EC/Potty Learning/call it what you will, we are almost done with diapers! (warning, this post talks about poop!)

So everyone pretty much thinks we are crazy except for a select few, but we have been working on teaching you to go to the bathroom on a toilet for a few months now.  You really seem to get it now, and have started to communicate on your own that you need to go.  You have not picked up on signing it yet, but do a very specific whine when you need to go.  I love this especially since starting solid foods, because rinsing that poop off of cloth diapers is no easy task!  You have mastered pooping on the toilet, and have not pooped in a diaper in days!  You also get this really cute accomplished smile on your face after you have gone on the toilet, as if to say "aren't you proud, mom?" and yes, I am!  Now I just have to figure out when/how we decide to totally do away with diapers, if we try a training pants situation, or what.  I don't think they make underwear this small...
Huge shout out to Melissa for sharing her knowledge, and simply encouraging me through this process.  Also, Tim has done a great job of being consistent with this when he is home.  Both of our mom's also have helped out while they have watched you.  It is so great to have the support of the people who take care of you, it keeps things consistent and helps you to know what to expect. 
So, at 6 1/2 months old, you are not totally out of diapers but are getting pretty close, and I am pretty proud of you!

Solid Foods Update and 6 month Dr. Appointment

You have become much more tolerant of solids over the past week.  You are trying a lot of new things, and generally liking everything.  You even love peas which is really surprising to me!  I have also learned that if you hate something (i.e. oatmeal) I should just add applesauce to it and you will eat it all up.  No matter what it is, if I add applesauce to it, you love it.  I am glad that you love apples as much as I do!  They are the best food ever :-)
According to the doctor, you have dropped down from the tenth percentile to the third but I just looked at a growth chart on Kellymom and you are still in the tenth percentile.  Maybe she read your weight from last time instead of this time.  I don't know, but I am not gonna worry about it too much.  The doctor is not concerned, saying that she knows you will just be a small kid, especially since your dad and I are on the tiny side.  She does want you to eat  more though.  You always seem satisfied though and seem to get full so I am not going to force feed you.  You seem to be thriving in all other areas, you are content, and are sleeping well so I find it hard to believe that you are starving. 
Your 6 month appointment went well.  You are growing tall, you are now 26 inches long and 15.7 pounds.  You had to get a few shots which you did not like, of course, but you were too busy flirting with the nurses to be too upset.  The nurses all especially loved you this time.  a few came in to keep you company while you got your shots, and then the receptionists all gathered around to see you when we were checking out.  Everyone commented on your strikingly blue eyes, and how you look like a "commercial baby".  Of course, we know that you are the best looking baby in all the world, but we love it when other people notice too :-)

Happy Half Birthday!

Happy half birthday Levi!  You are 6 months old today.  We spent your half birthday apple picking, and you seemed to thoroughly enjoy yourself.  Mostly you were just interested in picking leaves off of the trees, but you definitely had fun!  At 6 months old you are not crawling yet, but you can hold onto a table and stand for long periods of time.  You LOVE your dog Joka.  You could just stare at him all day and be totally content.  He often times distracts you when you are eating, and he loves to stand under your chair and catch any dropped food.  I have a feeling he loves you just as much as you love him now.  You are still very happy and relaxed all the time.  The only thing you are not super flexible about is your bed time.  You like to be in bed between 7 and 7:30, and if we miss that window it is bad news for everyone around you.  I have no problem with the fact that you like your sleep, and totally understand you wanting to be in your own bed at your bedtime.  If this is the one thing that you are gonna be picky about, I really have nothing to complain about.  

You continue to amaze me every day.  You change so much from one day to the next, and you are able to learn things so quickly.  You love people, and it is easy to see which particular people you hold especially dear.  It is fun to see you forming a bond with people that we love.  I love seeing your face light up at the sight of family, and our close friends.  I am trying to slow down and enjoy every day because each new day brings new changes for you.  I am cuddling with you as much as I can before you start to walk, and singing to you while you still enjoy my singing voice.  I cannot wait to see what the next month holds for you, Levi!

Solid Foods...

So, no offense, but feeding you solids is kind of like a form of torture.  This is the first time that I have really seen your stubborn side come out.  I knew you would have some stubbornness in you since you came from two long lines of very stubborn people, but this is the first real proof that we have had.  You only want to nurse, and anyone who tries to get you to do otherwise is gonna pay.  You will take a couple of bites of whatever we are feeding you, smile, and act like you want more, tricking us into believing that "this time will be better", but then, sure enough, you turn your head, close up your mouth, and cry.  The crying is the worst part.  You sit there and hold our your dirty little hands asking to be picked up and nursed.  That is all you really want. You also make such a mess, I can't imagine how we will ever be anywhere other than home at meal time.  The reason you are now on a fast track to solid foods is that we saw the doctor on Friday and she says that your weight gain is still a little too low.  We would have been starting this process in about a week anyways, so we just got a bit of a head start.  I know it will get easier as you get more used to these different foods.  You have already tried cereal, sweet potatoes, bananas, applesauce, and green beans.  You seem to like them all except for the cereal.  Can't say I blame you for that, it looks pretty nasty.  You just have to realize that there is a whole world of delicious food out there that is not milk.

5 Months

You turned 5 months old yesterday.  Time is literally flying by.  You are able to do so many new things, and it is obvious that you really want to be able to move on your own.  When you lay on the floor you try and try to push yourself up on to your knees.  You have done it a few times, and it has only lasted a second.  I know you will be crawling soon, so I guess I better start babyproofing.  You also can sit on your own for a few seconds, but you much prefer it when someone helps you to stand.  When you are in your jumper and I clap or play music you stomp your feet and look like you are trying to dance around.  You have become much more vocal this month and will talk and talk.  My favorite story about this is when we were heading over to Papa's house to have dinner with him and you talked to your blanket animal the entire way.  It is about a 40 minute drive.  I was laughing so hard in the front seat.  I love seeing you begin to interact with the world around you.  You are so curious and never want to miss anything.  You really seem to love dogs, and flies.  The dogs I understand, but the flies are kinda weird :-)  When you see a dog your whole face lights up, and if you get the opportunity to touch them you can barely contain your excitement.  Flies always entertain you when they fly in front of your face, I guess to you it seems like a fun toy.
You are still sleeping great, though eating has become harder for you since you never want to miss anything that may be going on around you.  I always have to take you to a separate room if we are around people so that you can focus on eating enough.
Here are some pictures of you:

Back on Track!

We saw Dr. Maxouris today and you are back on track with your weight gain.  You have gained almost a pound (you are up to 13 pounds 9 oz) and grown 1 1/4 inches in the past two weeks!  We are able to stick with nursing for now, although the dr. did say that feeding you fruit in the late  morning may  help you nap more.  We will try it out for a few days and see if it helps.  I bought you some organic apples today and plan to make you some applesauce tomorrow.  I hope you like it!

Camping!

This past weekend we went camping at Devil's Lake in Wisconsin.  We had a lot of fun, and as usual you adjusted to the new environment quite easily.  Though it was hot and humid you maintained your generally happy attitude, slept well, and went along on all excursions pretty happily.  You did get a little cranky now and then, but that is understandable when the temperature is in the 90's and you are being carried right up against your mom.  We went hiking, mini golfing, and survived a short-lived  but strong thunderstorm in our tent Saturday night.  You mostly got really sick of being in the car and were very unhappy by the time we got home on Sunday.  Here are some pictures from our adventures in Devil's Lake.

Hanging out in the tent

Spiky hair due to Mom pouring water on your head to keep you cool

Enjoying your own personal tent in the morning