Wyatt is one!

Dear Wyatt,
Happy first birthday to you, my hurricane baby. Your first year went by in a flash. It seems like yesterday that Daddy and I would take turns pacing around the living room while you cried your little newborn cry. Standing up was the only thing that would make you happy. Now you are standing up on your own and in the last few weeks you've taken your first steps. You sometimes take as many as ten steps before you decide that you've had enough, and you slowly lower yourself down to a crawl. You've started to play. To really play. You love your stacking rings and the Rollipop game that you got for your birthday from Grandma and Grandpa. Every once in awhile, when all the stars are aligned, you and Jack play together...happily.

Your nap/sleep routine seems different every day, so I've just been taking it one day at a time. You still wake once or twice in the night, but you fall asleep much easier than you had been a month ago. You seem to have given up one of your two naps and your remaining nap is relatively short (sometimes just an hour long). So by bed time, you are one tired and fussy boy.

You give kisses. Really cute, open mouth, slobbery kisses. When you want something badly (usually food), you say, nom nom nom nom. The louder you say it, the more you really mean it.

You really are such a sweet boy and we all love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Wyatt's 10 and 11 month updates

Let me just dust the cob webs off this place before I get started...

My excuse is that we've been busy over the last month. For the first half of July we were in Washington visiting Grandma and Grandpa (more on that later, I still have to go through hundreds of pictures from our trip). And since we've been back, Wyatt's been on a sleep strike, so it's been hard getting chunks of time to focus on this space of mine.  

I really want to get Wyatt's 10 and 11 month updates down (this is his baby book after all), since the details are already starting to run together. (It's crazy how quickly that happens.)

In his tenth month he mastered crawling, got lots of new teeth (including a molar), figured out how to clap his hands together and flew on an airplane for the first time. I also tried really hard to get him down to only one nursing a night and before we left for Washington, he was doing great. He (and Jack) adjusted so well to west coast time and had no problem sleeping or napping while we were there. It was coming home and getting back on east coast time that was brutal for them both and Wyatt is still not back to his old sleeping habits.

At 11 months, while we were in Washington, Wyatt started to eat pretty much 100% table food. Anything we put in front of him, he'll eat. Well, except for bananas...he still won't touch those. Last night we had steak tips and asparagus and I could not cut up the pieces fast enough for him. He loved it. I only hope that his eating habits continue through toddlerhood and beyond. Also, he dances and it's adorable. Anytime there is music or even a sound with a beat, he smiles and rocks. 

He can climb stairs and he crawls incredibly fast. I really think he'll be walking soon. As far as sleeping goes, well there's not much of that happening. Since we've been back from WA, he's only been taking one, short nap a day and getting him to sleep, especially when he wakes in the night, has been so difficult. All of a sudden he needs rocking and back rubbing on top of nursing. Some nights, it takes hours for him to fall asleep.

He is such a sweet boy, full of energy and curiosity. I can not believe that he is going to be one this month!!

Here are some iphone pictures of some of the milestones he's reached:

His first Flight. (Boston to Dallas, on the way to Seattle)

He loves vegetables!

Climbing.

9 months

The months are just flying by. I can't believe Wyatt is 9 months old! He's had a few firsts this month. He can pull himself to stand to grab remote controls or take apart train tracks on the train table. Yeah, Jack is really excited about this. I can not take my eyes off of Wyatt for a second when he's down on the floor. He is so determined when he sees something he wants, I know that soon, he's going to be climbing up furniture and then we'll really be in trouble. He can sit up on his own, but he rarely sits still for long. In the last week, he's started to crawl on his hands and knees, but he's faster when he's on his belly and pulling himself forward with his arms. I am sure he'll get the hang of crawling very soon.

He and Jack have been sharing a room for the past month and that's been going really well. Even though Wyatt is not the best sleeper at night, Jack never wakes up when he's crying. He's still not sleeping through the night and usually wakes up around 2ish and then he's up for the day between 5 and 6.

He's a good eater. He loves yogurt and watermelon. Avocado is still his favorite though. He nurses about 4 times during the day. Once when he wakes up in the morning, before each of his two naps, and at bed time.

He's growing so fast and barely fits into his 9 month sized clothes. I wish some one would tell him that there's no rush to grow and get bigger.

This week

Whew...we are having quite the day here. Jack has been in a grumpy mood and the whining has started to hurt my ears a little. It started when I took a bite of one of his waffles this morning. Bad move. He was hysterical for 20 minutes and once he calmed down he didn't even want to eat. So they sat on the table until 10 when he finally said, "Mommy, I'm hungry." Since then, it's been on and off fits of hysterics for no good reason. I was actually hoping to get to the grocery store this afternoon with the two of them, but there was no way I would go on that adventure while Jack was in this sort of mood. That would be a recipe for disaster. He and Wyatt are both napping right now, so I feel like I can exhale. 

