and baby makes three...

little rant

2012-02-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, so sometimes facebook is wonderful and sometimes it is just plan terrible. I was just on facebook, seeing all these people who have gotten married in the past year and are already pregnant, and I was getting really discouraged. I'm sorry if this is you and you got pregnant in your first year of marriage or as soon as you started trying to have a baby. This rant isn't against you personally...it's just that when it takes SO.MUCH.TIME (and EFFORT and TEARS and WORK and PRAYER) for some to get pregnant, how is it fair that others just get pregnant as soon as they decide that they'd like to start a family? WHY? Why can't everyone who so desperately desires to be a parent just have it happen like it does for others? Why couldn't it either be hard for everyone or easy for everyone? Why can't we all be on a level playing field here?? I guess I just don't understand. And I guess I'm still a bit bitter that we had to wait THREE+ years to welcome Levi into our lives, four years and one month from the time we started to try until the time we met him face to face. Don't tell me that God has a plan. Don't tell me that things turned out better this way. Don't tell me that we waited this long to have Levi and that if we'd had a baby right away it wouldn't have been the same baby as we have now. Don't give me pat answers because this isn't a simple issue. It isn't a simple issue. I still deal with the effects of having struggled with infertility for over 3 years. I still hurt because of it. I still have questions. The pain and wondering doesn't go away with the positive pregnancy test...with the baby's first cry in the delivery room. It's easier to forget about the road that it took to get here, but the road is still there. The memories are still there. The scars are still there. And every once in a while, like when I'm stalking around facebook, it hits me like a truck. It's not gone. It still hurts. And it's not fair. IT'S.NOT.FAIR.

turning corners

2012-02-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

Levi has been sick this week. It seems that every time he hangs out with his little buddies who have even a hint of sickness or a cold, he gets it. This is quite the opposite of his first year of life as he wasn't sick at all. I guess the antibodies that come from a mother's milk really do make a difference!

Speaking of sickness, the other night Levi was up coughing and crying. I offered him water and he refused. I tried snuggling and rocking him. He just arched his back and screamed louder. He kept reaching for the door (which he always does when he doesn't want to sleep) so finally I just went with it, like I have before, and left his room. He kept crying and reaching so I just kept following where he led. Once we reached the fridge, he reached for it and I opened it and gave him his milk. He GUZZLED. Like, the world is ending, guzzled. And stopped crying. And then, once he was finished chugging back his milk, he snuggled into my chest and reached the other direction. Seeing as he had led me to what he wanted in the first place, I thought I would just follow his lead again. He led me to our bedroom (the only light on in the house at this point) and I lay down in our bed with him. He just lay there on my chest, perfectly calm and happy (though still the occasional cough). Three minutes earlier he had been a screaming, inconsolable mess and now he was laying on me as though nothing was wrong. I still needed to do a few things before coming to bed so I asked Levi if he could snuggle with Daddy for a few minutes. He shook his head, but he often shakes his head when he hears the "question" tone. He shakes his head 'no' to everything. So I handed him over to Nathan while I went and got ready for bed. He screamed the.entire.time. Apparently he meant what he said when he shook his head 'no' to Daddy. I got back and he calmed down as soon as he was in my arms.

Now, this whole scenario isn't so much about the details of what happened, as about turning a corner in communication! For months, Levi has been whining and having melt-down after melt-down because he couldn't communicate. He would try and I would try to understand and help him, but often the melt-down would come before he really got across what he was trying to say. But since that night, it has been a complete turn-around! I think I might actually enjoy being a mother of a toddler now! (not that I didn't enjoy most of it already, but it certainly wasn't shaping up to be my favourite of life stages...those tantrums are something else!) Now, even if Levi is in melt-down mode, I can ask him calmly to show me what he wants, and he'll make a honest effort, and most of the time he feels understood! And when he feels understood, even if I say 'no' to him because he can't have what he's asking for, the tears are fewer and he moves on to something else more quickly. Aah. We turned a corner with that one! Whoo-hoo!

In other news, I got a huge stack of crochet magazines this week from one of the women who works at the local post office. She has seen my packages of yarn coming in and my scads of product going out and thought I might be interested in these. The magazines are from the years 1988-1993 and I must say, I had some good laughs. There are a TON of patterns that I want to try (at least a variation of), but some of them...well, why don't I just show you?

I offered to make this for Nathan (so he could wear it in case his body was cold but arms were not). He's considering it.

Full crochet suit, complete with hat? Yes, please.

Aren't we all hoity-toity, reading a book with perfect posture and shawl tied just so? *hem hem hem*

Ugly Christmas sweater!!! I might just have to make this one...you'll notice that I have it "marked" for future consideration.


Stylish blazer...and bun netting thing...shudder


And last but not least...the old becoming new again! Doesn't this vignette look quite "now"? Aside from hanging an afghan on the wall (today it would be wall-paper, another nod back to the 90's). But couldn't that be an Ikea lack table there in front? I may very well make this one. It wouldn't be for our house, but is anyone else interested? As a side-note, I'm pretty sure my dad has those very same book ends...

And that is that. What an interesting day I had yesterday looking through all these magazines, marking all the patterns that may be of interest. And with that, I'll leave you to carry on your day! Have a good one!

clean and tidy

2012-02-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight as Levi has been falling asleep, I've been tidying the house. Not cleaning, per se, but just putting things back into their place. I've been working my way from one end of the house to the other, top floor and basement, just straightening and organizing and setting things right again. And here's what I've realized:

I've become way too accustomed to seeing things out of their place.

For example, I tidied the basement rec/family room and thought, "There. That's pretty good." And then I stepped back to look at it again and saw that there were still two or three remotes laying around, one right there in the middle of the floor. There were still a couple of alphabet blocks scattered along the walls. And I hadn't even touched my desk! Wow. I came upstairs and there was still a pair of Levi's socks in the hall that I'd meant to take to the "too small" box downstairs. Levi's belt was still sitting beside the dryer where it fell as I did laundry today. I just have gotten too used to seeing random things around the house in random places. Now, that is partly due to having a son who loves to carry things around the house and drop them wherever he sees something more interesting to pick up. It brings me great joy to find some of these treasures (broom in bedroom, hairspray in living room, cup at the end of the hall by the deck door). But I bet that's not the whole reason. I think I've just become a bit lax when it comes to keeping the house tidy. Instead of putting things away when I'm finished with them - like my mom tried to teach me over and over again growing up - I've gotten into the habit (anyone else tend to spell "habit" like "hobbit" with two "b"'s?) of just moving on to the next thing and leaving my project sitting on the floor for days or putting something in a pile to be dealt with later. I still have Christmas cards/letter sitting on the microwave from December for crying out loud! It's been two months! And yet, I am just so used to seeing them there and have no idea what to do with them, so there they sit.

Today I was watching Levi play, like I often do. He was playing with his Little People Barn that he got for Christmas. It is interesting because, when he plays, he is very intentional about all his animals standing on their feet. If he puts the goat in the barn and it falls over in the process, he'll carefully reach in and set it back on its feet. Seeing this got me thinking about whether this will be a life-long characteristic of his...will he always be particular and want things to be proper and in their place? I have had phases in my life where I have been like that. Everything had to be in its place, facing the right direction, and no clutter piles whatsoever. (My dorm rooms at Bible college, both first and second year, were amazingly clean and tidy ALL.THE.TIME.) And you know, life is alot less stressful like that! I enjoy having a place for everything and putting things back where they belong as soon as I'm finished with them (or at least at the end of the day). But it's easy to get lazy when there is a house full of people (and animal) who don't necessarily have the same vision as you.

Well, all this is to say that yes, my house can get untidy. It is usually clean (enough), but the clutter builds up. I'm human. I admit it. BUT, my goal after this evening, is to designate a place for everything and then, instead of just getting lazy and making piles everywhere of things to be put away, I think I might actually try putting stuff away right away! Could you imagine? Putting something away as soon as you're finished with it instead of just setting it aside to be cleaned up later? Oh, what freedom the evenings would bring! haha. Well, it's been nice to dream. Back to tidying the house...!

February - A Month of Promise

2012-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

February will always mean a little something extra to me. It was never a particularly special month to me growing up. It was shorter than the rest of the months, even on a leap year. It had Valentine's day, now also Family Day. But it was still winter and just meant another month of winter routine.

Eventually I got married and, just over a year later, we started trying to grow our family. Years came and went and still we weren't pregnant. I remember one day as I was praying and pleading with God to give us a child, I heard God say, "Expect a baby in February." That was it. No details other than that.

This statement stuck with me and one or two February's came and went with still no sign of a baby. I had pretty much forgotten about this promise until February 13, 2010. I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. As soon as I saw that positive, I remembered God's words from years earlier. And I knew that this was God fulfilling his promise to me: "Expect a baby in February."

I still find myself doubting that God actually speaks. That He actually answers our prayers and can be trusted. I find myself knowing in my head, but wondering in my heart. But when February comes, it will always be a reminder to me that God does speak. That He does answer prayers and keep His promises.

I am humbled and amazed...God you are good and your mercy endures forever...

What to write?

2012-01-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

I've been uninspired lately. Uninspired to blog, that is. I've been inspired to do many other things, certainly, but when it comes to this blog, I just haven't had much to say since, oh, November 2010? Hmm...right about the time Levi started being more aware and responsive and SO MUCH FUN! Haha. Yup, that's definitely part of it! I don't read other people's blogs nearly as much as I used to either. There's just something about having only one, maybe two precious hours to myself each day and not feeling like blogs (either writing or reading) are the most attractive way to spend that time. I'd rather:
...work on my business!
...correspond with people on a more personal basis (ie. email, fb messages, etc)
...clean the house (ok, wouldn't rather do this, but sometimes it just needs to be done)
...do something crafty
...plan my menu
...make supper/bake

Yup, there are so many other things to do these days. It pains me a bit because for so many years I blogged so faithfully and enjoyed it so much...and was so encouraged by my readers! Thank you! I have met wonderful people through blogging and received many kind words and prayers while we were experiencing infertility. So, for the sake of the past, I shall attempt to write at least weekly blog posts this year. Think I can do it? Watch me.

Well, hmm...what to write about today? For starters, today I am getting three garbage bags full of little boy hand-me-downs! That's exciting! I LOVE hand-me-downs. Seriously. Love them. I got an email from a friend from church this morning offering me her son's old clothes. How could I not gratefully accept her offer?? So, once Nathan gets home from his lunch meeting, I will have three exciting, "get-your-heart-racing" garbage bags of clothes to look through! Whooie! On the slight downside, I won't be able to look through them until tomorrow because, as soon as Nathan gets home from his lunch meeting, we are heading to the city! Now, I can handle the delayed gratification with the hand-me-downs because, drumroll please... ... ... I get to go grocery shopping! Yeah, I'm weird like that. I really really enjoy grocery shopping. There's just something about taking inventory of your pantry, making a list, and then going to the grocery store and crossing things off your list as you put them into your cart. Then, you haul them all home and put them all away exactly where they belong, where there was nothing before, now there is something! A fully stocked pantry! Can anyone else relate? I know lots of people dread grocery shopping, but, well, I quite enjoy it. :)

After grocery shopping, I will be dropping off a Uniquely Me Design order with a good childhood friend of mine. It'll be short, but long enough for a quick hug. Then, it's off to meet a friend from Manitoba who is in the city for a couple days each winter. Last year he met our 3 month old son and this year he gets to see how much Levi has changed! Really, he's hardly the same boy... Anyway, we get to spend this evening hanging out at our friends' hotel and catching up, maybe do some swimming and see if Levi likes it any more than he did this summer (which wasn't very much...is a general dislike of swimming a genetic thing?). Should be good!

After today, we have a day off. Nathan has Fridays off, so we will get to spend a day as a family (!!!). Always a highlight. THEN, on Saturday, I will have my first complete day away from Levi. First ever. Like, I will most likely leave before he's up and will certainly arrive back home after he's sleeping. Levi gets his first-ever Daddy-day! I am pretty excited for the bonding that will happen between my two men and to hear the stories that they will have to tell. I am equally excited for a day to visit with a good friend a couple hours from here and to spend the day scrapbooking! I haven't started Levi's baby book yet, so I hope to finish my pregnancy album (after 3+ years of infertility, I figured that the whole "making Levi" story deserved its own book) and then get started on Levi's book! It's intimidating, so I'm a bit nervous to start. It's probably why Levi is 15 months old already and the pictures are just stacking up higher and higher...

Well, that's about all I can think of right now. I suppose I should go find some pictures to add to this post to make it at least a little more interesting :P (Isn't Levi CUTE?! It's all those years of praying for a beautiful child...) Hope you all have a wonderful end to your week! And an even better weekend! Take care!

A little "in"...

2012-01-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a little "in" on what I used to do in my spare time back in high school:

I dug these out of a box when I was at my parents' place this Christmas. I was SO proud of them back in the day. I was probably around 13 when I made the rabbits and maybe a bit older when I made the dolls. Not sure. Definitely still in school though. My great-grandma used to make dolls like the ones in the top picture and, when I found some doll faces in my mom's craft stuff, I decided to make some dolls of my own. They are supposed to have little vinyl hands as well, but I guess we didn't have any of those lying around. What do you think, if I could get my hands on some more of those vinyl faces/hands, do you think that there would be a market for things like this in my Uniquely Me Design shop?

bumGenius Organic AIO - Cloth Diapering Question

2011-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so normally I have absolutely NOTHING bad to say about my cloth diapers. I seriously LOVE them...I would never choose disposable over cloth, ever. When I started cloth diapering, I chose the bumGenius Organic AIO (one size). There are fewer chemicals (obviously), fewer leaks (proven by the number of leaks I had while using disposables on and off the first few months and how they stopped as soon as I put a cloth diaper on my son), and fewer smells (depends whether you prefer to smell chemically altered wet/dirty diapers or the real thing). I only have one problem with them:

Do you see those holes along the side of the diaper? Those holes started appearing when I had only used my cloth diapers around 5-6 months. I'm not sure exactly why they are there. My guess would be that the drying time is so long because they're AIO that the heat of the dryer (even on a low heat setting) is just too much for the cotton and it breaks down rather quickly. BUT...really? Not everyone lives in a climate where they can just hang their diapers up to dry every time. If I hang them outside, they freeze solid within 5 minutes for 7 months (or more) of the year. If I hang them inside, even with a fan blowing on them, they take around 20-24 hours to dry completely - and I even have to turn them "inside out" if I don't want the inside to be damp forever.

So I guess I have three questions:
- Is this normal?
- Has this happened to anyone else?
- Is there a way of "patching" the holes or somehow preventing them from getting bigger every single time I do laundry?

I was hoping that these diapers would last through multiple kids (they were quite expensive - bumGenius's most expensive syle of diaper, chosen for the ease of use) but now I'm just hoping that I won't have to buy more cloth diapers or *sharp intake of breath* use disposables for the last few months until my son is potty trained.

Are there any other cloth diapering mama's out there? Which cloth diapers do you use? What do you love/hate about your diapers? If you've cloth-diapered through multiple children, did you have your diapers eventually wear out and how long would you say that a diaper generally lasts?? As much as I love my bumGenius Organic AIO's for their look, ease of use, and fit, I must say, I am fairly disappointed that they started wearing out so quickly...

*Sidenote: I did try to get warranty, Cotton Babies was very willing to look at my diapers and consider them for warranty even if the diapers arrived after the one year warranty mark, but I had ripped a seam in all my diapers (there was a seam across the back of the sewn-in insert and I removed it to allow more airflow during the drying process - it did help) and I wasn't sure if that would affect the warranty and didn't want to be without my diapers for the month or two that it would have taken to mail away my diaper stash without being sure that they would be replaced. Not having my diapers replaced on warranty is completely on me, and is not a hit on Cotton Babies (the makers of bumGenius products).

And other things...

2011-12-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Well, after the infamous pudding painting experience, and a more recent traumatizing first bubble bath for Levi (what is that stuff?! Get it OFF of me!!!), I've finally found something that Levi loves and is enthralled with! It's called "food-colouring-fun-in-the-bath." Here's how it works: you run a bath. You strip down the target. You put said target into bath. THEN, you direct the target's attention to a small bottle of food colouring being held just above their head, pointing down toward the bath water. Squeeze slightly and *presto*! One drop of food colouring goes into the bath water. Target may not notice right away what has happened so you may need to point out the beautiful colour that is infusing their bath time with fun right before their eyes. Target may attempt to "catch" the colour, which makes this activity even more fun as the colour will only spread instead of being caught! Once target has tired of this first drop, try a second drop! And a third! The possibilities are endless (or at least endless until you've finished your bottle of food colouring and the bath water is no longer translucent because it is saturated with FUN). Ta-da! I will note, however, that green, yellow, and red food colourings may not be ideal choices. To each their own, I guess, but don't say I didn't warn you...

