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

Little Misfits

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hi friends! How’s your day going so far? Same old, same old over here. I’m covered in dog slob and baby barf, the house is a mess and I’m sure something in the house will break today…if it hasn’t already. Other than that, I’m great! Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Mostly because of my wonderful little guy.

Speaking of little, have you heard of Little Misfits?

They are a great little company that make rad clothes for babies, toddlers, kids….and adults! (But I’ve found that since having a little one of my own, he gets all the cool stuff and mom’s wardrobe gets put on the back burner. Am I right?)

From their website:

What Makes a misfit?–> Fearless and authentic self expression. Got it. But since my babe is still a wee one, he’ll wear what I want him to express!! Never fear, he’ll be allowed to do what he wants once he gets older.
What’s a little misfit?–> A rad kid raised in the misfit culture. I’m not really *out there* but you bet your bippy that Wes will be able to help us brew wine and get us a beer from the fridge before he’s in school! PS: Child services, please don’t take my kid away for having said that. We’ll be good, I promise

The people at Little Misfits were awesome and allowed me to pick out an item from their website for Mr. Wes to model. I LOVE that with all the options, you also have the ability to add little tattoo sleeves! So cool. I probably would have opted for that if Wes was a bit older just so that he could fill them out a bit more. But as soon as I saw the Guess How Much I Love You onesie, I knew I had to choose that one! It’s something I used to say to Tyler when we were dating “love you to the moon…” (I still love him, I just don’t say it anymore. He’s not offended).

I chose the smallest size (0-6mo) and what do you know, my little chubster fills it out nicely as just 2 months!

I think my favorite thing about this design is that it’s a reflective, shiny gold. Makes my kid stand out among all the others in boring puppies (still love them), tractors, and dinosaur outfits. Actually, I think it’s making me bring the saying back. Yep, I think I’ll start saying it to Tyler again. I mean hey, I love him enough to have a kid with him…right? 🙂

See? Still looks cute on a kid with no neck! Disclaimer: He has a neck. It’s just buried. I look for it every few days to make sure it’s still there.

Layla ALWAYS has to be in the photos. I think she was a model in a former life.

Another cool thing about Little Misfits is that they come out with a Misfits For a Cause collection which features a different charity each month and 100% of the proceeds to go that charity! June’s charity is the Tim Horton’s Children’s Foundation which sends children from low-income families to summer camp.

I REALLY love this onesie and I just hope Wes doesn’t grow too quickly so we can get a few more wears out of it. I already have in mind some places where he needs to be seen in it! Call the paparazzi.

Next order for us will definitely include a shirt or onesie with the tattoo sleeves. Because….RAD.

Thanks Little Misfits for the onesie..Wes loves it! (Does barfing on it count as a token of affection? The good news is, it washes well!)

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

My New Favorite Thing

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I think I have now seen every show that airs on HGTV and Food Network. Twice. Being at home all day every day with a baby that likes background noise will do that. I don’t mind though, because I’m so busy with him or with doing things around the house, that not only do I not really notice but the time just whizzes by.

Whizzes by to the part of the day when Tyler gets home. Which is kinda my favorite part of the day because I can have a little bit of me time. Me time includes: walking the dogs, working out, showering and pumping without a fussy baby to worry about.

This time last year, me time would have been working out *NOT* at home, drinking, and meeting up with friends. Ah times they are a-changin.

Make no mistake, I have MADE time for a few adult beverages over the past week. (don’t get on your high horse and comment on any alcohol/breastfeeding mumbo jumbo. I’m either not finishing the drinks and/or taking the necessary precautions to avoid passing it along in my milk)

For Mother’s day, Tyler got me a pair of spin shoes, a fitbit, and a gift card to the nearby spin/hot yoga studio. A couple of things about this:

Holy Shit that’s a great bunch of Mother’s Day gifts (which prompted me to giddy-up and be on the look out for equally awesome Father’s Day gifts)
Holy Shit I can’t wait to go spinning/hot yoga!

I mentioned that I was given the OK by my doctor to being working out again. Jeeze Louise does it feel good to get back into a workout routine, but ohhhhhhhhh-mah-gawd am I out of shape or what. (to all you non-human parents: you think 6+ weeks postpartum of not working out is eternity, but believe me it FLIES by and you don’t even think about working out). I’ve completed the first week of T25 (Alison, you’ll be hearing from me soon about getting some new DVD’s. I’ve just about worn these babies out!) and walked the dogs each day- anywhere from 1-3.5 miles. I’ve also tried to squeeze in stretching when I can. Which is usually only when I’m brushing my teeth. Forward folds + toothbrush in mouth= hazardous.

We got Wes a mamaroo! I initially wanted to buy one before he was born, but they’re so dang pricey, we didn’t want to risk him not liking it and us kissing a few hundred bucks goodbye. But the kid LOVES it. Which makes this mama LOVE it even more. (we got it used off Kijiji for a steal!)

My new favorite thing? Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Formally my favorite nights to drink, they are now the nights that Tyler does the nighttime routine with Wes and I can go to bed at 10! Oh my god, slap me for this being the new excitement in my life. Someone get me a beer.