10 Things I've Learned Since Becoming a Mommy...

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day! Technically, last year I was a mom. Levi was just a 9 week old fetus the size of an olive and we were in France. So needless to say, without a baby in arms and with being in a different country, I didn't feel very "motherly". This year was much different!

Our day started out like any other. I brought Levi to our room around 7 AM to feed him. This might just be one of my favorite times of the day with him. Once he eats, we cuddle and play together. And when Brian is home from work in the mornings, its even better! I couldn't help but reflect yesterday as I watched my little baby sleeping next to me, how blessed I truly am to be his mama. I think that often, but yesterday--as I lay there thinking about women who are unable to have children or who have suffered miscarriages, and how hard the day must be for those women--it was very evident to me how much grace God has shown Brian and I in providing us with a beautiful, healthy son.

Our day continued with heading to church, where all the mother's were given white roses. Then, we went to lunch at Mimi's Cafe. The wait time was an hour when we got there, so we put our name on the list and went next door to Barnes and Noble to walk around for 30 or so minutes. Brian made sure that we stopped in the cookbook section--my favorite :) Lunch at Mimi's was delicious and so fun! Our wait ended up running into Levi's feeding time, which I thought was going to be a horror. But he stayed so happy the entire time! Even when we got to our table, he was laughing and looking around and didn't even show any interest in eating. So that made for a nice lunch for me!

We then headed home and watched a movie, took a walk around Village Manor and then to the seminary to visit with some friends. It was a very nice day, overall!


So, the point of this post was to share some of the things I've learned about being a mom these past 5.5 months. The good, the bad and the ugly. It's been a long road and a big learning curve, but entirely rewarding. Here we go:

1. There are good days and there are bad days...and each depend on how well-fed and well-rested both Levi and I are. I knew that a fed and rested baby was typically a happy baby, but I didn't realize how much my patience and nurture depended on those things as well. I have learned to make sure I eat three meals and a snack each day. And I'm also not ashamed to sleep a little longer in the morning when Levi does--I, personally, have found that I need that.
2. A spiritually-fed mommy makes a world of difference! When I make sure to set aside time during Levi's morning nap to read the Word and reflect on God's goodness for a bit, it completely changes my disposition for the day.
3. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize time with Brian. This is harder than I thought it would be. My natural inclination as a mother is to care for my baby--but I cannot let my care for my husband be overlooked. For us, this means putting Levi to bed around 8 every night (when possible), so that we can drink some coffee together, watch a show, talk, do homework, whatever. We just need that baby-free time to show love and attention to one another instead of just focusing on Levi.
4. Poop, pee, spit up, boogers, earwax and any other bodily fluids become the norm. I've grown accustomed to such things. Plus, when its your own kid, it doesn't end up being as weird or gross as it seems.
5. I try not to compare Levi with other babies or myself with other moms. I have found that it's helpful to ask how other people do things (schedules, solids, play time, etc.), but I have also found that I need to do what works best for me and for Levi. Each baby is different! 
6. I need to get out at least once a day. The transition from working full-time to staying at home full-time was much more difficult than I had imagined. I, personally, just need contact with other adults outside of my home everyday. Sometimes, this involves going grocery shopping, running errands, sitting at a coffee shop with Levi, taking a walk around our apartment complex, etc.
7. If he sleeps through the night once, it doesn't mean he'll automatically do it again the next night. I found myself getting very frustrated with this issue early on. Finally, I just adopted the mindset of going to bed with low expectations for the number of hours he would sleep. If he woke in the night, I wouldn't be upset because I was already expecting it. If he slept longer, it was a pleasant surprise and I would be proud of him.
8. Being a mom is a never-ending job of service. When I'm exhausted, when I'm sick, when I'm hungry...I'm still a mom and I still have a duty to care for my son. Luckily, I have my husband who graciously helps and serves me in those times and on a daily basis. Couldn't do it without him!
9. Breastfeeding is not the easiest route, but it is super rewarding. I find it easy now, but when we were first starting out, breastfeeding was harder than I expected. I had to work very hard to establish my milk supply (nursing regularly with pumping in between--so exhausting!), the ever-present question: "Is he getting enough?", and Levi just being a pokey eater in general. But now that I've gotten the hang of it, not only is it easy, but also very rewarding. There is an inexplicable bond that comes from breastfeeding.
10. Lastly, becoming a mom has shown me, even more so, my need for God's grace. I am a self-centered sinner that needs God's love and redemption on a daily basis. This parenthood thing is by no means easy, but it certainly helps to reveal our relationship to the Father.

I love you, Levi! Thanks to God for making me your mommy.

