The Shattucks

I think he’s feeling better.

Happy & wheezy at the doc

These are the drugs being pumped into my 6-month-old’s not-so-little body. What started as a phelmy cough, turned into croup, then Wes started wheezing something terrible, had to work exterior muscles to breathe and his cough was raspy and gross.

Went to the doctor. Came home with a nebulizer & started an every-4-hour treatment to battle the heavy breathing only to go BACK to the doctor today because he was eating poorly & it wasn’t getting any better and got an additional diagnosis: double ear infection!

I’m so thankful for a happy-go-lucky, laid back kid. As long as he’s rested, fed and has entertainment (and around Mom & Dad), he’s peachy keen. He can entertain himself for long stretches at a time. I really don’t know what I would do if he cried inconsolably all day long. In fact, even with these diagnoses, he’s flashed smiles at me, laughed at Steven’s games and flirted with ladies. And then he fusses, of course.

Puppy makes neb treatments tolerable

Hoping tonight he sleeps well because it seems to be key in how the next day progresses. Poor little boy.

photo by Paul D'Andrea*

Did you know seals bark? Maybe I did at one time, but I certainly couldn’t remember what it sounded like. Then I came home to my own little croupy kid and heard it. Oh, yeah. I realize croup isn’t that serious, and it’s common, but for a first-time mom, that sound is downright SCARY.

So far, Wes is handling it like a champ. He’s himself all day long, except for if he sneezes, which leads to a barking cough and then a confused cry. It scares him, too. Last night was a challenge, but I’m armed with coffee, Naked juice, donuts and a breakfast feast – all provided by a gracious husband.

However, this means I won’t be able to see the awesome display in downtown Indianapolis right now. Super Bowl XLVI has been a smash so far. I’ve heard celebrity rumors all week (Will & Jada Smith were spotted at a Zionsville Dairy Queen; George Clooney dined at Friendly’s; and Madonna asked Jim Leichlieter, President of Eli Lilly, who lives in a condo at the top of the Conrad Indianapolis, if she could stay there instead of her JW Marriott suite… he said no.) and was anxious to visit Super Bowl Village and area restaurants to do my own hunting.

Ah, well. Steven got some amazing photos and video of the Village and the NFL Experience, so I can visualize what it looks like. It’s been fun to witness the buzz and hype of our city all over the nation. Jimmy Fallon loves us now. And I saw some familiar faces in the crowd during the taping of the TODAY show. How cool are we?!

I love my city. And I’m proud that every eye is turned to us for the weekend! Now to take care of my little seal.

*Thanks, Paul, for letting use one of your amazing photos!

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

Day 3 of 50+ degrees in the middle of winter. Glorious sun. Of course I took Wes outside with a blanket and bare feet… and guess what? My little groundhog found his shadow for the FIRST TIME. No joke. I was laughing out loud at the irony. He couldn’t get enough of the strange, dark object on the ground that moved whenever HE did! So of course I had to snap a few shots to record this historic moment.

But I guess it’s possible I’ll wake up and relive today over and over again. “Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I’m happy now… because I love you.” Ok, I’m done with the Groundhog Day quotes.

Same face

Ended up working from home today, and as we all know, it’s difficult to get much accomplished with an awake baby. His 6 month photos were way overdue, so even though it’s a gray day & the only camera laying around was the old, standby Kodak, we attempted Robot Photo Shoot.

I wish the photo quality was better, but his toothy grin and dimpled cheek (yes, that’s singular) still shines through. And Pink Robot, who lives in his nursery, was a welcome addition.

Check out the full set here.

Weight: 21.9 lbs (97th percentile)

Height: 26″ (50th percentile)

Head: 43 cm (25th percentile)

I find it funny that this child has such a large body and a small head. I mean, I have to wear kids’ sunglasses because of how small my head is, but I wasn’t nearly this huge. Ped wasn’t concerned (like me) that he has no interest in rolling over. Apparently it’s one of the most common skipped milestones! He truly has little interest in the fact that his toy just out of reach and won’t roll to get it. I can imagine him thinking, “oh well. I’ll just look at my awesome hands.” The fact that he’s doing well with sitting up and continually improving his hand/eye coordination means we’ve survived another few months!