Ok. Thanks for listening. My vent is over. 

So, here's what our week looked like according to my phone!

Jumping in the bounce house at a friend's birthday party.

This cup kept him happy for the entire time we were at the party.

These were the best cupcakes I've ever eaten. Pina colada - pineapple cake with coconut cream cheese frosting.
Made by Bonnie.

Helping with the laundry.

Brothers.

Playing at the beach.

Standing, with his toes in the sand.

Jack's first school portrait. (If you're his Grandparent or his Aunt/Uncle, you'll be getting a copy!)

Wyatt pulled himself up to stand for the first time this week! We're in trouble! (this is a pic of the actual first time)

Wyatt and me. 

A Peek into the Boys' Shared Room

We finally took the plunge. It was a night that I'd been dreading pretty much since deciding that the boys would share a room back when I was pregnant. We had imagined that we'd wait until Wyatt was sleeping through the night before we moved him from our room. A full night sleep still seems very far away and he is just too big for the co sleeper, so we had to do something.

Wyatt slept for the first time in his crib on Saturday night. We wanted the first night to be on a weekend when we had no plans, just in case we had a rough transition with little sleep. But we've had no problem...we're all getting the same amount of sleep as we were when Wyatt was in our room. He does still wake up twice during the night, but Jack doesn't even seem to notice and sleeps right through the wimpers and cries, and me coming and going from the room. We really talked it up to Jack over the past couple of months, preparing him for Wyatt's move into his room, and he's adjusted so well. He even woke up one morning after Wyatt was up and out of the crib and came to our room crying, so upset that Wyatt wasn't in his bed. I think he's really proud to have his little brother in his room. I know that we are bound to have some rough nights, but I am just so relieved that for now, it's working out. 

I thought this would be a good time to share some pictures I took of the boys' room a few weeks ago. (I love saying, the boys!)

Sources:

Curtains, toddler bed, toddler bedding, chair, bookcase, rugs, under bed storage: Ikea

Dresser: Craigslist, painted BM potpourri green

Crib: Amy Coe, Babies r' us

Bunting, crib skirt, bumper, pillow on chair: Handmade by me

Jack and Wyatt letters: Ebay, The Writing on the Walls

Growth Chart and Quilt: Handmade by my Mom

Rocking Horse: Mine from when I was a child, Handmade by my Grandfather

P.S. We removed the bumper from the crib based on the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

I am joining the fun at Thrifty Decor Chick where you can see lots of other kids' rooms!

My jumping bean

This video has it all! We have Wyatt jumping and a conversation with a very silly Jack, a mommy who calls kids by the wrong name, and if you hang on until the end, a clip of Wyatt saying his first word! I know, how will you handle all of the cuteness? 

8 months

This month was pretty exciting as far as Wyatt firsts go.

He said his first word...Ma ma ma ma. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

If he's in the mood, he'll wave back when he's waved at. This is very close to the cutest thing ever.

I finally broke down, after searching craigslist and consignment shops, and bought a new, free standing jumperoo (this one). He absolutely loves it. I should have gotten one months ago once I realized that our doorway jumper was not going to work for us. (Our doorways are so narrow that when he gets going, he bonks his head on the door jam. Not good.) I have an adorable video of the jumping bean that I will post soon.

He's eating three meals a day now and he still can not stand bananas. Avocados are still tops. He's also a big fan of yogurt. A couple of days ago I put a couple of puffs on his tray and without hesitation he picked one up and put it in his mouth. He only has to work on letting go of it once his fingers reach his mouth. He chews it with his three front teeth. (Also, close to the cutest thing ever.) 

He is still taking good naps in the morning and afternoon. At night though, he's been waking up 2 to 3 times and then waking at about six AM to start the day. He is STILL in his little co-sleeper and has yet to sleep in his crib. We are dreading the transition into the boys' shared room since he still wakes up every few hours. I am determined though to make the switch this month. 

He is nursing about 5 times throughout the day and when he wakes up at night. I am still not ready to let him cry at night, simply because feeding him is so easy and we all sleep better for it. 

He's been sick for the past couple of weeks with horrible congestion and cough. He's had no fever and he is still a happy boy despite the sneezing and coughing. The doctor said it's not uncommon for this to last for 3 to 4 weeks. Yuck. When I took him to the Doctor's office, they weighed him...he's up to 18 lbs 12 ounces! 

