Wesley's 10 and 11 Months

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We’re almost there, almost to the big ONE year birthday! This year went by so fast (and yet each day seemed so slow, funny how that works). The little guy just melts my heart. He’s got big smiles and belly laughs and it’s the best thing ever. I’m not going to get any more mushy…I’ll save that for my one year post.

Go to my earlier post, A Look Back: Wesley’s 9 Months, to see 0 to 9 months!

October - 10 Months Old

  • Sleep training Round 3 - Ugh, does it stop? Let’s sleep dude!

  • Cruising - He’s walking along tables & able to move from one thing and then across to another

  • Standing for like 3 seconds without any support

  • Short distances with toy walker independently

  • Loves to play with water - splish splash!

  • Tongue side to side - Funny blub sound with tongue going back and forth (so cute)

  • Climbs up to stand grabbing the back of mom’s legs

  • First Halloween! Went as Batman’s (Caleb) sidekick, Robin!

November - 11 Months Old

  • Getting down from a standing position to crawl or sit

  • Loves the freezer especially opening and closing it on his own

  • Walking around with the toy walker (but not great at navigating, yet)

  • When mom sits down, he loves to walk around her again & again

  • Bee lines to the laundry room, freezer, or front/back doors to go outside when opened

  • Wheels, wheels, wheels…all the wheels

  • Walking and pushing the stroller!

  • Climbing up the stairs

  • Started the standard crawl (still does the army crawl, too…but this crawl is faster)

  • Almost walking, so close…

  • First Tooth! (on the bottom left)

  • First Thanksgiving - didn’t really eat much of the food. A bit of a roll perhaps and then playing with the rest.

A Look Back: Wesley's 9 Months

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Have you seen the meme (this one) where the photo of the first child is all done up with cute props and then the second child just has a post-it note? LOL. I’m not quite at that level, but I didn’t get to post monthly for Wesley as I did for Caleb. I did get monthly photos, though. I also took my monthly notes on development and other things I wanted to remember. All that said, now I’m going to play a bit of catch-up and share some photos and notes of Wesley over the past nine months. Better late than never!

Look how much he’s grown. He’s now almost eleven months. Life has sure been busy! Life with one kid really changes your life, but having two is another ballpark. Free time? What’s that! And that, my friends, is why this blog has been so quiet this year. I’m sure I’ll pick it back up, but for now we’ll have a lot of “Looking Back” posts. (FYI: I also have Raising Tacoma that I’m trying to keep going, too). But I absolutely adore my kids and cannot imagine life without them. They are my heart. Can you see why?

Wesley Photos: The Past 9 Months

December - First Month

  • Born on Saturday, 12/7/18 - Read the post here

  • First Outing was to Caleb’s Preschool Christmas concert

  • Lots of sleep

  • First bath at home

  • At four weeks we saw tears (so sad), but also smiles, and opening his eyes more

  • Holding head up a few seconds

First Christmas

Wesley’s first holiday is my favorite, Christmas! We thought he’d be in time for Thanksgiving, but instead it was Christmas.

January - 1 Month Old

  • Only waking once at night (but sometimes two).

  • Lifting head high up when on his tummy

  • First cold (with a cough, so sad to hear)

  • Rolling from tummy to back at 7 weeks

  • The dreaded fussy time: 9-11pm! Ugh!

  • First time experiencing Snow (2/4/19)

February - 2 Months Old

  • Big snow storm, 8-10 inches! Crazy for Tacoma

  • He’s really lifting his head high when on tummy (higher than before)

  • Lots of smiles and coos

  • First step in his transition to his own room - taking his naps in there!

  • Loves chewing his hands

  • So wiggley

  • Crazy kid, lots of back arching making almost hard to hold him

  • Grabbing for toys and things

  • At 11 weeks we’re starting to feel a rhythm to the day…maybe we’ll survive after all

March - 3 Months Old

  • Very curious

  • Lots of coos and smiles when you talk to him

  • Grabs everything!! Everything.

