Wesley [6 months]

The 6 month mark! I cannot believe we are already here! Just half a year ago this beautiful bundle of joy was brought into the world, and now we are only half a year from his first birthday! Wesley is amazing and wonderful and holds so much of our hearts. His presence lights up our lives with so much happiness and pride. This little wonder is truly the center of our family's love.

Size: This big boy is fitting into a select few 6 month size pieces. Some of our 6 month and 3-6 month onesies and jumpers are a little big depending on the brand, but we've got many washed and put away in his closet and ready for the rotation. Wesley is still wearing many 3 month pieces too, as most of them fit with room to spare. His 0-3 month size shoes have a hard time staying on his chunky feet, although there is lots of extra space in front of his toes. We are also still using the same fit on our cloth diapers.

Health: At his 6 month well baby check up, Wesley was not very cooperative when it came to having his measurements taken. He thrashed about the scale refusing to stay still, so the nurse accepted the heaviest weight that would lock. She clocked him at 17 pounds, 7 ounces (45th percentile), and he measured 27.5 inches long (80th percentile). At home, our scale showed Wesley's weight at 18.8 pounds, giving him more of a weight gain from last month which I think is more accurate. In other news, he has cut his top two middle teeth (upper central incisors), making that a total of 6 teeth at 6 months! Wesley's hair looks like it has darkened a bit, almost a strawberry blonde color. His eyes are still very blue and are big and round just like mine. Our boy has continued to experience more mild coughing and congestion this past month, which our pediatrician says is just Wesley's body fighting off minor cold viruses most likely picked up from Simon and/or daycare. He's otherwise very happy (when not at the doctor) and very healthy!

Feeding: Nursing has been so much better with Wesley biting quite less often. It of course still happens on occasion, but I think the novelty of the new skill has finally worn off. Wesley nurses for short periods of time in the middle of the night before falling back asleep, and on average his daytime nursing sessions are shorter and less often, up to 4 hours apart at times. He's still doing well with the bottle when I'm not with him, even making a few attempts to hold it on his own. Pumping at work has continued to be successful, and I've felt that I haven't needed the aid of fenugreek supplements or Mother's milk tea for the last month or so. I have a large freezer supply of frozen breast milk stocked up in our deep freezer, which I am extremely proud of. We are totally set with a back up supply for next school year!

Sleep: Wesley is back to sleeping for longer periods of time during the night, waking anywhere between 1-3 times. Teething oil that I purchased from a local baby boutique has really helped settle Wesley and relaxes him with he's struggling with fussiness. He goes back and forth between taking long naps and staying awake during the day, often times being up at daycare and interested in what all the other kids are up to. Wesley's new thing to do at night is to roll onto his tummy after nursing on my right side, which means he sprawls out away from me and into Eric's space, kicking and flailing his arms all over the place while trying to get comfortable. Since Daddy's such a light sleeper, he's resorted to sleeping on the floor when this happens and leaving Wesley alone with me in the bed so Baby can stretch out. Eric comes back to the bed after Wesley wakes up and switches to nurse on my left side.

Milestones: Mr. Wigglesworth is a rolling, flipping, and moving machine. Even when he's awake, Wesley wants to be on his tummy immediately, regardless of how we put him down. He's still never staying in just one place and obviously wants to move much further than he's able to. He is beginning to get up onto his knees a little bit, but hasn't managed to go anywhere from there. Wesley also continues to grab anything and everything he can find, and that anything and everything automatically finds its way into his mouth.

Likes: The Doorway Jumper is Wesley's absolute favorite thing. We have it set up in between the kitchen and playroom so that he has a safe place to be while we're cooking and/or eating and so he can be close to where Simon plays. Wesley will jump to his little heart's content, and he very quickly figured out how to rotate himself and turn in circles. He's not very happy when I need to put him in it when I need a moment with both hands, but he's all smiles if it's Daddy or Cho-Cho who put him in. Wesley is also very fond of immediately rolling onto him tummy when he's laid onto his back. This happens no matter where he is, it happens fast, and he does it whether he's happy or upset. We have to be very careful where we leave him since he will no longer stay in one place.

