The World of Jenna N.

For my memory...

2011-07-07T09:15:00.004-06:00

I know that this blog has basically become defunct. I did a long post with pictures in May that somehow disappeared. But I need to jot down a few things that have happened since March... and hopefully this post won't also disappeared. Then if I ever get in front of my laptop at home again I'll upload some photos for this post too.

First, Wesley took his first unassisted steps on April 22. He is now running around like a crazy toddler who has been walking all his life.

Two, at his 15 month appointment back in the beginning of May, he weighed 17 lbs, 14.5 oz... he was in the 2nd percentile weight. He was 31 1/2" tall, making him in the 50th percentile for height. I just took him back to the doctor last week for a weight check and he is 18lbs 12oz, having fallen back off the chart but still gaining (rising with the chart, just below it). We also put him on Singulair in order to hopefully help with his allergy-like symptoms. He also had his blood drawn at his 15 month appointment to make sure that everything is ok (since he's so skinny). All was fine except his iron levels were low so he is now also on iron drops.

He cut his first set of molars on the top last week, bringing his teeth count to 10. However, his eye teeth on top are also poking through so he'll soon have 12!!

Mid-April

2011-04-12T13:33:00.003-06:00

So, here we are in mid-April. That means that Wesley is 14 and a half months old! It's funny how we never think we'll forget things... but we always do. So, I wanted to chronicle just a few things that Wesley is doing right now so that I don't forget them.

One thing Wesley is not doing yet is walking. He is creeping along the edges of furniture. He'll hold on to something with the most cavalier nature, with just a few fingers grasping the edge of the piece of furniture or your fingers. But so far, he hasn't dared himself to let go and walk... yet. He is, however, climbing like he was born to. He gets up (and back down) from the sofa. He has successfully climbed the piano bench. He not only climbs the two step footstool in the kitchen but will push it around the kitchen, climbing onto the kitchen table and the counters. He LOVES the stairs and will go up and down them as many times as we let him in. In fact, if he puts at the babygate to the stairs and we tell him "No, not right now" he will throw himself down on the floor in a most pathetic little puddle (sometimes even backing it up with real tears).

Wesley is communicating more and more every day. He can successfully say mama, dada, that a dog says "wa-wa" and a cow says "moo." He makes the sign for "all done" (though it honestly means "I'm bored" as he makes it when he's in his high chair and wants down even if he's still hungry). He waves hello and goodbye and nods his head yes in agreement. He'll hold a book up wanting you to read it (even if you've read it multiple times to him already). My favorite is that he and I created a signal for nursing. He looks at me and then pats his chest with both hands. Much better than pulling down my tank top at Walmart!

He is doing a great job of being gentle with our pets and is understanding perrimeters more and more. In fact, he will now look at the dogs' water bowl and then look at us before heading towards it. And when we tell him no, most of the time he'll just head off in a different direction rather than trying to splash in it!

He LOVES reading books together and will sit through just about as many you will read to him. Some of his favorite titles include "Hurry, Hurry", "101 Dalmations" (which we've nicknamed "Pepper", the main character) and "Can You?" a book of questions about things that animals can do (such as "Can you stand tall like a meerkat?").

He will eat just about anything, though he still doesn't eat much at any one sitting. We went to a Japanese restaurant this past weekend while in Denver and he loved both the gyoza and the gari! As both are very strong flavors I was pretty surprised. His favorite vegetable is definitely green beans and so far the kid hasn't met a fruit he didn't like!

Cute Wesley Mid-March

2011-03-12T23:14:00.003-07:00

Here are some cute Wesley pictures!

It was warm today... so we did what all little boys do! We went outside and played in the dirt!

Cool dude! Referring of course to his penguin sweater!

Look where Wesley can climb up to! He pushed the footstool over and climbs from it onto the table. At this point he was going through the mail for us! (please ignore the purple shirt with red head scarf... I promise I don't go out like this!)

"I'm tough!"

And cute!

Another Month Down...

2011-03-03T13:55:00.005-07:00

Wesley takes his job as remote holder very seriously.

And no more posts. Already, so I'm just officially a bad blogger.

Being away from Wesley for the week of the Festival was hard... but not as hard as I thought it would be. He and Reid got into a schedule that worked for both of them. He apparently only woke up in the middle of the night the first night and after that slept soundly (proof that he doesn't NEED to nurse in the middle of the night... he just likes to some nights). I, however, did not sleep all that well while I was there which I think is pretty funny. I had a whole bed to myself, no husband or baby to disturb me and yet I tossed and turned... guess I need them as much (or more) than they need me!

I got back very late Saturday night from the conference and slipped into bed with Wesley. He didn't wake up. Sunday morning, he rolled over and smiled up at me like I had never been missing. The next week at school for him was a little challenging as he cried every time I left him.

He had his 12 month check-up on the Monday after I got back. In retrospect, this was not a good time to schedule a physical that includes a weight check, since he hadn't been regularly nursing and had been stressed. At the exam, he was 30.5" tall (up from 29" at his 9 month check-up) and only 16lbs7oz (a weight gain of 6 oz. since his 9 month). So, he is still in the 50-75th percentile for height and has officially fallen off the scale for weight. We've scheduled another weight check at the end of March and he'll hopefully (with mommy here so he has no reason to stress) be back on the scale by then!

However, his health has not been positively contributing to his weight gain. Last Monday he was back at the doctor's office. He had a blown ear drum from an ear infection. He was prescribed oral antibiotics and ear drops. He only had a temperature of a little over 100 so we thought that would clear it up. Wednesday afternoon his daycare provider called me to tell me that he had a fever of 103.5. We kept him home from school the next day (after a very restless night). He was doing better in the morning but by afternoon had worsened. Around 4:30 he started vomiting. So, despite the hour, we called his pediatrician who let us bring him in. We were there until 6pm. They swabbed him for influenza (negative) and then gave him an injected antibiotic. He went back to the doctor the next day for one more dose of the injected antibiotic. By Friday evening his fever had broken and he was, indeed, on the mend. We started him back on the oral antibiotic Saturday which he's been on ever since. He still has a runny nose but it is all back to being clear which is a good sign and he's back to being his perky, high energy self. He hates the oral antibiotic but luckily this evening will be his last dose and hopefully he'll be healthy for awhile! Of course... Reid is now home sick so I'm not going to hold my breath. Wait... maybe I should hold my breath so that I don't get sick!

And that brings us up to now. Wes turned 13 months just a few days ago. He is so interesting! He mimicks a lot of our behavior now; things like waving hello and goodbye, cocking his head as if to say "I'm so cute," etc. He is walking while holding onto our fingers with increasing confidence and every once in awhile will forget what he's doing and let go of furniture standing all by himself. But... so far, no walking on his own. That will come in its own time.

He still loves music and most of his favorite toys include some sort of musical component. He also loves electronics and has managed to use my cell phone to both call my mom and text message my brother-in-law!

He's not much of an eater. It's not that he's picky in that he'll eat almost anything... but only about five or six bites at a time. He lets you know he's done with it by taking a bite and then spitting it back out at you. And this week he has learned that the dogs are under his chair. He throws them pieces of food off his tray and then giggles hysterically as they run around and get it... so much for having skinny beagles! He does love fruit of all varieties and has yet to meet a bean he didn't like.

He has started to show his frustration when things don't go his way. That generally results in a meltdown that includes crying, putting his head either in his hands or on the floor. Luckily they don't last for very long. He is pretty easily distracted.

He loves looking at pictures of his loved ones. In fact, we can't walk by the wall of pictures or the calendar of he and his cousin without stopping to identify people.

He is a major climber! If we let him, he climbs into the fridge. He also loves to use the two step footstool to climb onto the kitchen table. So far we've been right there every time he's done it... hopefully it'll stay that way. He climbs up and down off the sofas like a pro and is mastering climbing onto the footstool and then onto the sofa from that. Also, if we move his high chair down to a lower setting he can climb into that himself. All of that to say, look out Cousin Raley! You'll have a climbing buddy soon!

Wesley "helping" with the toilet paper...

One of the only times he wore his winter coat... it's just too bulky. He can't put his arms down!

Wesley "helping" to reorganize the shelving unit next to the backdoor. "My work here is done."

Messy faced baby!

Wesley, sleeping sideways on our bed!

Doing "snort face."

One of my favorite photos...

Ninja in the fridge!

Wes' Birthday

2011-02-07T17:42:00.004-07:00

Here are some photos of Wes' birthday... we certainly had fun!

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Hmmm... this tastes good!"

Rockin' the icing moustache and goatee

"I'll take another!"

Wesley LOVES his piano... he frequently plays it with his drumstick :)

Playing under a chair with presents on top of it... The boy can amuse himself!

Playing with his portable train and track from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Dan

More presents for me??

"Thanks for the paper!"

"I really love to eat it mommy!"

I finally got Wes' one year pictures taken today. For once I bought the CD (along with a bazillion prints). So, I'll post some of them when the CD comes in a few weeks. I think they turned out really well.

Tomorrow I head to Cheyenne, Wyoming (about six hours away) for the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association's festival. Though excited to see some good theatre and to present Two Rooms (the show I directed last fall which was chosen as a showcase performance for Friday night), I am beside myself with how much I am going to miss Wesley... oh, and Reid too. :) Reid, however, I can talk to on the phone. Wesley's cuddles and impish grins don't translate much over the telephone. We're going to try to Skype, if there is time and if our connection here at home will let us. But, as the grandparents know, that just isn't the same either. I'm worried he's going to feel like I'm abandoning him ('cause I am!). I'm worried that he'll go on a nursing strike when I get home and decide he's done nursing (which I am not ready to give up all together). I'm worried that at night when he's used to nursing he'll be incolosable for Reid and neither of them will get much sleep. I don't have a choice... but I can't wait for Saturday to get here so I can come home to both of them!

To Make Up...

2011-01-31T19:59:00.006-07:00

To make up for the lack of photos in December and January... here are a whole bunch from the middle of January to Wes' birthday, all told from Wesley's point of view. Birthday photos to follow in another post.

Yum! This guitar is yummy...

Wait, I'm NOT supposed to eat the guitar? Artistic differences...

I REALLY want your computer...

How about if I distract you by wearing my right hand as a hat... that way you won't notice my left hand grabbing this cord!

Oh Gollum... you're so misunderstood...

Tricksy Hobbitses!

This is what I think of Social Security (and probably about what it will be by the time Wes is old enough to collect it)...

Aren't my striped PJs SOOOO cute? I look like a little person and not a baby at all!

A box from Aunt Sarah = Best present EVER!

Don't disturb me... I'm practicing my Bach!

Examining my sandwich (Grandma Annie... he's really rocking the Einstein look with the hair in this photo! So much of it and it sticks out in every direction!)

Hello in there! (mommy just loves those blue eyes!)

Wesley is 1!

2011-01-30T19:37:00.002-07:00

My baby boy is 1!!

His party was a success... pictures and update tomorrow as I'm currently uploading flip videos and the computer doesn't like to do both!

Pictures of the first half of January at home

2011-01-26T09:03:00.004-07:00

Tater still thinks he's the baby... this was where we found him after a pit stop on our way home from LA!

Wesley modeling the hat I made him while in LA

Side View

Playing in the water bowl... one of his favorite sneaky habits!

Teasing the dog... That is a Wesley toy that Winston REALLY wants to play with but isn't allowed.

Trying to get in touch with his inner cat!

" Hey... this new Wii thing is for me, right?"

He is REALLY in touch with his inner cat!

Look where Wesley can climb now!

2 Months, No Post

2011-01-24T12:34:00.006-07:00

So... it has been a long time since I posted. I just took my blog off auto-publishing to facebook. I think one (of the many) reasons I haven't posted is because it going to facebook (and thus having potentially 300 people I know read it) seemed a little too personal. Now, of course, any of those people could if they wanted to saunter over here to this blog and read it anyway... but the truth is that most people won't.

Mainly I haven't posted because I've been wicked busy and I have a baby who every time I try to sit down to get on the computer he wants to get on the computer. That means rather than being able to leisurely post, I have to fight over baby fingers and inevitably deal with a crying fit (mine or his, I'll let you decide).

And I also haven't posted because I've been daunted by just how much I've missed posting about. So, rather than trying to go back and recreate all that I have missed... I'm just going to move forward. Suffice it to say, we had a fabulous Christmas and New Year's in LA with my family and Reid's family and I wished that it could have gone on for a lot longer! There are a few pictures at the moment and I might post more some other time... or probably not :)

Now for the Wesley update... Wesley is SOO close to walking on his own. He just climbed up onto the sofa this weekend by himself for the first time! He was so proud. He "knows" that he is supposed to roll over onto his tummy and then swing his legs down to get down... but in the excitement of being on the sofa of his own accord he frequently forgets to do so. This means that mommy and daddy need to be sitting really close by!

He is the MASTER of interesting faces. Lately he has taken to wringling his nose with his smiles. He also tilts his head to one side and smiles at you, almost as if he knows that his cuteness is too much to be resisted! Going along with that, he will frequently lean in to whomever is holding him and cuddled his head against your chest. This doesn't last for long because he's so busy but it truly is one of the sweetest feelings in the world.

What else? He still LOVES music and will bob and dance to just about any type, from mommy humming to his baby CDs to the hard metal that is on one of daddy's PS3 games! His hand/eye coordination is getting extremely good. One of his favorite toys is a funnel that you throw balls into and they set off music. He can fit the ball into the top opening (which has maybe an eighth of an inch opening) and he'll do it over and over again. He has also started using a spoon! He gets as much on himself as he does in his mouth but he's very proud of himself.

He loves to play follow the leader, especially if he's leading! It usually consists of "Hands up!" "Hands down!" "Flap your arms like a bird" and "Clap." Sometimes waving gets thrown in for good measure too.

Despite having been out of daycare for almost four weeks, he took to it like he was never gone. He loves his teacher and his classmates... but I love that he is always super excited when he sees mommy or daddy in the doorway in the afternoon. No matter what he is doing, he drops it and crawls at full throttle towards the doorway. Man, I love that moment!

I can't believe that he turns one this coming Sunday. That just seems impossible and yet like the time has flown by. We're having a gathering at our house with cake and ice cream for his birthday on Sunday and I can't wait to see him with a piece of cake all his own (since the cupcake we tried to give him at his 11 month birthday was not eagerly received, due to him being so sick).

The next few weeks are very busy for me. The show I directed last fall (Two Rooms) was selected to go to the Rocky Mountain Theatre Festival which is great! But it means this week and next week I'm back in rehearsal. This week it is from 7-10pm. Next week it is from 3-6pm (because there is a student show performing in the evenings). And then comes the actual conference, which is in Cheyenne, WY). We'll be leaving on a Tuesday and not be back until very late Saturday night. I know that I will have fun seeing so much theatre and presenting our show... and I'll be very busy as we always are. But, man, I am going to miss my husband and my little boy SO MUCH! The longest I've been apart from Wesley so far is 15 hours... and that was too long. I can only console myself with the thought that he is too young to remember it. So, it will just be hard on mommy (and daddy who has to be solo-parent for almost a week)!

Wes sleeping Christmas morning... before the craziness started!

Wes in his adorable Christmas pjs, checking out his cousin's new play kitchen

Christmas is exhausting! Mid-day nap with mommy

Waving leaves around in Great-Uncle Jack's yard. This boy never sits still so I love this picture in motion!

Eating his first cupcake... too bad he was running a temperature and not very intersted in eating it. We'll be trying this again this weekend for his birthday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T16:05:00.003-07:00

We have much to be thankful for in the Neilsen household...

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

(And as an aside because this blog is increasingly serving as Wesley's baby book, at Wesley's 9 month appointment a week and two days ago, he weighed 16 lbs. 1oz, was 29" tall with a head circumference of 43.5 cm. He is a long and thin boy, being about average in height and in the 3rd percentile for weight. We think he's just perfect!)

The Middle of November...