What else have we been up to? Hmm...well, Christmas is coming! We will be celebrating Christmas as our family of 3 on Christmas Eve this year. Then, after the church's Christmas Eve service, we will make the late-night trek to my parents' place to spend a couple days there with my family. It is so nice that we will ALL be able to be together twice this year! What a treat :) Now that my sister is living back in Canada (as of yesterday), hopefully it can happen a bit more often. Between Christmas and New Years, Nathan will be speaking at a summer camp staff retreat at a camp nearby. Levi and I will be able to go with him and hopefully it will be a bit of a retreat for us as well as encouraging for Nathan as he really enjoys speaking at these types of events. On New Year's Day, we will head out to Nathan's parents' place where we will spend two nights and celebrate the holidays with his family. It is nice that everyone on this side of the family is within 90 minutes of driving so getting together is something that can happen fairly easily a few times a year! So nice.

I have been busy crocheting (I've averaged about .75-1 toque EVERY SINGLE DAY since mid-October). I've finished all my current outstanding Christmas sales, though, and now am only working on my own personal projects. It's a nice change of pace.

Nathan has a week of holidays this week, but so far it has been spent doing alot of prep for his speaking engagement next week. Hopefully he can finish that up sooner than later so that we can spend some quality family time together before he heads back to work in the new year.

Well, that's about all I can think of. Oh wait, you're probably DYING to know what Levi has been up to lately! Well, he's 14 months old and is walking, talking, dancing, pointing, asking, running, climbing, squirming, cuddling, reading, playing, rocking, throwing, and in general just MOVING. He's a real joy (for at least a portion of every day) and we love him to bits.

And that's our life in a nutshell! I'm really hoping to get back into this blogging thing a bit more in the new year. I've really missed it. But now it's time to say goodbye and enjoy the last little bit of Levi's going-on-two-hours naptime. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

p.s-nope, no real pictures. Sorry. I'll try to get some up again in the new year :)

Pudding Painting

2011-12-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

So...I thought it would be fun to shake up our daily routine around here and do some bathtub pudding painting one afternoon. I made vanilla pudding and coloured it blue and purple (was supposed to be hot pink...oh well). Then, after Levi's nap and lunch and outdoor adventure (aka. getting the mail and buying groceries), we stripped down - or at least the under 2 year old population in the house stripped down - got to work! I put Levi in the bathtub, but there were still little puddles of water leftover from morning showers so the whole project started out with a slip in the tub and Levi almost landing on his back (I caught him) in cold, leftover shower-water. There may or may not have been tears. Now, I should have just gotten him out right then and saved the colourful pudding for afternoon snack. But no. I thought that might be robbing him of the greatest adventure of his lifetime! So we did some finger painting. Or at least I did some finger painting. I'll let the pictures take it from here:

Levi carefully (index finger and thumb on edge of container so as not to get dirty) put both containers on the edge of the tub. The mess you see in the picture is compliments of mom, trying to show him how much fun it is to get messy...and did I mention that it tastes good too?! He wasn't a fan. He then proceeded to push the blue pudding off the edge and *SPLAT!* onto the floor.

"Mom! Please get me out of here! It's cold and icky and I just want OUT!"

"Please, Mom? Please can I come out now?"

"Are you done taking pictures yet? Can I come out?"

"Oh, ok. You're going to run a nice warm bath for me. This is good. I can handle this. Hey, I've never been in here WHILE the water is running...I'm going to try to catch it! Annnnnd.....NOW. Maybeeee....NOW. Boy, this stuff is hard to catch..."

Ok, you'll have to forgive the cheesy Levi-commentary. Parents just tend to have a hard time not putting words into their children's mouths. (Alas, I'll have to work on it so that I do not continue to do this once he can speak for himself.) It was an adventure and definitely broke up our routine, but I wouldn't say it's something I'll try again anytime soon. I did discover that our boy prefers not to be dirty. Face is good, hands is good, but it had better be food-dirtiness, and it's had better be there because I put it there and not there because mom is trying to rub slime all over me. Haha. I think what Levi needs is a little brother or sister so get right in there with him and show him how it's done. Isn't the second sibling often much less worried about getting dirty and trying new things? Don't worry, I'm not announcing anything. I'm just saying, the thought crossed my mind as I was getting Levi cleaned up...maybe next time I try this, I'll have two little bodies to scrub clean afterward :)

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-10T13:32:00.001-08:00

Alrighty, I guess since Christmas is coming quickly, I should get this letter written! What a year it's been, though. Where to start?

January!
When last year started, we had a 3 month old baby. We were excited to put Levi in his Jolly Jumper for the first time, and were watching all his developments (daily! is our kid the smartest ever?!). I'm not sure what else we did. I think we did alot of hanging out in the house, avoiding the cold!

February!
This month officially marked one year of knowing that we would be expecting a baby in 2010! As far as other things in life, it was fairly uneventful. Levi was 4 months and also started sitting by himself at the end of February! Nathan took a short homework break for Christmas so February brought the writing of his Master's thesis. If my memory serves me right, I believe he wrote the majority of his 148 page thesis this month. (If anyone wants a copy, by the way, I'm sure he would gladly send one out to you electronically!)

March!
March was more homework for Nathan. At some point he realized that he just wouldn't get any homework done at home with an increasingly aware and interactive baby, thus began Nathan spending his days in the Bethany College library. Levi and I hung out at home, with one guaranteed outing each day to get the mail and pick up any groceries we may have been needing. :) It was also the month when Levi started scooting around on his belly to reach whatever desirable toys were out of reach.

April!
At the beginning of April, Levi and I packed up and flew to Indiana to visit my sister. The trip was about 5 days long and we enjoyed seeing where she was living, and exploring some of the Amish shops nearby. Shipshewana, anyone?? Levi was a perfect travel companion and an even better shopper. He just hung out in the Moby wrap for an entire day of going in and out of stores. We joked that I would be shocked if our next baby hates shopping because Levi is just so calm and happy when we're out! April also brought the exciting development of introducing solids to Levi. Took a few months for him to really catch on though...peas, anyone?

May!
Nathan was finally done his Masters degree! He officially has a Master of Arts majoring in Theology. Levi and I were so proud of him for finishing in the originally planned two years. Plus, this meant that I got my husband back! Nathan being a student for the first half of 2011 was hard, but also incredibly perfect for the first year of Levi's life. While Nathan had homework to do, he also had a flexible schedule, so when I was up all night with Levi, Nathan was able to get up with Levi in the morning and give me an extra hour or so of sleep. That just wouldn't have been possible if he'd needed to be at work at 9am! Anyway, back to grad. We flew down to Fresno, CA to be part of the graduation ceremonies. Our parents joined us down there for the festivities and it was also wonderful to catch up with friends from our year living down there in 2009-2010.

June!
While Nathan graduated in May, he still had a few requirements to finish up before being completely DONE. He finished up these requirements at the end of June/beginning of July with a trip to LA with some classmates. In June, our question of "what's next?" was answered as we were asked to candidate at a church we'd applied to and a couple weeks later were officially asked to fill the position. As I'm trying to keep details like our complete names and locations to a minimum on this blog, I'll just say that the church we are working at is an answer to prayer. The town and church that we are a part of is more than we ever hoped or imagined it would be. Like I say when people ask how we've settled, "we are 100% sure that we are exactly where God wants us right now and that is a wonderful feeling. It's been home right from the start." Just days after being asked to fill the position at the end of June, we drove to our new town and bought a house! This, too, was an answer to prayer. After moving half a dozen times in the past two years, we were really hoping to be able to move straight into a place where we could see ourselves being long-term but weren't sure if this would be possible having just been students for the past two years with no regular income. Praise God the funds were there and we were able to purchase a home!

July!
July was a vacation month for us. We spent time with friends and family, and ended the month with a family gathering/reunion with my mom's entire side of the family to celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday. I think there were only three families missing...and that's pretty good considering the number of families who could make it!

August!
We moved into our house on August 2. The first two weeks of the month were spent unpacking and exploring our new town. Nathan started work at the church on August 15. We soon realized that it was just as perfect a fit for him as it seemed and he's been enjoying work ever since!

September!
I'm not sure what there is to say about September. Levi continued to grow. Every couple days I would be reminded of the previous year when we spent the whole month of September waiting for Levi to make his appearance. Lots of memories of a big belly, trying to get labour started, and getting up 12 times a night to use the bathroom...what a long month it was in 2010. This year, we continued to get settled into our house, though it soon felt like we'd been here forever. Church programs started up. Levi and I did alot of playing as Nathan is gone during the working day for the first time in Levi's life. Life is good!

October!

Levi celebrated his birthday on October 8! He started walking instead of crawling days later (though he had been taking steps for a couple months already). He is suddenly more of a little boy than a baby! We had both of our families here to celebrate his birthday as well as thanksgiving and Levi's baby dedication at church. We also had a couple out of town friends here for the weekend. We were so glad to have our house full of people we love! I should probably also include that this month Nathan was finally able to buy his first motorbike! He and my dad made a road trip out to Edmonton area with a truck to pick it up from my uncle's garage (with permission, of course). This is also the month that, after almost 2 years of having an online shop, my home business "Uniquely Me Design" really took off and started making me busier. I make handmade gifts and sell primarily through my etsy shop (uniquelymedesign.etsy.com). Shameless plug, I know. Sorry :) It's been fun to be able to use my skills to provide other people with quality handmade items. It's been a great creative outlet as I had been holding myself back, not wanting every.single.item in our house to be made with a crochet hook and yarn!

November!
We made quick trips out of town to visit both parents this month. With being so close (4 hours to my parents, 1.5-2 hours to Nathan's parents) we try to see each set of parents/grandparents once a month, though sometimes that just doesn't happen with the busyness of life. Levi had his first bout of sickness in November which resulted in a trip to the emergency room while visiting my parents. His fever lasted 5 days in total...not fun. While at the hospital, the mother of one of my good friends (a nurse in town) was ever-so-kind and took care of Levi so well. It was nice to have a familiar face while waiting to find out what was making Levi feel so down. Nathan continued to be busy with work this month...lots of evenings which is quite typical of pastoral ministry.

December!
December brings with it anticipation of the holidays! We are blessed to be able to spend time with both families this Christmas season, including all of our siblings! It is SO nice to be closer to family than ever before in the time we've been married! Levi and I have been doing a bit of Christmas baking together. Levi is walking all over the place, climbing, dancing, eating, "talking", and is just such a joy! He certainly keeps us busy but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our Christmas tree is up (still...Levi has been respecting it and all its ornaments - except the ONE that I have given him permission to play with...we can't expect him to not touch the tree at all, now can we? Where would the fun be in that??) and it's beginning to feel alot like Christmas!

With all that said, I'm sure Levi will be waking up from his nap anytime now and wanting some lunch. So, from our home to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God bless you richly in the coming year!

Love,
Nathan, Niki, and Levi
McCorkindale

p.s-Oh, and yes, Nathan's head is cut off in our family picture (top of the blog). I truly thought it just made for a cozy effect but Costco didn't even print it right away because they thought it was a mistake. Oops. What do you think? Is it ok??

Picture Post

2011-11-18T11:56:00.001-08:00

I sometimes feel like uploading so many pictures to facebook is just too much. SO...I'll post them here! You all like to see what Levi is up to, right??

This was this morning...I was shooting a rubber band and Levi thought it was hysterical. This was my first indication that he was feeling better after a week of sickness!

Levi LOVES his medicine and cries when he can't have any more after the recommended dosage :p

Levi was sick for an entire week. He hardly ate anything (and dropped at least 1 lb). He had a high fever for 4 days. He was listless and just spent days snuggled with me and crying over every little thing. Poor guy...

He hates being bundled up because he can't move or do anything. So if you can't move, why not just sleep? Hehe...I love his nose!

And here he's just playing under the table. He loves to play under things...pretty normal kid, I'd say!

Hiatus

2011-11-10T13:31:00.001-08:00

I think maybe it's time I just admit it to myself and let you all know that I'm just taking a bit of a break from blogging. I don't feel like I have much to say or much time to come up with things to say. My business (Uniquely Me Design) has really taken off this fall so I am finding that every spare minute is spent working on orders for people. I am loving it, but it leaves very little time for other things. Optional things. Like blogging. And cleaning the house :) haha. Levi still gets plenty of mommy-time though. Have I mentioned how BLESSED I feel to be able to be a stay-at-home mom? Work-at-home-mom I guess I am now... But anyway, now that I've let you all know that it'll probably be pretty quiet around here for who-knows-how-long, I'm gonna go work on some more orders! I believe a purple toque for a special 3 year old is up next...

One of the latest...

2011-10-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the idea of marking kids heights regularly as they grow up. Growing up, I was somewhat preoccupied with my height, always wishing that I was just a couple inches taller. (throughout junior high and high school, I would faithfully record my height behind my closet door in my room and, despite nobody noticing, I DID go through a fairly significant growth spurt where I grew about 1 inch a month for at least 6 months to a year) Maybe that's the reason I've always been fascinated with marking growth, or maybe I'm just a little sentimental like that. Whatever the case, I realized when I moved away from the room with all my markings behind the closet that whenever I had kids, I would need something more transportable. I did copy down all of my markings on a sheet of paper and measured how far from the floor it should go, but it's just not the same. : )

So, as Levi's first birthday was approaching, I was keeping my eye out for a growth chart idea. I fell in love with one on Pinterest (of course) and set to work. It was fairly easy to make and I finally hung it today. I'd say it turned out pretty well. What do you think?

You can find the tutorial I followed HERE. It was a super-affordable project too! The 1x6 I used was $3.50. The black paint I already had. And the sawtooth picture hanger on the back was $3.50 for a pack of 10. Total=$7

Uniquely Me Design (my shameless plug)

2011-10-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun lately! Alot of my spare time has been spent crocheting, something I've enjoyed doing for about 20 years now. (It still sounds crazy to me to be able to say that anything was 20 years ago...!) I've been adding things to my shop (Uniquely Me Design) every couple days which has been exciting. Making things is something I love to do so it's been fun to be able to grow my shop a little this fall. I hope to continue this winter. Winter is such a great time to curl up on the couch with a good movie and some yarn. (How "grandma" does that sound?! Ha!) So anyway, I just thought I'd share some pictures of things I've been making. If anyone has any ideas of things you'd like to see in my shop, please let me know! I'm working on a couple more things, but I'm always open to suggestions! And I'm also very open to custom orders...

Which is your favourite? You can find these to purchase HERE.

Party Pictures!

2011-10-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

The cake.

The birthday boy with one of his gifts.

Singing "Happy Birthday"!

Enjoying his cake.

Being buried in tissue paper.

Playing with his toys before church Sunday morning.

What a handsome one year old!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

mmm...love.

A common sight these days.

Smiling nicely at Grandma.

Where's Levi?!

Sporting a toque I made for Etsy but just so cute I had to include it!

And just for fun, this was Levi one year ago today. My, how he's grown...

A year ago...

2011-10-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've been reminiscing like CRAZY these last few days.

"A year ago I was bouncing on an exercise ball for hours on end just trying to get labour going."

"A year ago I was supposed to be induced today but was told to wait for a call again tomorrow."

"A year ago I was sitting in the hospital filling out paperwork and waiting for induction."

"A year ago I was hoping to meet Levi by supper time."

"A year ago I asked for my epidural."

"A year ago I was laying in surgery, watching the clock and hoping Levi would be born before midnight."

"A year ago I was finding out for the first time that we have a boy!"

"A year ago I asked Nathan if I could please just sleep wait until morning to name our new baby boy."

"A year ago we sat down together and named our boy Levi Jonathan, Jonathan being a name we had never even discussed before."

And a year ago today we got to take Levi home from the hospital for the first time. And within minutes of entering the house, he filled his pants with explosive force and I almost dropped him I was so surprised! haha. Oh what a year its been! Now we have a dancing, laughing, smiling, self-feeding, almost-walking bundle of joy who we know so well and love so much. A year ago I couldn't imagine how well I would know my son in a year, but now I couldn't imagine not knowing him. Life is just the way it is supposed to be. How appropriate that Levi was born 10 days after his due date on Thanksgiving weekend. Such a sweet reminder of the blessing he is; a reminder to always be thankful...

