Wesley [4 months]

Our pumpkin pie is officially one third of the way through his first year! I already have and probably will continue to say that I just cannot believe how fast time has flown. This last month has been the hardest for me, seeing how much Wesley is growing and no longer a new, newborn baby. I love watching him discover and accomplish new milestones, but at the same time I am finding myself sad at how quickly this stage is passing. My love for Wesley exceeds new limits each day, and I am more than grateful for the presence he holds in our lives and in our hearts. This little one truly has me wrapped around his finger, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Size: At 4 months, Mr. Wesley is still wearing 0-3 and 3 month size pajamas and clothes. We have only retired one outfit so far, and with warmer March temperatures I was able to unpack and wash more Spring outfits to add to Wesley's rotation. We haven't needed to adjust Wesley's cloth diaper size, although we've found that some need to be fastened tighter to prevent leaks (our first full month in cloth diapers brought lots of nighttime wetness until we figured this out). I bought Wesley a new pair of shoes for Easter, which are size 0-3 months, since he's outgrown his newborn size shoes.

Health: During his 4-month well baby visit, Wesley (wearing only a cloth diaper) weighed in at 15 pounds, 10 ounces (49th percentile) and measured 25.5 inches long (59th percentile). He's had lots of snot and boogers over the last couple of weeks, which our pediatrician said are a sign of Wesley fighting off a cold virus. Wesley's become quite the drool monster and has been teething for the last month. It was such a surprise to already find his first tooth... and his second one less than a week later! While babies typically cut their first teeth around 6 months, it's still normal for teeth to debut earlier. Poor Wesley has been understandably more fussy with the addition of his new chompers, resulting in less sleep and more nursing and crying due to discomfort. We've been introducing freezer teethers to help with the pain, and Wesley will chew on them for a minute or two at a time.

Feeding: Since I've returned to work, Wesley has developed a habit of nursing for long periods of time in the afternoon and evening once I'm home. It's totally a comfort thing for him, and I love that he wants to be close to me when we're reunited for the rest of the day, but it also makes the rest of the night challenging for me to get showered or packed up for the next day when he's stuck to me for sometimes hours at a time. While I am gone, Wesley's feedings with the bottle are going well. There have been a few days that he's been fussy due to teething and hasn't been as interested in bottle feeding, both at home with Cho-Cho and with our daycare provider, Kara. My poor, teething munchkin has also started biting me while nursing, which is a big ouchie for Mama!

Sleep: Wesley has slept as long as 6 1/2 hours at night, but sometimes wakes more frequently to nurse (I blame teething, again). He's ready for bed anywhere between 8-9:30 pm every night and so far isn't having any problems passing out while being nursed to sleep. During the day he sleeps really well at daycare in a mamaRoo, and at home he goes back and forth with letting my dad put him down and refusing to sleep without being held. Wesley wasn't tolerating our swing when the batteries got low and the vibration setting completely died, but he has been more accepting and comfortable in it since we replaced the batteries. With our big boy continuing to grow, Daddy is already having a harder time carrying the little one around until Wesley falls asleep on Eric's shoulder. 15 pounds is heavier than it sounds!

Milestones: Our little grabber is now grasping objects and pulling them to his mouth for his favorite pastime of chewing. Wesley's leg muscles are getting stronger and stronger with all the kicks he gives us during diaper changes. There have been a few times that Wesley has looked at us when we've said his name, but he could also just be responding to sound or specifically my voice. His biggest new development is laughing, which is just completely adorable. He started laughing with me when I gave him raspberries on his thigh, and another time when I lifted him high over my head with my arms stretched out straight. Wesley must think it's really funny to be taller than Mommy!

Likes: Baby Bear loves to see Mommy when I get home from work and always greets me with a happy smile. As mentioned before, his new favorite activity is chewing on whatever he can get his hands on, whether that be a blanket, burp rag, lovey, or finger. He also seems to like grabbing my hair and necklace and sometimes even my shirt. Wesley no longer fusses every time he's buckled into his car seat and typically seems pretty cheerful when we're getting ready to go somewhere. He also still loves showers (which are our most frequent way of bathing him), and he absolutely loves looking at himself or us in the mirror. This has been my favorite game lately because he always smiles.