  • First night in the nursery (in his bassinet next to the crib)

  • Finally down to bed in his bassinet and not doing the fussy time in the carrier (whew, our evenings might be back!)

  • Turning into his side trying to roll from his back to his tummy

  • Score! He slept 8.5 hours straight

  • Loves the Mirror

  • Laughs

April - 4 Months Old

  • Breaking out the exesaucer for some jumping & activity time

  • Distracted eating…mommy grumbles

  • Teething (we think) & everything goes in his mouth

  • Sleep Troubles…dreaded 4 month sleep regression

  • His first night in the crib in his room - room transition complete!

  • What do you know, he sat in a high chair (sorta)

  • Found his feet!

  • Laughing loud - cracking witch laugh (too cute, though)

  • Shimmy from one corner to the other on his play mat

  • Commence Rolling: He rolled over back to belly

May - 5 Months Old

  • Oh my, sleeping on his belly (He rolled over while sleeping)!

  • Grabbing for everything…including during diaper changes

  • Down to 4 naps with 1.75-2 hrs wake time

  • Sleep seems to be getting a bit better, gosh that regression was killer (2x wake up)

  • Pushing his butt up trying to wiggle & crawl

  • Wiggling enough to make movement around; he’s getting places!

  • Consecutive roll overs…wheeee

  • Start sleep training (yup, gotta do it)

  • Kicks his legs and flaps his arms when happy and excited

  • Starting to shriek

  • First Food was sweet potato then carrots and banana…he was unsure about it all

June - 6 Months Old

  • Sleep issues again. He stopped sleeping through the night and back to waking up once a night

  • Sooo close to crawling - getting up on all fours!

  • Wants our food and will grab for it…watch up!

  • More foods to try and oatmeal baby food

  • First time on a swing…loved it, yippee!

  • Babbling, Ba Ba Ba Ba Babbling

  • First trip on an airplane and down to California

  • First time experiencing the beach & ocean

July - 7 Months Old

  • Army crawling everywhere - room to room, pokes his head in and smiles (so proud)

  • First time in child care - it was at the church’s nursery and went great

  • Speed army crawling and going everywhere

  • Down to two naps a day

  • Sleep Training Part 2 - by night 3 he was sleeping through the night again

  • Now he’s sitting up for long periods independently

  • A favorite activity: the swing at the park

  • He enjoys making a clicking sound with his tongue

  • Standing up while holding onto the table independently

  • Goodbye pacifier

August - 8 Months Old

  • Said “hi” and “ma ma” (or at least I think he did)

  • Pulling himself up

  • Standing for a longer time holding onto things

  • Sleeping through the night

  • Enjoys sausage, yogurt, sweet potato, bambas

  • Diaper changes are the worst - he won’t stop moving and wiggles…help!

  • Wants to be doing everything, being everywhere, and moving

  • Starts steps with the walker toy (with assistance)

  • Brings things to you…let’s play

September - 9 Months Old

  • Dancing (head and shoulder bop) when music plays or singing

  • Flaps arms in excitement with toy in hand, pretty funny (especially the little dog toy with string arms)

  • Da da da da & Dada (we think)

  • Able to do one or two stair steps

  • Cruising along tables and furniture

  • His mom is his jungle gym - she can be the support for standing, walking, pulling, etc

  • Loves opening and closing things - again and again

  • Pushing cars/balls/toys/anything around the house

  • Loves wheels and inspecting them, testing them, seeing what they do

  • Standing - all he wants to do is stand. No sitting! And loves to stand at the little activity table.

  • Still Mr. Wiggles and won’t stop moving

  • Sometimes he’ll sleep through the night, sometimes he won’t (argh)

Now I need to get working on the last few months. I hope you enjoyed the photos!

