change every day!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Pictures...just because I can...
A few of you have seen these because I emailed them to you this morning. But I wanted to share them with everyone because Levi is just growing up SO fast and changing all the time.
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| Levi in his squirrel suit from Auntie Marsha. It fits him perfectly and he is SO great to snuggle with in this. I could just hold him and squeeze him forever! |
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| A very suiting gift from one of my friends. Mommy's Answered Prayer. Yes, Levi, you are mommy's answered prayer, and daddy's answered prayer, and grandma's answered prayer, and grandpa's answered prayer, and auntie's answered prayer...etc. |
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| My mom loves to pick out little boy clothes for her only grandson...or at least that's my guess. Last week she came for a visit and brought a number of pairs of little boy pants that she'd found. This is one pair. I just love babies in overalls. I think we might steal the term "buckle pants" for them though... And yes, that is a clock that you see behind Levi's head. We keep it there so that he knows when it is time to sleep and when it's ok to be awake. Unfortunately it hasn't been working. I guess we'll just keep it there for the soothing "tick tick tick". : ) |
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Gripe water...
- is being more fussy afterward normal?
- did gripe water work for your kids?
- is it supposed to bring on burps and foofs? Cause it doesn't necessarily do that...just makes Levi more calm for a while...
- Is drowsiness a side-effect? Yesterday Levi slept for 3.5 hours, with one feed in the middle, during the afternoon/evening then went to bed at 9:30, no problem, and slept for 6 hours straight. (He usually naps for 30-45 minutes during the day and sleeps for 3-4 hours at night)
- how often can you give your kid gripe water. I know what the bottle says for his age (5mls, four times a day) but can this happen every day? Can I keep my boy constantly hopped up on gripe water?
update: I should probably also mention that we have the alcohol free gripe water and that Levi really isn't very fussy as far as fussy babies go. He does have his moments, but only once has he been truly inconsolable.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Baby legs...
I never understood the great convenience of "baby legs" before having Levi. For those of you who are not familiar with the product, baby legs are essentially baby leggings. Their main purpose is not to look cute, though they often do (especially on girls), but rather to give parents the ease of changing diapers while their baby is wearing a onesie. See, when you are changing a dozen or more diapers in a day, you don't want to pull off pants, undo onesie, change diaper, snap onsie up again, pull legs through the maze that is pants and start again in one to two hours.
For the first few weeks of Levi's life, this still wasn't an issue because all he ever wore were sleepers. But now he is growing up *sniff sniff* and while going through his 3-6 month clothes, I realized that he has alot of onesies. Alot of very cute onesies. So today while I was getting him dressed, I grabbed one of the cuter onesies, grabbed a pair of my socks, and voila! Baby legs! The bonus is that his feet stay warm and I don't have to try to keep his baby socks on (the commercially made baby legs don't have feet). The "baby legs" didn't stay on perfectly, but at least diaper changes were easy!
For the first few weeks of Levi's life, this still wasn't an issue because all he ever wore were sleepers. But now he is growing up *sniff sniff* and while going through his 3-6 month clothes, I realized that he has alot of onesies. Alot of very cute onesies. So today while I was getting him dressed, I grabbed one of the cuter onesies, grabbed a pair of my socks, and voila! Baby legs! The bonus is that his feet stay warm and I don't have to try to keep his baby socks on (the commercially made baby legs don't have feet). The "baby legs" didn't stay on perfectly, but at least diaper changes were easy!
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| His shirt says "Backseat Driver"...AWESOME! |
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Christmas Letter 2010
It's been a few years since I've written a Christmas letter (so for those of you who haven't received one, now you know why). Since so much has happened in our life since, I thought 2010 should be the year to resurrect the Christmas letter.
The first year that I didn't write the letter, Christmas 2008, I just had no idea how to sum up where we were in life. The first 8 months of our year were basically the same as the previous few years. Youth ministry took up much of our time and free time was almost unheard of. We welcomed summer break (youth work slowed down quite a bit in the summer) and by the end of August we felt rested and ready for another year of ministry. We ended up not being back in youth ministry that fall, instead entering a time of discernment and healing. It was a good fall, but not one I would care to relive! By Christmas time, Nathan and I were not sure how to sum up our year to date and not ready to share our future plans (as we had none beyond the next week) so the Christmas letter was left unwritten.
Christmas 2009 came and again I thought about sitting down to write a letter. At this point, we had resigned, officially, from the church where Nathan had been working, spent spring working at our separate jobs in Altona, Nathan doing some forklift driving and soil testing and me at Canadian Lumber. We put our house on the market as we had made the decision for Nathan to return to seminary that fall. At the beginning of July, we packed up our things and, leaving our house still unsold, moved our stuff into Mom & Pop storage. The summer was spent enjoying time with family and relaxing as neither of us was employed at this point. In August, we loaded up our car and moved down to Fresno, California where Nathan began working toward his Masters degree in Theology. The sale of our house in September was definitely an answer to prayer after 6 months on the market with no offers. We enjoyed our fall very much, especially the green grass and palm trees as the snow flew back home, and that winter had our first Christmas without snow as a married couple.
