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.

Six Weeks (And One Day)

Wyatt is coming right along these days. He's sleeping a little more through the night. He's becoming a little more readable. We're discovering patterns of what works and what would probably be barking up the wrong tree. He's still very much a newborn, but just as we're getting used to having him around, Wyatt seems to be getting used to his environment and having us as a family.

I'm reluctant to make comparisons through time (especially when it's over a decade), but I think this feels different because I'm not as nervous about whether or not we can pull this off.

It's a little early yet to proclaim Smile-A-Thon 2020, but we're definitely getting more of these gems:

I have to be honest, seeing a little personality is really gratifying. I'm not sure if this theme has shined through on the blog, but this is hard work. It's so fun to see the smiles shining through.

Night Walking

Parents do a lot of tricks to try and get their babies to sleep for the night. Rocking, singing, and even car rides for those feeling desperate. Our go-to method when times are tough is the baby carrier.

Something about being snuggled close to dad's chest while being walked around the house is very soothing for Wyatt. The layout of our house gives Ed a short loop to walk around.. and around.. and around. While I'm sure its monotonous at times, seeing those baby eyelids get heavy makes every step worth it.

Public Service Announcement

This is a public service announcement to all parents of a newborn. Please remember to keep any milk you have in your home stored in a location a newborn would not be able to access.

You may think you can trust your newborn. You could be under the impression that your newborn isn't one of "those" newborns who would even think about getting into the milk. You might even think your newborn lacks every single physical and mental skill required to sneak into the milk supply. 

But a failure to remain diligent on this matter means you may turn the corner one day to find this scene...

and realize just how wrong you were.

Comfort In The Familiar

Wyatt's eyesight is improving each day. He can peg the source of a voice from halfway across the room now. He can also track when something he's looking at moves. One visual quirk we're enjoying is that he loves contrasts. Any time where a light and dark border forms, he will happily stare at it for quite a while.

Wyatt's all-time (5 weeks and counting) favorite contrasting thing to look at would have to be blinds. In both of his feeding locations, there are a set of blinds right behind Carrie with more contrasting lines than he could look at if he had all day.  He loves looking at those blinds. It came as a pleasant surprise then, when we went to the doctor's office and as he was getting poked and prodded he was happily staring off at the blinds next to his bed.

It was a sweet moment joking that Wyatt's best friends right now are blinds.

The Cute Little Comparisons

We love to endearingly compare Wyatt to a few fun animals. One of the terms we lovingly call him is a wiggle worm. The cutest wiggle-worming he does is in his quest to find milk when sleeping next to his mom. It's like an inch worm on its side to watch. It's slow, but determined and you can't help but cheer the little guy along on his way.

Somewhat more tragic wiggle-worming occurs on his quest to find milk when sleeping next to his dad. I guess the messed up part is that we (read: Ed) lets him do it.

Owen loves to call Wyatt a little velociraptor for the occasional screeching cries that he emits. He also bears a faint resemblance to a velociraptor.

Finally, the latest comparison was to a sucker fish. We just introduced Wyatt to a pacifier and had a good laugh when we noticed that we could see into the pacifier and see him sucking. 

Baby Linked To Time Anomaly

In a wholly unexpected event, Carrie and I have discovered an anomaly in the space-time continuum. This anomaly's location appears to be isolated to our own house and the surrounding area.

We don't have extensive data to back up our observations, but what we know is that days have become both significantly longer and shorter - simultaneously.

To support the claim that days are longer, I present the unanimous agreement between Carrie and myself that every day over the last month has gained, at a  minimum, 30% more hours. Reports have been up to 50%. This is both staggering and exhausting.

Paradoxically, to support the claim that days are shorter, the indisputable evidence is thus:





In "no time" Wyatt has gone from being 1 day old to being 1 month old. I repeat: in "no time".

We're not sure the ramifications of these findings, but we'll keep reporting as the situation develops.

Baby Dirty Jokes

Now that Wyatt has hit the ripe old age of 3 weeks, I thought I'd dabble in some risqué humor.

Hey Wyatt, what kind of bees make milk?

Hmm; I don't know, Dad. What kind of bees make milk?

Boo-bees

Scandalous!

The kid's gonna be all right.

We've All Been There

You know when you're just sittin' around waiting for the rave to start?



Yup.