Wright Takes on Florida

This year marked our first family beach trip. A simple endeavor, if you will.

Check and check. Matt and I love to make a gas station stop for road trip candy. Common purchases: nerds, air heads, sour straws and sunflower seeds. Wright slept.

We left after work, so we stopped halfway to spend the night. Matt grew up doing this, and it worked well with a 6 month old. This stop included his first trip to Cracker Barrel. It was a hit. Our 6 month old little old man loved to people watch at the Barrel.

"Biscuits? You can put them right here."

Sleeping in the same room with Wright was interesting, but not as bad as I thought. It made for a very early bed time, which was fine with this Golden Girl.

We arrived at the beach, and night one we headed to Dewey Destin's so we could sit on the pier and dine al fresco. Wright has really taken to solids and had a great time eating outside.

 The next day was his beach debut. He did pretty well! Have you ever seen a cuter baby? (No.)

Sweet little preppy baby.

It was record breaking heat during our visit, so he spent a lot of time at the pool at the house. Sidenote: A pool at the house is genius with a baby this age.

He didn't like it. Not one bit.

While Wright had some solo time with the grandparents, Matt and I got a little time with our toes in the sand. Florida never disappoints - the water is island-esque and the sand is like sugar.

The sweetest turtle in the gulf. He loved kicking his feet in the pool, and going on float rides. He was WORN out by the end of the day.

We took a break from the water long enough to go on a 'back to school' shopping trip.

"Whatcha think about these shoes?"

"Great. I'll take them."

There's a whole world out there, buddy. We have so much fun going on new adventures with you!

The grands forgot nothing when it came to beach gear for Wright. Baby Adirondack chair? Check.

It's not a trip to Destin without a trip to the Donut Hole before you skip town. Little man had applesauce. And pancakes. And eggs. And fruit. And biscuits.

Which made for a restful car ride. He was kind enough to join us when we returned to the grocery to prepare for the week - and his first week of school.

Bring it on!

We were so blessed to have a wonderful first vacation with Wright. He has so many people that love him and take such joy in taking care of him and being a big part of his life and all his fun (and sometimes not fun) firsts. This was a highlight of his first year, and sweet family memories. Can't wait until 2015!

Wright 6 Months

How has another month passed? Better yet, how has half a YEAR passed? Moving on...

Weight:  Tough subject. At your 4 month appointment your ped wasn't too concerned with your low weight since you were proportional. We upped your bottles and hoped that would help. At your (traumatic) six month appointment, you had only gained 13 oz, and we were told you HAD to gain weight, and fast. We were given 2 weeks before another weight check, and we would need to start formula and look at doing some blood and urine analysis if you failed to gain. She suggested pumping all your feedings. I knew that would be near impossible, so we went to Plan B, after much, much thought and discussion. Basically we upped you to 20 oz. of bottles while I'm at work, additional feedings at night, plus high calorie solids (bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, etc. adding in olive oil to solids where appropriate) three times per day. Twelve days later you had gained 1 pound, 4 ounces and had grown an inch. The doctor was thrilled with your progress, so we are continuing on with this plan. You'll go back for another weight check around 7 months. 


Height: 24 inches. Everyone comments on your long legs.


Medical Issues: Just trying to pack the pounds on. Your 6 month appointment scared us and left me with a solid case of mom guilt. You never veered off your developmental track, and you are the happiest baby, but falling off your growth chart had me on edge.


Sleep: Still a great sleeper. You started with a lovey this month. I slept with it for a few nights and then handed it over (barely- that little blanket is great!). You love having something to hold onto and stroke your face with. 


Clothes/Diapers (Sizes). Moving up to size 2 diapers. Yay for weight gain! 3-6 month clothes. You have some 0-3 that still fit, but we are working on that.


Diet: Breastmilk and solids. You have liked everything you tried. I hope this means you won't be a picky eater. We wanted to do baby lead weaning, but with your weight issues, we know you need to eat more than play right now, so we do a combination of baby led and spoon feeding. I like you having time to work on your skills feeding yourself, as well as make sure you are getting the calories in. I'm learning parenting is all about flexibility and figuring out what works best for you, and the mix is working well for now.


Favorite Gear: Exersaucer, Baby Bjorn, Bumbo for snacks. 