And that brings us to where I would normally start our 2010 Christmas letter. From here, I think I'll sum up our year month-by-month...and I'll try to keep it short. No promises, though!
January - Nathan worked ahead in some of his courses and I was also writing papers, preparing to complete a diploma in Christian ministry during our remaining 3 semesters in Fresno. Near the end of the month, I just was not feeling peace about entering full-time studies so I left most of my chosen courses unregistered for, instead choosing to take just the courses that interested me on a personal growth basis. We also enjoyed a visit from my sister and saw San Francisco with her, went with some friends to Yosemite National Park, and ate many delicious oranges from the orchards nearby.
February - The abundance of citrus fruit during the growing season in California starts to make me sick as we find out that I am expecting - 7 weeks along! - and morning sickness kicks in. I didn't suffer very much, but I do recall eating many MANY bowls of Corn Flakes (as it was something I could count on keeping my stomach settled) and becoming very woozy at the smell of citrus fruit. Not a great thing while driving through the orchards...
March - A visit from my parents was a great time for sharing the exciting announcement in person! Homework and hanging out with friends on campus filled the middle of March. And the last two weeks of the month were spent on bed rest due to a complication/scare with the pregnancy. These were very busy weeks for Nathan as he was doing full time classes and homework, plus doing everything around the house that I couldn't do.
April - We shared the news of our pregnancy with the world on April 1st. Yes, this date was intentionally chosen. During the first week of the month, we also had a visit from Nathan's parents. We drove out to the coast with them, saw Monterey and the aquarium there, and drove down the coast on highway 1. It was a very beautiful drive, but the ups and downs and curves were a little much for my already (morning) sick stomach. Nevertheless, I remember the trip with fond memories. The end of the month included more and more homework, for both of us, as the end of the semester nears!
May - Our time at seminary comes to a close as we have decided not to return to Fresno for another year. All the last assignments were handed in and we packed up our car for the return trip to Canada. The goodbyes were hard as we had truly grown to love our neighbours in the Court, where we lived, like family. Once back in Canada, we joined our things in storage at Nathan's parents' house. This became home base until the end of July.
June - Nathan took a week-long intensive course in Winnipeg. While he was in class, I visited with many old friends in Altona. We also spent time with family, both my side and Nathan's.
July - We got some quality time with Nathan's younger brother while his parents were on vacation. We also watched their house and dog for them. By the end of the month, we were antsy to have our own place again so we moved into our rental house a few days early. The moving days were full of sore backs and swollen feet. By this time I was 34 weeks pregnant. Not ideal for lifting boxes and hours of unpacking!
August - Nathan continued to do homework. By this time it had been a year with little/no breaks in the homework load for Nathan. This month he was trying to complete as much as he could before baby arrived.
September - Finally we arrived in the month baby was due! We were expecting the baby to come early, due to my size and the baby's size, so each day of September dawned with great hope and excitement that this may be the day. Alas, due date came and went and September passed by with no sign of baby. Nathan had a little more in life to distract him from the wait. He is currently working at the local Bible college as a teacher's assistant - for credit counting toward his Masters - so September was the month this started. He also continued to squeeze in as much homework as he could before baby arrived, though eventually the wait became too much of a distraction for even him.
October - Eight days into October, on thanksgiving weekend and the anniversary of our engagement, we welcomed Levi Jonathan into our family. He was in no hurry to greet the world, but I must say, he was awfully forgiving about being rushed out so "early". He has been a content baby right from the beginning and, after losing his initial 6oz off his birth weight of 8lbs 2oz, has been growing like a weed. Of course, like any baby, he does have his fussy moments...
November - Nathan hit the books after a few distracted weeks with Levi coming home and figuring out life as a family of 3. This month the goal was to try to stretch out our night-time feeds in an effort to get a little more sleep. Also, trying to convince Levi that midnight is not an acceptable bedtime for someone so young was high on the agenda. But overall, November was a great month of family time and routine.
December - this being December 1, I can only write what I anticipate the month being. Nathan talks about making some serious headway with his thesis-writing. There will also be a visit from Nathan's grandma who will be visiting from Ontario. I also anticipate that there will be lots of family time... with our little family of 3, with Nathan's family, and with my family.
And that brings 2010 to a close. So from Nathan, Levi, and myself, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
There, that wasn't too long, was it? ; )
The first year that I didn't write the letter, Christmas 2008, I just had no idea how to sum up where we were in life. The first 8 months of our year were basically the same as the previous few years. Youth ministry took up much of our time and free time was almost unheard of. We welcomed summer break (youth work slowed down quite a bit in the summer) and by the end of August we felt rested and ready for another year of ministry. We ended up not being back in youth ministry that fall, instead entering a time of discernment and healing. It was a good fall, but not one I would care to relive! By Christmas time, Nathan and I were not sure how to sum up our year to date and not ready to share our future plans (as we had none beyond the next week) so the Christmas letter was left unwritten.