His little personality is really starting to shine through. He LOVES his big brother. He follows Jack's every move with his eyes and has already started to covet the toys that Jack plays with (to Jack's dismay.) I can see already that we are going to have a little dare devil on our hands as he tries to keep up with Jack. 

I can't wait to see what surprises Wyatt has in store for us this month!

First Haircut

I have been constantly sweeping Wyatt's hair out of his eyes and, to Rob's dismay, using the old spit on the fingers to hold back his locks. So during his bath tonight, Rob cut off his long, dark newborn hair. He was left with a head of super soft, adorable, blonde fuzz. As Rob was making the first snip, I did have a quick feeling of - wait, he's growing too fast, but I am already looking forward to seeing him in the morning to take in his new look. 

Just for fun, here is a picture from Jack's very first haircut. He was about 8 months old. 

Wyatt's 6 month stats

Wyatt had his six month check up on Friday. So along with his stats, I thought that it would be a good time to share what else he's been up to, since that baby book that I bought for him is still sitting on the shelf, completely empty and I need to write it down somewhere.

Two tiny teeth have finally worked their way up through his gums and all of that drool that had been pouring from his mouth has finally slowed down, for now. I noticed his bottom right tooth broke through on February 27th and couple days later the left one appeared. He was pretty cranky throughout this process and was sleeping horribly (up every 3ish hours or more). Since the teeth have come in, he's been sleeping a little better. We put him down around 8 and he's usually up at 11 and then at 3 or 4. I nurse him at these times and he usually goes right back to sleep and has been sleeping until about 7 or 7:30! I'll take that. We finally stopped swaddling him (I think we stopped when he was sick a couple of weeks ago) so he's in a sleep sack now and as soon as I put him down, he always rolls right over onto his tummy. He's still in our room, but rapidly growing out of the co-sleeper. We are hoping he'll be sleeping better before we move him into their shared room and into the crib that he has yet to sleep in.

Wyatt is a terrible napper. (although, as I type, he's just waking up from a two hour nap in his bed.) He's so unpredictable. I try to put him down at around the same times, but he usually screams his head off. The best chance I have for a nap is when we are out and about and he falls asleep in the car.

So far he's tried, sweet potatoes, bananas, and oatmeal. He LOVES the oatmeal and he's coming around to bananas. We'll have to try the sweet potatoes again. He still has to work on not pushing the food out with his tongue. He grabs at the spoon and pulls it to his mouth. It's very cute. I gave him a sippy cup with water tonight and let him hold the cup to try to figure it out. He managed to take a few sips, but mostly he wanted to bite and lick it.

He's been rolling around the living room and sometimes he sort of scoots his way over to a toy he wants.  It won't be long before he's crawling and the doctor said he'll be pulling himself up soon too! He's not quite sitting up on his own yet. He can sit for a few seconds before he tips over, which he thinks is pretty funny.

He wears mostly 9 month size clothes. He still fits in some 6 months sizes, but not for much longer.

So at his check up he weighed 17 lbs (40%) and he's 27 inches (80%) long. The doctor mentioned that his motor skills were very advanced for his age and his language skills were not as advanced as Jack's were at 6 months. She said this is common for second babies. I was just amazed that she could pick up on that detail in the 10 minutes we were with her. It's so true though, Wyatt doesn't babble as much as Jack did. (by the way, She said not to worry about this at all.) She told us to keep doing what we're doing, because he's perfect. :)

First taste

Last night I made mashed sweet potatoes to have with dinner and before I added the sour cream and chili powder, I set some aside for Wyatt. I was excited about starting him off with food that we were eating and having dinner as a family, so we dug out the tiny baby spoons from the back of the drawer and hoped for the best. 

At first he was curious.

Then he was all smiles. I think he knew that something new was about to go down.

He couldn't get that spoon in his mouth fast enough.

Then he wasn't so sure about it.

He looked at me, like he was thinking, Really Mom?

Clearly Disapproving.

And here, he's afraid we'd try it again. (We didn't.) He spit that bite right out and that was the end of his first taste. We'll try again in a few days with something different...maybe some mashed bananas?

In other news...Wyatt slept through the night last night (8 pm to 5:30 am)! He's been so unpredictable with his sleep. The night before, he was up every 3 - 4 hours, so who knows what tonight has in store, but I'll take it! It's certainly the longest stretch he's had. Naps on the other hand are not happening. He's the only baby I know that doesn't snooze during the day. I don't think he wants to miss anything and wants to keep up with his big brother (who also likes to forgo nap time and can be heard running around in his room between 1 and 3 pm).