Dislikes: Our Jumperoo is not nearly as tolerated by Wesley as the doorway jumper. He won't last as long in the jumperoo, which we have set up in the living room. This surprises me, since it has more bells and whistles than the doorway jumper. Wesley also hates being put down, especially by Mommy. I'm sensing some separation anxiety starting to form, as he will cry when he sees me and cannot be picked up by me right away. I love that he wants to be with me, but it makes it even harder to get ready to leave or to put things away when I get home.

Social: Little Love continues to laugh and smile, showing off his strong, social personality and his happy disposition. As with what I think might be separation anxiety, he's started becoming clingy and sometimes wants Mommy and needs to be with me RIGHT AWAY. It's happened when I pick him up from daycare, when someone else is holding him and he suddenly sees me, and after he wakes up from a nap. Again it's not horrible, but I just thought we wouldn't expect this social stage for another few months.

Other Updates: Wesley visited the Sacramento Zoo for the first time when we went for Star Wars Day with Uncle Bucky, Uncle Boom Boom, and Lilly. We hadn't been there with Simon since his first birthday. All of us were decked out in Star Wars apparel, and we had such a fantastic day. Many of the animal exhibits were decorated in Star Wars themes, we got to take photos with many Star Wars characters, and we got to watch and participate in Star Wars themed art. My favorite part of the whole day was taking the boys on their first carousel ride, which played Star Wars music! We also celebrated by 32nd birthday and my first Mother's Day as a mommy of two. For my birthday we went out to brunch with a group of friends the day before and had a yummy dinner out on our patio the evening of my birthday. For Mother's Day we had breakfast at home with my dad and went to Laura's parents' house for lunch and watched Simon, Lucian, and Ben swim while Wesley hung out with Pappy. I felt so blessed to get to spend these special days with both of my darling boys. Thank you, Wesley, for making me a mom again and bringing so much laughter, joy, and love to our world.

our big stud muffin

right before his top middle teeth cut

trying to hold his bottle

tummy sleeper

loving his banana teether

smiley boy

Jumperoo

chillin' with Big Brother

 Mini Wookie

 Star Wars Day at the zoo

with my sons on my birthday

Happy Mother's Day

Wesley [5 months]

Time with this munchkin is just flying by! Eric, Simon, and I have so much love for this little boy. Wesley amazes us everyday with his happy spirit and adoration for our family. He is growing and learning like crazy, and I am so incredibly honored to be the mommy of another adorable and fantastic son.

Size: Mr. 5 Months now weighs 17.2 pounds according to our home scale. I pulled out our 3-6 month and 6 month size clothing in preparation for our warmer temperatures, although Wesley is still fitting comfortably in most of his 0-3 month and 3 month size clothing. It seemed like we were dressing him in the same few outfits over and over again, so it's been nice to have some variations in his wardrobe with the bigger sizes that fit. I noticed that Simon's hand-me-downs don't include many pairs of shorts, so we bought some new ones for Wesley in the 6 month size to get longer use out of them. Wesley is also still wearing the same waist adjustment and rise on his cloth diapers.

Health: Our poor baby battled his second cold during his fifth month, this one worse than the first. Wesley dealt with a few weeks of watery, goopy eyes and a runny nose. The congestion didn't seem as bad as before, but he definitely wasn't comfortable. On top of the cold and possibly related, he also struggled through the pain of his third and fourth teeth coming in (the upper lateral incisors, early again). Wesley's slobbering has been out of control, and he was unfortunately needing his face wiped constantly with all of the other leaking. On a happier note, he is still blue-eyed, blonde-haired, and looking more and more like his handsome daddy everyday!

Feeding: Wesley's heavy teething had him biting Mommy A LOT. This stage made nursing more stressful for me. Being so young with so many teeth, I felt like Wesley isn't old enough to understand "no" when I scold him and unlatch him at his first bite. I know he will come to learn and understand with time, but his biting was hurting so badly that I began ending the nursing session entirely after too many bites. I hate to upset him, but the pain was becoming more than I could bear, and I think that taking short breaks is better for both of us in order to reset and start over.

