Krewe of the Crib

Most of you probably know that Chris is a Naval Architect and works for the US Navy.  For the past 6 years he has been building a boat down in Pascagoula, Mississippi where he has spent a lot of time.  His travels often take him to Louisiana and I have actually met him down there on more than one occasion to enjoy the chaos of New Orleans.  

Our great friend, Elizabeth (aka Auntie "E") also ventured to the area this past summer and bought Wesley the "Fleur de Lis" onsie that he is sporting below.  We thought it only fitting to celebrate FAT TUESDAY since Daddy is now a part time "Gulf" resident (not really, just seems that way sometimes)!  Wesley enjoyed the masquerade and is practicing for his day on Bourbon Street!

 

Mardi Gras King!!! 

One too many Hurricanes! 

Potato Head

While I am certain that Wesley will have many nicknames over the years, I am really hoping this one does not stick.  His father has started calling him "Potato Head", short for "Couch Potato Head".  He has just started noticing the TV---and becomes fixated on it!  I admit we have watched more television in the past 3 months than we probably ever have but a lot has changed in the last 3 months!!!  Guess we better start limiting our screen time! 

Daddy and Wesley "tuned in"

Wesley was really hoping for snow this weekend so he was paying close attention to the weather (instead of eating!)

Salon Johnson

I mentioned in a prior entry that Mrs. Sheila was giving Wesley a head massage to help with his "cradle cap".  She sent me home over the weekend with the Moroccan Oil so here is Wesley enjoying his spa treatment this morning.  What a life!  In all seriousness, I think it is working! 

Our Little Red Valentine!

I was pretty lucky to have two very cute Valentine's this year!  Wesley won the prize for most adorable Valentine in his little red overalls while Daddy was "most handsome". 







Many of you have asked, "Who does Wesley look like?"  We haven't really seen any specific characteristics that would really scream that Wesley belonged to us with a couple of exceptions.  He does have the LONGEST eyelashes in town which we attribute to his Daddy and he also has a dimple on his left cheek that Daddy gets credit for.  With that being said, look at the photo below and ask yourself this question again...

poor little guy is a lucky recipient of the Marchant Ears!!!  There is no denying it when looking at this picture; Wesley takes after me.  Look even further below at Pops (my father) and you can see where the genes come from!  This photo doesn't really do justice and support my claim but I promise, the ears are from Mommy and ultimately from Pops!  (I love you, Dad and my ears)

11 and 12 weeks...

Just a couple of photos to show how Wesley is growing. He changes every day in both size and personality. He seems to smile, coo and chatter a whole lot more. I feel like it used to be that we held Wesley because he was crying, sleeping or eating. Now we enjoy holding him so that he can look around, play a little bit and interact with us. You can truly almost notice him changing daily! 

10 Weeks!

It has only taken me 11 weeks to like my swing!

12 weeks-next to my "24 inch Caterpillar" that I have just passed in height.

Le Bon Enfants!

I cannot think of the right words to explain how absolutely lucky/blessed/fortunate we are to have found such a wonderful place for Wesley to spend his days while Mommy and Daddy go to work.  "Le Bon Enfants" is a home based daycare IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD-less than a mile down the street and is owned and operated by Sheila Stratton (and her family).  I say that with all seriousness as it is truly a family affair.  Her husband, Jeff, is retired military and works nearby on base at Dam Neck. He comes home during the day on his lunch hour and spends time with the kids.  It is not unusual to have Jeff in the middle of the daycare room playing with the children or acting as a human jungle gym when I arrive to pick up Wesley in the afternoon.  Daughter, Kenzie, is also usually helping out after school (she is a sophomore) and often feeds Wesley his afternoon bottle.

We dropped Wesley off for the first time on MLK day...Chris and I both had this day off from work but we thought it would be a good "test run" since we would be close by.  When we left Wesley with Sheila, he was cooing and smiling, happy as a clam.  While we were very sad and reluctant to leave him, we felt very confident that he was in good hands.  We picked him up a bit early and he was just as content as we left him, cooing and smiling, happy as a clam!  His days at Ms. Sheila's have proved to be lots of fun!  He has several new friends but he is the youngest and he is spoiled rotten by not only Sheila but also by, Jeff, Kenzie and even her son, Dillon, who pays special attention to Wesley.  When I pick him up in the evening, it is all we can do to get him fed and bathed before he falls asleep--he is exhausted from such a big day!

Being the youngest, Wesley gets about 2 hours of undivided attention from Ms. Sheila each day while the other children nap.  Unfortunately, Wesley has very sensitive skin and a pretty yucky case of "cradle cap" that we can't seem to cure.  We have tried baby oil, vaseline, olive oil, selsun blue and a Rx cream from the doctor...all to no avail.  Ms. Sheila is now giving Wesley a daily head massage with Moroccan oil during their one on one time to cure his little head.  Did I mention that he was spoiled???  She said he coos and smiles the whole time while she rubs his head with oil, a warm cloth and comb.  I guess I would coo and smile too if someone gave me that sort of treatment!!! 

Needless to say, we love Sheila and her family and know that Wesley is being very well taken care of.  Mommy and Daddy are also getting lots of great advice and meeting new friends.  Sheila has even sent us home with dinner claiming that she had made too much for her family!  Boy are we LUCKY!!!! 

"I DIG YOU" Shovels from Wesley to his Valentines!

I will try to get some photos together of Le Bon Enfants and Sheila.  This photo is of a couple of the Valentine's that Wesley took to his new friends.  I didn't really think about all of the other responsibilities that go along with parenthood...I had fun making the Valentine's (thanks to my sister, Clai, and sister in law, Betsy, for pointing me in the right direction to get the idea!) --I think they were a hit!