Levi's Room!

2011-10-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

I got the fabric for Levi's room last week and put the finishing touches in today! It still feels a tad bit bare, though. I guess a few more toys will gradually make their way in there as he starts to enjoy playing on his own a bit more. : )

This is what it looked like before:

Because I forgot to take pictures truly before I started, here are some picture of what the skeleton rocking chair looked like...and just for fun, I included a picture of what it looked like before I recovered it the first time, back in January of 2009!

And this is his room after!

I ordered 7 yards of fabric and with that I made:
- 2 book slings (I've only put one up)
- duvet
- recovered the rocking chair and foot stool
- valance for window
- covered 3 canvases for the wall
- one white crib sheet

There has been overwhelming interest in the book sling that I made. Unfortunately it was not my own awesome idea. I followed the tutorial HERE.

A few of his favourite things...

2011-09-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Happy due date, Levi! A year ago today I was wishing that today would be the day I would finally get to meet you. I really, really didn't want to have an October baby and September is quickly running out! But you waited. And waited. And your birthday ended up being the perfect birthday for you! Can't believe my due date was a year ago already...

In celebration of this little anniversary, here are a few of Levi's favourite things these days (in no particular order):
- Lennox
- pulling up our shirts and pinching our tummy skin
- being chased by us
- chasing Lennox with us
- going for walks
- grabbing my arm and trying to bite my elbow during diaper changes
- snuggles with mommy (he's becoming a snuggler!)
- Cheerios, raisins, Gerber Graduates Puffs, corn, chicken, slurpies, ice cream, anything off our plate (hence slurpies and ice cream making the list)
- pushing chairs, stools, tables around the house while walking behind them
- electrical cords...specifically chewing on them, though trying to plug them back in is also alot of fun
- taking everything out of a box/cupboard/etc
- putting blocks into and out of a box
- parks, especially the slides
- eating paper
- touching things he's normally not allowed to have
- climbing stairs
- playing in the bathroom (why do all little kids LOVE the bathroom? Ick.)

And while I'm in the list-making mood, here are a few of my favourite things about being a mommy:
- snuggles
- words starting to form and Levi being able to communicate with us ("MUM!" whenever he wants something, for example)
- toys and books all over the house
- little shoes lined up by the door
- nap time
- schedule wide open so we can go to the park when we want and stay home and read books when we want
- picking daddy up from the office for lunch with Levi and Lennox
- going down the slide with a squealing boy on my lap
- little arms reaching up for me
- always having someone to make a toque for

This really is the best job in the world for me. I'm so thankful that God answered my prayers with our little Levi. There are certainly hard parts about being a mom and times when I'm just SO tired that I don't want to do anything at all. But seeing that little smile and having that little body completely relax in my arms...I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy almost-birthday, Levi!

Blog more?

2011-09-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Man, I really think I need to blog more! It's been almost two weeks since I've written anything!

Guess what?! Yesterday afternoon, while my boy blissfully slept the afternoon away (a whole 1.5 hours of it, which was an unusually long nap for him), I scoured the world wide web for fabric to decorate his room with. And boy, did I find the perfect stuff!

It's kinda...uncolourful, but I think it'll go perfectly with his very green walls! And, I think it'll grow up with him pretty well too. I mean, eventually he's gonna not want giraffes and elephants, but by then I think it'll be time to re-do it anyway! I'm so excited to get this package in the mail and then to do some sewing and finally, to show you all what I've done! Hopefully I'll be posting before and after pictures of Levi's room in the next month or so! Stay tuned!

I should add that I ordered the fabric from fabric.com. The shipping prices were exorbitantly high, but I found a coupon code online for 15% off and I knew I wouldn't be able to find this fabric at a shop for less. : )

11 months.

2011-09-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

I love my little eleven month old boy! Eleven months ago I was just as round as ever and thinking that our little babe could be making their arrival any day! And then we waited...and waited...and waited... And then he was born on the perfect day for him to be born. : )

Levi has not been a food lover this month. He'd rather feed himself more than anything, but he doesn't get much into himself that way, especially since he has discovered that he can throw his food off of his high chair tray. Ugh. He looks us right in the eyes, puts his little hand over the edge and slowly opens it so his food falls. Other times he just throws it too, but it's the times when we tell him not to and he looks right at us and does it again...those are the times when I realize that we'll have many fun times to come with this boy!

Levi loves to play. This month, his favourite things to do have been playing in (emptying) my cupboards, stacking things to make towers, putting little toys into bigger toys (eg. small ball into larger cup or small link into toilet bowl), and pushing chairs around. He loves to walk along anything that will keep him up and is getting a bit more adventurous in letting go, though for the most part he's still rather be holding onto something. I imagine walking will be happening fairly soon. The only question is before or after the 12 month mark??

Levi is no heavy-weight. He's been stalled in the 17-19lb range for the past, hmm...6 months? He is certainly getting taller each month, though! And really, as long as he's healthy (which he is), I don't mind carrying around a little gaffer! Saves my arms/back!

Levi laughs fairly easily, but has also discovered yelling. When he doesn't get what he wants or has something taken away from him or a door closed in his face, he'll let you know! He is like a light-switch, that boy. One minute he's happy, then he's mad and yelling, then he's happy again, all within 30 seconds. I tell ya...who'd he get that trait from??

Everything still goes in his mouth. Toys, grass, ROCKS...you put it in front of him and it's in his mouth in 3 seconds flat. He'll often latch onto a particular toy while he's playing and will carry it around in his mouth while he plays with other toys. I'm thinking this must have as much to do with teething as anything. Speaking of teeth, he has 8 now, two more in the past month. He's kindly decided to reserve his biting for times when he's hungry, much to my relief. Before, my shoulders would be all red from his little teeth biting me. Ouch! Now I know that if he bites, he needs to be fed asap. What a great discovery.

He is still napping twice a day, 10am and 2pm but I'm wondering how much longer that will last! He had his first kayak ride this month. He also had his first haircut this month. And, he learned to wave! (That may or may not have anything to do with his daddy having a full time job as of this month and him leaving the house every morning and afternoon. Lots of opportunities to practice!)

Love you little boy! In one more month we'll celebrate your first birthday...and what a celebration it will be!

Potty Training

2011-09-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

How early is too early to start potty training? I'm pretty sure that 10-11 months is too early for any formal training but why not ~~dream~~ think about it, right? What has been your experience with potty training? And do you mind including details like the age your child was, how you did it, their gender, and big potty or little? Help a new mama out, yes? Thanks!

Kitchen Re-Organization...part 2!

2011-08-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the past two days have been spent primarily in my kitchen, emptying cabinets, reorganizing the contents, and putting everything back. Though if I'm going to be completely honest, Monday was spent doing what I just said, Tuesday was spent wondering why I tore my kitchen apart and sitting there staring at it, lacking motivation to finish the job, and today I kicked my butt and quickly whipped things together and took pictures so I could show you some of what I've come up with!

It hasn't been the amazing transformation that I dreamed it would be, but, on a very limited budget and when working with less than ideal cabinets, I'd say that is certainly better than it was! Some cabinets really didn't change much at all, so I'll just share with you some of the highlights : ) Enjoy!

Baking utensil drawer. I found these great clear plastic containers at the local Bargain Shop! They were only $2 so I bought them out. Literally. I'm on their "call list" for when they get more! These originally had lids attached but the ones with separate lids were $5 and I didn't want to pay that much so I just cut the lids off! I didn't want the lids anyway!

Spice/knife drawer. So, this drawer isn't completely finished yet. When I get more of those containers, the spices will go into one of those and then I'll be able to see what they are more easily.

My lazy Susan has become my baking supply cupboard. So far Levi hasn't figured out how to get into this one, so these things are safe for a while longer... Also, as many things as possible went into canisters. Little items (like food colouring, etc) are grouped in bowls or containers so they're not floating around aimlessly.

This is my weird corner cupboard. I find it far more useful now though : ) The top shelf is placemats (rarely used). I've made use of the depth of the cupboard with those long, flat margarine containers. They act like drawers so that I can just pull out the container to find what I want instead of digging to the back of the cabinet. Eventually I'd like to have two more of the Bargain Shop containers, one for the middle of each shelf, and then two additional margarine containers for the other side.

Baking central. I moved my beaters to be with the rest of the baking stuff (they used to be top shelf in the cupboard with all the plates and bowls). Also, I bought grippy shelf/drawer lining so that I can stand everything up. The lining is also helpful in my one drawer that has a hole right through the bottom. Did I mention I would love some new cabinets?! Eventually my dream may come true...

Casserole dishes/slow cooker. The slow cooker used to be in my "random cabinet" which had my blender, slow cooker, mixing bowls, strainer, and pitcher. I think this placement makes a little more sense. I also added two nails into the cabinet door to hang my oven mitts and hot pads.

The fridge hasn't been touched yet, but my freezer is getting better. I abhor plastic bags in the freezer. They are nuts. When trying to find something in the freezer, I've often just gotten so frustrated that I'll just shove everything in with disgust and slam the door, only to be greeted by my overzealous ziploc bags of bread, chicken breasts, and peas the next time I open the door. Unfortunately, bags are just the easiest way to store things in the freezer...they take up the least amount of space. Well, remember those Bargain Shop containers that I mentioned? Three more in here! I've labeled them "meat," "bread," and "veggies" so that I can easily pull out the container that I need and find what I'm looking for without half the freezer landing at my feet. Brilliant. The freezer still has a ways to go, but I do think I'm well on my way to actually enjoying a good ol' freezer dive every now and again.

Pantry. Top shelf - least used appliances. Second shelf - cereals and snack foods (also corralled by boxes/containers to sort types of snacks). Third shelf - pastas, soups, baby food, etc. Fourth shelf - bulk spices, graters (this is a no-play zone for Levi so I don't need to worry about the graters being within reach...I just make sure the door is closed at all times), baking stone (because it's the only cupboard where it fits), Levi's bibs and wash cloths (again, in a container of their own). Floor - bags of flour, sugar and oatmeal to re-stock the canisters, and a larger appliance.

These little containers were also $2 at Bargain Shop. (The woman working there knew me well after 3 separate visits to buy containers in the span of just a few hours!) It helps so much when everything has it's own place : ) I think I could be a great salesperson at The Container Store...

Cleaned this up a bit...

And voila! That's my kitchen, on its way to being organized. I spent a total of $25 on containers and drawer/cupboard lining. I'd call it well worth the investment. Now, which room should I tackle next? Levi's bedroom, perhaps???

Kitchen Re-Organization...part 1

2011-08-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

So...pinterest*. Who's with me? How many home renos and redecorating stories can be blamed on pinterest, really? TONS, I'm sure. Having just bought a house and being in the "making it our own" stage, I have been stalking pinterest faithfully, looking for ideas for each room of the house. Last night it was kitchen pictures that were catching my eye. Now, I would LOVE to have a brand new kitchen with custom cabinets and... ... ... drool. But that said, I am positive that I can make these cabinets last for a few years yet and even be happy with them. All it'll take is some re-organization and beautifying. As I combed through the pictures, a picture of a fridge stuck out to me. My first thought was, "why would someone pin a picture of a fridge?" And then I looked closer. And then I went to the website behind the picture. And before I knew it, I had explored the kitchen of a perfect stranger. And right then and there, I was inspired to revamp my poor kitchen into a thing a beauty. A work of art, per se. Ok, maybe not that far, but indeed, it could be much more functional and organized than it is right now. Everything has merely been brought out of boxes and thrown into the nearest available cupboard. Time for an organizational overhaul! And since I was inspired online by someone doing this very thing, I thought I would share what I hope will be a transformational moment right here on my blog. So today is part 1. BEFORE pictures! I am slightly embarrassed, but as with every messy spot in my home right now, I just push the embarrassment aside and explain to myself and others that a month ago we weren't even living here yet. So there. Messes aside, this is what my kitchen looks like now:

"back" of kitchen, opposite sink

right side of u-shaped kitchen

left side of u-shaped kitchen

pantry

fridge (yes, I hope to organize this as well!)

below microwave

below microwave, right side

below microwave, left side

above microwave

above fridge

oop! Levi! How did you get in here?

above stove

double door cabinet on left side of kitchen

corner cabinet - pretty useless design if you ask me...tiny opening but great depths of cabinet space beyond! Any suggestions???

single door cabinet on right side of kitchen

drawer on right side of kitchen, right side of dishwasher

drawer on right side of kitchen, left side of dishwasher

drawer on left side of kitchen, beside stove

left side of kitchen, beside stove

lazy susan on left side of kitchen sink

under sink

right side of kitchen, right side of dishwasher

right side of kitchen, left side of dishwasher

There. Now that I've posted these pictures, I'd better get to work! I hope to have some "after" pictures for you all by the end of the week. Is it terrible that the thought of this makes me giddy?? Wish me luck!

*Pinterest is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website where users can create and manage theme-based image collections. - Wikipedia

2011-08-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Life has kinda been a blur the past month or two. It has been wonderful. It has been crazy. It has been overwhelming. It has been perfect. It has been tiring. It has been stressful. It has been reassuring. It has been encouraging. It has been...interesting.

I'm sitting here, in front of my laptop, thinking that I want to blog. I want to let you all know how I'm doing, but I'm really not sure. I've had so many people say that they've been blessed by the honesty and openness on my blog and I really long to be open like that, but lately it seems like it's just easier to give surface updates and keep what's inside buried deep down. Out of sight. Tucked away safely where no one can comment or judge. Hmm...is tonight the night to bare all and share?

I think maybe it's not. At least not here.

I believe that sometimes God nudges us to share; to be open, not knowing who is reading or how he's going to use you. Perhaps me sitting in front of my laptop tonight is a result of that nudging. I don't know. But I do know that I don't think I'm ready. I don't think I have words to fully explain what I'm feeling. What I'm feeling about the move. About being a pastor's wife again. About being a mother. About where I've come from and where I'm going. About LIFE.

But I do know this: as I think through things, mulling them over and tossing them around in my mind, I know that God is good. I know that it's not always obvious. I know that it doesn't always feel like God has any idea what is going on, or it doesn't feel like he cares what is happening to us, but I do know that he's good. And he can be trusted. And that is what we just need to hold onto sometimes.

God is good. He can be trusted.

God is good. He can be trusted.

God is good. He can be trusted.

Life.

2011-08-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

*So, I wrote this post DAYS ago and noticed yesterday that it was nowhere to be seen on my blog! Agh! Fortunately it was saved as a draft so all I needed to do was post it. Weird... Anyway, keep in mind that this was written LAST week and Nathan is now mostly done his first week of work, I've gone through the closets by now. : )

Life is good. New job. New community. New church. New home. While change can sometimes be overwhelming, I feel like we are adjusting well.

Nathan officially starts work on Monday, though he has spent a day or two at the office already just moving in and getting settled. I think he's just really excited to have a job and office of his own again! He keeps saying that he's not exactly sure what his days will look like and what exactly he'll be doing, but I'm sure it'll be a good fit. It's obvious in so many ways that we are meant to be here and what we know of the job seems like a great fit for Nathan, so it'll be fun to find out more about what Nathan will be doing!

I still have a few closets to go through and organize in the house, but otherwise we're basically unpacked. I'm really enjoying all the space we have (the house is about 1000 square feet with a fully finished basement and a 100-150 square foot screened deck that acts as another room on the house). As I was unpacking the first couple days, I kept running out of space to put things and started wondering if we'd bought too small a house. Then I realized that my basement and closets were still mostly empty! The house we were renting last had an unusable basement and next to no closet space so apparently I'd forgotten that we had all that storage space available to us now! I mentioned a couple posts ago that I was finding I'd forgotten how to settle. Well, I think I'm remembering. This house is really beginning to feel like home and, after a few instances of, "that's right, I CAN unpack this box even if I won't use this stuff for 6 months," it's been hitting home that we're here to stay. I like it. : )

Levi has adjusted to the new surroundings quite smoothly. We tried to keep his schedule as normal as possible and he didn't even really seem to flinch. He just carried on with life, exploring and playing and sleeping and eating. He's a pretty laid-back kid so it didn't really surprise me that he adjusted so well. He spends his days exploring the house, playing with his toys, discovering the joy of ~~banging on~~ playing the piano, and pretty much just being the happiest baby I know. That said, I think he may have a few more teeth coming, cause there have certainly been a few days when ON Mommy is better than close to Mommy. How can I mind that, though. There are few things as sweet as having your 10 month old crawl into your lap and press his face against your neck. Oh the things I'll never take for granted...