Levi: Week 21 Summary

My baby is 5 months old? Please tell me this isn't so! Yes, on Wednesday of this past week, Levi hit the 5 month milestone. Crazy how fast that went by! I feel as if each week and month that passes just becomes more and more fun. Levi is rambunctious, and cheerful, and stubborn, and sweet, and adorable--all wrapped up into one 15 pound bundle of soft baby. Gosh, I love him. And his hair is finally growing! That was random, I know...but it's been a long time comin'. Here is the 21st week for Levi in a nutshell:

FEEDING 
Nursing continued on as usual. He was pretty distracted again this week and he ate at 3 hour intervals (no 4 hour intervals like last week). All in all, it was a pretty normal week.

NAPS
Oh man, Levi had trouble with his naps this week! The first two days of the week, he did not sleep for his first two naps of the days. I put him down at his normal time and he simply laid in his crib and talked to himself for an hour straight each time. At the one hour mark, I took him from his crib and put him in his swing--to see if he would possibly sleep there. Nope. The dude would not sleep. Luckily, the rest of the week he did take his normal naps, but even those were not very long. Most days, he would talk in his crib for at least 30 minutes and then finally fall asleep for 45 minutes or so. I'm a bit confused what to do with this guy! He clearly is able to stay up longer now (for almost 2 hours at a time), which tells me he may be ready to move to a 4-hour schedule, but he still needs to eat every 3 hours. He is anxious to eat at every feeding. So I'm hoping to just wait it out for another week and see what ends up happening.

WAKE TIME
Levi is still loving his Bumbo. Some days he enjoys his floor gym--but I have to catch him at the right time. Yesterday, he played on his floor gym for at least 30 minutes and literally rotated his body around the entire thing! He just squirms around to get where he wants to go! Still no rolling--but I've been trying to give him more tummy time everyday to encourage that. He still isn't a big fan of tummy time.

Levi started laughing more this week, which is so fun! He also squeals now, which is pretty hilarious. Sometimes he'll make a crazy noise and then completely pause whatever he is doing--as if to say, "wow, did that noise just come from me?!" He really is a happy boy (as long as he is well-fed, well-rested and not constipated, haha) and we feel so blessed by him everyday.

NIGHTTIME
Well, remember that great progress Levi made last week. Yea, it wasn't as great this week. He did well, but there were several nights that he woke multiple times. I think some of that was due to the fact that he hadn't pooped for 3 days--he was a little gassy and uncomfortable by day 3, so I think that woke him. He also hit himself in his face one night, which woke him up. I know because he had a huge bloody scratch under his eye when I got him from his crib (and I just cut his fingernails the day before!) This past week definitely wasn't terrible as far as him sleeping through the night was concerned, but maybe this week will be slightly better!

OUTINGS/EVENTS
We didn't really have too much going on this week apart from our usual activities! The weather the beginning of the week was gorgeous (70 degrees and sunny), so Levi and I were able to go for walks during the day. He really enjoys being outside--I think its very calming for him. Plus, he just loves to look around and take everything in. One day this week, I was meeting with a friend close to where my work office is, so I decided to take Levi into the office to visit everyone. There are many Hispanics where I work(ed), so they love to dote over "Le-bi"...they pronounce the "V" as a "B" in Spanish.

The Kentucky Derby was also this week! We did nothing in terms of celebrating it, since we don't have cable TV and it was the weekend before finals at SBTS--but still, it happened during this 21st week of Levi's life.

On a side note, I've been trying to hone my photography skills a bit. I really would like a fancy-pants camera (that's been my dream gift since I was like 12), but they're expensive. So I figure, I have a nice point-and-shoot now...plus I have Photoshop...so might as well improve my skills a bit and make sure a nice camera is something we should invest in. Here are some photos below from this week. The first two are just fun ones from Levi's 5 month photoshoot and the last ones are ones I edited a bit (I've been playing around with a more vintage look). Enjoy!

I mean, really? This face.

Oh, he's silly.

Oh, and happy Cinco de Mayo. Love, Le-bi.

Summer Reading.

I do this every year.
I make a list of books I want to read throughout the summer.
And most of the time, I don't even get through two of them.
But this time, I really want to change that.
So, I've compiled a list of 5 books.
Usually, I'm over-ambitious and choose like 10.
But 5 seems to be a bit more realistic.
So, I'm listing them on here to act as a reminder to me.
To read them.

And learn from them.
And enjoy them.

So here they are:

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor
This is whom my son's middle name is inspired, so it is only right to know a little bit more about him. Brian read this book several months back and couldn't recommend it enough. And biographies are my favorite types of books to read, so this one should come easy. Key word: should.

