Syrah, Sirah

Not physically, as in packing up my things and crossing state lines. But my blog is moving.

Since the whole “replies” issue, this place just isn’t what it used to be. I still love the idea of blogging, but will be doing so in a more traditional sense. For those of you who still care to follow along, I will be at ungracefulparenting.wordpress.com.

My Dearest Wesley,

How. It appears time does not slow down, even in the slowest of months. This past month was a nice change in pace from the busy holiday season, however, here we are. A brief TWO months away from your very first birthday!

I really do love this stage. You are so aware of your surroundings and want to explore everything. It felt like yesterday you just figured out how to crawl, and today, you’re furniture surfing. Swiftly cruising between anything you can grab for balance, not to mention also walking with your push toy. Any day now, we assume you’ll find the confidence to take those first steps all on your own. I’m equally excited and prepared (house has been baby-proofed for 2 years), and a little sad-hearted, as you are my last baby to see through this major milestone.

Aside from being a blink away from walking solo, you can also clap your hands on command now, which tells me that you understand those words, and perhaps much more. You also are getting a bunch of new teeth, perfect for chomping your way through all the new foods you’ve been trying. To no one’s surprise, you love bread. Not too keen on bananas just yet, but seem to enjoy strawberries.

Other things you’re currently loving:

Puffs and teething crackers

Bath time with big bro

Playing in your ball pit

Watching baby apps on mommy’s phone

Putting anything you can get your hands on into your mouth

You’re still doing really well on sleep, which we are so grateful for! You typically nap twice a day (1-2 hours) and then will sleep for around 12 hours/night. It wasn’t always this glamorous. I still remember your newborn/infant days where you gave us 2 hour stretches of sleep MAX. Look at how far we’ve come. I’m proud of you, little boy.

Last week we also introduced some formula (mixed with breastmilk). At first, the mix was too strong and you were having NONE of it. But I adjusted the ratio, and you don’t seem to mind too much now. My second bout of mastitis really took a hit on my supply, so I wanted to be sure you were prepared to make the transition if necessary. So far, so good. We’ll work our way up to a 50/50 mix.

I truly can’t believe how quickly these past 10 months have gone, but have been so amazed by you and the light you’ve brought into our home. I still feel so eternally blessed to be your mama and I can’t wait to see what this next month has to bring. I love you to the moon and the stars, Love Bug.

With all my love,

Your Mama

My Dearest Wesley,

Yet another month has come and gone already, and here we are at month 9! Only 3 months shy of your first birthday. I can’t really wrap my brain around it yet. Thankfully, I still have 3 months.

This past month was a busy one for us, sprinkled with many big milestones for you! You celebrated your first Christmas!!! It felt pretty special to me, and my heart was so SO full this holiday season. You were really into watching your big bro open his gifts (and even some of yours). You finally saw your auntie again, and we had a full house with your grandma and grandpa here to share the holiday with.

Your first tooth finally arrived! Shortly followed by your second and third (all on the bottom). You also learned to push yourself to sit up and have started to crawl! You are also pulling yourself up to stand. I have a feeling your first steps will be coming soon. We have already lowered your crib all the way down to its lowest setting, and although it is a killer on mommy’s back, you don’t seem to really mind the difference.

You’ve officially outgrown your infant bath tub and now share bath time with your big bro. You’re really into putting everything into your mouth (must be the teeth) and spitting up. Oh the spit up. This month you also started an uphill battle with constipation, so you’ve gotten to try water, prunes (in pureed and liquid form), apple juice, white grape juice, combinations of apple and white grape juice, and all the pears, peas, plums, and other foods that are supposed to help you “go.” I really hope this is just a phase and it’ll pass soon.

You’re doing well with other solids, favoring oatmeal mixed with some fruit (preferably pears), carrots, sweet potato, and fruits in general. You’re not a big fan on veggie mixed purees.

You’re consistently SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! (Praise hands emoji) I’m talking 10-12 hours sleep through the night. Hashtag hallelujah. Occasionally, you’ll get up once to eat, and sometimes you’ll get up and cry like you’re hungry, but then fall right back to sleep as soon as your bottle is warm.

This past month we also took you to see an allergist to test for any food or environmental allergies. The results were identical to your brother’s: no food allergies, but tested positive for a reaction to dog dander. Poor Kyle. You haven’t shown any real irritation, but you also aren’t quite old enough to play with Kyle yet. We’ll just keep an eye on it and continue to run our air purifier 24/7 and buy stock in Honeywell.

It really still feels like just yesterday we were leaving for the hospital to welcome you into this world. I find myself looking back on pictures from the day you were born, up through now, and am still in disbelief at how quickly the time has gone. The days blend into weeks, and the weeks blend into months, and I’m just trying to cherish every moment I have, for these are the times I want to remember most. Thanks for greeting me every morning with those big, bright eyes and a wide smile across your face. That smile melts my heart every time I see it. I’m eternally grateful and blessed to be your mama, sweet boy. I love you to the moon and stars, Love Bug.

With all my love,

My Dearest Wesley,

Here we are, 8 months! Personally, I’m pretty impressed that I’ve kept my goal of writing you these letters for every month of your first year, like I did for your big brother. I am all too familiar with the jokes about how subsequent children after the first tend to “get less,” and time is literally non-existent to do stuff like this, but I am here to prove it’s possible! You deserve to have this precious time documented too.

So much has happened this past month! You began to sit up all on your own…unsupported! At first, it was for a minute at a time, but now, you’re a pro! You’ve also been able to stand (albeit, briefly) holding on to something for support and balance. Keep working those little baby leg muscles! You celebrated your first Thanksgiving, although you were not able to partake in any of the turkey. You also experienced not only your first, but also second, ear infection. Two in one month! The joys of winter. And perhaps one of the biggest milestones of the month, you went on your first vacation and took your first flight!!! You were a champ and did better than we could have expected, especially fighting a double ear infection. Mommy and daddy were so proud of you. You met your cousins, uncle and aunt, your parental grandparents, and a slew of other family members who were beyond excited to finally meet you.

This past month you became a really good sleeper too (#bless)! We’ve established a bedtime routine that has been working pretty well, and now you consistently sleep from 7:30pm to 7:30-8:00am, only getting up once in between to eat. We are so thankful for longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep!

Some things you’re currently loving:

Trying new solids

Bath time (still squeezing you in that infant tub)

Sitting in your stroller without the carseat

Chasing and playing with your big bro

Watching TV (usually whatever your big bro is watching; you’re not picky)

Standing and bouncing/jumping

Putting anything you can get your hands on in your mouth

Pulling your socks off and inevitably losing one

You finally saw an allergist last week and after nearly 8 months of avoiding dairy at any cost so that you could have dairy-free breast milk, you have no food allergies. (At least none that they tested for.) You did, however, test positive for an allergy to dog hair/dander, just like your big bro. Cool. We’ll keep you and Kyle separated as much as possible, but big brother seems to have been doing fine. We will continue to run the air purifiers like we have stock in Honeywell. All joking aside, it’s a relief to know food allergies aren’t an issue.

Still no teeth, but we think you’re “teething” as you always have something in your mouth (hand, foot, sock, paci, toys, etc.). And you are trying to crawl, but are a much better roller instead. We’ll just keep practicing!

As we approach your very first Christmas, I could not picture it being any more perfect. I feel so truly blessed that you’re here to complete our family this year, and we get to share this memorable time with you. Your daddy, big bro, and I are beyond lucky to have you. We all love you to the moon and stars.

Love you, Lovebug.

With All My Love,

Normal woman who loses 5 lbs unintentionally: BEST. DAY. EVERRRR.