Dear Wes- 2 Months

Wes

2 Months Old: October 25, 2012
Length: 23.5 inches (79%)
Weight: 11 lbs 7 oz (36%)
Head Circumference: 15.5 inches (66%)
Diapers: You are wearing size 1 and can fit in size 2. I usually put you in size 2 at night.
Clothes: 3-6 months. I can no longer fit you in your 0-3 month things. Some of your 3-6 months are a little big. We got you some cute little jeans and they fit but are kind of big.. you are just long and lean so most pants slide right off of you.
Likes:
*being swaddled (this is new.. you used to hate it for the first 10 minutes or so, now when you see me get the blanket out and I start wrapping you.. you get happy!) I use the Miracle Swaddle Blanket and I swear by it.. that thing is amazing and has helped me to get a lot of sleep- woohoo!
*ceiling fans.. you love watching it go around.. and you love to "talk" to it.
*your hands.. you have recently discovered that your fist can go in your mouth.. and you are constantly doing it.
*your paci- you are now taking a NUK paci, sometimes you still prefer the soothie but Grammy is happy you are liking the Nuk because it is better for your teeth (which will come later!)
*mommy and daddy- you love to look at us and "talk" to us.
*your MamaRoo, if you wake up at night I move you from your crib to the Mamaroo and you stay asleep.. you also take a lot of your naps in it still.
*you still LOVE your bath and massage. I have no doubt it is your favorite time of the day!
*Nursing.. you love to eat.
New Things:
*You turn your head in the direction of our voices
*You "talk"to us, mostly in the morning and during/after your bath
*You have discovered your hands and keep putting them in your mouth. I notice you always use your right hand. You also prefer to lay out head to the right.
*You are holding your head up.. you only do it for a minute or two though.. we are working on it!
*Sometimes now when we hold you up you put weight on your legs.
*You are so much more alert, constantly staring at things and taking it all in. This has also caused you to get over stimulated much easier than last month.
*You roll over from your tummy to your back- technically this was after 2 months, you did it today (October 30)
Dislikes:  Well.. you must have been a bit more indecisive in month 1 but now you know what you like and don't like.. you are pretty particular..
*You are particular about your naps.. you really prefer to be at home, and in your swaddle blanket. Sometimes you will nap in the car and when mommy is running errands.. but if you are over tired you let me know you want to be home. This is the #1 reason you get upset.. I guess you just get over stimulated really easily. So we try to stay home a lot and I plan errands during your wake time.
*You still HATE when you are in your car seat and the car is not moving.
*You hate when I am about to feed you and set you down to do something.. you start this pitiful cry to let me know I hurt your feelings.
*We learned today that you hate shots! Whew... after you got them you screamed for a few minutes and turned red.. Daddy was holding you after and you would calm down.. then I guess you would get a   Flashback or something because you would start screaming again. I nursed you and you calmed down and went to sleep.. very thankful for that because that screaming broke my heart.
*You don't like sitting in the same spot for too long... you are good about being on your own but often start fussing and if I move you to a new spot (to look at something new) you are usually content.

Sleep:  You take 4 naps a day.. most of them are about 1-1.5 hours but the last one is usually only 45 minutes. You go down fairly easy for most of your naps except the 4th one.. you always take that one in the mamaroo and I often have to come put your paci back in for you to stay asleep. You sleep 5-6 hours at night (on Monday night you slept 7, that was great!) then after the 6 hour stretch you do a 4 hour stretch. Mommy has learned so much about looking for your "nap cues" to let me know its time to go down. You are normally awake for about an hour when you start to yawn. We try to put you in your crib before you are asleep. If you start to cry we give you 10 minutes and then do the "shh" pat that we learned from the book "The Baby Whisper" you seem to be doing well with that. I love rocking you but I also really want you to be able to put yourself to sleep... I think that is very important!
*We have been having sleep issues since your shots on Thursday--- you are waking every 3.5 hours at night-- not very fun :( I am praying it ends soon and trying to be patient with you but am really missing those 5 and 6 hour stretches of sleep. I am very thankful I am staying home with you though and can nap during the day when you nap.

