All About Wesley: 10 months old

How can our little boy be 10 months old already? I recently held a friend's newborn baby, and it was hard to remember him being that small. How quickly we forget! Wesley is full of personality these days, and is learning new things all the time! Brian says he is acting more like a person and less like a baby. Here's what he's up to:

• The first picture is fitting, because I feel like he spends a significant amount of time in his high chair these days! Wesley is eating real food (mostly table food) at all meals now, and boy can he eat! This kid ate an entire piece of pizza (plus veggies) the other day. His favorite foods are proteins - especially chicken and cheese - but he does well with his veggies, too. He also mastered drinking from a straw cup this week! Brian says that watching Wesley eat is his favorite past time. I can't say I disagree - it can be quite entertaining!

• Wesley started pulling himself up just before he hit 9 months, and decided the next step was climbing! He discovered the stairs and wouldn't stop trying until he had them mastered. His favorite hang-out is under the table, where he climbs over the legs and pulls himself up on the chairs. It's a pretty cool fort! Now we are working on going down the stairs, which he almost has mastered. Mom and Dad spend a lot of time watching Wesley go up and down the first 4-5 stairs.
• Our favorite games right now include: Taking things off of shelves, taking things out of baskets and buckets, and taking baskets and buckets off of shelves. We are definitely in the "taking out" stage and haven't yet reached the "putting in" stage. I think I only put things away because I know he wants to take them out again. Keeping them cleaned up is hopeless!
• While we are still a ways off from Wesley walking on his own (thank goodness!), walking is definitely another favorite thing to do right now. He has figured out how to push chairs and other objects so that he can walk with them, and if you hold his hands, he'll walk you in circles for as long as you are willing!

• As you may have seen, we recently got a new puppy, so Wesley has been watching the dogs a lot! Izzy and Raider play and fight, and Raider likes to steal Wesley's toys! Wesley isn't real sure about Raider yet. Being a puppy, Raider sometimes crawls over Wesley or nips at his fingers and toes. He loves pulling Wesley's socks right off his feet! They will grow to be good friends in time, I'm sure!

Life is crazy in the Bishop household with 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a baby, but we wouldn't have it any other way! We are enjoying getting ready for Christmas with family! We can't wait to share all of our celebrating with Wesley and have him meet some new family members! I'm thinking his presents from grandparents will be minimal.... 

Until next time - keep on adventuring, everyone!

All About Wesley: 8 months old

Where does the time go??

Obviously, I've missed a few months on updates... I have taken the pictures each month, but haven't gotten to editing or posting. I guess that's how life goes with a baby! Wesley is officially 8 months old now, and he is starting to seem so grown up in many ways. Here are some updates on Wesley as he learns more, and we learn more about him!

• Wesley has always been a mover, but he can now get pretty much anywhere he wants by rolling and turning. He can move from laying down to all-fours, and now in and out of sitting as well, which means reaching new things! He is loving it, and we are spending time baby-proofing!

• Wesley is eating lots of different foods, including soft solid foods like green beans. He just recently started actually eating a significant amount of food instead of just tasting and moving it around in his mouth.

• This little boy's giggle is the best sound I know! (Maybe I'm a little biased?) And I love that we hear it more all the time. He giggles when we give kisses on his belly or make silly sounds. Sometimes he giggles at Izzy, too!

• Wesley loves exploring things through touch. He is definitely a fine motor guy and loves to grab small things like strings, as well as feeling different textures. We have been working on picking up food like puffs and chunks of green bean.

• Everything to the mouth! Wesley has 8 teeth, with 2 more that we've been working on for some time! I feel like he's always teething, but luckily he handles it pretty well. 
• Sleep is still a little hit or miss, but in general, Mom is getting much more sleep these days! Wesley was even sleeping through the night for awhile!
• Wesley is now with a friend for childcare 1.5 days a week while Mom works, and that has been going well for all. Mom is enjoying being back to work in Fairmont, and Wesley is enjoying having new friends to play with!

It is amazing to be watching Wesley grow every day! Each month brings a new adventure in so many ways. I can't wait to see what this month holds for our family!

All About Wesley: 4 months old

Wow! Our little boy is growing so fast! Happy 4 months, Wesley!

We are truly seeing new things from Wesley every day right now - it is so much fun! Here are some fun facts about Wesley right now:

 - He has two teeth that came in a couple weeks ago: his front teeth on the bottom. He is working on lots more, so he is currently a drool machine!
- Wesley is SO close to rolling from back to tummy, but still doesn't like to use his arms when playing on his tummy. We keep working on it. It will come!
 - He is discovering new sounds all the time and is very vocal! Last week, his favorite sound was a high-pitched scream. As you can probably guess, this was our favorite...
 - Blowing bubbles is one of Wesley's other newly discovered skills. All the drool he makes these days makes blowing bubbles that much easier.
 - Wesley now plays with both hands together and can bring toys to his mouth. He loves exploring his hands, with or without a toy. He can even hold his own teething toys now sometimes!