Christ + City by Jon M. Dennis
We want to work in an urban center overseas. I wanted to mix my list up a bit and throw in some theology/practical application for church planting. Brian recently read this one too and recommended it (ah, the life of a seminary student). I thought I'd give it a try.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I read this book in high school and it was one of my all-time favorites. Plus, the movie is coming out in a few weeks, so I'd like to compare the two. Added to my list.

Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson
I started reading this towards the end of my pregnancy, but I was too exhausted to get passed the first chapter. I've heard great things about it, so I definitely want to read it this summer to learn more about parenting and the Gospel.

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I feel like this is going to be the most challenging book to get through, but I like a challenge. Sometimes. I needed to mix my list up a bit, so I went for this one. We'll see how it goes.

So, that's my list! Here's to attempt #7 at self-imposed Summer Reading. Maybe this year will be different!

Levi: Week 20 Summary

Here's a recap of Levi's 20th week!

FEEDING
Nothing too new this week as far as feeding is concerned for Levi. We did not try any solids this week, which turned out to be a great thing (stayed tuned for his sleeping tendencies!) Some days during the beginning of the week, he actually extended to 3.5 to 4 hours between feedings. This was mostly due to a longer afternoon nap during those days. Toward the end of the week, he leveled back out to 3 hour intervals. I think he is progressively going to put himself on a 4 hour schedule within the next month or so, but I'm not going to push it. If I've learned anything with Levi thus far, it's that he does things in his own time :)

NAPS
Overall, Levi took great naps all week! On occasion, he would cry it out for about 15 minutes, but even those times seemed rare this week. I figured out he goes down best for his morning nap about an hour and 20 minutes from his first feeding. He also started extending his mid-afternoon nap to about 2 hours! As long as he gets a good morning nap and a solid 2 hour nap in the mid-afternoon, he usually just needed a 45-60 minute nap in the late afternoon to keep him happy until bedtime. He was taking four 1.5 hour naps each day, so most days this week he was able to eliminate his last one! Some days he had more trouble!

WAKE TIME
Levi's time awake was pretty pleasant all week! He was content to independently play on his floor gym or in his Bumbo. He really enjoyed his Sophie giraffe this week and he has learned how to hold her better and gnaw on her! After a few weeks of busyness, we also started reading his Jesus Storybook Bible again before his morning nap. He really loves the pictures! On a good day, we can get through about 2 pages before he gets antsy...but hey, even a little truth is some truth :)

Levi's mobility skills are ever-increasing! This week he continued to figure out how to "pivot" his body while on his belly and his back. It's hilarious to watch him wiggle back and forth to do this. He also started laughing a bit more this week! He does it when Brian or I poke him in his ribs or sometimes when I put him on my knees and bounce him around like Superman. It's the cutest laugh ever...but I may be a bit biased...

NIGHTTIME
Breakthrough! That's all I have to say about this week in this area. Every night this week Levi slept at least 8 hours and some nights even 10-11 hours! We have been putting him to bed at 8 PM every night (ones that we are home), which usually works perfect because his last feeding is around 7 PM. He seems to either wake around 4 AM or 6:30 AM on any given morning--both of which are totally fine with me! If he wakes at 4 AM, I usually will give him a full feeding to hold him over until at least 7 AM. Several times this week, when he woke at 6:30, he didn't actually sound hungry, so I let him cry it out. Typically, he would go back to sleep until at least 7:30. Only one time did his crying escalate to where I felt like he was hungry. I half-fed him that time, put him back in his crib, and he slept until 8 AM. I'm hoping this trend continues! I'm proud of my little guy!

OUTINGS/EVENTS
No real big events this week in the life of Levi. Once he started sleeping through the night in the beginning of the week, I wanted to stay consistent as possible so he would keep it up! So he didn't go out much at nighttime, when possible to keep him in! I don't always want to do that with him, but I figure he has to establish that pattern for now.

One fun thing that happened this week in the life of our family was our friends, Ethan and Anna, announcing their pregnancy! We had known for a few weeks, but they finally made it public! Yay! We are very excited for them and can't wait for Levi to have a Crowder buddy/girlfriend to play with! He or she is due on November 29th--two days before Levi's 1st birthday. Here's to hoping for a birthday buddy for him :)

In closing, here are the many faces of Levi Hudson this week:

That's all for now. Until next week!

Levi: Weeks 18 & 19 Summary

18 weeks! On his way to Daytona Beach!

All of last week and half of this week we were in Florida on vacation! Levi did surprisingly well the entire trip, despite our moving from city to city almost every other day. We tried to keep him in his normal routine of eat-play-sleep as much as possible, so I really think that helped. Overall, he was a really happy boy!