Crying: Like I said earlier.. you've gotten pretty particular about what you like. You mostly only cry for 2 reasons 1. hungry and 2. over-stimulated. The hungry cry can be solved quickly.. the over tired cry sounds more like a scream and I have to work to calm you down--so we really try to not get to that point! Most days now you are napping so well you don't get over tired, and it's been great! If I am out to long and you get off your schedule then it's obvious by your mood. You really like your schedule and knowing what is coming next.

Eating: You eat every 3 to 3.5 hours during the day and I do a dreamfeed around 9/10pm and then you wake up around 3/4 am for your nightfeed. Sometimes you wake up again at 6.. and sometimes at 7. We are working towards making it 7 all of the time because Mommy likes that a lot more! :)

Pictures from this month:

You now hold your head up and can sit in the front part of your stroller! I think you like it more because you can look around and see more things.

You can now sit in your Bumbo! Not for very long though.. your neck gets tired from holding up that big head! 

Future Aggie

Before your bath on October 29 you kept making noises and holding up your head. Every time we laid you down you would get frustrated, then once we sat you up you would hold up your head and look around. It is like you knew you were doing something new! So precious :)

Morning Smiles.. you smile throughout the day but we get the most smiles out of you right after your morning feed and at night during bath time.

You are starting to show your little personality and we LOVE it. 

After you got your shots on Oct. 25 you had a little reaction. You were fine until about 4 hours after the shots.. you were SCREAMING (not crying) and would not stop. We think you were really achy from the shots. We could not even put a diaper on you because you would get so upset. So we wrapped you in a towel and eventually your extra dose of Tylenol kicked in (pediatrician told us to) and you fell asleep. It broke my heart to see you so upset.. it was a very emotional day.

We finally got some cold weather in Houston! You snuggled in bed with daddy and looked like such a big boy

Grammy came to visit again! She was here a few days before and a few days after a trip to Mexico with Kathy.  

You took your first trip to Holliday this month. We stopped in Burleson at Chad and Sara's on the way there and back to split up the drive. This was you at a pumpkin patch with your cousins. Bella loves to touch your face and look at you. Rich loves to talk to you, talk about you, and look at you.  It melts my heart to see how sweet he is to you. I love watching y'all together and can't wait to make so many memories growing up together.

My two babies. Your sister is getting even more interested in you and really seems to like you ;)

2 months old- growing so fast!

Holding his head up!

In the process of rolling over, from tummy to back.


Wes Patrick,

Your daddy and I can't believe you are 2 months old already. You have changed a lot in the past month.. we are really starting to see your little personality.  You are kind of dramatic when you are ready to eat or sleep.. and I will admit you probably get that from your mommy :) You have changed our lives so much and it is amazing how much time your daddy and I can spend laying in bed staring at you take in all that is around you.  In some ways I want time to slow down.. and in other ways I am ready to see you change and do so many more things. With the Holidays approaching I can't help but think how next year at this time you will be walking around- wow! For now I will cherish being able to hold you in my arms so easily, and watching you give me those HUGE grins as you drift off to sleep.  The toughest moment this month was after your shots.. you were SO upset and screaming for over an hour and daddy and I could not seem to help you to feel better. My heart was broken and I would have done anything to take that pain away from you.  Once you finally calmed down I was so thankful to see you smile again.  It is amazing how much we love you and at the same time how much I feel my love for you has grown since last month. I can't wait to see the changes month 3 brings. We love you so much sweet boy. 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Wes: 1 Month Old!

Wes

1 Month Old: September 25, 2012

Length: 23 inches

Weight: Last week you were 9.4 lbs, so probably a bit more than that!

Diapers: You can squeeze into our leftover newborns if I know you will be getting changed soon, other then that you are in size 1

Clothes: 0-3 months, you can't fit in any of your newborn stuff because you are too long.  Some of the 3 month stuff is a bit big, mostly because you are so skinny. You are long and lean :)

Likes: riding in the MOVING car (not a fan of stop lights), sitting outside, going on walks, looking at yourself in the mirror, laying on mommy or daddy's chest, eating, your paci,  you LOVE bath time and when Daddy gives you a massage after your bath!