The Busy Life: Toddlers, Blogs, and More

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Hello Stranger, 

And that's totally on me. I  feel so guilty that my personal blog has been so neglected. I have these dreams of getting lots of fun posts up for you, but then life happens and whomp whomp. I'm sure you're curious as to what's keeping me so busy. Well, for starters, everything, but here's a few.

Caleb

This kid has me like whoa. He is so active. I am that mom chasing her son everywhere - the grocery store, the zoo, the park, the library...anywhere you can run which is everywhere if you ask Caleb. I'm working on getting him to listen to me, bahahaha. He's too cute, though. The cuteness makes up for all of it. Not to mention, I get a good work out. I feel like he's been on and off sick with croup or a cough since February, but I think we're starting to get over it. Gawh, winter and the sick season with toddlers is terrible. I'm so glad for spring and summer on the way. I'll write more about Caleb soon. Can you believe he's two and a quarter already? 

New Blog

I've started a new blog adventure. It's called Raising Tacoma. Basically it's about raising Caleb up in Tacoma. I am trying to write about places we go and things we do in the area, but also more genetic toddler things so if you don't live in Tacoma you still can get something out of it. Maybe someday it'll make money, bahahaha again. But for now I am just looking to create a little space on the web for mom friends to get ideas and connect. So come on...read it, share it, love it!

O'Neill Grandparents in San Diego

The last weekend in February, Caleb and I flew down to San Diego to visit my parents, aka Grandma Jan and Grandpa John. Caleb was a champ on the flights there and back - best yet! We enjoyed the sunshine, the beach, bubbles at Balboa Park, the Railroad museum, shopping at UTC, visiting Grandpa John's work and just chilling.

Easter

Easter was pretty low key here. Sadly, Josh caught the stomach bug Easter morning, so Caleb and I went to church together. Then we let dad rest as we walked the park and enjoyed the sun that showed up in the afternoon. He also refused to wear his adorable Easter outing. Apparently collared and buttoned shirts are not a thing right now. 

We also did an Easter egg hunt at the park down the street. We were joined by our friend, Sebastian. Luckily Caleb didn't realized there was candy inside the eggs until after the hunt was over. Then he was thrilled to discover chocolate inside. I think he would have picked up like two eggs had he known what lie inside. Caleb also discovered temporary tattoos and bouncy houses. Woo Hoo!

There was also some Easter egg coloring fun, too! Read about how we did it on my Raising Tacoma blog!

Brown Grandparents in Tacoma

About two weekends ago Mimi Nada and Papa Don visited us here in Tacoma. Unfotunately there was a ton of rain, but we still managed to have a great time. We went down to Olympia for breakfast and the Farmer's Market, we did some Southcenter Mall shopping, and strolling in Sumner (with crepes at Craft 19, of course). Josh and I can thank the grandparents for a date night, too! 

It's so cute because with both grandparents, Caleb got super attached. We so glad to have such loving family and the opportunities to see them. 

The Everyday

Don't discount the everyday, it's busy. I have laundry to fold, dinner to make, a house to clan, a dog to walk, a toddler to chase...all of which keep me away from the blog world. I hope you understand! I'll try to keep up with updates, but for now I hope this fills you in on all the happenings. 

XOXO, me.

Time for Yoga: Stretch it Out

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So yea, I’m totally sore and tight. I had no idea how taxing having a baby could be on your body (eh hem, beyond the actually giving birth part that is). I knew my arms would probably get a bit sore from carrying a baby - yea, that’s a story. I think it was one of the first time I held a baby, and it was for a gal at church at one of our community groups. I think she was glad to get her hands free because I held that baby a long time, but I was so nervous and was holding so tightly that my arms were sore for days afterwards. Haha!  

But back to what I was just saying…oh yea, I was complaining about being sore. But seriously, guys, my shoulders, back, legs, neck are all sore – actually, I should really say what’s not sore!

