Celebrating Michael's Big 4-0

We celebrated one of James' oldest, best friend's FORTIETH BIRTHDAY this weekend in Atlanta.  Kellee threw Michael a fabulous shindig, with ax throwing and drinks/dinner. (We did not attend the ax throwing because we didn't feel we could leave all three youngins for that period of time. Not that we worried about the children - we worried about the babysitters!!!)

I loved the surprised look on Michael's face when we walked in for dinner! I also loved getting to catch up with all the Cairo crowd plus a few new faces who we became fast friends with.  Most everyone has small children so people swapped hilarious "parents of the year" stories.

(Funny story - notice the splatter on the wall.  During the food service the waitress dumped a whole bowl of seafood bisque behind James and we got so much soup on our clothes and the wall!  No harm, no foul - we just got some club soda and laughed about it.)

We saw these sweet boys who have been absent from our lives for the past year and a half - too long!  Let's get together again soon, guys, you only live an hour away!!!

I say it every time we're together, but it's so special that James is still close to his childhood friends.  I hope we're still celebrating our 80th birthdays together - which should be even more fun because we can all stay out late OR all night and not worry about all the babysitters back home!

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Wesley Robert - 4 Months Old!

Oh this sweet boy.  I seriously kiss Wesley a hundred times a day. Even back to work, I manage to have him in my arms in a lot of my free time. He's enjoying wake time baby wearing more and more, so he gets carted around everywhere. Spoiling him?  Probably. Do I care? Not a bit.

Although he loves attention, Wesley is also more content to lay, watch, and play the older he gets.  He'll hang out on his back for a long while, and does better with tummy time.  Doesn't try to roll yet, but can scoot a bit with all his leg kicks.

We love to make Wesley giggle and smile.  He's in that phase where his smiles take over his entire body.  The big kids like to tickle him, and Ms. Therlon has found a rather ticklish spot under his chin.  He's more interactive and enjoys bounces and hoists above the head. He's very vocal (especially in the mornings) and talks and talks to whoever will actively engage him - even the birds on his swing. When we picked him up from church nursery last Sunday, the ladies said he conversed with them the full 2 hours.

Wesley has weathered this cold and flu season with nothing more than a stuffy nose so far (fingers crossed.) He's a solid guy and definitely a good eater. He poops only once a week and can clear a room with his toots. They are worse than JB and Enda, combined. (Normally I would not share something embarrassing on the blog, but something tells me that little boy Wesley may find this hysterical so I wanted to record it.) He also started to spit up, but his reflux has not seemed to bother him. We took him off the Prev.acid without an issue, and I've reintroduced some dairy without any problems.

We're entering my absolute favorite baby phase.  Hoping we can get through the potential Four Month Sleep Regression and start to get naps and nighttime sleep in a better place soon - but I'm also trying not to obsess/stress about it too much and just enjoy the fact that Wesley is an absolute delight when he's awake.

So here we go -  his four month stats!

Wesley's Measurements:
* Note - his 4 month wellness visit has been pushed out by a few weeks due to flu outbreak in our town :(

• Weight: 14lbs 7oz

At 4 Months Old,  Wesley...

…Eats every 3 hours during the day, normally at 7, 10, 1, 4, 7 and 10.  Still needs a 3AM feed about 50% of the nights. Very predicable. A long nap or an outing may push a feed, but it doesn't seem to bother him.  Sometimes the 7PM feed is a struggle due a tired meltdown, but he still rocks the dream feed.

…Sleeps pretty well! Solid, 11-12 hour nighttime sleep is within our grasp (I can feel it!) I remind myself he's just now reached 4 months, so the fact he's even a bit scheduled is a win.  We moved him out of the RNP (for sleep) this month, and he sleeps in his pack-n-play in our closet or normally in his crib in his room for nighttime and naps (when we're home), respectively.  He's in the Merlin Magic Sleepsuit but since I'm not seeing full blown sleep miracles (like I did with Maryn), I may just move to a sleepsack this month.  Naps are short and he struggles to transition to the next sleep cycle after 40 minutes.  Sometimes we'll cheat and let him sleep in a rocking RNP or swing. He takes roughly 3 naps a day with one little late catnap in the Solly wrap or car seat, depending on our afterwork activities.  About once a week he'll do a 3 hour marathon nap and throw me for a loop.

...Wears 3-6 month clothes and 6 month clothes.  Those 6 month one pieces are not going to last too long.  He's wearing outfits now that JB wore around the May timeframe (and their birthdays are only days apart.)  His growth may not top the charts, but he seems so big to us! Wears size 2 Pampers, but the size 2 Huggies (that I bought two boxes of at the Costco sale) are nearly too small.

