Life Lately- Mother's Day & Levi's Dedication

This baby. I can't even. I am so smitten and amazed and humbled and just so in love with this little fella.

His little personality is really emerging and he's such a sweetheart. He can be really easy-going and chill...

 ...and other times, not so much. ;)

He has the most adorable snort-cry I have ever heard!

I should probably feel bad when he's upset, but mostly I'm just laughing a little because it sounds so ridiculously cute. #fifthchildprobs

But our nights are horrendous.
I'm trying so hard to take it all in stride because I KNOW these days are fleeting (the nights, too, even though they seem like they are unending), so I don't mind too much. I can usually comfort him somehow, but there are times when he just cries and cries and cries, and that's so hard.

 I admit that the better part of our mornings consist of lingering in our pajamas. Oops.

I do get things done, I promise, but I'm soaking it all in because I know these days will be gone before I know it. And before I'm ready for them to be. Wait. Did I already say that?
I'm so tired. :)

We discovered that Levi prefers sleeping on his tummy. I won't lie, this instills panic in me because of all the recommendations. One afternoon I was getting dinner ready and so I put him on his tummy for some tummy time, and when I went back two minutes later, he was out. He has wanted to sleep this way ever since. 

Of course now I can't put him on his baby pillow because that doesn't seem at all safe.

I'm really happy that our longer stretch of sleep is still happening most mornings from about 4 until 8am. No matter how rough our night was, having that extra time of sleep makes it seem a lot better. And it allows me to get everyone ready for school. Sometimes I lay right back down after getting everyone off for the day. I did on this day because our night was bad bad bad.
How sweet is my view when I open my eyes?
We were meeting up with one of my dear friends at Panera on this day!  

 Levi was a perfect angel baby the entire time out.

It was so nice getting out and catching up with a friend.

He still gets lots and lots of attention. There is never a lack of willing arms to hold him.

 Whether he likes it or not. ;)

I love how he studies Daddy's face

Ha Ha, Sophie thinks this is her new special bed. I find her in here several a times a day lately.

On Mother's Day, our church had a baby dedication for the new parents.
We send in some pics ahead of time, and they show them while we talk with the pastor and review the birth stats in front of the congregation. It feels special.
Levi didn't make a peep until the very end.

 He made lots of peeps after we got home.

My Mother's Day request - a picture of all five of us...wait, SIX of us!

 This is so special to me because everyone is genuinely smiling here. Sure, it has been a little hard, but for the most part, Levi has given us all such new joy. This photo lets me see it clearly.

My parents went on a trip to NY for their anniversary on May 10th, but of course they stopped in before they left. I love this one.
Levi doesn't look too sure of what's going on, ha. He is a complete and total Mama's boy, that we know for certain already.

I haven't decided if Levi enjoys being worn too much or not. Sometimes he settles right in, but other times, I can tell he knows it's just a surrogate for the real thing, and this boy loves being held. Between the six of us, he is in someone's arms nearly constantly. He won't learn to walk until he's three!

Here we are enjoying the sunshine and waiting for Isabelle.

We had another fun outing at Squam Lakes Science Center in Holderness, NH. It's such a pretty drive out there, especially when someone is quiet in the back seat.

He wasn't. For very long, anyway.

We survived.

They added this exhibit and learning center earlier this year - it was so cute!

We hung out on this nice deck for a long while, waiting for the crowds to disperse a little inside. There were water tables and other fun little stations set up on the deck.

This cracks me up. Total selfie fail! Look at that pout on the right!

  Levi slept in the stroller for a long time, but when he woke up he was hungry and inconsolable. It took quite a while to calm him down enough to feed him, and then we had a major blow-out that needed to be dealt with on a bench outside an exhibit. Classic.

I know it's normal, but baby acne drives me nuts. Thankfully it isn't too bad. And he relaxed on Daddy for the rest of our time there.

I look at Caleb and think, how could he possibly be a teenager? HE was my baby not that long ago. But it was. Ugh, time is brutal.

Isabelle loved the deer wandering around. We like this place because there is so much natural habitat left intact, and here we were walking along a high boardwalk that looks out over the animals. 

 This one got really close! I love the look on her face!

I can't believe it's only a few more weeks until summer! I'm ready...and I'm not. Mixed feelings, ha ha.

Levi's Newborn Photos

I'm still over here pinching myself that he is really here, and that he's really mine. We just love him to pieces.

I knew I wouldn't be hiring someone to take photographs of him as a newborn so I scoured the internet looking for images that I liked so I could try to get some myself. So many details to capture, I love each and every one! Truth be told, I really reeeaaallly wanted a swaddle newborn picture, but Levi didn't like to be swaddled very much, and every time I attempted, it was slightly disastrous. :)

I also really wanted one with me, and the fact that I didn't get it nearly breaks my heart. I have lots to treasure for sure, but those ones we dream of are the ones we seem to miss the most.

Here is our sweet baby boy:

Levi, Nine Days Old

Attempting to prep for swaddle pic, exhibit #1

No likey

Ten Days Old

Two Weeks Old

At two weeks, we weren't having it
At all

 Twenty Days Old

One Month

Levi's birth story is HERE
Other newborn pics are HERE

I'm writing this on February 1st in an attempt to capture those moments. Time is so fleeting. Oh how I miss those brand new days together.