As a family, we have been busy exploring our new town. We have gone for countless walks (Lennox loves that, though he rarely gets to be off-lease these days, except in our yard)...we've walked down almost every street in town now. We've gone garage-sale-ing (more of that as soon as Levi wakes up from his morning nap!). We've gone for a picnic in the park. We've gone to the beach and played in the sand. We have been enjoying lots of family time while we have it because, before long, the pace of life is going to pick up and we'll have to wait for time off work to be able to have lazy days like this again!

We have gotten lots of fun pictures and video lately (having an iPhone is really handy!). Here are a few... (let me know if you can't watch the videos, k?)

Playing on the deck

Super-cute buckle pants, just like Auntie Alicia's!

Kinda unsure about the feel of being covered in sand


Sitting in the stream with Daddy

House pictures!

2011-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

I finally took some pictures of our new house today! I guarantee there will be times when it is cleaner and more "put together" and I could definitely have taken better pictures, but I was tired of waiting and I know at least some of you are dying to see where we're living these days so these will have to do! Keep in mind that we only moved in 10 days ago and are not completely unpacked and settled so you WILL notice random boxes and things that just look out of place. That said, if you would like a better look, come visit! That is my formal invitation to you. We are a perfect stop if you're on your way to anywhere and need a meal or a bed. We are also a 3 minute drive from a beach...have I convinced you that you need to come visit yet?

Dining Room

Kitchen

Living Room

Main Bathroom (tub/shower behind door)

Master Bedroom

Upstairs Hallway (door on left is Levi's room, first door on right is a closet, then master bedroom, door on the end goes to the deck)

Basement - play space, tv space, craft space

Basement bathroom

Basement bedroom (guest bedroom)

Storage room/Nathan's work out space

Under the stairs storage space (there is another section jutting out to the left that's about the size of this space again)

Laundry area on main floor (excuse the mess, it's laundry day around here)

Screened deck...windows on the bottom, screen on top...you can see the garden and garden shed out the back and our yard goes to the far green fence that's on the other side of some light coloured rocks back there.

There are a few things that I'd like to do to this place to make it home, so how about I post "prettier" pictures as I finish each room, yes? Hope you all enjoyed the tour! This is where we are!

10 months.

2011-08-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

Levi has reached the double digits! Technically he reached that milestone yesterday, but so what if I'm a day behind?!

(Note: it's amazing what good lighting can do for pictures! This month's pictures were so much better than last month's, I just had to include lots to make up for the last monthly post!)

I love that I have a 10 month old. He's just so much fun. He's learning new things and changing all the time. And sleeping through the night. And spacing feeds up to 5 hours apart during the day. And crawling all over me and reaching for me and even turning into a bit of a snuggler! I love my 10 month old little boy!

Levi seems to know more and more what will make us laugh. It's so fun to see him figuring humour out for himself!

He's finally started saying "mum" and "mama" which makes me very happy...especially when Nathan asks him to say "dada" and he just looks at him and says, "MUM." hehe. The tides have finally turned : )

Levi's disposition is quite pleasant. It always has been. We have met many people in the past few days and a few have asked if Levi is ever unhappy because every time they see him he is just so happy. We usually answer that he usually is a happy, content baby, but he does have his fussy times. Usually those times come when he is hungry or tired. Observe:

Aah, but we love him! He now has 6 teeth: four on top, two on the bottom. He, I'm guessing, is still right around 18-19lbs. I haven't had him weighed for about 3 months but it doesn't really feel like he's changed much. He has gotten longer though. He cruises around furniture like nobody's business, but still hasn't ventured out on his own yet. A couple times he has let go and stood there holding a toy but it's never lasted very long. He sleeps from 8pm-6am almost every night and, after a 6am feed, sleeps until about 8am. It's a great routine, though I'm hoping to get rid of the 6am feed in the next month or so.

Levi has been loving to explore his new home. In our house in H-town, he would pretty much stay in the same room as us, but here he will crawl all over the main floor! I'm not sure what the difference is but I like it! It could just be that he's getting a bit more independent and doesn't mind being away from us as much...

Levi's favourite games right now are a form of "peek-a-boo" that involves him holding whatever he finds over his eyes (or forehead), we'll ask "where's Levi?", he'll reveal his eyes (or forehead), and we'll exclaim, "there he is!" He grins every time. He also likes "this little piggy went to market" with his toes. And he'll laugh like crazy when things fall (off a table or off your head or pretty much off of anything). I think he'll be a slapstick lover for sure! Like mother, like son. ; )

Two more months until we have a one year old! Where has the time gone? Last August, I was thinking that Levi would likely come early and was half-expecting him to show up any time starting in the middle of August. If someone would have told me that I'd still be waiting two months from this point, I would have probably climbed into bed and tried to sleep at least a month of that waiting away. : P But now he's here and completely worth the wait. Worth the 3 year wait and worth the 10 day overdue wait. How I love my boy! Happy 10 months, Levi!

Laughter...

2011-08-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

Whew!

2011-08-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy two weeks for us...hence the lack of blog posts. But I'm sure they will pick up again soon! We spent a week packing and cleaning our rental house. Once we were done that, we sped off to the city to sign papers for our house and from there headed to my parents' place. We spent a few days visiting with my parents and then spent the weekend with almost the entire Reimer side of my family for my Grandma's 85th birthday. It was lots of people (30-40?) and lots of hours visiting, but wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to see everyone again! I don't remember the last time that many of us were together (me included). Perhaps my wedding? And really, how much visiting does one do when they're they one getting married?? Once the weekend was over, we packed up the car and headed home to H-town to spend not even 24 more hours in our place. We packed and cleaned in a hurry and tried to get some sleep. The next morning, bright and early, we threw what was left into boxes, loaded up the trucks that our new church sent for us (men in the church came to help us move) and drove to our new home! And now we're here. And most of the boxes are empty in a pile in the garage...I mean, burning in a bonfire in the backyard... We still have alot of organizing and unpacking to do, but it's starting to look like home. I'm not sure my mind is caught up with my body though...I seem to have forgotten how to settle. How to put down roots. My body is unpacking boxes and living in this new house, but my brain keeps thinking, "we should hold onto this box for next time..." or "it doesn't really matter where I put this because we'll be moving again in a few months." I can't quite wrap my mind around permanence right now. It feels like we're camping in someone else's house. Hopefully it'll make sense to me soon. But in the meantime, the fact is we're home!

Countdown!

2011-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

The countdown is officially on! One week until we move into our new house! I am getting so excited...trying to remember every little detail of the new place and trying to picture where I'll unpack things and dreaming of what life will be like. Mmm...it's alot of work, but I do like moving. Well, I like moving when the next place is more exciting than the last. I certainly had mixed feelings about leaving Altona. It was both a sad and a happy day.

Levi is doing well. He's in a great routine that is working well for all of us. He's such a happy boy and loves to spend his days exploring and "talking" and chasing Lennox and enjoying life. What a precious boy!

We are spending our last week of living in H-town actually out of town visiting my parents. We have a big family gathering this weekend so we decided to come up a few days early and sneak in a leisurely visit before the festivities actually begin. It's always fun to be back in the town I grew up in.

Not sure what else is happening but I wanted to post. It feels like posts are few and far between these days. Hopefully that will change once we're moved and settled in. As for this post, I think it needs to be finished. My nose is telling me that I have a job to do...diaper change, here I come!

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

Come for Tea...

2011-07-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long, LONG time since I've gone for "coffee" with anyone, coffee motivated simply by the chat aspect. I suppose having a nursing baby changes that since I rarely (never) go anywhere without Levi and a coffee shop could be a nightmare with a 9 month old who grabs everything and just wants to MOVE. I kinda miss those leisurely dates that I would have with friends, though, where we would just catch up on each other's lives and share our struggles and joys over a steaming cup of...whatever.

If we, you and I, were to go out for coffee today, these are some of the things that might come up...

Levi - He's sleeping through the night! Sometimes... He still wakes up around 5-6am wanting to eat, but then sleeps til 8-8:30 every morning. How long does your baby sleep? When did they start sleeping through the night? He sure has food preferences. He'll down four bowls of things he loves and only two or three bites of things he doesn't really care for. How did you get your baby to eat? Did they gain any weight in the second year of their life? With Levi not eating alot, he's basically stayed the same weight since he was four months old! Is this normal?! He's so much fun to watch these days. He's starting to problem solve! He loves to stand but wants to play with a toy while standing so what does he do? He'll reach up while sitting and put his toy on top of a ledge, then he'll pull himself up on the ledge and, if he balanced the toy well, it will be waiting up top for him! What a smart boy. : P I'm so proud!

Marriage - Ok, so this one we might actually need to be sitting at a table together to discuss : ) haha. In short, marriage is wonderful. We've been married six amazing years...we've done alot of things together in those years...and we love each other WAY more now than we did when we were first married. Wouldn't change a thing. That said, every marriage has its challenges, whether it's outside forces that you need to work through together or relationship things from within. There's always something, right? Well, not always, but you catch my drift...

Moving - Whoo-hoo! Yippee!! I am so so excited to be moving in just over two weeks! Put down roots? Unpack the boxes without marking the next packing date on the calendar? Yes please! We're gonna burn those boxes just as soon as they're empty. I'm picturing an ongoing bonfire in the backyard that we'll just throw box after box onto until we're completely moved in. Ok. Exaggeration. Not really a fire. But believe me, there will be a metaphorical fire burning and as I empty each box, I will toss it into the flames! haha. See ya later, BOXES. (Much, much later, I hope.) I am so done with living in boxes. Having somewhere to live that is permanent just sounds amazing. I was just writing in my journal today that, while I am nervous about a few things, mostly I just feel like we're finally moving HOME. Altona, if I remember correctly, felt the same way when we moved there. Of course there's an adjustment period. But this is definitely where we're meant to be!

Crafting/Sewing/Scrapbooking/MAKING - For the past few months, I have felt nearly invincible when it comes to making things. I'll see something I like in a store or magazine and think, "I could make that." I've definitely been proven wrong a time or two (I seem to recall a dress-making endeavor that went horribly wrong just a few months ago before grad...think BIG, unshapely, not flattering in the least). But my creative juices are flowing! Right now, I'm working on a crocheted cover for a big floor pillow that has been losing its fluff in small, bite-sized clumps for a few years now. It was never a big deal until those bite-sized clumps started making their way into a certain little mouth around here...gross. New cover needed. ASAP. My scrapbooking these days is sporadic. I still haven't started Levi's baby book and he's already 9 months old. I.am.behind. I've always been someone who is just waiting for things to happen so that I have more pictures to work with. I think I must just be too intimidated...I want his book to be exactly the way I picture it. I want it to be perfect. And that is not going to happen. So I guess I'm just trying to put it out of my mind... I have started my pregnancy album though! It's been fun. I think I only have a few more hours to go before I'm done that. I have been thinking about digital scrapbooking for a while now. Have you done it? Do you like it? What do you do with all your traditional scrapbooking supplies? Do you use them up before you make the switch? And does it look weird when some of your albums are traditional and others are digital? I'm just not sure. And speaking of making things, what do you dream of making? What's on your "to make" list? What do you wish you could make? What's your favourite thing that you've made?

Devos - Another fun one that may be better discussed over a coffee. But how rarely does this actually come up? Right? Is it something that anybody actually talks about? Or are we all so busy that devos get put on a back burner and we're too embarrassed or feel too guilty to actually talk about it? I know I have felt like that. ALOT. But I've noticed that lately I've just been feeling tired. And easily stressed. And unfocused. I've just been feeling a bit out of it and not like myself. (Not hugely like that, but just kinda a haze that's been hanging over me lately) So the other night I went on my iPhone and "bought" a free app called "You Version". It has the whole Bible in numerous translations as well as many many different Bible reading and devotional plans. I then set myself up a little devo routine and started right away - before I could forget! I then committed to making Levi's morning nap time into "me time" where I'll read a bit and memorize a bit and seriously, so good! SO good. Funny thing, though. Until now, nap time has been get-stuff-done-as-quickly-as-possible-while-the-lad-is-sleeping time so naturally, as soon as I finished my devos, my mind raced to what I should do next. So I sat. And stared out the window. And THOUGHT. And PRAYED. And made a conscious effort to actually DO nothing for a while. And it was so refreshing! And right then and there I decided that I was going to do my best to guard that time and do it every day. And so far it's been amazing. I have more energy. I have more patience. I have more love...more focus...more joy... Of course, I'm not looking forward to the day that it becomes routine and I somehow forget how life was like without it because, seriously, it seems to happen every.single.time. But for now, it's like a breath of fresh air.

Now, if we were sitting across the little cafe table, I would look you in the eyes and ask how it's going with your soul. How are you? How ARE you? Really? How are you doing?

(if you're up for a little virtual coffee date, you can either facebook me a message or go to my profile on the right side of this blog and email me or, if you happen to see me in the next week or two before we move, you can corner me and talk my ear off)

Thanks for the little coffee date! Usually I'm not the one doing all of the talking but I think, in this case, it is the only way it would have worked...

Talk back...

2011-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ok all, I have some questions for you! Of course I've been thinking alot about our impending move and thus, the house we will be moving into. There are a few areas that I'm just not sure what to do with. Or I have too many ideas and need to get them narrowed down. So this is where you come in! If you have anything to say on any of the following areas of decoration/renovation/organization, I'm all ears! If you can include links to pictures (pinterest perhaps?) that would be even better, though I'll gladly take suggestions without a visual if that's what you're offering.

First up: laundry area. Our laundry area is located kinda as a short hallway between the main floor bathroom and the rest of the house. It is fairly out of sight from the rest of the house, but everyone who uses our bathroom will pass by this area. As is, it is about closet sized with top load washer/dryer on the bottom and a set of three darker wood, outdated cabinets on top. I LOVE that I'll have cabinets to hide laundry soap and stuff in, but it's not very pretty. What would you do? Paint the cabinets? Cover it all with a nice curtain? Something else entirely?

Next: Master bedroom closet. Picture this: typical double sliding door-size closet, without the doors. I'm seeing huge potential. Built-ins anyone? Yup. That's my goal/dream. All I'm wondering is, do I go with lots of space to hang stuff and just a few shelves? Or do I go with more shelves? Do I make specific shelves for things like shoes? What kinds of things do you store in your master closet and what would your dream closet be?

Moving on: Cloth diapers. How do you store them? Right now mine are sitting in a pile, spread eagle, on top of my diaper pail. They're easy to grab and use, I'll give my system that much, but they sure don't look pretty. And one of the best things about cloth diapering is how pretty all the fresh, clean diapers are! So do share, where are your balls of fluff between being laundered and being used?

Entrance: being a bi-level, our entrance leaves much to be desired. We are fortunate enough to have a closet at the end, but foot-room is lacking. SO, if you have a small entrance, how do you keep the crazies out? How do you keep things organized and looking beautiful?

Basement: wide open spaces! One half of our basement is bedrooms and bathroom. The other half is open! I'm hoping to make myself a little craft area (need a table...) but the part I'm thinking most about is the tv area. See, we sold what little basement furniture we had when we moved from Altona. We have but one 2' square cushion for the floor and that is IT. We have no tv stand. We have no couch. And I'm kinda hoping we have no chairs either (Nathan has a dorm chair from his days at Bethany that I'm kinda hoping doesn't survive the move...). Anyone have any decently inexpensive ideas for making the basement a comfy family area without tons of furniture?

Kitchen: this one will probably be the lowest on the priority list, but remember those dark, outdated cabinets that I mentioned were in the laundry area? Well, I'm pretty sure they were taken from the kitchen at one point cause that's exactly what's in there. New counter tops (YAY!) but old wooden cabinets. Has anyone tried painting cabinets? What were the results? Would you recommend trying to beautify what I have (paint, new hardware) or should I just leave it completely alone until we can redo the kitchen with new cabinets (probably 15 years down the road!).

Let me know!

9 months.

2011-07-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like Levi has changed SO much this month. Some months he stays more or less consistent, but this month, LOOK OUT! Levi is on the move and there's nothing stopping him!

