12.5

Baby, baby, baby.

Mama has been lagging. Really lagging (there has been a lot of repetition in this post already). I can't even begin to describe to you how far you have come since I wrote that last post. I talked about milestones that you have reached, how you have grown by leaps and bounds, but that was NOTHING!

I don't even know where to start, so, let's begin with a list, shall we?
*Rolling over, you have been doing this for well over a month, but you are good kid! You roll every which way, you roll to get an item you desire, you roll over in your sleep to give me heart attacks ("I tried explaining the back to sleep" campaign but you didn't listen), you even roll to try to escape us. HA! Didn't work sucker, we caught you.
*Sitting up - you are getting good my love
*Maneuvering yourself to see/hear/grab whatever you wish
*Scooting backwards - and backwards, and backwards. You just keep going till someone stops you. Usually it is the couch, sneak bastard. However, Tis the season, and that Christmas tree has been getting in your way.
*Raspberries - enough said
*Finger/Hand/Toes sucking
*Eating rice cereal - YOU LOVE IT!
*Going to see Santa - YOU LOVE IT...less than rice cereal though
*Sleeping more - WE LOVE IT! ...more than rice cereal
*Tibetan monks sing you to sleep - so sometimes you chant yourself to sleep. It is quite amusing.
*You tolerate weekly trips to the library
*You ADORE, and I very much so mean ADORE compliments from strangers. I don't know how, but you know what they are saying and you soak up every compliment with that big ole goofy grin that looks like it weighs you down
*You went camping, and took sleeping in a tent, in the cold, snuggled between dad and I like a champ! Also, you didn't suck on the 4.5 hour trip there and back
*You were a trooper on Thanksgiving, being carted around and then passed around like a football, you did it all with a smile on your face.
*The cats...ooohhhhh....The cats. Poor souls. You love them. You love to pet them, you love to think you are petting them when in all actuality you are thrusting your hand into their fur and grabbing on for dear life. Sita is an angel (for this reason she hasn't been tossed out on her tail by now) and Gwen, well, Gwen hasn't been to fond of this activity, but she loves you in her own way. When you are not looking she will come sniff you then you turn your head and BAHM. CAT. This amuses you to no end. Oh, how you love those cats, and how they ....well...how they...accept you....sometimes.

Oh, my love, you are so very, very loved. If only you knew how excited your dad was to come home to you each and every day, how blessed I feel to be able to stay home with you every day, at least for now. I am good at being cliche, so let me just say, you really are the light of our life, and you really are the perfect addition to our family. Your dad works hard so you can be at home with me, and I work hard to keep you entertained, yummy food in our bellies and a house that is a little less chaos and a bit more cleanly (Your dad is a bit better at meeting his goals than I). We do one new thing a day, anything from reading a new book, to going to Canterberry Gardens (AKA The place Santa threw up) with your Grandma, and Great-Grandma.

In case you were worried, there isn't a second of the day where you go unloved. I think you might be able to tell that by the way I gush about you.

So, to sum up your life since I last posted, I will do it with one single picture, which, oddly enough for myself, is quite easy to do.

Ugh, look at you my sweet! THAT is a happy boy.

8.0

Who took my newborn and gave me a real life, giant, beautiful baby? When did this transition happen?

You are 8 weeks old today...EXACTLY...as I write this, wow, Mommy has good timing. As I write, you are asleep on your Dad's chest. You have me worried that you have whooping cough. Why? Well you see, you have a sniffle, so naturally, you must have some awful illness. Isn't that how it works with new mom's thoughts?

You have come so far over the past 8 weeks, from being a big wrinkly lump of snuggly love, to a real baby who smiles at our kisses, wraps your arms around our necks, squeels with delight, tries to suck on his thumb, and is starting to get his motor skills down to crawl. Which, you almost have. You can get your little toes under your foot to propel you, you can make the motions with your legs and hold your head up, but when you start scooting yourself across the blanket, you start to cry. It isn't your favorite activity, but you are doing wonderful at it.

This past week your Daddy started feeding you a bottle every other day. It has been hard for me to give up that feeding to your Dad, but it had to be done. You both adore it, you stare at him like he is a god, and he stares at you like he doesn't have eyes for anyone else. I just asked your dad what he wanted me to add about you, and your life thus far. All he said? "Just write that he loves his daddy" and it is so true.


