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Month: August 2013

Weekly Wesley: Twenty one

21weeks

This week we bought Wesley an amber teething necklace. I haven’t really noticed any signs of teething yet but better to get it before they start, right?

necklace

Honestly, I kind of don’t believe it actually does anything. It was pretty cheap and I think it looks kind of adorable though so who knows, maybe it’s magical after all.

One thing I’ve been working on with Wesley is having him sleep anywhere other than pressed up against me. As much as I love this,

cuddles

I’m ready to be able to have a conversation with Joel in the evening or get something done during nap time. So far it’s going okay. We have a futon in the living room so when it’s time for a nap I lie down with him and then very slowly ease away.

nap

nap-time

We’ve yet to go very long without him rooting around for me and me having to quickly lie back down next to him and pop my boob in his mouth but just being able to get up at all is a start.

Towards the end of the week we got pictures taken of the cousins. It was… interesting.

cousins

We had them done at JCPenny and let’s just say I’m glad it was a Groupon because if I had been paying their prices I would have been pissed. I made the appointment well ahead of time, although not as far ahead as I wanted because it took three days of calling to even get a hold of anyone despite the voicemail recording promising a call back. When I booked the appointment I made sure to tell them it would be seven little boys, ages 4 months to 8 years.

So why they decided to staff a trainee is beyond me. I’m almost positive I could have gotten better pictures. She kept taking the pictures just before they’d look or get a giant chunk of the light in the frame. They also refused to listen to what we wanted and insisted on multiple background colors when we only wanted one and taking individual photos when we only wanted group shots. They also spent a ridiculous amount of time editing lame “enhancements” (read 90’s looking fades and vignettes) in front of us while we waited to pick our shots. I even told her we weren’t going to purchase anything with enhancements like that but she “had to do it.” So we waited and waited while trying to corral 7 restless boys who had already sat still for far too long.

The Groupon deal came with five photos and we seriously only picked four because there were only that many halfway decent ones. And one isn’t even a group shot, it’s a lucky cute shot of Wesley. When they’re ready in two weeks (!!!) I’ll post them but it was not magic, let me tell you.

Other than that it’s just been all packing all week. This is about how I feel about it.

packing

Hate. Moving.

This Saturday is the big day and it can’t come soon enough… and it’s coming too fast because omg we have so much to do still.

Other milestones:

  • We took Wesley to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. Obviously not for his benefit, it was for his cousin’s birthday. Despite the over stimulation his did really well and was just quiet and fascinated with all the noise and lights the whole time.

chuck-e-cheese

  • I read Wesley Dr. Seuss for the first time and he was in awe. He just kept staring at my face and then at the book and then back at my face. I think he’s going to be as big of a fan as his mommy.

dr-seuss

(so mad at the stupid iPhone for messing up the focus on this one. Had to post it anyway because best. face. ever.)

  • I don’t want to jinx it but Mr. Dude has started to be okay in the car. He still cries about 40-50% of the time but that is a massive improvement so I’ll take it.

carseat-sleep

Other favorite photos from the week:

daddys-home

Wesley has been getting so excited when Joel comes home from work every day. Melts my heart.

bath-time

Sweet deliciously clean baby.

big-smile

It’s too bad he’s never happy or anything.

old-man

My tiny old man says, “Jolly good, ta ta for now.”

Weekly Wesley: Twenty

20weeks

Twenty weeks. Long enough to be halfway through a pregnancy.

Or if it’s Wesley a week and two days short of halfway. Ahem.

In a pregnancy we’d be doing the anatomy scan this week and finding out if the baby has all the proper parts.

We cheated a bit and found out Wesley’s gender at 16 weeks but we of course did the normal anatomy scan to be safe. Here is Wesley in profile at 20 weeks in utero…

20weeksProfileSplit

and out.

Wesley is still going through a leap or something. When he’s happy he’s the happiest baby you ever saw. But we play the happy baby/mad baby game on a way too frequent basis lately. It’s kind of exhausting.

One thing he really likes thankfully is being wrapped.

packing

We’re packing, packing, packing (ugh, do I hate moving) so it’s very convenient that he enjoys being worn or I’d never get anything done. Two weeks from today we will be settling into our new place. I’m so ready for it to be over.