Dislikes: Poor Wesley absolutely hates diaper changes in the middle of the night, because he's sleeping longer between feedings and is too hungry to exhibit any patience. Often his thrashing about will just result in the entire process taking longer while we fight to get his feet out of or back into his jammies. Wesley Wigglesworth is in full force during the wee morning hours, making it extremely difficult to properly secure his diaper. It's hilarious how Simon manages to sleep through all the crying and raucous!

Social: This boy is a smiling machine. He's been all smiles for Mommy since last month, but now Wesley shares his smiles with everyone he encounters. He gives happy, "welcome home" smiles to Daddy when he arrives home from work, he shows his love for his brother with smiles when Simon sings and dances and says hello, he happily smiles at Kara while being snuggled at daycare, and he always reacts with a huge grin when Cho-Cho asks, "Are you making dze poo poo?"

Other Updates: We had another busy month enjoying a play date with Jen, celebrating Wesley's first St. Patrick's Day, and taking a trip to the zoo. I had a non-contract day off from work, so the boys and I went up to Jen's for the afternoon. Simon and Bliss played while Wesley and I hung out with Jen and Baby Moxie, whom was born only 4 days before Wesley. On St. Patrick's Day, my littles wore their festive, green St. Paddy's shirts, and we ate our traditional corned beef and cabbage for dinner with Guinness and Irish coffee (adults only). Our leprechaun friend brought Simon four chocolate gold coins while he was sleeping, and he was so excited and eager to show his little brother. The next day we visited the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary, using the tickets that my friend, Kylee, gave Simon for his birthday. We enjoyed looking at the animals, riding the zoo train, and eating lunch and playing at the park. I look forward to the many more adventures in store for our family with our two sons.

our chubby froggy

 

introduction of the first tooth

 

 new chompers getting some relief

 

smiles for Mommy

 

laughing face

 

sleepy pumpkin

 

hanging out with Daddy

 

Wesley & Moxie

 

St. Patrick's Day cuties

 

riding the train at the zoo

Wesley [3 months]

Oh my goodness, how is it that our littlest boy is already three months old? Time has surely flown, and he doesn't even look like a 'little' baby anymore. Life is such a joy with this munchkin, and he is adored by us immensely. I could go on and on about how much I gush over this guy everyday; he just brings so much love out of me that I cannot contain!

Size: At the beginning of his third month, Wesley started wearing our cloth diapers. We used up the last of our size 1 disposable diapers before making the transition. The cloth diapers fit him best on the lowest rise, and his waist leaves one or two rows of snaps open depending on the looseness of each particular diaper's waist elastic. Wesley has been wearing size 0-3 and 3-month pajamas and 3-month clothing, which accommodate both his long arms and legs and the extra space needed for the cloth diapers. We have yet to need to adjust his car seat straps, but I did remove the infant head support piece. His head seemed to be getting too big for the piece to be beneficial, and I got annoyed with how much it moved around when tightening his shoulder straps.

Health: I weighed Wesley (in only his birthday suit) on our home scale, and he came in at a healthy 14.8 pounds. Our little bear battled his first bug just after turning 2 months, which wasn't fun for Mommy and Daddy to watch. On a Saturday morning Wesley had eaten normally, but was suddenly drooling heavily. He nursed later in the morning and ended up spitting up a lot and having diarrhea. He then became inconsolable, crying nonstop and refusing to eat. He had an elevated temperature, so Eric took Wesley into the shower to soothe him since he continued to wail and wouldn't nurse. We managed to get Wesley asleep and called his pediatrician, whom recommended we take Wesley to urgent care to make sure his behavior wasn't a sign of something serious. Eric and I followed her suggestion and by the time we were in an exam room with the physician's assistant, all of Wesley's vitals were normal and he finally ate after being on strike for over 5 hours. He nursed successfully and acted happy the rest of the evening and only had a cough and congestion linger for the following few days. The slobbering has stuck around and now appears to be early signs of teething.

