Westley’s one year update!

I did good for a few months with the updates but life has gotten crazy and time has gotten away from me!  Westley is already almost 13 months old!

Sleeping patterns:  Wakes up around 7 or so most mornings, goes to bed around 7.  Doesn’t sleep through the night, still co-sleeping.  He usually takes a solid 2 hour nap in the morning around 9:30-10 o’clock and a shorter nap in the afternoon.  If we’re out doing something he can usually stay awake until the afternoon and take one long nap but when we’re home he definitely lets me know when he’s tired.

Eating Habits:  We’re still breastfeeding and I’m still pumping at work although I’m only getting 4-6 oz now while he generally drinks 8 oz (He gets the difference from my frozen stash) when I’m gone.  We’re working on getting him on a 3 meal 2 snack schedule so that he can transition more to that and less milk.  He will try just about anything we offer.  His favorites are tomatoes, zucchini, string cheese, blueberries, strawberries, avocado, Mac n cheese.  Trying to get him to drink more water out of the sippy cup.

Accomplishments/likes/dislikes:  He learned a ton of stuff in just the last month.  He’ll stand for about 10-15 seconds by himself, claps, waves, points, plays peek a boo, shakes his head no, and finally said mama!

Westley weighs around 24 lbs still and is 27 inches long.  He hasn’t really gained weight the last few months but he did grow length wise.  He’s mainly in 12-18 month clothing and size 5 diapers.  He has 3 teeth now with a 4th one that looks like it’s breaking through.  He had his 5th ear infection so we finally got a referral to an ENT, his appointment is this week.  He’s definitely not as quiet as he used to be, he found his voice and knows what he wants.  He isn’t afraid to fight sister for toys either.  He’s very much a mama’s boy especially at night!  I was in the hospital overnight a couple of weeks ago, it was our first night apart and Howie said he just screamed and cried for 2 hours until he finally went to sleep:(

Here's some of my favorite pictures from the last month.

Sam's Pre-K School Plan/Mini Life Update

I wanted to write a little post sharing what our plan is for this fall!  Most of you probably know Howie got into the Radiology Tech program that starts in August.  We were so excited to find out he was 1 of 17 to be accepted.  He started his prerequisites 2 years ago with hopes of getting into this limited access program.  The Lord has opened doors from the very beginning and we're looking forward to what He'll do in our lives over the next couple of years especially.  

Howie will be driving to St. Augustine (45 minutes-1 hour away depending on traffic) 5 days a week for the first half of the fall semester.  The 2nd half he will be doing clinicals 2 days a week and classes 3 days a week. I will start working more, ideally 4 days a week since he won't be able to work.  This will require more juggling with our schedules so we won't need childcare hopefully.  

I am also starting Pre-K with Sam.  We've signed up for Classical Conversations which meets once a week for about 3 hours.  Sam has been really excited about "going" to school.  We'll also be doing some school at home, although I'm probably going to have to lower my expectations a bit with all the adjusting that will need to happen.  A few of my goals for her Pre-K year are to read at least 20 minutes per day, make it to the library once a week, letter recognition/sounds, number recognition, and lots of playing.  I had originally wanted to go ahead and teach her to read this year but I don't really want that pressure on either of us right now.  I'm ok with waiting until she's in Kindergarten for that. 

Westley is such an easy going little guy that I'm hoping he's able to just roll with punches and will adjust well to me working more.  I'm incredibly thankful that I've been able to be home with him as much as I have.  

They are our world.  

Contemplating a post on books/materials/supplies I've chosen for Sam's Pre-K, let me know what you think!

Westley's 8 month update

Sleeping Patterns:  He's sleeping quite a bit better at night, maybe waking up twice, sometimes I feed him in my sleep lol.  Wakes up super early some mornings and won't go back to sleep.  Just transitioned to a 2 nap schedule, a 1-2 hour nap in the  morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon.  Bedtime is usually around 7.  We've put him in the crib a couple of times but really we sleep better with him in our room right now.  

