Twelve Days of Christmas

Early in December we received two boxes filled with 12 mailer bags from Aunt Lorina.  The instructions said to open one bag a day beginning December 13th.  Each bag contained a Christmas-themed story and a treat that went with the story.  The stories helped us remember the true meaning of Christmas, and the treats were fun surprises.  Some of the treats were gingerbread-flavored poptarts, lifesavers, ring pops, Christmas tree brownies, cow tails, a pooping sheep (it pooped brown jelly beans...really funny), dollar candy bars, chocolate coins, etc.  This fun Christmas activity made the days leading up to Christmas that much more fun and kept the spirit of the holidays in our home.  We love Aunt Lorina and appreciate the effort she went through to make Christmas so fun for our family.

Christmas Eve

We went to the Bates' house for Christmas Eve again this year.  We had lots of delicious appetizers and treats.  We did a white elephant gift game thing and had fun visiting.  We read our traditional Christmas books before going to bed and the girls opened one gift.  They received new pajamas this year.

The 3 kids in their Christmas pajamas.

All beautified and ready for fun at the Bates' house!

After Santa did his business Christmas Eve night.

Bath Video

Here's a cute video of Levi getting into his bath/sink.  He usually grins so big as soon as his feet hit the water.  He wasn't as smiley in this video as he usually is at bath time, but you get the idea.  



Levi in his Bumbo Video

My friend Amy is letting us borrow her Bumbo until Levi outgrows it.  They didn't have these things when the girls were little.  Apparently it's a seat for floppy babies before they can sit up on their own.  The only problem we have with it, is Levi's thighs are so chunky that we can barely get him out of the thing.  We probably won't be using it much.  Glad I didn't buy one!  Levi isn't smiling in this video because he was tired and ready for a nap, but he's still super cute.  Thought I'd share.

Blessing

Levi was blessed by his dad on Sunday the 9th.  Levi was super crabby just before we left and I was worried he would cry during the blessing, but he just slept. 

The blessing was perfect.  Landon blessed Levi with knowledge...knowledge of how much he is loved by his family and by his Heavenly Father.  He also blessed him with other stuff that I can't remember, but it was very focused on coming to the knowledge of the Savior and the love of God.  I loved that it wasn't a "fortune teller" blessing, which includes everything we want Levi to accomplish in life (mission, marriage, etc.).  If he understands the love of the Savior, he will choose the right and have a blessed life.

Nana got to meet Levi for the first time!

Nana brought a quilt made by Aunt Jeanette!  It is BEAUTIFUL!  I love it.

The back is minkee fabric!  It's heavy duty and will hopefully withstand an active little boy in years to come.

I created this little play area for Levi.  He lays on a boppy covered with a blanket under a little play-yard we bought with a giftcard from the kids in Landon's 3rd grade class.  He spends lots of time there and usually produces a poopy diaper while he's laying there kicking and batting at the toys.

Hanging with his sisters, learning how to become a world-class couch potato like the rest of us!

Wish I could figure out how to eliminate the red-eyes on our crappy camera!

Christmas Classic Ballroom Competition

Saturday was the Christmas Class ballroom competition.  The girls did awesome!!  Lauren won four ribbons and Emma won two.  Nana came to town to watch, so it was even more exciting for the girls.  We spent about 7 hours at the high school sitting on the bleachers watching them (and lots of other dancers).  Landon and I took turns holding Levi while he slept.  It was tiring and painful!  I had to feed him in public, which is challenging.  Luckily Landon scouted out a couch for me twice, and once I fed him on the bleachers in the back.  Overall, it was a fun day and we were so proud of the girls.

This was Lauren's first competition.  She didn't want to even go!  But after she did so well, she's excited for another competition.

Lauren has the flower in her hair.

Emma is experienced at the competitions by this point.  She won 2nd place in the Mambo and 3rd place in the Waltz. 

Lauren placed in every dance she did...(2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th) cha cha, paso doble, waltz and swing.

Lauren was happy to wear a bun and makeup!  She loved how she looked.

Update and Out of Space

I just found out that I'm using all the photo space that blogger will allow.  I'm going to have to look into how to fix that. 
Thanksgiving break was great, even though Lauren began throwing up at 5:30 a.m. Thanksgiving morning and continued to be sick for 5 more days.  She had a fever and threw up for about 2 of those days.  She managed to hit the floor and all of her bedding, more than once.  Landon and Emma helped with Levi and I was able to feel more productive than usual, so I enjoyed the break.  Landon didn't work drivers' ed. the whole break, which was great!  We're all so burnt out on all the hours he works.  We miss him and he's exhausted all the time. 
We found an American Eagle navy, wool peacoat for Emma through the facebook garage sale website.  It is soooo cute!  It was only $20!  She's always wanted one, and she looks so cute wearing it.
Lauren is funnier than ever.  I've started letting her watch some Saturday Night Live skits after I've skimmed through them to make sure they're appropriate.  She also likes to watch some the sitcoms we watch (after I've previewed them).  She gets the jokes and has a great sense of humor. 
Levi is growing and changing every single day!  He just started wearing 6-9 month clothing and he isn't quite 3 months yet.  He loves smiling his huge smile and has stopped being so fussy in the evenings.  He eats almost every hour during the day, but usually will sleep 2 to 3 hours at a time at night (depends on the night).  He is starting to bat at toys, but isn't ready to grab them yet.  He still doesn't really control his hands too much.  He likes to sleep on his stomach, which scares the crap out of us because of SIDS.  We've always put him on his side to sleep, but now he automatically wiggles onto his stomach to get comfortable.  I've begun putting him on his back, but as soon as I walk away, he wakes up.  We're trying all kinds of tricks, but the guaranteed way to get him to sleep is to let him sleep in our bed, which happens most of the time. 

