Wesley Arlo- 6 Months

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I don’t know what’s scarier..that I’ve had a CHILD for half a year or that I have to go back to work in 6 months. Oy. Searching for childcare is no easy task and the cost of it? WOOF. It would probably be cheaper to pay to have my parents move here and help out.

So, 6 months! What’s been going on? Well, LOTS. I feel like Wes has turned into a little person and less and less like a baby. He is obsessed with grabbing his feet and flailing about. Now I get why they call that pose happy baby in yoga. He also has his hands in his mouth 24/7. And when it’s not his hands, it’s whatever he can get his hands on.

He’s started to try to sit up, he’s rolled over, and he can reach with both arms to grab for things.

Most major development? He is no longer in his infant car seat. This makes me ferociously sad, but he seems to love it! And he has had no problem facing outward in his strollers when we go for walks. If anything, he naps more!

We started Wes on solids too. Last month, I introduced rice cereal into his bottle at night then gradually started making it thicker like actual cereal, then buying a lot of stage 1 and stage 2 squeeze packs that he now gobbles up like a champ. His favorite was the pear/spinach/peas combo. Who would have thought?! That’s my kid. He also got some local peaches and apples pureed while we were back home in NY. With that, comes weirder diapers. It’s kind of hilarious.

He is OBSESSED with his jumperoo. I think he spends a cumulative 3 hours each day in that thing. He loves to rotate from activity to activity and just jump. Jump. JUMP. A lot of the time, he jumps himself to sleep! It’s also a nice distraction for him when I want to get my workout in during the day.

With his increase in activity, he’s more regulated in his napping which is a GOD SEND. Usually one at 9ish, 1ish and 4ish. Usually. I cannot tell you how much more I get done around the house now, it’s insane. For the first time ever, I actually showered while he napped. That has never happened because I was so paranoid he’d wake up from the noise of the shower (our house is small, y’all).

We had a few instances in New York when he would wake up at 3/4am and would require a feed, but other than that he has slept through the night from 7:30pm-6:30am.

Wes now knows his name and will respond when called. He is also a lot better at following sounds and looking around and really focusing on things.

I swear he loves the dogs. Mostly Reggie, even though Reggie still gives zero craps about him. Layla is ALWAYS wherever Wes is. He’s started to grab for them and at first I was all AHHHH DOG HAIR IN HIS MOUTH. But then I realized it’s a lost cause. Especially when I find dog hair in his diapers. Whatever.

He’s still got that stupid eczema on his neck which I’m constantly slathering with cream. I feel really bad for him, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all.

He has a gorilla face that I think is the funniest thing ever. He usually makes it when he’s super concentrating (not to be confused with poop face) or when he gets so excited about something.

He is still a super jolly kid and I’m just WAITING for the photos to reflect that. We had his 6 month check up this morning and he was all smiles with the doctor. FYI: weight is 20.5 lbs, 27 inches and an 18 inch head (for all the smarts). Right after his doc appointment, we headed over to the health center for his 6 month vaccine where he was again all smiles and only made one cry as the needle went in. I swear all doctors and nurses love him to pieces.

…and we go through about a zillionty bibs every day because the boy’s a drooler! No teeth yet though.

He has a loud voice and loves to babble all the time. Especially if you put a burp cloth up to his mouth, he will yell so you can repeatedly pat his mouth with it to make it sound funny.

Hopefully I didn’t forget anything! #mombrain

In case you missed it, here’s his past updates:

Wesley Arlo- 5 Months

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I’m glad to say it..this month went by nice and slow. GOOD. DON’T GROW UP BABY. I think Wes grew way too much this month and I don’t like it one bit. I super cry when I see some newborn photos because I can’t believe just how teeny tiny he used to be. But, I do love to see him learn new things as he grows and he is definitely coming into his own personality.

Since we’re in NY, I obviously can’t take his 5 month pics with his bear, but this Mickey is just about the same size. Either way…you can really tell he’s grown!

New developments: He’s started grabbing things on his own with both hands. This includes my hair, my earrings, my boobs…He blows raspberries ALL THE TIME. I think he loves the trick, but that combined with his excessive drooling means the guy goes through a zillion bibs every day. The downside from all the drool? He now has infant eczema on his cheeks, chin, neck and chest. It comes and goes in severity and I try my best to keep it dry as much as possible. I also use cream (trying to avoid using the steroid given by the doctor).

On Sept 4th, we introduced a bit of rice cereal into his nighttime bottle (Still breastmilk). Sept 5th he grabbed his toes for the first time and on Sept 10th he rolled over from his back to front (I didn’t witness this- my parents did. I am BUMMED.) Yesterday (Sept 14th) we gave him his first real food- pureed sweet potato! He loved it even though he only probably swallowed about 1.5 tsp of it.