2010-11-13T18:53:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone! (says blue eyes)

We're steam-rolling through the end of this year, aren't we? I swear Wesley was just dressed up in his lion costume... now I've blinked and it's two weeks later. I am hard at work on the costumes of Little Match Girl. I'm also enjoying teaching, especially my improv class which is scheduled to have a performance at the end of the semester and that I am currently organizing into an improv troupe to start next semester. It is so awesome to have one class that I am guaranteed to laugh over and over again in and my students are delivering. Reid has had several orders for the White Mountain Forge (makes great Christmas presents if anyone wants to order something... but we'll be away from the forge starting Dec. 18 so you'll need to order before then)! :) He's also done two craft shows in the last few weeks which has gotten his name and business cards out in the community some as well.

In the last two weeks Wesley has also transitioned to full time day care. He was going Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then coming to school with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But... those two days a week I was getting nothing done and he was quickly coming to resent my office as a room full of no-no's. The first full week was really rough on me (he was fine with it as he loves his teacher, classmates and a room full of toys to explore) but we're doing better now and I keep telling myself it is only a month until we have a full month off for the holidays! Hooray!

Wesley now has FIVE teeth that have cut through, the two top and two bottom center teeth along with the next one on the upper left. He is pulling up on everything and is creeping along the sofa. He's also standing and letting go with one hand. Walking may still be a ways off but he is figuring out this balance thing! In fact, just yesterday he learned that he can pull up at the piano and reach the keys (which he is doing right now)!

He is still amazingly social and flirts with just about everyone he meets, always ready with a smile. His teacher frequently comments on how vocal he is. She has told me that some of the noises he makes she has never heard another child make (and she has been in early childhood teaching for almost 10 years)! We're especially fond of what he has coined his "dragon" noises. They are low, breathy noises usually made while he is engrossed in studying a toy.

And now, some photos from the last few days...

Wesley standing at the bar in his classroom... he pulls himself up on this thing ALL DAY long according to his teacher. Maybe we have a future dancer?

Playing PS3 with daddy this morning... what sort of child are we creating?? :)

And look who is pulling mommy's strings! As if there was any question...

Daddy's PS3 games have been relocated, thanks to the big helper Wesley!

Mommy couldn't resist these PJs at the resale shop... I think they both like them!

Wesley likes to bite! Toys, however, are much more appropriate than mommy or daddy.

Wesley is on a strict workout regiment which includes pushing around daddy's weights.

Look who was in the hay stacks behind our house a week ago!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:03:00.004-06:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

"Grrr!" says the lion sitting in wait behind the log!

Surveying his domain from the stump in the front yard!

Wesley is now, officially, nine months old. And yesterday, in honor of his 9 month birthday, he got up on his hands and knees and crawled (rather than belly crawled) across the living room floor! He is also sitting up from his belly which makes his life so much better! He is getting much more coordinated with picking things up and manipulating them. And, he is pulling up and cruising along the sofa! How big is Wesley? SOOO Big! :)

We went to a Halloween party last night and had a great time!

The "Cowardly Lion" with his good friend "Dorothy" (aka Renee)

One tuckered out lion... he simply fell asleep on their porch seat!

38 Weeks...

2010-10-23T18:02:00.003-06:00

Birthdays are important... six months was important because it was half a year. But in a big way, today is that important or more. Today marks 38 weeks that Wesley has been on the outside. That means from here on out he will have been out longer than he was inside.

Thirty-eight weeks...

To Go From This...

To This...

To this...

Blogging has definitely gotten harder (as the complete dirth of posts and the photo above shows)! But in every other way life just gets better and better. I love our baby Wesley!

Eating "cheerios" for the first time (they were actually organic Breakfast O's but the same jist)

These are officially the dogs' favorite baby food thus far as pieces would fall from the sky!

Cutest baby in the world? You decide... earlier this week when it was cold enough one morning to wear his winter hat for the first time!

Eight Months (and five days) Old!

2010-10-05T08:27:00.004-06:00

Cuteness personified!

Wesley, you turned eight months last week... do you know that is 2/3 of a year? My, oh my, where has the time gone?

I had been waiting until I had the proper amount of time to do this post. I realized this morning that if I wait until I have that you'll be nine months old, at least! So, I'm writing this while you are laying on the floor playing with the pulls to the entertainment center (who needs baby toys?).

What are you up to this month? It seems like you made leaps and bounds in terms of movement. You are now commando crawling (where you pull yourself along with your arms dragging your belly on the ground) with gusto and get just about anywhere you want to that way. You're also starting to figure out how to go from sitting to being on your belly without falling over which makes you much happier!

You have started to cut your first tooth and although it is coming in slowly it has caused you little to no fussing. It is the bottom left front tooth I believe. Very soon your toothless grin will be gone! And speaking of grins, you have started to wrinkle up your eyes and nose when you are socially smiling at people which is very endearing.

Showing off your new grin!

You are pulling up (or trying to) on anything that will let you. The sofa is still a little high but if someone puts their hand under your arm or on your back you'll attempt it. You are becoming an expert at pulling up on Mommy and Daddy.

You are saying quite a few consonant and vowel sounds, including pretty regular da-da-da-da... still no ma-ma-ma-ma though! :) Also in the last week you have found the loudest, most high pitch scream I have ever heard from a baby and you like to use it when you are not getting enough attention and want some more!

Everyone who meets you comments on what a terrifically happy baby you are and you truly are. You cry very rarely and are very happy to offer people smiles. You also learned last week how to applaud (by holding one hand still and hitting it with the other) and will spontaneously break out in applause, especially at mealtimes. We're working on waving now, though it is currently more of a Nazi salute (straight arm, up against the cheek and then waved slightly).

Speaking of mealtimes (and not Nazis), you LOVE your fruits... peaches, pears, blueberries, apple... yes please! You are not quite as crazy about the veggies but will usually eat them too, including sweet potato, broccoli, avocado, beets, and carrots. However, you strongly dislike peas and will avoid eating them if at all possible. Same with pumpkin.

Eating blueberries is serious business!

You had your first "babysitting" experience this past weekend when mommy and daddy went to the opening night of Two Rooms. You stayed with friends of mommy and daddy who between the two of them have at least six higher education degrees. And from the pictures they took of you laughing and smiling, you had a great time!

You've also adjusted well to daycare. You love your teachers and there are so many toys to play with! You're now taking bottles from them well and even an occasional nap. You have no idea how thankful I am that this is the case because it means I can leave you there with less guilt and anxiety. There have even been several mornings where I have dropped you off and you don't cry! Of course, I think the fact that I get there early enough that I can spend a full twenty minutes in the room with you to help you transition helps... or maybe it's for me to transition. Probably more me!

I'm sure there is more but you have long since grown weary of the drawer pull and are now trying to climb me which makes blogging difficult... but you're definitely worth it!

With daddy at your friend's first birthday party

With mommy in your duck-hood towel (thanks Aunt Jodie!)

And in your adorable frog sweater jacket (thanks again Aunt Jodie!)

Here I come!

A long Few Weeks...

2010-09-19T14:55:00.004-06:00

Wesley yesterday morning before we left (wearing daddy's hat)

On top of having a cold that I thought I had finally fought off (only to wake this morning with a sore throat) I have been in rehearsal directing my show every evening the last few weeks... hence the dirth of posting. But I wanted to get a few pictures up of our day yesterday. In a fit of crazies, Reid, Wesley and I drove three hours to Santa Fe, spent about three hours at the Santa Fe Renaissance Fair and then drove back three hours. It was a fun time but we also had the ulterior motive of wanting to check it out for being a potential vendor next year with Reid's blacksmithing. There was only one other blacksmith there and his stuff was very specific (and expensive) artwork. We both definitely agreed that it is worth exploring more and he signed up to be on their vendor mailing.

On the side of the road... we had to stop on the way there because Wes was fussing so much. He slept all of about forty minutes of the 6+ hours in the car.

Exhausted! Talking a nap on mommy... (this is what happens when you don't sleep in the car)

A part of the museum grounds... it is obviously devoted to the Spanish heritage of New Mexico

It was also held at a living history museum, something of course that is both near and dear to Reid and I. And though a little warm (New Mexico in September is a bit hot in the sun), we had a great time. Now back to the grind stone for two more weeks... then rehearsals will be over and I'll be able to breathe a little (though then costumes for the holiday show will be upon me... but one thing at a time)!

Meeting a dragon!

7 Months!

2010-09-03T21:49:00.003-06:00

Alright, so Wesley turned seven months at the beginning of this week. But I can honestly say that this is the first time this week I've been sitting in front of my computer long enough to post to my blog. The first week of school is always crazy. But for me it has been the first two weeks. Reid and I spent the last entire weekend driving up to Cheyenne, WY where I had a board meeting for the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association (of which I am now the vice-president). Cheyenne is 335 miles from Alamosa... We drove to Denver on Friday, drove up to Cheyenne and back to Denver on Saturday and drove home Sunday morning. I then had auditions for the play I'm directing on Sunday and have had rehearsals every night this week. That means my days start at 6am when the alarm goes off and I get home between 9:30 and 10:30 at night... but it's only for another five weeks and then having my evenings back will feel like a gift!

And in other news, Reid got his first official order through his website, http://www.whitemountainforge.com/! We're very exciting that someone in New Hampshire found our site and ordered hooks. If you have any interest in having Reid make you a hand forged item (or many items) feel free to go take a look! I'm really proud of him.

But... on to Wesley. Wesley, you are now sitting like a champ! You rarely fall over, though when you do it is heart breaking because you rarely brace yourself and so your head hits the floor with a thud. Then you cry the most awful hurt cry until someone scoops you up and kisses you copiously. This is why I'm glad you are such a pro-sitter!

Pro-sitting on a gigantic sofa in our hotel suite... doesn't he look tiny?!

And pro-sitting on the bed as well! You were so happy to get out of the carseat.

You are trying so hard to crawl but you just can't yet get your arms and knees to work together yet... my guess is that by your eight month update you will be.

You eat all sorts of foods now! Some of your favorites include avocado (you ALWAYS finish your avocado), zucchini and peach. We just started carrots this week and next on the list is pumpkin!

Your giggle is infectious and you luckily grace us with it often. We can get you to giggle by tickling you, especially under the chin and under your arms. You also love playing peek-a-boo. You giggle when mommy or daddy reappear and you pull the blanket off your own face when it's your turn.

You are adjusting to daycare much more quickly than mommy! Today I called and checked on you but for the first time I didn't come by at lunch and you did great! When I called to check your teacher said that today would be a good day for me to not come because you were doing so well... if I was ready! Guess she knows who really has the separation anxiety, hunh? You even took two ounces from a bottle for Ms. Corri, as well as a one hour nap (which is really long for you at daycare)!

Speaking of bottles, just a few days before we went back to school you decided that bottles weren't so bad after all. Boy did that give me more confidence for taking you to daycare and for going to play rehearsal! Now you take a bottle from daddy every night to go to sleep with no fuss. What a good boy!

You have quite a bit of hair but it is so blond and so fine that you really can't see it unless you're right up close to it. Still no teeth. You are so long that a few of your 6-9 month sleepers are getting snug. And while in Denver daddy and I took the opportunity to buy you a big boy carseat. Though still rear facing, you are no longer riding in your bucketseat. You' now in what we call your "big boy chair."

In your "Big Boy" Seat

Everywhere we go people comment on what a good baby you are and I don't think they're exaggerating a bit. You very rarely cry. You have a smile for almost everyone you meet. You can easily entertain yourself with a toy for minutes on end. And did I mention your smile?? Because it can't melt just about anyone's heart! I love you little boy!

A big boy in his exersaucer!

Longest Week Ever...

2010-08-25T20:28:00.004-06:00

How can it only be Wednesday? The first week of school is always long. The first DAY with an almost seven month old was long! We started the school year on Friday. Wesley's daycare didn't start until Monday. That meant he had his first day of college with me! He went to the all faculty/staff welcome back meeting. Then we headed over to the freshman convocation, followed by the welcome barbecue/picnic. That was followed by a short nap in mommy's office (and I'm proud to report I was NOT the one napping) and then a meeting with our freshman theatre majors. After that we went to an hour and a half long departmental meeting (during which Wes slept for about an hour in my arms... good boy!). Then we finished the day with a faculty and staff welcome back get-together with food and drinks. Tired yet? We were at school for eleven hours! And Wesley did a bang up job receiving several compliments for how well behaved he was.

Monday was not as difficult on me as I thought it would be. I went and visited him during lunch and picked him up early. He seemed to genuinely enjoy his classroom, his teacher and his classmates. Tuesday was a long day with him in my office but I love that I only have to put him in daycare three days a week so for now I'll sacrifice not getting much work done on Tuesdays and Thursdays for having him with me. Apparently this morning was harder at daycare. The novelty had worn off and he wanted mommy back! But I stopped by at lunch, fed him, nursed him and rocked him to sleep. He slept for almost an hour after I left and apparently woke in a much better mood. However, he still didn't let me put him back down when I picked him up this evening... but that's okay. I like being his favorite person!

And now... a few gratuitous Wesley pictures from the last week!

Mommy and Wes on the 1st day of school!

Daddy and Wes on the first day of school!

Wesley likes peaches!

And beets are okay (though better for wearing than for eating).

Don't you love sleeping baby/daddy pictures?

And chillin' with mommy is nice too!

Harder on Mommy?

2010-08-18T18:52:00.002-06:00

I took Wesley in to Wee Care again today (we went on Monday as well) just to hang out in the room some more and get used to the teacher and other babies. I left the room for a minute to run a check down to the director's office. On my way back to the room I heard a most familiar cry. I quickened my step and when I got there the substitute teacher (his regular teacher was at lunch) was holding him. He was sitting up when I left, had fallen over (a very normal occurence which usually doesn't elicit tears) and she said he had been fine until he looked up and realized that she was not me... then he burst into tears. His cry sounded like the ultimate in abandonment. I, of course, scooped him and he stopped crying... but this doesn't help with my fear of next Monday. Tell me that my son won't feel like I've abandoned him. Tell me that he won't think the one constant person in his life, the one who is ALWAYS there to comfort him and smile at him has just decided he isn't important any more and left him. Monday might just be the hardest day of my life.

Long Time...

2010-08-13T22:38:00.002-06:00

"Well, hi! Where have you been?"

I know I haven't posted in awhile. I was toying with a post about the anxiety I feel going back to work and leaving Wes in daycare. Then, over the last two days, Reid and I had our world turned upside down (or so it felt) when our daycare provider called and said that she took another job and wouldn't be able to watch Wes after all. We were left scrambling, interviewing people both licensed and unlicensed. We had looked at one of the only true daycare centers here in the Valley at the beginning of the summer and called them again on Wednesday. They told us that another family had been offered the slot that they had recently called and offered us (which we turned down thinking we had this other person lined up). And they told us they wouldn't know what the other family wanted to do until today. So... we waited an anxious two days. Then I called this afternoon and, apparently, Friday the 13th is good luck for us because the other family only wanted daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays... we had been hoping for Monday, Wednesday, Friday! So... Wes has daycare again. Of course I still have anxiety but it's different now. He is in a center, which I didn't really want, but I'm sure he'll be well taken care of. And most importantly, the facility is literally five blocks from my theatre. So, I can get to him whenever I want. No doubt, his classroom teacher is going to be sick of me!

And now on to happier tidings... we're still working on painting the house so I'm not going to post pictures until it is all the way done. But last weekend we rented the power washer and the paint sprayer. The main color is up and I've been doing touch-up/trim work all week. Of course, I can only do half an hour to an hour at a time because that is all the longest that Wes will sit in his exersaucer or bouncy seat! So, Reid and I are going to try to tackle a lot of the trim this weekend with the hope that it won't take too long if we make a full-on effort.

And speaking of Wes, he is growing and making leaps and bounds. Though still a baby, he is becoming an increasingly interesting and active baby! I promised his Grandma Annie that I would take a camera with me to the grocery store because look what he is doing...

That's right! Just like a big kid, he can now sit up in the front seat of the cart!

Of course he still sometimes slips down and then we get this face!

