Shots from Savanna's camera

I downloaded Savanna's camera for her today and found quite a few cute shots of Wes on there! She had a few adorable ones that were a little blurry or a touch out of focus... she joined camera club this fall and had fun with that and got a nice camera for Christmas. It's too bad that some of her picture were not quite right... but these sure were cute. And, I can't believe how big Wes is getting already! I almost don't remember him this small, what fun I had going thru her file looking at him from her point of view:

(man I look wooped! Was I really THAT tired?!)

Daddy Daughter Dance

Savanna and Bill were off to the Daddy Daughter Dance Saturday night. She "danced his legs off!" We found a very pretty blue and green dress that had enough pizazz for her, it wasn't the black/white or violet "theme" that she thought she wanted, but after quite a few stores, it was "flowy" and the right texture (not stiff) and looked like something not every other girl would be wearing... plus she got a pair of high heels to go with it!

Billy and I were planning to go see a movie as we missed the Mother Son bowling event, so we left a bit before the dance. I missed getting a picture of Bill and Savanna together and they didn't think to ask somebody to snap a shot of them. I'll see the professional portraits when they come, but I am sad to miss a cute informal picture. Oh well. Bill wore his suit coat and a new green polo w got to match Savanna's outfit, I thought he looked quite handsome- it was a pretty combo! Bill only has one more Dance to attend; after next year Savanna will be too old... what fun memories he and the girls must have of these events

Westley- week 10

Another Saturday has come and gone... marking 10 weeks with Wes! Milestones this week?! He hit the 12lb mark went to another movie (awake this time) and discovered that he can reach for toys! What a big boy~

We had some fussy days last week with a bout of constipation. After 3 long, sad days and a consult with his Dr. we opted to increase the water in his milk by about a 1/2oz per scoop of formula. So now he gets 2.5 ozs for each scoop of formula powder and we are back to good again! I was so sad to have him so fussy and obviously unhappy (straining and crying... poor guy was red in the face half the time and clearly uncomfortable) We have things straightened out, which I'm glad about... back to lots of messy diapers again! The next step would have been to take him in for an evaluation and formula change; right now he is on the Similac organic and is happy to eat, so I didn't want to mess with it.

The Daddy Daughter Dance was this weekend. Bill and Savanna were off on Saturday night, so having missed the Mother Son event while I was laid up, Billy and I had planned to see a movie while they were doing the dance. We went to How to Train your Dragon (with Olivia and her friend too) Wes was awake for the whole movie and did really well- he only fussed right towards the end. I walked him up the aisle, and he was fast asleep... he slept the last 5 mins of the movie, I was so impressed with him! What a good baby!

Wes has been very "talky" he is cooing and really beginning to babble. He is sometimes making more then one sound at a time and is quite happy to sit facing you and have a "conversation." He tells us stories, and loves when he gets your full attention and lots of questions! He smiles quite a bit now, we have yet to catch a good one on film, but he is full of expression. He is going to have Bill's super expressive face I think! He has started to reach and try to grab toys. Well, one toy to be exact! We hung a toy with rings in his pack and play and a few days ago he hit is accidentally a few times and noticed that he could make it move. That turned into an exercise in intent. He certainly put it together that he could swing his arm and the toys would move. He is so clever- pretty quickly he was hitting it, and a few times he has even been able to grab and hang on. It won't be too long until everything in his reach will be fair game! Guess we better start to think about baby proofing the place...

9 weeks

Saturday Mr. Wes was 9 weeks old. I don't know how long I'll mark his age in weeks, I guess soon it will be time just to count the months! Sigh, my boy is growing up! He had his 2 month Drs. appointment and his vaccinations on Wednesday. I made Bill come, as I knew I was going to be upset and didn't want to hold him when he got his shots. He was pretty sad, mostly for the oral dose he had to get, he screamed the most for that. He was already upset by the time the needles came out, so I didn't notice too much reaction! He did bleed a bit, and had little tiny band aids on his thighs... he ran a slight temp and was fussy that night, then Thursday he slept ALL day! He was seriously only awake about an hour in the morning and then an hour around noon. He had a slight fever that next day, but I didn't give him tylenol after Wednesday night. He was 22 1/4 inches long (25th percentile) and 11lbs 14ozs in weight (50th) His head circumference is 15 5/8ths inches (50th)

One evening this week he found his thumb, he sucked it like crazy... to the point that I had a hard time nursing him since he wouldn't get his hand away from his face. The next day however, he had forgotten I guess, since he is back to sucking fingers or his whole hand. We had two really gorgeous days and he was able to spend some time outside. He really enjoys being outdoors and like the other kiddos I think he is going to be an animal/nature lover! He quiets right down and just looks all around when you carry him outside. I have taken to bringing him into the shower with me some days- he loves the water! I can let the shower splash right on his face and he just closes his eyes... I hope that means he is going to be a swimmer! All the other kids like the water too, so I'm taking that as a good sign.