Feeding: Wesley continues to be a fabulous eater. I mentioned last month that I decided to cut dairy in an attempt to reduce Wesley's frequent spitting up. It didn't seem to be helping, as I continued to experience massive amounts of spit up e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. My dad wondered if Wesley was overeating, and I agreed after paying closer attention to how often and how long Wesley was nursing. I returned to eating dairy and started trying other techniques of soothing Wesley other than allowing him to eat if he was upset too soon after a recent feeding. This has been really successful, as sometimes he just ends up needing to burp or is fighting the urge to fall asleep. If other tactics don't work within 20-30 minutes, I let Wesley nurse again, and he ends up falling asleep after a short time and does so spit-up free!

Sleep: Nights have been fabulous with Wesley sleeping 4-5 hours after first going to bed with me and waking less at only 1-2 times after that. During the week of Simon's birthday we experienced a bit of a nap strike where Wesley wouldn't sleep during the day for several days unless being held. That time passed, and he went back to being a better sleeper and frequenting longer naps during the day. He goes back and forth between shorter and longer naps in his swing, depending on his last feeding, the time of day, or how well he's been laid down.

Milestones: Our wiggle worm is already not staying put anymore. He tries to sit up when lying on his back and has started figuring out how to pivot or rotate himself to face a different way. Wesley has successfully rolled over from front to back (during tummy time on his mat) and from back to front (while lying on our bed), but doesn't do either on a consistent basis. I tried having him do tummy time on the Boppy pillow, and he was able to hold his head very high and for several minutes! Wesley also spends time on his play mat batting at his toys (often with Simon's help) and has started grabbing at them and holding them in his hands with that strong grip of his. Baby Boy took another big step during this month by learning to drink from a bottle!

Likes: My new favorite game to play with Wesley is the 'Mama' game. I simply make eye contact with Wesley and say "Mama" with a singsong voice until he responds with a huge smile from ear to ear. This also works with "hello" and "hellosie" (baby talk - bad, I know). This game results in an instantaneous grin every time without fail.

Dislikes: This little one was clearly not a fan of the bottle when we first began trying. Wrongly assuming that the process would be as easy for me as it was with Simon, I started with the formerly successful "switcheroo" tactic of nursing and then offering the bottle at Wesley's first unlatch. He rejected it immediately, showing what seemed like a distaste for the texture of the bottle's nipple. Wesley would push the nipple out of his mouth with his tongue, cry, chew on the nipple when he would tolerate it being in his mouth, and drool milk all over his face and chest instead of swallowing. This went on for about 2 weeks, which had me worrying that he wouldn't take the bottle when I returned to work. He definitely didn't want anything in his mouth that was made of a synthetic material.

Social: We've had a pretty routine social hour in the evening, usually between 7-8:00 near Simon's bedtime. For several days Wesley has been very chatty during this time, giving us lots of oohs and aahs and other babble. We repeat what he says and vice versa, which often leaves Eric and me giggling at our vocal baby. I'm convinced that Wesley recognizes me, as his expression brightens dramatically when we lock eyes and I say "Mama." My dad and Simon coined the nickname 'Wesley Wigglesworth,' since our little one just doesn't ever sit still. I can see that name sticking through toddlerhood!

Other Updates: We were quite busy during Wesley's third month. We took the boys to the snow, where Wesley was snug as a bug wearing his bunting suit and resting warm and comfortably in the Tula while Simon and Daddy played. Simon turned 4 years old, and we celebrated with a Toy Story themed birthday party at our house, where Wesley slept the whole time in the arms of several aunts and friends. Eric and I celebrated Valentine's Day with a night out alone without both kids--our first time going out together without Wesley--which felt weird but amazing. I finally returned to work after 12 weeks, and Wesley chose this day to finally drink from the bottle successfully! Both boys stayed with my dad during my first week back, but Simon will return to daycare 5 days a week and Wesley will join him on Tuesdays and Thursdays and stay with my dad the other 3 days. It was and continues to be quite an adjustment being a working mom again with a baby, but I think we're all doing pretty well with the transition so far.

first cloth diaper!

fresh & clean baby

latching on the bottle

cozy sleeping with Mama

tummy time on the Boppy

love & smiles

eating with brother

boys & a bedtime story

bundled up for the snow

Simon's 4th birthday party

our funny Valentines

after Mommy's first day back to work

Wesley [2 months]

It seems like we hit the 2 month mark SO FAST. It does not feel like it's been that long since we brought our new, little love home from the hospital. Wesley has been such a joy and a wonderful addition to our family. He's been an easy baby so far, for which I am thankful and also surprised!

