{3 Weeks}

In case you were too lazy to click on my link when I posted it. ;)

You know how everyone tells you to love up your baby, because they grow so fast? They're right.

Pictures taken by the wonderful Photo McKenzie.

{Cry Baby}

Someone has taken away our dear sweet Levi and replaced him with this:

We've been calling him Fred.

Today Fred does not want me to clean. Fred does not want me to make applesauce (and I have 2 more boxes of apples that do want me to make them into applesauce). Fred does not want me to shower or get dressed. Fred is not responding well to rocking, singing, or snuggling.

Someday I'll probably look back on this video and say, "Aww..."

Today is not that day.

Tomorrow isn't looking that great either.

I hope poor little Fred's tummy troubles get better soon. He's breaking my heart, and we really miss Levi around here.

{Aww...}

Go HERE to check out Levi's three week pictures.

I'm so in love with this little guy!

A huge shout-out to my adorable cousin,

McKenzie, you rock!

Thanks!

WARNING!

If you aren't baby hungry now, you will be after see these.

Just sayin'.

{Liar, Liar}

Remember how I was so proud of myself and I bragged about no Mama Trauma day for me this year?

I lied.

My (not so) little Lou Buddy started preschool 5 days after Levi was born.

Mama. Trauma.

Big time.

Just bringing a newborn home seems to make all of your other kids instantly grow up, but sending my other baby to school was just too much! Louis was so excited for school. He had is super cool Transformer backpack and light up sneakers all ready, and he told anybody who would listen, "After my baby comes I get to go to preschool!" The first day was a little hard on him, he'd been through a lot in that week and was pretty clingy when I dropped him off -- which is so unlike him. I don't think that he has hung on to my leg like that ever in his whole life, it broke my heart. So I stayed and played with him for awhile, and his teachers were so great and got him comfortable. I finally got to sneak out after I told him I needed to go get some Sprite for Elizabeth (who had been throwing up all night -- + feeding baby every 2 hours made for a tired mommy!) He did amazing, and loves going to school now! I just still can't get over what a handsome little man he is becoming!

{Life Doesn't Stop...}

...just because I had a baby. It's been busy, busy! Thank goodness Grandma Marge came to stay with us for a week to help out! She loves her grand babies and was on hand for all the little things (like me actually being able to take a shower!)

...and big things too. Like keeping track of this maniac. I swear Louis grew horns while I was in the hospital.

His attention span has completely disappeared and his energy level (which was impressive to begin with) quadrupled. Grandma and Louis spent a lot of quality time going on walks, riding his bike, and counting how fast he could run laps around the house. Thankfully he's pretty much settled back to normal. If you could call life with Lou "normal."

All the kids are completely in love with Levi. I've threatened having to set a timer so that everyone can get a chance to snuggle him up. I swear if I wasn't nursing I'd never get the chance to hold him!

Levi had his first bath...

Such a long and skinny little guy! We really gotta work on those thighs. I'm sure him eating every 2 hours the first week and every three since then should do the trick!

He was very charming when he met my Grandma Moss. He's her 79th great-grandchild with three more on the way! She just had her 85th birthday, and we couldn't love her more.

Week two my mom came almost every day to save me from my offspring. She was amazing. Not only does she entertain small children so I could take a nap (they made over $16 at their lemon aid stand at her house one day! Lou says he's going to use his share of the money to buy a ticket to get into his mission), she also has been canning like a maniac. She did all my pears for me, then came over to help me do several batches of salsa, freezer corn, and strawberry jam! The kids we so sweet and "helped" us make jam.

I'm kinda amazed we got any strawberries in the jars! Even my daddy got on board so I could finish bottling some salsa. He doesn't look like he minds too much, though, does he? This has been all my babies favorite place to nap. So comfy!

...and Levi has slept through pretty much all of it. A full tummy and a good nap make him a very happy guy.

Oh, those cheeks!!!

