We are thankful for our family

This past month was all about spending time with family. From our trip to Miami, to Brent's birthday, and then finally, Thanksgiving in Weimar, we definitely didn't neglect the family. :)

Wyatt's first Halloween was very low key. We decided not to dress him up (I know, how boring are we??) but we'll make up for it next year, I promise! We just stayed home and watched college football that night (surprised?). At least he dressed festive. :) But one noteworthy development...Wyatt giggled for the first time on Halloween morning. We were in his room and I was changing his diaper and getting him dressed for the day and there it was...full blown giggle. There was no mistake. Brent and I just looked at each other...kinda like...did you hear that?? It made our day. We can't get enough of it now.



For Brent's birthday, Brent's family came over and the birthday boy grilled some steaks for all of us. Yes, we put him to work. Ha Ha. But the grandparents enjoyed little Wyatt and we enjoyed steaks, wine, and brownies. It was a good time. Thank you guys for coming over and making it extra special!!



November was also about Wyatt trying new things and just continuing to discover his hands and toes. He has really changed in the past 4 weeks. It's amazing the difference we see every single day. We started to let him practice the sitting position by sitting him in a bebePod. He likes it for about 5 minutes and then he screams bloody murder (like 'get me out of here!!'). Lol. We also bought him an ExerSaucer so he's been getting used to that. He gets bored of it after about 10 minutes since he can't reach everything yet...but at least he seems to like it sometimes. He also officially rolled over from his tummy to his back. He hates to be on his tummy so it has been a struggle to get him to practice this maneuver but he finally did it. He still doesn't like it very much but I make him do it. Yes, I am evil mom. :) NOT! Brent also got him to start sitting in his swing thingy. Our friends gave us one so we thought we'd give it a try. He wasn't sure about it at first but everyday, he gets more and more used to it. I think he kinda likes it....as long as he gets to munch on his fingers.



Wyatt and I flew to Miami for a few days earlier in the month to spend time with Abuela and Abuelo and also meet Titi Naty and his cousin, Luly. Luis had already met him when he was born so they just got reacquainted. My grandmother was also visiting from Puerto Rico so we got to see her as well. What a treat!!! She fell in love with Wyatt (of course!). After all, he was her newest great-grandchild. Overall, it was a really nice trip and they all enjoyed him very much (it's not about me anymore...at least I keep telling myself that!). :) He slept the entire flight back. Thankfully we had the entire row to ourselves so I didn't have to hold him the whole time.



Thanksgiving is always a great holiday. We were fortunate to spend it with Brent's family in Weimar. His grandparents and aunt were also there so we got plenty of family time in. Again, they all enjoyed Wyatt....even during his fussy times. :) Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. My favorite was the sweet potatoes...yummmm!!! We were all so full afterwards (it isn't Thanksgiving if you can't stuff yourself, right??). Anyway, during our time there, we tried to take some family shots (just the 3 of us) but I don't think we succeeded. We'll try again soon so we can have something for a Christmas card!!!



Looking forward to many more opportunities to spend time with our wonderful family!!! Christmas is next! Yay!

Surviving the '4th Trimester'

Since the last post, Wyatt has turned 2 and 3 months old. We have officially survived the first 3 months of Wyatt's life, also known as the '4th Trimester'. These past 5 weeks we have survived his 2 month shots, feeding/sleeping schedule changes, more road trips, babysitting, first flights, first family vacation, and yes, even the first LSU loss this season.

Wyatt has been discovering many things. His hands, knees, feet, and his reflection in the mirror, for starters. It has been so exciting to watch the progression...first finding and staring at his hands, then finding and touching his left knee, then his right knee, and finally making it to his feet and toes. He has also discovered the animals on his bedding and on the wall border...he reaches out for them and touches them or looks at them and just smiles. It's like a whole new world in his crib. :) He is now enjoying our smiles, voices, and goofy faces :). And he is more aware of the dogs and their barks. I take him outside everyday and always introduce him to each one saying their name out loud...Shelby, Molly, and Edie (in that order since that is the order in which they appear). Shelby seems to show the most interest...the other 2 could probably care less. I mean, they probably feel very neglected so I can understand.



Road trips...we've been back to Weimar and Baton Rouge. The grandparents babysat Wyatt in Weimar for a few hours while Brent and I made our way over to Round Top for the antiques fair. I think it was more for them than for us. :) But they really enjoyed it and we found a couple of items for the house. When we got back, they were all napping on the bed. They survived, and we survived the time away from our little one. We left Weimar and headed to Austin to visit Brent's band and also for them to finally meet Wyatt. The trip to Baton Rouge was meant to be Wyatt's first tailgating experience at LSU (for the UF game). Sadly, it was raining that day (on and off) and we just didn't want to take him out there with my nephews and risk them getting sick. So we just stayed home to watch the game and we'll have to hold off on tailgating until next year. That same weekend Brent was off to Austin for the Oyster Adventure Race. It was also raining there but despite that, Brent had fun during the race. We survived our first weekend apart since Wyatt was born.