Christmas 2009 came and again I thought about sitting down to write a letter. At this point, we had resigned, officially, from the church where Nathan had been working, spent spring working at our separate jobs in Altona, Nathan doing some forklift driving and soil testing and me at Canadian Lumber. We put our house on the market as we had made the decision for Nathan to return to seminary that fall. At the beginning of July, we packed up our things and, leaving our house still unsold, moved our stuff into Mom & Pop storage. The summer was spent enjoying time with family and relaxing as neither of us was employed at this point. In August, we loaded up our car and moved down to Fresno, California where Nathan began working toward his Masters degree in Theology. The sale of our house in September was definitely an answer to prayer after 6 months on the market with no offers. We enjoyed our fall very much, especially the green grass and palm trees as the snow flew back home, and that winter had our first Christmas without snow as a married couple.
And that brings us to where I would normally start our 2010 Christmas letter. From here, I think I'll sum up our year month-by-month...and I'll try to keep it short. No promises, though!
January - Nathan worked ahead in some of his courses and I was also writing papers, preparing to complete a diploma in Christian ministry during our remaining 3 semesters in Fresno. Near the end of the month, I just was not feeling peace about entering full-time studies so I left most of my chosen courses unregistered for, instead choosing to take just the courses that interested me on a personal growth basis. We also enjoyed a visit from my sister and saw San Francisco with her, went with some friends to Yosemite National Park, and ate many delicious oranges from the orchards nearby.
February - The abundance of citrus fruit during the growing season in California starts to make me sick as we find out that I am expecting - 7 weeks along! - and morning sickness kicks in. I didn't suffer very much, but I do recall eating many MANY bowls of Corn Flakes (as it was something I could count on keeping my stomach settled) and becoming very woozy at the smell of citrus fruit. Not a great thing while driving through the orchards...
March - A visit from my parents was a great time for sharing the exciting announcement in person! Homework and hanging out with friends on campus filled the middle of March. And the last two weeks of the month were spent on bed rest due to a complication/scare with the pregnancy. These were very busy weeks for Nathan as he was doing full time classes and homework, plus doing everything around the house that I couldn't do.
April - We shared the news of our pregnancy with the world on April 1st. Yes, this date was intentionally chosen. During the first week of the month, we also had a visit from Nathan's parents. We drove out to the coast with them, saw Monterey and the aquarium there, and drove down the coast on highway 1. It was a very beautiful drive, but the ups and downs and curves were a little much for my already (morning) sick stomach. Nevertheless, I remember the trip with fond memories. The end of the month included more and more homework, for both of us, as the end of the semester nears!
May - Our time at seminary comes to a close as we have decided not to return to Fresno for another year. All the last assignments were handed in and we packed up our car for the return trip to Canada. The goodbyes were hard as we had truly grown to love our neighbours in the Court, where we lived, like family. Once back in Canada, we joined our things in storage at Nathan's parents' house. This became home base until the end of July.
June - Nathan took a week-long intensive course in Winnipeg. While he was in class, I visited with many old friends in Altona. We also spent time with family, both my side and Nathan's.
July - We got some quality time with Nathan's younger brother while his parents were on vacation. We also watched their house and dog for them. By the end of the month, we were antsy to have our own place again so we moved into our rental house a few days early. The moving days were full of sore backs and swollen feet. By this time I was 34 weeks pregnant. Not ideal for lifting boxes and hours of unpacking!
August - Nathan continued to do homework. By this time it had been a year with little/no breaks in the homework load for Nathan. This month he was trying to complete as much as he could before baby arrived.
September - Finally we arrived in the month baby was due! We were expecting the baby to come early, due to my size and the baby's size, so each day of September dawned with great hope and excitement that this may be the day. Alas, due date came and went and September passed by with no sign of baby. Nathan had a little more in life to distract him from the wait. He is currently working at the local Bible college as a teacher's assistant - for credit counting toward his Masters - so September was the month this started. He also continued to squeeze in as much homework as he could before baby arrived, though eventually the wait became too much of a distraction for even him.
October - Eight days into October, on thanksgiving weekend and the anniversary of our engagement, we welcomed Levi Jonathan into our family. He was in no hurry to greet the world, but I must say, he was awfully forgiving about being rushed out so "early". He has been a content baby right from the beginning and, after losing his initial 6oz off his birth weight of 8lbs 2oz, has been growing like a weed. Of course, like any baby, he does have his fussy moments...
November - Nathan hit the books after a few distracted weeks with Levi coming home and figuring out life as a family of 3. This month the goal was to try to stretch out our night-time feeds in an effort to get a little more sleep. Also, trying to convince Levi that midnight is not an acceptable bedtime for someone so young was high on the agenda. But overall, November was a great month of family time and routine.
December - this being December 1, I can only write what I anticipate the month being. Nathan talks about making some serious headway with his thesis-writing. There will also be a visit from Nathan's grandma who will be visiting from Ontario. I also anticipate that there will be lots of family time... with our little family of 3, with Nathan's family, and with my family.
And that brings 2010 to a close. So from Nathan, Levi, and myself, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
There, that wasn't too long, was it? ; )
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