"What you doin' back there mom? Didn't you just put all that stuff in the cart? And now you're taking it all back out?" He actually spent a lot of the trip this way. Apparently he likes to see where we're going, not where we've been!

And back home, showing off his mad sitting skillz... getting stronger every day!

Numbers

2010-08-03T11:35:00.001-06:00

I’m normally a words/photos person. But today I’m going to try my hand at numbers…

8 = number of years since I married my husband
5= number of times we’ve moved in those 8 years
3= number of states we’ve lived in during that time
13= number of jobs we’ve collectively had in those last eight years!
6= number of months since we met the most important person in our lives
22+= number of years we’re now responsible for said person!
5= number of pets we’ve adopted
9= number of puppies we helped deliver
2= number of just for us vacations we’ve taken (think we need to work on that one!)
1000s= number of miles we’ve traveled together
Millions= number of times we’ve said I love you
8 = number of years since I made the best decision of my life

I love you Reid! Happy anniversary to the best husband. father and friend I know! Cheers to eight being only the beginning!

(And Wesley’s stats at 6 months:
15 lbs. = 25th percentile
28 in. = 90th percentile!)

6 Months...

2010-07-30T18:48:00.004-06:00

That is half a year! Six months ago to this day, the nurses placed Wesley Isaiah in my arms. I can honestly say on that day I still loved the idea of him, as I had in my pregnant days. Today, I can unequivocally say that I love HIM. There are a million and one things that are unique to my son. And I love each and everyone of them.

Six months turns this...

Wesley, at 2 days old, coming home from the hospital...

Into this...

Wesley, yesterday, eating his rice cereal

Wesley, at six months you are truly becoming a little person. You are so close to sitting up on your own. You do so for seconds at a time, but with no support you tend to topple forward onto your stomach. But you can easily sit in between my legs on the sofa or on someone's lap for long periods at a time.

You still only roll from your back to your tummy, a feat which is supposed to be much more difficult than the other way. But once on your tummy you are content for long periods to look around and play with toys. And then once you are fed up, you simply scream until someone comes along to rescue you!

You sleep very well at night, falling asleep at around 8pm and waking once or twice to nurse before being awake for good in the mornings at around 7. You sleep in our bed with us and some of my favorite moments so far with you have been waking up as a whole family and enjoying your smiles and chats first thing in the morning.

We have just started solid foods and once mommy gave up on a spoon and let you eat from her finger you have enjoyed sitting at the table (in your highchair) and doing what the big kids do. So far you have tried rice cereal, banana and apple puree. Next we are moving on to sweet potato! And I'm happy to say you are still nursing like a champ. We both enjoy the quiet moments when we settle in for a good nursing which happens throughout the day (and night)!

You have a lot of favorite toys, especially mousey who goes for all car rides with you. However, you are most fond of playing with mommy and daddy. You are blowing crazy spit bubbles and raspberries and doing a lot of "talking." Sometimes you screach the highest and loudest noise imaginable. You also make a lot of maa sounds and gaa sounds. You have a great gurgle noise that mommy has tried to imitate and can't. And you love to make popping noises with your lips, popping them apart.

You do the most endearing thing we have termed "glomming." You grab onto our face with both hands and pull it towards your open mouth. Once your mouth is touching a cheek, you make noises. We call it Wesley's kisses.

You are a huge flirt and smile with just about everyone you see. Just a look from mommy or daddy can create a huge smile across your face.

We'll find out your exact statistics on Monday (your sixth month pediatrician's visit) but you have very dark blue eyes and all of your hair that is coming in is a very light blonde. And you have lashes that most women would do anything for!

In terms of other physical milestones, Wes loves splashing in the bath. He loves his jumper that hangs in the doorway. He has almost completely grown out of his swings and bouncy seat because he can sit up and lean forward out of them. He loves the baby in the mirror and is just starting to reach for the dogs and cats (beware animals of the Neilsen household)! He also loves being outdoors. When he's fussing and doesn't want to nurse I can almost always make him happy by taking him outside. He watches the leaves blown in the wind and examines the grass with the greatest amount of concentration.

Daddy and I are so excited to see you grow and learn! You have already gotten bigger and stronger (and quite frankly much more interesting)! Just don't grow up too quick, okay?

The Rest of our Trip

2010-07-29T09:24:00.008-06:00

"Now, who are you again?" We love Auntie Lizzie!

Pop-pop and Wesley cuddling at Conner Prairie. He slept through all of the drumming and the volleying of muskets!

But he didn't sleep through making funny faces with Pop-pop... so much to listen to!

And so much to say!

Three generations of Neilsen men! How can you not love this photo and all that it stands for?

Wesley's first taste of banana... he was definitely not so sure. We only gave it to him the once at home, on the 4th of July with all the grandparents (aka papparazzi) around. Since we've been home Wes has dabbled in rice cereal, banana and applesauce.... applesauce being by far his favorite!

Sleeping on Grandma... that eating/posing for pictures is so tiring!

In his 4th of July outfit!

"Mom, is this really a dog?"

Watching fireworks with daddy... he wasn't at all afraid of the booms and really watched the whole fireworks display. I was impressed with him.

Grandma and her other "buggle", Cousin Raley

Two sisters and a sleeping baby!

I'm putting this pic on for Jamie 'cause I think it's just too cute! Jamie's adorable kiddos (James and Ali) and their being-ridden-upon daddy Alex.

Jamie, Wes and I... he loves having so many "aunts!"

Watching a movie with Grandma... I promise we didn't let him do too much of this. But he was fascinated with the flashy box!

Meeting "Grandma" Karen

Just too cute not to include!

Getting advice from "Grandpa" Dave

Those grandparents will let you do anything! Even if it means you spit all over the outside of their cup!

Hanging with Grandma Annie

The library can be so tiring! This is what I found in the back seat when it went quiet after my mom and I had stopped at the library with Wes. He feel asleep sucking on mousey's nose.

Wes' first time in a pool! He liked it... though he didn't understand why just because he was waving his arms around like a crazy man he kept getting splashed in the face!

Talking with Grandpa...

Flirting with Albie... "Come over here so I can pull your hair!"

Hanging out with Grandma

Meeting Great-Aunt Lorraine

This jumping seat was a $2 find at a garage sale and his FAVORITE thing yet... he loves being all on his own, jumping!

Future Boiler-maker?

Adoring set of Grandparents

Adoring set of Grandparents...

Think this is kid is pretty lucky? He is loved everywhere he turns! We had a great time at home with all of you! I love you!

Home a Week

2010-07-21T08:49:00.009-06:00

Wes'1st Plane Ride!

Wes and I have been home more than a week and I can't really tell you why I haven't yet posted. I guess I've lost my blogging mojo some. Also, I'm on day three of attempting to get this post up and am only a third of the way through the pictures from the trip... so I think I might be dividing the pics into two posts or else it's going to be two weeks before I post it!

Meeting Grandma Annie at the Airport... think there's some love there?

Our trip back to Indiana was, as always, too brief. Going "home" is always a little bit of a double edged sword. It was fabulous to see everyone (though of course there were many who we wanted to see and just weren't able to) and awesome to introduce Wes to so many family and friends who love him and are just now getting to meet him. But it also makes me homesick and long for family living a lot closer.

We got to see so many people while we were back which was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Meeting Great Uncle Rich and Paula

Meeting his Grand-God-Mother Sandy :)

Meeting his Great-Great Aunt Joan Dee (is that right Annie?)

Meeting his Great Grandad Doty (my paternal grandfather)

Three generations... At least the first two are looking at the camera!

Meeting the cousins!

This meeting people and going new places sure does wear you out!

With Pop-Pop at the zoo

Checking out Albie with Grandpa Jay

With Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Mikey

I love this picture! With Grandma Alice

Getting love from cousin Raley

Aunt Jamie with three adorable kids

"Who's back there? You sound like Mommy!"

We also did some stuff. We went to the Indianapolis Zoo and Mass Ave. Toys. We ate out several places, including delicious Greek food in Fountain Square, a cute French bistro in downtown Carmel and of course Steak n' Shake. And let me just say thank goodness there isn't one of those near us! With their shake happy hours with half priced shakes from 2 to 4pm I would NEVER lose my baby weight! I also took Wesley swimming for the first time and to his first Hamilton County 4-H Fair Queen Pageant! For those that don't know I was queen back in 1997. So it was fun to revisit that world. Litte has changed. Wes also attended his first baseball practice or tried to, ate his first solid food with little enthusiasm and saw his first fireworks!

In the goat petting area of the zoo

At the end of our zoo trip... it was hot!

Wes and I at Mass Ave. toys... There was A LOT to look at!

At his first softball practice... raising a "true" American :)

And just because... Wes doing his best chalk outline impression

More pictures to come in a future post...

400th Post... on the Glorious 4th!

2010-07-04T17:53:00.003-06:00

Wesley relaxing with lambie, one of his new toys from Grandma Annie... oh, and a towel on his head!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I have a lot to update about as we have been having a great time visiting with family and friends back here in Indiana for over a week now (hence the quietness of the blog) but today I'm just here to say Happy Fourth of July! It has been spent quietly at my in-laws with my parents coming over for a late lunch... we plan to walk to where we can see the fireworks in a few hours... all in all, perfect!

The family at Conner Prairie yesterday for the Glorious 3rd!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T08:53:00.003-06:00

Happy Father's Day to all of the terrific daddies in my life, especially my dad, my grandfather, my father-in-law and of course Reid! I am lucky to have you and Wesley is lucky to have such great male role models in his life!

My Granddad Doty

Wesley and his Grandpa Chris (my father-in-law)

My parents with Wesley

My parents being silly with my niece Raley

"My Boys"

Milestones

2010-06-18T08:08:00.003-06:00

I have been really remissed in writing about Wesley (probably because most of the time he's in my arms and I just don't enjoy typing long passages one handed). For the most part the pictures do sum up where he is but I wanted to jot down a few things before I forget.

Most notably, last night he nursed at midnight and again at 5:20am. According to all of the books, sleeping for more than 5 hours is sleeping through the night. Hooray Wes!

Wes really loves singing. His favorite is probably the Itsy Bitsy Spider but he likes London Bridge Is Falling Down too. He likes books too, though he is now inclined to lean forward and try to chew on them and his fingers often get in the way of turning the pages.

He will sometimes entertain himself for ten minute or so stretches lying on a quilt on the floor. He is reaching out, grabbing and manipulating toys that are on the floor with him. He is doing a great job of turtling but can't on a regular basis figure out how to get his arms out of the way so that he can roll over on his own. He has done so a few times, both from front to back and back to front. But they are definitely flukes as he has no idea how he got there once he has.

He is happy most of the time with lots of smiles especially first thing in the morning. We've settled into a pretty predictable morning schedule of waking between six and seven am, being awake for about two hours and then going down for a morning nap of an hour and a half to two hours. His afternoon is less predictable but he usually has at least one more good long nap sometime in the afternoon.

He is a terrific eater and therefore a great diaper filler. One day this week we had six dirty diapers! But the usual is more like two or three. And of course, there are lots of wet diapers in between.

He has found the pets and we can spend several minutes each day studying them. He hasn't really reached for them yet, something I'm sure they all appreciate! But I know that time is coming.

He loves his Bjorn carrier as he likes to be at eye level with what is going on. He has taken a few rides in his Bob stroller and I'm sure that is going to be a favorite.

And now I must go because he is tired of lying on the floor by himself!

Weekly Photo Update

2010-06-16T16:16:00.006-06:00

Welcome everybody to another week with Wesley!

Look! A peacock!

Winston thinks that it's all too much! He loves burying his head under the blanket!

He's so happy in the mornings and loves sitting up!

A photo he'll love that I posted when he's 12! But isn't that an adorable backside!

Flying... and Reid's arms are looking buff after a month of working out!

The softer side of Daddy... Wes LOVES listening to Reid play guitar.

We didn't teach him to flip off the camera, I swear!

There! That's sweeter.

Sleeping for once NOT in Mommy's arms!

I gasped a little when I saw this picture because I think it's the first time I've seen myself in him... I think this looks like several pictures of me as a baby.

Kicking Daddy in the head!

Wait! Who is this baby? This is my neice Raley at about the same age Wes is now (taken in the summer of 2008 while I was nannying for her)...

Think they're related?! When it comes to finger chewing they are!

Weekly Photo Update

2010-06-08T20:29:00.005-06:00

Look who is getting better at sitting! And that is a 6-9 month sleeper... he's long!

"Hello down there!"

First time in his Bob... terrified? But today we took a walk with it and he was so comfy he fell asleep!

This one is for Grandma Annie... yep, I'd say he's grabbing things!

Chilling with Tater...

And kicking Winston!

Daddy did this and thought it was funny... pants on head!

My two boys napping...

He's ready for an adventure!

Wildlife at the end of our driveway

Look! We caught a baby in a bug net!

Rockin' and Rollin'

A Good Weekend and A Growing Boy

2010-06-01T18:36:00.004-06:00

A Self Portrait of Mom and Baby from this past weekend

We had a good Memorial Day Weekend around the Neilsen homestead. I honestly don't remember what we did Saturday which means it had to be pretty relaxing! Sunday we went to a friend's house for a cook-out. It was nice to hang out with people and they broke out their brand new margarita/frozen drink machine which was very yummy, even the"virgin" variety that I sampled!

Wes and Mommy at the Cook-out around the outside fire pit!

Monday was garden central around here. I pulled weeds for a little while on both Saturday and Sunday and finished up with that Monday morning. We went to a local greenhouse and bought a few starter plants and to the evil empire of Walmart to buy two cherry fruit trees. We planted those along with several packages of seeds. If they all come up, we should have the following fresh veggies:

Carrots
Beets
Pumpkin
Zucchini (but not as many as last year!)
Acorn Squash
Green Peppers
Lettuce
Wax Beans
Green Beans
Chives (which came back from last year!)
Sage

I hope to be able to use several of these to make baby food for Wes in the coming months!

Winston says "Maybe some of that baby food could find its way to me??"

In other news, today was Wesley's four month check-up. He got two shots and a rotavirus immunization in liquid oral form. We are being pro-active this time and giving him Tylenol BEFORE the horrible fever sets in so hopefully we'll have a more restful evening than we did after his two month shots. He is right on track for all of his develomental milestones (he was flashing the pediatrician smile after smile).

Showing off his manual dexterity with his flower frog

Here is one of those killer smiles

But most interesting, of course, are his stats. He gained two centimeters arond his head circumference. He is now 12lbs 11.5 oz (up from 10lbs 4oz at his 2 month appointment) which still places him in the 25th percentile. He is now 26" tall (up from 23 1/4), placing him somewhere between the 75th and 90th percentile in height! We've got a tall, thin boy! Way to go Wesley! Keep growing!

Here is Wes just a few minutes ago, home from the doctor's office... tall and skinny!

Our Week so Far

2010-05-28T15:16:00.002-06:00

The dogs were happy to have us back home and back into the routine.

So angelic! He's been reaching for toys a lot this week

Ready to go for a walk... our last for awhile b/c of all the bugs!

Sitting in our bumbo seat... Winston sneaking up for a lick!

Doesn't he look like he's lounging in a recliner?

Our weekend

2010-05-25T13:38:00.004-06:00

Since I'm typing one handed I'll limit my comments to a few. We got to Denver Friday evening and loved our hotel room! Spent the first part of Saturday on the Metro State College campus and the afternoon on the 16th Street Mall where we had a delicious dinner (and from where we took cheesecake back to our room! yummy!). And Sunday we spent almost six hours at the Denver Zoo which was crowded but still a lot of fun. I can't wait to find out which of the animals are Wesley's favorites!

Wesley enjoying the huge king size bed! Wow is there a lot of room in one of these!

Mommy had to join in the fun!

The only picture we took on Saturday... Wes enjoying the warm afternoon with a nap in his stroller.

Someone is very excited to head into the zoo!

Mommy and Wesley at the entrance to the zoo

Daddy and Wes enjoying the elephants

This is how Wes experienced a good portion of the zoo... but mommy and daddy had fun and he got some good napping in!

