Asleep

I miss the days when Levi would drag random stuff to bed with him. The drill just might have been the funniest of them all. These days it's rare for him to take anything more than a book to bed. 

The other day, though, he found the hat from his first Halloween. He was so excited about it and asked a million questions. He squeezed it onto his head and wore it half the day. When night came, he grabbed it once again and said, "Mama, I need to wear my pumpkin hat to bed. It will keep me warm." 

Sometimes when he's sleeping I can still catch a tiny glimpse of the baby he used to be. Not that I'd trade my big boy for the world, but in those moments it's nice to remember.

And, just because Sophia is simply lovely when she sleeps...

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Ignoring The Inevitable

I'm trying not to think about when Levi leaves. Except that each day it gets a little closer, and I find it just that much harder to breathe. We do our daily stuff. We go to the park, the library, the grocery store. We do laundry, fix meals...and sometimes even clean up. I try to act normal. And, mostly, I think I do. Heck there are even days (ahem, like today) when I spend the later half wishing bedtime would hurry up.* That's pretty normal, right?

Then bedtime arrives, and as usual he insists on sleeping with something strange.** The sheep are counted and he falls fast asleep. I linger just a bit. That sweet face makes the cruddy parts of the day fade. I remember instead the way he so gently stroked Sophia's cheek as she was falling asleep, "Oh, sweet baby." he said, "You're so tired."
As I step out of the bedroom to enjoy that coveted me time, I find his treasures all over the house. Little reminders of him scattered about.

I'm going to miss that. All of it. Even the annoying parts...okay, maybe not the parts where I end up with bruises...but all of the other stuff...yes.

Postscriptiness:

*I blame it on dragging the kids to two grocery stores and then being whopped in the head with a very heavy toy. That would make any mama ready for bedtime...right?

**There's a plastic caterpillar in the soap box. Doesn't everyone sleep with those?

Sweet Dreams

The kids and I hit the road Friday with my sister and parents. We're back now, and attempting to recover from a 24 hour round trip done in 3 days. It was 100% worth it though....more photos to come. Until then, I couldn't resist posting this shot of Levi cuddled up to his Aunt Annie.  She might hate me now, but really? Is that not just the sweetest?

Sweet Dreams

We decked the halls last night....hot chocolate, Christmas tunes and all.  A little drive to check out the neighbors' lights along with one of our favorite Advent reads topped it off and left a certain little boy very tired.  It wasn't until after Levi had fallen asleep that I noticed there was more than just a fire truck and hammer in his bed. He had stolen away with one of the ornaments as well.

Sweet Dreams...Don't Wanna Grow Up

Sigh.  Sometimes I forget how hard it is to be a tiny little person in a big world...especially one in which so much has changed.

Plum Tuckered Out

It's hard work being a big brother.

Now, Bear, if you wouldn't mind folding that laundry when you wake up...m'kay?

Sweet Dreams

The other night Levi decided he wanted to sleep in his bed.  By his bed I mean the twin bed next to our queen....not his bed in his room.  To make a long story short, Stephan laid down on that bed, and Levi freaked.  "Dats MY bed.  Get off my bed!!!  I wanna sleep on MY bed!!!!"  Well, alrighty then.

It took him forever and a very long time to actually fall asleep.  By the end of it he had requested somewhere in the vicinity of a million sips of water, his "rubber band mallet", his dragon, and his anteater.  Apparently, reinforcements were necessary to accomplish the monumental task of sleeping next to us instead of in between us.  The amazing thing is that he slept there through the whole entire night.  Fingers crossed.  Maybe there is hope after all.

I snapped these photos in the morning.  In 3 months he'll be 3 years old, and I could still spend hours just looking at him.  Sigh....

Bed Sharing With Two?

The earliest sleeping post I have marked is here...a little over a year ago.  Can you believe his tinyness? 

His favorite sleeping spot is still snuggled up next to mama.  Sigh.  Where are we going to put a new little one?  Levi says the baby can sleep next to him.  Ha!  Not happening little squirmy worm.  Any tips on bed sharing with two?  I'm at a loss.  We have a twin bed set up right next to ours.  Levi thought his bed was cool for about a nanosecond.  And, then he was back in between us.

Sweet Dreams

It's nap time...

This would be some kind of seed pod found on a brief excursion to the mailbox.  Levi thinks there's a speck on it....a la Horton Hears A Who.  I'm pretty sure this is what, as children, we referred to as dust balls.  If squished, I have a feeling that a dust cloud comes out....reason #1 it is no longer in his sleeping hands in my clean bed.

Sweet Dreams

Awhile back, I won some Dr. Seuss books and corresponding stuffed critters.  I stashed them in the closet to dole out every so often....generally if one of us is getting bored with our book selection.  The other day, Levi found a set tucked away in the closet.  He insisted on opening the box, and when he found The Lorax book and stuffed critter inside he was beside himself with glee.  I've had to read this book at least 15 times since.  He's got it halfway memorized.  If you hear him say something that sounds a little loopy lulu, he's probably just reciting a random Dr. Seuss line.  And, the stuffed Lorax.....he cuddles with it every time we read the book which just so happened to be right before bedtime last night.     

Sweet Dreams

"Mama, I take dis to bed?"