He is starting to really coo and smile- he likes to have "conversations" and will "chit chat" when he is in a good mood. He isn't stringing sounds together, but we get multiple babbles in a minute or two. He also smiles and "flirts" a lot- he loves the attention and follows your face intently! It is so cool how you can really start to interact with him now. He is growing and changing so quickly! I am really looking forward to Grandma and Grandpa Houston arriving back from Florida, I can't wait for them to meet him.

Pine Wood Derby '10

Once again we have a winner! Well, not THE winner, but A winner! Billy placed 3rd in our town's Pine Wood derby allowing him to advance to regionals. He was very happy to have another chance to "win one of those trophies." It was a pretty close race, Billy and another kid actually tied for 2nd place- they had to race each other for 2nd and 3rd place. There was a coin toss and Billy won the choice of lanes; he picked the second lane and they faced off. The fire engine themed car won by a nose and we got the 3rd place slot.

He sat right at the end of the track and watched each run, he did really well and won most of his heats. Our pack has grown, and there was more competition this year, so it made for lots of interesting races. The winning car was pirate themed and very cool! It was built by a new Tiger and his Dad (like us last year.) I was glad they won, the little guy was so happy... it reminded me of Billy at last years race!

So, in a few weeks we will head out early in the morning to spend the day on the bleachers once again watching a zillion little wooden cars whiz down the tracks... and hoping to place at that level. Mostly, however, I hope Billy gets the cheap free-bee frisbee he wanted so badly last year!

District Chorus Concert

Last week was MSAD 60's Chorus Concert, and since Savanna is a member of the 4th/5th grade chorus here in town we were lucky enough to attend! It was by far the biggest show these kids have been in to date. Our town's chorus is quite small compared to the others, and getting to sing at the high school, up on the risers looking out at a huge tiered auditorium must have been neat.

As usual Savanna "wowed" us with her singing. She really loves music, and gets right into the songs. Since it was a rather large group, there were only a few numbers in the show- each town had a song they did themselves, plus 2 that all the kids sang. They did really well for only having one big group practice!

We really hope Savanna continues to sing- her love of music is so evident when you watch her perform. We are thrilled she has an outlet for her "voice;" she sure does love to be heard!

3-16-10 = 2 months

Today Wes is 2 months old. Here he is with his Baby's first bear; I think doing monthly pictures is a good idea, I can't wait to see them all together after a year!

Cousins

Savanna needed some picture for a school project, so we were going thru some files... She came across this shot and wanted to know who the baby was... it's Jayson of course! I see a little of Wes in there, surprisingly!
The shot of him and Olivia ticked me, as I had just taken another shot of them last week. They posed for this picture while playing at Billy's birthday- my how they both have grown... what fun they have, and how lucky they are to have such great cousins in each other!

I'm so glad my sister and I live close enough to allow our kids to get together often. My gang have no other cousins around here... none east of Utah actually! Jay and Kaleb are rough and tumble boys for sure, but Olivia is often right there with them; these two had me cracking up in their nerf gear!

Billy- turns 8

Friday- March 12th was Billy's birthday! It blows my mind that he is 8! It seems like just yesterday that he was the one in diapers! He is growing so fast, he is really starting to become a little man... we are so proud of him! He is doing great at school. He is in the excel math program and right on track with his peers socially-

He didn't want a big party with all the kids from his class, so we opted for our usually "family party" on Friday night. He chose hot dogs for his birthday dinner. He actually wanted "hot dogs and pancakes" but I convinced him that might not be the most appetizing combination- we held off for the pancakes until Saturday morning.

Kaleb spent the night, they stayed up really late and slept in a cool fort built out of blankets in Billy's room. He got some cool games and nerf guns that made for a great time! The boys had a blast, and Saturday we took all the kids (and met Em and Kurt and Jayson) to play laser tag. Billy and Bill had gone with cub scouts and had a great time- so we thought it might be a fun birthday adventure!

The kids all played arcade games and then Kurt and Bill and the other 5 played 2 games of laser tag. When I asked Billy what his favorite birthday gift was- he said "getting to play laser tag!" I guess it was a good birthday! I hope 8 is great for Billy, he is such a good kid; we are so proud of him!

Westley- Week 8

Saturday marked 8 weeks with Wes. We had a busy week, time sure is flying! He goes for his 2 month Drs. appointment (vaccinations!) this week- yipes!

He has been very good lately- he is typically fussy only at night- 6-9pm or so seems to be prime fuss time. He slept "thru the night" March 8-9th. He went from about 11pm until 6:30am. I'm sure it won't be a frequent event, but I'm happy for the sign of whats to come! He typically is up once (usually 4am or so) and will nurse and go right back down... the length of sleep cycles is certainly stretching. I really can't complain though, he has been so easy so far. Mostly during the day he is happy and a pretty easy going guy. He naps in the car, well anytime you snap him into his car seat really... which makes errands and such a cinch. He is getting better with nursing, and we are about 1/2 and 1/2 now for breast/formula. He certainly eats more volume from the bottle, but we are able to breastfeed about every other feeding.