Last month I mentioned that he was a mover and fell off the chair as I was taking the monthly pictures but that I'd managed to swing my arm out and catch him. Well, this month he wasn't so lucky. I took a bunch of great shots right after his morning nap while he was still fairly still and then Nathan so helpfully pointed out that I'd forgotten the monkey. So I had to do a few more right before his afternoon nap and, what do you know? He took a nose dive off the chair. Speaking of nose dives...he had his first tumble off the change table this month. He got quite the carpet burn on his forehead and was pretty shaken up. I felt so bad, but hey, falls happen. And he was fine, except for the huge scab that took up residence on his otherwise perfect little forehead. : (

Levi still army crawls everywhere. He tried out his hands and knees once or twice but always ended up flopping to his stomach because it was much, much faster. And why slow down to practice something when what you're doing is faster now?

Levi has always seemed to enjoy making us laugh, but this month it seems like his little entertainer personality has blossomed. He'll often make funny faces or noises and just watch us for our reaction. And when we laugh, he'll laugh right along with us. He loves to smile. He has always been ticklish, but this month it seems that he's been more ticklish than ever. It has definitely been a month of joy and celebration and laughter in this house!

Levi had his first run-in with the big ol' flu bug this month. Ick. It's true that your stomach does harden once you become a mom but wow. Despite not gagging, it still wasn't fun to clean up some of those messes! Ick. Thankfully the worst of it only lasted about a day. (Nathan and I were out with the same bug a day or two later but had it much, much worse!)

Levi has his top two teeth! They came in just days after he turned 8 months old. He looks much more like a little toddler now. Our little boy is growing up! His legs have also seemed to have stretched out and are looking more and more like they should be running around rather than just sitting still. He has been using those legs for lots of standing and walking along furniture. I honestly would be surprised if he waited until he was a year old before he started walking. I expect by 10 or 11 months we'll have a little toddler on our hands. He has also learned to climb in the past few days. A couple times we've found him standing on a step or box or stepping up on a toy to reach something that was put just out of his reach. He doesn't always pick the sturdiest things to step up on, though, so it's still a bit scary! We don't worry too much about him toppling over from the standing position anymore though. He has practiced pulling up, sitting down, pulling up, sitting down over and over and is usually quite controlled in his movements. I like it when his new skills are honed a little and don't require quite as many super-hero dives on my part : )

As far as physical things, I think he's probably around 17-18lbs, but that's just a guess. He's become a bit of a light-weight for his age. He's about 28-29" long/tall. He sleeps from 8pm-6am(feed)-8am most nights. He eats three meals a day with us and nurses quite a bit more often than that, though we're starting to stretch the feeds longer than every 2 hours! yay! He's learning to eat table food which is fun to watch. And his hair is just getting longer and more blonde every week.

Well, that's our little monkey at 9 months. Love you buddy! You're 3/4 of the way to one year! Whoo-hoo!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Levi also attended his first high school graduation, wedding, and rodeo (three separate events) this month. He also lost his first hat and got his first slivers. And he learned to drink from a straw. It's been quite the month!

2011-07-07T21:49:00.001-07:00

Blogging on a phone just isn't as much fun as blogging on a computer. Hence the silence. But hopefully I'll get back to it soon! Our little man is 9 months old tomorrow...perhaps that will be just the kick in the pants that I need to get back at it!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

A House!

2011-06-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Things are really coming together for our impending move. I just keep being blown away by how God just seems to be leading us at this point in our life. First, we were patient and turned down other job offers in faith that the offer we really hoped for would, indeed, come. It was tough to let good jobs go by, not knowing if we even had a chance at the one that our hearts felt called to. But time went on, we interviewed, candidated, and were asked to come. And our hearts are rejoicing in that fact that we will be calling Philadelphia MB home.

The next step was finding a place to live. Having moved boxes into 4 different "homes" in the past two years, we were really dreading the thought of renting a place in our new hometown, only to pack up and move again before too long. We really longed to buy a place where we could put down roots and make ourselves truly at home right away. At first we didn't think it would be possible to buy a house straight out of seminary, but as time crept closer to our ideal move date, we were realizing more and more that it could be possible. I can only call it God's provision that we have been able to make an offer on a house. It shouldn't have been possible. Yet there was the perfect amount, sitting in our bank account, ready for a down payment. God is good!

So, without further ado, our house:

Isn't it kinda ~~homely~~ homey?

(more pictures will come once we're all moved in...possession date is August 2!)

Mommy ran the camera out of batteries again...

2011-06-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

I had Levi outside today and, well, I just had to grab the camera! Enjoy!

(if anybody wants to print any - family most likely - just let me know and I'll send you the full size copy...that goes for any pictures on my blog)

Picture Post Wednesday

2011-06-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a little of what we've been up to lately...

We've been picnicking (sp?!) in our backyard.

We've been eating watermelon...actually, we didn't eat any of this one. Worst watermelon I've had in years! YEARS!

Eating animal crackers and chewing on empty spools (thread) and just generally being cute.

Making silly faces and playing with monkey while just standing around...you know, on our feet...

Swinging at the park.

In the huge, oversize baby swing that is actually for 9-24 month olds...no danger of falling out of this one yet!

Aah...how I love summer. How I love being a mommy. How I love being a mommy in summer. : ) So good!

Job Search Update!

2011-06-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Watrous, SK, here we come!

We are employed once again and oh, what an exciting feeling it is! From the moment we heard about this position at Philadelphia MB Church (Pastor of Discipleship), we have been feeling pulled and tugged in this direction. As with any huge decision in life, there are always things that we ask God for, whether consciously or subconsciously. Some of the things we were asking for were being close to family, being in Saskatchewan, good position for Nathan (good fit), small town (but not too small), place where we could call home for a LONG time. Well, this move looks like it will be an answer to each of those prayers AND MORE! Isn't it wonderful how God knows how to give good gifts? Things we didn't even think to ask for? Like 40 kids in the church under preschool age for Levi to grow up with? Wow. Honestly, I thought we would have to settle for just a few of the things we were hoping for, or even just be ok with letting our dreams go and learning to be happy wherever we ended up. But this? This just has us surrounded in peace and joy. This is where God is leading us and there is no question about that.

Join us in celebrating! Wahoo! God is good!

8 months.

2011-06-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

And, we have an 8 month old! What a little mover, wow. This has been a month of many, many changes! Let's see, where should I start?

This is our son at 8 months old! Isn't he handsome? So cute...especially those little toes in the bottom corner of the picture!

It wasn't easy to get this picture, though. Observe:

And there were many MANY more like this. He actually fell right off the chair at one point but I was close enough that I swung my arm out and caught him like a superhero catches the princess before she hits the ground. Saved the day with that one. Whew.

Levi has been loving the standing this month. I don't actually condone standing in the bathtub, but when he reaches his little arms over to my hands or the edge of the tub and starts to stand, I figure the safest thing to do is to hold onto him and at least keep him safe!

He's gotten pretty good at standing by himself...

But we always stay close by in case monkey doesn't catch his fall. As he pulls himself up more and more on his own, though, it'll be harder and harder to always break the fall. He's gotten so many more bumps and bruises since he's started to be more active. He doesn't enjoy them too much, but hey, who enjoys falling when they least expect it and hitting their head on the sharp edge of a bookshelf?

Levi has also been scooting around for a few weeks now. He can get anywhere he wants to go, making several trips a day from the kitchen to the living room and back again. We're slowly baby-proofing and learning that we need to keep certain doors closed if he's on the loose. : )

Levi has started eating solids this month! Well, we started him on solids before he was 6 months old, but he just never caught on to them until this month. He now eats 3 meals a day with us, plus a night-snack. Of course, most of his nourishment still comes from me, but it's a start! It's exciting to see him open his mouth for bite after bite of ANYTHING after 8 weeks of refusing everything. He even inhaled his grandma B's garden peas (pureed) after refusing them weeks ago! Now there's a boy with some good taste buds! YUM!

Levi still has only the two bottom teeth, but has been working on the two top teeth for about two months already. Some days I can see the little white tip right there in his gums, but then it seems to recede a bit again. We've had a few days of teething that haven't been fun, but overall we've got ourselves a happy camper!

Last month I mentioned that operation "sleep through the night" was going into effect this month. Well, Levi slept through the night after only 3 nights of letting him cry-it-out and not going in. It was easier than I thought once we just stopped going in (as opposed to going in to console him every few minutes which just made him more and more mad!). BUT, I messed with a good thing and thought that a "dream feed" might earn me some later mornings. Instead, it's seemed to have taught the little man that he needs a feed at midnight and he's started crying for 1-2 hours between 11pm and 2am. Ugh. And then he's still up at 6:00-6:30am to eat. But, I am thankful for those couple weeks of glorious 8 hour nights. I'm hoping that I'll get to sleep stretches like that again very soon : ) It seems, though, that we just don't have a naturally good sleeper which, at 2am, is quite frustrating to say the least! (He's an excellent sleeper when I feed him multiple times during the night but not when he doesn't get what he wants...hmm)

Certain noises and places still scare Levi. He seems to be a bit of a softie when it comes to certain things. Here, I was reading a book to him and we got to a page that had lion sounds and he pouted every time. So cute. He'll go to strangers pretty well, but it seems only in short doses. On Sunday when we were candidating, he would go to others, but after a few minutes, he would see me and start to pout/cry and want to come back. I guess he comes by it naturally, though. I was the same way as a kid!

Levi has also been gabbing alot this month. He's starting to imitate words that we say. He was saying "dada" alot so I would say "dada-daddy" to him and he would just watch me really closely...you could tell he was listening. After a couple hours (not straight, don't worry), his "dada"'s were becoming "da-ee"'s. I was so excited! He's also been saying "dad" alot. I'm working on "mama" and "mommy" but so far no dice. Ah well. It's exciting to see him learn and develop, whether or not he starts with "mama". It's not like he knows what it means anyway...though I'm starting to wonder if he's figuring it out!

Size-wise, Levi is stretching out but not getting alot heavier. I'm guessing the solids might help the weight-gain, yet the amount of moving he does every waking second probably counter-acts the calories pretty quickly. Levi is still wearing his 9 month clothes (been wearing them for 2 months now) but has some 12-18month shirts that fit pretty well. His bald spot is completely filled in (I think it has been for a month or two by now) and his hair is quite blonde compared to what it was when he was born. He's a tanner, not a burner. I hardly ever put sunscreen on him (oops!) and he's only ever tanned. His hands are almost as dark as mine are! We go for lots of walks but I usually have him in long sleeves so his tan stops at his wrists!

Levi continues to be a sweet boy who we are so so thankful to call our son! What a blessing he is! Nathan keeps saying that maybe we shouldn't have any more kids, cause there's no guarantee they'll be as easy or good as Levi is. : p I keep saying it's worth the risk. ; )

Still no pics, but an update nonetheless!

2011-06-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Our internet situation is, well...sporadic. We canceled our internet as I mentioned a couple weeks ago. Ok, one week ago. (it feels like forever ago) Since then, we've discovered a decently strong signal in our laundry room/entrance. The only catch is that Nathan's computer is the only one that picks it up. (the only one...that makes it sound like we have a plethora of computers in this house...well, perhaps we do...) Anyway, my computer is the one with all the pictures on it and with all my stuff on it, so I'm finding it less enjoyable to add pictures to my blog since I'll have to transfer them all to my computer one day and because Nathan is still doing a bit of homework so when I do feel like blogging, I don't necessarily have a computer at my disposal. Not that I would dispose of it, but you know... ANYHOO...

Levi is growing like crazy. Well, not really since apparently he's only gained 5 ounces in the last two and a half months. But he's learning new things and that is always exciting! I'll write more about that tomorrow when he officially becomes an 8 MONTH OLD! Yikes. Where has the time gone?

Candidating on Sunday went well, we think. It was a fun day. Mingling wasn't nearly so bad as I feared it might be. It's tiring but way less stressful when you're the people everyone wants to talk to! All we had to do was stand in one spot and people came and introduced themselves to us and we would talk a bit and then they would mosy (mosie? mosey?) on and new people would come up to us and chat for a while. All in all, a great day. Now we are just waiting for the church to vote, which will happen on Sunday, so we hear, and then hopefully HOPEFULLY we'll be asked to take the position! We will almost literally be bouncing off the walls in this house if we are asked to take the job cause seriously, it is a wonderful church and wonderful community and wonderful people. Oh, and a wonderful job that looks like it will be a (you guessed it) WONDERFUL fit for Nathan. So if you think of us, pray that this opportunity is in reality what God wants and not just us being excited about something while failing to see where God is actually leading. It sure seems like a God-thing though...

I am not up to much these days. I am about to go sit on a chair beside Nathan, who is playing some NBA basketball on the ol' xbox 360, and whip out some yarn action and MAKE something. I'm not really sure what to make though. See, I've taught myself how to knit recently (like, maybe two weeks ago?) and am loving it, but so far I haven't had the patience to actually finish a project! I'm working on a toque for Levi but it's going so slowly and I can already see flaws in it which, like any first real project, are bound to happen but I'm tempted to just rip it all out and start again. See, I've been crocheting for about 20 years or so, so I'm used to my projects looking, well (humility aside), I'm used to them looking good. And when this project doesn't look perfect like I figure it should, despite only having known how to knit for under a month, I will probably end up ripping it out and starting fresh. *sigh* I'll never finish anything at this rate : ) But at least I'll have fun in the process!

Ok, now I'm rambling cause I'm tired. : ) Time to go sit with my hubby and relax for the rest of the evening. Catch ya all later!

p.s-I gave my brother-in-law a mullet today. It's pretty sweet if I do say so myself. I once vowed to never give anyone a mullet. It choked me a little to break that vow, but hey. Anything for family, right? As long as it's not a rat-tail on my son...or a mullet on my husband...there have to be limits, people. There HAVE to be limits...

Job Search Update:

2011-06-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

Oh, job searches. Fun fun. Nathan and I have been keeping our eyes and ears open for our next job for months now. I do believe Nathan started checking the Briercrest website for job postings back in August 2010. That's almost a year ago now. He started applying/inquiring about jobs just before Christmas. And he started interviewing in February/March of this year. I'm not sure how many interviews Nathan has done...3? 4? 5? At any rate, it feels like it's been a long process. But, as I alluded in my last post, we do feel like the job search may be ending soon! At least that's what we've been praying. See, we've been unemployed for the last two years (aside from a cleaning job at the seminary that was enough to cover our groceries but not a penny more) and are itching to get back into the workforce. Well, our bank account is itching for us to get back into the workforce! Anyway, I'll give you half of the exciting news and hopefully the second half will follow in a couple weeks. We are candidating tomorrow. For those of you who aren't familiar with the process of hiring a pastor, most often it goes like this:

- you apply - send resume with cover letter like any other job
- they ask for more information
- you spend a couple hours answering the further questions that they have
- if you answer their questions correctly, you make the "short list" of 5-10 people who they interivew
- interview - either in person or through Skype, depending on where the church is
- if they still like you and feel that you could be a good fit for the job, you are asked to candidate
- a date is set and you either spend a day or a couple days with the congregation who is thinking about hiring you, usually over a Sunday, and do things like preach, share your testimony, and mingle (just generally get to know people and give them a sense of who you are)
- if you make it through all that and everyone is on the same page about God's leading, hopefully you get a job offer, and that's that. You have a job.

So we are at the candidating stage. One of the last stages before actually being offered a job. If all goes well tomorrow and we are all hearing God say that this particular position is a good fit for us, we'll hopefully get a job offer before the end of the month! If not, I'm not really sure what we'll do as we've closed all of our other doors. (It just didn't feel right to pursue more than one church once we were in the candidating stage.) SO, I say all this to let you know where we are with the job search stuff and to ask you to PRAY! Being an introvert, the thought of spending a full day with a bunch of people, wonderful though they may be, who I don't know sounds intimidating and tiring. Don't get me wrong, I am really really excited to meet the people who will hopefully become my church family, but mingling...small talk...not my thing. I plan to just take it one hour at a time, one conversation at a time, and I'm sure it'll be not nearly as intimidating as I think it will be. : ) But prayers are still welcome. Thanks so much and I'll let you know how it goes!

No internet!

2011-06-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

It'll probably be a little quieter around here in the next month or two (or three)...we'll have no internet from now until we move. Hopefully that will be August sometime, but we'll see. I'll try to update every once in a while so keep checking!

Update: In case you're wondering where we're moving, hopefully we'll have news on that shortly! But no matter what happens with the job search, I imagine we'll be moving at some point this summer, regardless. But here's hoping we have something exciting to announce soon...

And the winner is...

2011-05-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

"The Hatch's"! Congratulations, M! Just shoot me a message with the address I should mail the DVD to and I'll get it out to you in no time! Oh, and it also looks like we had a similar taste in kid's shows/movies...that, or we just grew up in the same decade...

