The Next Big Thing

First, my apologies to Levi's fans. I have been a major blog slacker. I admit it freely and although I have some things to write about bopping around in my head, the time needed to put it into words is just beyond my reach these days - specifically because of the things I want to write about. My guess is that we'll have one huge update somewhere around the time the big kids head back to school and I actually get a few moments to myself during the day. Until then, I'll leave a few crumbs around to tide you over....

Drum roll, please........

Levi FINALLY decided it's time to crawl without his belly on the ground. Where does he make this big-time decision? In the bathtub of all places! Do I have a fabulous video to show off this new skill? Yup. Is it public-viewing worthy? Barely - sadly there is naked baby butt all over the place and I just can't predict whether Levi will be disappointed in me (20 years from now) if I post it here. So I quickly added a diaper for a little modesty and requested a repeat performance. He obliged - barely. But I have evidence, which is all that matters!

Of course, after the bath, he continued the odd-ball crawl across the kitchen floor sans diaper. Again - no video I can share publicly. Yes, I'm pouting... but I'll get over it because I know this awesome little boy will keep on practicing until I can't remember what he looked like doing his patented inchworm "crawl-drag".

Go, Levi!!!

Movin' on Up!

For months (it seems), we've been focusing on trying to get Levi to assume the quadruped position. He's hated it from the beginning, but is slowly becoming more accepting. In fact, lately, he's been doing it on his own for a few seconds at a time! Of course, this is completely in stealth-mode only and it's taken forever to capture it on film. I've even witnessed him doing the tiniest bit of rocking while in this position. This was only possible to observe because I was entirely hidden behind the nearby furniture, using a complex system of mirrors to reflect his image back to me. If he'd have known I was watching, it never would've happened...

So this is what they've been requesting for months? No biggie...

But when did this development come along? When Levi has become more interested in standing, of course! His progress never makes any sense to me... but mine is not to question why, I suppose!

So now that all he wants to practice is pulling to a stand, the standing is leading to other things, including the instinct to lift his feet and practice stepping. I find this immensely exciting; therefore, this little video...

Two weeks ago, he wouldn't do anything with his feet, even if I tilted him to the point of almost falling over. Now, with just a little tilting, he's bending his knees a bit & lifting his feet and moving them forward. I suppose it's more of a shuffle, but every great accomplishment begins with just one small step... Go Levi!!

Teething Hell is Almost Over... for Now

Levi's suffering in the last month because of his teeth has become legendary in our household. I'm fairly certain that everyone I know is tired of hearing me go on about how miserable he is and why won't it stop and I'm going to lose my mind worrying about him not eating and drinking....

Thankfully I can say with a fair amount of confidence that the worst is behind us! With my finger, I can feel the edges of his upper central incisors (front teeth). That generally means the worst of the pain and inflammation is over. Hooray!! He hasn't needed pain medication in several days, which is fabulous - but I wanted to write an update on this specifically because I believe I found another tool in the war against teething pain and I want to tell others about it. If you have a child who has teeth erupting, you need to know about baltic amber teething necklaces.

enjoying the benefits of his necklace, in the pool -
and definitely looking the part of the little surfer dude!

The amber (petrified tree sap), which happens to be very beautiful by the way, releases a chemical called succinic acid when the amber is worn and warmed by the body. Recent studies show this chemical has anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. I gambled $20 and purchased Levi's necklace from Amazon (love their free shipping!!) and less than 48 hours later, I was reverently placing it around Levi's neck. It has several safety features, including hand-tied knots between each stone in case of breakage and a screw-together clasp as opposed to the typical levered clasp. It's "tight" enough that it cannot be put in the mouth, yet it's nowhere near "tight" enough to cause any kind of irritation to the skin. I do check it at least twice per day to make sure nothing has changed.

Within hours, I noticed a significant improvement in Levi's tolerance. He had been feeling so lousy, I couldn't set him down on the floor without resulting tears. After the necklace, he was more like his usual self, content to play with toys and hang out with us when we couldn't actively play with or hold him. After a full day, his willingness to eat and drink started to return and it's been improving since. It's been so great, he hasn't had any aceteminophen or ibuprofen in several days. I'm seriously wondering if buying him a second bracelet to wear as an anklet would be worthwhile? After all, we've got at least another year or so of teething ahead of us.

He's not fully back to normal yet. He still is rubbing everything he can on those teeth and always has his fingers in his mouth. But he's sleeping normally and is eating most of the foods he used to eat (again) and we're working on getting enough liquids back into his diet again. He had just started taking a bottle really well but with all the mucus and resulting sinus congestion because of the teething, he wants almost nothing to do with it now. But we're working on that...

Anyhow - seriously - if teething becomes the bane of your existence (like it has for me) seriously consider getting one of these necklaces for your child or grandchild because there is definitely something working there!