Other milestones:

  • Wesley found his hand. It was quite shocking. Clearly.

i-have-a-hand

  • He also decided he really likes Phoebe. Phoebe remains unfazed but I’m guessing that is mostly because because Wesley hasn’t figured out how to purposefully grab her yet.

puppy

  • Wesley’s legs are officially long enough to drape over mine while I’m lying down and nursing him. My long little man.

long-legs

  • He makes the most hilarious faces. Currently cracking me up is how he chews on his own gums like a little old man.

gum-chewer

  • The sweet face I wake up to every morning.

sweet-sleeper

And lastly I’m going to end with a possibly dumb question. When Wesley does tummy time now he almost never stays on his stomach for more than a few seconds before he rolls onto his back. I’ve been leaving him like that because it seems like that better teaches him cause and effect. Plus, he’s still working on rolling himself from back to stomach. It struck me though that maybe I should flip him back to his tummy every once in awhile? I mean, it’s not really tummy time anymore, technically. Or should I leave him? Because boy is he proud of his rolling abilities.

not-tummy-time

I’m over thinking this, aren’t I?

Weekly Wesley: Twenty

20weeks

Twenty weeks. Long enough to be halfway through a pregnancy.

Or if it’s Wesley a week and two days short of halfway. Ahem.

In a pregnancy we’d be doing the anatomy scan this week and finding out if the baby has all the proper parts.

We cheated a bit and found out Wesley’s gender at 16 weeks but we of course did the normal anatomy scan to be safe. Here is Wesley in profile at 20 weeks in utero…

20weeksProfileSplit

and out.

Wesley is still going through a leap or something. When he’s happy he’s the happiest baby you ever saw. But we play the happy baby/mad baby game on a way too frequent basis lately. It’s kind of exhausting.

One thing he really likes thankfully is being wrapped.

packing

We’re packing, packing, packing (ugh, do I hate moving) so it’s very convenient that he enjoys being worn or I’d never get anything done. Two weeks from today we will be settling into our new place. I’m so ready for it to be over.

Other milestones:

  • Wesley found his hand. It was quite shocking. Clearly.

i-have-a-hand

  • He also decided he really likes Phoebe. Phoebe remains unfazed but I’m guessing that is mostly because because Wesley hasn’t figured out how to purposefully grab her yet.

puppy

  • Wesley’s legs are officially long enough to drape over mine while I’m lying down and nursing him. My long little man.

long-legs

  • He makes the most hilarious faces. Currently cracking me up is how he chews on his own gums like a little old man.

gum-chewer

  • The sweet face I wake up to every morning.

sweet-sleeper

And lastly I’m going to end with a possibly dumb question. When Wesley does tummy time now he almost never stays on his stomach for more than a few seconds before he rolls onto his back. I’ve been leaving him like that because it seems like that better teaches him cause and effect. Plus, he’s still working on rolling himself from back to stomach. It struck me though that maybe I should flip him back to his tummy every once in awhile? I mean, it’s not really tummy time anymore, technically. Or should I leave him? Because boy is he proud of his rolling abilities.

not-tummy-time

I’m over thinking this, aren’t I?

Weekly Wesley: Nineteen

19-weeks

The big thing that happened this week was I learned how to do a back wrap with a woven wrap.

back-wrap

I borrowed a wrap from a babywearing group near me and I’m loving it. There’s definitely a learning curve and I haven’t gotten the seat right every time. The times I do get it right though are so nice. I can get so much done while Wesley naps on me.

packing

For example, packing for our move at the end of the month.

We found an apartment, yay! There were moments when I seriously thought we wouldn’t. It’s kind of far from where we live now so we’re going to have to familiarize ourselves with a whole new area. I’ve really enjoyed where we lived the last 5 years so I’m a little bummed that we couldn’t find something closer. No more living 5 minutes from Ikea. Wah! I mean, it’ll only be 20-30 minutes but still, I’ve been spoiled.

In other news, my dad is doing much better.

dad

He’s in a nursing home right now doing rehab and I can’t believe the difference it has made so far. He’s so much more alert and is able to actually hold short conversations now. Seeing him so much better has given me the slightest sliver of hope. There’s still a lot of work to do so I hope he can keep his spirits up and keep working hard.

