It's Official.

I am one of *those* parents. You know, the ones that endlessly drone on about how cute their child is, the ones that think every little thing their baby does is Amazing. The ones that have a website dedicated to their offspring- yep that is me.

So, check out levipetty.com. From now on I'll be posting stories and updates about my little man over there. Also off to the side are links to his pictures and videos.

This blog, well, it will either go silent or I might start trying to write about things Other than my child.

Happy Little Man

How can you not smile when you see this face? More pictures and stories soon. For now, enjoy this face. :)

More Milestones

I apologize for the lack of posting and pictures. Unfortunately there will be no pictures to go with this post. See, we bought a new digital camera about a month ago and the memory card that we use with it doesn't work with the script that Tony wrote a while ago to upload pictures. So, we haven't been uploading pictures because it takes too long. But he is working on a solution as we speak... errr, as I type.

And there are some good pictures of some fun things.

Since I last posted, Levi has had solid food. We started with sweet potatoes and he has since had avocado, banana, applesauce and pears.

He is also crawling. Yes, crawling. Mostly army crawling, but nonetheless he gets where he wants to be. He is working on the more efficient arm-leg crawl and is able to get up on all fours and then push himself forward, usually doing a face dive that leads to an army crawl.

He rolls around a lot. And spins in circles. Diaper changes are difficult. He does not like to stay still.

He is physically able to sit up alone, but most of the time chooses not to. He isn't very stable and would rather be crawling.

He also laughs a lot. He loves to play peek a boo. When his dad gets home from work he gets really happy.

Levi is now a little more than five months old (I missed his actual five month birthday to post).

We've taken Levi apple picking and out to a pumpkin patch to get his first pumpkin. He is going to be a monkey for Halloween.

We have switched from the infant car seat to the convertible car seat. He was just too big to keep him in the infant one. We need to put it away, along with the bassinet, infant bath tub, and perhaps even his swing. Soon I will be putting away his 6 month clothing.

He is growing up. Quickly. And I am doing everything I can to enjoy every moment.

Sweet Levi

Levi,

I love you. Forever. Your eyes are sweet and gentle and your laugh melts my heart.

Love,
mom

Five Years

It has been five years since I married the man I fell in love with. Today I am in love with an even better version of that man. Together we have grown. Together we have faced struggle and found ways to over come. Together we have welcomed our son into the world.

I have so much more I would love to say. About how amazing my husband is. How much he has grown and the wonderful father he is. About the joy I have knowing that I get to spend the rest of my life with this man.

Unfortunately our son is sick and I am under the weather as well. So my brain isn't working and I should be napping with my sleeping sick boy.

So, happy anniversary love of my life. The last five years continually offered moments that I will forever cherish- I am confident the many years ahead of us will be much the same. Thank you for loving me.

Four Months

My baby is four months old.

Not so sure how exactly he bent his foot that way.

He is a very happy baby.

His eyes smile too.

Here his smile is turning into laughter.

"Mom, can I please have that camera?"

"I *will* get the camera."

Tony took this shot on our walk.

Levi and his friend Damien fell asleep on our walk tonight.

Levi is quickly developing and growing. At his appointment he weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces and is 16.25 inches long. He is a healthy, happy baby. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful baby.

This month seems to be full of many milestones and "firsts" including:

-first game of "peek a boo" He was laughing out loud and loved it.
-first time he rolled from his back to his stomach.
-he now inches forward when he is on his stomach by pushing his body off of the ground and forward with his legs.
-grabs toys and brings them to his mouth- also passes toys back and forth between hands
-recognizes his name
-laughs. A. Lot.
-he is able to put his pacifier in his mouth (not always the right way), and takes it out (usually not on purpose).
-recognizes items- breast/bottle, pacifier, mom/dad

We have been told by his pediatrician we can start giving him solids at any time. We are very excited to start this next phase, but after much discussion think it is best to wait at least a few more weeks. He is definitely interested in food and shows many signs of being ready, but we don't want to rush it. We originally talked about waiting until six months, but now we are not sure how long it will be.

