Droolin' Fool!

My Teeth Are Coming In!!

As a new mom I tend to read more than is probably necessary on the internet.  I have read my fair share of books as well but my point is that it is amazing how a baby's development can be predicted or expected at such exact time periods.  I feel like I will read about something that should be occurring at a certain age and the very next day, we are experiencing it because Wesley has turned that age.  Teeth are a great example.  Right on time, the 6 month mark!  Wesley never complained or had the obvious signs with the exception of the drooling.  He is a little faucet when it comes to drool but we didn't quite put it all together.  I assumed there would be a lot more fussiness prior to the teeth popping through the gum.  In all honesty, we noticed the bottom two teeth after they were already poking through a bit.  Fingers crossed that the rest will come in without incidence but not sure we could be so lucky!  More to come, right now we have just the bottom two and they aren't always easy to see.  Wesley will gladly chomp on your finger to let you know he has them and boy does it hurt!

I took this picture today...one of the few that show his teeth.

For other milestones, Wesley is sitting up very well on his own.  He is rolling over like crazy except he often gets stuck on his tummy-especially when he awakens from a deep sleep.  He is eating baby food once a day along with his rice.  So far he has tried Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Squash and Bananas and hasn't found one that he didn't care for.   He didn't love the Avocado I gave him initially but I think it was due to the consistency, not the taste.  We'll try that again sometime. 

He weighed in at almost 19 lbs and 28 inches at his 6 month well visit.  The boy is packing it on and no longer the string bean he was...the baby has some thighs!!! 

Happy 1/2 Birthday!!!

6 Months Old!!!!

It's very hard to believe that Wesley is already 1/2 a year old. Time definitely flies. When I look back, some memories seem like just yesterday while some seem so long ago. There have certainly been some rough patches but never in a million years would I trade them. The last 6 months have been VERY different but VERY enjoyable.

Wesley is a barrel of smiles just about all of the time; he is almost always happy. If you look at him and he isn't smiling, all you have to do is smile at him and he will graciously return the favor 10 fold! He doesn't show just a smile, it is a huge, ear to ear grin. He is even cuter when he clasps his hands together while he smiles and almost shakes his upper body like he is laughing with you. It's hard to explain but if you see him, you will understand.

His new favorite thing to do is to "bounce". If you hold him, be ready to bounce...if he is standing on you, be ready to bounce him...and if he is in his exer-saucer, luckily he can bounce himself! The video below shows how muchWesley has grown in the past 6 months. He is so animated, so happy and so fun to be around.

Anyway, this video was taken on Wesley's 6 month birthday!!! Happy 1/2 to you, Buddy!

(I apologize for the sideways view...I have been trying to figure out how to post a video since he was 6 months old which was 3 weeks ago!  I thought I better go ahead and post it even if it was sideways, otherwise he might be in high school b/f I figured it out!)

Party with my Pals!

"Le Bon Enfants" Summer Pool Party!!!

Mrs. Sheila, Mr. Jeff, Kenzie and Dylan hosted the entire daycare at their home for a pool party to celebrate the summer.  We were able to spend a bit more time with the other parents, more than the typical "hi and bye" for drop off and pick up!  The water was still a bit chilly but some of the kids didn't seem to mind.  We didn't even dress Wesley in his swim suit because we thought it would be too cold.  He got a little bit of splash time on the steps with Daddy and seemed to really enjoy it! 

We finally opened our pool yesterday so we are hoping that we may be able to take a dip by the weekend.  I am sure it will still be a little cold for our taste but hopefully the solar heater will kick it up a notch!  We are dying to get Wesley in there to see what he thinks.  We are also planning for a beach day over the weekend so I hope to have new photos soon of some more "firsts".

In the meantime, here is Wesley with his first pool splash with a few of his friends at Le Bon Enfants!  

Declan---3 months older than Wesley!

Wesley's friend, Chase, who is always looking out for him!

Daddy and me talking with Mr. Jeff

One of my girlfriends, Jillian!