OK, looks like I figured out a way to show pictures without using space.  I made a slideshow.  I didn't have time to make captions, so just figure it out.  There's one picture of our Thanksgiving dinner that Landon and Emma made.  It was delicious!  Enjoy the pictures! 

2 Months Old!

Levi turned 2 months on Monday the 12th of November.  He weighed in at 13 pounds, 12 ounces and 24 3/4 inches tall.  He's in the 95th percentile for weight and 97th for height.  He is smiling constantly now and coos a lot, too.  He has recently begun getting really animated when I read books to him.  He stares at the pages and waves his hands and makes all kinds of noises.  It's super cute.

Levi had his first round of shots on Monday.  He also had to have his little penis worked on.  Apparently the "fat pad" has grown up around the head and the doctor had to numb it and pull the skin down.  Now I have to do that every time I change his diaper until he starts walking.  We'll see about that.  Poor little guy screamed like crazy when he got his shots.  It was heartbreaking!  He was fussy, had a fever and slept a lot in the 24 hours after the shots.  I think he's about back to normal today.  Shots are the worst.  The girls were almost in tears when we got home and they heard his cry.  They can tell by his cry his different moods and needs.  It's a great thing that they're learning so much about babycare right now.  They'll be good little mamas.

Levi has been eating hourly and I'm pretty drained.  He sleeps about 2 hours at a time at night, then wakes up to eat.  In order to survive, I let him sleep in our bed most of the time.  We moved his crib into our room so that he can take naps in it and start off the night in it.  Hopefully one day he'll move over to his own bed permanently, but I just can't handle getting up and down every other hour.  Our doctor suggested giving him formula at night or starting rice cereal soon so that he sleeps longer and I get some rest, but I'm pretty serious about breastfeeding and making sure he gets what he needs.  I think one day it will pay off.  In the mean time, I've lost 30 pounds in spite of the fact that I'm like a sugar addict right now.  I just can't get enough!  I'm constantly ravenous and sugar is my drug of choice.  The first 2 months:  good times.

Sleeping Levi

Levi has recently started enjoying his swing to the point of falling asleep from time to time.  I've wondered how long I am allowed to leave him in there before it's considered neglect. 

Baby loves to sleep and be held on your left shoulder while you pat him with your right hand.  He'll wake right up if you try to hold him any other way.



Notice the left shoulder and the right hand, patting away.



Lauren is great at getting Levi to sleep in weird positions.  She's very patient when he's fussy and lots of times can get him to sleep when no one else can.  She's happy to do it because she knows I'll bring her food and drink and let her watch whatever she wants on TV while she's holding him.

Smiling Levi

Carving Pumpkins

The girls carved pumpkins last night! 

Emma did hers all by herself and Lauren did about 80% by herself (Dad helped).

I sat, coached, rocked, nursed and patted.



Levi outgrew his "Mommy's Handsome Valentine" outfit that Kristen gave us at the baby shower.  It was funny because she knew it wouldn't fit by Valentine's day, but it was on clearance so she bought it anyway.  It was one of my favorite gifts that day.

Chunky Monkey/Handsome Valentine

SOOOOO CUTE!!!

Dad gets home either after 7 or after 8 many days of the week.  He can't wait to hold his baby and baby loves sleeping on his dad.

Love that smile!  He smiles at me when I'm changing his diaper in the middle of the night in the dark.  It's so cute!  I inevitably start laughing or cooing back at him despite my intentions to teach him that it's not play time.

Naked Levi at 5 Weeks

Raise your hand if you love a good, naked baby picture?  You're welcome. 


Naked tummy time.  Look at his chunky, loose skin!  So cute.

A more dignified picture.  This is Levi at 5 weeks old!

A Visit from Aunt Kristen, Etc.



This was a couple weeks ago.  Almost a smile.  He's smiling regularly now...we just never have a camera around when he's doing it!

 

Guess who was the star of Show and Tell last week?

More Show and Tell...kids were told they could look, but not touch.

Kristen and Oliviana came to meet Levi last weekend!  We had fun.  They brought some really cute outfits and spent lots of time holding Levi.

Oliviana wanted to hold Levi nonstop!  She'll have even more fun with him when he's more portable and more adventurous.





