HappyBabyJumpingTimes

Our little spaz loves his bouncy seat, a gift from his "aunties" back in Milwaukee.  We're training Weston to capitalize on his nearly off-the-charts height percentile by working on his vertical jump, complete with a little Adidas warm up outfit from Grandma.  Doesn't he look like Ari and Uzi from The Royal Tenenbaums?

My Dirty Belly Button

My body has changed in ways that I couldn't really have predicted a year ago.  Yes, one of them has to do with my belly button.  However, none of the changes are so horrid that I can't come to grips with my body post-baby.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1. I never did get the full-on outie belly button, but it was definitely stretched out.  It's got a bigger diameter and I think it's slightly deeper.  That's why I mentioned my dirty belly button.  I never really had issues with things in my belly button before because it wasn't big enough to collect anything.  Now, it seems as though I have to pay special attention to cleaning this "new" body part.
2. Hair, hair everywhere...  I think my hair loss has finally calmed down--just in enough time for Weston to rip the remaining locks out of my head with his hands.  Some report that their hair gets thicker, curlier, straighter, or thinner.  I think mine is pretty much the same--there's just less of it right now.
3. Baby's got back...and hips!  I am within 5 pounds of my pre-preggo weight (can I get an AMEN for breastfeeding?).  However, I don't think that my weight is distributed in the same way that it was before baby.  Most of my pants fit, but they just fit differently.  A round of applause for my son's 95th percentile head circumference that shifted ligaments in my pelvis and altered my anatomy.
4. I'm not one to wear make up, but I think I need to invest in something that will lighten up the ever-darkening circles under my sleep-deprived eyes.
5. The muffin top that feels like a bowl of Jello...  This is the one that bothers me the most.  It's shrunk a little bit, but it's still there, like an artifact left over from a previous civilization.
6. Boobs...I am simply amazed at what the female body is capable of.  I've been the sole provider of food for my little man for over five months now and he's just about doubled his weight.  That's a lot of breast milk that's been produced, but at a price to the "factories."  It's okay--I wouldn't change the bond that he and I have for anything.  In fact, the only time that I think everything's okay with the world is when I'm nursing.

Weston the Geek

Weston,

I promise we're laughing with you and not at you.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Geeked out with Dad in the workshop

Sporting Dad's safety glasses (from the 1940s?) 

I'm the one who looks like a weirdo here

Listening to Dad explain how the particle collector works (post diaper change)

This is the funniest picture we have of him yet.  Not quite sure why he wouldn't relax in the swing...

Already?

As is becoming our little custom, I came home from work this afternoon to a smiling baby boy sitting with Dad on the porch.  I kissed both of them hello, and as soon as Nate ended his phone call, he told me to "Come see this."

He put Weston on the bed, and he helped him get his legs tucked under his body.  Of course, Weston wasn't interested in showing off his new trick, so Nate had to fill me in on the details...He pushed himself up onto all fours and rocked back and forth a bit before he toppled over.

Already?  He's not even five months old (although he will be in a couple of days).

I did get to see this amazing feat this evening before bath time.  I was quite impressed.  Nate was able to capture it this afternoon:

My Cutie Patootie

The littlest bookworm

Dad, where's Mom??  Isn't she home yet???

Loving the outdoors

Mmmm...bugs...

Bath Time

The past couple of nights our little man has resorted to grunting while taking a bath. This video barely captures how ridiculous he sounds.
 


 I love this kid.

A Schedule? Yeah, Right.

I love reading stuff like this: "By four months, your baby is probably sleeping eight hours at night" or "Try to put your baby down around the same time every night" or "Keep nap times consistent."

I would love to experience all of that.  It'd be great if Weston would decide to wake up at 3am every night, nurse, and go back to sleep until 7am, play, take a 2-hour nap at 9am, get up at 11:30, eat, play and then nap again around 1pm for a couple of hours and then wake up in time for me to nurse him at 3:30 when I get home from work, take a quick cat nap before bath, eating and bedtime at 7pm.

But that never, ever happens.  Ever.

I can't figure out what bedtime works best for him--early (like around 6:30), or later, around 8pm.  A lot of it depends on what time he wakes up from his afternoon nap.  And he's never really consistent on how long he sleeps at night, either.  Last night he was up at 10pm, 1:30am and 5am.  The night before that he was up once at 1:30am.  I don't get it.  Today, he refused to nap until 10am, and then slept until 1pm.  He took a 30 minute nap at 5pm and was in bed by 7pm.

We try--really we do--to have a schedule.  Sometimes he just doesn't want to cooperate.