Me and Mrs. Sheila!!!! 

Mother's Day 2012!

Another First...this time for Mommy!

I was very lucky this year to have not only Wesley and Chris to help me celebrate my first Mother's Day but also to have my own Mom and Dad come for a visit.  They were kind enough to help us out with some babysitting on the Monday after Mother's Day so it worked out great that they could come down early and spend the day with us. We went to brunch at one of our favorites spots in Sandbridge and spent most of the day just relaxing.  Wesley and Daddy gave me a new speaker/music system for our ipods and phones which I have been wanting for our downstairs.  Wesley also made me a special Mother's Day gift at Mrs. Sheila's...all in all, it was a fantastic first Mother's Day!!!

I mentioned that Mimi and Pops were very gracious to help us out with daycare.  Mrs. Sheila closed a little early on Monday so they picked him up while we were working.  As you can see, Wesley was in good hands with his Grandparents and enjoyed some time with them.  I have a couple of photos of my father and Wesley like this...Wesley will NEVER sit still like this with us; Pops must have the magic touch!

Catching Up...

Some Photos for Fun!!!

It's been a while since I have posted and we have had several events and minor milestones.  More than anything we have just had a ton of fun playing with Wesley and enjoying his constant smile!  He really is a happy baby and rarely gets upset.  Here are some photos of one of his favorite pastimes...laying on his blanket playing with his toys, feet and mom and dad!

And here are a few more with my Daddy!  We certainly have a lot of fun together!

Rub a Dub Dub...

Wesley in the (BIG) Tub!

Wesley has taken to bathtime very well.  He received a Firefighter Rubber Duck for Easter from his cousins, Logan and Hayden, which is now his favorite bath toy.  We've been forced to graduate to the big tub a little faster than we would have liked.  Wesley's baby tub has a seat on each end, one is supposed to be for really little babies and if you turn it the other direction/the other end is more for a toddler.  The problem is he likes to brace his feet (remember he is 90% in height) against the opposite seat and arch his back to where he is almost standing in the tub!  This is not conducive to getting a clean baby!  So...I bought a sponge turtle that it very much meant for older kids who can sit-up and just goes underneath him in the tub.  Wesley is sitting up but not without a little support and help which makes the new sponge a challenge.  It was only difficult for a few minutes because we had to steady him while he was sitting.  It got very easy when he decided to be a man of leisure and lay back on the cushion with his head supported by Mommy (only to keep the water out of his ears, otherwise I think he would've just laid all the way back!)  Anyway, he seemed to enjoy the new bathing technique and we were fine with it but my arm did get a little tired!  Don't let his grimaces fool you...he was smiling and splashing until we put the camera in front of him. 

We keep saying we hope he likes the big tub (pool) as much as his bath!  Fingers crossed-pool should be opening in the next couple of weeks so we'll know for sure!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling....

Rolling On Over!!!


Wesley started rolling a couple of months ago but never quite got all the way over.  On April 18th, I received a text from Mrs. Sheila, "OMG Wesley rolled over!  I was getting ready to change him and he rolled over".  While I was a little sad he didn't do this for us first, it is inevitable that a lot of his "firsts" are going to happen with Mrs. Sheila since he spends so much time with her.  Of course Chris and I ran home and put down the blanket to play with him in hopes of seeing him in action that night---to our disappointment, he wasn't so interested. 

The next day, however was another story and he rolled over a couple of times in a row.  If you put a toy a little out of reach, he is certain to go after it with a roll.  He has pretty much mastered going both ways, as long as there is an incentive.  Luckily, we haven't seen him roll in his crib, it's just when he's playing.  I am sure that will change quickly, too!!!

Hand, Foot and Mouth!

Just Like it Sounds...

So one of the more recent, not so fun dealings was with an outbreak of the"Hand, Foot and Mouth" virus.  This is apparently extremely common in young children, daycares and warmer environments.  We have no idea where he picked this up and it doesn't really matter, good thing is it is over and done with and we are moving on to better health. 