New Things: You are focusing so much more on our faces, you follow an object with your eyes, you suck your thumb occasionally, you are starting to coo a lot, especially when you look in your mirror on your play mat :)

Dislikes: You sometimes get overly stimulated and tired around 7 pm, it is your "witching hour" and mommy really tries to get you to sleep before 7. Sometimes you fight it and then you get so upset because you are so tired. This is the only time you are fussy and it normally is avoidable so we are thankful for that! If you are awake you like to be able to see us, you are fine in your swing or bouncer as long as you can see what we are doing.

Sleep: Wes you are a wonderful sleeper.. I am thankful for this everyday and also know it could go away at any point. (please don't change this!) you nap in 2 and 3 hour stretches during the day. When you are awake I aim for about 50 minutes tops and then get you back to sleep.  You sleep in 3 and 4 hour stretches at night and sometimes even a 5 hour stretch! Since you love a paci so much if you wake up before the 3 hours I try to just give you that and most of the time you fall back asleep.

Crying: other then the "witching hour" we don't hear you cry very much. Of course you give a soft cry to let me know you are hungry or tired.. but as soon as Mommy gives you what you need you are quiet. Every now and then when we are at a stop light in the car you will scream for a minute or two but you calm yourself down.

Eating: You eat every 3 hours during the day and everything 3-5 hours at night, depending on how long you sleep. I didn't have to work really to get you on a schedule, you kind of did it naturally. I think you really like your schedule and that you can predict what is going to happen in your day. I notice if we are out and things change significantly you are more fussy that evening.

Pictures from this month:

You took your first car trip. We went to Burleson for Rich's 3rd Birthday Party.  Rich LOVES you.  He loves to look at you and gets the biggest grin as he says "Thats my little cousin, baby W!" (Rich says "w-les" so we taught him to call you Baby W. He tells you that he is going to teach you to play baseball and ride on the tractor with Pa- boy you are gonna have fun with him!!

We go on a walk after your morning feed, around 8 am.  I was worried how Lucy would do with the jogging stroller but she actually does really well.  Most of the time you stay awake and look around, but some days you take a little nap.

You have a wake time around noon where you really like to play on your play mat. You are in such a good mood you even happily have a few minutes of tummy time. Lucy loves to smell your diaper to see if your clean when you are laying on your play mat.

You LOVE your bath. We take a bath every night around 6:30. Daddy turns on the heater and warms up the bathroom, then you and mommy get in the bathtub. After you are finished Daddy gives you a massage with lotion and puts your PJ's on. You enjoy this process so much and Daddy really enjoys this time with you after work.

You look so cute in your hooded towels. Mommy and Daddy love how happy you are at bath time!

Last Tuesday we started going to a Mommy's group at the hospital. It is a breastfeeding group. You looked SO big compared to some of the other newborns..you are growing SO fast! You weighed 9 lbs 4 oz. We didn't get to go this week because you had a stuffy nose.

Daddy went on a Men's Retreat at the church last weekend. Grammy came and stayed with me and you! Before he left I pumped a bottle so Daddy could feed you, you loved it!

Just about every time you get in your car seat you fall asleep. I am thankful for this and hope it lasts! 

1 month old!

Today when we were on your playmat you kept talking to yourself as you looked in the mirror. It was so cute. I would put my head down in the mirror to and you would smile, it melted my heart.

Wes Patrick,

Your daddy and I cannot believe that you are ONE month old!  In ways.. the past month has gone by so fast.. in other ways it seems long because it is hard to imagine life before you!  We are so amazed at how fast you are changing and growing.  We are so thankful for God for blessing us with such a sweet, happy little boy.  We are so excited to watch you change and grow and cherish each moment. You are one LOVED little boy!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Wes' first 2 weeks

So I am going to do monthly updates for Wes.. but wanted to go ahead and do one for the first 2 weeks. He has changed so much already and I don't want to forget the beginning.

