Who Needs A Pacifier?

Out of the blue, about a week ago, Wyatt started lookin' around for his thumb. Mind you, he's not exactly coordinated, so searching for his thumb usually entails some combination of fist/fingers in his mouth.

Example:


This is just kind of wild because he's not really that nuts about his pacifier. Usually, if he's fussy it's because he could go for some milk (right now!). This makes it tough to dissuade because when you pull that little fist out and replace it with a pacifier, he just spits it out and gives you a "well, what in the hell did you do that for?" look.

Given that awkwardness, I guess we'll let it roll for a bit; see if he actually gets that thumb in there. I'm sure we can just tape mittens to his hands if things start getting out of control.

Fun fact: 90% of the time, he's sneaking in his left hand. Carrie and I are wondering if we have a southpaw on our hands.

And Then There Was Life

Ten weeks ago Wilhelme life got flipped-turned upside down.



Wyatt got here and life as we knew it stopped. It was wonderful (and insane), but it wasn't real life. It was a temporary adjustment period.

Two weeks ago life got a little more back to normal with Ed's return to work. That was indeed different, but Mom was still going strong in this alternate reality.

Dealing with Mom stuff:

  

And going on adventures with Wyatt:



Yesterday, however, the alternate reality we enjoyed for 10 weeks came to an official end. We are both back at work now and life is the general shape and size of what it will look like for the next couple of years.

We are extremely fortunate to have some amazing support from a couple of amazing people.

Robyn is going to be here with Wyatt two days a week:



Then Debby is going to be here the other two days a week:

Those of you proficient in math may notice that we only have 4 days of coverage for this little guy. That's where this permanent situation really shines. For the next year or two Carrie is going to drop back to 4 day work weeks and have every Friday off. 

So even though our new normal has officially taken effect, it's a pretty sweet normal.  We get to see our moms all the time and our moms get to be an integral part of Wyatt's early childhood. That's a helluva new normal even without the three day weekend every weekend kicker.

Hey Brother

I'm not sure it's possible this early in the developmental stage, but it sure does seem like Wyatt is smitten with his older brother.

Out of all of our faces, it's Owen's that Wyatt seems to like staring at the most. 

If you ask Owen, this makes sense because Owen is just "so dang good looking." It could be that, or it could be that Wyatt is realizing that this is the guy that will always have his back. 

Two Month Chunker

Our little wiggle worm turned two months old this week.

He's a healthy boy weighing in at 14 lbs and measuring 24 inches long. The nurse at the doctor's office kept referring to him as "chunker" thanks to his amazing rolls and cheeks.

All in all, he's an easy going little guy. He technically sleeps through the night, but he is making his own schedule. For him night is from 12:00 AM-7:00 AM with a milk snack around 4:00. We're hoping to push that bedtime a bit earlier but have a hard time complaining about a seven hour stretch of sleep.

Smiles are starting to become more common as is cooing.  He loves to chat it up while maintaining solid eye contact. Now that we're slowly leaving the "baby is just a blob" stage and entering the "baby is developing a personality" stage, Team Wilhelme is starting to feel solidified as a four-person team in that we couldn't imagine Wyatt not being part of it.

Centering Friends

Being pregnant comes with numerous doctor appointments. With Owen, those appointments started to get old as they increased in frequency. So this time around, we joined a Centering Group. Our Centering Group consisted of other parents-to-be due around when we were.

We would meet monthly as a group - then weekly in the third trimester - with a midwife and nurse for two hours on Tuesdays. The meeting consisted of a quick check-in with the midwife then as a group we would discuss a topic of pregnancy or parenthood and have the opportunity to bring up concerns or questions.

While at times it was a little tiring to essentially have a two hour doctor appointment versus a 15-minute appointment, I am so happy we joined and stuck with it. Through the process, we met some wonderful people. Our group had a whole mix of personalities, but they all blended well and the vibe was always positive/humorous/supportive.

Considering we started out as 20 strangers, the process did exactly what it was designed to do: create bonds with people who are going through the same thing you are. The most wonderful part is that I have kept in contact with the majority of the moms since giving birth. We have a text chain we started after the class ended that is about a mile long now and anyone can chime in at any time day or night with anything on their mind and will find a supportive voice immediately. It's pretty impressive.

We recently had a playdate where we brought (almost) all of the babies together. Seen above, left to right and in birth order, is Woody, Benji, Wyatt, Harrison, and Auri. Ed and I had an amazing group of friends in Arizona to have playdates with and rehash the joy and struggle of parenting. I'm so appreciative that we found a group here in Tacoma too.

Ikea Has It All

There are few establishments that a new parent can confidently visit knowing that if their child starts crying, nobody will care. Ikea is one of those places. Visit an Ikea during the day, and you will be surrounded by adults with small children. There's a good chance that none of them actually needed a Billy bookcase, but instead just needed to get out of the house.

Bleary eyed from a 4:00AM wake-up, we decided it wasn't a bad idea to get out of the house ourselves. Ed wanted to get some auto-on LED pucks for Wyatt's closet and I wanted some mirrors to place low in the nursery so Wyatt can look at himself (evidently babies like to see baby faces, even if it's their own in the mirror). We headed to Ikea. As with every Ikea trip, we bought a surprising amount of items but more importantly, we had a stress free adult outing.

The best part was when Wyatt started an inevitable meltdown and demanded milk, we had plenty of places to sit and feed him.  It went so well, it felt like it was by design. I think Ikea knows its weekday customer base: half in the sack zombies who, come to think of it, do need a Glådøm.

*Not pictured: Our brand new Glådøm.

Sad Belly

Since he's been born, Wyatt has been struggling with a gassy belly. We talked to the doctor about it, and the problem is within normal range. Poor little guy just has to tough it out while his body adjusts to the world. It can make breastfeeding a bit of a challenge since once his belly starts a gurglin' and his bum starts a tootin', latching becomes difficult.

We've gotten good at helping him work through the discomfort. Making sure to regularly burp, tummy rubs and bicycle crunches (picture above), and drops for gas are all in our arsenal. Parent patience is also needed with a screaming baby, but we try to keep in perspective that he has a sad belly, and we're here to help him work through it.