Levi in BC

Yesterday Levi made his first car trip to Battle Creek to Grandma and Grandpa Chapin's house. He didn't get to go in the pool yet because all he wanted to do was sleep, but thankfully Grandma and Great-Grandma took turns holding him so Courtney and I could get some relaxation time by the pool. Grandpa Chapin worked the grill to perfection and we had another amazing meal. And Prince was finally able to get some exercise in the pool and with the other dogs. All in all, it was a great day!

When we told him we were going to G&G Chapins, Levi was so excited he started raising the roof.

Levi with three generations of the Chapin women.

The Chapin family dogs. It took about 15 minutes to get all 4 of them in the same picture.
From left: My Grandma's Bichon Annie (hidden behind Ginger), my sister's Golden Retriever/Lab mix Ginger, Prince, and my parent's Jack Russell Terrier Joey.

Prince in the pool, like he normally is.

This morning, Levi fell asleep with his arm raised straight up in the air. We tried to move it but he kept moving it back. He's a strange kid.

More Levi Pictures

Not much new going on here. Levi made his first trip to Grandma and Grandpa Freed's on Sunday, and tomorrow he is making the longer journey to Grandma and Grandpa Chapin's in Battle Creek. In the meantime, I thought I would post some more pictures of him for everyone to enjoy.

Grandma and Grandpa Freed, or Grandma Carla and Grandpa Terry. Still trying to figure that one out.

Grandma and Grandpa Chapin.

My Grandma Chapin, now Great-Grandma Chapin.

He said he wasn't going to hold him, but even Uncle Ryan took a turn.

Dad is already planning the dimensions for the baseball field he never built for me.

Levi and I are getting ready to watch Todd Jones blow another save.

I know I'm pretty biased but I gotta be honest....this is one cute kid.

Levi got to wear his ducky pajamas to G&G Freed's.

First doctor appointment and name origin

Levi had his first doctor appointment today. The doctor and nurses kept commenting on how much hair he had. He didn't like being examined by the doctor at all. But he is in great health and we are so thankful that our little guy is healthy! The lactation consultant was also very helpful and he is already doing a much better job with eating. All in all, we are very happy with our decision to take him to Lansing Pediatrics.

Also, people have asked about the origin of his name. We really like the name for a number of reasons. Growing up with a common name like Matt, I wanted to give him a name that he wouldn't have to share with 20 other classmates. But we also didn't want to give him a name that was so weird that he would be a social pariah for the rest of his life. For whatever reason I thought of that name early on and kept bringing it up to Courtney, and eventually (after exploring all her other possible options) she agreed with me. We also like it because in the Gospels of Mark and Luke in the story about the calling of the tax collector disciple, he is referred to as Levi instead of Matthew. Biblical scholars think perhaps Jesus changed his name to Matthew after he became a disciple (like Simon Peter). So we thought it was a way to name him after me, without actually naming him Matt. Of course, then we read the story about the Old Testament Levi in Genesis 34. We hope if he has a sister he isn't that protective of her.

And just for fun, here are some more pictures...

Dad holding Levi while watching the Tigers lose again. Get used to it little guy...they might make the playoffs again when you're in college!

Levi just realized how incredibly cool his parents are.

Guess who picked out his first outfit?

Getting ready to head home from the hospital.

I think Levi is about the size of Prince's ear.

Matt vs. Levi

My parents assure me that Levi looks just like I did when I was a baby. What do you think?

Matt (w/ Grandpa and Grandma Vinck):














Levi (w/ Aunt Mindy):

Baby Levi has arrived!!

Levi Joseph Chapin was born on Friday, July 18th at 1:15 AM. He weighed 7 pounds exactly and was 20 inches long. That is the essential information. But, like Paul Harvey says, here is the rest of the story...

So, Thursday night, Courtney and I were planning on helping her sister Marnie and brother-in-law Ryan move a bed into their new home. Marnie came over to our house after we got out of work because Ryan was playing basketball (or something, pardon me if I don't remember all the details). Ryan was coming over around 7:30. So before he got there, we all decided to take Prince for a walk. Before the walk my mom called so I was talking to her while I walked Prince, and Marnie and Courtney were following behind me. All of a sudden, I hear "Matt....Matt....MATT!!!". Semi-annoyed, I turn around and said "WHAT?". Courtney's water had broken. Not a trickle either. So, Marnie ran back to the house, got our car, and came and picked us up. An hour later, we were off to the hospital.

I bet when we left on our walk, Marnie had no idea a day later she would be holding her new nephew.

We got to the hospital and they examined Courtney around 8:45. At this point she had started having contractions, but nothing too serious. The doctor examined her and said she was dilated to 6 or 7 already. We couldn't believe we were that far along already. So they took us to a birthing room, and around 10:45 they told Courtney to start pushing. It all happened so fast Courtney didn't even have time to think about getting an epidural, so everything was completely medication free. We were both pretty excited and were sure baby Levi would be joining us soon. Unfortunately, while the labor was much better than expected, the delivery was not. After two and a half hours of pushing, Levi finally decided to join us.

Levi sure is cute, but I bet he has no idea how hard he made his mommy work.

Now we're home and trying to get settled in and adjusted to life without any sleep. Prince is also very excited about the new addition to the family. He wags his tail whenever he sees Levi but also seems very confused whenever he makes any noise. His schedule has been thrown way off too but he's holding up well.

Prince is trying to figure out what the heck this squirmy thing is on the bed.

I'd write more, but I think I hear someone crying in the distance...

Two Doctor's Appointments

Today was an eventful day for us. In the morning, Courtney had her 38 week check-up. Baby Chapin appears to be head-down, so that is good news. The doctor said everything looked great and we're still on track for a July 22nd due date. Only 2 weeks from today!!

We've included a picture of Courtney at 38 weeks for your viewing pleasure.
















Our second appointment of the day didn't go as well. We ended up taking Prince to the vet because he has been limping now for almost an entire week. At the vet we learned two bits of distressing news: 1) He now weighs 102 pounds, and 2) He may have a hereditary elbow problem that could require surgery. He hurt the same elbow last summer and they think it might be a physical defect. He's taking pain medication for a week but if he doesn't improve he'll need x-rays and possibly surgery. They said he didn't look "fat" because he is such a big dog, but he could lose some weight. We take him on at least 2 walks a day and only feed him 3 cups of food a day, so we're not sure what else we can do. I personally think he's faking his injury because I had been taking him with me on jogs around the block and he doesn't want to go anymore. As soon as he's healed we're starting a strict fitness regimen.....our chunky dog will be getting back in shape, you can believe that!!

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog!!!

We are new to the whole blogging phenomenon, but we figured it would be a good way to keep friends and family updated on the progress of baby Chapin once he is born. Plus I (Matt) have been looking for another creative outlet where I can entertain people. This seems like the perfect place.

Baby Chapin's due date is still a couple weeks away (July 22). So until he is born, you'll have to entertain yourself by watching this video of us trying to give our dog Prince a bath. He's the newest YouTube sensation.



If you're wondering about the name, it comes from a scene in our favorite episode of The Office.