 - While not a true baby giggle quite yet, we definitely get big smiles and simple laughs more and more often! Wesley found my animal sounds hilarious while singing Old McDonald the other day.

 - While he is definitely still not sleeping through the night, having just 1 night-time feeding is becoming more normal. Wesley has also moved from his bassinet to his crib. He wakes up happy as a clam most mornings between 5:30 and 6:30am!
 - Wesley loves to sit and stand with assistance, and sometimes doesn't want to lay down! He is so active and enjoying exploring lots of new ways to move.

We are all moved into our new house and getting settled. We are loving it here already, despite the storms this week that have taken out 3 trees! We are just thankful to have trees at all! I will post some more about the move and house soon! Happy summer, everyone! Go have an adventure!

Our new place!

The house was built in 1918, and is in amazing condition!

Well, I realized that most of our friends around Worthington know this, but we haven't made an official announcement... we're moving! We're moving to an acreage just outside of town here in Worthington. Here's our story:

We always wanted to live on an acreage eventually, but with a new baby and having just moved a couple years ago, we had no intention of actively looking for another year or two. We always said we would make the leap if the right place became available, though, and it did! We need a place that is close to town for when Brian is on call, and these don't become available every day.

Some friends of ours had bought a wonderful acreage just outside of town just over a year ago, and they found out in March that they were going to be moving. We are so sad to see them go, but we made a quick decision and let them know right away that we would love to buy their house! We had fallen in love with the place when they moved in and knew it was the right decision. Within a couple of weeks we had signed paperwork and already had a couple of potential buyers on our house. Fast forward to now.... we move in two weeks!

Here's the new place:

This is the main entry to the house. The door on the right goes into a breezeway that attaches the house to the 6-car garage with insulated workshop!

Barn. Willow tree. There are also 2 apple trees on the property!

Any guesses what this building is?
The door on the left goes to a small dirt-floor area that was a pig barn.
The door on the right? A three-seater outhouse! 

Lots of trees!

This is looking toward the house. There is also a large grassy area on the other side of the driveway.

Looking out onto our farmland: 4 acres that are typically rented out.

Izzy loves it here! All of this is now green and lush with the arrival of summer!
This is looking toward the barn (on the left) and garage (on the right)

We have kittens! We are keeping a couple to mouse for us along with their mommies,
but we may have some to give away if anyone is interested!

We are so excited for this move, though we have a lot to get ready still! Yikes! It has really come up fast. Remember, we always welcome visitors, so if you're ever up this way, we would love to show you around! We'll post more photos of the house itself after we get moved in! Here's to our next adventure!

All About Wesley: 10 weeks old

Time sure flies when you've got a little one!

Wesley is already over 2 months old, and he is growing like a weed! Our slender little baby is filling out with chubby cheeks and adorable baby thigh rolls. He weighed over 13 pounds at his 2 month checkup! We knew he was growing, but that shocked us!

 Wesley has new expressions and sounds every day, and is oh so talkative! He has figured out how to purposefully bat at the toys on his play gym, and is showing more interaction all the time. It seems not a day goes by now that someone doesn't comment on him looking at his mommy! He starts most mornings with arms and legs flailing as he explores new movement. We are loving seeing all of the new discoveries he makes.

Our still mostly-mild-mannered little boy now has some fussiness most evenings, caused partly by the fact that he is already working on some teeth! When nothing else will calm our poor Wesley, we put on Jennifer Gasoi's "The Bayou." Apparently I listened to it more than I thought when I was pregnant? It truly seems to calm him when nothing else will! Wesley continues to be a good eater, but is being a stinker about taking a bottle.

On the flip side, we are LOVING the SMILES we are seeing on a more regular basis all the time!

We have a constant reminder of the simple joys in life, and we are enjoying them with lots of walks outside and snuggles in the mornings. Our days are getting busier as Mom jumps back into parts of her pre-baby schedule, but we are doing our best to balance it all! From this happy family to yours: take some time to enjoy the simple things today!

All About Wesley: 1 Month Old

Well, our little Wesley is 1 month old already! Hard to believe!

We are doing very well, and really enjoying our time as a family! Lack of sleep is definitely catching up with me at times, but I certainly can't complain about the mostly-chill temperament of our little boy! Wesley is eating well and it shows with his growth - he was up to 9 lbs at his 3-week appointment. Now that we have reached the 1 month mark, we officially have the go-ahead from the doctor to go out a little more, though we will be adding things back into our schedule slowly. We are looking forward to introducing Wesley to our church family on Sunday, and to extended family back home over Easter weekend! So much to look forward to!