We’re starting a few baby signs this month. The sign for Daddy allows you to spread your fingers like a “5″ and tap your thumb to your forehead, like a 6-year-old’s impression of a silly face. Somehow this seems fitting…

Wes is destined to have a slightly flat head. The ped isn’t worried about it, but it’s likely he won’t have much hair to cover it for another year or so, and then he will probably lose it again later (early) in life. I noticed, after digging through my hair “cleaned” with dry shampoo for the umpteeth day, that I, too, have a slight flat spot. Poor kid – with his parents’ genes, the odds are against him!

I was talking to my mom this morning about Wes’ 6 month stats & weird quirks, and she said, “I remember thinking with you girls that I would have never traded you in for anything different. You were perfect.” Yeah, he is my perfect little imperfect boy. No one could fill his shoes that he doesn’t wear yet.

Isn’t that how God views us?

Going-on-6-months is totally fun. Lots of grabbing, mouthing, talking (guuuuhhAHHH!), laughing and just darn cuteness. All 21 pounds of him is pure love. Daddy may be the funniest person ever, but I get the hands down best open mouth kisses in the world. Did’ya notice the new teeth?

5 months

I didn’t realize how much I needed this break. We’ve mostly read, spent time with family and played on the floor with Wes. I’m pretty sure Wes needed this break, too, because he’s slept much better at night (daytime sleep is still iffy) AND he’s finally rolled over! And to top it off, he decided to take it one step further and is sitting up really well. Of course we have pillows all over the place for when his balance sways, but it’s so much more fun now that he’s able to grab his toys while sitting. We can entertain him for a pretty good amount of time this way!

Christmas was so fun. Wes was a little overwhelmed by it all, but he enjoyed watching all the paper thrown around everywhere, the lit candles and eating apples, bananas and sweet potatoes for the first time. Santa was super generous this year.

My To Do List for the week was pretty simple (that way I could actually accomplish everything and not feel guilty if it was too overambitious). In no particular order:

- clean bathtub/obliterate rust stains

- take down tree & put Christmas decor away

- find homes for Christmas toys & gifts somewhere in the house

- take Wes’ 5-month photos (I didn’t have the nice camera, so I had to take them outside. It was snowing and made super cute shots!)

- update Baby Journal

- work on Joy’s House calendar design

- spend Christmas money on clothes for me!

I’m proud to say that I have nearly all of these items accomplished with days to spare! I feel productive, which is important for me even while on “vacation.” Now I’m looking ahead to 2012 and how to make it as successful, efficient, productive and fun. Some of our Christmas presents (and Pinterest, of course) helped me shape what I want to focus on for the coming year.

1) We got a deep freeze from my parents! WHOA, I know, it sounds crazy ridiculous, but I’m waaaay stoked about this. We had to be creative on how to maneuver it into the basement, but there it sits, humming away, and it makes me want to FILL it with STUFF to STORE. I’ve known since I found out I was pregnant that I wanted to make baby food when the time came. I’m all oodles excited now that I have ample space to cook tons of food and freeze it to use as needed. I found some really amazing sites, like this one, through Pinterest, to get me started. Who knows if I’ll get geeky nuts about it, as it appears this blogger is, but regardless, it’s happening. My parents, along with my sister & her husband, are all going in together to buy half a steer, too. We’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but we really didn’t have the space before. EEEEEE, now we do! Lots of fresh beef a-comin’!

2) More visits to the Children’s Museum and Indianapolis Zoo. Wes is becoming much more aware and responsive, and I can only imagine how he’ll enjoy these two favorite venues, now that we have memberships (and grandparent memberships) to each. We’ve gone to the Children’s Museum a couple times with him before, but he was a “blob” then and slept the whole time. I want to make sure to set plenty of family time aside for us.