In other news, you are showing more interest in the books that I read to you. You don't sit and cry - it was just all about the position. I lay you on your back as you wiggle, and hold the book above our heads as I read, and you love really looking over the pictures. Right now, the book you stare at the longest is "The Curious Garden" by Peter Brown. We got it because of the beautiful illustrations, colors and the message of getting off the couch and doing something for the world. I am so glad you enjoy it.

Wes, you are so beyond loved, I have written it out before, but it can't be said or written enough, we love you with all of our hearts and feel so blessed that you have made your way into our lives and hearts. We cherish every second with you.

Right now we are off to our 8 week photoshoot, and I can't wait to take some handsome pictures of my handsome little man.

At 8 weeks:
You Like: Kisses, Eating, wiggling on your back, snuggling in any form, florescent lights
You Dislike: Sleeping in your crib or anywhere other than someone's arms, gas, fingernails being clipped

Mommy Likes: Your Contours Options Stroller (although I don't like how the wheels melted while it was in the car and the company tried to say it was our fault), your fun etsy blanket, Dr. Brown glass bottles and everything about you.

7.5

We had a wonderful weekend as a family, there was a ton of running around but we did it together, and we had fun (even you!).

On Saturday we went to the Wild Animal Park. We have been going there on weekend mornings to go for walks. It is beautiful to walk around and see all the animals, scenery and people watch. You couldn't care less that we go there, but we have a great time. Your dad always has to take you to the Gorillas and while you look cute in photos...at almost 8 weeks, we can only pretend to ourselves that you care.
Great Grandpa Sherman stopped by to say hi, you always give him the sweetest, well timed smiles that seemingly make his day. Speaking of making things, you also helped us make some homemade veggi sushi. I haven't seen your dad so excited about a homemade meal in quite some time, he is still talking about it days later. You must make some amazing sushi.

You continue to grow at lightening quick speed, smile at us and while I can't tell people you are laughing, you do gurgle when you are happy. You reached a new milestone and can hold your own head up for45+ second look left, look right, look center. Baby, you can do it all!

7.1

I write this quickly, as, yet again, you have decided that naps are pointless. I feel like a monster as I let you cry in your crib, but you were a wreck yesterday after not napping for 11 hours. You only nap if you are in my arms, but I can't sit still enough for the two hours you like to nap. You hate the swing, you hate the bouncer, you hate the stroller, you my love, are a snuggle bug. A snuggle bug who likes things one way, and one way only. Snuggly.

7.0

Ever since you were first born, we have always wondered out loud if you knew how very loved you are. Now at 7 weeks I am starting to think you might. Today, not only have you decided that naps are for the birds, you were non-stop smiles all day, no it wasn't gas. All the books say you should be just starting to smile at random, not mastering reactive smiles. What none of the books could tell us though is what an amazing smile you would have, or how our hearts would melt every time you smile after we kiss your sweet face.

Your smiles make me think that we are doing something right, and there is a chance, just a small chance that at 7 weeks you know how deeply you are loved, not only by your father and I, but by your whole family, and there are a lot of 'em!

Today your father and I have been hashing out our personal insurance dilemma. Hopefully something you never need to worry about. As things stand now though, my work provides amazing health insurance to full time employees, and for 12 weeks after women go on maternity leave. We are nearing the end of those 12 weeks, and we will soon be losing those amazing benefits until I go back to work full time, *if* I go back full time, but that is another issue for another time. Our dilemma, at this time is, do we give up everything to afford health insurance that can only be described as mediocre, or do we shell out a, small fortune, but less, to have insurance for you that would only be described as awful, and take the gamble that we will all, for the most part, be happy and healthy for several years until I go back to a full time position. The worst part is, the insurance companies are making an insane amount of money, off of a no win situation for consumers. As consumers though, do we have a choice? Not in my eyes, not when your birth cost $37,000.

I hope we find a good solution, because this is the pits! Do I give you, and our relationship up for 11 hours a day, or do we give up access to good health insurance that we can afford?

Here we go

As you lay sleeping nestled in your dad's arms, as you do most every night, he and I started to talk about how muh you have changed in the past seven weeks, and your need to keep track of all of your rapid progress. Everyone always comments that the first several months are hard to recall, so, what better way then to create a personal diary of sorts. It is our chance to remember your early days and preserve the memories in a way our sleep deprived mind can't right now.