I’ve been doing yoga on and off for a few years now, so I’m still a beginner. But I’ve picked up some moves from my yoga classes. I really enjoyed my prenatal/postnatal yoga class. I haven’t really done much yoga since Caleb has gotten more active and doesn’t sleep like a newborn anymore. However, I did just sign up for a mom and baby yoga class here in Tacoma. I’m curious to see how Caleb does in a yoga class with me. I fear that he might be too needy and I won’t get any benefit from it. But if anything, though, it’ll be quality time to spend together and maybe I’ll meet some new mom friends in the process.

I wanted to share some of the poses and stretches that I wrote down from the yoga class. Please remember that I’m still a beginner so my form may not be perfect and I might not be calling the pose as an instructor would. Also, I am not a professional nor a doctor, so please be sure you’ve got the green light from the doctor before doing any yoga or exercise.

When doing these, I suggest keeping the pose for at least 30 seconds or longer. Take a break between with baby pose or laying flat on your back.

  • Baby Pose – Arms out in front, legs in a wide V
  • Table Top – Keep your back flat, pull your tummy up & in
  • Cat Cow – Arch your back up and then down
  • Arm/Leg Extension – Extend arm and lift your opposite leg
  • Arm Up/Leg Out – Extend leg out perpendicular, lift arm up
  • Arm Under – From above pose, bring your arm down and under
  • Baby pose for a break
  • Pelvic Lifts – Lie on your back, and lift your pelvis up & tuck your arms under
  • Clam – Lie on your side, lift knee but keep your heels connected. Bring your knee up & down
  • Lie Flat for a break
  • Tree – Stand straight, bring your foot to your thigh or calf, try to balance
  • Pigeon – Bring your leg up towards your chest, and lie down
  • Forward Bend – Legs spread out, bend forward
  • Warrior 2 – One leg forward and bent, the other leg straight out, your body facing outward, arm out
  • Triangle – From Warrior 2, lean down with arm opposite of bent leg and put your other arm up
  • Squat – Squat down with arms pushing out at knees
  • Eagle Arms – Cross one arm over the other, palms face each other (like a twist)
  • Downward Dog – Butt up, slight bend in knees, push down on heels
  • Baby pose or lie flat to relax

Take it easy and be nice to yourself! Don’t stress and if you can only fit a few minutes in, that’s still awesome. Comment and share if you have any great stretches/poses, or if you’ve found other ways to work out those sore muscles!!

Another Blog, Oh My!

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Over the past six (almost seven now!) months, I have come to realize that mama-hood is one big research project. I shouldn't call myself a Stay-at-Home-Mom (SAHM) rather Mama Researcher. Babies are constantly changing, and you have to keep up with those changes. How do you know what to do? You look it up or ask around...research it! 

I started my research job before Caleb arrived since there are many questions to look into during pregnancy, too. One place I went to for information was the Hellobee site, which is a pregnancy, baby, and parenting blog. Recently, they were looking for contributing bloggers, so I applied. I was surprised to find the next day an email congratulating me as one of their newest blogger. 

Needless to say, my writing for my personal blog has slowed a bit. I am writing about two posts a week for Hellobee. I have a pen name that I write under, but I'm not sure if I can share that here on my blog. I bet if you know me well enough, you can figure it out. So go over to Hellobee and check it out. 

And I promise to keep up my own blog, too! Bear with me, though, as life is pretty crazy right now. Some big news on the way. Stay tuned!

New Mama: What to Wear?!

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When I go through some sort of big change in my life, for instance, having a baby. I tend to get some anxiety. Usually, the anxiety comes out in a crazy, small detail of my life. Then, I obsess about that detail and try to get it under control. I guess my mind thinks if I can get this detail under control, then I can get everything else under control and all will be normal again.

One detail my crazy mind decided to focus on once was clothing. With the changes in your life after giving birth, followed by breastfeeding, I just didn't know what to wear. Moms, are you with me? I was so wrapped up in maternity clothes that I didn't even think about wardrobe changes after the baby. I guess I figured I would go back wearing all my same clothes. 