Ready for a walk in the Moby Wrap

Post-walk sleepy times

Wow.  None of the fabric in this picture matches.  But, baby doesn't care!

Yum, yum ,yum ,yum, yum

Happy Four Months!

I'd have official stats for you, but baby hasn't been for his four-month check up since we've moved.  Insurance at the new job doesn't kick in until next month, so we might have to visit the health department and get his second round of immunizations there.  Anyway, until I can get an official height and weight, Weston is 16 pounds, 14 ounces!  Holy crap.  It's still close to the 75% percentile curve that he's been following.  I have given up trying to measure his height because it's different every time.

Look at those thighs...

Weston's adjusting well to all the changes that have been going on.  Nate's done with a week of being a stay-at-home dad/ start-up business dude/ and unpacker of the apartment.  He generally looks exhausted and relieved at the same time when I get home from work.

I haven't worn my contacts in months

Baby has been sleeping pretty well at night, going to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 and sleeping for about 8 hours.  He's been getting up at 6am (and sometimes earlier!) and I have a pretty good feeling he doesn't really care what a weekend means to an adult.  That's fine. Having gone back to work, I relish every single moment I get to spend with him.  I love coming home from work and nursing him and then putting him down for a late afternoon snooze.  I even enjoy getting up at 3am to feed and cuddle with him.  He's super cute in the morning because he babbles and babbles and is super content.  I put him in his seat on the kitchen floor and he hangs out while I cook and eat my breakfast.

So close to sitting up all by himself 

Learning to pet Mabel gently and not grab at her fur

I'm not sure how I'm going to break his swaddle habit.  I feel like I should start on a Thursday night because it might be a little rough in the night sleeping department.  I think going cold turkey might be the best route, but who knows.  I bought the Miracle Blanket on a recommendation from another blogger mom (thanks, Melissa!) when Weston was almost 3 months old.  I cannot believe I waited that long to get one because they are the absolute best.  Weston was busting out of his swaddles regularly (and I am a damn good swaddler) at that point and I needed something that was akin to a straight jacket.  And the Miracle Blanket is just that--a warm and fuzzy baby straight jacket.  However, Weston is regularly busting out of that these days, so I think it's a good sign he's ready to be free.

Houston, We Have Lift Off!

(Oh wait, the space shuttle program no longer exists.)

My little man rolled over today!!  Sadly, I didn't witness it.  I missed it by about 45 minutes because he did it after I left for work this morning, so Grandma was Weston's audience while she was home watching him.  She said he rolled over about 15 times today, and of course, when I got home, he was a bit shy and didn't want to do it right away.  But he caved into the pressure and rolled over like a champ.  He's growing up so fast!!

Going Back to Work

I don't wanna.
I really don't wanna.
I am less than enthused about going back to work full time on Monday.  If teaching were truly a 40-hour work week, then it might be easier to swallow.  The reality of it is, though, is that teaching isn't just 40 hours a week.  It's coming in early, staying late and taking work home at night.  Yeah, yeah, we get about 2 and 1/2 months off in the summer, which could make up for it.  But I don't think it does.

Yes, I'm whining.

I'm hoping that if I whine enough, Nate will tell me, "It's okay, honey.  Don't go back to work full-time.  I'll figure it all out."

By the way, we'll really see how this blogging thing goes after working next week.  This could be the last post on the West Allis Baby Project...  I've thought of starting another blog, something along the lines of being a Midwesterner in the South...Corn Fed in the Blue Grass State.   I don't know.  I just hope that Weston doesn't end up with a twang or drawl when he starts talking.

Off to See Kentucky

We're hitting the road today--my mom, Weston and I.  It's going to be a crazy


We've arrived in Cincinnati, just north of Kentucky,


I've tried to post on the blog several times now, and I'm hoping that this time I'll actually get to finish!

As you can see, my mom, Weston and I have left Wisconsin, and are now staying in Cinci with Uncle JeffD, Nate's business partner.  I officially start work tomorrow, but we can't move into our apartment in Covington until August 31, so that's why we're here in Cinci.  Nate's back in Wisco and will be coming next week with the moving truck.

Happy in the car seat (a semi-rare occurrence)

This is the wackiest start to a school year yet.  My mom came with Weston and me because I have no childcare for him until Nate gets here.  She gets to be full-time grandma this week and next and watch him while I go back to work.  I'm very, very conflicted about going back to work.  This is a new job, new district, new age group, and new curriculum (and not to mention new accents).  Oh yeah, and I'm a new mom.  I keep wondering how in the hell this is all going to work out, especially the sleep thing.  He's been sleeping better at night, but with all the moving, driving, changing of time zones, and sleeping in unfamiliar places, Weston still isn't sleeping much longer than 5 hours straight at night.  He'll sleep for about 11 or 12 hours total, but that first stretch of sleep needs to get longer!!  I'm hoping that once we're in our apartment and in a quiet place, he'll be sleeping for 7 or 8 hours straight every night.