Wesley has been working hard on a developmental leap if his mood is any indication. He still is happy in between the fussing but arg, so. much. fussing.

Of course, when Joel gets home he’s all smiles.

daddys-boy

I’m fairly certain Joel thinks I’m lying when I send him the Omg when are you coming home?! text on the daily lately. Maybe it’s not a developmental leap, maybe he is just sick of me…

I kid.

Mostly.

Other milestones:

  • One really weird thing he has decided to do is hang upside down. My tiny little bat boy.

upside-down

  • He’s also working on being more mobile. He’s soooo close to rolling from back to belly. Honestly I think he would have done it already if I didn’t wear him so much. Oops. He has started scooting and managed to scoot himself completely off his play mat.

off-the-mat

  • We gave Wesley his Oball and he loves it. It’s one of the few toys he doesn’t immediately drop.

ball

And to finish off, a few random of my favorite pictures from the week.

I can’t even with how much Jordan loves his tiny little cousin.

cousins

Naaaaaants Ingonyama….

tiny

This is his waking up from a nap face. I love how his little nose is always so red. Usually he smiles shortly after this face.

nap-face

Until next time!

peek-a-boo

Weekly Wesley: Eighteen

18-Weeks-600px

World’s tiniest giant ham. No idea where he gets it. *side eye*

This was a big week. First of all, Wesley turned four months old.

wesley-phoebe-4-months

The shoot this month was a little trickier than normal because Wesley would. not. leave the sticker alone.

shirt-pulling

We had been trying to save them but this one ended up looking like it had been chewed on so I guess that’s out.

We still got some really cute shots.

4-months-1

I know it’s going to be more and more challenging interesting the more alert and mobile he gets.

With turning four months came the dreaded shots.

Dreaded for me anyway, Wesley is too young to realize yet.

I however had a stomach ache all day in anticipation of them. I just couldn’t get the look of surprised horror and pain on his face from the two month shots out of my head. It didn’t help that he was in the best mood ever in the doctor’s office right before.

before-shots

We were singing The Wheels on the Bus and he was laughing and giggling up a storm. He thought it was the best thing ever.

Then he nursed and fell sound asleep.

Ugh.

The shots were every bit as horrible as I was anticipating.

shots

There were several so the nurse asked another nurse to come in so they could do both at the same time. Only the stupid other nurse wasn’t into the idea of coordinating. The first nurse said they’d do it on three and the second nurse basically said, “Naw I do what I want.” and just stuck him. What a jerk.

Another quick nursing session calmed him right down though, even faster than last time so that was a relief.

Other than the shots the appointment went great. He’s off the charts tiny in weight and 50th percentile in height so that makes him looks even skinnier. He’s still growing and the pediatrician says he’s super healthy. He’s just on his own curve.

The other huge thing that happened this week was that Joel and I both left Wesley for the first time ever. Up until that point either Joel or I had always been at least in the same room as him. Even in the hospital Joel went with Wesley to the nursery every time when they had to take him for tests. He had always been in sight of at least one of us.

So of course I was nervous.

I knew that he would be safe and well cared for. That was never a question. We left him with my mom and I trust her more than anyone. I was just afraid he’d refuse his bottle and scream the whole time and my mom would never agree to babysit again.

wesley-nana

Thankfully that did not happen.

Joel and I were able to really enjoy my friend’s wedding.

film2film1

We had to call it a bit of an early night because Wesley did melt down after awhile. He went a good 4+ hours though for the reception so we got to enjoy dinner and even dance a little. It was so amazingly refreshing to be with Joel, just the two of us. Plus, the couple that was getting married is the cutest, happiest ever. It was just lovely.

I sure was happy to get home to him though.

missed-my-baby

Lastly Joel’s grandparents were in from out of town for a visit.

grandma-g

long-legs

I treasure every minute we get with them.