The most recent trip we took was to Colorado to visit the cabin we purchased earlier this year. It was our first official family vacation. Brent drove up with the dogs and I 'got to' fly with Wyatt. The flight over was great...he slept from the minute we left the house until we landed in Albuquerque (where Brent was going to pick us up). The way back was a different story...he cried from the minute we arrived to the airport until right about when we were going to take off (so at least he slept through the flight!). Thankfully, we survived both flights. So yes, Brent picked us up at the Albuquerque airport and then we drove the final 4 hours to Pagosa Springs together. We had a wonderful week in Colorado with Wyatt and the dogs. We didn't really have anything at the cabin (furniture and simple things like cookware, etc) so we took a trip to the Walmart in Durango and just bought the necessities for the week. We enjoyed the weather, the views, the surrounding areas, and of course, the cabin itself. The dogs totally enjoyed it also...I am glad they were all there with us. We explored a small (I mean REALLY small) part of the San Juan National Forest which is conveniently close to the cabin. There are so many opportunities there for future visits. I can't wait! We also took Wyatt to a pumpkin patch and to Wolf Creek (so Wyatt can experience snow for the first time). Don't think he liked the snow too much but it was his first time so I am sure that will change with time. :) The end of the week came too quickly and it was time for us to head back to reality. So yes, we survived our first family vacation.



In the beginning of October, Brent and I had the opportunity to spend an evening alone (well, not really alone, but without Wyatt). We went to the Kings of Leon show. A close friend graciously offered to watch Wyatt while we enjoyed ourselves. It was the first time a non-family member took care of him so I was a bit nervous and anxious but we did good...we didn't call once...and guess what, we all survived. :) I need to find some more babysitters out there so Brent and I can actually go out and have a nice peaceful dinner. Any volunteers?? LOL.

The first pumpkin patch experience in Colorado was not so great - Wyatt was cranky (as I would be if someone woke me up from my nap). So I made a second attempt and took him to one here in Houston. Yeah...well...he slept through the entire thing. I did everything but pinch him to wake him up with no success. Oh well. People seem to think he looked sweet regardless so the pictures I took will have to do. Third time's a charm?? Maybe try again tomorrow? We'll see.



In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy Wyatt's cooing and smiles and watching him develop some more. Only 2 more months left before I head back to work! It goes by sooooo fast...especially with the holidays coming up, January will be here before we know it. :(

A lot of 'Firsts'

It’s time to get caught up on our recent happenings (sorry for the delay once again!). These past few weeks have been all about getting to know Wyatt and experiencing a lot of ‘firsts’.

Wyatt had his first photo shoot right before he turned 4 weeks old and then had another one when he turned 1 month old (just a few days later!). Wow…it’s tough being the center of attention. :) He did well despite what was asked of him. The first photo shoot was for the birth announcements and it was definitely challenging and ummm….interesting. Thankfully, the photographer was a good sport and she was able to get some really great shots during the event. But the subject was not really working with us but I guess that is expected from a newborn. I mean, how do you get a baby to do what you want and not do what you don’t want?? LOL. We really did have a good few laughs during the shoot and we are more than happy with the results. Just a few pics from the shoot. There were so many good ones!



The second photo shoot was for family pictures in Weimar with the Dudleys and the Cowles (Brent's grandparents) and he did much better during that one. The shoot was outdoors and it was a little warm but he had just eaten so I think we timed it well. I guess he’s getting used to being photographed. Haha.

So yes, we took our first road trip with the little one (to Weimar to visit the grandparents and meet the great grandparents) right before he turned one month old. Packing was a challenge but I am amazed at how well we did. Weimar was a great test for the first road trip since it is only 1 hr ½ away. The truck was crammed with stuff (normally we each take a small bag when we go to Weimar!) but we managed to fit everything…including the 3 pups. It’s amazing how many things a baby needs. Geez… Anyway, unfortunately, we realized that I don’t fit very comfortably when the car seat is in the back! It took up so much space and my knees were literally a couple of inches from the dash. Yikes!! Thankfully it wasn’t a long drive but it meant that we had to be in the market for a new truck. Uh oh. So, about a week ago, we got the same truck (brand new) but a double cab and now everyone is happy. We just need to get a camper top so the pups can travel with us! Pic of Wyatt below on our way to Weimar, with the Cowles, and his favorite great Aunt Jody.



We took another road trip this past weekend to Louisiana to visit my sister and her family. Packing was a challenge once again but I think I’m getting it down! We did pretty well during this trip also. He’s still on a 3 hr feeding schedule so we had to stop to feed him during the drive but we managed to arrive to Gonzales in a decent amount of time. It was nice to get away even if just to hang out, eat, watch football, and spend some low key time with the fam. Of course, we watched alot of college football including both the LSU and UT games (both our teams won!). Geaux Tigers!! Go Longhorns!! Below, napping with daddy, with cousin Aidan, and with Titi (Aunt) Meche.



We’ve had many wonderful experiences with Wyatt these past few weeks. At his one month appointment he weighed 10 lbs 2 oz. Definitely a healthy boy...he's getting pretty heavy! He’s been smiling a lot more each day which makes all the not so great experiences sooooo worth it (he definitely has his cranky moments)! But I just LOVE the smiles!!! He has also turned from his tummy to his back side on his own (that was pretty scary!!). We decided to move him into his crib in his room and we have been trying to get him to go to sleep on his own…he reminds us that he’s still the boss from time to time but he’s been good about falling asleep at least SOME times. Haha. He has slept longer hours for just a few nights...definitely can't say he's consistently sleeping through the night. We’ve had a couple of play dates with some other babies and those have been fun (I think mommy enjoys those more than he does!). We also took him to his first Astros game (the Astros won!) and he’s experienced his first LSU and UT games as well. And now that it’s getting a little nicer outside (and more bearable), we’ve started taking him out for walks (I think he likes it!).



So, definitely a month packed full of experiences and activities. We continue to enjoy every moment with our little Wyatt. He’s just getting so big and changing so much too quickly. I love to just stare at him when he’s sleeping and taking in all of his little features. He is truly precious. I can’t believe he’ll already be 2 months old tomorrow!