Note the car seat covered with a blanket in the bathtub
This is Weston's bedroom when we visit Uncle JeffD

Napping site when no one is in the apartment
(on top of Uncle JeffD's bed)

Weird.

I just remembered that I'm a mom.  I have a son.  And he's so friggin' cute.

Moving On...

I accepted a job in Covington, Kentucky yesterday afternoon as their ESL teacher in the middle and high school!  I'm a whole range of emotions--happy to be finally getting out of Wisconsin and on with the next phase of our lives.  Sad to know that I have to go back to work and leave my baby boy with a complete wacko--Nate.  Angry that I don't have the luxury of staying home full time with Weston.  Scared to start a completely new job with people that speak with a twang and refer to me as "ma'am."

But, with all the other adventures I've tackled in my life, I know I'll be able to get through it.  I have to say, though, that the challenge of being a mom is really overwhelming at times.  I think with all my other challenges (studying abroad in Spain, doing the bike trip last summer, traveling in India...to name a few) there was always a reasonable and manageable amount of time before it was over.  I've discovered with being a mom that there isn't an end in sight.  That's daunting.  On top of that, Weston is so unpredictable.  I never know how much he's going to sleep or if he's going to nurse really well.  Or what mood he'll be in when he wakes up.

I find myself doubting this motherhood gig quite frequently as of late.  I wonder why in the hell I got myself into this thing.  Why didn't I listen to other people say how hard this is and just have a child-free life?

Needless to say, I've been a little blue lately...  Perhaps it's just all the stuff that's going on besides having a baby.  My sister sent me this article to cheer me up a bit and to help me to keep remembering that I'm not the only mom who thinks that this is "too hard."  And when he's super cute like this, I cheer up instantly:

Grabbing the tootsies

So big!

By the way, I don't think this motherhood gig is not all it's cracked up to be everyday.  It's actually very infrequently that I think this.  I think it's been surfacing because in addition to all the craziness in my life as of late, Weston suddenly developed "baby ADD" these past few days while breastfeeding AND it seemed as though he forgot how to sleep more than 3 hours at night.  He would absolutely not nurse, or if he started to, he would pull off after a few seconds.  It was like all of a sudden he could see and hear every single thing that was going on around him.  This was incredibly frustrating (and painful!), and I didn't know what was wrong or what to do.  But, like any other breastfeeding problem we've come to, we've been able to push past it and figure out how to continue to make it work.

Happy Three Months!

Weston celebrated three months yesterday by sleeping, eating, laughing, and pooping.  It was great... and very typical.  He's "unofficially" 15 1/2 pounds and 26 inches tall.  He is still working on rolling over, but he's laughed out loud many times.  He also is trying to reach out to grab things (with a pretty low success rate, but we're getting better).  We've also let him watch a few Baby Einstein videos, and let me tell you, he gets SUPER excited watching them.  He's very vocal during the videos, wiggling and stomping his feet.

I cannot believe how fast he's growing up.  I still can't believe I'm a mom sometimes, either!  I'm responsible for this little mammal and will be for the next eighteen years.  He's such a good baby, and I'm thankful that parenthood is going so well.  I've adapted to the sleep deprivation, breastfeeding is pretty easy, and Nate and I have lots of fun laughing at (and with) Weston.  I am a little shocked at how much hair I'm losing, though.  I knew that it would happen, but wow, if it doesn't let up soon (it's been going on for about a week now), I'm going to have some problems!

So happy to be 3 months old!

Story time with Dad

Pretty soon this onesie from Auntie Mary and Uncle Shad won't fit anymore... :(

"I didn't do that when you were a baby..."

Last week, Nate and I went out on a Super Date--we left Weston at home with my mom at 3pm and didn't get home until 9pm.  It was wonderful!!!  We did a Super Date because we haven't been very consistent about doing our weekly date night since we moved.  I had a follow up IUD appointment in Milwaukee at 4:30 (how un-romantic), and after that was done, we went to Boswell's Books on the East Side and ordered some iced Chai teas and perused the bookstore.  I was feeling ambitious and bought a book, even though I still haven't finished The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  Nate bought three.  Afterward, we headed over to Roots, one of our favorite restaurants in Milwaukee and had a couple of sandwiches.