3) Read aloud more often. As much as I enjoy reading, I really haven’t done a very good job of reading to Wes. My neighbor purchases a new book for her 3-year-old daughter every month. This is an easy way to build up his library and make it fun as you build up.

4) Teach Wes to sign. Not much to say about this – I just think it’s fun, educational and most likely streamlines communication between kid & parent. (Also hoping for less tantrums!)

5) Personal resolutions:

- Practice contentedness. I’m tired of complaining and wanting, only to GET and still not be satisfied.

- Trust. Worry is written all over my face and all over my heart. It’s a no-brainer to just let God handle it.

- Pray for wisdom. I already do this, but not nearly enough. God has promised to give wisdom to all who ask – who wouldn’t want this amazing gift?

Mr. Chubs is awake now, so I am off to play blocks and cars on our freshly cleaned rug. Watching him learn is thrilling. Here’s to an exciting 2012!

Since neither Steven or I had to work today, Santa came early for Wes. He “opened” his big present so that we could spend the day playing together. I’m pretty sure this Fisher Price Step n’ Play Piano is a hit.

Did you notice the Poop Face? Yeah, that was the first of a series of looks as he ridded himself of the sweet potatoes that Grandma fed him yesterday.

Christmas Vacation is off to a great start. Besides the piano thingy, we’ve enjoyed Starbucks, a slow morning and Papa Roux for lunch (where Wes took a nice, long nap). An episode of Ellen, some Metroid and some cookies & fudge later, we’re just enjoying our little family before Christmas begins tomorrow at my parents’. We’ll spend Christmas morning at home and then head out to Troy, Ohio, for the Shattuck Christmas.

And then… we have the whole next week off! Both of us! It will be glorious.

I’m gonna go heat up some leftover sesame chicken and pop in Love Actually to further bask in Christmas-goodness.

Dear Wes,

Happy 5 months! You certainly are a happy child – as long as you don’t have teething pain and aren’t suffering from a fever like the last few days. Somehow, even in your confused state of what-is-wrong-with-me, Daddy can make you smile from ear to ear. And your giggles are just too much. They continually make Mommy’s heart melt. All those hours of consoling you when I have no idea what to do are totally worth just one of those gorgeous laughs.

Within the next few weeks, that beaming face will show off two little bottom front teeth. The caps have finally peeked out over your gums, and soon they will grow into sparkly, white, adorable baby teeth. Will we keep them when they fall out in a few years? It’s unfortunate for you that they decided to make an appearance so early on because you’re JUST now starting to hang on to toys. Keeping a teether in your mouth is next to impossible – you’d much rather chomp on your bib or thumb. But, it’s rather fortunate for you that they decided to make an appearance so early on because you’ll be over Mouth: Stage 1 before your 6 month birthday!

As I write this, you finally clonked off to sleep. Tylenol certainly helps dull the pain and your pitiful whimpers. This stage of your life may just be about the hardest for Mommy thus far. Daddy is a champ and takes everything in stride, but I worry endlessly about how to comfort you. I’m still learning how to fully trust the Lord, so when you cry, I cry, too. It will get easier – or, different, I guess – as we learn each others’ signals over time. And most importantly, how Mommy relies on God to get over the current bump in the road.

You’ve become such a natural part of our days and lives. Mom & Dad enjoyed our 4 married years as just the two of us, but you have brought us into a family. Jake & Lucy will always be our “kids,” too, but your flesh & blood is pretty remarkable. You have changed the relationships we have with others and how we interact with our parents, friends and neighbors. We love you tons – like, it’s hard to describe. And how fun is it to see bits and pieces of relatives and genetics with each expression you make?

I am so thankful for you. You’ve made me a softer, less selfish, more understanding person. I thank you for being the reason I complain less. (Or, rather, my complaints are now in a different category!) We are proud of your rapid growth and development. And those lovely thighs. I could eat them!

I’m looking forward to spending a special moment with you, Daddy and the dogs on Christmas morning this week. Let us remember to be grateful for everything given to us from our Father, to celebrate our friends and family and give to those in need this season and always.

You da man!

Love, Mom