While I'm lucky I fit back in all my pre-baby clothes - thanks to yoga, eating right, and feeding a baby - they all don't necessarily "work" anymore. Many of them are work style clothes and don't accommodate the million feedings you have to do each day...not to mention, not completely comfy. 

Now that I'm five in a half months in, I can share with some confidence some clothes that work great for breastfeeding mamas. 

Nursing Tank Tops

I bought and tried on a zillion (ok, like four) different nursing tank tops before I found the ones I liked best. My favorite is the Bravado! Designs Essential Nursing Bra Tank. It works perfect under sweaters or button-ups or can even be worn on it's own for a hot day. I have it in black and blush. 

The other one I have is the Undercover Mama Nursing Tank. What's nice about this one is you can use your own, real bra and then this just attaches to it. The only downside is you can't really wear it on it's own because the straps are your bra. However, it works great under clothes. I have it in off-white and use it a lot.  

Maternity Bands

Did you have one of these during your pregnancy? I'm talking about those bands that make it so you can wear your regular jeans unzipped, so you can hold off buying maternity jeans. I had the Ingrid & Isabel Bella Band. Well guess what...I found that they work well for after pregnancy, too. How it works: Let's say you're wearing a normal bra and t-shirt. If you go to nurse, you'll likely pull your t-shirt up for baby access. However, then you have your bare skin showing. The belly band will cover that right up! So don't give it away or store it...use it!

Button Shirts

This one is probably pretty obvious, but you can button down/up your shirt easily. I wear a tank top underneath so you can even just wear it like a jacket in warmer weather. My favorites are flannel and plaid type shirts like this Thread & Supply plaid top or this Allison Joy Verna Double plaid top. I've noticed a trend lately with sleeveless or short-sleeve plaid, too. Wouldn't this top be nice in the summer?

Wrap Shirts

One of my PEPS friends clued me in on these types of tops. I have the long sleeved version of this top from The Limited in two colors. I wear the Undercover Mama tank under this one since sometimes the wrap is loose. I think this top is also pretty cute and would be great for a working mom. 

Loose Fitting Shirts

Who doesn't like a nice, loose fitting shirt? I am a petite gal, and I thought loose shirts might overwhelm me. Not so, if you find the right one! I love looser tops; they are so comfy. They can be t-shirts or blouses. I'm pretty sure this top would look great on almost anyone! My mother-in-law (she's cool & not to mention a former model) and I both have this top! I also love wearing this sweater shirt - although it might be too warm now that it's summer.

Wrap Cardigan

I got the tip about these from my church mom's group and they were totally right. These wrap cardigans are perfect. They button to the side and are so cute and stylish. You can wear them with jeans and booties and BOOM you're ready for going out. I specifically have the Bobeau brand Fleece Cardigan and I love it so much I bought two colors - gray and blue. Also, these are usually available at Nordstrom (and on sale often). They come in different material as well. Click here to check out some lightweight ones on sale right now. 

Mom Shirts

I'm not talking about mom shirts like we think of mom jeans. I mean shirts that make you feel good to be a mom. I love my #MomLife shirt and my Mama Bear shirts. They're fun and cute - embrace your mom-hood! 

Bras

Did you know you're going to want to sleep in a bra? I didn't know this prior to being pregnant. Oh the things you just had NO IDEA about before getting pregnant. My favorite for nighttime is this Cake bra. Then, my favorite for daytime is the Bravado Designs Seamless Nursing Bra. It's comfortable, smooth, and stretchy. 

Bottoms

I talk more about tops because bottoms are pretty straight-forward. You can wear jeans, capris, shorts, and skirts and match with a top. I would warn against dresses, though. It can be tricky to do any sort of nursing in a dress, unless you fully undress and "ain't nobody got time for that."

So, what are you wearing? Do tell!