I’m not so sure he was a victim of the 4 month sleep regression, but he was a bit more difficult to put down on some nights- he gets overtired and fussy and will wake up as we put him in his crib. So a few times we’ve had to resort to letting him cry it out until he falls back asleep, which only lasts about 5 minutes. His bed time bottle can be up to 10 oz plus a small extra feeding (Which tells me he’s probably ready for solids..the boy likes his food!)

He giggles and smiles ALL THE TIME. He loves to stare at new surroundings and lets out loud sighs with every yawn. (Oh-mah-gawdddd baby yawns are the BEST).

He’s almost outgrown his infant carseat- last time I weighed him he was 19ish pounds- since the straps are starting to be too tight.

He had his first airplane ride! (Sept 8th) I got a picture of him with the pilot AND made sure to get a pair of wings 🙂

He wears size 3 diapers during the day and 4s at night (although, now that I’m typing this, I’m pretty sure he can be in 4s all the time. Because: THIGHS.) He still loves his baths and even grips the sides of the tub when we try to take him out. And he splashes a lot. My mom got a few baths herself from his splashing!

He’s getting a bit more hair on his head which is covering some of his cradle cap nicely..

He stretches all the time. He wants to be moving all the time. He babbles ALL THE TIME.

I usually let him babble in his crib for about 10-15 minutes before I get him every morning. He loves watching Reggie and focuses on anything that’s red.

(For some reason I can’t get this photo to rotate, so tilt your head to the right)

He now watches us eat food and genuinely looks sad that he can’t have whatever we’re having.

He naps about 3-4 times a day. 3 naps are about 30-45 minutes and his late afternoon nap is anywhere from 1-2 hours.

He starting to try to sit up on his own- he’s not fully there yet, but it’s great to see that his back is getting stronger! He enjoys tummy time and can turn his head from side to side, but shows no interest in pushing himself up (he has superman arms and likes to keep them straight with his palms back).

Overall, he is the happiest, healthiest, giggliest, cutest, most sociable (insert a ton of other positive traits here) baby ever and I am so lucky to be the mama that gets to hang with him 24/7!

And if you’re questioning the ‘giggliest’ part, it’s because he immediately turns on his serious face as soon as I get the phone/camera out. Or eat crackers.

Wesley Arlo- 4 months

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Already? And yet, I feel like I’ve known him forever. Crazy.

I apparently did a crap job of makeshift weighing him at home last month, because both his 4 month doctor appt and 4 month shot appointment confirmed he weighs 17lb 12oz. He’s about 25 inches tall and has a LARGE head. We have him in size 3 diapers and most clothes are 6 months (sleepers are 6-9 mo, depending on the brand).

He pretty much doesn’t nap during the day. If he does, it’s while we’re in the car, or about 30 minutes after feeding on my lap. I’ve tried to get him used to his afternoon nap in his crib which is slowly getting better and better- he calmed down in about 10-15 minutes and will sleep anywhere from 15 min-1 hr. Bed time is 9:30 and he loves to have his milk from a bottle before going to sleep.

If he only has a few of these short naps, he gets pretty cranky in the late afternoon and our evenings are spent doing “Wes Management’. Although, I think that’s synonymous with a little thing called ‘parenting’. Throw in a beer here and there and it’s pretty doable.

He sleeps through the night until 7:45-9am and has put himself back to sleep on a number of occasions. <–GOOD KID.

He is super drooly and sucks on either three of his fingers at a time or his thumb. He loves going for his thumb in the tub because it’s wet and makes a loud suction noise. And yup, he still loved his baths. He will stare at himself in the mirror or splash like crazy the entire time and doesn’t get upset when we go for his face or ears.

He has DEFINITELY found his voice and is getting his floor exercise in on the regular. Lots of screams and shouts and giggles and jumping jacks while he’s on his mat.

Wes has also started to grab for things, put said things in his mouth and rotate his head to constantly look at what’s all around him.

His eyes are turning brown! Yay!

One of my favorite things about him from this month is his eating technique. He either looks like he’s telling my boob a secret or that he ‘literally can’t even’. (aka: hand on top of his head as if eating is actual WORK)

The boy NEEDS to move at all times. I think I’ve probably spoiled him because I hold him all the dang time and he screams bloody murder when he’s first put on his mat or in any of his seats. Except he loves being on his changing table and often gets pretty talkative and kicky.

I’ve bought him a few more toys which he loves. But then again, handing him a blanket or a burp cloth seems to be equally exciting.

His is now officially a dual citizen! It’s really not that much paperwork, but I’m glad that it’s all done and we won’t have to update either passport for the next 5 years.

We’ve been working on tummy time and he’s now more comfortable being on his belly, but that noggin is still a bit too big for him to hold up for any extended period of time. He rolls from his back to his side a lot and props his legs up on the arms of the playmat, so I’m assuming we’ll see some flipping soon.