Today has been a productive yet relaxing day around here. Levi has started waking pre-7am again (I thought we broke that habit! shoooot...) so it was an early morning in our house. But, by the time Levi woke up from his morning nap at 11, I had already fed him breakfast, played, put him down for a nap, swept and washed the floor, done two loads of laundry and folded some more, cleaned the entire bathroom, and showered/got myself ready for the day! I love to do things that keep our house looking clean and tidy and put together so it's really been a fabulously relaxing day, despite high productivity. Ok, I should clarify that statement: I love to do things that keep our house looking clean and tidy and put together when I'm in the mood for it so it's really been a fabulously relaxing day. There, that's better, and far more honest!

When Levi woke up from his morning nap, we went for a short walk to the post office. We managed to catch some sun while we were out...timed that one perfectly! And of course we took Lennox with us. Now that I take the stroller, Lennox is a much happier dog. All winter I just carried Levi in the moby and there was no way that I was going to risk walking on ice with a dog strapped to my wrist and a baby strapped to my chest. No thank you. He got fairly depressed, I think. Lennox, not Levi. He would see me head out the door and yet I would fail to take him with me every.single.time. Poor guy. Lucky for him, it is stroller season once again and he is allowed to walk with me. I did make the mistake of attaching his leash to the stroller a few times, but after a ~~near death experience~~ slight scare with a stray dog, I've learned my lesson and he now walks alongside with his leash firmly in my HAND.

Right now the little man is napping. Nathan is sitting next to me sighing and reading and wishing he was done his last textbook of his last class of his, as of yet, incomplete master's degree. Lennox is sleeping blissfully on the floor in front of me, enjoying the fact that his nemesis is tucked peacefully and safely in his crib for a nap and is therefore unable to chase him down nor grab a handful of his fur. And I? I am sitting on the floor with a numbbum (you have to say it as one word) from having just proof-read the last paper for the last class of Nathan's, as of yet, incomplete master's degree. I have a bit more laundry to fold and supper to make, but other than that, my work is done. It is 2pm and I look forward to an afternoon of playing with blocks and chasing a scooter. (please picture me running down the street after an electric scooter because that is definitely what I mean)

Hope you're all having a wonderful day! Congratulations again, M! Let me know where I can send your prize!

Coupon Code and a Giveaway!

2011-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

First off, my Etsy shop has been sadly neglected over the past year or so (basically the entire duration of time that I've had a shop!) so I thought a COUPON CODE would be just the excitement my shop needs to get things cooking again! Simply visit my shop and the code will be on the front page! Also, if you haven't already, click on the facebook link on my sidebar and "like" the Uniquely Me Design facebook page! It's brand new and a great way to be the first to know about giveaways and discounts! AND, if you would rather pick up your order in person, I'll credit you the cost of shipping! How's that for a fantastic Friday deal? But hurry, the coupon code is only valid until 10pm tonight!

Secondly, I have a GIVEAWAY! I've never had a giveaway on my blog before so I'm super-excited! Through the blogger review program that I'm a part of, I received duplicates of a children's dvd that I requested. They suggested that I "donate" the extra to a place of my choosing! All you need to do is leave me a comment telling me what your favourite movie/television show was when YOU were a kid and you'll be entered to win! I'll make the draw on Monday, May 30, so you have all weekend to enter!

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for...
- God's saving grace
- Nathan
- Levi
- this house that we're renting
- a yard that is fairly private and fairly large
- summer!
- the opportunity to live in California for a year
- the job search likely being near its end (!!!)
- things finally seeming to be straightened out with the Canadian government and that we should be receiving our first Child Benefit Cheque shortly...should be here by Levi's 9 month birthday!
- student loans...without interest
- Levi sleeping through the night (though I do miss those middle of the night snuggles that we had for 7 months)
- Vaseline Cocoa Butter hand lotion...it's the only thing that works on Levi's baby eczema...and it smells amazing!
- Infant Tylenol
- the fact that my family is healthy
- our Toyota that keeps going and going and going and goin...
- friends who we've been able to reconnect with over this past year
- indoor plumbing
- Nathan's graduation and that he's almost done all his homework!
- the happy noises that are resting their head on my knee and grabbing my keyboard...gonna and go hug the maker of those noises right now!

Sometimes I think about...

2011-05-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

- what it would be like to shave my head

- how little desire I have to ever go back to school (especially after watching Nathan do it these past two years!)

- what life will be like in 5 years

- what my wardrobe would look like if I could start fresh with unlimited $$$

- what to make for supper

- all the things I'm thankful for

- where I could hang my hammock

- how to best take advantage of the beautiful summer weather while we have it

- how I could organize our house better

- where we'll be living in a few months

- how much has changed in the last 10 years

- how there is nothing I would rather be doing with my days than hanging out with my boys and doing what I'm doing

- what life would have been like if we'd never been able to have kids

- what would happen if gas got so expensive that driving was just out of the question and how 400kms would feel so much further if you had to walk

- how much I enjoy biking

- what I'm going to make next (crochet, knit, sew, quilt, cook, bake, something else?)

- going to bed. Good night!

Thanks...and another thing

2011-05-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks for telling me what you all use for cloth diaper pails! There are some great options there and it's got me thinking. If you haven't let me know and are just seeing the previous post now, feel free to still comment! I'm always curious about what other people use and how they cloth diaper in general.

I've got another question for you blog readers out there. It's a little disagreement that Nathan and I had over supper tonight. Levi has the following onesie:

Nathan has always said what an awesome onesie it is and I didn't really think much of it. Tonight over supper, it came out why he likes it so much. Apparently we'd been reading it very differently. I happen to like my meaning much more than his. We couldn't agree, so right away I took a picture of the onesie in question and told Nathan that I was going to go to my blog readers to clear this up. So, when you see this onesie, what do YOU think it is saying? We came up with three potential readings...

And, just cause he's the most adorable little man in the world, here is a video we took today. Enjoy!

(Remember to turn off any web protection you may have if you have trouble viewing this video)

Cloth Diaper Question

2011-05-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

We've been using a garbage can with a fairly tight seal for our diaper pail. The problem is, it's not ours so after we move (still no details on when that will be) we'll be looking for something new. I'm fairly happy with what we have so I'm tempted to go out and buy the exact same thing, but if there's something better out there, I'm all ears! What kind of system do you have for storing your dirty diapers until laundry day? Also, any suggestions for keeping odours to a minimum during hot summer days?

Sleeping through the night - part 2

2011-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had four nights of intense sleep training (officially known as project "sleep through the night"). We started out just trying to space out Levi's feeds by 1 additional hour each night. So I would put him to bed at 8pm and the first night I didn't feed him until 11 (which was a stretch for him, resulting in SCREAMS from 10-11). I fed him no more than every three hours that night. The next night I wouldn't feed him until midnight...again, screams for an hour. No feeds for four hours went alright. The next night was 1am and it went a little better, but he was still crying for about an hour before that first night-time feed. This just didn't seem to be working well. For one, Levi was still up multiple times in the night and it wasn't really spacing out his subsequent wake-ups. Also, it was still being enforced that if Levi cried long enough, he would still be fed at night. So there was a slight change in plans for last night. Last night I fed Levi at 8 (ideally this would be the last feed of the night), I fed him again at 11 - when we got home from being out for the evening - and then I crawled into bed and didn't get out until morning. I noticed Levi wake up and cry a few times during the night but in the end he made it until 9am before he ate again! And there was no screaming like there had been in the first three nights. I am cautiously hopeful that we are making some progress toward being a family who sleeps through the night. It will still take some adjusting on my part *ahem* if you know what I mean...but being able to sleep at least 8 blissful hours in a row will make this all so worth it!

Sleeping through the night

2011-05-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I mentioned in my 7 month post that I'm trying to get Levi to sleep through the night. I'm asking for advice:
- How did you get your kid to sleep through the night? (I realize all kids are different, but I need ideas)
- How old was your baby when they started sleeping through the night and how many hours do you consider sleeping through the night to be? (again, I realize all babies are different)
- For moms of completely breastfed babies (no formula, no bottles, hardly any solids to make a difference)...did your baby ever sleep through the night without any supplemental feeding?

If you used the CIO method:
- Did you just suddenly stop feeding them at night or did you gradually space the feeds out further and further apart until they were sleeping through?
- Did you change anything about daytime feeds to accommodate for no night-time feeds?
- When they're crying, what exactly did you do when you went in after 5 min, 10 min, etc?
- Is it normal for a baby to scream on the top of their lungs like never before for 40 minutes straight?
- Do you let your baby CIO every single time they wake up at night?
- How many nights did it take?
- Do I just need patience and a hard heart? haha. Seriously though, is it possible I'm doing it wrong? Or do I just need to persevere through the blood-curdling screams?

Any advice you have is welcome. Obviously I've thought about this lots and talked to a few people...read books and such. So I know a bit about putting a baby to bed and helping them sleep through the night. BUT, assume I know nothing and tell me every little detail of what you know. I'm all ears! Is it possible that he's just not ready?

On Mother's Day...

2011-05-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

I just wrote this big long post about Mother's Day. And then I didn't post it. So many thoughts have been going through my head. I guess my biggest question is how do I reconcile the side of me that struggled through infertility and hated Mother's Day, and the side of me that is thrilled to be a mom and wants to celebrate? I guess I feel like, by celebrating the day, I automatically become one of "them" who blindly skips through the day, juggling flowers, hand-made cards, and the diaper bag while those on the sidelines feel like they've been steamrolled. Yet I do feel like celebrating! I have the most adorable little boy in the world and I want to rejoice in the fact that I have been given the gift of being his mommy! You don't need to tell me that I have every right to rejoice. You don't need to tell me that I don't need to feel bad about celebrating. I know that I can celebrate. And I do. Every day. But I don't feel like I'm doing my younger self justice if I don't at least pause and look around me for those who are standing in the church service with tears in their eyes or who are aching from the inside out. I didn't experience infertility for nothing and I don't want to come out the other side of it unchanged and insensitive. Yet at the same time, I don't feel like I felt then. The pain is fading. My memory is fading. How can I hold onto those memories and the things that shaped me while also celebrating my motherhood and rejoicing in my child(ren)? Those are just some of the things running through my mind these days...

7 months.

2011-05-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Levi is 7 months old! He had his 7 month birthday yesterday, on Mother's Day, spent primarily in airports in the USA. We flew back from Fresno yesterday and are now happily and safely HOME! I feel like alot has changed with Levi this month. And it also feels like it's been a long long time since I've written a monthly post! Last month's was written a day or two early and this month I'm a day behind.

Levi now has two teeth, both bottom, which came in right around his 6 month birthday. He's so cute with those two bright, white baby teeth when he grins! It sure hurts when he bites, though. Wow, those suckers are sharp! He's started biting our shoulders which really, really hurts. I think he's just trying to get our shirts, but often he'll get our shoulder skin with it and then he locks his jaw and pulls. Yikes. How do you break a baby of a biting habit? I imagine it's just teething, but how can I encourage him not to teethe on us??

We have now been offering Levi solid food for about a month and a half and he's never fallen in love with it. In fact, during our recent trip to Fresno, Levi became completely breastfed again for 10 days and didn't miss the solids one bit. He has tried a decent variety of foods this month, though. He's had peas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, carrots, banana and, of course, more rice cereal. We've also had fun with letting him try food off of our plates so he's also tried things like oranges, grapes, lemons, strawberries, watermelon, pork chops, and a rib bone. With all of it he just gags. Oh well...breastfeeding is easier anyway so as long as I can keep up, we may as well take it slow!

Levi has a huge fascination with cups right now. He's getting pretty good at drinking out of a cup too, with our help, of course. He hasn't caught on to the bottle or sippy cup yet, though. Maybe he'll just skip that stage and go straight to the real cup.

Levi has been sitting for two solid months already so now when he tips, it's 98% of the time something that he intended to do. He's not crawling yet, but he can get around pretty well just scootching on his belly and adding the occasional roll to make even more progress toward what he wants. It's fun to see him be able to get around so that he can reach the thing that he has his eye on, but it's also a bit harder to keep things out of his reach! He's definitely a grabby baby...and fast too! His hand-eye coordination is remarkable.

Levi still isn't sleeping through the night. This month has been slightly better than the previous two, with Levi waiting at least 2 hours between night-time feeds. His average sleep-stretch has moved up to 3 hours, though, for which I am SO grateful! My goal for this month is to try to increase his sleep-stretch average to at least 4 hours, if not more. I can count on one hand the amount of times that Levi has slept longer than 5 hours in one stretch since birth. On another note, I can now say that it's been a year since I've slept through the night. It was about halfway through my pregnancy that I started waking up during the night, either from sore hips or needing to use the bathroom. I am very much looking forward to a full night's sleep again. One day...right?

Levi's favourite things right now are...peek-a-boo, his Rock 'n Stack, mommy, daddy, Lennox, the Jolly Jumper, ~~the fact that his bald spot is finally gone~~ and being outside. Levi's least favourite things right now...having his nose wiped, having mommy walk out of the room without him, his car seat, and eating solids.

In the first 7 months of his life, Levi has logged many driving miles, and has been on 8 different flights, totaling 5800 miles in the air. He is a well-traveled little boy!

Well, that's probably enough about the 7th month. It's been a fun one. I'm looking forward to month 8 as much as ever. So far it has started well. Levi fell asleep for his morning nap in under 3 minutes and has been sleeping for an hour already. I think it's safe to say that all THREE McCorkindales are happy to be home.

Happy seven months, little buddy! You are loved!

All tuckered out...

2011-05-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

Levi and I went for a couple mile walk this morning. He didn't last very long awake. : ) Isn't he just the sweetest??

Our trip to California has been good. I think it's safe to say that we're all tired and looking forward to being home in our own beds again, but it has been fun to see old friends again and live in the Court for a few days.

Nathan has been fairly busy with homework the whole time we've been down here. Most of that homework has been making sure his thesis is good to go. That is all behind him, though, because this afternoon he defended his thesis and did an excellent job. I think having the thesis completed is a huge relief for him, though he does seem a bit tired from all the work he's been putting into it. Tomorrow the order of the day will having it printed and ready for binding. Tomorrow evening is a graduation gala for the graduating seminary students. Then Saturday is the big graduation day! Despite graduating now, though, Nathan is not quite finished his Masters degree. He has one more directed study to finish and a trip to LA in June/July. And then he's finished! I can't wait. : )

Levi has been enjoying seeing many new things. At least I think he's been enjoying it. (How can you tell?) I think he could do without the extremely warm weather...he's red and sweaty the majority of the day. We try to keep him cool. But mostly there's just no escape. He hasn't been sleeping very well since we arrived...I think it must be a combination of the heat and so many new people/places. Talk about overstimulation! Yikes. I'm really hoping that he falls back into his wonderful sleep habits once we arrive home, but I guess only time will tell. I sure hope, for all our sakes, that his crying for 30-45 minutes before bed doesn't last too long...

I am doing well. I am fairly tired thanks to Levi's sleep (non-sleep?) and the heat (+36C today). But it has been really nice to see friends here again and to be able to spend so much time outside just relaxing. The sun has been wonderful. And it's been fun to celebrate with our friends as they finish their last assignments of the semester.

We've only got two more days before returning to the rain and cool temperatures in Saskatchewan. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to leaving the heat behind. This heat-starved prairie girl is mellowing out...

Free nursing cover promo code

2011-05-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Another free nursing cover promo code...

- all it costs you is shipping (around $10)
- a few great patterns to choose from
- get a gift set for $5 (plus $10 shipping)

code: MOTHER

uddercovers.com

heart sigh...

2011-05-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

You know that feeling when you're oh-so-tired and the thought of most things just makes you want to curl up in bed and never get out? Then you think of something else and it just makes your heart sigh with peace and rest? It's just such a relief that you don't have to do one of those rather-crawl-into-bed things? Yeah, I'm having one of those oh-so-tired days. Traveling usually does that to me. Here are a few things that make my heart sigh on days like today:

- folding laundry
- pizza and evening with Nathan
- Nathan saying, "I'll take Levi and you just relax for a couple hours."
- snuggling in with Levi for a quiet nurse (and lingering for a few extra minutes, just because it means that I don't have to go back to people just yet)
- taking a shower, even if I've already had one that day (my version of a soak in the tub, since most - all - tubs are way too big for me to actually relax seeing as my head goes under water if I actually lay down)
- climbing into bed at night and knowing that I don't have to see anyone for the next 8-12 hours
- having plans canceled at the last minute so I can just hang out at home
- going for a walk where nobody can find me
- grocery shopping in an unfamiliar place - so that I don't have to see anyone I know

Don't you just love that feeling when you just deeply and completely relax? You know there is nothing expected of you and you can just sink into who you are without worrying about what needs to get done or what anyone else expects? Yup. It's a good feeling.