Other milestones:

  • I showed Wesley himself in the front camera of my phone for the first time. He was skeptical.

front-camera

  • Wesley is thisclose to rolling over from back to front. He’s nearly done it several times but his arm has so far prevented it from happening all the way. I’m not so much a fan of him possibly doing it in his sleep though. Blurg.

roll-over

  • His eye tracking has gotten incredible. I noticed because of watching him follow the fish around the tank at my grandparent’s and then at the doctors office. He didn’t lose sight of those fast moving fish for a second.

fish

  • He has gotten a lot more drooly recently. With that comes lots of spit bubbles and jokes about rabies.

rabid

Finally, a couple pictures that are just too good to leave out.

uncle-bubs

BBQ at our favorite local place.

bekah-wesley

Had my sister Bekah over for a visit and Wesley was a big fan.

foot-grab

Bébé feet!

flying-baby

Oh hello. See ya next time.

Weekly Wesley: Eighteen

18-Weeks-600px

World’s tiniest giant ham. No idea where he gets it. *side eye*

This was a big week. First of all, Wesley turned four months old.

wesley-phoebe-4-months

The shoot this month was a little trickier than normal because Wesley would. not. leave the sticker alone.

shirt-pulling

We had been trying to save them but this one ended up looking like it had been chewed on so I guess that’s out.

We still got some really cute shots.

4-months-1

I know it’s going to be more and more challenging interesting the more alert and mobile he gets.

With turning four months came the dreaded shots.

Dreaded for me anyway, Wesley is too young to realize yet.

I however had a stomach ache all day in anticipation of them. I just couldn’t get the look of surprised horror and pain on his face from the two month shots out of my head. It didn’t help that he was in the best mood ever in the doctor’s office right before.

before-shots

We were singing The Wheels on the Bus and he was laughing and giggling up a storm. He thought it was the best thing ever.

Then he nursed and fell sound asleep.

Ugh.

The shots were every bit as horrible as I was anticipating.

shots

There were several so the nurse asked another nurse to come in so they could do both at the same time. Only the stupid other nurse wasn’t into the idea of coordinating. The first nurse said they’d do it on three and the second nurse basically said, “Naw I do what I want.” and just stuck him. What a jerk.

Another quick nursing session calmed him right down though, even faster than last time so that was a relief.

Other than the shots the appointment went great. He’s off the charts tiny in weight and 50th percentile in height so that makes him looks even skinnier. He’s still growing and the pediatrician says he’s super healthy. He’s just on his own curve.

The other huge thing that happened this week was that Joel and I both left Wesley for the first time ever. Up until that point either Joel or I had always been at least in the same room as him. Even in the hospital Joel went with Wesley to the nursery every time when they had to take him for tests. He had always been in sight of at least one of us.

So of course I was nervous.

I knew that he would be safe and well cared for. That was never a question. We left him with my mom and I trust her more than anyone. I was just afraid he’d refuse his bottle and scream the whole time and my mom would never agree to babysit again.

wesley-nana

Thankfully that did not happen.

Joel and I were able to really enjoy my friend’s wedding.

film2film1

We had to call it a bit of an early night because Wesley did melt down after awhile. He went a good 4+ hours though for the reception so we got to enjoy dinner and even dance a little. It was so amazingly refreshing to be with Joel, just the two of us. Plus, the couple that was getting married is the cutest, happiest ever. It was just lovely.

I sure was happy to get home to him though.

missed-my-baby

Lastly Joel’s grandparents were in from out of town for a visit.

grandma-g

long-legs

I treasure every minute we get with them.

Other milestones:

  • I showed Wesley himself in the front camera of my phone for the first time. He was skeptical.

front-camera

  • Wesley is thisclose to rolling over from back to front. He’s nearly done it several times but his arm has so far prevented it from happening all the way. I’m not so much a fan of him possibly doing it in his sleep though. Blurg.

roll-over

  • His eye tracking has gotten incredible. I noticed because of watching him follow the fish around the tank at my grandparent’s and then at the doctors office. He didn’t lose sight of those fast moving fish for a second.

fish

  • He has gotten a lot more drooly recently. With that comes lots of spit bubbles and jokes about rabies.

rabid

Finally, a couple pictures that are just too good to leave out.

uncle-bubs

BBQ at our favorite local place.

bekah-wesley

Had my sister Bekah over for a visit and Wesley was a big fan.

foot-grab

Bébé feet!

flying-baby

Oh hello. See ya next time.

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