One of my favorite things he does is when he touches my face. When holding him facing me, he will gently use both hands to touch my face. He looks at me and often "talks" to me. Then he will slowly lower his face and turn it to the side so I can give him kisses on his cheeks. He is so sweet and I love cuddling him.

The Rudds Visit!

The Rudds arrived on Thursday around 3 in the afternoon. Within minutes, our quiet apartment was full of laughter, screaming and chattering of four excited children. We had a great few days together. I wish it could have lasted longer, but all things must come to an end. Because I was so busy enjoying my time with these wonderful people, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have wanted to fully capture our time together.

Friday morning- can you think of a better way to start the day?

Ginger watching an animal at the zoo.

Katie getting some snuggles with Levi- not sure who enjoyed it more. Levi loved cuddling with Katie.

What great timing on the picture. Nice job, Daniel.

The kids enjoying the polar bear. (from a safe distance)

I love Will's faces.

Enjoying the children's zoo.

Isaac enjoying the carousel.

The train at the end of the day was a big hit.

Really, it was.

Seriously.

First time Daniel's changed a diaper in a long time.

Headed to the falls.

"Where is the trolley stop? Is it here?"
"I don't know- I think so- that is what the map says?"
(notice the sign in the background)

So this *is* where the trolley stops. :)

Thank you for traveling so far with your four children to meet Levi and spend a couple days with us. We enjoyed every moment.

Three Month Levi

On Wednesday Levi enjoyed his 3 month birthday. He had a wonderful day at home and I was able to take some great pictures of him. These pictures are from the last few weeks.

Levi has his hands in his mouth most of the time. He loves to suck on them. When nothing else is readily available, he will suck on his lip.

New friends, Sterling, Amanda, and Quinn (she is hiding in the wrap).

Happy Levi at the park.

Enjoying time at the park with dad.

Levi is reading his book. He enjoys looking at all of the animals.

"Mom are you still watching me?"

This was taken on Wednesday.

Levi is a very happy baby and I love his smile.

Exhausted after a long day of activities. He is a wonderful sleeper.

Levi Loves Youtube

The other night I was watching a video of Josh Groban while holding Levi. He enjoyed watching the video and when it finished playing he was sad. We played it again and captured some of his excitement on video.




***side note: all videos of Levi will now be posted on My Youtube account, which is: youtube.com/tarapetty***

All Smiles

This was the first time I was able to capture his smile on camera. Absolutely perfect.

Bath Time

This is after Levi's very first bath.

And this picture was taken last week sometime.

Levi loves his baths. He is already splashing around, unintentionally, but still gets water all over. Bath time is my favorite. I love to play with Levi while getting him clean, and the time we spend together while massaging lotion onto his smooth skin is wonderful. I will always cherish these memories.

But, the best part perhaps, is that it quickly calms him down. On the nights that he is fussy and nothing else will help, we fill the tub and stick him in. Within moments he relaxes and usually has a large smile on his face. We then continue to splash and clean as long as he stays content or the water gets cold.

On another note- Levi had his 2 month check up today. He weighs 12 pounds, 9 ounces, which places him in the 75th percentile. He is 24.5 inches long, and is in the 95th percentile for length. He is doing great. He also had his shots today. That was a very sad moment. Fortunately, he calmed down quickly and has not had any side effects.

A Road Trip and a Party

Getting ready to go. Thanks to Great Grandma Clements for the "I love to travel" onesie. Perfect time to wear it.

Sleeping. This is what he did for most of the car ride both ways.

Waiting on the bridge to get through customs. Took us nearly an hour to get into the U.S.A.

Back to Michigan. Only one more hour to go, that is if I get on the right highway. Woops.

The following are pictures of Some of our family. Try to keep track. :)

Aunt Nicole is very happy so see her nephew.

Grandma Sandy (tony's mom) and Grandpa Rick (tony's step dad) along with Aunt Nicole. They drove over from Muskegon to go out to dinner with us.

Levi was really happy to be out of his car seat and enjoyed our hotel room.

Grandpa Rick (tony's dad) loves his first grandson. And Levi is wondering what that is on his head.