Eating Habits:  Nursing 5-6 times a day, when he's tired he wants to nurse as well, sometimes he just has a little snack before going to sleep.  He doesn't really nurse to sleep anymore, only if he's super tired.  We've had a little more success with solids.  It seems he likes actual solids not the purees.  A lot of times he will just play with whatever food we give him but occasionally he will go to town on it.  He seemed to really like zucchini, broccoli,  and strawberries.  We've also tried eggs, banana/egg pancakes, shredded cheese, banana, green beans, and cauliflower.

Accomplishments/likes/dislikes:  He's trying so hard to crawl, my guess is within the next 2 weeks he will be on the move.  He pushes up on his knees, rocks, and can move one knee forward before he gives up or falls down.  He will cry if you take away a toy he wants.  He plays independently really well.  Loves to watch Sam.  He really enjoys music, if the tv is on and a song randomly comes on he immediately looks and starts smiling.  He doesn't like getting dressed.  Enjoys chilling in the pool once he gets used to the water temp.  A couple of weeks ago he started saying "dada".  

Places we went:  All the usuals again this month, the zoo, lots of early morning trips to the park, swimming at nana and papa's, chick-fil-a (at least once a week), and the library.

Westley now weighs around 23 pounds.  At his WIC appointment they said he's in the 97th percentile in weight and 35th percentile in height  He's in size 5 diapers and 9-12 month clothes.  He had another ear infection, so hard to get medicine into that kid!  He got a lot of one on one time with us while Sam was in Missouri for 12 days.  He now has 2 teeth!  

Some favorite pics from his 8th month!

Sleeping through IKEA 

Wrestling with his cousin.

Trying out the crib.

He likes his new walker.

Finally eating some food, zucchini.

He likes playing at the park.

Two teeth!

He loves playing daddy's guitar.

Westley's 7 month update

These months just go by faster and faster.

Sleeping Patterns:  Not sleeping through the night, still co-sleeping.  I keep telling myself it won't be like this forever.  The last week he's been waking up between 6 and 6:30 which means he needs 3 naps.  For the most part he goes down easily for naps and takes decent ones.  

Eating Habits:  Still breastfeeding, no interest in solids.  I've been trying for 2 months now, taking breaks now and then to give him time to be ready but he turns his head and closes his mouth as soon as he sees the spoon.  We've had slight success with the Munchkin Baby Food Feeder, I'll put a link at the end for it.  He mainly just chews on it but once in awhile food gets in his mouth and its easier to clean than the mesh feeder.  He still has such a strong gag reflex so as soon as that's gone we should have better luck.  He's nursing 5-6 times per day and then throughout the night whenever he wakes up.  He likes playing with my hand while he's nursing and Howie says Westley rubs his arm while taking a bottle.  Still not great with a bottle.

Accomplishments:  Just started pushing himself backwards.  He's trying so hard to push up on his knees but hasn't quite figured it out.  He gives slobbery kisses.  Sits up unassisted for long periods of time.  Loves splashing in the bathtub.  Went in the pool for the first time and seemed to enjoy it.  He's starting reaching for Howie and I to pick him up.  Sits in the front of the cart when we go to the store.  Got his 6 month pictures taken, he did really good even though it was naptime.  He loves his wubbanub (link below) and is able to grab it and put it in his mouth on his own which is nice.

Places we went:  All the normal places; library, Chick-Fil-A, park, mall, zoo, and church.

Westley now weighs around 22 pounds!  He's in size 4 diapers and 6-12 month clothes.  Any clothes I buy are size 12 month so he can wear them for awhile.  He doesn't have any teeth and I honestly can't tell if he's teething.  Sam didn't get her first teeth until she was 17 months old so I'm not sure if he's going to be the same.  He's still our happy, easy baby!

Here's some of my favorite pictures from his 7th month!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases with no extra cost to you.