Mommy, Wes and a few zebra

Up close and personal with a crane... he kept pecking the glass which really kept Wes' attention!

The whole family with the giant gorilla statue! What a fun day!

Wesley Update- As if There is Any Other Kind

2010-05-20T20:09:00.005-06:00

Hello up there...

No more rolling... apparently three times in a row can be a fluke! But I'm sure it is only a matter of time before he gets the hang of it. In the meantime his being able to hold up his head has made a big difference in tummy time. He still gets mad but not nearly as quickly and a cat or dog walking past is infinitely interesting.

This weekend Reid, Wes and I are headed to Denver. I have an all day meeting on Saturday for my new position as vice-president of the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association. Then we are planning to have some family fun time on Sunday (possibly with a trip to the Denver Zoo). No matter what we end up doing I am sure I'll update with pictures early next week. But... to tide the grandparents over, here are a few that I've taken in the last few days.

"Daddy has me! Oh No!!" (my favorite part is the drool)...

Just as bad... Mommy has me and is trying to do a self portrait!

Chewing on our fingers, a favorite pasttime.

Coming at you like a ninja! And so is Tater in the background!

Smiling at himself...

Who is that handsome devil in the mirror??

Rolling!

2010-05-18T15:28:00.002-06:00

Just so that I don't forget, yesterday at 15 weeks and 2 days, Wesley rolled three times from his front to his back! No repeats today but it's only a matter of time before it's a habit! Go Wesley!

A Few Images From Last Week and This Week

2010-05-13T18:34:00.004-06:00

In our sun hat before our walk yesterday morning

What is this??? He is officially turtling. This was the highest he had ever lifted his head, taken this past Monday.

And by today? He's a pro, don't you think?

Not to be out done Winston wanted everyone to see that he is an expert at tummy time too!

In the car... isn't he adorable?

Look! He's pre-sitting! Doesn't he look so grown-up?

"Mom?! There are bugs attacking my ankles!"

In his adorable polo from Auntie Sarah

Peek-a-Boo!

He likes watching himself on the Flip... a lot. We may have a future actor on our hands after all!

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:25:00.004-06:00

"Did you know it is Mother's Day?? Amazing!!"

Today was my first Mother's Day as a mommy. It was fabulous.

We love one another more than a little bit...

We started the day by Wes not waking until 7am (good job Wes!). Reid took him to the living room where they played and let me sleep until 8:15! Then Wes and I laid in bed and chatted while Reid made us french toast which he served to me as breakfast in bed. Yummy!

We hung out at home for a little while then headed to Great Sand Dunes National Park where we ate a picnic lunch and enjoyed a little bit of sun and sand. Unfourtunately the wind picked up and after about an hour we decided Wes didn't need to be sandblasted any longer so we headed back home.

Eating lunch

My other baby boys at the Dunes (the kitties stayed home!)

One happy family!

We stopped at Sonic for some yummy ice cream treats on the way home... then Wes and I took a nap while Reid worked in his shop for a little while.

Napping together!

When I woke up Reid came in and made dinner (pork chops, glazed carrots and mashed potatoes and gravy... yummy again!). We talked on the phone with most of the important mommies in our lives today, many of them after dinner. All in all, a great day... but of course being Wesley's mom is the greatest part of the day, just as it will be one of the greatest part of tomorrow and every day from now on!

On Thursday of this past week in his first ever venture facing forward in his carrier... he LOVES it! So much to see.

3 Months!

2010-05-02T14:23:00.003-06:00

Wes is three months old! He was 12 weeks last Saturday but three months by the calendar yesterday... either way, where has the time gone? I can't believe he is already a quarter of a year old. What a big guy!

How quickly this became this...
That daddy is so interesting now!

Look! Mommy does exist on camera too! We like one another, can you tell?

In terms of milestones, Wes is smiling up a storm. He cand definitely pick out Reid and I from a crowd and rewards us with extra special smiles. He is also talking up a storm to anyone (or thing) that will listen. Some of his favorites (besides mommy and daddy of course) are the light fixtures in the bedroom and living room and his Mr. Monkey toy that Grandma Annie gave him.

He loves chewing on his fingers, though sometimes he accidently gags himself with them. His attention span is incredible, I think, for one so little. He'll study his rattle for minutes on end and will usually pay attention through two full board books.

His head control is getting better every day. He can now pre-sit and likes to do so several times a day. He also likes to be carried around sitting up so that he can see the world.

His hands are attacking him when he sleeps less and less and I think we're nearing the time when he won't need to be swaddled at night anymore. His favorite spot to nap is still mommy's lap but he will lay down and nap on the bed with her too (always on his side facing me)! And, knock on wood, the last several days he has been falling asleep with considerably less fuss than before, usually only a minute or two of crying or not even that. He just tucks his face into my elbow and falls asleep.

Wes at one day old...

And earlier today! I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

A Whole Week!

2010-04-27T12:32:00.009-06:00

So a whole week has gone by with no blog update. Sorry about that...

Not too much has happened this week. Reid is working on his business. I'm working on finishing up Our Town. Wesley is working on being the world's loudest and highest pitched screacher. He is also working on holding his head up which is getting better every day.

This week Wes had decided that the ideal wake-up time is between 5 and 6 am. He is usually awake, happy and kicking for about an hour and a half (just long enough to get mommy and daddy really awake) and then he's ready to go back to bed until between 9 and 10! Yep, already training mommy and daddy well!

They burned our drainage ditch this weekend... honeslty not sure who "they" are. Luckily it all burned quickly and went out near our house without trouble. Down the road and around the corner wasn't so lucky where it jumped the ditch and burned part of a field. It also jumped the railroad tracks but luckily didn't get across the highway! When Reid came home there were a whole bunch of fire trucks putting it out. I understand the need to keep down weeds in this part of the country but there has to be a less risky way to do it, I would think.

Our ditch burning... they only did the roadside so I'm thinking it's the county.

And now... lots of pics from the week!

Wes found the monkeys above his crib!

He loves chewing his fists!

Watching movies with mommy and daddy = exhausting!

"What is that down there?"

"Oh! It's Winston!"

He's so cool!

"I'm over here!"

"Now I'm over here!"

"You found me!"

Some of the cutest baby socks ever!

Don't look now, but there are feet at the end of these legs!

Look Auntie Sarah! The monster onesies you brought him fit now!

This was one of Raley's onesies that was one of my favorites... It's too little for Wes already!

Looking cute in one of his adorable outfits sent to him by family

"Wake up Daddy! I want to play!"

Mission Accomplished!

Sleep...

2010-04-20T08:02:00.004-06:00

Last week we were up to one four hour stretch and in fact had one that was 5 1/2. This week we are back to three hours. Last night he nursed at 11, 2, 4, 6 and now 8am. Good thing he's cute!

Is there anything cuter in the world than baby clothes hanging on the line to dry?

Laying outside on a blanket for the first time last week... it was gorgeous!

"Shall we dance?"

Having a serious stare down with our stuffed monkey... who is going to win?

Right before we left for mommy's birthday lunch, sporting our stylish baby jeans!

All smiles!

"Look! I'm a pre-sitter!" I love this picture!

31!

2010-04-19T09:14:00.002-06:00

I turned 31 on Saturday... I'm not sure how that happened as the last time I remember I was 26. But I certainly don't mind. I told Reid that I am quite certain 31 is going to be one of our best years yet. We have a baby. We're working well on a budget. Reid's business is going to take off. Yep, a good year indeed.

For my birthday, Reid, Wesley and I went to Johny B. Good's, a 1950s inspired diner in Monte Vista that we had never been to (mainly because they are only open for breakfast and lunch). They have great hand-dipped milkshakes and yummy sandwiches. Then all of us and the dogs took a walk through downtown Monte (which doesn't take long)! Reid then brought Wes home and I went shopping at one of the thrift stores in town for new (to me) tops because so many of my shirts still don't fit (a perk of breastfeeding, I guess?). When I got home my present was on the table. Reid bought me a necklace and matching earrings from the Firedworks Gallery, an art/jewelry gallery in Alamosa. Then it was time to go off to the 3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off where Reid's chili took a close second place! We visited with colleagues and I talked babies with a few of the mommies there.

All in all, a very nice and low-key birthday... as I look at my little man swinging in his swing across the room (who is amazed by the mirror and twirling butterflies above him), I know for a fact that this year my best possible present I get to enjoy every day... and he is perfect for me! I am going to love my first full year as a mommy. Hooray for 31!

A Few Things to remember

2010-04-15T10:32:00.005-06:00

I find myself several times a day thinking "I should write that down. I'll never remember it." But alas I rarely do just because of lack of time/energy or because I've already forgotten it by the time I sit down!

But a few things about Wes right now I really want to remember...

First, he is incredibly talkative right now. If I make eye contact with him he almost always smiles but more often than not will also let out a baby noise or two. And sometimes he will get on a roll and talk and talk. He is really enjoying exploring vowels right now. He has gotten quite good at "Ah", "Oh" and "Ie." And of course there is lots of random cooing and some really high pitched squealing which I love!

Second, this week we have turned a corner (hopefully for good) in night time sleeping. He has slept at least one four hour stretch each night this week. Two nights ago it was a 5 and a half hour stretch but last night we were back to almost exactly four hours. Still, I'll take those over the 2-3 hour stretches we were going before.

Sleeping on daddy last night

You're blowing lots of bubbles with your mouth. You've regularly found your fists to chew on. And you've found the mirror and animals above your swing which get regular studying.

Studying those moving things above you!

We have started doing cloth diapers here at home to cut down on waste and disposable diaper expense. Of course you can soak a cloth diaper completely through in less than an hour. So we're spending a lot of time at the changing table!

Long skinny baby in a cloth diaper!

Mommy being silly with you on e changing table... doesn't his jacket look like big wing ears?

And finally, he is growing so quickly! He is now wearing almost exclusively 3-6 month sleepers (despite only being 10 and a half weeks old) because all of his 0-3 month ones are too short in the leg. And most of the sleepers we have in 3-6 month fit him perfectly in length now... which means by the time we get to month 3, 4, and 5 I have no doubt he'll be in the next size up! He is long and lean. I really look forward to his 4 month check up just to see how much longer and heavier he is!

Wes still opens his eyes very wde sometimes!

This Past Week

2010-04-12T08:59:00.003-06:00

This past week has been a good one for the Neilsen household. Reid has recommitted himself to his blacksmithing and is making all sorts of useful items in his forge. He also has a new website that he will be continually updating with items into his catalogue as he makes prototypes. Feel free to check it out: http://www.whitemountainforge.com/ I am very impressed by my husband's work and I think you will be too! And if you have any desire for hand-forged iron work, you now know who to talk to!

Wes and I spent a fair amount of time at school this week as we worked on Our Town and will be there at least a few times this week too. After a failed attempt to locate and/or rent an 1890s suit for one of our actors I have decided to just build one. I have the patterns here at home and went to Walmart this weekend and bought cotton duck cloth (the only bottom weight fabric they have that isn't upholestry stripes!) in a dark brown. So today work study students will be washing and ironing all of that fabric and then we'll start cutting it out and fitting it. Fun, fun... but at least at the end of it we'll have our first period appropriate late 1800s man's suit in stock.

Rocking his adorable pajama pants and blue hoodie before we headed out to go shopping Saturday!

We have also been on several shopping trips (the grocery, Walmart and thrift store mostly) and yesterday the whole family went to Alamosa and walked around Cole Park and along the river. The weekend weather was PERFECT... upper 60s and little to no wind (especially in the mid-morning when we ventured out). If it could stay like that through the rest of the spring I would be very happy.

Our walk on Sunday... I can' wait until he can hold his head up so he can ride forward facing in the Bjorn carrier and then he'll actually be able to engage with going on a walk!

Wes and I also took our first shower together. It was alright though I realized almost immediately that showering with someone who can't yet hold his head up on his own is challenging... I got my hair washed and that was about it. He, I think, was enjoying the water and the skin-to-skin time until he tried to nurse and water ran into his mouth as well. After that was a total meltdown that was only finally calmed when he was out of the shower, wrapped up in my cozy towel and sitting in his bouncy seat.

Cozy!

I LOVE this little boy...

Wes has found the mirror and flying animals over his swing. He will spend several minutes staring at them and then regularly falls asleep there. How long he stays asleep varies greatly from a few minutes to an hour. But it is definitely nice to have a little reprise once or twice in the day where I'm not holding him.

His vocalizing is becoming really interesting to listen to! He is making a lot of different vowel sounds and is starting to mimic Reid and I when we make baby talk to him. The other day I was in our bathroom and Wes was on the changing table "talking" to Reid and I would have sworn I heard Wes say "Hi." Of course I have been saying it to him over and over since and haven't gotten him to repeat it but talking will eventually come. His smiles are contagious and we have even heard a few little giggles, though most are in his sleep (apparently his dreams are a whole lot funnier than mom and dad).

But apparently Mommy can elicit a smile here and there!

Wesley says "Hello! Come on over and play!"

Our "Big" Boy

2010-04-07T16:15:00.003-06:00

He is so cool... :)

At first he appears angelic... then you notice he's sticking his tongue out at you!

I can't believe it has taken me almost a week to write this... Wes had his two month appointment last Thursday. He is doing really well in all regards! His hematoma is slowly going down and the pediatrician said she has been told it can take 12 to 16 weeks. At this point, because it is going down and it is obvious that it is not affecting him cognitively, I am really not worried about it. It is cosmetic and it will go down eventually.

But the good news is that he is really growing! He is now 10lbs 6oz, meaning he gained 2 lbs 4 oz in one month! He also grew almost 2 inches in length, and is now 23 1/4inches long. With these two numbers his weight is firmly in the 25th percentile and his length puts him in the 50th. Both of those are up from his one month check up. In other words, "Milk... it's what the body needs."

He also received his first round of shots. He slept peacefully all Thursday evening and I thought "Ha! Our baby is so superior that the shots didn't affect him at all!" But alas, we woke up to a very fitful baby at around three am. He had a temperature and was just not very happy but eventually settled down if he was laying in just his diaper, under a blanket on top of either Reid or I. And of course, his silly mommy didn't even think of the baby Tylenol until around 9am, about the time his fever broke.

Laying with Daddy Friday morning... aren't they adorable???

He and I are going to be busy over the next few days working to get the costumes for Our Town done.

We're also exploring day care options for the fall, something I am not enjoying but don't really have a choice (we've crunched the numbers and both Reid and I have to keep working...). Our first choice daycare says they won't know if there are any spots available until June. So, I guess for now it is a wait and see. I have a call in to one other daycare but I'm not sure what age they start (I do personally know the director and quite like her) and have a few personal providers to follow up with if neither of the daycares pan out. The truth is I don't want anyone but Reid or I to care for him so looking is hard... but we'll find something that works I'm sure.

This is the best of our Easter photo shoot... it was too cold to go outside and apparently things to the left and the right of him were WAY more interesting than mommy (as he is looking to one side or the other in every other picture).

And finally... this is why tummy time isn't always productive time around our house. If the point is to lift your head up and look around, you usually do have to be awake :)

2 Months

2010-03-30T19:09:00.004-06:00

" Hello world!!"

Wesley is two months old today. Amazing... in many ways I feel like I have known him for infinitely longer than two months (that is what happens when you spend almost every waking moment staring at someone!). And in other ways I can't believe how the time is flying.

"Why would you want to read your book when you could look at me?"

So, what is Wesley like at two months? He is smiling up a storm these days. He often smiles while nursing when he looks up and locks eyes with me. It is incredibly endearing, if not a little messy because what was in his mouth dribbles out. He can recognize Reid and I and frequently graces us with his happy face.

How could I not love that face staring up at me??

But he also has his fair share of crying. In the last few weeks he has started to fight sleep. I know he is sleepy, his eyes are drooping and yet he cries to stay awake. There have been a few times when it seems to go on for a long stretch but we can usually talk him out of it (either by waking up or falling to sleep) if we just keep changing positions and locations (don't like the chair? How about the glider? The bed? Standing up and bouncing?). Other times he drifts off to sleep peacefully with no fuss at all.