Size: Our muffin man grew out of his newborn size diapers and began wearing size 1 diapers in his second month. We knew it was time to upgrade when Wesley started leaking through his diapers, especially at nighttime. Luckily the switch was easy, since we had plenty of size 1 diapers on hand from my baby shower diaper toss game. He also started wearing some of his size 0-3 jammies, as his newborn sizes were beginning to become quite tight! It was my goal to get him into all of his newborn outfits one last time before needing to retire them for good.

Health: At his 2-month well baby checkup Wesley clocked in at 13 pounds, 5 ounces (in the 72nd percentile) and measured 22.5 inches long (23rd percentile). His hair is a tiny bit fuller and remains blonde, and his eyes are still blue. Wesley's head control continues to improve, and I now feel comfortable carrying him on my hip since his trunk is so incredibly strong. He still requires a firm hand supporting his back, because this wild child just wants to fling himself about like an acrobat. Wesley's grip is still firm, and he has quite the wiggle in his arms and legs when lying on his back.

Feeding: We have had another month of a wonderful nursing relationship. Wesley's hunger cues are very obvious, as he sucks on his hands and makes a specific humming sound. He rotates between longer and shorter nursing sessions, depending on the time of day and our activity level. He's clearly a well-nourished baby, considering his weight, and I am very thankful for our continued success. There were a few days of really heavy spitting up, leaving me completely soaked and in need of a shower. I decided to try cutting dairy in hopes of less spit up. I also started pumping to start a freezer supply of milk for when I return to work. I'm pumping on one side while I nurse Wesley on the other, which is really going well and doesn't leave me feeling like my entire day is consumed with nursing and pumping back-to-back.

Sleep: Wesley's sleep cycles have started to fall into a routine. He typically will nurse and fall asleep around 10:00 pm and will sleep roughly 3-4 hours. From there, he will wake up every 2-3 hours to eat until morning. He wakes more frequently some nights more than others, but I'm happy to already be seeing the beginning of some consistency. Wesley is also napping well in his swing, which gives me an opportunity to take a shower, make something to eat for Simon and/or myself, get a few things done around the house, etc. When Eric is home, Wesley almost always without fail falls asleep over Daddy's shoulder while being burped. It's adorable!

Milestones: Our little guy's head strength continues to improve. We rarely need to help Wesley support his head while sitting up or being held in an upright position. He's getting better at lifting his head during tummy time, but still gets most of his tummy time while lying on us. Wesley also smiled for the first time during his second month! My dad was tickling his face with a burp cloth, and Wesley began to grin! We just love seeing that sweet, toothless smile.

Likes: Wesley likes sitting up or being in any upright position. If he's being held in a cradle hold, moving him upright so that he can see everything around him pretty much always fixes his mood. He also still seems to enjoy daytime diaper changes. Very often he will calm down from heavy crying the minute we lie him on his changing pad, and he will flash his little smile to let us know he's relaxed. Our little boy is a lover of bath time, too, either in his infant bathtub or in the shower with Eric. Wesley's soothed by the warm water and always looks content.

Dislikes: As any normal baby, Wesley definitely dislikes having to wait to eat. Whether it is my need to wash my hands after changing his diaper, refill my water, take care of Simon, or gather my pump pieces, Wesley hates to wait if it's been too long since his last meal. I don't blame him, though, as don't we all become quite cranky when we're hungry?! He's also not a fan of being dried off after being bathed. We think it's the shock of leaving the warm environment of the bath or shower and entering a colder one, which is of course understanding. I try to keep the bedroom door closed to trap the heat and have his diaper and jammies ready for a quick transition from wet in a towel to dry in clothes.

Social: The more Wesley smiles with my dad, Simon, Eric and me, the more I see his little personality start to show. He is a happy and relaxed baby and only gets worked up over an obvious need. Wesley has started making cooing noises, and I always mimic his sounds in return to have a conversation with him. He still enjoys being held by Big Brother, whom is still completely in love with having a baby in the house. I already can't wait for their budding relationship to really start to develop.