FEEDING
Nothing really changed in the nursing aspect of things. Still every three hours. I noticed Levi was a bit less distracted than in previous weeks, which was nice. I really aimed at nursing him for most feedings during this trip so that my supply didn't drastically drop (this happened last time we went to Florida, because everyone was anxious to feed him bottles). This time, he only had maybe 2 bottles the entire 10 days, which not only kept my supply intact, but also kept me from having to pump as often, which is such a time sucker!

Levi also tried avocado for the first time while we were in FL! I just mashed it up and mixed it with breastmilk to thin it out some--so easy! He seemed to be okay with it. It was his first "real food" that wasn't rice cereal. My mom and I tried to feed him closer to his naptime, so he got real whiny, real quick! I certainly plan on trying it again, just not sure when exactly that will be. I'm considering waiting a few more weeks for solids--at least until he is 5 months old. I'm anxious, because it is fun, but I really don't want to rush him if he isn't ready. I'm also leaning toward the "baby-led weaning" approach with him because I like the philosophy behind it, and we really can't start that until he is 6 months old.

WAKE TIME
Levi's wake time for these two weeks were much different than normal, simply because he didn't have all of the usual toys he has at home. He spent a lot of time playing on the floor with rattles (we could pack those) and he even had a few new experiences. Levi went in the pool and the ocean for the first time while we were in Florida! He seemed to enjoy both and tended to do better when Brian was holding him in the water--I think he felt safer!

NIGHTTIME
All that progress Levi made during the night before we left for Florida was completely interrupted on our vacation! But I definitely don't hold that against him at all. He was sleeping in weird and uncomfortable places (in a play pen) the entire time, so he regressed back to waking every 3 hours. Luckily, the later part of this past week (week 19), when we were back at home he had a good 5 hour stretch one night and last night he slept from 10:30 PM-6:30 AM. Yay! Obviously, it's just going to take a few days of our normal routine to get him back into the swing of things!

OUTINGS/EVENTS
My birthday was during Levi's 18th week of life! It was so much fun to have him and Brian to spend it with this year (and my parents and brother as well). We went to Friendly's in Orlando the night of my birthday and Brian put some strawberry ice cream on Levi's lips. Right away, he pulled back--I think he was startled by how cold it was! It was also so fun to show Levi some of our favorite places in Florida. He was such a good sport as we traveled from Orlando to Daytona Beach to Tampa and, finally, to my hometown of Citrus Springs.

PERSONALITY
It is amazing how Levi's personality is changing and developing! This trip to Florida (unlike my last trip with him in February) was SO much more enjoyable. Levi was unbelievably happy and content almost the entire time. As long as he was fed and well rested (which I made sure happened the best that I could), he was in the best mood! During the past few weeks, I have really seen him grow more attached to Brian as well. His face literally lights up when he sees him. I think Levi is starting to recognize Brian as his daddy now, which is adorable! I'm surprised it took this long, but as I think back, the first three months of this life were really focused on physical needs. Since I was home with him during the day, he obviously depended on me for a lot of these things. Now that he is becoming more play-oriented and can express his emotions much more, I can tell he just loves his daddy so much!

While Levi is totally sweet, when he wants something he is the most stubborn and demanding little guy! This hasn't changed :) When he is hungry, he has a distinct scream to let us know. When he doesn't want to take a nap, he will cry in his crib for 20 minutes until he passes out. When he doesn't want to be in the Bumbo anymore, he will arch his back to where he will almost flip over the back of the chair. He is definitely not a perfect baby! But thankfully, we expected that! :)

MOTOR SKILLS
Levi is so close to rolling over on purpose! He can do it sporadically from tummy to back--but I don't think it's intentional just yet. He started lifting his legs really high when he is laying on his back, which rolls him onto his side, so I know that rolling is right around the corner. He is also learning to rotate his body while laying on his back! I went to get him from his crib the other morning and he was completely turned the opposite direction than how I had laid him down that night! Levi is also improving his skill of grabbing and holding onto toys that are placed in front of him.

Here are some pictures of our wonderful vacation:

First time in the pool.

My birthday in Orlando!

Pool time with Daddy!

Showing Levi the ocean.

Playing in the waves!

First family vacation!

Levi: Week 17 Summary

17 weeks! Levi's First Easter!

Levi is officially 4 months old! Crazy to think about. He had a pretty eventful week. Here's a quick recap:

FEEDING
Nursing is pretty much the same as last week. One distracted boy! There were several times this week that he seemed satisfied after eating for only 30 minutes, so that was definitely nice!

