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Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
the little dudes
One day big cousin Noah will teach Wyatt the ways of the world. But for now he's content to just poke him in the face and giggle.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
On Aunties & Cousins
This morning I dropped off Auntie/Sis Lynn & Nephew/Cousin Noah at the airport after 6 day/5 night visit, and, it was yet another difficult drive back to the office for me. Rather than tearing up at the airport like I did when dropping off Amy's parents, it hit me as I got back onto I-70 to head into the office.
Despite the short visit, the time we all spent together was absolutely wonderful. Usually when we visit NC, it's often tough to get to chat with Lynn alone, simply because she is in such demand with everyone else in the house (including the squirrels in the trees!). These past few days was such a great opportunity for me to get to know her, and, spend some time with Noah. Being a recent mother herself, Lynn has a different perspective than mine & Amy's mom on certain things, because, well, they just do it differently now! Wyatt was struggling big time on Sunday with his reflux, and, we were feeling really sad for him...even Noah! However, Lynn chimed in with some motherly/sisterly/sister-in-law-erly advice and just brought us back down to earth. That little bit of dialogue really helped cement our confidence as parents, and, get us through the next 24hrs until we could make it into see the doc. Eventually, all worked out, and, since then, things have been improving.She was further helpful by cleaning, taking care of food for us, and, just being super supportive to us both & individually.So, to our Aunt Lynn & Cousin Noah...I say here here!!! *clink*
We look forward to visiting the east this coming fall and spending more time with the Carolina contingent of the Wellerthal clan! First up though, one more visit from Summerfield Nana in August. Whooppeee!
Despite the short visit, the time we all spent together was absolutely wonderful. Usually when we visit NC, it's often tough to get to chat with Lynn alone, simply because she is in such demand with everyone else in the house (including the squirrels in the trees!). These past few days was such a great opportunity for me to get to know her, and, spend some time with Noah. Being a recent mother herself, Lynn has a different perspective than mine & Amy's mom on certain things, because, well, they just do it differently now! Wyatt was struggling big time on Sunday with his reflux, and, we were feeling really sad for him...even Noah! However, Lynn chimed in with some motherly/sisterly/sister-in-law-erly advice and just brought us back down to earth. That little bit of dialogue really helped cement our confidence as parents, and, get us through the next 24hrs until we could make it into see the doc. Eventually, all worked out, and, since then, things have been improving.She was further helpful by cleaning, taking care of food for us, and, just being super supportive to us both & individually.So, to our Aunt Lynn & Cousin Noah...I say here here!!! *clink*
We look forward to visiting the east this coming fall and spending more time with the Carolina contingent of the Wellerthal clan! First up though, one more visit from Summerfield Nana in August. Whooppeee!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Catalog of Faces
So they tell me that Wyatt is too young to truly smile or do much social interaction. But when he's in a light sleep (yes, he's asleep in this video!), he seems to run through a catalog of the faces that he'll make when he is ready to interact...
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Finally getting a word in...
It's no lie that there is no such thing as "scheduled times" once you have a child. I've been trying to type a new blog entry for over a week now, but, I'd been stuck on only two words in the saved draft since last Friday!
As I type this, Amy & Wyatt are still asleep downstairs. Things have semi-leveled out for us, and, as every day progresses, we learn new things about him, as well as ourselves. Recently, he'd been having some serious breakdowns in which he just cries and cries. Part of becoming a parent is the newly acquired patience you learn when dealing with a small human being that has absolutely no idea what is happening to them, nor can they tell you what they're feeling. Amy was home with him one day while I was at work, and, experienced such a break down. Rather than bouncing him, dancing around the house, or shoving a boob in his face, she simply just held him & soothed him, all the while whispering softly that she loved him and that he as such a special little boy.
In a matter of 3-4 minutes, he completely stopped crying and actually fell asleep. She did this a few times during the day, and, invariably, the same results were achieved. Of course, we googled and researched, and, it turns out that sometimes babies do just need to cry it out. It's called a "reboot" period. Essentially, the baby has reached their capacity of taking in stuff with their immature nervous systems, and, simply are like "OK...I'm done with this information...whatever it is, but, I have nowhere to put it because my brain is full! Woah! WAHH!!! etc".
My biggest challenge I face is the ability to just remain calm, and, combine my feelings of sympathy & patience. If I lean too far in one direction (i.e. too much sympathy), I get anxious that I'm unable to meet his needs, and, that I'm just not "doing it right" as a father. If I go too far in the other direction, I also feel like I'm not sympathetic enough to his little circuits being fried, and, want to pass him off to Amy to try to eat. Often times, I sit and watch Amy console him during these times of uneasiness, and, her delicate touch is so enviable. I'm definitely getting better at it because when I held him last night during a meltdown, I'd sometimes feel the scales tipping in either direction. I'd continue to tell myself that it's OK to be balanced, and, that if I add more to one side of the scale, I need to reciprocate and add more to the other. More sympathy = more patience.
Obviously I'd never remove anything from either side, but, being able to pile it on all the while remaining calm and confident that my son can soothe himself with the small little push I am giving him is enough to make me feel like I am doing it right. The worst I could do is love him more.
As I type this, Amy & Wyatt are still asleep downstairs. Things have semi-leveled out for us, and, as every day progresses, we learn new things about him, as well as ourselves. Recently, he'd been having some serious breakdowns in which he just cries and cries. Part of becoming a parent is the newly acquired patience you learn when dealing with a small human being that has absolutely no idea what is happening to them, nor can they tell you what they're feeling. Amy was home with him one day while I was at work, and, experienced such a break down. Rather than bouncing him, dancing around the house, or shoving a boob in his face, she simply just held him & soothed him, all the while whispering softly that she loved him and that he as such a special little boy.
In a matter of 3-4 minutes, he completely stopped crying and actually fell asleep. She did this a few times during the day, and, invariably, the same results were achieved. Of course, we googled and researched, and, it turns out that sometimes babies do just need to cry it out. It's called a "reboot" period. Essentially, the baby has reached their capacity of taking in stuff with their immature nervous systems, and, simply are like "OK...I'm done with this information...whatever it is, but, I have nowhere to put it because my brain is full! Woah! WAHH!!! etc".
My biggest challenge I face is the ability to just remain calm, and, combine my feelings of sympathy & patience. If I lean too far in one direction (i.e. too much sympathy), I get anxious that I'm unable to meet his needs, and, that I'm just not "doing it right" as a father. If I go too far in the other direction, I also feel like I'm not sympathetic enough to his little circuits being fried, and, want to pass him off to Amy to try to eat. Often times, I sit and watch Amy console him during these times of uneasiness, and, her delicate touch is so enviable. I'm definitely getting better at it because when I held him last night during a meltdown, I'd sometimes feel the scales tipping in either direction. I'd continue to tell myself that it's OK to be balanced, and, that if I add more to one side of the scale, I need to reciprocate and add more to the other. More sympathy = more patience.
Obviously I'd never remove anything from either side, but, being able to pile it on all the while remaining calm and confident that my son can soothe himself with the small little push I am giving him is enough to make me feel like I am doing it right. The worst I could do is love him more.
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