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levi’s monthly baby photo (five months old)

December 21, 2011

monthly baby photo - five months oldDear Levi,

You are five months old! Where did my baby go? I can suddenly see how much older you look compared to photos from previous months. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown! Sometimes when I stare at you, I can catch a glimpse of what you might look like as a little boy. Your round face is becoming more narrow, and the hair on the top of your head is growing in shiny and golden brown. That wisp of a curl behind your right ear keeps getting longer and longer, and I’m sometimes tempted to cut it, but that silly piece of hair is so much a part of you.

When you turned four months old, you were a slobbering mess. We kept you in a bib all day long because you drooled nonstop. You were just starting to put your fingers, hands and clothing in your mouth; you have since advanced to your feet and anything else within your reach. Although you don’t do it regularly, I have witnessed you pull your pacifier out of your mouth and then stick it back in (although not always in the correct way).

Your new favorite thing to stick in your mouth is the silicone spoon we use to feed you baby oatmeal. You had your first taste of solid food the day before you turned 5 months old, and you ate off the utensil like a champ. I’m pretty sure you’d be just as happy eating dirt if we fed it to you off that spoon!

Earlier in the month I thought we had nailed down a sleeping schedule (bed at 7:30pm, brief wake-up at 1am, feeding at 3am, up for the day at 6am), but our trip to Cleveland over Thanksgiving seemed to throw you off track. You refuse to nap anywhere but in your swing, and when you’re in your crib at night, you wake up screaming if you find yourself on your belly.

During the day, however, you happily roll over from your back to your tummy to your back again. I can’t wait for the day when you learn that sleeping on your stomach is an acceptable–and comfortable–position! Daddy and I have noticed that you don’t cry so much when you are upset as you do shriek and scream, which is very off-putting because it makes us worry that you are hurt or sick. I guess I just have to get used to the fact that you are a loud kiddo!

Now for some stats: On average you still eat six times a day, every 3 – 4 hours while you’re awake and once or twice in the middle of the night. You nurse in the AM and PM and get three 6 oz bottles of expressed milk while mommy works (although your nanny thinks you’re ready for bigger bottles). You’re wearing a combination of sizes 0-3 and 3-6 clothing. You can get away with the smaller sized onesies because you’re slender through your torso. Nobody could ever accuse you of being a fat baby, although you do have some delicious rolls on your legs!

Stay happy, baby guy!

xoxoxo

***********

I’ll be photographing Levi on the 12th of every month to document his growth this first year. He’ll be wearing a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months, sitting in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity. See Levi’s four month, three month, two month and one month photos here.

{photo taken on Levi’s 5 month birthday, 12/12/11}

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levi’s monthly baby photo (four months old)

November 15, 2011

monthly baby photo - four months oldDear Levi,

You are four months old! Your daddy was deployed for most of this past month, but you and I managed to stay sufficiently busy.

It’s a shame that babies can’t earn frequent flier miles because you took six flights in October! We traveled to Washington, DC and Los Angeles for weddings, and everybody you met remarked how much you look like Daddy, although I don’t see that strong a resemblance. You spent your first weekend in the care of your grandma and grandpa, too. They flew to Omaha so mommy could go on a business trip.

These last few weeks you’ve really started using your hands to reach for and grasp toys, blankets and my hair. You also like to stick those hands in your mouth, but you’re getting a lot better at sucking just your thumb. Your neck muscles have also gotten a lot stronger, and when we put you in a Bumbo, you can nearly sit up straight.

You’re so much more vocal now and like to have fun with sounds, as Daddy calls it. You can be very loud! My favorite sound is your laughter. Daddy and I are pretty good at making you giggle when we’re singing and acting silly, so we try to do those things often.

This past week, when you were about 17-weeks-old, you reached a really big milestone — you rolled over from your back to your tummy! I wish I had gotten a video, or at least a photo, but I found you in that position at 3am and your room was dark! Speaking of sleep, the night of your four month birthday, you slept for 9 hours before waking up to eat. Incredible! But was it just a fluke, or are your sleeping habits beginning to change?

Now for some stats: On average you eat six times a day, approximately every three hours while you’re awake and once or twice in the middle of the night. You breastfeed in the AM and PM and get three 6 oz bottles of expressed milk while mommy works. You now weigh 13 lbs 7 oz, according to the doctor’s scale. You’re wearing a size 0-3 onesie in this photo, and it looks big because it’s brand new, but you are on the verge of outgrowing this size. Many of your pants are starting to look too short. That’s because you’re so tall — 26 inches!

Keep growing and stay happy, my sweet baby guy!

xoxo

***********

I’ll be photographing Levi on the 12th of every month to document his growth this first year. He’ll be wearing a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months, sitting in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity. See Levi’s three month, two month and one month photos here.

{photo taken 11/12/11}

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levi’s monthly baby photo (three months old)

October 24, 2011

monthly baby photo - three months oldDear Levi,

You are three months old! Some major milestones have taken place these past four weeks. One day, early in the month, I noticed that most of the hair you were born with had been replaced with short, soft fuzz. You still have some random strands, the longest pieces at your temples, and they are so goofy looking!

But you want to know what’s not so funny? Your near-daily blowouts. We quickly bumped you up to size 2 diapers, hoping they would prevent your messy poops from staining your pajamas. They don’t! This month you got your first pedicure and didn’t seem to mind me clipping your paper thin toenails. Sometimes, though, you cry real tears when you get super worked up, and it makes me so sad! You also make funny lip smacking noises, but I’m not sure if that’s considered a developmental milestone.