What makes your heart sigh?

California, baby!

2011-04-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it safe and sound to sunny California. We arrived late last night after almost needing to de-ice in Denver due to snow and heading into a 120 mph headwind on the last leg of our journey. But we made it. And we slept. And we woke up this morning in the Court feeling almost like we'd never left. Sirens. Fireworks (gunshots?) at midnight. Palm trees. Aah, yes. It's good to be home.

We will be spending just over a week here, staying with friends, while Nathan ties up a few loose ends and then graduates with his MA Theology next Saturday. I'm so proud of that husband of mine. Way to go, Nathan! I love you!

Here are some pics from the last three days...

Helping me pack the night before our trip...little monkey!

So glad to be traveling again! This boy doesn't mind flying one bit. He makes friends wherever he goes, smiling at everyone he sees, both while we're in the air and as we're waiting in airports. What a silly boy.

While silly, he is also the most content baby I've ever known. Our friends here in the Court were having a second birthday party for their daughter today and this is how Levi spent probably 1/2 an hour or more:

He just sat in that walker (cause his feet couldn't touch the ground so he couldn't run around) and watched all the other little kids playing. Could he be any sweeter? I.think.not.

Today in sentences

2011-04-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Levi slept past 7am for the third morning in a row after being up before 7am every morning for a month.

Nathan is back to the homework grind after three wonderful, homework-free family days.

We are leaving for Fresno in four days!

Today is house-cleaning day.

Today is laundry day, just like every other day.

Levi managed to get the wipes container open for the first time today...luckily I stopped him after only one pulled-out wipe.

Lennox is enjoying some time out in the sun and Levi and I will join him just as soon as Levi's morning nap is over.

Levi's morning nap has yet to start despite putting him down 15 minutes ago...that boy fights sleep like nobody's business.

By 10:30am, I am on my second set of clothes after a massive, random spit-up from the little man.

It looks like it's going to be a good day!

Spring!

2011-04-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful 12 degree day here today so Levi and I spent a few hours outside in the nice, warm sunshine. And he just looked so cute, I had to grab my camera! Do we not have the most adorable little boy you ever did see? I think so...

He's also one of the happiest, most content boys too... LOVE YOU SO MUCH, LEVI!

Pictures!

2011-04-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to do some moving around of our bedrooms. It was the point when I took this picture that I stepped back and thought, "what have I done?"

Now that everything is put away again, I'm glad for the switch. We all have more room to move around.

Our bedroom-->Levi's new room

Levi's old room-->new spare bedroom

Old spare bedroom/storage room-->our new master bedroom

Doesn't he look happy to be in a box? He fits perfectly!

Grandma B's garden peas were not well received...

So funny...although less funny that he refuses to open his mouth for all food now...hmm...

My Trip to Indiana!

2011-04-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

The bulk of this post is "stolen" from my sister's blog. I figure she already told the story, so why try to redo a good thing? I'll just mention that Levi turned out to be a real trooper on the plane. He fell asleep each and every time we took off (which was 4 times in total). On the way there he slept for about half of each flight and then was happy on my lap (mostly) for the rest of the flight. On the way home, he slept both entire flights. The descent did seem to bother him a little bit though...but overall it was a good trip!

I'll let my sister take over from here...

My sister and nephew were here for 4 full days over spring break.

Not the greatest pic, but the only one I have of the three of us.

He's a "McCutie" and he knows it!

Not so much cuddle time as "lets use auntie Alicia as a jungle gym!"

6 months old already, and looking so grown up.

Story time.

Yup, cutest nephew ever!

You better believe it, "spoiled rotten by my auntie"

Hanging out in the exersaucer, admiring the Indiana rain and permacloud. Though they did get one sunny, +28C day while they were here, followed by a night of thunderstorms.

Just can't sit still...

Levi got to hang out in the oversized beanbag chair during meals.

Can't get enough of those adorable brown eyes.

"I'm tired and ready to go home!"

Action plan...

2011-04-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

So, the goal for this week is to get Levi closer to sleeping through the night. For the past two months, he's been up every 2-3 hours (average...a couple nights up to 4-5 hours, some nights he's up every hour). I know he doesn't need to eat that often - he used to sleep 4-5 hour stretches all the time. And he's not teething. And he's not gassy. And he's not sick, dirty, or uncomfortable. He just wants a bit of a snack to help him fall asleep again. Plan of action? Space the feeds out half an hour longer each night until we're up to a decent night's sleep. Wish me luck!

Pictures are coming...I know that's what you're all checking for anyway : ) I'm hoping to put some up this week sometime.

Spring cut.

2011-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Isn't it nice to have something new in spring?

I really think it is.

I got a new haircut.

I feel like I look very much more like my sister now than ever before.

Funny how it works that way when you have the same person who does your sister's hair do yours.

I finally got a nice, easy mommy-cut...

with highlights.

Just blow-dry and go.

So nice.

Thanks Carrie!

Oh, and I realized that I never mentioned that I got new glasses back in February(?).

Voila! I got new glasses!

So there's the spring cut of the year. Two haircuts in under three months. I am on a roll. And speaking of roll...somehow including a whole roll of wonderfully dorky pictures of myself instead of just one or two seemed like the dorkiness would be canceled out by the cheesiness. Am I right?

6 months.

2011-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy is half a year old already! Where has the time gone? Actually, it feels like he's been with us forever, so while part of me is wondering how he is 6 months old already, a bigger part of me is wondering how it has only been 6 months.

The sixth month has brought a few new firsts. I will go through them quickly, though, because as this is being posted, I'm actually visiting my sister in Indiana and wrote it two days ago. I'll be leaving for the airport in two hours but wanted to get this done before I left. Here are a few fun facts about our 6 month old!

Levi has had his first taste of rice cereal this month. He has gotten much better at eating, but has also gotten better at refusing food.

Levi has now rolled over in both directions on more than one occasion without merely "falling" back onto his back from his tummy. Sometimes he forgets about this new ability of his and just lays there, frustrated, on his tummy until someone rescues him. He has learned that he can just rest his head sideways on the floor, though, which extends happy tummy time by quite a bit.

Levi got his first tooth this month! What a strange feeling for your first child to get their first tooth. Maybe it doesn't hit everyone the same way, but it sure hit me when that tooth popped through! Everything else thus far has been a gradual change, but a tooth is not there one day and there the next. So sudden! And interestingly, the unpleasant teething only started once the tooth was already in. There must be another tooth on it's way soon. But even at his grumpiest, Levi isn't too hard to be around. : )

Levi has started moving around alot more to get his toys but still isn't crawling. He just kinda scootches around on his tummy and pulls/pushes himself around with his arms/lets. Inch-worming has been working great for him. But at least he's not mobile enough to get into things...yet...

He is still not drinking out of a sippy cup, though if he chews on the cup enough, he'll get a mouthful and usually swallow it. Eventually he'll be able to drink from a cup and then Nathan and I will be able to go on a date again! Yay! One day...

Levi is still eating every two hours during the day and is up every one to five hours during the night. Two or three is about an average night's stretch for the little man. His "night" has usually been 8pm to 7am these days. Gone are the days of sleeping in til 8am... I'm looking forward very much to sleeping through the night again one day, but until then I'll enjoy the middle of the night snuggles while I have them. : )

Levi's bald spot on the back of his head is filling in nicely and, for the first time singe he was four weeks old, he has no cradle cap on his head! I am very excited about that development!

Levi has also had his first plane ride this month. As I haven't left yet, I'll have to let you know how that went in another post.

Size-wise, he is about 17-18lbs and about 26-27". He is wearing mostly 9 month clothes, but only 3-6 month pants. Gotta love the sizing on baby clothes!

Redeemed

2011-03-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

I used to hate thrift stores. I like it when stores have all the matching outfits displayed so neatly so all I have to do is pick my colour and size and I'm done. I never had the patience for thrift stores before. But today, thrift stores were redeemed for me. I stopped by Value Village today with Levi (who slept through the whole experience, what a good little shopper...) and found some amazing deals for the little man, and a sweet pair of shorts for myself too! Behold, my finds:


Summer onesie... 99 cents


Cute little summer shoes... $3.99

Plaid shorts (every boy needs a pair of these)... $2.99


Quicksilver pants (the fading on the bottom is the sunlight, not the fabric being faded)...$7.99


BabyGap Spring/summer/fall jacket... $7.99

Yep, this little man is happy with his new purchases. Check. Moral of the story? Thrift stores are good, not bad. End of story. (until one of us comes away with lice...)

picture post...

2011-03-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I just LOVE being this guy's mommy?

Aren't sleeping babies just the best? Levi is a very light sleeper so I don't have many sleeping pictures of him cause the camera tends to wake him up, but the other day it was about time for him to wake up from his nap anyway so I took my chances and snapped a few pictures.

Levi has discovered the mirror on his exersaucer but instead of looking himself (I don't think he's figured that part out yet or else just doesn't care) he looks at you through the mirror. It's so fun to watch him look in the mirror, then up at the "real" you, then back at the mirror. It seems like his brain is working overtime trying to figure that one out...

Bedtime Bonus...

2011-03-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today you get a double shot of Levi. This video was shot about 30 minutes ago as I was putting Levi to bed. He is demonstrating his latest version of "talking". He does it when he's happy, he does it when he's upset...let's just say we have a hard time taking him seriously any time he does this!

Mmm...yummy!

2011-03-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

We started feeding Levi rice cereal two days ago. I don't think very much made it down that first day. But it was a start and it sure was fun to see the faces he made! Yesterday I forgot until it was too late in the day to try any (you know, new routine and all that). Then today we tried some again and he even seemed to enjoy it a bit! He ate a bit more, though still not a substantial amount, which isn't the point at this stage anyway. But a few times he actually opened his mouth and leaned in for more (I think that's what he was doing...he got a mouthful of food, whether he was wanting more or not!). Here begins the wonderful world of solids!

Lovely.

What to wear?

2011-03-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Nathan's grad is coming up and I have been wracking my brain trying to come up with something to wear. I went through my closet this afternoon to see if any of my current "formal wear" would work. Here's what I found:

This is the oldest dress that I currently own. I got it 9 years ago for my sister's and boyfriends' high school grad. Besides just being quite out of style by now, I'm going to have to veto it for the sheer awkwardness of having worn it to my boyfriend-at-the-time's grad. Yes, it was my sister's grad too...no, that doesn't make it less awkward...

The next dress I got was for my own grad a year later: 2003. I think I'm going to have to say no to this one too, not because I don't still look smokin' in it, but because it seems just a tad impractical. See, the whole dress is studded with little ~~shards of glass~~ pretty sparklies that would rip the skin off my dear son's body if I tried to carry him while wearing it. And I do imagine that I will be on mommy-duty at least part of the day, despite both grandmas being present at the event!

What do you think about this one? No? Ok. Moving on...

I got this one for my brother's high school grad back in 2005. It's ok. It fits well. It's not horribly out of style. Unfortunately, the whole not-being-able-to-wear-anything-supportive thing becomes an issue with this one (if you know what I mean). TMI? Sorry. Let's just leave this one at "I don't think it's going to work."

Yeah! Now we're talking! I believe the correct term for the colour of this dress is "hottest pink". This was a fun one to wear while in my best friends' bridal party in '08. And it might just work for a California grad. What do you think, people? Should I bust out the "hottest pink" evening gown for an afternoon grad on campus? You're right. I wouldn't want to upstage any of the actual graduates. Better keep looking...

Now honestly, when I started trying on dresses this afternoon, I left this one for last because I thought it would probably be my best option. I got it for Nathan's sister's wedding in 2008 but, I kid you not, it was the only dress that I couldn't zip up all the way. There was a good 6" between where the zipper halves should have met and where the zipper halves actually were. To be fair, it never did fit perfectly and I had to work pretty hard to get the zipper all the way up even when it was new. But 6 INCHES?! Wow...

So what do I do now? You have all seen first-hand that nothing in my closet will be appropriate for this event. I guess there is only one thing left to do...go shopping! That is, unless anyone has anything that they would like to lend me?

5 months.

2011-03-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

Our little boy is five months old already! In some ways it seems like he was just born, yet in other ways it completely makes sense that he's five months old already. Yup, mostly it just seems right.

Our little man has officially doubled his birth weight this month, weighing in at approximately 16.5 lbs. He had his first cold this month, too, so that may contribute to the fact that he didn't gain a whole lot this month over last. But we're not worried. Those baby rolls are still pudgy as ever!

Levi has started sitting on his own in the last couple days. While I still stay pretty close, he can easily sit for a few minutes before either reaching for a toy or getting tired and toppling over. My mom always said that I sat at 4 months, so I'm pretty proud of Levi for being able to sit before 5 months too...not that I'm comparing... : )

Toes have been discovered this month. He loves to grab his feet and getting his toes into his mouth seems to be especially fun. Unfortunately, cloth diapers make it a little trickier to make the feet reach the mouth, but he takes advantage of his increased flexibility at each and every diaper change, making my job just a little more interesting!

Levi is starting to move around a bit more, though we're not at the "baby-proofing stage" yet. He is still fairly immobile. When we leave him on his back, he will more often than not roll onto his tummy within seconds. Thankfully he is usually happy with his tummy time for at least a few minutes before he starts yelling and grunting for help. We flip him over like a little turtle and wait for his yells that are sure to come a few minutes later when he needs our help again. While on his tummy, though, he has figured out how to raise himself with his arms and turn in circles to reach whatever is around him. I'm enjoying that his mobility is limited to 360 degrees at this point!

Levi has always been a good eater. When he was a week old, I was fed up with unpredictable days/nights (and him not necessarily knowing the difference) and started feeding him every 2 hours during "daytime" hours, whether he was hungry or not, so that he would know the difference between day and night. It worked like a charm and he caught on to the new routine by that night. He then slept 6 hours straight the night after that. Now, why was I saying this? Oh yes. Feeding every two hours. I expected these feeds to stretch out as his stomach grew and could handle more food at each feeding. They haven't. I have been feeding every two hours for the past 5 months. BUT, in the last few weeks, there have been a few feeds that have been stretched an extra 30-60 minutes with no fussing from Levi. I suppose it shouldn't matter, but it does feel like a small accomplishment as it gives me even just that little bit of extra "freedom" in my day. I will be sad when he's finally weaned, though, so I really do try to enjoy every moment of nursing that we get.

Month five is the month Levi first started actually listening to the stories that we read him. He's started watching Lennox a lot more. And sometimes he just stands really really stiff and just shakes and screams with the desire to move on his own. It's like he just wants SO bad to be able to run and jump and play already! It's so fun to watch. He's started staying awake in the Moby on our walks outside, so he's been able to see more of the world than he had before...he's also probably experienced more cold than ever before, though never very much. I hate being cold, so I try to expose him to as little of the frigid temperatures as possible. He is always very bundled and covered when we go outside!

Last, but not least, sleep. Sleep is huge for me (I've always needed more sleep than the average person to feel completely rested). Therefore, it has been the largest adjustment I've had to make in entering motherhood. I can't really complain about Levi's sleeping habits. I think he needs less sleep than some babies, but he's had his days and nights straight since week 1 and has only been up in the night for no apparent reason 2-3 times in his life. That said, naps have always been an issue for him. At the beginning of his fifth month, he would fight naps as hard as he could. Eventually I got to the point of considering nursing/rocking him to sleep for every nap because I couldn't handle his crying and screaming anymore. Remember that post? After reading everyone's comments, I decided to give sleep training one last try. And within a day, Levi was going down for naps with minimal fussing. I don't know what changed or what I started doing differently, but he is a different boy as far as naps are concerned. Month five has been a celebratory one for me in that I finally have a good napper! Nights, on the other hand, have been the worst they've ever been this month. We went from feeding every 3-5 hours during the night, to being up every 1-3 hours. I'm not sure why, but I sure hope month six brings more sleep to this household! Oh, and he still gets swaddled to sleep every time. I tried to wean him of it this month, but nothing good came of it, so I gave up. I figure when he's done with it, he'll let us know. If I leave his arms unwrapped, he'll just cry and cry with his arms flailing and waving about wildly. Those babies need to be strapped down!

Month five has been fun. Only one more month til the half-birthday!