{Special Delivery}

Let's take a little trip back in time and pretend it's September 1, shall we? I was so done being pregnant by this point. So. done. The whole house was clean, bathtubs and all (do you KNOW how impossible it is to clean a bathtub when you're 9 months pregnant?!?) and I was doing everything I could think of to get all those braxton hicks contractions to regulate. I drank all the raspberry tea my neighbor gave me, I was even speed walking laps around our property. True story. I bet that was a sight to behold. But at my doctor's appointment that morning my midwife Helene said I was dilated to a 4 but not effaced at all. Which kinda made me want to walk around with my legs crossed. ahem. Too much information? Anyway, my due date was September 11 (and I was really hoping not to deliver that day!) but she had scheduled me to be induced on the 6th if I hadn't gone in on my own because Louis was a 9 lb 3 oz baby a week early. I was really hoping to avoid that whole situation again. It was memorable enough the first time. So we went to Caroline's back to school night, thinking it was a nice public place for my water to break, but no luck there. By that night I was exhausted... and I started having contractions at 11 pm. Figures, huh? I was so tired I was trying to convince myself that they were just more braxton hicks. But Todd laid there with his hand on my belly and started timing them. Three minutes apart. Consistently. For 30 min. He was convinced, and I was just plain tired. He got up and finished packing bags. Still 3 minutes apart. He finally dragged me out of bed, but I told him I wanted to have a shower before going to the hospital, so he called my mom and got her on the road. He was so afraid we weren't going to make it to the hospital in time for me to get an epidural because all my labors had been 3 - 4 hours. Total. My mom got to the house (bless her heart!) and we woke up Elizabeth to let her know what was going on. I'm so glad that my mom was so close and that she was able to stay with the kids. Talk about a load off of my mind to know that they were being all loved up while I was in the hospital! I knew that she would make such wonderful memories with them, and answer all their questions and just make the whole time special. Finally we were off to the hospital, got all checked in and settled. Contractions were still 3 minutes apart and the bestest epidural man ever came right on time. He was so careful and did such an amazing job, I really think he is the reason that this labor turned out to be my best one yet. Three cheers for the epidural man! Things just quieted down after that, my contractions stayed steady and strong, but since I wasn't very effaced I ended up laboring through the night while taking little cat naps off and on. We were all really surprised that by 6:30 am there was still no baby! The midwife came in and broke my water and they started me on pit an hour later... not that I needed it. After 15 minutes (not even long enough for the drug to really start working) I was ready to push. This is where I give all the credit to Mr. Epidural Man (again) and made the experience so much more amazing and different than my other labors. I could feel the progress baby was making, but the pain was tolerable. Every other time I was so numb I had to have everyone else tell me when and how to push. This time the midwife and nurses kinda stood back and told me that I knew what I was doing and just go for it! It's hard to describe, but it was an amazing experience to really tune into my body and trust myself to know what to do and to feel baby's progress as he was born. Little stinker pushed his own arm through after just his "wrinkly little head" was out (OUCH!) and the midwife called him a "naughty little boy!" He was perfect. Adorable. And not a giant. Levi Fisher was born at 7:52 am on September 2nd and weighed in at 8 lbs and 2 oz and was 20 inches long. I cried, Todd cried, Levi cried. I was in completely in love. He fit perfectly all snuggled up in my neck with his tiny bum in my hand. I love that feeling.

Don't mind all that skin. There's just no dignity in delivering a baby.

I wasn't the only one who instantly fell in love. Golly, he looks so much like his daddy. He is so long and skinny. Long fingers, long feet, skinny little chicken legs. Never have any of my babies had such skinny legs. I guess I secretly took pride in my other babies' fat little thighs. I took this next picture on my cell phone and I'm wishing I had taken one with the good camera too. The look on Todd's face says it all, no?

...and then there were 6 of us. Sheesh, we can't even fit in a normal car anymore. We're doomed to minivanhood forever.

Introductions were made and Levi had lots of snuggles. Then we just had to unwrap him like a little present so the kids could check him out. Louis was amazed that Levi had all the parts he did, only so tiny! Tiny fingers, tiny toes, tiny ears, and even tiny little bippies! Amazing!

After holding Levi, Elizabeth made a comment to my mom about how surprised she was at how much she loved the baby, even though she had only seen him once. That's the magic of families, my dear. Love at first sight.

Louis still loves petting his soft head. He is seriously the softest baby ever.

Some one's not excited to be a Nana again!

My mom and dad, "Nana and Papa" the official spoilers of all grandchildren.

Proud Auntie Laura looking fabulous, as usual.

We stayed one night in the hospital, waited our turn to be released because there were 10(!) circumcisions that needed to be done (what a weekend for babies, and that's just the boys!) and we were released the next morning. Here's the little man all buckled up and ready to go home to all the chaos.

...and chaos there was.

But it was the good, my life is full of people who love me, and my babies, and each other kind of chaos. So I guess that means I'm a very blessed lady. Welcome to the family, Levi.

{Oh, Baby!}

Too busy snuggling my baby to worry about blogging.

But I hear he has a few fans that want some deets and to see his adorable mug.

I can't blame ya.

Introducing, Levi Fisher.

Born September 2, at a respectable 8 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long.

He. is. adorable.

The softest baby ever.

I'd like to say that life is going on breezy and smooth like this:






...but really it's a lot more like this:

Crazy.

(But wonderful!)