Wesley loves looking at lights, and is starting to focus more on individual objects close to him. He has always been a noisy guy, and he continues to grunt and squeak throughout the day and night. He is also starting to grasp more, like mom's shirt or hair, though he won't grasp a toy he is given yet. We see "spontaneous smiles" (not in response to anything) quite often now, and can't wait to see the first real social smile from our little man!

Here are some updated photos, and some more updates from Wesley!

I'm this many months today! Mom says I am a good eater, and that helps me grow! Just look at my chubby cheeks! 

My hair is getting lighter now, and my eyes are a steel gray-blue.

Look how tall I am! I've outgrown most of my newborn clothes and I'm moving up in the world!

My sister, Izzy, loves to cuddle with me and Mom. When I play on my play mat, she gets her rope so she can play, too!

Thanks to everyone for all of your support and well-wishes through our first month! From dropping off meals to simply sending a text or message, we truly appreciate it all!

All about Wesley: 1 week old!

It's hard to believe it's been over a week since our Wesley was born! It truly is a feeling that cannot be understood until you experience it for yourself. We are so in love with our little guy, and cannot wait to see him learn and grow over the next days, weeks, months, and years! Here is a little
bit more about Wesley, and his first week of life!

Hi, everyone! My name is Wesley, but I am called everything from Wes to Little Monkey, Bub, and Big Guy. I have lots of dark brown hair, and dark blue eyes. Mom and Dad aren't sure what color they are going to be - we'll have to wait and see! I love my fingers, and have used them to soothe from day one. I can get them out of any swaddle if I try hard enough!

I'm a good eater and I sleep 2-3 hours at a time at night (at least part of the night). I've even started to smile a little after feeding sometimes! I hate having my diaper changed, but I calm down quickly when Mom and Dad sing to me.

When I'm awake, I love to look around, and I love listening to books. We've already read a lot of good ones! My sister Izzy, who is a dog, likes to watch over me, too! Mommy is excited for me to get out and explore the world, but for now we are enjoying cozying up at home!

Final Preparations - Nursery!

Less than two weeks until our little one is due to arrive! It is SO hard to believe!

Yes, we are just about as ready as we're going to be, and yes, I am more mentally ready every day as I become less comfortable! I am still planning to work one more week, but everyone knows to be flexible. My appointments are all going well - they are commenting that he is VERY low, but he has been there for a couple weeks now, so that's not really new. He just likes to be prepared!

Speaking of prepared: The nursery is just about complete! We are hoping to get our alphabet wall up this weekend (which I know many of you are waiting to see), but here is the rest of the room!

Our little reading corner!

Above this area is where the alphabet wall will go.
Teddy is sitting in for Biscuit while we practice our diapering skills!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we wait out these last weeks and/or days! We are SO excited to meet our Biscuit and to introduce him to all of the amazing people who love him so much already!

The Final Countdown!

Well, I'm now officially less than a month from my due date, with about 3 weeks to go! Time flies! Biscuit is growing daily, and making it ever so difficult for me to find a comfortable position for sitting and sleeping. February is looking to be just as busy as January, with lots to keep us busy as we wait for our little one's arrival!

Biscuit and I got to get all dressed up for Scott and Alicia's wedding here in Worthington on Saturday!

Overall, we are doing well, feeling well, and right on track with where we should be! Biscuit is head-down and ready to go whenever the day comes. He continues to be active, and has even had the hiccups a few times! I have been getting very tired, but I suppose that's to be expected. I decided last week was probably my last time at my adult tap class, and I've pretty much stopped going to my workout class at the Y as well. I decided tapping at 36 weeks was pretty good. :-) I'm still getting in walks (when the weather allows), and doing prenatal yoga and stretching! I am planning to work until the week before my due date, as long as everything continues to go smoothly, but that is getting more difficult every week - especially my long days in Fairmont!

Lots of fun celebrating another mommy-to-be at her baby shower!
Colby and I are due around the same time!

Two weekends ago, I had wonderful help from my mom, as we spent two FULL days cleaning, organizing, and prepping for baby! We now have the necessities ready, with the pack-n-play (with bassinet) in the bedroom, diapers prepped, and final purchases made. Now we are working on putting final touches on the decorative side of things: hanging pictures, finding a rug/lamp, etc. I will post some pictures as we put it all together - I'm excited to share!

It's still hard to believe how soon we will be a family of 3 with a little one in our arms! Thank you again to everyone for all of the love and support we have felt through this journey - and it's just about to truly start!