Other Updates: I was happy to confirm in January that I was eligible to stay off work for an additional 6 weeks after my disability leave ended. Originally, I thought that I wouldn't receive any paid leave after my 6-week pregnancy leave and was unfortunately expecting to have to return to work before Wesley was 2 months old. My HR department contacted me to let me know that I was actually eligible to stay off work for 12 weeks under Child Bonding Leave with 50% pay after my sick hours were used. I jumped on this opportunity immediately, figuring that my half pay loss would about equal the amount we'd spend in childcare if I returned to work at the 6-week mark. Getting this unexpected extra time at home with Wesley (and Simon) was a wonderful and thankful blessing!

last newborn diaper!

New Year's Eve baby

growing out of newborn size clothing

an unplanned nap with Daddy

first smile!

bath babe

all about that bass

big brother cuddles

Mommy's blonde angel

Simon [4 years]

Oh boy, I cannot believe you are four years old today. You are incredibly bright and such an astounding, little person. Over this last year you've learned to count to 100; spell Yocum, Mom, Dad, zoo, pizza, and Wesley; and recognize beginning and ending letter sounds. You're also practicing counting backwards and showing an interest in telling time. You have a strong desire to understand everything around you, you're a fantastic helper, and above all else you love unconditionally. Daddy and I are beyond lucky to be your parents, and we've loved seeing how wonderful a big brother you are already. Happy birthday to you, Simon Alexander!

Wesley [1 month]

I can't believe I'm already back with my first monthly baby post! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was writing these about Simon, let alone pregnant with and giving birth to Wesley. But alas, our sweet Number 2 is already one month old and growing right before our eyes. To keep with the theme of his pregnancy updates (as well as my sanity whilst raising not one, but TWO little boys), I am going to continue writing about Wesley in survey-style. His first four weeks sped by like nothing, but they were exciting and wonderful nonetheless. Let's get started with what we've been up to during Wesley's first month!

Size: As expected, Wesley was born fitting into newborn size clothing and diapers. It's been fun dressing him in some of the same outfits and pajamas that Simon wore and showing big brother his baby photos comparing the two of them. Wesley is still in the newborn size, but Daddy thinks that Baby is beginning to outgrow some of his jammies. Size 1 diapers will be in rotation this next month, and we will begin using cloth once all of our disposables are used up.

Health: According to our home scale this boy weighs a whopping 10.4 pounds! At our 2-week well baby visit he hadn't gotten any taller, but his head size had increased by half an inch. Wesley is quite a gassy, little thing and toots all the time. He grunts a lot when trying to toot or poo, which wakes Eric in the early morning hours. Baby Boy is trying to hold up his head and has very strong abdomen/trunk muscles. We have to keep two steady hands on him at all times, otherwise he'll try to fling his body forwards or backwards like a little baby ninja! Wesley is also starting to grab at things, mostly when he's impatiently waiting to eat. He's gotten a couple of good fistfuls of my hair.

Feeding: This kiddo is a champion eater. I was able to get him to latch within his first hour of life, and since then Wesley has never stopped. Our postpartum nurses complimented me on how easily nursing came for both of us, which was made successful partly because I'm a second-time mom, but mostly because I was determined to introduce breastfeeding immediately. It seems like I have to burp Wesley during feedings more often than I remember having to burp Simon, but again Wesley is very gassy. He sometimes has bouts of spit up that leave me soaked, and I'm not sure what it is that I eat that contributes to this since I haven't been consuming a whole lot of dairy (the usual culprit). It doesn't happen so much that I'm concerned, just curious. Either way, Wesley is nursing so well, and his weight definitely shows it!

Sleep: We've been co-sleeping since Day 1. I wasn't sure if it would come naturally again like it did with Simon, but I've been careful and comfortable. Wesley and I have done lots of skin-to-skin, and I closely monitor his breathing, which has been regular and normal. His gas grunts and early morning fussiness disturb and wake Eric, who it seems is an even lighter sleeper than before. Sleep also comes for Wesley while babywearing, which we started with our Tula carrier and infant insert. I also rented a ring sling carrier from my local babywearing group, and then purchased my own new wrap-converted ring sling to wear Wesley out and around the house. We also got the swing fully assembled and set up with batteries, so Wesley has started to nap there as well.