The day that Chris was returning from GA, Wesley broke out in a terrible rash.  It was the afternoon of our jog on the boardwalk so at first I thought it might be a heat rash.  By 5pm I was calling my sister in a panic, calling friends and ultimately heading to Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters-ER because I didn't know what had attacked Wesley.  Turns out this was the onset of the nasty virus and the beginning of a very rough week. 

Blisters covered his hands, feet/ankles and a few other areas of his body.  He had a decent fever for a couple of days as well.  The biggest concern of the illness is the sores/blisters get into the mouth and children stop eating and drinking because it is too painful which results in dehydration.  Luckily, the sores in Wesley's mouth were very limited and he was able to eat without much trouble.  The sores on his hands were the worst...these photos don't do it justice.  I stopped counting blisters on one hand at 30...poor thing was pathetic looking.  He had a fever and a very hard time sleeping which anyone would expect but we are on the mend with just a lot of scabs and red skin to show for it. 

The virus hit us on Saturday, fever broke Monday night so we were ready to take him back to Mrs. Sheila's by Thursday (could've gone sooner but I felt too bad to leave him, he still looked pretty pathetic!).  On Thursday morning while we were getting ready I noticed that one of Wesley's eyes was very pink!  First thought was "pink eye".  Another child at daycare had it the week prior so not too far fetched of an idea.  I ended up taking him to the doctor and relieved to find out that it was NOT pink eye, but instead he had scratched his eye.  The process we had to go through to determine that was awful...they put a dye in his eye and then looked at it with a black light.  Sounds easy...try that with a squirmy 5 month old.  It took 3 adults to hold him down and a whole lot of screaming.  Was not a fun experience but I was glad he didn't have pink eye.  I could have taken him to daycare and headed into work but at that point, it was mid afternoon and I needed zero excuses to stay home and spend the rest of the day with him!  While we were at his doctor's visit, our pediatrician told us she had seen about 6 cases per day of the Hand, Foot and Mouth since we had been in for our follow up on Monday.  Guess we were one of many in Virginia Beach who weren't so lucky.  A couple of other kids at daycare were also affected and one of the moms!  It's one of those bugs that just runs rampant once it makes a presence.  Wesley is still shedding skin and scabs-I know it sounds really gross.  Worst part is he may lose a finger/toenail or two.  I hope not but don't think there is much we can do to prevent it!  Hopefully, this is the last we will see of it!  Wesley was a trooper for sure and has handled the whole virus very well!

5 Months Old!!!

Happy 5 Month Birthday!

Wow, hard to believe that this milestone has come and gone.  On April 22nd, (my parents' 46th (?) Wedding Anniversary!) Wesley was 5 months old!  We have had such a crazy ride with Wesley but as I keep saying, we have enjoyed every second.  Even during the middle of the night, screaming his little head off, don't want to go to sleep moments...yes, we have those!  We have certainly had our challenges with health; hopefully we are getting those all out of the way early and building up his little immune system.  I am burning through time off from work but it's funny how some things that used to matter so much before, don't now.  I was such a hoarder when it came to my vacation time and would only use it for true vacations (which meant I would go to work even if I felt horrible).  Now, the second Wesley looks or seems sick, there isn't a question that one of us, if not both of us are staying home to be with him. 

Along with the downs of sickness, we have had a million celebrations!  Every day is that much more special and involves different responsibilities, different routines and differerent priorities.  Yes, life revolves around this wonderful child of ours but if I can admit that, does it make it okay?  Of course we think our baby is the cutest in the world, he has the best smile in town, the best disposition and the smelliest toots in the world, but he is ours!  With every grin, coo or hug, he gains more and more personality and we get more and more attached!  Every day is awesome...no better way to start a day than picking up and hugging a sleepy baby from his crib!  Happy 5 Months, Wesley!!!  Looking forward to tomorrow!