Grandma Ellen (tara's stepmom) enjoys holding Levi.

Grandma Tina (tony's stepmom) and Great Aunt Nancy are working hard to get up decorations. Thank you guys for all of your hard work.

Grandpa Gene (tara's dad) quickly steals Levi away... and gets to feed him

The obligatory shower cake. Thank you guys. It was Yummy!

Great aunt Nancy stealing some time with Levi. She is wonderful with him.

Cousin Debbie- she was very excited to meet Levi.

Great Great Aunt (right?) Betty keeping Levi nice and warm.

Cousin? Jeremy Last time we saw her she was pregnant with her now 4 year old son.

Levi is happy to be in daddy's arms.

Everyone that came was very generous and I had a fun time opening Levi's gifts.

Tony, Grandpa Rick, Grandma Tina, and Great Grandpa Alex (Tina's dad) holding Levi

Grandpa Rick, Grandma Tina, Great Grandma Judy (Tina's mom), and Great Grandpa Alex holding Levi.
Pastor Tom and his daughter Erin. She was thrilled to get to hold Levi. It was really nice meeting the Cooper family. Erin's mom Diane was Super helpful and they all are really kind people. Stop by sometime if you're ever in Buffalo!
(funny coincidence- they know my uncle craig and aunt pam)

Levi cuddling with Grandpa Gene.

Great Grandma Clements (Gene's mom)
I think she's telling Levi secrets.

Great Grandpa Clements (Gene's dad)

Four generations. Always gotta get that shot.

A bit awkward, but hey, at least we got a picture of all of us. :)
Grandpa Gene, Great Grandma and Grandpa Clements, Grandma Ellen. Levi is getting tired of all these pictures.

On the way home. Again, a very sleepy Levi.

Back to New York. Getting into NY was a lot quicker than getting into MI.

Levi is overjoyed to be home. Thank you Aunt Nancy for the wonderful seat. He loves it already.

We had a wonderful time getting to see some of our family again. For those of you keeping track, that wasn't even all of our parents, siblings, or grandparents. Levi has a very large family that is glad he is here.

Thanks again to everyone that came to Durand and for all of the hard work and sacrafice that was put into making the shower happen. We are very grateful.

Cutest. Video. Ever.

We just returned from a fun and exhausting trip to Durand, Michigan. This video was shot a few days before leaving.

I will post pictures and stories soon from our trip.

Two Months

Levi was born two months ago. He is growing, changing, and learning so much. I love listening to his noises. He is so vocal and expressive. Everyday he seems to be doing new things.

For the most part, Levi does great sleeping through the night. Occasionally he stays up way too late and has a rough night, but usually he goes to sleep by 11:30 and sleeps for six straight hours. Then he wakes to feed and goes back to sleep for about three hours. He also tends to take a long nap from 3-4:30, give or take a half hour either way. The sleep at night along with his long nap has allowed for me to stay mostly well rested, and our house to stay fairly clean.

He now rolls over very often from his stomach to his back. I am amazed at how strong he is. Sometimes he gets fussy when we are holding him because he would rather be standing. He can fully support his own weight- just needs our help to balance. He can completely hold his head on his own (has been able to for a while).

His smile is priceless. It is the most beautiful smile. When he is really happy he smiles with his whole face. He has let out a few giggles, but has yet to fully laugh. I am sure it will be a wonderful sound that I will cherish. He is cooing and making all sorts of noises, mixing some consonants in with his vowels. When he is "talking" to us he will say "ahh goooo" a lot. He will mimic, or attempt to mimic, the faces I make.

He loves reading time and playing on his activity mat. When I put him down to play, he will talk to his toys and loves to watch them move. When he is content and I read to him he is interested by the pages and likes to look at the book. When we go out for adventures, he loves to take in his surroundings.

My baby is wonderful and has fully captured my heart. When he hurts I hurt, when he's happy I'm happy.

He is perfect in every way and I am so lucky I am his mother. I get to watch this boy grow into a man. I get to see him change daily, encourage him when he tackles new challenges, celebrate when he succeeds, and support him when he fails. That makes me very happy.