With daddy...

Mommy and her little man

He is doing great with night sleeping and eating. He is pretty consistent with times. Depending on whether we go to bed at 10 or 11, we wake and nurse somewhere between 2 and 3 and again between 5 and 6. Then he is usually awake and happy by 7. Most of our night feedings last about 10 minutes and we are usually back asleep with him swaddled within 25. All in all, not bad... don't get me wrong. I look forward to a 5 or 6 hour stretch. But the fact that he is consistent and obviously really eating at those times means to me that he still needs to eat. Eventually those times will stretch and until then I am enjoying our late night cuddles by the light of the closet.

One of the few times he has fallen asleep and stayed asleep in his co-sleeper...

Because laying on people is so much more cozy!

He is, overall, a very happy and joyful little boy. He is cooing and churtling at us, especially on his changing table. He loves to lay in is bassinet and bat at his mobile. He likes to stare at the fish I attached to his travel swing that is on the dining room table. And just this week he has figured out that he can make the animals above his bouncy seat move if he kicks his legs! So, each morning he enjoys some time studying those animals!

Here we are in our bouncy seat with our animals... and a very cute onesie...

In his swing... "That fishy is looking at me!"

Have I mentioned that I am completely and totally infatuated with my son? Because I am...

Parade of Hats

2010-03-29T17:57:00.006-06:00

Since both Grandma and Grandpa Doty have asked for them... Here is a parade of hat pictures!

You may or may not remember, but this hat used to be almost too big for him... not anymore!

This may be my favorite hat... The Tigger!

The knitted gnome hat

This one is really too small but the bear is so cute!

Can't you see him saying "Are we almost done here?"

This one just fits oddly... but the oufit is adorable (thanks Jack and Louise!)

And finally... his "prison Mike" hat! Reid loves this one!

And the Up Side

2010-03-24T09:30:00.004-06:00

So... after that downer of a last post, here are some pictures from our weekend/the last few days.

Good grandparents... they love on all of the "grandbabies"... even the four legged ones! Have I mentioned Winston loves laps??

Mt. Blanca on Saturday... don't we live in one of the most beautiful places?

Smiling in his car seat on our long day out Saturday where we went to Milagros, the Sand Dunes and the Bistro Rialto!

"You don't say?!" Isn't it amazing how a hat changes his whole look?

"It's so hard to have so many fans!" Wes is adored by all... saying bye to his grandparents has been hard all around!

When the going gets tough...

2010-03-24T09:00:00.002-06:00

Disclaimer: The following blog post may contain info you don't want to know... it involves illness and a lot of talk of my boobs. But it is all stuff I want to remember when I think about to the early weeks of having Wes and can only remember the sweet smell of his head and softness of his hair against my cheek while writing this blog post... You've been warned.

These past few days have been rough for me. I caught a stomach virus (the second since Wesley has arrived) late Saturday afternoon. By 8pm I had handed Wes to Reid and installed myself in our bedroom/bathroom. I puked twice and took some of the anti-naseau medicine given to me during my last bout. The medicine makes you very sleepy and since both Reid and Wes didn't want to be exposed to the virus more than they already were, Reid slept with Wesley in the living room. What a good husband and daddy to care for Wes all night long! Wes slept on Reid's chest on the sofa and Reid gave him bottles of previously pumped breast milk when he woke.

By Sunday my stomach was starting to feel better but I was drained from the night before. And to top it off my in-laws had to say goodbye to us and Wes. Parting from family is always hard...

Sunday night came and the next part of the virus set in... diarrhea. It was so bad that by Monday morning I was really dehydrated. I packed Wes into the car and we drove to the store for Immodium. But by that time the damage of dehydration was done. My milk supply for most of Monday was pretty low and that made for one very fussy baby who is used to opening his mouth and having it flow in! Also Monday afternoon/evening was filled with a lot of muscle aches and pains (again from the bug) for me. All around, a nasty day. I finished the day by pounding about 60oz of water in about two hours, which brought my milk back in full force (but also meant I had to pee about six times during the night).

Yesterday was a pleasant day healthwise. I was feeling good and Wes wasn't quite as grouchy. I got the kitchen cleaned and some laundry done. When Reid got home I passed Wes off to him and took a shower. When I got out of the shower I looked in the mirror and found a red spot on the bottom of my left breast. And just below that spot is a hard nodule. Which means I have my first clogged duct, no doubt from all the craziness in terms of dehydration/re-engorgement. So, that coupled with the fact that we woke to about three-four inches of snow means that Wes and I are going to stay close to home today. We are going to nurse a lot and nap a lot and hopefully get that duct unclogged and back on healthy footing by tomorrow.

The only positive out of all of this nastiness? Knock on wood, Wes hasn't gotten sick once so far! Yay for healthy immune system built by breastmilk!

Pics for the Family

2010-03-19T22:08:00.003-06:00

I wish I had a witty way to tie these pictures together in a post that entertains and enlightens. But I don't... so you'll have to make due with cute pictures of my baby! We have been having fun hanging out with my in-laws and they have been soaking up baby time (and Chris is luckily recovered from a 24 hour flu bug).

Grandma Annie with 2 of her "grandbabies"... Winston is eating up this attention.

We get this face sometimes... look at the milk hanging out of the corner of his mouth! We luckily have a really sweet baby and therefore don't see this face too often.

We see this face more often... a sweet open eyed expression just examining the world.

This evening we were changing his clothes and putting on a onesie... I just barely got it on his head and saw this picture. He was so happy to wear it on his head! I see many funny hats in this baby's future!

And finally... a full mouth smile caught on camera! He was giving Grandma several of these today! What a cutie...

The Neilsen Men

2010-03-16T10:58:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Reid's 31st birthday and so we celebrated. We went to lunch at the SLV Brew Pub and then visited a few stores downtown and stopped by the theatre on campus to show it to my in-laws. We finished the day off with cake and a war movie! I think overall it was a good birthday for the first time daddy.

And now... some pictures of the Neilsen men.

"Hey! There is a grandpa up there!"

"What did you say?" This picture just makes me laugh! :)

Chillin' with Daddy in the rocker.

Three generations of Neilsen men! The older two seem to be enjoying themselves a lot more than the youngest... probably because someone told Wesley that he doesn't get a slice of birthday cake!

Grandma and Grandpa Neilsen Arrived!

2010-03-14T18:17:00.005-06:00

Wesley has new visitors! Grandma Annie and Grandpa Chris came in yesterday and are here until a week from today. Reid has the whole week off so we will undoubtedly have fun adventures!

Here we are with Grandpa Neilsen in our alligator outfit!

And here we are with Grandma Neilsen! She has happily stared at him since she got here and he is happy with that!

Our tummy time this morning...

Cuddling with daddy this morning

In our car seat rocking our hoodie and the hat Grandma Alice made us!

Today Wesley found my face. He has looked at me before, of course, but today he locked into me and watched me for almost half an hour. I was making noises and he was smiling at me and studying me greatly... I absolutely love him!

The Past Few Days in Pictures

2010-03-09T16:34:00.004-07:00

Our Last Two Days

2010-03-03T19:07:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was a big day of errands for us! We had Wesley's one month appointment. He has gained in every area! His hematoma is going down which is also great. Apparently when he was born he was around the 10th percentile for height, weight and head circumference... he is now close to the 25th percentile for all three! So the stats now are:
Height: 21.5 inches
Weight: 8lbs 4oz (a gain of a pound since his last appointment two weeks ago!)
Head: 36centimeters (don't ask me why length is in inches and head is in cm... it just is!)

We also stopped at Walmart and got his one month picture taken at the studio. My mother had professional pictures of both my sister and I taken each of our first twelve months. They are so cool to go back and look at how we grew. So, I want to do the same for Wesley. I learned a few things at the studio for future months... Valley residents beware! If you don't want to take 3 hours (yes, I said 3 HOURS) to get your pictures done at the only portrait studio in the Valley, I would suggest the following:
1. Make an appointment (I thought I'd just walk in... how busy can it be? It's a portrait studio in Walmart!... and yes there was only one appointment ahead of us. But they took an hour and a half!)
2. Go in the morning (there were so many people stopping to pick up their pictures in the afternoon)
3. Go, if possible, when there are two people working.

But, hopefully the pictures will be worth the annoyance and luckily it was this month when besides having to nurse him twice during that time he slept contentedly in my arms the whole time (though boy are my arms tired today!).

In total we were out eight hours yesterday! Though that used to be just a regular work day, with Wesley it felt like a marathon. So, today we stayed home and took it easy... we spent some time listening to lullabies while napping in our swing, doing tummy time and floor time, napping with mommy and he even let me make dinner for his daddy! So... here are some of the highlights of our day in photos!

Swinging sleepy time... he is giving me anywhere from ten minutes to thirty in his swings at a time which is a huge relief for my arms!

Floor Time... isn't Wesley lucky to have 2 supervisors?! The dogs really are being fabulous with him.

"Aren't I cute?" This is a 0-3 month outfit, not a newborn and it fits him well... in fact he is almost out of all of his newborn clothes! Our little boy is growing!

"Who is that handsome baby in the mirror up there?"

"Mom! I'm stuck on my tummy here!"

Seriously, tummy time is a lot of work!

Good thing he has a buddy to do it with... thanks Tater!

After a hard few minutes work, a thumb can really relax you! (I had picked him up, looked away from him as I put away the mats and when I looked back this is what he was doing!)

First Day "Alone"

2010-03-01T19:24:00.003-07:00

Wesley got his first bottle from Daddy last night... his second ever and he did great!

Today was Wesley and I's first day just the two of us and overall it was a huge success! For the first time EVER, he slept in his swing for twenty whole minutes which gave me enough time to get dressed and eat breakfast!

He also spent a little bit of time flirting with his mobile... if you can believe it he is actually reaching for it!

A hand comes up...

Studying those hanging things... such a serious face!

Look! It moves!

Tomorrow is Wes' 1 month pediatrician visit. His hematoma is going down and we expect a good weight gain. I'll let you know!

1 Month Old!

2010-02-27T16:19:00.007-07:00

My baby is one month old (according to the 4 week lunar cycle anyway) today! I can not believe that just four weeks ago they handed me my son for the first time in the hospital. We have all learned so much about one another in the last four weeks...

I want to remember each little thing that you do Wesley and I know that I won't. But I thought I would try to document some of the things that you are doing right now so I won't forget.

You have never known a world where you were not loved by more than two adults. In fact, your maternal grandmother has been with us waiting for your arrival since Christmas. She was in the delivery room for your arrival for which I will always be grateful. It was only afterwards that she told me that you are the first baby she has ever seen delivered as she did not have a mirror to see either my sister or I. What a blessing to have her here.

Relaxing on grandma...

Yeah... we like relaxing on grandma!

Your maternal grandfather came this past week and got to meet you as well... how tiny you look in his big hands.

Look how little you look!

I look forward to taking many more pictures of you in his hands to see you growing!

Grandpa Doty with his first grandson

Both grandma and grandpa drove away towards home in Indiana on Friday morning. It was certainly hard to let them go.

Your aunt Sarah and cousin Raley also came for this past week. Raley was very sweet with you frequently checking on you when you cried and patting you while you slept. I can't wait to see the two of you growing up together, no doubt a "recipe for disaster" as the years go on!

Meeting your aunt Sarah and cousin Raley (while being supervised by Albie the westie)

Raley loving on Auntie Jenna and Wesley

Mommy dropped Sarah and Raley off at the airport this morning... and for the first time since your arrival it was just mommy, daddy and you in the house. But... I think we're ready for it! And in just two weeks your paternal grandparents will arrive to shower you with even more love!

Now, for the things you can do...

You are a great nurser. You had a little bit of trouble in the hospital but the day we got home it was like a switch went off in your head and you have become a champ. You have gained weight (we will see on Tuesday how much since your last checkup). You are filling out. I love your little milk tummy that was not there when you were born. You are not incredibly patient when it comes to waiting for the breast to be yeilded. But as soon as it is in front of you, you instantly quiet down. Sometimes you like to take your time latching on and sometimes you bite down with ferocity. At this point I am practicing on-demand feeding rather than trying to pressure you and me into a schedule. There will be plenty of time for that in coming months. I am so proud of you and your breastfeeding achievements.

You sleep for short and long stretches. The longest you go is four hours but those are very infrequent. Three is more common at night and two hour stretches during the day.

You have quite a few periods during the day that mommy calls your "lucid" periods. During these you look around. You love to stick your feet straight out from your body, especially while lying on your back. You also still pull your legs in tight to you (what we call the frog leg position) especially while getting your diaper changed because it makes it more challenging for the changer!

Speaking of diapers, you are filling a lot of them! You frequently "announce" the need for a clean diaper with a loud noise that accompanies your dirtying of the diaper... the noise just makes me laugh, even when it comes literally seconds after placing a clean diaper on you.

You have just started really focusing on faces and objects. You had a staring contest this morning with the hanging animals in your bouncy seat. I'm afraid they won. But you put up a good fight!

"They are staring at me!"

You are reaching for objects already in your bassinet, a feat that both of your grandmothers have said you are awfully young to be doing. We have hung toys on the edge of your bassinet and then watched as you focused all of your might on reaching out and moving them. And the frequency with which they move lets us know that it isn't sheer coincidence.

You smile the most beautiful smiles, usually while sleeping or nursing. You also have an adorable half smile where only one side of your mouth lifts, almost like a smirk. I can't wait to see you smile at us.... that will be a real thrill.

The hematoma on your head has caused us concern but all of the healthcare professionals tell us that there is no need. You were a trooper during your ultrasound and the bump is slowly going down (now it is a bump with a divet in the middle... but the edges will eventually go down too). You have also survived the first round of flu that hit our house (and both your daddy and mommy) this week. Somehow you miraculously did not get sick (knock on wood and say a prayer that you won't still come down with it) and were very accomodating with a mommy who was loopy on anti-nauseau medication. You even got your first bottle a few days shy of today so that we could avoid giving you breast milk tainted with the drug as it made you sleepy. And, like everything, you took the bottle like a champ.

You are a master of funny faces already... a master.

"Arrgh, matey!"

"Whatsup?"

You will sleep for short periods in your bassinet. But your favorite place to sleep, by far, is in someone's arms. And I admit, I let you do it alot. Because I know how quickly these tiny baby days are flying by and I want to cherish every single minute. The laundry and the housework in general will still be there... Let's snuggle now.

Eating your sleeve... but looking adorable in your 0-3month sleeper and hat that now fit!

Sleeping on daddy's chest... right where we want to be! (taken just a few minutes ago)

The Past Week

2010-02-23T20:05:00.005-07:00

Here we are, all wrapped up in the blanket sent to us by Reid's cousins Joanie and Keith... and he slept in it last night! Thank you!

Sorry that it has been almost a week since my last update... what can I say except time flies when you have a newborn? And how long do you get to call a baby a newborn? The first month? The first three months?

At any rate, last week we had his 2 and a half week check up on Thursday. The great news is that at that check up the pediatrician generally wants babies to have regained their birth weight (which for Wesley would have been getting back to 6lbs 14oz). He not only did that, he surpassed it! He weighed 7lbs 4 oz! What that means is that breastfeeding is obviously going well. I have had no trouble with him latching on or with production or pain. I know for a fact that I am very lucky!

On the downside, the hematoma on the side of his head had not really gone down. So we went ahead and scheduled an ultrasound for Friday morning just to have it scanned and to make sure that nothing else is wrong. The ultrasound went off without a hitch (he amazingly enough slept through the whole thing) and the radiologist really did not think there would be any trouble. We should hear from the pediatrician sometime later this week with the results. In the mean time Reid thinks that it is going down... since I look at it all day every day I can't be sure. Either way, if it is indeed a hematoma it will go down in its own time (which according to the other pediatrician in the office can take up to 8 weeks).

All wrapped up on the table for his ultrasound... he had lots of gel on his head by the end but didn't seem fazed by the process at all!