When we got back home, my mom had Weston in bed already, which was good.  However, she didn't turn on the radio to Weston's favorite station: STATIC.  We let the little man have white noise when he's sleeping to help block out all the other sounds that occur in the house.  It was especially great in our apartment in 'Stallis because every step made the floor squeak and creak uncontrollably.

She said to me, "I didn't turn the radio on because I didn't do that when you were a baby.  It's silly."

I said, "Okay, that's fine.  But it helps keep outside noises from waking him up.  That's why we do it."

There are all sorts of things that our parents did with us that we would never dream of doing to our own children, and yet, somehow, we've managed to make it into adulthood.  I'm sure we'll laugh at Weston's parenting decisions, and he'll think it's a miracle that he made it out of childhood.

Baby was 12 weeks old last Thursday--I can't believe it.  Here are some recent shots of the little man:

Nate can make him laugh almost all of the time

This little boy is trying on a bunch of hats that used to be super huge on him a couple of months ago

This little hat's a bit snug...

But this little hat will accommodate his growing noggin...

First shoulder ride

His favorite activity?  Chewing on his fingers

Who Do You Think He Looks Like?

I get this question lots.  I ask it frequently, too.  Most folks say Weston looks like me, and I agree, but I think that he has subtle qualities that are Nate's.  He has long eye lashes, long legs, and long arms--none of which I possess.  Those are from his dad.

But there are some things that are the same...

Weston at two months and two weeks old

I'm not sure of my age in this picture, but it seems younger than two months

I think we have the same smile (too bad Weston doesn't have sweet older brothers)

I'm about 6 months old here, and I think Weston and I look pretty much the same

What I Didn't Know About Being a Mom

1. Sleep deprivation It's hard to predict what happens to someone after days, then weeks, and then months of getting no more than 5-6 hours of consecutive sleep at a time.  In the beginning, I was afraid I wasn't ever going to be able to sleep.  Thankfully, that's not the case.  I have to admit, though, that it's difficult for me to fall back asleep after Weston sets new records for night sleep.  For example, when he slept 7 hours the other night, I got 6, and after nursing him, I was wide awake because I hadn't gotten that much consolidated sleep in forever!
2. Cutest baby Okay, so everyone thinks that their baby is the cutest, but really, ours is the cutest.  I don't know how other people think that they have the cutest baby because we clearly own the market on that.  I even ask Nate all the time--Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?  He completely agrees with me.  I wasn't prepared for how firmly I believe that we have the cutest baby...
3. Breastfeeding gets easier It has to get easier or else no one would continue it.  There were a few times when I told Nate that I was done breastfeeding.  Thank goodness I wasn't serious.  I had mastitis when Weston was two weeks old, and then I had an over-active let down reflex which Weston and I struggled with for several weeks until my supply regulated.  For something that's so "natural," breastfeeding takes buckets of patience and energy.  I would say that it got easier for me right around 8 weeks.
4. I smell I'm serious.  I had heard stories and read stuff about women being overly pungent after having a baby, but I was not prepared for my own smell.  It's so ridiculous that I have to put on deodorant immediately after showering regardless of how well I wash.  One has to hope that this happens so that the baby can bond with its mother, but after ten weeks of stink, I'm confident Weston knows my smell.  Enough already.
5. Conflicting information I read every pregnancy book that came my way while I was pregnant.  I spent hours on the Internet reading about even more stuff that was going on with my body and with the fetus.  The information didn't differ much from one another.  After the baby came, I continued to read a lot about what was going on with him.  In fact, I might have read too much.  The problem is that all babies are different, and there are dozens of ideas about how to raise them.  I've read so many things about eating schedules, sleeping, napping, baby poop, diaper reviews, breastfeeding, and much of it differs from one source to the next.  It's quite frustrating, and I actually got worked up about it a couple of times.  It's much easier to just let it all go and have fun with the baby instead.
6. Going crazy over a schedule This relates to #5.  Because of all the stuff I've read and stories I've heard from other moms, I kept thinking that Weston was supposed to be on some sort of sleeping and feeding schedule that was predictable.  Truth is, he's not that predictable.  Patterns have emerged, but I can't pin him down to anything specific.  I am more concerned about getting him down to sleep in a timely manner than I am about feeding him, mostly due to the fact that I've discovered that he can't handle being awake more than 90 minutes.  So, I adhere to that principle and try to get him to sleep before he gets super tired and crabby.  I've noticed that he generally can go about 3 hours between feedings.  And by about 8 or 9 pm, he's ready for bed.  Other than that, we don't have a strict schedule.
7. Baby blues go away...and can come back  Sigh.  I already wrote about my version of the baby blues, thinking that they were over.  It's been my experience that they do go away and that things get better.  However, there are some...relapses.  I'm pretty sure that they have much in common with the quantity of sleep I'm getting.  Last week at 10 weeks postpartum, I had a horrible day.  I woke up feeling sad and pretty much cried the rest of the day non-stop.  I wasn't expecting it, and it caught me off guard.  It was kind of scary in the sense that I thought that I was never going to be happy again.  Of course, it passed, and I'm okay once again.
8. Other's baby stories Reading other blogs and stories of motherhood has helped me tremendously.  It's fun to hear what their babies are doing, but it's also helpful to hear about when things aren't going well.

