From the Week

Icy Conditions + Desire to spend approximately ZERO dollars = we didn’t do much this week. Besides walking the dogs (which was an absolute nightmare) I didn’t leave the house. Except for Monday when we went grocery shopping and then I broke a jar of salsa in the garage when we got home. That was fun.

Still, there are things to share! I suppose.

Passed out on the job:

IMG_2022

Eats from the week: Turkey BLTs, Grilled Cheese & soup, Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Salsa Chicken.

I made Double Chocolate Chip Cookie bars that were delicious. I used this recipe but subbed white chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips. I baked them for 15-ish minutes. They’re gone already!

IMG_2035

I also made slow cooker applesauce which is out of this world delicious. 12 apples + 2t cinnamon + 2 T lemon juice on HIGH for 4 hours. MmmmmMMmmm.

IMG_2148

Wes is eating a LOT more ‘regular’ food which is pretty great, because I can just throw stuff on his tray and eat my own meal while he helps himself. Granted, he makes a MASSIVE mess, but it’s fun to see him do it. His current favorite is pb toast and bananas. Kid hoovers them in! Plus, he’s gotten a kick out of feeding the pups with his pb fingers.

IMG_2057

IMG_2064

And we did a LOT of riding on the car. (PS: Check out my Instagram for this week’s #WesOnWheels)

IMG_2078

His second and third tooth (bottom left and top right) are making their way through so he’s gotten up in the middle of the night 2x this week. Luckily, he was easily calmed back to sleep. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT WAS SO EASY FOR ME Y’ALL. (PS: Why do I say y’all? I’m not southern) Anyhoo…tonight I’m enjoying a glass of the good stuff.

IMG_2108

And that’s it! We have no set plans for the weekend, so I’m hoping to just get in some good ol’ quality time with my guys. And maybe lots of shut eye.

Thursday Things

It.Is.Almost.The.Weekend. Even though my routine isn’t much different on the weekend, I’m still excited for it. Mainly because A) I stay up later on Friday and Saturday nights (oooooo badass) B) I have an adult beverage or two, and C) … Continue reading

Wesley Arlo- 9 Months

Oh man, where do I start. Nine months. 3/4 of a YEAR. Whoa, that happened all too fast. This past month, I think my baby got on the big boy highway and I need him to slow down ASAP. (doesn’t every mom say that?)

wesarlo9months

Today, Wes had his 9 month check up and weighed in at 21.7 lbs and 29.1″ long. They’re not SUPER accurate, but at least it gives me a ballpark. (His next round of shots are at 12 months and they are way better at weighing and measuring him there!)

He’s in size 5 diapers (they’re huge, but he fills them. I bet he’s glad I told you that). Most of his clothes are in the 18 month range, but it depends on the brand. He hasn’t been going through sizes as quickly, so it has been way better on my wallet. But way harder on the washing machine 😉

IMG_1945

Eating: still breastfeeding 2-3x/day, 2 meals of baby food/puffs/smoothies, and a full bottle before bed. He’ll have some water here and there, too. We’re starting to incorporate more foods he can eat on his own, but I want to make sure he’s still getting enough calories for that big belly!

IMG_1947

Sleeping: A 45ish min nap at 10:30am and an hour-ish nap at 2:30pm. Bed is anywhere from 7/7:30pm-7:30/8am without interruptions. EXCEPT this past week where he has been waking at night for a feed (growth spurt?!). He’s used to being held until he falls asleep which usually takes no more than 5 minutes.

IMG_1966

Play: He’s still obsessed jumping in the jumperoo. OBSESSED. He’s also really enjoying a ton of new toys he got for Christmas. His finger dexterity is getting a bit better so he can actually play with the toys rather than smack at them…even though that’s what he does most of the time.

IMG_1963

Tricks: He will ‘hoo’ when his toy owl does, he can blow raspberries, and he uses his hand to blab with his mouth. Sounds boring, but I promise it’s super hilarious to watch as his mom :). He loves to take off his bib and chew on the velcro part. Or just wave it around like it’s the most interesting thing in the world.

IMG_1967

He has been trying to crawl lately! So far, he’s only managed to get one knee up so most of the time he’s rolling like a bowling ball all over the floor. Note to self: start looking into buying baby gates. Note to self #2: baby gates will also be great for the dogs. Why didn’t I get them sooner?

IMG_1970

And teething! Whoa. His front bottom right tooth finally broke through on Friday January 7th and the thing is razor sharp. No wonder kids have a hard time with teething- it’s like knives in their mouths! With teething comes drooling- as you may very well notice in most of these pictures.

IMG_1971

He’s still really good in the car and prefers to be carried in the Ergo as opposed to the stroller when we’re out running errands. I don’t mind it so much because it’s hard as hell to push a stroller through snow-packed parking lots.

He’s getting better and better with the doggies (and vice versa). Some mornings we have some puffs on the floor and Layla is his best friend. Reggie, on the other hand, has eaten entire canisters of puffs so he’s not allowed near us when we eat. BUTTHEAD.

I’ve noticed Layla will come in his room when I am in there with Wes, and Reggie will go in his room when Tyler is in there with him.

IMG_2013

IMG_2016

IMG_2030

IMG_2021

IMG_2024

He still loves being on the change table, although he’s about an inch away from no longer fitting on it. Still doesn’t love stuff going over his head, but giggles like a maniac when getting everything else done (diaper, pants, socks..).