Wesley has also had a few full baths now... and he likes them! Certainly more than he liked the sponge baths on the table!

In our first "real" bath!

In other news, my sister Sarah and neice Raley flew in on Sunday to spend the week with us and to meet Wesley. Raley has mainly ignored Wesley though she has given him a few sweet pats and brought him things from time to time. We are having fun having the two of them in the same room with three dogs! There is always something exciting going on! And tomorrow my dad flies in to add to the excitement. Of course that also means that my mom will be leaving in just two short days... but I'm going to try not to think too much about that now!

Three generations... mom, Raley and Sarah!

Sweet, dreaming baby...

Aunt Sarah with nephew Raley!

Grandma and Raley reading together

Wesley looking very grown up for a three week old I think!

And a gratuitous adorable sleeping baby picture!

Up Close and Personal

2010-02-17T16:36:00.003-07:00

What can I say? I love the macro setting on cameras!

"What? You want close-ups of me?"

"Oh, okay... as long as you let me hold your finger..."

An up close mouth...

And up close eyes and nose...

And finally a full, up-close face... Adorable!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T19:07:00.005-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

But especially, happy valentine's day to two important men in my life... I love you Reid and Wesley!

Reid, watching you with our son makes me fall even more in love with you. Thanks for being a terrific daddy!

Pictures

2010-02-11T16:34:00.005-07:00

Mainly for the grandparents in Indianapolis, here are a few pictures from the last few days:

What is that lurking in the bassinet?

On closer inspection, you can see that there are two of them...

Aha! They are feet! This is the position that had us fooled into thinking that he was still head up at 35 and 36 weeks... I had his butt wedged under my ribs on the right side and one or both of those heels wedged across my middle into my left side for most of the final weeks of pregnancy! He still really likes to lay with his feet stretched out all the way in front (or above) him!

Mommy with her baby boy... I am most definitely in love.

Mommy with one of her other babies... Winston. In case anyone was wondering, Winston's bloodwork came back completely normal, which means that he most likely just has epilepsy. We are going to hold off on putting him on medication as he has only had the three seizures and all of them were "mild" in comparison with what they could be. The medication has potential side effects so we really only want to give it to him if he NEEDS it. So, for now, we'll just wait and see and hope he doesn't have another one for a long time...

Oh so comfy in our bassinet!

Rocking our hoodie and matching cargo pants on our way to the pediatrician's office yesterday. We found out that Wes has gained back all but two ounces of his birth weight (he was 6lbs 12oz yesterday, 6lbs 14oz at birth). This is a great sign meaning that breast feeding is going really well! The doctor also looked at the big bump on his head and stated that she still feels like it is a hematoma that will go down on its own. But they did take a head circumference and if it hasn't gone down at all by next week we'll do a scan just to make sure that nothing else is a miss. It certainly doesn't seem to be affecting him in the slightest as he is growing, alert and super cute!

Here is our serious thinking (okay, sleeping) baby... and you can sort of see the bump that I'm talking about on the left side of his head.

And I love these up close pictures of baby parts... baby fingers and baby ears. And he is starting to fill out all of that extra skin he was born with!

Wesley's First Doctor Visit

2010-02-09T16:13:00.003-07:00

Wesley had his first pediatrician's visit this past Thursday (yes, the blogging is going a little more slowly than it has been in the past).

As it was our first trip out of the house since coming home, we had to get all dressed up! Here we are in our safari outfit, and crocheted booties! He was rocking it out in his car seat and ready to go!

Wait a minute! No one said coming to the doctor's officce meant getting undressed! We HATE getting undressed! This was just before we got his weight taken. His birth weight was 6lbs 14oz. He weighed 6lbs 7oz when we left the hospital and he was down to 6lbs 5oz at this appointment. All of that is quite typical. We hope that he will have gained weight by the next time he is weighed (and with how much he is filling his diapers I will find it hard to believe if he hasn't).

Getting all of our vitals checked out... everything looked good, with the exception of a bump of fluid on his head. More on that later in the post...

Here we are with mommy, much happier all bundled up! Mommy also met with her midwife at this visit and had her blood pressure meds upped. I am happy to report that as of this writing the medicine seems to be working and hopefuuly as postpartum continues my levels will also continue to settle.

As I said above, the only thing of concern is the liquid-filled bump on the left side of his head. We are not sure if it was formed during the last few weeks of my pregnancy when his head was low in my pelvis or if it was formed during the birth process. But as the rest of the swelling on his head has gone down the bump has not. And as Reid and I are proud card carrying members of the over-protective and paranoid parent society, we called the pediatrician today and made an appointment for a check up tomorrow rather than waiting for another week and two days until his two week appt. She will probably take one look at it and say, "yeah, it's fine and will go away on its own." But that will at least give us peace of mind. And... we might even get to sneak a peak at his weight while we're there!

All snuggled in and ready to head back home!

Wesley's Birth Story

2010-02-08T11:39:00.003-07:00

I know... it took awhile to write, especially as for half of it I had Wesley laying on my right arm! But here it is. Just to warn you, don't read it if you don't want to know at least a few intimate medical details about me/Wes' birth. I want all of these details here because I don't want to forget them but you may or may not want to know them. Okay, there... you've been warned.

Wesley Isaiah’s Birth Story

Little of this pregnancy has gone according to how I thought it would (the finding out we were pregnant, that it is a boy, that my blood pressure put me in the hospital once before his delivery and put me on bed rest for a month). Wesley’s birth was no exception. And yet, like all of the other pieces of the pregnancy it ended up being exactly what we needed.

Right after we checked in... don't we look eager?

Wesley’s labor started on Friday, January 29th. Because of my high blood pressure it had been decided that we were going to induce labor at 38 weeks rather than allowing things to take their natural course (which could mean a potentially life threatening spike in my blood pressure for Wesley). Jayne, our nurse midwife, felt that by 38 weeks he would be well developed, completely in full term and ready (if not willing) to be born. As my cervix was not dilated or effaced the plan was to check into the maternity ward Friday morning and start a drug that would “ripen” my cervix (I love that term! It always brings to mind a peach in a brown paper bag!). I took my first dose, a tiny quarter of a pill, at 11am. Just as the nurse was about to take me off the monitors to let me walk around, which often helps things progress, Wesley’s heartbeat started dipping after every contraction. A normal healthy heartbeat is between 130 and 160... After my contractions his beats were dipping to around 100, with an occasional dip even lower. We tried various positions and found that on my right side his rates didn’t drop… laying in any other position did. So… from about 1pm I laid on my right side and was on the monitors to keep an eye on his levels.

Because the cervix drug is given orally they were not inclined to give me a second dose (as there is no easy way to stop the effects once it is in your system). So, we switched gears and they hooked me up to a low amount drip of pitocin. Jayne checked me about 5pm and found that I had dilated at the most 2cm and was mildly effaced. Because of Wes’ heartbeat drops coupled with my history, the doctor on call decided to turn of the medicine, in order to let us “all get a good night’s rest” and we would start again in the morning… Good night’s rest, yeah right! J I did get to come off the monitors for about an hour in the evening when Reid and I were allowed to walk around the hospital which was really lovely! They also took me off the monitors for about an hour and a half in the middle of the night which was the best sleep I got. And though I was no longer on the pitocin I was still having contractions which made it seem like we were moving in a good direction. On a pain scale, however, I was placing the contractions at a 1 or 2 out of 10 and was able to sleep through most of them.

Morning came. I got to take a shower and watch the news (and eat breakfast… my midwife knows I like my food!). Then it was back onto the monitors and we started the pitocin drip at 7:15. Miraculously Wesley’s heartbeat was not dipping after contractions and my blood pressure was being very good and staying in the range it was supposed to. Again, I was rating the pain in the 1s and 2s, thinking “wow, if this is labor, I am handling it great!”

Jayne checked me at 8:30 and with little change from the night before she decided to “move things along” by breaking my water. No going back now! Wesley was being born one way or the other today! The actual breaking of the water surprised me because it didn’t hurt at all. I think part of the reason for that is apparently Wes’ head (and thus his fluid membrane) was very low. At any rate, we were in business!

Reid told me afterwards that he saw Jayne at this point also turn up my pitocin. That I did not see but within 10 minutes of having my water broken, my labor really swung into full speed! My contractions were coming like clockwork every 2 minutes, each lasting around 40 second and leaving me very little time to recuperate before the next one came on. They were now in the 8 to 10 range of pain. During them I tried diligently to use the breathing and relaxation techniques that I had read about and studied. But through most of them all I could really do was scrunch my eyes shut, curl up my toes and try my best to crush every bone in Reid’s hand… he took it like a man and never once complained! J No one had told me that I could be in any other position besides on my right side and I just knew that I could not labor all day with those contractions and not being allowed to move. I tried as hard as I thought I could to get through as many as I thought I could before asking Reid to get the nurse to discuss an epidural. It was, perhaps, 40 minutes. I really do think that had I had more natural progression of labor (ie, not 0 to 100 mph in 2 seconds) I could have handled the pain more effectively. Of course, I’ll never know.
The anesthesiologist arrived about 15 minutes later and his first words were “Now there is a woman who looks like she needs an epidural.” They got me sat up, with my feet on a chair and thank the Lord they did not make Reid leave the room like they do in some hospitals. I honestly could not have made it through what happened next without Reid’s hand to crush.

Laying on my side with oxygen... mastering a smile between contractions

It took the anesthesiologist (whose name was Yodi and who was a good southern boy that I am sure is really nice in any other circumstance) almost thirty minutes to get the epidural drip in. This is a procedure that is supposed to take five. He had to stick my back three separate times. Apparently, I have a “vascular back” (his words, not mine). So though he got the first two in, both of them nicked blood vessels. So, when he tested them with whatever drug he test the placement with they made me horribly dizzy and queasy feeling. For the third stick he actually started a whole new kit and moved up two vertebrae. He told me after the birth that if he had not been able to get it in that try he was going to suggest other pain medication options. He said that my epidural was one of the hardest he has ever done. Hooray for me! And of course, through this all, my pitocin is still pumping and I am still having those massively strong contractions every two minutes… all while trying to hold perfectly still so as to not have the man poking needles in my back paralyze me for life! It was also during this process that I started dry heaving, again difficult to do with little to no movement.

Once he got the epidural placed, Jayne checked me again. This was probably about 10:15 to 10:30, though time meant very little to me. I had progressed from 2 to 5 cm. At this point I had Reid call my mom and tell her that labor was going quickly and that she needed to come to the hospital now. Yodi gave me a drug through the epidural that was supposed to quicken the pain relief as I was still feeling a fair amount of my contractions. Unfortunately, it worked too well and I started to lose feeling in my chest, with tingling in my arms. The worst was that it started to effect my lungs and I was having trouble taking a deep breath. So… he came back and gave me a different drug to counteract the first one. He ended up giving me two doses of that drug in order to get my breathing and feeling back to my upper body.

By the time we had sorted out the “extra” drugs going through my epidural, it was 11:30 and Jayne checked me again… I was 9+ and ready to push. It seemed surreal that I had progressed from 2 cm to 9+ in the span of three hours but here we were. Even Jayne commented that this was all going a lot faster than she had thought it would. My mom made it to the room just as I was about to start pushing which I am so thankful for! Reid held one leg, the nurse Debbie held my other and my mom supported my head so that I didn’t have to hold my neck up for each of the pushes.

About midpoint through pushing, they turned off both the epidural and the pitocin. I was contracting well and strongly on my own and I wanted more feeling as we got close. Jayne brought in the mirror so that I could see what was happening which I really appreciated as it made it more real and doable to see what needed to be done. At some point they had put the monitor on his head, though I honestly do not remember that happening at all. I pushed for about an hour and forty-five minutes. The last five to ten pushes were intense, making me whimper in between contractions because I wanted to keep pushing. But Jayne, of course, knew what she was doing and only let me push during good, solid contractions so that I stretched. In fact, I only had three very tiny tears, all of them repairable by a single stitch each. Thank you Jayne!

And with a final push, Wesley made his arrival into the world at 1:14pm. They pulled him out and held him above my chest, giving him some fierce rubs. We whipped my oxygen mask off and held it over his mouth while Reid cut the cord. Wesley’s nose had been really smooshed, either by the birth or the last couple of weeks riding against my tailbone, and he was crying but in short little gasps rather than strong cries. So, they whisked him over to the warmer where another nurse attended to him. I watched from across the room as they gave him air and then put a tube down his throat to suction out all that he had swallowed into his lungs in delivery (which was a great deal). As soon as she suctioned him, he let out a big and angry cry and I breathed a big deep breath. One of my greatest fears going into an early delivery was what if his lungs weren’t as developed as they should be and they had to send him to Denver to be treated. With that big cry it made that possibility very unlikely.

Just after birth on the warmer getting oxygen

Most of the aftermath of giving birth is a bit of a blur. I delivered the placenta which Jayne showed to me… it’s really pretty darn cool. She did my stitches and then they handed me my baby. They let us keep him in our room while we stayed at the hospital, taking him out only to do periodic assessments, a bath and a hearing test in the nursery. Reid went with Wes for his bath and hearing test around five in the evening and I took a quick nap.

We spent two more nights in the hospital, checking out Monday morning. We had a few successful feedings in the hospital and few unsuccessful feeds (he didn’t nurse for an almost 8 hour stretch because he was sleeping on both Sunday and Monday, so I expressed colostrum and we fed it to him via a dropper). All of our nurses were great but I had particularly effective nurse named Denise who was Wesley’s night nurse both Saturday and Sunday night. She really helped me, answering many questions about nursing and Wes’ care. We got home about noon on Monday and something clicked in his little brain (and probably in my body as well) because he has done a terrific job of latching on since.

And that is our birth story… I certainly didn’t expect my labor to last only 4 hours and 45 minutes from the time my water broke. But it did. I had taken things to do during labor to pass the time… none of them were needed. It was fast. It was hard. And it was perfect for Wesley and I. His heart rate never dropped once on Saturday and my blood pressure stayed right where it belonged. And in the end, Reid and I were left with the most precious person we had ever laid eyes on. We are so grateful for the people and facilities that cared for us. It was not the labor and delivery that I had “planned” but, for us, it was perfect.

The happy family (please ignore my hair!)

Random Pics of Wesley

2010-02-04T18:06:00.008-07:00

Since I don't know when I'll be able to write a full blog post I thought I'd just post pictures and let them speak for most of our last two days. Pediatrician's visit to follow.

I love this picture... just look how little his fingers are! Of course this picture also shows how swollen my fingers still are. I am still battling with my blood pressure... not sure why but it is actually higher now than it was when I was on bedrest and pregnant. So, we've upped my medication amounts and are hoping that will bring my numbers down. Prayers/good thoughts are appreciated! :)

Here we are, ready for safari and showing off our adorable booties that great-aunt Amy gave us!

This is one of our favorite looks... burrito baby!

Did you know it takes two parents to change a diaper? Well... for the first especially dirty one it did!

"Baby Power!"

"Will I make them dance?"

One of our favorite places to sleep... on mommy!

See? I do exist in pictures! It's just that most that have been taken involve either me without a shirt on (and thus not quite appropriate for the internet) or I am doing this in them! And yes, Wesley is laying on his side. When we put him in the bassinet he was on his back. He has now done this, on his own several times...

And I love this picture too! This was this evening... just lounging on mom, he is completely relaxed!

On an unrelated note, please say a prayer or think a good thought about our 2 year old beagle Winston. He had another seizure today (his second in three weeks) while Reid and I were at the pediatrician's office today. Luckily my mom was home with him. He went to the vet this afternoon and got blood drawn. Unfortunately as he hates needles they had to sedate him. He is now laying on the sofa sleeping it off. We won't have the test results until Monday after which we'll be able to make some decisions about how to proceed with his care. Poor little guy...

Introducing...

2010-02-02T16:49:00.004-07:00

Wesley Isaiah!!

Born on Saturday, January 30th at 1:14pm

Height 21 inches

Weight 6lbs 14oz

Birth story and updates to follow when I'm not typing with one hand!