Levi also tried rice cereal again two times this week. The first time, I think I made it a bit too thin, so he had trouble with it. And boy, did it make a mess! The second time, I was sure to make it a bit thicker and he did much better. He actually ate the entire bowl! Then he screamed for the next hour from constipation.... We are going to wait a few more days before trying it again.

WAKE TIME
Still loving the Bumbo and floor gym. Levi did grab a toy that was sitting in front of him this week and start waving it around. First time for that! Still working on the whole rolling over thing as well.

NAPS
I think something clicked about naps this week for Levi! It was great. He would easily sleep 1-2 hours at a time and barely fussed or woke at all. I made sure to put him down right at the 1.5 hour mark from when he had woken--earlier if he was getting fussy. On Monday, he actually napped for 3 hours straight! Brian and I laid down to take a 1 hour nap, while he did. We didn't set alarm, assuming he'd wake us up. Yea...3 hours later I woke up...and Levi was still sleeping. First time for that! Usually the kid is like clockwork. I think he was just exhausted from our busy Easter Sunday the day before.

NIGHTTIME
There was only one night this week where Levi woke multiple times! Yay! All other nights he woke around 3 or 4 AM and then slept through til morning. It was a great week for sleep! I have officially figured out that doing a dreamfeed does not work for this kiddo. Every time I feed him at 8 PM and then put him down while he was awake immediately after, he would sleep 8 hours straight (til 4 AM), but every time I dreamfed him around 10 PM, he would wake at least two more times throughout the night. I think it just messed with his sleep rhythm or something. Done with that!

OUTINGS/EVENTS
Levi's first Easter was this week! He had no clue. Brian's 26th birthday was this week. Also, no clue. Lastly, he had his 4 month doctor's appointment this week. This, he figured out! He had to get 3 shots and 1 oral vaccine. Poor baby :(

He weighed in at 14 lbs even and measured 25.5 inches in length! 40th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height. Looks like we'll have a tall and lean little guy on our hands...not surprising, considering his daddy!

We're heading to Florida tomorrow for a 10 day much needed vacation! Can't wait to take this guy in the pool and show him the beach. It's going to be great. Praying it won't totally ruin all the progress he has made this week! But it will be worth it, regardless. That's all for now!

Levi: Week 16 Summary

16 weeks!

Man, this last week was rough! Levi was so great all week, but I was super sick with a cold/sinus infection (couldn't really tell what it was--all I knew is that I felt terrible) so that made things difficult. To top it all off, I had a huge final paper to write for my seminary class, so that just added to the stress! Here's a summary of Levi's last week as a 3 month old babe. I'm not crying, really.

NURSING
The only real difference with feeding Levi this week was his level of distraction. He usually eats for about 30-40 minutes, but this week, every time we hit the 20 minute mark it was hard to keep him focused! He would literally stop eating and just stare at me and smile. He would just gaze into my eyes like I was his favorite person in the world; I think I am--but don't tell Brian ;) Of course, that made me feel great, but the dude needs to eat or the whole day goes downhill quick!

Related to feeding, Levi tried rice cereal for the first time this week as well! He seemed to like it...kind of...
I think he was just very confused as to what was happening and then halfway through the bowl he started screaming because he just wanted his milk. I haven't tried it since that day (I've been too lazy), but I do plan on trying it again this next week!

WAKE TIME
This stayed the same as last week too! Bumbo and floor gym and the toys of choice. I was reading a blog about tummy time recently and how to get him to like it more. One tip they give is to lay on your back and put the baby on your legs in the air (like Superman). We tried it! And he LOVED it! He literally laughed and smiled the whole time. I think he liked that he felt taller than me for once. And he actually has liked tummy time a lot more since doing that, so success!  Levi did roll from tummy to back 4-5 times this week as well!

NAPS
Levi napped pretty much the same as last week as well--mostly long naps (1-1.5 hrs) and a few shorter ones. I've started to figure out his cues for napping are fussiness and red around his eyes. He does yawn occasionally too, but if I put him down before the other two things happen, he won't actually go to sleep for 20-30 minutes.

NIGHTTIME
Well apparently, not much has changed this week, because Levi's nighttime sleep is about the same as well! A few times when I dreamfed him around 10 or 11 pm, he didn't automatically wake up 3 hours later, which was the issue before. I've learned if I do dreamfeed him at night to try to keep him as asleep as possible. Sometimes that is difficult, but I figure if he doesn't wake up and I'm just filling his belly to hold him over, then he won't automatically want to wake up 3 hours later. We'll still experimenting with that!

OUTINGS/EVENTS
We stayed home pretty much all week because I was sick and because I had a paper to write--I called it my "hermit week." So there were no big events in the life of little Levi. Poor guy.