My first Thanksgiving

Today was my first Thanksgiving. I may be little, but I think I have a lot to be thankful for. I have my mommies who love me very much. I have my great Uncle Julian and my great Aunt Sandra who also think I'm pretty cool, and who had me over for Thanksgiving dinner (but once again, no one gave me any of the good smelling food--they didn't even give me the soup, which I could have eaten with no teeth). And, I'm also thankful for all my other wonderful people who I didn't get to see today, but who I know love to come and smile at me. Of course, I'm most of all thankful for all the fun toys that I have on my play yard and my car seat--especially now that I can grab and tug on them!


Okay...I know it's Thanksgiving and all, but a stuffed turkey in my car seat? Come on now people...I may not be able to talk or anything, but these is getting a little ridiculous don't you think? What if I decide to follow in tia TJ's footsteps and be a vegetarian?


So yesterday was my first snow. I'm not really all that impressed. I mean, it's kinda cold, and it didn't even stay on the ground long enough for me to have a picture in it. And I wanted to build a snowmom. Maybe next time.


Do you think that a flash going off in your eyes constantly can cause a problem? Maybe my mommies should ask the pediatrician.

All the blog photos...online in a Kodak Gallery!

Yep...you kept asking for it, I kept bugging my mommies...and finally they put up all the blog photos (and a few extras) in an online Kodak gallery. Browse to your heart's content! No need to log in--just look for the link that says "View photos without signing in."

I had fun this weekend....

My mommies went crazy with that thing that flashes in my eyes this weekend, so I've posted a few pictures to show what a good time I had.



This is me in my nursery hanging out...




and on the changing table in one of my better moments...







I really love my play yard with all the fun toys hanging above.



I especially like the toy with the mirror in the middle so I can look at myself while I play.



My mommies are very excited when I grab at the toys hanging down -- supposedly it is some kind of milestone or something -- whatever! I'm just having fun.






And then, I got to wear my cool tie-dyed onesie (thanks to my buddies Mattan, Naveh and Segev for the hand-me-down) over to Vicky's house for brunch. All in all, a great weekend!

My very first bike ride!

Today was a very special day -- I took my very first bike ride ... and I loved it!

My mommies got an email from Jill, their friend who owns Proteus bike store (see my earlier post for my first visit there), about a ride this weekend and they decided to risk going. Would I be screamy, or sleepy, or happy, or sad? I hadn't quite made up my mind before we left. They put me in this nifty yellow trailer that Jill (she's in this picture with Mama Melissa) brought along, and I got to sit up in my carseat and see everything.


What could be cooler than that?!? Especially since I didn't have to pedal, and I could suck my thumb whenever I wanted. The only thing I didn't like was stopping, so I screamed until Mama Melissa rode on. (This screaming thing is very effective...you should try it sometime.)



We stopped halfway through and I had my lunch while everyone else had something called gelato. It looked good -- I don't know why nobody gave me any.

I had fun meeting everyone in the group, and once again, I got to be the center of attention!
Can't wait for the next ride....

Hey -- what about Aunt Heather?

I keep telling my mommies -- when are you going to put pictures of me with Aunt Heather on my blog? I had such a good time with her when she visited -- we bonded over our mutual desire to be the center of attention at all times. And she helped with reorganizing the kitchen, and cooked meals, all so my mommies could feed me and play with me more. So finally, my nagging has paid off...

But wait, there's more...a video with Aunt Heather's first reaction upon meeting me...

By the Numbers: My two month pediatrician appointment.

My Bubby Lynne came to visit this week. She always looks at me with these googly eyes. I mean, everyone should look at me like that...but grandmothers do it the best! We did lots of fun things--had lunch and dinner with Tia Tj and Mimi Marina, went to the Brazilian embassy (total failure...next time we really need to bring a Brazilian besides me...I can't even talk, let alone speak Portugese!), and went to the pediatrician's office.

Today is my 10 week birthday. Wanna know how big I am now? I know my mommies did. So here're the numbers:

Weight: 15lbs, 2 oz. (96th percentile...no, that's not a typo!)
Length: 23 and 3/4 inches (71st percentile)
Head Circumference: 41 and 1/4 centemeters (73rd percentile)

So I guess I am really big and heavy. Still, I don't think my mommies should complain...after all, they're the ones who keep feeding me!

Pictures of Me

So, a picture of me made it onto another blog! One more place for me to be the center of attention! Of course, the blog is my mommies' friend Liza's blog, and the photo was from her and her partner Jill's baby shower, so I suppose the real center of attention is actually Lil' Smudge. But, until he actually arrives, I'm happy to be the currently featured baby!

Nisha Masi comes to visit...

I'm so excited!!! Nisha came to visit me :-) And we got to do lots of fun things. I got to hang out with her on Halloween and give out candy in my giraffe outfit. Even better, I learned about and we got to celebrate Diwali (the festival of lights) together. And, when I was crying she figured out this really comfortable way to hold me so that I can stop feeling fussy. I hope she comes back a lot...I miss her already.

More Friends!

So, my mommies were part of a lesbian pregnancy group...and now all of the pregnant lesbians are lesbian moms. So all the moms got together so that they could meet the babies...and we could meet the moms! This photo is of Conor and me. He's just a couple of days older than I am.

I have to admit, I was just a tiny bit jealous of Conor's outfit. Maybe next year I'll get to dress up...

Smiling

Hey...I discovered this cool new thing. If people look at me and then I smile, they smile back at me. And they look really happy and then they do fun things like jiggle my feet which makes me smile even more...and maybe even laugh. :-)

Black & White Bris Photos

Finally had a moment to get the beautiful black and white bris photos that Michelle took online in a Kodak gallery.