We went to Target the other day.  These metal tops were on clearance.  Levi never asks for anything (except ice cream), so a mama had to give into a little indulgence.  He and this top are close pals now.

I Breathe Easier When He's Home

His very first nap in his new room....

Today is my birthday, and the whole breathing easier thing is just about the nicest of presents.  I'm too happy about having Levi home to worry about my general dislike of marking the passage of my own time.

We've had a relaxing day.  Stephan will be getting home in a couple of hours, and a tiny birthday celebration will ensue at my very favorite Mediterranean restaurant....to be ended with lots of baklava.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then seek some out, and enjoy a piece or two.

Thanks so very much for all of your sweet and soothing words over the past weeks.  I am very pleased to be able to write that we have made it out of this seemingly unscathed.  Levi was thrilled beyond words to be home.  He grinned and grinned and grinned some more, and Stephan and I both were hugged and kissed endlessly.   And, then we were led on a tour of our own home....one in which Levi pointed to every new thing, and said, "Wow, oh, wow!" about a million times.  His favorite part was his own room...so much so that we are now required to spend the majority of our time in it.  His constant calls to "come pay with me" are music to my ears.

I hope your weekend is off to as wonderful a start as mine is!  :)

Sweet Dreams

These photos were taken at the end of last week.  We had all day long issues with this spray bottle...

A certain someone "Reeeeeeeyyyeeeeee" needed water in his spray bottle so he could spray the walls.  Hmmmm....that would be a negative darlin'.  Sorry.

Sweet Dreams: Renovation Style

Sweet Dreams

Levi's latest snuggle-buddy....

Nanno gave him this dragon, and he LOVES it.  I think it's from a movie....we don't watch a lot of those, so who knows.

Lest you think it's too soft a choice for this little fella', don't worry.  There's wire in those wings.  Oh, so comfy.

P.S.  Is he not just the most pinchably delicious toddler you've ever seen?....besides your own, of course.  ;)

Sweet Dreams: An Early Mother's Day Present

Y'all, Levi came home happy!!!  The diversions I planned just ended up being fun things instead of attempts at distracting him from his usual wrath.  He hugged me.  He told me, "I like you!" and "I love you!" and, even, "I missed you!" over and over and over.  He was full of laughter and sweetness.  We giggled; we played; we baked; we cuddled and read; and, finally, he dozed off peacefully.  It was all kinds of wonderful.  Sigh...exactly what this mama needed.

The alien pop-tart also got a new name.  He's been dubbed "Knitten"  Generally, Levi calls things what they are...green bunny, horsey, big elephant, little elephant...you get the idea.  Since, alien pop-tart isn't yet in his repertoire of identifiable objects, he named this after what he is certain all yarn is...knitting...a.k.a. "Knitten".  We'll excuse him for his inability to distinguish between knit and crochet.  He is only two, after all.  ;)

Sweet Dreams: Finally

Yesterday was a tiring day...not bad...just tiring.  When nap time rolled around, I was so happy at the prospect of cuddling up with Levi and catching a few z's myself.  Ha!  After two hours of trying to convince him that napping with mommy was a good idea....I'm persistent when sleepy....I finally gave up.  We had a snack, read books, and eventually this oh, so exhausted mama resorted to you tube videos.  Levi's current faves:

Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds

The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You

She & Him - In The Sun

Hmmm...how odd...he has his mother's taste in music.  ;-)  Anyway, it worked.  He fell asleep in my arms.  Of course, being the doting mommy, I stared at my sweet angel until my arm fell asleep, and I had to put him down.  What is it with us mamas and the need to stare at and cuddle with our sleeping children even after we've been praying for hours that they would fall asleep?

And, yes, I took pictures.  Note the pile-o-stuff in the bed.  The days of sleeping with one or two strange items are gone.  Now it's a whole flock of craziness...books, puppets, toys, even very large dragons.  This shot doesn't cover the half of what was actually there.  It's a miracle that Stephan and I fit in between it all.

Sigh. Love.

Sweet Dreams: Easter Style

He wasn't supposed to find this til Easter morning....oh, well...

I made the bunny using this pattern.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of the double pointed needles!  There are more itty bitty bunnies in the works.  They are about as addictive as the stars.

Sweet Dreams

I've fallen behind on the Levi sleeping with strange objects posts, and it's probably going to stay that way.  Generally, now that barefoot munchkin #2 is on the way, I crash as soon as he does.  But the other day, Levi insisted on taking a bag of raisins to bed with him.  I couldn't help but glue my eyes open to take a photo of this one.

My suggestion to put the bag of raisins away was met with:
Shrieking.
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
More shrieking.
Then a slightly calmer, "I take them night-night."
Me:  "Well, alrighty then."

Sweet Dreams

My poor camera has been severely neglected lately.  Something about a wedding.  ;)  Therefore, there are no current Levi-sleeping-with-strange-objects pics to be had.  So, as a stand in for the normal Sweet Dreams post, I thought these just might do. 
Wasn't he the cutest little baby?  And, isn't she the cutest Aunt?

 

This one makes me smile.  We were trying to take Christmas photos, but the little munchkin (who was only about a month old) passed out on us...or more accurately on my dad.

 

Sigh...where did my baby go?