2 Months Update (Levi)

I know, I know, I shouldn't be surprised at how fast time flies, but it's still amazing how quickly babies grow. In the midst of busy life where Ava and Noah are often the more demanding kids, needing actual attention (yes, Levi needs to eat, but let's be honest, babies are a little bit boring), I try to find moments to pay real attention to Levi and this quickly passing infant stage. I'm trying to soak it all in, to take mental snapshots, to remember all the little details, knowing very well that it's impossible to remember everything. Every day there's a new memory, and there will be new little details to remember, and I will be excited about all of the new things he will learn and discover, and memories of the first smile, the first little sounds, the cries, the rooting, the baby hick-ups, the funny faces, his smell, will all fade away. And that's okay. I guess the best I can do is to enjoy it all in the moment and not be caught up in mom guilt when I feel like I should empty the dishwasher instead of taking a nap with a baby cuddled up next to me. 

Levi is two month old today. 

At night, he loves to sleep next to me, preferably with his face comfortably rested on my boob. Ha. Since we co-sleep I am not sure how often he wakes up at night, but I'm guessing about twice after he goes to bed late, at the same time I do usually. 

Levi's Birth Story

Read Noah's birth story here and Ava's birth story here (part 1) and here (part 2). 

Earlier this week, I had my postpartum appointment with my midwife at the Providence Pavilion for Women and Children, the same place I had given birth to all three of my kids and where I had come for almost all of my appointments during my pregnancies, the place where I began my journey of becoming a mother in 2012, not knowing what to expect and insecure in so many ways, where I developed confidence as an expecting mother during my second pregnancy, where I found the wonderfully supportive group of midwives, and the place where I could focus for a moment on nothing but the baby inside of me at a time when life was insanely busy with work, a house, a husband, and two kids. As I was hugging my midwife goodbye and leaving the building, seeing nervously happy new dads walking in with infant car seats, I was closing this chapter. As hard as it was sometimes, I have had wonderful pregnancies and birth experiences and it felt strange knowing that I wouldn't be coming back to this place.

A day in the life of...three kids edition

Last time I wrote a "day in the life" post, Ava was two months old and I was staying home with Noah and Ava while on maternity leave. You can catch up on it here. Apparently, some things don't change: babies need snacks all day and when things are about to turn south, we head outside. The following describes a day last week. Noah is almost four years old, Ava one and a half, and Levi is five weeks old. 

5:00 am (ish, this is a bit of a blur by now) - Levi wakes up for his breakfast. He has been waking up at around 1 am and again between 4 and 5 am to eat. Not so bad for a 5 week old. I enjoy the morning snuggles and try to close my eyes for a few more minutes knowing that my alarm will go off at 5:30 am. The kids usually wake up at around 6 am and having set my alarm gives me half an hour of much needed time for myself to get dressed and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in silence.

5:15 am - Never mind. Ava is up and wide awake and comes walking into our room. All she wants to do in the morning is cuddle with Levi, but she moves around so much and I have to pay attention to make sure she doesn't accidentally hurt him, so there's no point in even trying to close my eyes for a little bit. In an attempt to let Levi and Tony sleep, I get up with her. Right at that time, Noah comes walking out of their room, carrying his pillow. He's not ready to start the day and lets me know he is crawling in bed with daddy. I try to lay down with Ava in Noah's bed to snuggle, but as soon as we lay down, I hear Levi wide awake and ready for another snack. I bring him to bed with us and I nurse him while reminding Ava to touch his head really gently.

hugs and kisses for baby brother

5:30 am - My alarm goes off.

First Ten Days as a Family of Five

It doesn't seem like it was just ten days ago that Levi was born. I remember this feeling when we brought Noah home from the hospital: It was as if he had somehow always been a part of our family. Same with Ava two years later and Levi now; yes, family dynamics change and we all have to adjust to a new routine as a family of five, but from the moment he was born, he fit right in and it felt, again, as if he had always been a part of our family, just waiting to be born. 

Levi is doing great and everything a newborn is supposed to do: eat, poop, sleep, repeat. Like his siblings, he's a very chill baby unless he is getting his diaper changed which he doesn't like at all. While he doesn't mind being swaddled, he much prefers to sleep on or next to me instead of his crib. He is still in newborn and 0-3 months size clothing, but has already outgrown a few things. While many have commented that he looks like his own person and not like his siblings at all, I see a lot of Noah as a newborn in him. His facial expressions, the little sounds he makes, and the way he lifts his head searching for milk and pushes his tiny body up towards my neck remind me of both Noah and Ava. Time will tell who he resembles more, but even though it may not be obvious to many, he does fit right in. 

Outnumbered

It has been almost one year since I last posted something here. I have missed writing, but simply haven't found the time or energy for it. This isn't something that I just quickly write down at the end of the day; I need to be in the right mood, able to let my mind wander, and have a nice cup of coffee while I type. 

Since it's been so long, I thought about doing a recap of the last year, but instead, I think I'm just going to jump right into current events. Let's just say that this last year was fun, but exhausting. We both worked a lot, had the same routine every evening with the kids leaving almost no free time, spending Saturdays running errands and cleaning up after a busy week, leaving Sundays for some family time and getting ready for the week. I feel like every week went by extremely fast and sometimes it felt like we were struggling to find time for fun family moments between work and our daily routine. And then I found out I was pregnant again, which explained why I was so hungry and tired all the time.

Reaching Milestones

A lot of exciting things are happening at our house these days, and when my sister had her second baby last week, it really put into perspective for me how big my kids already are. Noah is turning three next month, and just got invited to his first birthday party for one of his daycare friends. Wow. 

Airplane Entertainment for Little Kraut

As we're preparing for a trip to Germany in two weeks, one of the main things on my mind has been how to entertain Noah on such a long international flight. He is super excited about the trip and loves airports and airplanes. He has already been on a few flights in his short life and has done great, so I'm not too worried about it. At the same time, since it's such a long flight, I want to be prepared and have a few new fun things available for him.

The plan is to keep everything a surprise until we're on the plane and then to bring out activities one at a time. When I picked out games and activities I chose ones that are creative and can be used and played with in a variety of ways, by himself or together with us, so that hopefully he won't be bored a few minutes into it.

Sketchbook and Pencils

Drawing and coloring is fun for everyone, and this can keep Noah entertained for quite some time, especially if we engage with him and draw things together. I bought a high quality nice looking sketchbook that we've used before on a trip and added to our collection of colored pencils. I love the artwork on these sketchbooks and the paper is nice and thick. Our local book/crafts/toy store typically has only a few different options, but of course Amazon.com has a wide selection, including some for a great price: http://amzn.to/1U4g2St
We already have a good selection of pencils, but I liked the ones that came with the sketchbook and I think they'll make for a great surprise.