TBT

My little ham on his birth-day! Can't believe he was ever that small.

The Sickies

Well it was bound to happen, my littlest got sick. And to think that I the other day I had a thought that he's been here for almost nine months and has yet to get sick. So it's only natural that he would wake a up a few days later with a terrible cough, slight fever and runny nose. A trip to the pediatrician ended in a diagnosis of croup and two oral steroids to try and keep the swelling in this throat down. 

So far he's been in pretty good spirits. Nigh time sleeping has been difficult, especially since I've been sleeping with him to keep an eye on his breathing. Per the doctor it gets worse at night and if he shows any trouble breathing we are to take him to the ER. The kid is such a restless sleeper so momma is running on fumes with very little sleep. 

I do think it's safe to say he's starting to turn the corner, so I'm hoping tomorrow there will be even more smiles and less of a runny nose! I guess it was bound to happen, but sick babies are no fun. On a positive note I do get some more snuggles than usual!

Wordless Post

It's Nap Time

In the past eight months the biggest thing that I've learned about my little one is he likes to be on a schedule. We struggled, REALLY struggled with getting him to take a nap once that sleepy newborn stage started to wear off. I always made sure to put him down for multiple naps a day when he started yawning and rubbing his eyes, but he would still struggle with going to sleep. Most days he would end up sleeping in his swing because I was desperate for him to nap. I tried so many different things but most days he refused and by mid afternoon/early evening he was a bear.

Eventually I started to make sure that he was back in his crib for a morning nap at 9am (9:30 if he slept in later) and then again at 2pm. Making sure that he is in his crib for both of these naps, as close to these times as possible has helped so much in getting him to sleep. It probably also doesn't hurt that I turn the bathroom fan on in our half bath, which is right below his bedroom. 

This schedule definitely makes it more tricky for me to run errands and get things down outside of our home, as I have a very limited time frame in between naps. And there definitely are some days where we're just not going to be home at those times and he will have to adjust. However, if staying at home gets him the sleep he needs, then that's what we will do. If the baby is happy, then mommy is happy!

Can't have a post without any pictures...

Wyatt - Eight Months

Stats:
No appointment this month but I would guess he weighs over 20lbs and I think he's grown probably another inch. He's got some baby rolls on his thighs but other than that he's not a chunky baby, he's just solid!

Sleep: 
I've been working really hard on keeping Wyatt on a schedule regarding his naps, and it seems to be working. He goes down for a morning nap between 9/9:30 and will sleep for about 1.5 hours. Then he goes down at 2 for his afternoon nap and usually I can get usually get another 1.5 hours out of him. He is then up until his bedtime at 8pm. This schedule does make it difficult to get errands done since I have such a short time frame between his naps and I usually don't go out after his afternoon nap, but its working so I'm just going to go with it!

Eating:
He is still eating solid foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner and I've tried to reduce the amount I nurse to about 4-5 times a day. I am going back to work next month, just for busy season, and so I want to try to make it so he only needs two bottles while I'm at work. Since I'm going back I'm also trying to pump in the morning so that I have a good stash and won't have to pump at work!

I've also been trying to get Wyatt to drink out of a sippy cup this month and he wants NOTHING to do with it. I've bought two different kinds and he just chews and plays with them. When he has taken a few sips he makes the most disgusted face and will no longer show interest. 

Diapering:
We are still cloth diapering and loving it. He has also moved up to a size 4 for his nighttime diaper, which is the only time (unless we're traveling) that I use disposables. 

Clothes:
He is wearing all 9 and 12 month clothing. Due to his bulky cloth diapers he is mostly wearing 12 month pants and sometimes I'll stick him in 12-18 month pants.

Social:
This month Wyatt celebrated his first Christmas and New Years. We ended up staying home for both holidays and his Grandpa, Oma and Aunt from Scranton came to help us celebrate Christmas. Daddy had to work Christmas night, so we did most of our holiday celebrating from the 26th-28th. 

New Year's was very low key. Wyatt was asleep by 8pm and rang in the New Year in his dreams! 

We did go after the New Year and spend five days in Scranton with his Grandpa and Oma. While we were there he got to visit with his Aunt Martina, Uncle Richard, Aunt Bailey and Uncle Zach. He also got to go and meet the rest of the Guy family. He got a lot of attention and snuggle time in with his Grandpa and Oma.

Highlights & Milestones:
Wyatt cut his 6th tooth (on top). He is still doing really well with teething.

Wyatt is still army crawling to get around but will get up in the crawling position and rock back and forth. He does this all day long but has yet to figure out how to actually move his legs and arms to crawl. He is also pulling up on his baby gate and anything else that is sturdy enough that he can grab onto.

He definitely knows his name and will army crawl to you when you call him or he'll crawl over to your leg when he wants to be held. I also think he is starting to be a little bit more of a mommas boy. Whenever he sees me, especially if I pay him any attention, he is almost always reaching out for me to hold him. Up to this point he has been REALLY good with letting anyone hold him, but I think he's starting to prefer mom and dad just a little but more!

Wyatt has also become quite the chatter box this past month. He says momma, dada, and baba. He is constantly babbling and if you talk to him he will talk even more!

A New Year, A New Project

Its a common theme around here that we take on a 'bigger' house project in the beginning of the new year. Last year it was a bathroom renovation, the year before was trying to somewhat finish off our basement, etc. So now that 2014 is here we've decided to work on our kitchen, again.

When we first moved into our house our kitchen had very limited counter space and all of the appliances were not full size (ie. I couldn't put a large cookie sheet into our oven, it wouldn't fit). So with some help from Svens dad we put in a new laminate counter top and tile back splash. Putting in a new counter top allowed us to get a full size stove, add an additional bottom cupboard where the old refrigerator was and open the kitchen up to the family room a little more, while creating additional counter space. The upgrade definitely has made a difference over the last four years, but like most projects there were still small details that have yet to be finished off.

One of the those details, which is actually not something small and unnoticeable, was building in the refrigerator. We've been brainstorming how we wanted to finish the area around the refrigerator and have it tie in with the look of the rest of the kitchen. Well, I think it's safe to say we finally have it figured out.

While Sven's parents were here over Christmas he and his dad built open shelving on the left side of the refrigerator and two cupboards above it. It's still not complete as now it's my job to finish it. I'm planning to paint the cupboards and while were at it we're going to give the doors more of an updated look. Here is our inspiration picture...

Oh, and we think we might also redo our back splash and get new counter tops. I'm hoping this project will be painless and somewhat quick, but I'm sure that's completely unrealistic. 

First Christmas

Wyatt's first Christmas was a little different than I had imagined since his daddy had to work the night shift on Christmas Eve and Christmas. But we still tried to make the holiday special even if it wasn't exactly how I imagined/wanted it to be.

Wyatt was a very lucky boy and got some great presents from friends and family. Even though he didn't understand the meaning of the holiday and all that comes with it, it was fun nonetheless to see him excited about his extended family coming (Sven's parents and sister came) and playing with his new toys.
I'm sure next year will be even more fun.

A New Year

Wishing you all a safe, happy and healthy New Year!!

Cheers to 2014!!!!