Milestones/Firsts: You went to the beach! That's a whole post in itself. You loved the water - mostly the pool. You also got to visit Bryant Denny and put your feet on the field. What a treat! You threw up on the visitors side, but that's neither here nor there.


Likes: Namath, water, other babies. You get so excited to see someone your size.


Dislikes: The few minutes between the end of bath and bedtime. Getting in your car seat. 


Things I Don't Want to Forget: How much you are loved. You started daycare and went to the beach this month. Your grandparents take such joy in everything you do and light up being around you. Waking you up in the morning is the BEST part of your Dad and my day. We think you are just the greatest thing ever! I pray your sweet personality will be a blessing to others through your whole life. We love you more than words, Wright!

Wright 5 Months

Well, I'm officially the worst blogger. But for the sake of keeping up with sweet Wright's monthly stats, I'm trying to jump back on the train. 

When I tagged this post, I noticed the "Baby S" tag. How have we gone from Baby S to a five (almost six) month little boy?! We are loving watching your little personality blossom. You are the happiest baby on the block! 

Weight:  We are working on your weight gain. Oh, to have your problems buddy. We've moved to 6 oz bottles, 5 times a day, which means the pump is my best friend (I've upped to hospital grade) and I'm drowning myself in water. Maybe at your 6 month appointment you'll bust into the 5th percentile. Here's hoping! 

Height: Not sure, but I can tell your legs and torso have gotten longer, string bean. 

Medical Issues: Not a one. You are healthy and happy, happy. 

Sleep: You've been waking up around 3 fussing for your paci. We are trying to let you self soothe but it is hard. Other than that, you go down around 7:45 and we usually have to wake you up at 7 for breakfast.

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes). Still in size 1 diapers - thankful since Amazon just delivered another box today! You are mostly in 3 month clothes. I'm trying not to think about the cute fall things that are 6-9 months that you might not be able to wear. I'm hoping you hit a growth spurt (but you are at such a good snuggling size!)

Diet: Straight milk. We'll introduce solids in just a couple weeks at the 6 month mark. We've decided to try the baby led weaning approach and we are looking forward to seeing you explore all kinds of foods and start family meals.

Favorite Gear: Sleep sack, your Baby Einstein exersaucer. You have gotten SO good at sitting in your exersaucer and going to town playing and laughing. We love to play with you, but we think it's important you learn independent play, too.  It's so fun to watch you explore and play!

Milestones/Firsts: You had your first Fourth of July. You were more interested in the people around than the fireworks. I think you'll be as social as your Dad. You are rolling constantly, pushing up very well and getting good at grasping things (including hair and jewelry). I look for you to start sitting up in the next month. 

Likes: Strolls, exersaucer and NAMATH. You just love watching him, and get so excited when he gets close to you! I'm not sure he feels the same. 

Dislikes: The few minutes between the end of bath and bedtime. 

Things I Don't Want to Forget: How excited you get to see me and your Dad. Your face lights up and you follow us around the room. It makes me happy that you know who we are and like us close by. Your smile and laugh make the long days so worth it. You are the cutest, smartest and sweetest! We love you tons.

Wright 4 months

Wright,

You are the sweetest! You have the best disposition and you are learning so many new tricks. This was a fun month, but a little bittersweet as you are not so newborn anymore, but a baby who is so curious about the world around him. Love watching you explore and learn new things.

You always have a smile to give when someone talks to you, and your hair is still all there, lightening up, just in time for summer.

You still look a lot like your daddy, but I'm beginning to see a lot of me in you too! You started easily rolling from back to front this month, so there's no leaving you for just a moment.

Since you started rolling, the woombie swaddle wasn't cutting it. You would flip yourself over and your arms weren't quite free enough to let you rest your head back down, so we broke them free.

You were pretty chill about the whole process.

Weight: At your 4 month appointment you weighed 11.2 lbs. You are the 1%, buddy. Although you don't seem hungry, she wanted a little more weight gain and encouraged us to try .5-1 ounces more in your bottles, so you now take 5 oz, 5 times a day. I'm going to take you in for a weight check soon to see if it helped, or maybe you are just little...for now. I don't think its in your genes to be small for long.

 Height: 23.5 inches. You have some long legs.