Another Levi Video

Levi is a month old!  He's smiling more and more.  He weighs 11 pounds, 2 ounces as of Thursday.  He had a really bad diaper rash thing this week.  He had some little sores on his bum chums right where the poop comes out.  He would scream bloody murder every time he farted or pooped because it stung so bad (because he squirts when he farts).  I used maximum strength Desitin, but it didn't do anything.  I took him to the doctor where we got some prescription cream for him.  He's doing a lot better now.  Made for a couple of really horrible nights.  I only had 2 hours of broken up sleep Wednesday night, so Landon called a sub. on Thursday and stayed home with me.  I told him I'd survive, but I was sobbing while I was telling him how "fine" I was.  He didn't listen to me, and I really appreciated the help that day!  He went grocery shopping, got gas in the van, and held the baby so I could sleep for an hour or so.  He's such a good husband!

Here's a random video I took on Wednesday.  He's just chillin', because that's all he knows how to do.

I wish I had more time to add more pictures, but even as I'm writing this Levi is sucking the heck out of his hands waiting for me to feed him.  Gotta go.

2 Weeks of Levi

We've taken lots of pictures of Levi over the past 2 weeks, but I can't seem to get any time to sit down and make a blog post.  Whenever Levi is content to sleep without being held, I have to run to either take a shower, clean something, or make myself something to eat or drink before he needs me again.  It's been very intense!  Nights are rough...he'll sleep about 2 hours then eat and stay awake for about 1-2 hours before he goes back to sleep for about 2 more hours.  I've been pretty exhausted...it's not unexpected or surprising, but still pretty challenging. 

We've been receiving so many kindnesses and gifts the last couple of weeks.  Landon comes home everyday with gifts from kids in his class or co-workers.  We had a great baby shower at Kennedy and received lots of cute outfits, diapers, and odds and ends.  We've had amazing dinners from Jenny and Erin, Jenn Jones, and the ladies in my stake YW presidency.  (I was finally released!  Yay!)  Landon has been working early mornings with driver's ed, plus driving after school.  He's as tired as I am and luckily we aren't the type of couple to compete to see who is more tired and who deserves more sympathy.  We both just complain about being really tired. 

It's harvest break this week, so the girls are home and I've already been able to hand the baby over and take about an hour nap, here and there.  It's awesome.  The girls are such a blessing!  They just want to hold Levi as much as possible.  They're willing to change diapers, but we haven't really pushed that on them as he's been healing from his circumcision.  That was traumatic, by the way.  He did fine and has healed well, but I never want to experience that again.  Lauren saw his little wiener (that's what we call it) a few days later and said, "Oh!  It's so pretty now!  It looks like a glide-on lip gloss!"  It is a lot prettier, I have to say. 

This video has Levi's first bath at home, and then a slideshow of some of the pictures we've taken.  There are just too many to describe each one.  Enjoy.

Levi Landon LeFevre is here!

Wednesday the 12th, we arrived at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. to be induced.

The girls went to school Wednesday, but stopped by after school with Grammy to see how we were progressing.  Emma got some homework help from her dad.

Lauren was sooo tired of waiting.  We were continually disappointed when I wasn't dilating very quickly.  I eventually got to a 4 and didn't progress past that even after 4 more hours with the Pitocin pump turned up all the way.  Meanwhile, the baby's heartrate started to slow down a little bit with each contraction.

We decided at 9:00 p.m. to go ahead with a C-section.  I think it would have been inevitable, and we preferred do it sooner rather than later when we were all (including the baby) even more exhausted.

Levi was born at 10:00 p.m. via C-section.  He was 8 lbs, 6 ounces, 21 inches long.  The doctor had to use some suction to get his head loose, so he had a bit of a conehead for several hours.  His apgar scores were still 8 and 9.  We didn't get to see his first bath because I was getting stitched up and Landon was in the recovery room waiting for me. 

Landon watched every minute of the blood/guts portion of the C-section.  I was able to see his face above me and knew when he saw the baby because his eyes started watering.  When the baby was out and we could see him for brief seconds, both Landon and I were crying.  The anesthesiologist (who was in our ward!) continually wiped my eyes in addition to monitoring all the tubes and drips for me. 

Why did we wait so long to do this again?? 

Lauren was all business when she walked into the room to meet her baby brother for the first time.  Her arms were outstretched and she wanted to hold him immediately. 

Emmy was our more sensitive little girl.  She was crying and couldn't speak.  It was such a sweet few minutes.  Landon captured it on video.  Maybe later I can post it.

Of course, Grammy has been here to help us just as she always is when we really need her.  She took such good care of the girls while we were at the hospital.  She is the next best thing to having their mom with them.  Even at their ages, they need that security.

Besides for me looking pretty beastly, this is a great first family picture of the FIVE of us!

Just can't get enough!!

The dad with his SON! 
You can see where Levi's little head had some trauma when he was pulled out.  Looks kind of like a receding hairline.

Trying to catch Levi with his eyes open.

This is pretty revealing, but just avert your eyes if you can't handle it.  I just thought Levi was so cute all curled up around his favorite body part.

Dr. Thomas Jones
I LOVE this man!  He is our entire family's doctor.  He is the best doctor I've ever had.  He helped us get pregnant quickly and has been very sweet and encouraging all along the way.  He even gave me a churchy pep talk one day, which is one reason I enjoy living in Rexburg.  We lucked out finding him.