Wes Patrick,

It is so hard to believe that a little over 2 weeks ago you were still in my tummy. Our world has changed so much and your daddy and I can't imagine life without you.  We came home from the hospital on Monday August 27.  

In your car seat on the way home from the hospital... you slept the whole way!

Once we got home you hung out in your bassinet on your pack n play. It's in mommy and daddy's room and it's where you'll sleep your first few weeks.

You are very alert around 9-10 every morning and 6-7 every evening.

You are a smiler!! Every time I am rocking you, you get the biggest grins as you start to fall asleep. We showed the pediatrician this  picture and she couldn't believe you were smiling so big at 4 days old.

For your one week birthday daddy bought cupcakes. Your daddy is so in love with you! 

Taking your first nap in your crib.  You don't sleep in in that great at the moment because you wiggle around (in your swaddle sack) and wake yourself up.

Nicole came over and took your newborn pictures last Tuesday. You were a pro and we had so much fun taking them!

Your sister Lucy is already protective of you. When you cry in your sleep at night she whines at me to go and pick you up.  She loves to smell you.

You LOVE to take a paci.  This is a wubbanub. It is your favorite Mommy loves it because it helps the paci to stay in your mouth. The soothie pacifiers are the only ones you will take.

Your Daddy went back to work on Monday.  He has come home everyday for lunch and can't wait to hold you when he gets home.  I love watching his face light up when he has you.. there is nothing sweeter.  


I can only imagine how much more you will change in the next 2 weeks.  You are growing SO much already and I am already putting you in size 1 diapers at night.  At your 2 week check up you weighed 8 lbs 2 ozs and were 22 inches long.  You are nursing really well but sometimes are a bit fussy afterwards, I have learned I really have to work hard to get some good burps out of you- you are quite the gassy little boy!  You are a GREAT sleeper and sleep in 3 and 4 hour stretches each night-- sometimes you even give mommy a 5 hour stretch which is just heavenly!  You LOVE your bath and we give it to you around 7 pm each night. After that you have a bit of a "witching hour" as mommy feeds you before bed. You normally don't fall asleep until close to 9:30 but once you are asleep you stay asleep so that is good!  We love you so much Wes and can't imagine our world without you.  

