One Month

I can't believe I'm about to say this: my sweet baby Levi is one month old today. It's not too much to say that we absolutely adore every moment with him. He is beyond amazing. He exceeds everything we ever imagined he could or would be. Every time I wake him from a nap, he is more incredible than when I put him down. Levi has completely captured our hearts!

On the day he was born... June 16th, 2010

Levi did well at his one month check up yesterday! He got his second dose of HepB (much more painful for me to watch than for him to actually get) and peed all over the nurse. The doctor confirmed that Levi has a blocked tear duct, which should open on it's own in the next year. We spoke more about his reflux. If he's not much better in 5-6 days, we're going to move onto different meds. The dr thinks Levi has ulcers from the reflux- my poor baby!!

How could anyone not love this beautiful face??

Here are Levi's first month stats:

Height: 21.5 inches

Weight: 9 pounds, 7 ounces

He's still long and lean, but he's getting a bit chubbier... it's fun to watch the fat rolls develop on his arms and legs! Still, Levi is barely making the ounce-a-day weight gain that they want. Hopefully he'll do better this month and really wow them on the scale at his two month check-up!

It's exhausting being a newborn... check out his long, skinny legs and big feet. It looks like we may have another distance runner in our family!

Levi continues to be mellow and low-key; he's such a content baby (except when eating...). We are working on finding a daily routine for us; he's still a bit young to really start one. Essentially we're on a eat-every-three-hours schedule. We start the day at 7am with his first feeding... change his diaper and "play" for 5-10 minutes if he's alert. Then he takes about a 2 hour nap before eating again. Bedtime starts after the 7pm feeding and includes bath, eating, diaper change, swaddling, reading, and a song we've been singing to him since he was in the womb. Matt then rocks him to sleep and puts him in the bassinet while I clean the kitchen. At night Levi can sleep as long as he wants between feedings... usually 3.5-4 hours. One night he went 6 hours between feedings- it was AMAZING!

Touchdown!!

Since Levi doesn't really do much (besides sleeping, eating, and pooping- and being amazingly wonderful), I have to make my own fun with him everyday. I usually nap about an hour in the morning, then I tidy the house and start laundry. I try to get out of the house with him at least once a day- these outings have to be strategically planned between feedings and usually happen after the 1pm feeding. Outings include such fancy places as CVS, Bank of America, and the post office- I know, I lead a very exciting life. I'd also like to start a daily walk after the 4pm feeding. When Matt gets home he's very hands-on with Levi... burping, changing diapers, playing, etc. Occasionally the three of us get out for a walk as a family in the late evening before his 10pm feeding.

Levi is really working on getting his hands in his mouth. Soon enough!

Levi loves lights/shadows, feeding time, being swaddled, and his fisher price lamb chair "Lamby" (it's already on it's second set of batteries). He has a love/hate relationship with his pacifier, which we now call his binksy or binks, but it helps his acid reflux so we're continuing with it! "Play time" includes tummy time, reading books, looking at high contrast images, snuggling on the bed, etc. Levi is uber-observant and loves just to look at something on the wall for minutes at a time. I love how content he is, but we can't wait until he wakes up some more and we can really interact with him!

I love looking at this face everyday. Such a sweet boy!

We have already given Levi some nicknames in the past month...

- Mr. Man (we actually have a Mr. Man song for him)

- Mysterious Man

- Little Man

- Little Guy

- Sweet Boy

- Kissy Face (all Matt...)

- Buddy or Buddy Boy

Totally passed out on Gramma Kim... baby boy is getting some serious cheeks!

We are so in love with Levi- he was worth every hormone injection, doctor appointment, medical procedure, false pregnancy test, stretch mark, and sleepless night. The blessing we received is way beyond the prayer that we prayed. We can't wait to see what month 2 has in store!