Wyze Cam

I haven't done a product review on here before, but we've come across something that I wanted to share. Its called a Wyze Cam and it is amazing! Here's the description from Amazon:

• 1080p full HD live stream direct to your smartphone. Works with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks (does not support 5GHz Wi-Fi)


• Motion Tagging technology detects and outlines motion in both live stream and playback video modes. Power Cable Length-6 feet


• Night vision up to 30 feet away - even in total darkness


• Motion and sound detection with free rolling 14-day cloud storage. Use the Wyze App (iOS and Android) to manage and share multiple cameras


• Magnetic base and included adhesive metal plate let you mount your Wyze Cam anywhere - no screws required

The video and night vision are unbelievably clear! It can be used as a security camera, baby monitor or just to spy on your family while you're at work😉.  Just in case you skimmed through the specs (like I would) you set the camera up where every you want it (its a wide angle lens) and can view/listen/speak from the app.  

You can record to your phone, but if you want continuous or event recording you just need a MicroSD card. Wyze recommends 32GB MicroSD card to record a continuous feed for days and will rewrite over old video when the card fills up. 

The following are some screenshots from the camera that sells itself!

This is the view from our refrigerator. 

This is the night vision in our laundry room, completely dark. We were using it to try and catch a mouse.

These are a couple of screenshots from the app. The first is the notification screen and the second shows all the options while you are watching.

A couple of things to note, it does need to be plugged in so wherever you decide to put it you need somewhat close access to an outlet.  Also to record you need a sim card inserted into the camera.

And I saved the best for last, the price....its a mere $25 on Amazon and its a Prime product.  I'm putting a link down below if you're interested. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases with no extra cost to you. And this is not a sponsored post just wanted to share a product we love!

Westley's 6 month update!

Has  it really already been half a year?!

Sleeping Patterns:  Not really sure if this kid has a pattern or if he's every going to sleep through the night.  He's been sick for about the last 10 days with a lot of congestion which makes sleeping rougher.  The last 3 nights though he's actually slept really well until about 4:30 in the morning when he wants to be awake for awhile.  His naps are pretty much the same and he will still nap on the go if we're out.  We recently got a king size bed so we all have a lot more space at night which helps a lot.

Eating:  Still breastfeeding, since he's been sick I've been giving him about a 1/2 oz of milk with this antibiotic in a bottle and he is terrible with a bottle!  It takes him forever to drink that small amount unlike when he nurses and gets a full feeding in less than 10 minutes.  I was doing oatmeal off and on this month and also had him try sweet potatoes.  Now that he's 6 months I really need to be getting more consistent with the solids and try to find a sippy cup that he'll take.

Accomplishments:  He finally rolled from back to belly all by himself!  He can sit unassisted for a good amount of time although I still try to put the boppy pillow behind him in case he loses balance after a while.  He found his feet.  He sits in the laundry basket in the bathtub with big sister.  He jumps and turns the seat around in his new jumperoo toy.  He likes to swing at the park.  Sam is really good at getting him to laugh.  He loves watching daddy play the guitar. 

Places we went:  We went to the strawberry festival, the clay county fair, the emergency room, Chick-Fil-A (always lol), the mall, and an Easter egg hunt.  He's getting much easier to take places its just a matter of working it around his naps.

Westley is already 21 pounds!  I'm still squeezing him into size 3 diapers because I bought a box and I'm determined to use it.  Most clothes I buy for him are 12 months so that he can wear them for a while.   I've probably said this in every update but he is still such a happy, content baby.  Even with being sick he was still smiling.  

One of our weekly trips to Chick-Fil-A.

Swinging at the park.

New toy!

Easter egg hunt at church.

Sitting up like a big boy.

Lunch time

Such big smiles

Bath time

Special delivery, he actually enjoyed being in the box lol

Sleeping in the ER, he didn't have pneumonia thankfully!