Wes' Birth Story

On Friday August 24th Drew and I got to the hospital at 5 pm to begin the induction process.  I was REALLY wanting my sweet boy to come on his own and wasn't really looking forward to being induced.. but at 41 weeks I was so ready to meet him and didn't really care too much how it happened.  We packed up the car, told Lucy bye (she tried to jump in the front seat 2 times and I started crying...) and headed to the hospital.  It was rather uneventful and not how I thought we would be going to the hospital, since we were not actually in labor yet.  We got to our room, I changed into my gown, and it all started to seem a bit more real. My doctor had told me that when we got to the hospital they would soften my cervix using Cervidil, and then sometime early Saturday morning (around 5 am or so) we would start the Pitocin. The nurse put the Cervidil in (around 6:00) and my doctor came in to check on me for the evening. She said she expected me to have some cramping over night, but nothing major. If the pain got bad she had prescribed me some pain killers to be given through the IV and also an Ambien to help me get some sleep.  Drew and I watched TV and just hung out and listened to Wes' heartbeat (I had 2 monitors on my belly, one for this heartbeat and one for contractions.)  Around 9 pm I started feeling contractions but tried not to look at the screen or time them since I was sure it was nothing serious. Around 10 pm I asked Drew to turn the screen towards me and as I was having a contraction I saw the line bounce all the way to the top- whew! My mom came up to hang out for a bit and kept commenting on "when I had a big one" Drew reminded her that I knew when it was a big one-- I could feel it, ha!  Before my mom left (around 11 pm) I took the Ambien and went ahead and got the painkillers in my IV, my tailbone was killing me and I was having contractions every 8 minutes.  The painkillers felt great for about 30 minutes but then it seemed to fade away. I drifted in and out of sleep until around 2 am and was really hurting again. The nurse gave me more painkillers (I could have it every 2 hours) but once again it only helped for a short time.  At  4 am the pain was getting very intense and I asked Drew to call my mom to come back up to the hospital.  The nurse came in and was so surprised at how quickly I was progressing and commented that I might not even need the Pitocin. She decided she wanted to take the Cervidil out around 5 am to give my body a rest. After she took it out I was laying in bed, My mom massaging my feet and Drew helping me breathe slowly through each contraction. I kept commenting to my mom that I felt something coming out of me but she wasn't really replying. I said I might need to go the bathroom and when I stood up a gush of liquid came out-- my water had broke! The nurse came in and checked me and I was 3 cm. She said I could have the epidural now and I was ecstatic! ha :) I had to wait for the anesthesiologist for about an hour... the hospital was crazy busy with deliveries! That hour was VERY long and quite painful.  When the anesthesiologist came in he asked if I had any questions .. I quickly replied no and my mom and Drew left the room. My nurse was Cheryl and she was AMAZING. I was leaning on her while he put the epidural in, and during that time I had 4 contractions. It was so hard to hold still and breath through it but I kept reminding myself with each contraction that it could be the last one I feel. Once I finally laid back down and the epidural kicked in I was so relieved.  I closed my eyes and drifted in and out of sleep for awhile, I wanted to rest up so I would have energy when it was time to push.  From around 8 am to noon things went by so fast. Everytime the nurse checked me I had progressed so much more than she thought I would have and she was shocked. I never had to have the pitocin which was great! At 12 pm she said I was 10 cm and called my doctor.  I carried Wes very high and he refused to drop so even though I was fully dilated my doctor wanted to see him engage some more so I would not have to push for hours.  The nurse had everyone leave the room except my mom and Drew and we did some practice pushes before the doctor came in.  I remember them praising me as I was pushing and this made me want to keep up the hard work. I kept picturing forceps and the vaccuum thing in my mind and didn't want them to have to use these--- so I pushed with all my might. Around 12:15 my doctor arrived (she was so busy-- had already delivered SIX babies!) She kept telling me what a great job I was doing and I remember looking down and seeing Wes head. It was so amazing and I was so anxious to see the rest of my sweet boy. At 1 pm I heard those first cries and it was amazing. I couldn't stop crying as they sat him on my chest and I kept telling him how excited we were to finally see him.  It is amazing how much your heart grows in that instant. I nursed him and he did fantastic for about 20 minutes, then they performed his apgar and all the other things they have to do then. They brought him back to me after a few minutes and he got to stay with us for quite a while- about an hour and a half. Drew's mom and my dad came in to see him.  Wes did fantastic during our hospital stay, he is such a happy content baby and is nursing so well.  However-- his mommy was NOT the best patient. I lost a lot of blood during delivery- and was also anemic. When I tired to get out of bed a few hours after giving birth I fainted, and fainted 3 more times the next morning. After all of this excitement my OB decided it would be best to give me a blood transfusion. I am SO thankful she had me get one because after that I felt like a new person! My recovery was still kind of slow and I am just now really starting to feel like myself again- 2 weeks later.  Still having to take it easy and my body lets me know quickly when I have overdone it.

40 weeks.. and 3 days

Wes Patrick,
Your due date was Friday and it was a very uneventful day.  Mommy went to Galveston with Grammy and Kathy. We ate and walked around a lot and hoped maybe since we were traveling away from the hospital (not too far) you might decide to join us.  Mommy is very ready for you to come join us but you seem very content inside. I went to the doctor on Thursday and had made a little bit of progress (thinning, but not dilated).  We go back on Tuesday morning for a non-stress test and will either induce on Tuesday or Thursday, depending on how things look. I am still praying that you will jut come on your own before then... but I know that God knows exactly when you will make your debut so I rest in that!  Your Grammy flew in last Tuesday and has been keeping me busy while Daddy is at work. We go on lots of walks, talk lots about you, and shop!  I am still sleeping pretty well so I am very thankful for that, I know I will need my rest once you arrive.  Some moments I can't believe you are still not here.. and I start to wonder if I will be pregnant for forever.. I know that is not true though. Next week right now I will be holding you in my arms and that is a sweet, sweet feeling.  Today we went to church and I kept thinking "this is for sure my last time to not be here with Wes in my arms." I am rubbing my belly a lot and cherishing you move around (you are still moving like crazy.. despite the tiny amount of space you have in there!) I know I will miss these things and I feel so blessed that I have gotten you all to myself for the last 40 weeks.  I can't wait to see what you look like and to feel those little feet from the outside. Daddy and I can feel them pretty well now when you stick them up and its so crazy to us that you are in there.. so close yet so far away.  We can't wait for you to come and if you want to come tonight.. we are ok with that.  I am glad my next blog post will be about your birth.
Love,
Mommy

Week 38-- The end is near..