When 5pm rolls around, you and I enjoy a little bit of playtime before you take a brief nap, have a bath and eat. Your unofficial bedtime is between 7-8pm, and that’s when I put you down in your crib. Yes, your crib! Daddy and I made an impromptu decision at the end of September to move you into your nursery. You are so happy to have all that extra room while you sleep, and you’re always wriggling around now since you are no longer swaddled.

But I think your most exciting advancement this month is that you have started laughing! The first time I made you laugh was by shaking a glowing light and a rattle in your face–and I recorded it on video! I take tons of short home movies of you with my iPhone because I don’t want to forget how you looked, sounded and acted at any stage. You’re already growing up too quickly!

xoxo

***********

I’ll be photographing Levi on the 12th of every month to document his growth this first year. He’ll be wearing a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months, sitting in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity.

This photo was taken two weeks ago on Levi’s three month birthday. It’s taken me this long to post because JB was recently deployed, and I’m too tired to blog after working a full day and then taking care of Levi. But I miss it–and you! Hopefully I’ll learn how to better juggle responsibilities and balance my time as a single mama. Any suggestions?

See Levi’s two month and one month photos here.

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levi’s monthly baby photo (two months old)

September 16, 2011

monthly baby photo - two months old

monthly baby photo - two months old

monthly baby photo - two months oldDear Levi,

You are two months old! It has been incredible to witness your transformation from a newborn into a baby. Some of the changes seemed to happen overnight, and once or twice, Daddy and I each thought that you looked bigger in the evening than you did in the morning!

You started wearing size 0-3 clothing early in the month and soon after jumped up to size 1 diapers. Now that you are 9 weeks old, we think it may be time to move to size 2 because you’ve been having diaper blowouts after waking up these past couple of days. So gross! You’ve been exercising other bodily functions this month, too. You introduced into your repertoire projectile-style spitting up, and when you cry, you sometimes have tears in your eyes, which is so sad!

But you’ve also started doing some really, really cute things. I’m pretty sure I got my first real smile from you when you were one month and one day old, and now you smile and coo in response to so many things! You love when we sing to you while moving your arms and legs like you are dancing. You find the lights on your play mat fascinating and seem to enjoy it when we watch your Classical Baby DVD together.

You’re also becoming a real ham for the camera and seem to be aware of when we’re taking your picture! We took lots of photos this month because we did so many things, including taking you on your first road trip to the Iowa State Fair and on your first plane ride to the East Coast. You probably won’t remember your sightseeing adventure in Philadelphia, but we have pictures of you next to the Liberty Bell to prove it!

And I’m very happy that you are beginning to sleep in longer chunks through the night. (Your daddy, on the other hand, can sleep straight through the night even when you’re making noise in the bassinet next to our bed.) You have just started to go about 6 hours between feedings in the middle of the night, but that is usually followed by only a 2.5 hour chunk. We need to work on that because Mommy is not a morning person!

In the meantime, keep on growing, learning and smiling. I love you!

xoxo

**************

I’ll be photographing Levi on the 12th of every month to document his growth this first year. He’ll be wearing a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months, sitting in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity.

Of course, indecisive me can’t decide which of these three should be his “official” two-month-old portrait. He looks slightly different (older?) in each one! I think the top shot most closely resembles last month’s photo, but I like how you can more clearly see the “2” in the middle photo. Then there’s the bottom picture with his teensy grin that just melts my heart.

So I look to you again for guidance. Which photo is this month’s keeper?

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levi’s monthly baby photo (one month old)

August 18, 2011

monthly baby photo - one month old

monthly baby photo - one month old

monthly baby photo - one month oldDear Levi,

What a surreal month it’s been! I still can’t believe that you are mine. I can stare at your little face all day long.

When you were born you looked exactly like your daddy. You have the longest eyelashes, the cutest button nose and the most adorable dimple on your right cheek. You break out into a sly smile like you just heard a big secret whenever you’re milk drunk and sometimes when you have gas. I can’t wait for you to smile in response to our silly songs and funny faces. You absolutely hate having a wet diaper, and when you get really worked up you snort like a little piglet. Your sweet snorts made us laugh so hard in the days after you were born! We also giggled when you would simultaneously poop and eat! When you cry because you’re hungry it now sounds like you’re screaming, “Gee! Gee!”

Every day you’re becoming more aware of the world around you, and I wonder what you’re thinking when I catch you staring at the wall or the ceiling. You’ve been an excellent bath-taker since day one, and bathing you is a team sport for me and your daddy.

We’ve given you a bunch of endearing nicknames like “Bug,” “Baby Guy” and “Little Bear.” It actually took me a while to get used to calling you Levi because I spent so many months before you were born referring to you as “the baby.” Sometimes it still feels funny to say your name out loud!

You’ve just about outgrown all of your newborn-size clothing, which makes me a little bit sad. I think I’m actually in denial that you are no longer the tiny baby burrito we brought home from the hospital one month ago! But you are still such a sweetie. I love you!

xoxo

************
Inspired by all of the creative mamas out there, I’ll be photographing Levi monthly to document his growth this first year. He’ll be wearing a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months, and I’d like for him to be posed similarly in each photo for continuity. I snapped these three on August 12th when Levi was one month old, but I can’t decide which I like best!

So, friends, I’d love your opinions. How should I continue to photograph Levi for this monthly project?

  • In the chair with his BlaBla doll
  • On the rug (full length)
  • On the rug (close up)

Please cast your vote in the comments section below!

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