…Loves when people talk and interact with him; baths; his paci; his hands

…Does not love the car and carseat. He can let our some shrill screams during car rides, causing both his siblings to ride with their hands over their ears. 

Month Four -  you're such an easy going baby, Wesley!

Previous Updates on Wesley:

• Birth Story
• One Month
• Two Months
• Three Months

How does he compare?:  JB - Four Months Old ; Maryn - Four Months Old

Author's Note: I am not loving the props I got for the monthly updates this go around.  Now that W is so active his little hands and feed cause the blanket to twist and turn when I'm taking pics.  But, I'm committed!  

Happy Birthday, Sweet Enda!

Enda is six years old!  I feel like we just brought her home!  I cannot imagine life without our furry girl, even though she drives me absolutely crazy most of the time. 

She has settled down now as she approaches middle age.  But while she's not as hyper, she's definitely more neurotic.  She gets very upset if she's left and suffers from serious FOMO.  We routinely get home to find the garbage strung about the house OR that she's taken her anger out on James' shower loofa (always his, never mine.)  We take her with us as much as we can, if it's not too cold or too hot. 

Enda loves walks with the family, especially when James takes her on his long morning walks on the golf course. I walk her around the neighborhood at lunch and let her explore and "read the news", as James says.  Enda has not been on a leash in a long time - results of good training and country living.  She wouldn't know how to survive as a city dog anymore.

She still sleeps under the covers (on my side) and loves to lounge on our (dry clean only) faux fur couch blankets.  Still a cuddle bug, and she does better with the children - although I wholeheartedly believe that Enda longs for a world where she is an only child.  And where her parents were home all day to love on her.  Intermittently between squirrel chances. That may be Enda's idea of Heaven.

JB is very much in to birthdays, so he's been talking about Enda's "party" for weeks. After work we went to PetSense to let each child pick out a present for Enda.  Maryn chose a squeaky toy, JB a tug-of-war toy, and Wesley, sensibly, found some antlers on the clearance rack. 

Maryn wanted to get a kitten and I told her that Enda certainly did not want a cat!

Sweet Enda girl - I don't even want to think about the fact that you're middle aged and getting older each day. Your whiskers are turning white around your chin and eyes, and you've lost your "puppy-ness". Still, vizslas live a good 15 years or so, and I choose to think we're still on the upward incline of your precious life!

Breakfast with our Favorite Characters

(And I'm not talking about the children - though they are our favorite cast of crazies.)

Saturday our Junior League hosted a children's breakfast with Superheroes and Princesses. I had looked forward to this for months, and fortunately got my tickets months ago because they completely sold out and filled the room.  JB talked about it all week, and Maryn seemed to understand, too.  The night before JB decided he would wear his Superman costume, which was already a little snug at Halloween so you can imagine it 3 months later! Total crack attack!  I laid out this very pretty pink dress and stockings for Maryn only for her to veto me and insist on wearing her pretty Elsa costume.  (This gal doesn't know Elsa from Snow White from Ariel - but somehow she knew that this breakfast called for something very fancy!)

After carb loading at breakfast (on grits, biscuits, hashbrowns, and pigs-in-a-blanket - the Southern staples), the children anxiously waited as the characters slowly entered the room.  The look on JB's face when Batman and Spiderman walked in... so precious.

Although Maryn reacted totally differently and demanded that we immediately leave and "go home, GO HOME!!!!!!!!!!"  Poor gal.  She, Wesley and I walked outside for a bit to calm down, ran into Supergirl, and somehow she gave Maryn the courage to walk back inside.  She stayed attached to James like a koala cub while JB and I worked the room.

Of course the one superhero that did not show up - Superman.  I saw JB's little lip quiver and it broke my heart. Fortunately all of the other superheroes gave JB the same response:  "Superman had to stay at the Watch Tower to protect it from villians". This seemed to satisfy him.

There were superhero demonstrations and princess singalongs.  Everyone danced to the YMCA and JB caught on quickly. He also belted out Let It Go with all the others (even though we're so behind and have never seen Frozen.) There is just something about that song and kids!

Wesley behaved like the angel baby that he is, flirting with all the Junior League girls and laughing with my mama friends.

Such a fun morning!  I can't wait to take JB to Disney.

(I would love to take Maryn, too, but something tells me girlfriend would prefer something less magical at the moment.) 

"stay away, superheroes"

Middle GA Gets Some Snow

It's only mid January and already, multiple times, the local Middle Georgia weathermen (or women, they're both ladies on NBC) have predicted snow.  Today it actually panned out!  Snowflakes started to fall around 8AM, were still going strong at 10AM, and then were completely gone (along with any hopes of accumulation) at 12PM.  I watched anxiously from my office, peering outside my window, waiting for a chance to take the kids outside.  I had a conference call run over and completely missed the white window!   Boooooo - maybe next time. 