A Poll!

2010-01-28T19:55:00.002-07:00

Alright folks... for many of you this is double-dipping (since I posted it on Facebook too)... but we know that I'll get checked in tomorrow morning and start on the drug to "ripen" and "thin" my cervix. Once that is achieved to my midwife's liking we'll switch to pitocin which will get my contractions going... and then at some point after that we'll have a baby!

So... here is the poll:

1. What time will Wesley arrive (be specific folks)?

2. How much will Wes weigh?

3. How long will Wes be?

Ready or Not...

2010-01-28T18:52:00.003-07:00

We took this evening's last minute opportunity to take a picture of Wesley's new digs before he arrives...

Here is Wesley's crib complete with monkey mobile, safari wall hanging and LOTS of blankets and quilts... this baby will not get cold!

Here are a few of Wesley's stuffed friends waiting for him to come home!

Wes' changing table... he has more clothes than I do and that is NOT an exaggeration... the bins here are full of his newborn and 0-3 month clothes!

And finally... Tater was kind enough a few nights ago to try out the co-sleeper for us (when it was full of pillows). Winston took it as his responsibility to do so the following night. They both approve!

Belly Update- Grandma Requested

2010-01-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

*Scroll Down to see most recent belly photo*

Mom said last night that she wanted to "see the bump." So... here is the baby belly post. I'm going to try to just use this same post and add new pictures as we take them so that by the end I'll have one post with all of the belly shots (and I'll just keep moving it to the top when there's an update). Scroll down to see the "newest" belly shots.

3 weeks along

7 weeks along

16 weeks

18 weeks

20.5 weeks (halfway there!)

This is 23 weeks.

And this is 24 weeks, 2 days. Hiding this guy seems like it should be getting harder though I had two people today tell me that they would "never have guessed" that I was pregnant.

26 weeks, 3 days. Definitely starting to feel like I "look" pregnant... though with the fall weather upon us it is still pretty easy to hide should I want to as well.

This was 31 and a half weeks (I'm now 32 and a half). As you can see, I am carrying him very high and according to all of the movement/pressure I am feeling he is still laying across me from left to right. Hopefully in the next month he'll get the idea that he wants to drop... we'll see!

A little over 36 weeks.

And here we are at 37 weeks and 5 days... since I am being induced in two days, this is as big as I am going to get!

And just for good measure... this is to prove that the belly is mine and not someone else's! Happy mommy with crazy hair ready to go the hospital tomorrow morning!

Induction

2010-01-25T20:13:00.002-07:00

Induction has officially been scheduled to start Saturday morning. I check into the hospital Friday evening around 7pm (that would be 95 hours from now if anyone is keeping track, not that I am!) and we start a cervadil-type drug to "soften" my cervix so that it will be ready (oh please, let it be ready!) for inductin Saturday morning... yes, Reid and I are going to have a baby outside my body by the end of this weekend!

What I've Been Doing since New Year's...

2010-01-22T08:22:00.004-07:00

Laying (mostly)....

On my left side...

And my right side...

And sitting up (you have to do so occasionally!)

Back to the right (Tater was a little miffed that I slept on the sofa rather than on the bed with him and remedied it by coming out in the morning and laying on the pillows RIGHT in front of me)...

Still on my right...

Back to the left...

To the right (are you sensing a pattern?)...

And yes... back to the left!

Good thing I have three trusty dogs to help me hold down the sofas... they are certainly good cuddlers!

Midwife Appointment

2010-01-20T04:47:00.002-07:00

We had a midwife appointment yesterday which included a bio-physical profile ultrasound. No, I had no idea what that was either until yesterday. Basically it is a fairly in depth ultrasound where the technician is looking for several things to make sure that baby is doing well in terms of health. She looks, of course, at heart function and heartbeat. She also watches for breathing rhythm (in order to pass he has to do practice breathing for at least thirty seconds in a row... he did this almost immediately when watched). She measures several spots for fluid levels to make sure he has a big enough bathtub. And finally she watches for three large movements.

Well, let me tell you last night was not a good night in terms of sleep for me. I was up every half hour or so for most of the night and at least some of that was directly because Wesley was dancing up a storm. He was even flipping around and enjoying himself on the way to the doctor's office (as he is now). But once again, my son who has not yet entered this world is proofing just how darn stubborn he can be. He laid perfectly still for fifteen minutes of the tech poking and prodding him and my changing positions. It took my downing an entire 16 ounce bottle of orange juice to get those three movements out of him and even then he gave them begrudgingly. We have another of these ultrasounds next Wednesday. I plan to inundate him with juice and possibly chocolate half an hour before it begins!

Because he was sluggish movement wise we also had a stress test (where they put the two monitors on your belly and watch his heart beat). No trouble passing that... either he likes the vibration of the monitor or he really doesn't but either way it gets him to squirm a fair amount. I also had my blood pressure checked which is staying in the acceptable range. The protein in my urine was, according to Jayne, "just a little bit" and I have gained one pound since last week (an acceptable amount). The internal exam reveals that my cervix is still closed tight but that isn't surprising as I'm still in my 36th week (and therefore pre-term). However, his head was fairly low which is a good thing considering up until last week we weren't sure whether he was head down or not!

But, the most important (in some ways) part of our visit was at the end when we talked dates. Jayne said that with my blood pressure issues she did not want to wait for this pregnancy to come to its own natural conclusion. She suggested strongly that 38 weeks is an appropriate time to deliver a baby whose mama is having the medical issues that I am having. Basically... let's give him enough time to cook but also let's get him out before what we currently have under control has the chance to become something we no longer have under control. Makes sense to me.

So... Wes has another stress test on Friday. Then we have another ultrasound Wednesday as well as an exam. And as long as both of those are good and don't call for more speedy action, I will check into the hospital on Friday, January 29th. At that point they'll give me cervidil to "ripen" my cervix (sorry to all of you for whom that is TMI). Then, most likely, we will induce on Saturday, January 30th... which means that Reid and I will most likely be parents in ten days. Yeah, you could definitely say that it is getting real!

Shower and Winston

2010-01-17T16:00:00.002-07:00

So, the two things in the title of this blog have nothing to do with one another but both deserve to be talked about. First, I had my Alamosa baby shower yesterday at my friend Renee's home which was great. As it was probably my last chance at a social event before Wesley arrived I very much enjoyed it. When you know that staying at home for an indeterminate period of time is looming ahead of you it is nice to have something to put on makeup and nice clothes for. The food was yummy. The games were silly and fun. The presents were very appreciated... and most importantly the company was great. I will try to upload some pictures sometime soon.

And Winston... this afternoon I was laying on the couch with Winston behind my knees when I felt him twitching a lot. I sat up to find that his eyes were still open and that he had his legs pulled up really tight to his body. He was shaking a lot and it was clear that he was in distress. Reid came running into the room and we got Winston onto the floor. It was clear that he could not support himself on his legs. I called the emergency vet number and in the two minutes it took to get a vet to call us back he had started to relax. He was still shaking some but the muscles of his legs were relaxing. We described everything to the vet and he agreed that most likely it was a seizure. He told us to keep a close eye on him and if he has any more this evening we'll take him in on an emergency basis. If not, then we can take him in tomorrow to have some tests run to rule out a few causes of seizures in dogs. If all of those come back negative then chances are good we'll never know exactly what caused it.

We scoured the house and couldn't find anything he had gotten into (the first thing you think with a beagle!). Plus the fact that he isn't showing any gastro-intestinal discomfort makes me think it unlikely that he ingested a toxin. After we cuddled him for fifteen minutes or so he got up and wanted to go out. Reid took him out along with my mother's westie... and the two of them were bouncing around the back yard wrestling and chasing one another just like they always do. You would have had NO idea that twenty minutes before Winston was effectively paralyzed. He came in and has been peacefully sleeping on the sofa for most of the afternoon (minus one quick run to the kitchen when I offered all of the dogs a "t-r-e-a-t" to make sure that he was willing to get up and move around... for a treat, you betcha!). So... Reid will take him to the vet tomorrow (so long as this evening goes smoothly) and we may or may not ever know exactly what happened. But, if you wouldn't mind keeping Winston in your thoughts (along with Wesley and myself), I'd appreciate it!

"Is he coming or not?" Week

2010-01-16T08:59:00.003-07:00

This past week has been a big one in the baby Neilsen world and I want to write a little about it before I forget (as I've been told repeatedly that once Wesley makes his arrival my brain will instantly go to mush and details that are now crystal clear will vanish forever).

At my midwife appointment last week my blood pressure was high. So she put me on modified bedrest ("Try to lay on your side as much as possible and keep your feet elevated, stop going grocery shopping for yourself, etc"). We did that for a week (thank goodness my mom is here) and went back to her office on Tuesday. My blood pressure, taken by both the nurse Vicki (who usually gets a lower number) and Jayne (who usually gets slightly higher), had my diastolic (or lower number) above 100 which is not good. We had also bought a home monitor and I had been tracking my pressure at home, knowing full well that my bottom number was living in the 90s and occasionally creeping up to the 100s. Yet somehow it was still a shock when Jayne said that she wanted to admit me to the hospital for 24 hours to run test and monitor my blood pressure.

Mom, Reid and I immediately went upstairs to the maternity ward (we did not pass go and we did not, unfortunately collect $100). The check-in process was insanely easy ("Yes, Jayne called about you. This is the room you'll be in. Please sign these two forms"). I changed into a gown and they immediately took my blood pressure (down into the 90s sitting on the bed with my feet up, in the low 80s when I laid down on my side... instantly). Then they hooked me up to the fetal monitor where we watched his heartbeat bounce around for fifteen minutes. Come to find out later when I spoke with Jayne that you want the heartbeat to bounce around a fair amount (within the range that his was) because it shows periods of activity and relaxation. He passed with flying colors.

They also took some blood which they tested for several things. All happily came back with the appropriate results. Perhaps the least enjoyable part of my stay was the 24 urine test... Yes, for 24 hours you have to pee into a pan within the toilet and then pour your urine into a container (which is put over ice!) so that at the end of the time they could see how much I had produced and most importantly test for protein levels. Apparently if the protein level had been above 300 it would have been cause for moving the pregnancy along more quickly because it would have been an indicator that my high blood pressure was causing issues for my kidneys and/or liver. Luckily when the results finally came in Wednesday evening the level was 220, which apparently is acceptable.

Because I had not planned to check into the hospital I did not have anything with me. Reid and mom came home for dinner and then Reid drove back to the hospital (which is luckily only 12 miles from our house) with some of my "necessary" stuff (snacks, entertainment, a change of undies, etc). Of course after he left I thought of more things I needed so he had to stop by Wednesday morning before work too! I spent the 24 hours dozing, watching tv, knitting and visiting with people, when not having my blood pressure checked, peeing about a million times and having Wesley monitored three times. Apparently he is like his daddy and not a morning person because the morning scan was the only time where they had to move the monitor around and then give me juice to get him active enough to do the reading.

Luckily my blood pressure stayed low while lying on my side, the baby's readings were good and my protein levels weren't too high. Had any of those things not gone our way, there was a very real possibility that I would have been heli-vacced to a Denver hospital with Reid driving over and we would have delivered Wesley this week at 35 1/2 weeks. SLV Regional Medical does not deliver babies before 36 weeks if they can help it, mainly because we don't have a NICU and because of our high altitude (a baby born with premature lungs at this altittude has a greater increase of problems than a baby born in Denver which is a few thousand feet lower).

Instead of that prospect (which I was very much NOT looking forward to), I got sent home on complete bedrest (though granted one special compensation for my baby shower later this afternoon!) and a low dose of blood pressure medication. I've continued to monitor my numbers here at home and the combination of the two things seems to be working. I also had a BP check yesterday with Jayne that checked out well. We also did another fetal scan just to make sure and Wesley once again passed it exceedingly well (in other words, he has passed all of his tests! It's just mom who is failing :)...

On Tuesday we have another OB check (my one on Tuesday also told us that I was not the slightest bit dilated or effaced). We also have a bio-physical ultrasound which will make sure that Wesley has the correct amount of fluid levels, good muscle tone, correct size/weight gain, etc... If both of those come back well, we will continue what we are doing for another week. At this point our goal is to get to 38 weeks, at which time Wesley will be firmly in the full term camp (full term is technically any time after 37 weeks). At that time, if all of the test results are still coming back well (ie, if he is good size, my blood pressure is still holding steady, his scans are still showing lots of good activity, etc), we will induce labor... 38 weeks is exactly two weeks from today! Wow... that's soon. We haven't set a specific induction day yet (that might happen at our next appointment on Tuesday). The one thing we do know is that with my BP issues we won't be going all the way to his due date and definitely not beyond it. So... though I'll keep the counter at the top of the blog as to Master Neilsen's countdown to due date... we're going to have a baby before that timer is up! And until then, I'll be doing a lot of laying on the sofa!

The Week Between Christmas and New Year

2010-01-11T10:29:00.007-07:00

Yes, yes... I'm very behind. But here is the week between Christmas and New Year in pictures (with a couple from Christmas eve and Christmas day thrown in for good measure).

This is probably my favorite picture from the week... there are actually several in the series. She just sat down next to Winston and served him tea... and then joined him by having her own cup. And honestly, I think Winston ate up the attention... He was just so cute with her.

Raley loved serving tea to the dogs... Tater was not so sure about being given an empty cup!

Frankly, neither was Albie.

This is the custom wine rack that Reid made for Sarah and Dan for Christmas. It holds six bottles and if I do say so myself... it's pretty darn awesome!

This is the mayhem that comes from having a nearly two year old in your living room... I wish I could say that this was at the end of the week but it wasn't... this was a regular occurence and it looked like this every day about fifteen minutes after she was up.

But look how cute she is with her mommy! Totally worth the mess...

I love this picture because I love her coat and hat! She went outside to chase her daddy's new remote control car! So much fun...

Winston was doing his civic duty by cleaning any and all crumbs from Raley's car seat!

What is one of the best toys of Christmas? Why the wrapping parts of course! Raley climbed in this bag and spent several fun-filled moments popping out like a present.

Raley helped Winston find the PERFECT toy (which of course was at the bottom of the toy basket)... no, my dogs aren't spoiled at all :)

What nearly two year old doesn't accessorize with her parents' Flip on one arm and baby doll on the other?

This was Raley helping me put on one of my favorite Christmas presents... fleece lined crocs! They might not be "stylish" but I have worn them almost every day since I got them! They are so comfy, warm and most important for a pregnant lady... they slip on! Thanks Sarah and Dan!

Who doesn't play piano with one hand while holding a rubber chicken dog toy in the other? She's a multi-tasker!

Raley and grandpa reading a story.

We made gingerbread cookies... this was Raley's part of the process. Needless to say the cookies actually got rolled out and made during naptime. But she was a very good dough stabber/eater (and she ate several pinches of flour as well)!

Playing follow the leader at the dinner table... a favorite of Raley's!

Still a little too small for snowboarding (maybe next year?)... but her daddy got to go snowboarding at Wolf Creek twice and sandboarding at the Great Sand Dunes once so he was happy!

The best we could get with two dogs, a squirming Raley and two adults.

I really like this picture... for some reason the morning that they were leaving Raley was all about Uncle Reid. She wanted to play with him and be held by him and was very happy to pose for pictures with him.

Sarah, Dan and Raley just before they started on their drive back to Long Beach, CA. I wish they could have stayed forever... but of course they can't. I certainly look forward to my next visit to southern Cali!

Blogging Haitus

2010-01-07T09:05:00.007-07:00

Between the end of school (Dec. 18) and having my family here over Christmas I have been in quite the blogging haitus, haven't I? But with the sentence of bed rest now hanging over my head (I was told two days ago at my midwife appointment that due to my high blood pressure she wants me to stay sitting/laying down for 18-20 hours/day) I should have more time to devote to the blog... which is good since once Wes gets here I somehow doubt I'll have much time (though I promise Annie, I'll update with pictures as much as I can).