Milestones: Eric and I are trying to fit in tummy time for Wesley when we can; on his play mat, on our bed, on our chests. While flat on his tummy on our bed, Wesley figured out how to roll over onto his back! We moved him to his play mat where he did it again, but of course he became camera shy when I tried to get the event on video.

Likes: Wesley is always soothed by us patting him on his back. He likes to sit with/be held by his big brother, who is always so eager to be my helper and take care of Baby when we're home without Daddy or I just need an extra hand.

Dislikes: Little Bear is not a fan of being buckled into his car seat. He cries while being safely secured and swaddled but quickly calms down when we pick up his infant seat to leave. The car ride always puts him to sleep, thank goodness!

Social: We were lucky to have lots of delicious meals delivered to us during our first few weeks home with Wesley. All of our kind visitors got the opportunity to hold Wesley, and he was content with meeting so many new people. He will mostly tolerate being held by anyone who isn't Mommy or Daddy until hunger strikes. Simon always jumps at the chance to hug, kiss, and fawn over Wesley, who is seemingly comfortable with having an excited big brother in his face. Baby also doesn't seem to mind having a curious doggy in his face, either. Courage's introduction to Wesley has gone extremely well, and he's calmed down and gotten used to our new addition even faster than he did with Simon.

Other Updates: Sharing the holiday season with both of my boys was absolutely wonderful. Our family included Wesley in all of our Christmas traditions including the Auburn Festival of Lights Parade, seeing Santa, and looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve (we drove through the neighborhood this year instead of walking--it was very late and terribly cold). We were lucky to spend a lot of time with extended family during the holiday season, especially my Uncle Chris and Eric's Aunt Sam. My Uncle Chris visited from New Mexico in early December and got to meet Wesley and see Simon for his second time. Aunt Sam visited during Christmas with her friend, Chad, and was also excited to meet Wesley. We enjoyed our annual Christmas Eve dinner at Pappy's house and Christmas morning breakfast at our house. Simon was excited to help unwrap the few gifts we had for Wesley under the tree and in his new stocking. It was a magical holiday celebration with our new little one, and I cannot wait to experience everything the rest of the year has in store for us with Wesley.

Wesley's going home outfit

first full day at home

sleepy boy

first ride in the swing

in Mommy's new ring sling

under Big Brother's watch

sleepy smiles

brotherly love

Wesley's first time seeing Santa

Great Uncle Chris' visit

Great Aunt Sami's visit

our first Christmas as a family of four

NaBloPoMo wrap up

So I didn't make it through the end of November. A little thing called Going Into Labor got in the way.

I've been on Blogger since 2007. This isn't the original blog that I started; I deleted it in 2009 when Eric and I were broken up for 3 1/2 months. My near 3-year hiatus ended with the discovery of my pregnancy with Simon, and First Comes Love was born.

I don't remember exactly when I heard about NaBloPoMo, but I always wanted to give it a try. I successfully started on November 1st this year and had a pretty steady streak of posts for a while before I began to falter. Being 9 months pregnant, I knew that this challenge would be just that. On top of my weekly pregnancy posts, my blog was getting quite a lot of attention from me.

I'm proud of myself for getting as far as I did. Amidst the sleepless nights due to pregnancy discomfort, heartburn, and all around misery that is the end of the human gestational period, I tried my best to post on time and even enjoyed blogging a little outside of the pregnancy box. It's always been my intention to write more about our lives outside of weekly pregnancy updates and monthly baby posts, but the chaos and disorganization of life gets in the way. Of course, that's exactly how it should be, and I love it.

As predicted, Wesley's monthly updates will begin in January (or February, depending on how promptly I'm able to post). I will still try to write about other news, and of course will attempt to include as much about Simon as possible, as best as I can. For now, I appreciate each and every one of you who stop by (whoever you all are!) to read my silly ramblings and look at cute pictures of my kids. I enjoy writing here, and I hope that you do, too.

I'd like to introduce...

Wesley Adrian

Born Monday, November 28, 2016 at 12:36 am

7 pounds, 11 ounces, 20.5 inches