He loves to be bounced around, thrown in the air, and swung back and forth between my legs. Basically, he’s fun-loving and adventurous. I can already see his dating profile now. No wait, he won’t ever date. He’s my baby!

IMG_1990

He’s mama’s #1 fan. Do you know how happy that makes me? VERY.

IMG_2004

He is so happy. Except when I have to use the snot sucker…then he hates me for about .000002 seconds. So I make it up to him with snuggles and kisses. And bath time is one of his favorites! We spend a good stretch of time in the tub with his bubbles and toys and floating books and he loves to splash. Side note: I actually got in the tub with him once because A) I was cold, and B) I wanted in on the fun, too!

IMG_2035

He’s so observant! Everyone we’ve met has commented on how much it looks like he’s soaking everything in. (And then they’ll try to hold him at which point he will cry until he’s back in my arms, but that’s a whole other story..) He can recognize the different rooms in the house, loves looking (and patting) himself in the mirror, and staring at his night light. Why he thinks me turning it off every morning is the greatest thing ever, I’ll never know.

IMG_2043

He’s the best little boy (ahh I said it…’boy’. He’s no longer a baby! I’m so sad. I’m crying. Please pass the wine) and I get all tingly just thinking about how lucky I am to have him. Borderline obsessed since I scroll through photos of him on my phone every night before bed.

I’d like to think that his next monthly update will tell of how he’s crawling and gobbling more foods, but then that means another month has gone by and it just needs to slows the heckkkkkk dowwwwwwwn.

IMG_1941

I love you Mr. Wes, you’re the best little guy! (He’s not reading this now, but I’m sure he will eventually…)

In case you missed it:

 

 

Random Things Thursday

I’m gonna quit saying I’m looking forward to the weekend because I could just let time freeze for now. I’m loving my time with my baby boy, I’m loving (shock and awe…wait for it) doing chores around the house, and I’m loving being able to run errands during the day and avoiding the wretched weekend crowds. Tomorrow my little man will be 9 months old which brings me even closer to my return to work and I am getting more and more sick to my stomach about it!

  1. Wes tried smoothies for the first time this week! The first one was a mixture of fruits, greek yogurt, oats and almond milk and the second had some spinach added to it. The LOVED the green smoothie- I had to slow him down! He uses this cup and it seems to do the trick in ensuring a slower flow. He’s also been able to munch of some rice husks which seem to disappear in the blink of an eye. This guy loves his food!

2. Thanks to Brie’s post earlier this week, I was able to take advantage of Victoria’s Secret sale- buy a sports bra, get a legging for free! I had a store credit, so it cost me nothing AND I rounded out my quick shopping trip with a stop at the used kid’s store and picked up some oldie buy goodie books for Wes.

IMG_1634

3. Dinners from the week have been pretty easy and super tasty! Monday: Slow Cooker Gnocchi in Creamy Pork Sauce (I used chicken) Tuesday: Mild Italian Chicken Sausage with couscous and sautéed zucchini Wednesday: Asian Turkey Meatballs with steamed broccoli and rice. I plan on making a slow cooker pot roast tonight with leftovers for tomorrow!

4. Monday and Tuesday nights have been tiresome! Wes got up at 5am Tuesday morning and 3am Wednesday morning to feed and each time it took him nearly 90 minutes to get back to sleep. I don’t mind because he rarely does this and I love the extra cuddles, but it really gets to my brain and body when I try to get some shut eye afterwards! It’s a good thing he’s cute.

The lack of sleep causes me to take some obnoxious (and cute!) photos of him 🙂

IMG_1911

IMG_1920

IMG_1924

IMG_1926

IMG_1928

IMG_1932

IMG_1934

5. I finished Making a Murder on Tuesday night and Ken Kratz is just super creepy to me. That is all.

kratz

6. I’m 90% sure about which day home we will choose for Wes. I checked out another on Tuesday and it seemed a bit too crowded plus the caregiver will be having surgery just as Wes will start there so I’m taking it as a sign it’s not meant to be. We are checking out another place today, but I think my heart lies with the place we checked out last week. It’s $$, but I think Wes will get better attention (which is the most important part!)

babysit

7. Tyler noticed that Best Buy OF ALL PLACES had Quest Bars on sale online…the deal (keyword DEAL: regular $39.99; sale $32.99/box) was up until yesterday. So I bought three boxes. These are on my short list of things I will splurge on. Also on that list: Sodastream CO2 canisters (I go through one every 2 weeks), Vega nutritional shake powder, Bio Oil, and anything for Wes.

questbars

8. To all my friends in the US: you can come visit me now. Do you know what the exchange rate is right now? Granted, most everything here in my expensive, but still…MORE MONEY IN YO POCKET! Seriously, come visit me. (hint hint: I’ve been here FOUR YEARS and only one person has visited!!!)

money

Tell me something random!

HNY

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a good one! As for us- we had a steak dinner, played Life, and were in bed before midnight. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Please tell me you had a glass of champagne for me?

Anyhoo- just popping in to start of the New Year and to share some more Wes photos!

IMG_1819

IMG_1826

IMG_1830

IMG_1831

IMG_1832

IMG_1836

IMG_1838

IMG_1846

IMG_1849

IMG_1861

IMG_1864

IMG_1870

As you can tell, he’s super excited about 2016. 😉