SPRING! (is not here yet)

2011-03-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Every year, when the temperatures start to rise...oh wait, they haven't started to rise yet. Let me re-think this. I'll get back to you...

Every year, when the days start getting longer and and the months start starting with M's and A's, spring fever hits. It seems like everything in my life should suddenly have a fresh start. It's almost like my "new years resolutions" come in March/April more than they do in January...

This is the time of year when I feel like cleaning my house inside and out. Well, ok...I don't feel like cleaning the outside until May or June. But I do start wanting the inside to "shine" a bit more these days. Perhaps this is due to the extended daylight hours and the sun kindly pointing out all the dust bunnies that have made themselves at home over the last few months? Whatever the case, this is the time of year to wash walls, windows, and floors. It's time to dust every surface in the house and reorganize each and every closet and cupboard. It's time to give those dust bunnies their eviction notice. (wow, that sounds especially harsh...poor bunnies. Maybe I'll let them stay another week) And while this all sounds so lovely, let me get sidetracked for a moment and say that everything is different for me when we're renting short term. *sigh* I just keep asking myself, "will it pay to put all that energy into a deep clean when we'll be moving on in - hopefully - three or four months?" Nevertheless, that is not the point of this post. I am merely saying that cleaning is my natural inclination come spring. Bring on the cleaning lady! (me)

Once the days start getting longer, I find myself drawn to the great outdoors a whole lot more too. I basically become a hermit in the winter. I don't enjoy the cold. For the most part, I don't enjoy the snow either. I would gladly just stay cozied up inside from the time of the first snowfall until the spring runoff hits. But, when the supper dishes are clean and I see that there is still some beautiful daylight left to enjoy, the pull to go outside for an evening walk is strong. And as the days get longer and warmer, the pull becomes nearly irresistible. I would live outside all summer if I could...

When I'm outside for my evening walks these days (ok, I've only taken one after-supper walk since the feeling hit), I am reminded of another part of spring for me. Spring is when I feel like I should get in shape again after a winter of cookie-eating and couch-sitting. I, then, make all these plans in my mind to eat healthier and do at least a bit of intentional working out each day. Some of those things happen...some happen no more than once...but others remain merely a nice thought. The beautiful thing about thoughts, though, is that they were fun while they lasted! Ha! This year, I would love to do a bit of stomach-toning and overall endurance training. Muscle-building is on that list as well, but the beauty of having a young child is that this is automatically built into your routine. And, the weight is automatically increased for you! I'm up to a 16lb weight that I lift and swing and carry multiple times a day. Whoo-hoo! Bring on the biceps! Stomach and endurance? Here's hoping...

Another thing that seems to come alive once spring nears, is my mind. I have snippets of real thought throughout the winter months, but much of it is a bit fuzzy and it feels like it takes so much energy to actually process anything. (Could this be my lack of exercise and fresh air? Hmm...) Anyway, in spring it seems that my brain starts to process all sorts of things again. Connections are made faster. My memory improves (ever so slightly!). It almost feels like my sensors and thoughts become 3D again in spring. Colour comes back to my life. I no longer feel like I am functioning in various shades of grey. Today is an orange day? Then it is a bright, neon orange day! Today is blue? Well, at least it is a strong, peacock blue that I'm experiencing! I love my mind, and I love when my mind is feeling alive.

The thaw of spring is truly wonderful. I've often wondered if I would miss it if my seasons were less clearly defined for me as they are here on the Canadian prairies. (FYI: after living in Cali, I now know that I don't actually miss it very much) But there is something nice about emerging after a season of rest and inactivity. It feels like it's time to start freshening everything up again. It's time to scrub the winter off of everything and rush forward to embrace spring with a clean house, healthy body, and strong mind.

Spring is almost here! Yahoo!

Here's what I need:

2011-03-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have come to the conclusion that I need someone to dress me. Sure, I can get up in the morning and, by noon, find myself in some sort of clothing. But the fact of the matter is, I'm not inspired! I love to look good and, in high school, I would spend hours going through my closet and figuring out new combinations and outfits. No longer.

Now, the same few pieces of clothing are worn week after week, day in and day out, and my morning "get dressed" routine goes something like this:

1. Will I be seeing anyone today?
- If no, do I feel like wearing sweat pants all day or am I feeling ambitious enough to put on a pair of jeans? I'd say I wear jeans about 5 days a week and sweatpants about 2 days a week. Not a bad ratio for a stay-at-home mom, right? (In high school, I'm pretty sure I didn't even own a pair of sweatpants...aside from the ones I wore in gym class...and wouldn't have been caught dead wearing them all day)
- If yes, I step it up a notch. Jeans are a given - it's all I own besides my sweat pants - and I might pull out a sweater instead of a t-shirt.

2. Is it a cold day or a warm day?
Seeing as I rarely leave the house, I dress for how hot or cold the house feels in the morning. If I wake up feeling warm, I'll put on a t-shirt. If I wake up a bit chilled, I'll put on a bunny-hug right from the start.

3. What don't I mind getting spit-up on?
This is almost guaranteed to happen and, in fact, spit-up is probably the most preferred on the list of "things that could end up on my clothes today."

4. What will be comfortable for nursing?
No button up shirts (not if I'm staying home all day...all that extra work for what?), something that will prevent "cold tummy" during feeds, not too many layers to dig through (but enough to stay warm).

5. What will be comfortable for Levi to snuggle against? No wool, and I generally like to avoid metal zippers...

After all this, I am left with the following:

- jeans
- sweatpants
- t-shirts
- bunny hugs (hooded sweatshirts with the pocket on the front)

I can live with this for the time being. Really, I can. When life revolves around taking care of another little someone, simplicity of wardrobe translates to simplicity of life. But here's my fear, and why I need someone to dress me:

I.WILL.GET.STUCK.IN.THIS.RUT.

I know myself that well! (Impressive, isn't it?) I will get used to putting on the same five outfits and will forget how to dress myself.

Now, I love my life. I love that I consider what I wear with mommyhood in mind. This is my dream come true. But seriously, one day I'll need to - want to - look put together again. Help!

In case you didn't catch this, MARSHA, what I'm trying to say is that I need you to live next door...

Finished

2011-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

I finished this little number a few weeks ago now. I have been having the hardest time getting a decent picture of it to share though! The lighting needs to be right, and you need to have a place to "display" it for the picture. Oh well. Here it is. It was SO fun to make, and actually took me a few weeks to complete. It was the perfect winter project. Call me crazy, but I'm thinking of starting another one yet this winter. Anyone interested in purchasing this one? It'll be in my Etsy shop in the next few days. Speaking of Etsy, I'm working on a few new things for the grand re-opening of my shop! Stay tuned...

And just because he's cute and I'm INCREDIBLY blessed to be his mama...

Doesn't he look like he's hard at work? No, we don't resort to turning youtube on for Levi when he's fussy...yet. The day will come, I'm sure of it! In this picture, I'm pretty sure it was just a plain, inanimate screen that had him so captivated.

Levi in action...

2011-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I do realize that these videos are way cuter to Nathan and I than they will be to any of you.

BUT, nevertheless, here they are. : )
(remember to turn off any web protection programs you may have if you're having trouble watching these)

about the tears...

2011-02-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have a question for ALL you moms out there (it doesn't matter how long ago your kids were babies)...

A little background first: The latest "trend" (is it a trend? I don't know...) in parenting is to teach your baby to "self-soothe" which means putting them to bed awake and letting them put themselves to sleep. The idea is that you'll have a good sleeper who doesn't rely on you to be able to fall asleep. Sounds good, in theory.

Here's the problem: I am sick of Levi crying each and every time I put him down for a nap (3-4 times a day). Occasionally he'll go down without tears, but most of the time it takes alot of coaxing (and patting, rocking, nursing and bouncing) to get him to sleep. He has no problem putting himself back to sleep in the middle of the night (unless he's hungry), but the initial "let's fall asleep now" is torture for both of us almost every time.

So here's my question: What did you do? Did you rock/nurse your baby to sleep? And if so, was your baby a good sleeper, or did they rely on you to fall asleep every time? Did you teach your baby to self-soothe? If so, how long did it take, what age did you start, and did your child ever show signs of resisting it like Levi seems to? I've been trying to teach Levi to self-soothe since before Christmas and, aside from a couple good days here and there, it has mostly just been alot of tears and frustration. I'm beginning to think that rocking him to sleep every time would be better than this. Thoughts? In the end, I'll do what's best for us, but I'm interested in hearing what other moms have done and how it worked for them in the long run....

Thanks.

Play time!

2011-02-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

I get to spend my days doing this...

Building tents with my little man!

Nathan, on the other hand, spends his days like this:

I'm sure glad he's the one who chose to go back to school! Otherwise I might feel a little bad about all the fun I'm having...

Picture post!

2011-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Everything goes in his mouth...if he can get his mouth close enough!

Such a cutie!

Doesn't he look BIG? Just chilling out together.

Poser! We'll just put this one in his "save-for-wedding" folder. Hehe.

This is the diaper bag I made. There are a few things I would change on the next one, but it worked out pretty well.

Inside of diaper bag. Fun? yes. Fun to find things in? yes.

Reading Scaredy Squirrel together. Levi noticed books the other day after months of reading to him. He looked wide-eyed from the book, to me reading, back to the book until the second last page. Pretty good attention span for a 4 month old!

He does get distracted by noisy cameras, though.

Can my heart possibly smile any more???

Nursing Cover

2011-02-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

This is the one I have!

Here it is again! If anyone missed the last promo code for a free nursing cover (or realized what a great gift it could be for a new mom), you can use this one: EXPECTING. Just go through the order like normal and enter this code. It should bring your order total to $0. All you need to pay is shipping (around $10). You can order as many as you want too, but they must be on separate orders, so you're paying the shipping every time. Also, you can buy a gift set, but this will end up costing $5 plus shipping (they subtract $32 from your order, no matter what your order is). Still a very affordable gift. Here's the link:

http://www.uddercovers.com/

February 13, 2010

2011-02-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

What an exciting and unbelievable day.

One year ago today, we found out about Levi.

(did I knock the breath out of anyone with that picture? you're welcome.)

Of course, a year ago we had no idea that "it" was in fact Levi. But it turns out that it was! Boy were we excited to see those two pink lines...

It's amazing what can change in a year...

(there's a 7.5 week old Levi in there)

Last year I was spending my days crocheting, hanging out with friends in the Court (at seminary), sewing, and pretty much just being a normal seminary wife.

Now, one year later, we have a bouncing (literally, he's in his Jolly Jumper as I type) 4 month old baby boy. He's wonderful, amazing, adorable, and ours. A year ago today is when one of my life's dreams came true. Wow. I will never take that for granted.

This guy was worth all the waiting...all the tears and worries and stress and pain.

What a year it's been!

This is how we roll...

2011-02-10T17:27:00.000-08:00

This is how Levi and I get around these days.
- Toques for both of us.
- Moby wrap (THE best - and only - baby carrier I've ever used).
- Blanket over Levi on the front.
- Nathan's hoodie backwards on me so that it covers Levi - hood can be used to cover Levi's head completely on an exceptionally windy day.
- My jacket on me.
- Oh yeah, and my fuzzy socks on Levi's legs, just for an extra layer and to protect that skin where his socks and pants don't quite meet.

But even with all this, we still don't go out when it's cooler than -15 degrees C. That, my dear friends, would require pulling out the big guns...

I now understand...

2011-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

why young moms "let themselves go."

You see, I never really understood this before. At the very least, I never thought it would be me. But I see myself slipping and the slope is a very slippery one, folks. Look out.

When you become a mom, your "me" time flies out the window. Buh-bye! It is replaced by many wonderful things like peek-a-boo and diaper changes and feedings. I love these things. LOVE. I went through a few years of wondering if I would ever have these things and I count each one of them a blessing. Even my lack of "me" time at this point in my life is not something I would change. But here's the kicker: What do I spend my limited "me" time doing? I'd say there are three categories, no four, of things I could do. I could do housework/take care of the home. I could do something for someone else. I could do something that I enjoy. Or I could get ready for the day.

It's a tough decision some days. Do I shower and do my hair, get dressed and put on makeup, thus forfeiting my entire morning "naptime" to looking presentable? This hardly seems like the best option, seeing as my hair will sooner or later end up in the drooly palms of little hands. My makeup will be smudged and wiped clean by a little face pressing itself against mine. And my clothes will be spit up on before noon. Yet, when I decide to just put on sweats and leave my hair and makeup undone, those are invariably the days when someone unexpected comes to the door and I shamefully answer the door in all my mommy-full glory.

I could say that I do these things for myself. And to an extent I do. But when you get a haircut to make this morning ritual more streamlined and it only adds more work...that's when I start to question whether I really need to do this today. I could throw on a toque and be done with it, free to move on to more enjoyable things (like sewing my new diaper bag -!!!- while the little man is still dreaming of gumdrops and unicorns - oh, but I hope that's not what he dreams of). Alas, today I know that someone will be coming to the house. I must be at least 50% presentable...if only I could hire someone to stop by the house every day and style my hair, choose my clothes, and perfect my makeup while I sit and relax. Now that would be multitasking at its greatest.

So, yes. It is a battle indeed. To groom or not to groom, that is the question these days...

4 months.

2011-02-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

Levi is four months old today. He just keeps getting more and more sweet with more and more personality! We are having so much fun with him and I'd like to think he doesn't mind being with us either : )

There have been many changes in this past month. Our first month with an "infant" instead of a "newborn" has been fun. Here are a few of his latest accomplishments...

Yep! That's Levi sitting on his very own! It only lasted about 30 seconds, though, before this happened...

haha. He is getting closer and closer to being able to balance himself and stay sitting though. He may have a couple weeks to go before he's sitting all on his own, but he's getting there!

Let's see, what else?

Bald spot is still there, though we noticed the other day that there is a bit of "stubble" coming in on it, so hopefully it won't be long before our little guy is back to having a full head of hair!

Levi has always been a solid guy. Last time I weighed him, he was 15lbs 8oz (ish) so by now he's got to be pushing 16lbs. He'll soon double his 8lb 2oz birth weight!

Levi has been enjoying his Jolly Jumper alot this month. He's gone from spinning slowly in circles, not really sure what to do, to a bouncing, happy little guy when he's in there. We always have a bib on him while he's jumping, though, because in addition to the mass amounts of drool that soak his shirt in 5 seconds flat, Jolly Jumpers also tend to bring out the best in babies...or the best of their lunch at least. His tongue is always out too. That started just before we headed into the fourth month in early January and, with the exception of a couple days when he seemed to have forgotten about it, has held strong ever since.

Here's another tongue picture. He loves to smile. He's not always so sure about new situations or new people (he has started making strange a bit this month) but Nathan and I get alot of this. And belly laughs. Oh my, those are simply the best!

Sleep is always a hot topic among young moms. Thankfully, Levi is starting to sleep a bit more. This month he has gone from sporadic 20-45 minute naps to at least one hour-long nap most days and for sure three naps each day. It's nice to know that I'll have at least a little time to myself during the day, even if I'm just doing the dishes or making supper! At night he is still up on average every 3 hours but he has given us one 7 hour stretch and a few 6 hour stretches so I can't complain. Unfortunately, I haven't started going to bed when he does, so I never get the full 6 hours of sleep when they happen. You'd think I'd learn...

From birth, Levi has loved to stand on his own two feet. His legs have just been getting stronger and stronger. He can now stand with just our fingers in his hands. He'll often prefer to stand in your lap over sit. While his balance still has quite a ways to go, the strength is certainly there.

I mentioned a few posts back that Levi loves to grab things. At the beginning of the fourth month, he wouldn't hold anything, even if you put it right in his hands. Now he will roll onto his side and grab something off the floor beside him if he wants it. And of course, it always goes straight into his mouth.

Speaking of rolling, Levi has rolled both from front to back as well as back to front. I wouldn't say that he's "mastered" it yet, but he's done both a few times each. He can turn in circles both on his belly and on his back but I don't think he's figured out that this can get him places yet, or even get him closer to what he wants. He just cranes his neck to look at something and it will end up turning him. I was surprised one evening when I left him in his crib and came back a few minutes later to find his head facing the opposite direction. We seem to have a mover!

This is the most precious little boy. He makes us laugh every day and we are so very blessed to be his parents. While I am often on the tired end of the spectrum, he makes it easy to push through and still love life.

Your mommy and daddy love you so much, Levi. We love to watch you grow and learn new things. We are so proud of you!