Pants!

Today is the first day Wes got out of his one-piece outfits (some would call those pj's, but we won't admit that we've been wearing pajamas for over a month) and put on a pair of pants!  This outfit was brought to us as a gift in the hospital from our friends Chris and Katie McGraw.  The outfit fits perfectly, and Bear appreciates the view from behind :)

Happy 1 Month Birthday Wes..You're only -1.5 weeks old now!

October 4th marked Wes' one month birthday.  It is very odd to think that he still wasn't "supposed" to be born until October 11th.  I can't imagine not having him in our lives yet (or still being on bed rest)!  At his last appointment, he weighed in a 6 lbs 14 oz, which means he has gained 1 lb 9 oz since birth.  He has also grown by 1.5 inches in length.

Today's blog chronicles a typical day in the life of Wes.  We are enjoying my maternity leave immensely, and we've been blessed with absolutely beautiful weather.  When we're not at home hanging out or taking naps (well, Wes does so...mom hasn't quite gotten that down yet), we like to go for walks with our neighbor Julie and her son Ben (see prior blog entry) and take rides with Bear to look at the changing leaves.

We have also built up the courage (and the immunoglobulins) to take Wes out in public for the first time.  His first trip?  Dunkin' Donuts!  He accompanied Sean and me to our weekly Sunday morning outing to see our friends Gene, Esmerelda, and the rest of the DD crew who know us well.

One of Wes' most obvious talents is making faces.  You can see about 50 different faces if you hold him for approximately 60 seconds!

A new activity that we do is look at red and black things.  Supposedly this is stimulating for a baby...Mom is looking forward to the day when we can talk about the full spectrum of the color wheel.

The Bopi is still a favorite hang-out.  As you can see, he has grown a lot from his first Bopi experience!  We no longer have to worry about losing Wes somewhere inside the pillow.

One important activity for babies of this age is something called "tummy time."  As its name implies, you literally place your baby on his tummy (and typically watch him scream) in order to strengthen neck muscles.  Tummy time is really important in speech/language development.  We are pretty lucky because Wes doesn't seem to mind it (too much).

After all of this we're pretty tired!  Wes snuggles up for a few hours of shut-eye.

We love Wes more than we could have imagined, although not all days are quite the baby utopia you hope for.  Yesterday we had quite the day.  Wes decided that he was going to party the night before his big one month birthday.  He was up most of the night, and I wasn't too happy with my 4 hours of sleep.  Later that day, we somehow managed to soil 3 diapers within 60 seconds as well as deposit an "enthusiastic" amount of poop in Mom's hand.  That evening, Sean was bringing Wes to the tub for a bath and received a "sprinkling" of Wes love all over his pants, shirt, and face.  Wes ended the day by once again peeing on Dad before bedtime.  Good thing he's so darn cute the next morning!

Big Boy Pants

It's official...Wes has outgrown his preemie diapers!  He is now wearing Pampers "newborn" size (impressive, considering the original plan was for him to still be in the womb at this time).  At his last visit to the pediatrician's office, he weighed in a 6 lbs 4 oz...almost 1 lb more than his birth weight.  We're looking forward to the day that he actually fits into his newborn sized clothes!

It was an exciting weekend at the Mullins' crib.  Wes' Uncle Brian and Aunt Jodi (Kristy's brother and sister-in-law) came to visit from Ankeny, Iowa.  They came bearing an awesome gift they picked up during our family vacation to the Outer Banks, NC this summer...a GIGANTIC sea turtle.  We're thinking we can use it as Wes' growth chart!

After the festivities of the weekend, both Wes and Grandpa Miller were worn-out.  They took the opportunity to take a nap in the sunshine.

Finally, now that the weather has turned a bit chilly, Wes has started to wear his fall wardrobe.  He gets a lot of oohs and ahhs at the doctor's office in this outfit!

Like Father, Like Son

Not everyone has the pleasure of interacting with Sean during the first part of the morning.  In fact, I try to avoid doing so as often as I can.  Let's just say he's not a ray of sunshine...

Wes seems to share the same aversion to morning as his dad.  In a few years, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have Saturday mornings all to myself!

Wes is also taking charge of his feedings.  He appears to want to hold his own bottle and get on with the day!

Finally, he has found a new place to nest.  While getting ready this morning, I placed Wes in the Bopi pillow for what I thought would be some "waketime" with mom.  I was busy chatting with him as I shuffled about the room getting dressed and brushing my teeth.  The next thing I know, he has settled in for his morning nap...in his new nest.

Belly Buttons, Thumbs, and other Milestones

The past few days have been sprinkled with tiny Wes milestones. He really started exercising his grasping reflex (officially called the palmer reflex for our science followers) this weekend. We like to conveniently forget it's a reflex and pretend we're holding hands.

Wes' umbilical cord also fell off Saturday morning...at 4 A.M...when mom was changing him in dim light. Needless to say, it was far more startling than cute.

Finally, Wes has found his thumbs! He first discovered these favorite phalanges when we were at the pediatrician's office on Thursday. Saturday he managed to find them again after his bath.  For now, it's the cutest thing he can possibly do.  Hopefully he drops this habit before college!

First Week in Review

It has been an amazing first week! So many things have happened since Wes has come home. Here’s the rundown…

· Second outfit, but it was too small and had to be returned to the store. It sure is cute though.



· Visit from grandpa Mullins. Shhhh, don’t tell grandma Mullins!



· Catching some Zzzzzz.





· Welcomed by our neighbors. Shannon and Julie Huber have a two year old son named Noah, and also gave birth to a baby boy (Ben) one day after Wes. They were out next door neighbors in the hospital too! Those guys are going to be best buds! Our other neighbors, Jill and Ryan Burroughs, have the cutest 11 month old girl Lauren. She is always full of smiles!


 
 
 









· First walk with mom and dad.

It has been a great week full of exhilarating experiences and lacking in quality hours of sleep. There are bound to be more firsts to come, so check back for more updates! Love you all~

Day 6 - Homecoming!

It's finally here; at three o'clock today we get to take our little guy home!  His bilirubin count dropped from 14 to 11 last night and his temperature has been holding steady.  Later today I'll update with some homecoming information (and cute pictures).  I'll leave you with this...Wes got his third move of the stay this morning.  First he was in his bassinet, then to the isolette, and now he's in the old school warmer!

When we sleep, it transforms into Optimus Prime.

Update: It has been a long day!  We are finally home and getting settled back in to what will now be our normal life.  Here's a chronicling of the day...

Wake up!  It's time to get dressed.

What a cute going home outfit.

Including booties!



Wes comes from a long line of pirates.

Swaddled up and ready to roll.

The happiest occasion that you'll find yourself in a wheelchair.

I don't go home in a seat, I go home in a bed!

He likes his lamb-y swing.



You can't "cute up" a first bath photo; it is what it is!

Getting to know each other.

 

Total buds from the get go, just lounging around.

 It has been a long day.  Here's hoping for a much less eventful night!