I am on day 5 of week 38 and so ready to meet my sweet boy.  I go through moments where my patience is gone and I am SOOO ready, and other moments where I know he will come on his time and I am trying to enjoy every last movement I feel from him.  It is hard to believe that its almost been 40 weeks, in ways it feels like I have been pregnant so much longer, and in other ways it seems so much shorter....                                                                           

The night we found out we were pregnant...

So excited and shocked!  

The first weekly bump picture.  I think the tiny bump we see is from all my holiday eating and not so much from a baby, haha :) 

and here we are now.. week 38! Almost there :)

I am not really feeling like writing out the weekly information. Not too much has changed.  I am going to the doctor weekly now, I will go again on Thursday.  As of last Thursday we had no progress...nada...nothing!! I kind of felt like this would happen and am just soaking up the sleep I can get right now and the time I get to spend with Drew.  My mom flies in next Tuesday so I am really excited for the next week to go by and her to be here!  Obviously if something happens before then she will drive down.  Some days I have quite a few BH contractions and other days nothing is going on.  Wes will come when he is ready.. although if he is really content in there we will talk about inducing after 40 weeks.  I feel like by then he has had plenty of time and can go ahead and come out and meet us.  Wes Patrick-- hurry up! You have SO many people ready to see you and hold you... Especially your mommy :)

Week 36 bump update

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 36 Weeks, tomorrow (7/27) starts week 37
Size of baby: 18.75 inches, 5.75 pounds crenshaw melon (whatever that is!)
Maternity Clothes: all the time
Gender: sweet baby boy- and he has a name! Wes Patrick Pennywell
Movement: not feeling as many kicks to my ribs (thank you Wes!) but lots of sliding motions as Wes is running out of room.. I keep getting worried he is gonna turn around (he is currently head down) with how much he moves sometimes, but my doctor reassured me he doesn't have enough room to want to turn around.. just moving a lot to try to get comfortable in his cramped space.  I keep reminding him that when he comes out he will have all the space he needs- so hurry it up :) 
What I miss: getting out of bed is getting pretty difficult--and I am doing it more now that he is dropping! Oh well, only a few more weeks left :) Now that he is dropping I feel like I am doing more of a waddle-- I am normally always such a fast walker but this has changed for sure!
Cravings: tuscan cantaloupes (I eat at least one a week.. sometimes two...) , cold milk.. chick fil a --I  had not had chick fil a in quite a while and Drew and I went last Friday.. about half way through my sandwich and fries I could not eat anymore and was super sad!.. don't worry I took it home for a snack later :) 
Symptoms: he is dropping and I feel lots of pressure in my abdomen, my back hurts a lot at night and I have some BH contractions, normally nothing that keeps me up though.  I had my weekly apt today and my doctor said he is still not fully engaged, and I am not dilated at all. My doctor is happy about this because she has a broken leg and can't deliver babies until Aug. 10, so she is hoping I make it until then. (I am sure I will!) Also, my mom is flying in August 14, so I am thinking August 15 would be a great day to come Wes Patrick, k? Thanks :)
Best Moment this week: I just got home from our last shower- at Drew's work. It was very sweet of them to do that and we are all ready for Wes! Car seat installed.. bag semi-packed..woohoo!  I don't feel like he is going to come early and am pretty certain I will see week 40.. but you never know. We are very excited and it is all kind of surreal.    
and here I am... last day of week 36 and I seriously don't know how this tummy has any more space for that sweet boy to grow, it is insane!