 Medical Issues: Other than trying to put on a little weight, you got a great report from the doctor. The nurse said you were very advanced for your age - trying to sit up and put your paci in your mouth yourself. She might have been selling us a bill of goods, but your dad and I bought it all. We think you are a genius as well. None of your grandparents were surprised.

Sleep: We've been trying to stop playing the paci game since you are hands free these days, and let you learn to soothe yourself. I would give us a B-. Sometimes, sleep wins. Not to mention it is torturous to listen to you fuss for longer than 30 seconds:)

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes). You are working your way into the 3 month clothes. The 0-3 months are just now getting a little snug, but they still fit, Little Bit. Size 1 diapers during the day, size 2 overnight for bedtime. Works like a charm. 

Diet: Straight milk, although we are looking forward to introducing you to solids in the next 6 weeks or so. Reading up on "baby led weaning". 

Favorite Gear: Sleep sack, Sophie the giraffe and bibs, bibs, bibs. You are a drooler! Will you get teeth soon? Jury is still out.

Milestones/Firsts: You have started giving the BIGGEST smile! Your whole mouth opens and your face lights up. It's the best! I covered this earlier, but you are rolling really well and holding yourself up so well. You are fascinated with every move Namath makes, and he's really started checking you out too. You got an exersaucer from Granna and GPa and love standing up and playing with toys all by yourself. You are growing up! Tear.

Likes: Going for strolls, playing in your exersaucer, relaxing on the couch with daddy.

Dislikes: Getting your hair brushed after bath, which you used to love. I think by that time you know its almost time to eat and you are done playing. 

Things I Don't Want to Forget: Getting you up is probably the best part of my day. I love seeing you wake up and you break into a smile (until diaper change). It's worth all the rushing around to get ready and get out the door to walk in and get to see you and hold you in the mornings. You are so loved!

Wright's Baptism

Sweet baby boy was baptized this past Sunday. I underestimated how excited I would be to have a day to celebrate his life and mark him as Christ's own. It was such a special day and a reminder of how much he is already so, so loved.

True to Southern form, he was monogrammed from front to back. The bib was made by a sweet friend. Isn't it beautiful?! The bonnet was made by the ladies at Matt's parents church and is intended to be used at his baptism, and then as part of his bride's bouquet. So sweet.

My mom graciously cleaned the house for us, and handled putting together the flower arrangements.

Blue hydrangeas for a sweet little boy.

I found another use for the hospital door hanger. Lovely in the front foyer.

Matt's mom handled making some goody bags for our nieces, so they would have plenty to keep them occupied. 'Oh happy day' is right!

The table was set Saturday and ready to go.

Wright wore the gown I was baptized in. I was a little worried about it being too girly, but was assured that baptism gowns are fairly unisex, and I couldn't pass up the sentiment.

Wright wasn't too sure.

We got him dressed at the church and took a few pictures in the parlor before saving our seats.

With the addition of the bib. Hands back - this is his tired cue. Should have been my first clue we were running on fumes.

The whole family.

The three of us. This picture makes me happy!

We had to get a picture with our pastor that baptized Wright. Also full Southern, bowtie and all.

Our friend's sweet baby girl got baptized as well. These will make great rehearsal dinner photos, Wright screaming and all.

I thought he would be perfect. He's super laid back, and loves to have his hair washed. But the mix of over-stimulation and missing morning nap made for a crying baby. There's only so much one can control, I'm sloooowly learning.

Things were semi-good until the hair got wet. Don't mess with the baby and his hairdo. Not in front of all those people.

Everyone comments on his hands behind the head move. Classic WTS.

Cake that tasted as good as it looked.

Cousins. Wright tried. He really did. But after missing two naps, we were running on very little patience. Bless those sweet tired eyes.

We put out pictures from mine and Matt's baptism days. The bronzed shoes were Matt's when he was baptized, and the church bulletins from that day as well.

Nothing better on a southern summer Sunday than fried chicken, green bean salad, mac and cheese, biscuits and tea. So that's exactly what we had.

Life got better when we lost the gown and got to relax with Uncle Chris.

But not for long. We broke the rules and let him take a 3 hour nap that afternoon and I think he was still tired when he woke up.

We had such a good day celebrating Wright, surrounded by people that love him and have invested themselves in his little life so much already.

Wright, we are so thankful for you and pray we are found faithful as your parents. You are the greatest joy!