He weighed in at a whopping 11lbs 9ozs on Saturday. I have been doing his weekly weigh ins, so I can monitor his growth on my own. I am confident the Dr. will be happy with his gain- he is right on track with about an oz a day right now. This past week he gained exactly 7ozs... I'm waiting for his newborn cloth diapers to stop fitting, but so far I've been really happy with them. We had a rash issue from the scrub they used at his circumcision, but that it totally healed now. He is in cloth all day and typically I use one or two disposables per day... it's pretty tempting at night, when I know they hold so much longer!

I'm still without my computer, so blogging is hard- today I managed to sneak in some time on Bill's computer and downloaded my camera; I'm tired of waiting! I guess I need a new video card, got to find some room in the budget for that... hopefully it won't be too long until I get it fixed! Wes changes so quickly; keeping up to date is pretty important at this point...

My new truck

Ok. Ok. OUR new truck! I am so spoiled... last week during the horrible rain storm Bill and I bought a new truck! Our old Silverado was starting to have issues, nothing too major, but a few things here and there creeping up. It was going to cost 5 or 6,000 to get her fixed back up to be safe and comfortable to haul with...
So rather than sink cash into the 2000 model, we upgraded to a 2009! I love her- she is a nice grey a shade or two darker than the last one (I think it goes nicely with the trailer, even though I wanted white) with the full crew cab. We did well with the extended cab, but with the kids getting older, and Olivia so tall- the knee room was important! Plus now they can do their own doors. Bill wanted to stick with an 8 foot bed, but we ended up with the 6, and already we have noticed a difference in the turning radius... nice since the 4 horse is already so long.

We negotiated for the tow package and a plow and mount. I will be super happy hauling the horses and Bill will be thrilled next season to be inside the cab rather than riding the tractor for snow clean up. Going from no payment, back to another car payment is sort of tough, but I think it is well worth it! I already took Beau out and it pulled nicely- what a great rig I've got. I'm so lucky!

7 weeks, still no computer

Saturday marks another week with Wes. Seven weeks- can you believe it has almost been 2 months. Marking babies age in weeks vs. months sort of confuses me. Wes was born on a Saturday, so I count the weeks by Saturdays, but in months I count by the date he was born- the 16th... can you see smoke yet?! Why do they make this so complicated- I felt the same about weeks vs. months in pregnancy... sigh.

Wes was 11lbs 2ozs this weekend, he is gaining well! He is quite chubby, and we have moved all his newborn clothes out of his dresser. He has a whole new complete wardrobe to work thru now! Savanna and I have fun picking out cute outfits for him to wear! He is tracking with his eyes and is very interested in looking around. He does not want to just be held- he wants to walk around and look at things all the time! He likes his stroller and we enjoy walking now that we have some sunny 40+ afternoons. He sleeps fairly well- usually 10:30 or 11pm to 4am or sometimes 5. He will typically nurse and go back down after an hour or so and sleep until 7 or 8. I'm pretty happy with it, it works well for me.

He will stare at your face and try to imitate your lip movements. He seems to know that he does something with his mouth, and then noise should come out... he is successful occasionally and has made a few vowel sounds here and there. He by no means babbles, but you can tell he is trying to communicate via sounds. I can't wait until he is more successful- but for now we have fun "chatting." His favorite spot in on the drier- he has a nice pad on top and when the machine is running the thump and heat seem to sooth him. It's really the one thing you can be pretty sure will work to calm him down when he is fussing!

My computer is still down, Bill needs some parts to hopefully fix it. I've been sharing and took the opportunity to post a picture from my phone- he is all bundled up for a walk 'round the neighborhood!

Storm Update

We lost power on Thursday evening as a real Nor'Easter passed thru the area. We are a bit off the coast and were not hit as hard as they were (90 mile per hours winds!) but we did have flooding and some trees down as the storm brought a driving wind and rain. We spent 48 hours with no power and have a slight bit of clean up to do. One of the only major losses appears to be my computer... it seems to be fried. I have hope that Bill can resurrect it long enough to get my pictures off- because of course I don't have them backed up anywhere...

We managed ok with the power out, as the generator can run a few things at a time. Water for the horses and the deep freeze being most important. By rotating what the generator was running we were able to keep items in the fridge from spoiling, made coffee in the morning and the kids got an hour or so of x-box a day! Auntie and Uncle spend the nights in a hotel and each girl took a turn sleeping with them. Us, we hunkered down with candles and the wood stove and played "Little House on the Prairie."

Billy and I went out to dinner Friday evening. The kids were home from school so Savanna went to work with Bill, Olivia was with Auntie so the two of us (and Wes) went to our favorite Chinese place. I used their hot water to wash baby bottles and we enjoyed a nice meal together. Saturday evening we took Wes to his first movie. He slept right thru Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Lightening thief was pretty good, and since we have a dinner theater it helped to ease the "pain" of the outage. Dinner and a movie was great, and we came home to lights! Yipee

Even though it wasn't as bad as it could have been, we did succumb to some consumer therapy. Bill and I finally took the plunge and made a major purchase... I hope I can get pictures up soon- I am so excited... wind and rain, no electricity...? Time to go shopping!