The cutest baby

We need to invest in a kiddie pool

Traveling with Baby

Nate and I have been busy traveling this past week with Weston, and let me tell you, doing a road trip with an infant is no easy task.  I'm actually guilt-ridden about it.  We left last Friday night and drove to Davenport, Iowa around 7pm.  That trip was actually pretty easy because it was Weston's bedtime, and he slept most of the way after we stopped for dinner.  We got to Nate's mom's house, left him in the car seat, and he woke up around 3am to eat.

He enjoyed two days with Grandma Becca and Grandpa Brady, spending lots and lots of time outside.  He even went for several dips in the kiddie pool and loved it!  Because he spent so much time outside both days, he slept for 7 hours on Saturday night and 7 1/2 hours on Sunday night!!!!!  I couldn't believe it.  It was quite awesome.  He still isn't the greatest napper (he doesn't usually sleep for more than 30-40 minutes, and an hour is a good nap), but I'll happily take long nights of sleeping.

The trip from Davenport to Cincinnati was a different story...  We left Monday morning at 8am and got to Cinci at 6pm.  He slept okay in the car for the first half of the trip.  We stopped at an air-conditioned rest stop so that he could nurse and get some play time.  We sat under the shade of a tree for at least 45 minutes after he ate and played.  Then we got back in the car where he promptly fell asleep, but woke up about 30 minutes later.  He continued to wake up and doze off for the rest of the trip and cried lots.  It's so hard to watch him completely agitated and pissed off in the car seat.  I would gladly take him out of the car seat and play with him while Nate's driving (just like our parents did when we were little), but Nate won't let me break the law.

We're leaving tomorrow morning to drive to Chicago to visit my brother's family and to also have Weston meet my aunt and uncle on my dad's side.  I hope that this trip goes well.  I read a few tips on how to travel with an infant, and I think we're doing our best.  I would like to try to drive while he does his long stretch of sleeping at night, but that makes it tough on the drivers because we're driving while we should be sleeping.

Two Month Check Up

I was dreading this morning's appointment--SHOTS.  Three of them.  There's something about seeing a baby in pain that can only be understood when your own baby is actually in pain.  I've been around lots and lots of babies in my lifetime, and many of them have had runny noses, bruises, bumps, or just not been feeling well.  Weston had a runny nose last week, and I was distraught in a way that baffled me.  I felt so incredibly bad for him.  And I've been anxious for his shots today since last week sometime.  He did alright--just screamed bloody murder for about a minute and got bright red.  He calmed down after I held him close and talked calmly to him.  He whimpered in the car on the way back home, but slept pretty soundly.  I even sat in the back seat with him and stroked his head while Nate drove.  He's upstairs sleeping soundly right now, even after a long 3-hour nap this afternoon.

Let's see... he's 24 1/2 inches (98th percentile), 13 pounds 2 ounces (75th) and has an impressive head circumference of 40.5 centimeters (90th).  It's hard to believe how much he's grown in such a short amount of time.  No wonder babies sleep so much!

Foaming at the Mouth

Baby's taking a nap right now in his swing, snoozing peacefully while foaming at the mouth.  I'm glad he's such a good sleeper.  He usually will get about 4-6 hours of sleep at night; I just have to be better about going to bed right when he does!

His newborn hair has fallen out on the top of his head, leaving him with a spectacular mullet:

One crazy hair guy talking to another

I resolved the bath time issue...he gets a full bath every other night, and on the off nights, I just draw up a bath and soak him in there for a little bit.  We wash his naught bits on those nights. :)

Loving the bath

He's so close to laughing--I can't wait until he does.  He's able to hold his head up while on his tummy and move it side to side.  He's also starting to pull himself up when you hold his arms.  He loves standing and stomps his foot repeatedly.

Grandma, cousin Owen, Mom and Weston