We’ve taken him out for a few nights and he is wonderful- always pleasant to be around and pretty content for the most part. It’s probably due to the fresh air and different scenery. (I get it, the living room is getting pretty BORING to sit in all the time. Although, the thought of going back to work in April makes me want to vomit.)

All in all, it’s been super fun this month to see him start to develop some motor skills and a bit of a personality. Which reminds me, my fart noises have rubbed off on him and that’s the only sound he made for a good 2 days straight. Also, real farts. THE SMELL!

Wesley Arlo- 1 month

Wesley Arlo- 2 months

Wesley Arlo- 3 months

Wesley Arlo- 3 Months

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Holy cannoli does time fly or what?!! I sure do miss having a brand spanking new baby but man oh man is it cool to see him grow and develop. We didn’t have a 3-month check-up, so I don’t have ‘official’ measurements, but I have unofficially weighed him at 18 lb and 25″.

Sleeping habits: This boy can SLEEP! He will go down anywhere from 9:30-10:30pm and sleep THROUGH until anywhere from 7:30-9:30am! During the day, he will either take a few 20-30 min naps or he will have one LONG nap in the afternoon (ranging anywhere from 3-5 hours). I will take the lack of sleep during the day because the nighttime is just glorious.

Eating habits: He eats when he first wakes up, has a snack an hour later (Funny that I say ‘snack’- I mean, he’s still only drinking breastmilk..), feeds a couple of times during the day-depending on naps- and then cluster feeds at night with a bottle to cap him off before bed. Moral of this story: the boy can EAT.

Pooping habits: LOTS.

Clothes: he still fits into some of his 3-month stuff (mostly because I think it’s all stretched out). Sleepers he’s at 9 months- kid’s got long legs, big feet and a chub chub belly. The rest of his clothes are 6 months. Or I just have him in his diaper (still size 2).

This little guy LOVES his baths. He lets me clean him for however long I want and either lays there and just tolerates it, or kicks his legs like crazy and talks to me while I do work. A few weeks back, he absolutely hated getting out of the tub and would scream bloody murder and shed tears when I was getting him dressed, but lately he seems to think of that time as just as amusing as bath time (phew).

Wes is a told weird baby when he eats- depending on what side he’s laying on, he will raise his top leg in the air while he chows down or he will press his foot into my armpit as if he’s using me for leverage. Why he needs leverage, I don’t know. But it sometimes allows me to kill two birds with one stone and clip his toenails while he eats!

He smiles and kicks and laughs and talks like an absolute fiend when I come into his room in the morning. It is still my most favorite time ever. EVER.

He does great in the car and wherever we go- usually sleeping the entire time. Lately, he will remain awake on walks, so I will lift the blanket over his carrier for him to look around (unless it’s too sunny!) Just like Layla, he gets a bit antsy when the car stops in traffic. I totally get it.

He’s started blowing bubbles, making the motorboat noise (is that what it’s called? Sounds too adult if you ask me..), and sucking on his bottom lip. He’ll also follow sounds and movement. He still can’t totally hold his head up all the time, so we have to constantly adjust how we hold him…you know, since he’s so HEAVY and all.

I’ve worked on tummy time with him and he rolled over once (on my birthday!) but I think it was a fluke since he had his arms fully out when I first put him down. At his two month check-up, the doctor said his head measured in the 97th percentile, so I don’t blame him for not being able to keep that noggin up yet.

He has the world’s best michelin legs. There are rolls FOR DAYS. His eyes might be starting to turn brown. He is growing a bit more hair on the top of his head and still hasn’t really had much dryness on his scalp. He has tons of earwax..is that normal for a baby? He has the longest eyelashes and I am always staring at them while he feeds. Or I’m staring at the dimples in his hands because he’s usually holding my shirt or my bra or my boob and it’s the cutest sight ever (only when you can’t see my boob- because that is NOT a cute site).

He has starting reaching and holding onto his toys on his playmat. He’ll also let me hold some of the rings in front of him so that he can put them in his mouth. He hardly ever uses a pacifier- I only give it to him when he fusses in public and he usually calms within a minute or two and then doesn’t want it anymore.

He’s not a huge fan of putting clothes on. But then again, neither am I.

Tyler usually puts him in his crib at night and we’ve already got him used to putting himself to sleep. Woo hoo! Just needs a few rocks in the chair, and then boom he’ll go in the crib and chat for a few minutes before he’s completely passed out. We are SO happy this came to him naturally. Good baby, Wes. Good baby.

When he’s fussy he usually just wants to stand on his feet. He will already put some weight on them and has successfully ‘stepped’ with both legs. I seriously think he’ll learn how to walk before he can crawl (big head + strong legs = how I came to that conclusion).

He took his first trip to the mountains a few weeks ago and did great! It was really hot and I had to feed him in the backseat of our car, and he never so much as whined.