8AM - light dusting

10AM - still falling!

12PM -  wait, did it even snow here?

We may not have snow on the ground, but we still have frigid temps.  Not too cold that I can avoid a quick walk with dog child, but too cold to take this little man outside.

Is it too early to say "I'm ready for Spring??"  Fortunately for us, the ladies predict 65 degrees by Saturday (WOO HOO!)

Birthday Party Fun!

Not much to report on the old blog lately, other than the fact that life is moving right along, kids are growing, and everyone is settling into a new normal now that Mama is back to work. (And, for the record, I am feeling 10Xs better after a rough few days at the start.  I attribute this to prayer - my own and my precious prayer group - AND an adjustment of my attitude. Both super powerful.)

It's been too flipping cold (or wet, or foggy, or all three at the same time) here in Georgia this January. We choose to be Southerners for many reasons, including a mild winter.  The weather is not cooperating!  I had big plans for family hikes, playgrounds, and outdoor activities on the weekends, but so far we have stayed cooped up in the house.

This Saturday we celebrated our sweet neighbor, Aditi, at her birthday party - the highlight of the weekend!  I love children's birthday parties, much more so than James. It's an excuse to dress cute, have the kids entertained for a few hours, and to eat buttercream frosting.  What more can you ask for on a Saturday morning?

Aditi turned two years old and the party was full of sweet little children of all ages. The kids had a blast!  And the treats were spot on!  Plus PIZZA FOR THE ADULTS!!!

(James stayed home with Wesley and somehow got him to take a 2 hour nap (????) )

Our next birthday party coming up this month is for a 40 year old and will be much fancier.  However, I still love a good kids' party, for sure.

And It's Back to Work.

I'm about to complete my first week of work.  I thought about writing this post on my first day (Tuesday), but fortunately I didn't because my emotions ran all over the place. Someone asked me on a call "how are you doing?" and I burst into tears. And I am not a crier!  I never cry!  I think I cried at least 5 times on Tuesday.

Why is it so hard this time around?  Most tell me it's because he is our final baby. Because I just completed my last maternity leave.  Because I'll never have another newborn again.  Final, last, never - ugh! Words that just weigh so heavy on my heart. Not because we're looking to add a fourth child, nor do we disagree that our family is now complete (it totally feels complete!) But I don't do well, mentally or emotionally, when such good things come to an end.

I wrote a similar post after JB (here), and after Maryn (here). While I know that only my maternity leave ended and not the blooming relationship with Wesley, there is something so special about that uninterrupted, constant time with the new baby. I lucked out in that my company extended our maternity leave policy to 12 paid weeks in August, which meant I actually spent more time at home with Wesley than Maryn or JB.  Plus the time allowed me tons of daily interaction with the big kids at home, too.  Overall, just such a special, precious time.

I had a long list of things to accomplish going into my maternity leave - move pictures and files from an old computer to a new one, complete Maryn's baby book, complete Wesley's Christmas stocking, clean out the filing cabinet, etc etc.  I didn't complete ONE SINGLE THING on my list (even though I made very good dents in all of them.)  However, I did not waste the time at all. I held Wesley for lots of naps.  We watched way too much Today show, HGTV and Food Network together on the couch and in the bed.  I left Wesley with the nanny for some 1:1 time with JB and Maryn.  I read lots of books (while holding Wesley for naps). I actually had conversations with my family and friends on the phone (while holding Wesley for naps.)  Enda and I took one or two children for a walk nearly every day.  Just so much fun.

So now I'm back at work, and I miss the kids. Terribly.  I miss the time we had. Terribly. I want to time travel back to a few months/weeks ago when the leave was just beginning, but that is just not possible. That is why I cried all day on Tuesday, my first day back.

However, a few more days in, I'm feeling lots better.  I still miss the time and have moments of sadness, but I am also (getting) back into our little routine, interacting with all my great colleagues, and looking forward to what's ahead for our organization and my team in 2018.  I so appreciate that my working situation (at home when I'm not traveling) allows me to peek in on the baby, nurse instead of pump for at least one feeding, and eat lunch with the big kids. I mean, how lucky is that??

Funny enough, out of all three kids, Wesley is doing the best with the transition!  JB cried for a month with the nanny, Maryn refused to eat for the nanny the first several weeks, and both of them regressed terribly in their sleeping.  Wesley adheres better to the schedule with Ms Therlon than he ever did me, and he has slept from 1030PM - 7AM the last two nights.  This may be the hardest return for Mama, but I'm thankful the kids are in such a good place.  And, I know, Mama is going to get there, too... :)