But for now I thought I'd post some Christmas photos... so, here are a few pictures from our Christmas day...

Here is the Christmas tree "Raley-proofed" before their arrival...

Raley and I after their arrival at our house Christmas Eve.

Three generations of ladies in our family (my mom, Raley and my sister)

Raley with HER pile of presents in front of her... any clue that she is an only grand child?? And I believe this is the closest Tater was to Raley all week long... he has some major adjusting to do when Wesley gets here.

It didn't take her long to figure out this opening present thing... though she did get overwhelmed easily. Not a big deal though... it just meant we stretched out opening her presents for two days!

Just to show that there were other presents opened... here is Reid opening one with my dad in the background.

One of many adorable pictures of Winston and Raley... he was SO good with her. He definitely one the good dog with toddler award.

Mom opening one of her hand-made presents from Reid's shop

Raley examining her present from aunt Jenna and uncle Reid (a six foot long polar fleece "Nemo" fish)

Alright... so it might be a little big for her right now but she'll grow into it!

And that concludes the day of Christmas... next post, the rest of the week (or at least parts of it).

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

2009-12-15T09:22:00.005-07:00

And as promised, here are photos from the production...

Alice with her Tutor, Mrs. Talon

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

The Hall of Doors

Growing/Shrinking

"The table is too tall!"

The Wet Creatures... building the puppets was one of my favorite parts of this production!

"The floor is open for suggestions!" "Ahh!!"

Alice, huge in the White Rabbit's House

After she's returned to "normal" size

The other three puppets (Noodle, Spike and Bill)

The Cheshire Cat, The Duchess, Alice and The cook

The two "stars" of the show... Tater as Pig Baby

The Cheshire Cat under her blacklight

Mad Hatter and the Dormouse

The Tea Party scene

Alice with the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle

The Queen, King and White Rabbit at Court

The Court Scene... unfortunately to get everyone it had to be a wide shot. There are 23 actors and seven puppets on stage.

And there you have it... Adams State College's production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as seen through photos.

Sneak Peak...

2009-12-09T10:05:00.002-07:00

Here is a sneak peak at a few of the costumes from the show. Tater and I posed with these cast members on Sunday at the Alumni matinee. The Alumni office sets up a picture taking/reception area in our X-Box theatre where the children who come can get their picture taken with the cast. There was time at the end so Tater and I snuck into a picture too!

We are taking our archive photos this afternoon so I should hopefully be able to post more once I get those from the photographer.

And in other news... in just four days there will be exactly two months until Mr. Wesley's due date! That seems like almost no time and also like an eternity! In the last week or so I have started to feel pregnant. By that I mean the pregnant that people talk about... it's harder to get up and down from the sofa. It's almost impossible to bend at the waist. It's a little bit of a challenge to get my shoes tied, etc... I look forward to seeing my belly (and therefore my baby) grow over the next two months!

Opening Night!

2009-12-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged much about Alice (or anything for that matter). I have been pretty darn ill and that coupled with rehearsals that make getting home before 11pm (and a few nights midnight) impossible this last week blogging has been low on the priority list.

But... It's OPENING NIGHT! We are ready. The students are ready for a receptive audience and I'm ready to have a rest! :) I'll hopefully get some photos soon (if nothing else I'll have them from our archive session mid-week next week) that I can post. The show looks great. We have ten performances over the next 10 days so the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland race isn't over... but at least we can see the finish line! And after all, if it is a "caucus" race, well then all have already won!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T21:01:00.002-07:00

Happy thanksgiving bloggy-land and blog readers! Reid and I are staying here in Colorado for the holiday. That is in part because I only have Wednesday-Friday off of school which would make for a really hurried trip back to Indiana and also because I need to spend most of Friday and Saturday in the costume shop working on costumes (there is still MUCH to be done). Then Sunday is our cue-to-cue and tech rehearsals for Alice.

Today Reid and I spent a good portion of the day cleaning our downstairs (the upstairs will have to be another day... or probably another weekend!). It has been so long that I forgot how much more comforting a clean house is than a messy one. Of course, we only cleaned because we have people coming over tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes giving ourselves outside motivators really does help!

Our pumpkin pies are currently baking. Tomorrow I have put Reid in charge of the turkey and mashed potatoes. I'm tackling the easy stuffing and gravy! And then tomorrow evening it will be time to put up our Christmas tree! Hooray! This will be Winston's first Christmas with us... so we will definitely be watching him like a hawk with the tree.

In other news, I have been battling (unsuccessfully) a cold/cough for almost two weeks now. I finally broke down and called my midwife on Monday who kindly called me in a prescription (after hours!) for a cough medicine with codeine in it. I still am coughing badly throughout the day but at least I'm getting good sleep at night. I still wake up many times to pee or change positions but with the codeine haze I can get back to sleep pretty quickly (as opposed to without it where I laid awake for two separate hours Sunday into Monday night coughing). If it hasn't lessened by Friday morning (and honestly I see no reason why it will) I'll be calling to see if my midwife is in the office as I think it might have moved from just a cough to a respiratory infection... and goodness knows with Alice opening in a week and a half there is no time for one of those!

Anyway, happy gobble day everyone!

A Few Things...

2009-11-18T11:40:00.002-07:00

A quick post with a few things about pregnancy that I don't want to forget.

-Yesterday morning I laid in bed awake for half an hour. Wesley moved about once every two minutes for the entire time. Sometimes it was a slow roll and sometimes a quick jab outwards. He was laying across me so I had movement mainly in my lower left abdomen and in my upper right side (just below my ribs). And of course, as soon as I grabbed Reid's hand and placed it there Wesley stopped... and didn't kick/move again for the next ten minutes. We have a stubborn son already.

-No one prepares you for just how much you can feel the stretching/growing of your body. I literally feel my pelvis muscles stretching with every step I take. Sometimes, especially after I've eaten or when I'm driving in the car and therefore forced into a specific space, I feel the skin and muscles over the top of my stomach stretching. Sometimes it makes me feel like there is simply no room for my lungs in there, I assume when he is riding really high. Then a minute later I can breath just fine... and the stretching down below sets in again (as he moves back down). And yes, I know... it's only going to get worse but that doesn't really matter right now... right now it can be pretty intense.

-As of tomorrow I am officially in my third trimester. I have to admit, I get teary just thinking about meeting my son... boy am I going to be a mess by February!

Bad Blogger

2009-11-15T11:57:00.002-07:00

So... I realize that I have been a really horribly blogger the last month or two. Quite frankly I'm just too busy during the day... and the evenings to do much blogging. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland started rehearsals three weeks ago. We have one more full week of rehearsals. Then a couple of days until Thanksgiving Break.... we come back from break with two tech rehearsals on the sunday after Thanksgiving and then it is tech and dress rehearsals all the way through to the performances. We have ten performances in ten days. It should be a hectic time and there is a LOT of tech to plug in between now and when we open. But it will all get done.

On the baby front, I had my 27 week appointment this past Thursday. As of this coming thursday I will be officially in my third trimester. This trimester has gone really well and it has gone by really quickly. With luck that is how the third trimester will go as well. At my appointment my blood pressure was still in an acceptable range. I gained four pounds this past month, also acceptable. I did have protein in my urine for the second consecutive appointment (sorry if that is TMI but I have to put it here or I may not remember it later!). But since my blood pressure was okay she is going to let it go and we'll check again next appointment. My next appointment will be in three weeks, the day before Alice opens!

Wesley has been verily active. He kicks/pushes/head butts a fair amount. His two favorite spots to do so are on my right side just below my rib cage and straight downward onto my cervix (again, too much info?? sorry). We have a phrase in my family when you go over a bump in the car that makes your stomach lurch. We call it a "wee daddy bump." Well... when Wes kicks downwards like that it is the strongest wee daddy bump I've ever fellt... and unlike when I'm in the car I have no advanced warning as to when it is coming. Certainly a strange sensation, especially when I'm teaching or in a meeting!

Otherwise, life is good. Reid is plugging away at work. He just had their tax lien sale this past week so hopefully life will settle down for them for a little while. Our pets are fine... And I'm looking forward to the holidays!

Hiccups or Kicks

2009-11-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while sitting at my desk between work study and rehearsal I was (literally) struck by a strange sensation. It felt a little like my breastbone was jumping, once every couple of seconds. It went on for about fifteen/twenty times and then stopped.

After the third or fourth I realized that it was obviously not me but somebody inside of me. I am still not sure whether it was kicking or hiccups. Everyone says that hiccups are light tickling. This was definitely not that. It was like someone was knocking for admittance on my sternum. But he has never kicked that many times in one place either.

So, the jury is still out. I'm betting kicks. But I'll just have to wait and see (assuming of course that there will be more hiccuping instances to compare to). What do you think? Hiccups or kicks?

Alice...

2009-10-28T21:06:00.002-06:00

It has started. I cast the show two Sundays ago. We had our read-through on Monday and have spent the last two afternoons blocking act one. By the end of this week we will have blocked the whole show. The cast is doing well... my Alice is doing great (especially as she is currently in the student shows that opened last night and thus is doing my rehearsals in the afternoon, the other play in the evening and somehow still managing her classes and a little bit of work study!)...

And I tossed and turned for most of last night. If I can get through costuming Alice AND directing it... I will deserve to sit and do nothing over the holiday break!

And mom... I do still need fur...

Snow!

2009-10-22T11:18:00.003-06:00

It snowed yesterday... almost all day. We had about four inches of snow by the time it was all said and done. It's still on the ground today, only because the sun hasn't managed to break through the clouds yet.... but this weekend is supposed to be in the upper fifties to lower sixties so it will all be gone by then.

It's a good reminder that the holidays are on their way!

Midwife Update

2009-10-15T12:32:00.004-06:00

I had my 22 week check up this week and overall things are going very well. In bullet format:

My blood pressure is still behaving itself. Hooray!
I have gained a bit more weight than perhaps I should have by this point. Jayne didn't exactly put it like that but she did say "8 pounds since your last appointment? That's kind of a lot, don't you think?" Couldn't have anything to do with the incredibly yummy cake and dips I ate all weekend long or my recent propensity for brownie sundaes could it? Ah well... I guess I have to give up having ice cream EVERY night for awhile.
At my next appointment (which will be 26 weeks) I get to take the oh-so-fun glucose test. Let's hope, hope, hope that comes back fine. Gestational diabetes is not something I want to deal with...
Everything on our ultrasound came back normal. He's growing and measuring the way he's supposed to and all of his organs are developing correctly. I had assumed that was the case as no one had called us to schedule more test... but it's still nice to officially hear.
The ultrasound measurements put our due date at 2/09... for those who aren't keeping track, we've now had Feb. 3, 9 and 13 as due dates. Or as Jayne put it, we're just "all over the map." Since the 10 week ultrasound is supposed to be the most accurate in terms of measurement we're officially sticking with 2/13. However, Jayne agreed that he could really come any time after Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/18/2010 and thus one month prior to the latest possible due date) and that would be fine. Do you hear that Wesley? You must stay baking until at least 1/18/2010!
I am quickly nearing less than a hundred days left (to the last possible due date)... got to admit I'm getting excited!

Back Into the Groove

2009-10-13T08:09:00.003-06:00

I'm back in Colorado. The trip back on Sunday was long... I took the really early flight as a means of getting back home at a decent hour. It was good except that I didn't make the connection that by having to get up at 4:30am Indiana time to make it to the airport, that was 2:30am Colorado time. So by 7pm I was exhausted! But I did manage to stop on the front range at both JoAnn Fabric and Babies R' US on the way home, two stores I don't get to visit often.

My shower was lovely. I took all of two pictures, both of which were of the cake before the party started. It was an adorable cake but I hope that my mom or my mother in law, both of whom had cameras, might be willing to post their pictures at flicker or somewhere so that I can see them! :) I got to see lots of people I haven't seen in a long time (living this far away makes it hard to keep up with family and friends) but of course it all went by much too quickly. Thank you again to Jamie and Karen and the grandmas for making such a warm and fun afternoon!

And now I'm back and getting into the groove of things once again. I have several student rehearsals to go to this week in the evenings. I have organized a field trip for about 20 theatre majors to a theatre production in Santa Fe this coming Saturday. And then of course my auditions for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland are on Sunday! Busy, busy week...

I'm here!

2009-10-09T09:28:00.002-06:00

After a longish day of travel and a fear that I was going to be bumped from my flight (note to self- that check in at home BEFORE you leave for the airport is apparently now a requirement), I am in Indy. My parents' house (which is currently on the market) looks great! And in just a few minutes friends are coming over and my mother, friends and I are going to go do some retail therapy!

Have a great weekend!

Leaving on a jet plane...

2009-10-07T12:35:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow morning I will rise and shine bright and early so as to drive myself the 4 hours to Denver International Airport, where I will climb on a plane and fly to Indy! I've decided to take Wesley along with me... and guess what? He gets to fly for free! Hooray.

My very generous good friend Jamie is hosting a baby shower for me on Saturday which means I'll get to see lots of extended family from both Reid and I's sides, some of whom I haven't seen in quite awhile.

Friday is my day to buy some of the maternity stuff that I need that I can't buy in the Valley (yey for having three clothing retailers in the whole Valley!) and hopefully checking out a fabric store or two for costume preparation for Alice (I plan to stock up on dye since there again is limited selection here in the Valley and possibly fake fur as that is non-exsistent in the Valley). Then Friday afternoon/evening is hanging out with family and friends.

It's going to be a quick blur of a trip but it will be nice to see everyone and a great break from school... then I get back and have one week until I plunge into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland auditions! Yikes... where is this fall going?

And the name is...

2009-10-04T16:58:00.004-06:00

After much talk and hashing (and rehashing), Reid and I have settled on a name... our son will be known as:

Wesley Isaiah (and probably called Wes by most people)

It's oldey-timey without being totally out of fashion. It has been on the top 100 boy's baby name list for years but it has not broken the top 50 in all of the time I looked. It is not what we started with but I definitely like it. It's so exciting to call him by a name. Just 19 more weeks until our due date!

My "Boys"

2009-09-29T08:27:00.001-06:00

Lest you think this blog has turned exclusively baby and my other "children" have been forgotten, here's a cute picture of our boys taken just this morning.

(Tater on the left, Winston on the right)

The Day After...

2009-09-25T22:59:00.002-06:00

Well, Dad asked in the comments how this is all feeling now that we are 24 hours out from our ultrasound. I would say that it is just beginning to sink in that I am going to have a son (the word still seems a little odd having been raised with only a sister). I am now catching myself before I add the "or she" to "he or she" since now we know...

Reid and I worked on baby names, narrowing our list tonight. We'll let you know when we make a decision! :)

And I am amazed at how quickly I have gone from thinking that maybe I am feeling the baby move to being certain of the movement. I am now feeling two distinct types of baby. The first is what I would call the "baby constant." This is when, I'm assuming, he is stretching those long legs out like he was in the photo below and I have a sensation along one side or the other that last anywhere from a second to five or six. The second is the "baby sporatic." These are all of the other tiny little movements that are there and then gone almost before I notice them...

And I am definitely feeling a little bit bigger each day! I'll have Reid take a picture tomorrow and I'll do an updated belly post (anybody know how to permanently embed a post along the side so that I could update it periodically and there would always be a link there? Let me know if you know, would ya?).

In other news, I have a lot of grading to do this weekend. I put it off this week but don't think I can any longer. Blick! Grading is by far the worst part of teaching... Also, I travel back to Indy in just two weeks time! Hooray!

Sandy and Oz (Reid's surrogate aunt and uncle) have been so generous with baby gifts already (your thank you card and more is coming!) and today we received a humongous box with our crib, changing table and dresser in it! The box is so big that we can't actually carry it in from the garage... so, we'll be assembling some furniture in the next few days to get the box out of the garage (aka Reid's workshop)... and because I'm impatient now that I have it! It seems a little early to be doing so, but then it will be done, right? :-) Thank you Sandy and Oz!!

Alright, this post has rambled on for long enough. If you followed it, congratulations! It's time for bed...