I booked our flight to go home to NY in September and my mom will be coming here in advance so she can help with my first time traveling with Wes. He already has his Canadian passport and we have an appointment at the US Consulate office next week for his US passport.

He’s gotten a bit more touchy with having his diaper changed more often, but I don’t blame him. With all the up and down and sitting and laying who would want to wear a dirty diaper? (or as I call it- a Ripe Dipe) I bought a package of the honest diapers, but they don’t really work well for him- phew! Because they’re expensive.

Woof, I love this kid.

Check out his previous updates:

Wesley Arlo- 1 month

Wesley Arlo- 2 months

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

My little baby man is two months old today! When I think about it, I either cry because I miss him as a newborn and I haven’t slept in two months, or I gush over the fact that I’ve been head over heels for a poop machine for that long.

His stats according to the doctor’s appt we had this afternoon–> height: 24″; weight: 14lb 3oz

This month, Wes FINALLY transitioned out of that horrible, terrible, awful, no good wake-up-every-2/3-hours-to-eat-and-cry phase and started sleeping long stretches! I’m talking 11pm-6am then another stretch from 6:30-8:30am.

And, we seem to have a bit of a routine going. Once he wakes up, he eats, gets time on his play mat, eats again, and naps. That gets us through till about anywhere from 12-4 pm. The afternoons and evenings are still up in the air- once Tyler gets home (and the dogs bark and inevitably wake him up) he will vary between lots of feedings, being carried around, ergo baby naps, the floor…you name it. At night, we top him off with a bottle and he’s out. He’s still only on breastmilk too. You’re welcome for sharing.

Wes loves staring at all the toys on his playmat. I’ve rearranged them a few times and he still has a favorite (the owl.aka: there is a lot of hoots made in our house now). He loves finding the brightest thing in the room and staring at it. Or staring at the wall because that’s equally interesting.

He LOVES being on his changing table. I usually spend a few minutes playing with him before we attend to his ‘business’ and another few minutes afterwards. He gets pretty chatty and kicks a lot. Most of the time when he’s on the table, I’ll FaceTime with my mom and dad so they can see him.

He now hates getting dressed (now I know he’s my kid!). Most of his clothes are 3 months, but some of them are even 6 months- depending on the brand. He’s in size 2 diapers and absolutely FILLS them multiple times a day. And by FILL I mean you can hold him up and the diaper will just about fall off of him it’s so heavy.

He loves his baths, but doesn’t like getting out of the bath. He loves to punch me in the chest when I’m feeding him *I do not love this*. He loves sitting on our lap and facing the tv. Especially if Game of Thrones is on. He loves when I squeeze his cheeks (the ones on his face). And he loves blowing bubbles. Or drooling on us. A lot.

I think he’s now starting to recognize me- he will be crying in his crib in the morning and when I finally come in, he’ll smile and maybe even giggle. Probably not because he loves me, but because he knows he’s about 2 seconds away from the boob.

We’ve been doing tummy time and he’s not a super fan, but he’s strong enough that he got the hang of it after about 3 tries. And by strong, I mean STRONG. Those punches to my chest? Not comfortable. And he can kick something fierce. Fingers crossed this transfers to athleticism as he ages and potentially a scholarship? One can hope. College is ‘spensive.

We’ve found that he’s really asleep when we’re holding him ONLY if his mouth is open and/or he takes one of those deep quiver breaths. Then we’re good to put him down and enjoy anywhere between 4 seconds to 4 hours of freedom. HE HAS AN OLD MAN BUTT. It’s probably my favorite thing ever. That and his big cheeks/small chin/no neck combo.

When he had a cold a few weeks ago, he did NOT like it when I put the saline up his nose and sucked out snot. Now, he laughs when I do it. Weirdo baby. If he doesn’t have a large feed, he’ll often fall asleep on my lap on his side and look like he’s posing for Playgirl. I discourage this as a potential career path.

We got his first Canadian passport. (American one will get done as soon as we actually receive the Canadian one and make an appt at the US Consulate office). He naps when I take him on walks but wakes as soon as I get back to our driveway. HOW DOES HE KNOW?!!

He makes a fist with his thumb between his fingers like he’s got your nose. So obviously, he won’t fall for it when I attempt to get his nose when he’s older. Drats. He has big feet. He throws gang signs like a boss. He loves to stick his tongue out and coo. And sometimes we can see his neck when he coos because he works really hard at it.

He’ll turn his head to follow things. He sleeps with his arms out or over his head. I laugh every time I check him out on the monitor. He’s a good multitasker. Ok, maybe not that good, but he CAN eat and poop at the same time. He barfs a lot. Once it even got up my shorts. Talk about gross.

I think that just about covers the majority of his happenings this month. Tomorrow he gets his first round of shots! #bigboy

If you missed his one month update, you can read it here