Sleep: With all the congestion and increased teething, Wesley began waking during the night as often as every 2 hours. It was so heartbreaking trying to console our poor boy, who was obviously uncomfortable and in lots of pain. Running the humidifier in our room at night seemed to help with the congestion, but frequent nursing was the only thing that would soothe Wesley's poor gums and help him get back to sleep. Eric and I were extra exhausted for a while, to say the least.

Milestones: This one is on his way to becoming mobile very soon. Wesley is starting to scoot backyards while on his tummy, now never staying in one place when we put him down. He's completed a 270 rotation and figured out how to push himself forward by kicking off of Daddy's arm. Wesley is so strong and loves to go from lying on his back to pulling himself into a standing position by grabbing onto our fingers and sitting himself up. We've started sitting him in the Bumbo chair so he can enjoy being upright and get some practice learning to sit up. Wesley understands the cause-and-effect relationship of peek-a-boo and happily squeals with delight when Mommy plays (Big Brother likes to join in the game, too). And finally, Baby Boy found his feet! The discovery is like a new entertainment factor, as he loves going to those toes when his curious fingers need something to do.

Likes: Love Bug is a fan of Mommy's singing. I first noticed the way Wesley stares at me when I sing "I Love You So Much" to Simon before bedtime. Wesley's gaze appears to be one of recognition, like he recognizes the song from having heard it in my belly every night I put Simon to bed while pregnant. It could totally all be in my head, but the way he looks at me is just so telling. Wesley also loves literally anything and everything his brother does. Simon is a super helper and loves to keep Wesley company when I need a hand, and he's always delighted to sing a song or do a dance to make Wesley laugh and smile. They already have their own little games and a true budding relationship.

Dislikes: Of course Wesley doesn't like being awake in the middle of the night; who does? With the constant waking and broken sleep patterns resulting from teething and congestion, Wesley is one very unhappy boy when he unintentionally disturbs his own slumber. It also seems as though I never pick the right time to take a shower, as every time I turn off the water I hear a wailing baby trying to be soothed by Daddy. It's as if my needing to bathe is Wesley's cue to want Mommy!

Social: It's probably the high pitch of my voice to which he is responding, but I like to think that Wesley understands that when Mommy says "cheese" when taking a picture, he knows it means to smile. We're starting to get some really great photos of Wesley looking so happy! He's also figured out how to make his lips vibrate and create all kinds of spitting and humming noises. His face is completely coated in slobber when he's done, but the length to which he will go on and on making these cute noises is truly hilarious. It seems that he's fascinated with his ability to master this new skill and is very entertained by practicing it.

Other Updates: I was so excited to go fully festive for Wesley's first Easter. Simon helped me pick out Easter baskets for Wesley (a traditional wicker one for the Easter Bunny to fill, and a fun character one for collecting eggs), we decorated the house, and I found coordinating outfits for the boys to wear. We visited the Easter Bunny at Bass Pro Shop and got a cute picture taken (and even ran into our friends Bailey and Marcy doing the same thing!), and we tie dyed Easter eggs at home with food coloring (hopefully Wesley will be able to help next year). Easter morning was spent going through the goodies left by the Easter Bunny and having breakfast with Cho-Cho, and in the afternoon we went up to Laura's parents' family home in Grass Valley for dinner with Pappy and hunting Easter eggs with Ben and Lucian (Simon took it upon himself to help gather Wesley's eggs for him). I look forward to continuing these family traditions with Wesley as he grows!

our big boy

poor baby's newest teeth

sitting in the Bumbo chair

we found our feet!

brother love

shower time

smiles for Mommy in the mirror

Wesley's first visit to the Easter Bunny

Easter morning

Easter at Laura's family home

 

Mommy's bunnies

Pappy & his sons and grandsons

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