(you don't have to signin to see them...just scroll down to "view photos without signing in")

another great photo credit for Michelle Frankfurter

Do you think mama Melissa looks like me?

One of the things Granny brought was photos of baby Melissa. Whaddya think...does she take after me?

New toys

Got a nifty new swing yesterday. My mommies found it used for $10--such a deal! The website says that 88% of all babies fall asleep in these swings...but I'm thinking about being a part of the few and the proud 12%. I might miss something if I sleep!

When Granny and Grandpa come to visit...

I had a great visit this last week with my Granny and Grandpa. Yep, they came all the way up from Charleston, South Carolina just to see me. Love, love, love the attention!

They brought me all kinds of fun clothes and baby items. And now our house smells like cinammon because Granny brought a cinnamon broom. (Whoever even knew such a wonderful thing existed?)

We went all sorts of fun places and did lots and lots of walking. We saw the monuments and went to the Museum of the American Indian. Well, Granny and Grandpa went to the Museum of the American Indian...my mommies and I just sat in the cafeteria and ate. They seemed to think that their food was good, but I know that I always get the best meals!

Hope they come back and visit again soon!








(oh...and don't you love the photo of Mama Melissa with the Washington Monument growing out of my head!!)

And, what visit would be complete without a video?

Love my mobile....

Just a silly and quick video...

Yom Kippur...

Tonight was my first Yom Kippur. I'm not sure what sins I'm atoning for...maybe gluttony since I eat constantly and am really unhappy if my nightime bottle is less than 7 ounces. Mama Melissa seems to think she has to pump too much, I'm not sure why she's complaining--I'm the one who's hungry all the time...

Everyone came over and we had a lovely evening. The Berner-Kadish's came and brought me a lovely blessing that matches my mommies' ketubah, Robin, Michelle, TJ & Marina, Robin & Janine, and Diana all came to hang out with me, but my favorite was getting to see little Alex again. We're pretty cute here, huh? And, you might want to check out my post about our first playdate a couple of weeks ago. I added a photo so you can see us hanging out together.

Notice how we switched things up a little?

Proteus Bicycles

So, my mommies took me on my first visit to Proteus Bicycles today. For those of you who don't know (and everyone should), Proteus is the coolest bike store on the planet. I got to see Jill DiMauro, who owns the shop, and who was very excited to see me. I also got to see all the great new bikes. Even better, there were some chairs set up so my Mama Melissa could feed me--what more could you ask for out of a bike store!?!

(Note from the mommies: Levi may think that getting to eat at Proteus makes it pretty cool, but we want all of you to know that you couldn't hope for a better, more helpful, more community-oriented bike store than Proteus. If you live in the area and like to ride, we encourage you to get on out to Proteus in College Park, talk to Jill, and support an amazing store and biking resource.)

Mimi's an American!

So, Marina got her citizenship today. And that's me cheering her on. Wait, did you just say that you thought that was me crying? Shows what you know...

Actually, I slept through the whole ceremony. It was just a bunch of judges, official people, and, oh yeah, all the people from all over the world getting citizenship. The judge (Judge Emmet Sullivan) made some great comments about never losing your own language and culture and teaching it to your children and to other Americans. A couple of cool lawyers spoke about their own immigration and doing political asylum work, and then the woman from the Daughters of the American Revolution spoke about Columbus Day and about how Columbus discovered America (I giggled thinking about Mimi's blood boiling during that commentary!!). Funny, no one mentioned that it was National Coming Out Day. They must have just forgotten...

Do I Look Bigger To You?

So, today was my five week birthday. And, in celebration, I got to go to the pediatrician's office. Not bad, although they do that irritating thing where they stick those pointy lights in your nose and eyes. Excuse me, but I don't want anything but my fingers poking me in those places--so I screamed...and screamed. I stopped once they did--that'll teach 'em.

But it was fun learning how much bigger I've gotten. All that eating that I'm doing is paying off. Here's my stats: I weigh 11 pounds, 7 ounces. That's almost 3 pounds heavier than when I was born, and it puts me in the 83rd percentile for weight. As a point of reference, the 12 week old baby panda at the national zoo weighs just 11 pounds and 4 ounces.

I'm now 23 inches long...2 inches more than on day one, and in the 90th percentile for height. And my head is pretty big too--40 centimeters around, and the 84 percentile for head size. No wonder my moms keep talking about how heavy I am and I keep outgrowing my clothes.

So, I thought I'd post a comparison picture of me in my car seat. Do you think I look bigger than the day I came home from the hospital?

And I couldn't resist throwing in this other little photo of me. You never really can have enough milk, can you?

It's been a busy week...

All kinds of neat things happened this week. I went on my first playdate with Alex, which was a lot of fun. He may be older than me by three days, but my mommies say that I feel like I'm about 3 pounds heavier! I'm not sure that they think this is a good thing... I did weigh 2 lbs, 9 0z more than him when I was born, so I suppose there is a good chance I'm that much bigger! We'll know for sure how much I weigh when I go to my pediatrician appointment on Wednesday. But I had fun with Alex, and my mommies had fun seeing their friends who are his mommies, and as soon as the pictures are developed (yep, real film), I'll post them here.

I also had my first bottle. At first I wasn't so sure about this rubbery thing that mama Mindy was poking in my mouth...it seemed just like those other stupid rubbery things they keep poking at me that I HATE! (note from the mommies: sadly, he means pacifiers...for some reason he wants to suck endlessly even when not eating...but only on our fingers!) But this time there was milk!! And it tasted just like the milk I'm used to! I wish all rubbery things had milk in them...

Finally, I went to a playgroup for 1 year and under kids on Friday. Everyone was bigger than me, but they all liked looking at me. And someone made my mommies a sling just for me. At least for today I really like being all cuddled up in it. :-)