I can laugh, and I can drool, and I'm 5 months old!

5 Months Old Today

So Mary Catherine Gallagher is my all time favorite character on Saturday Night Live.  I like to use her catch phrase quite often; "I can kick, and I can stretch, and I'm 50."  So it just seemed appropriate to let West have his own as he has reached this big milestone of 5 months today!

I feel like we have really hit a milestone with 5 months.  I mean he is sleeping like a champ through the night, laughing and shrieking all the time, and finally starting to eat some rice cereal!  The road to get here has not been the easiest.  There have been plenty of tears, sleepless nights, and days I didn't think I could make it.  But when he sees me and that huge smile spreads across his face, it's all worth it.  He is the most precious gift we could have ever received.   And we really are extremely blessed because he is an EASY baby.

Here are some recent photos of our big boy:

Westley is such a happy boy and his smile makes my day

He loves to snuggle but would MUCH rather be standing and showing off his strong legs 

He loves his naps but as soon as he wakes up he's on the lookout for someone to play with

He loves flying like Superman and playing in his jumper

 Let the fun of "teething" begin

It was special to celebrate Brad's first Father's Day this year

He's my sweet boy and I'm so proud to be his mommy

Stay tuned as the adventures of Westley continue.......

Father's Day

There's something so special about being daddy's little girl.  I am very blessed to have the best dad in the world.  While I was a teenager my dad and I tended to butt heads quite a bit.  As I have gotten older I realize we did so much because I am exactly like him and having us under the same roof I'm sure at times drove my mom crazy!

 

Now that I am a mom, I have a much clearer understanding of why my dad made some of the rules and decisions that he did for me.  At the time I was mortified but now, I'm grateful for those rules.  I understand so many of the decisions that he made in those early years was because he loved me and was looking at the bigger picture of my life.  

My dad has always been there for me no matter the situation and his advice has always been the most important to me.  I am a confident person today because of how my dad raised me.  He always made me believe I could be anything I wanted to be and encouraged me to go after my dreams.  I am so thankful for the drive that my dad instilled in me.  

He is more on the quiet side and doesn't like to be the center of attention, but he is loyal and is respected by anyone that knows him.  You never have to wonder what he's thinking, because he will always gives it to you straight, sound like anyone else you know?  It's a blessing and a gift that he passed down.

I have so enjoyed watching my dad become a Granddaddy over the last few months with Westley.  From the very beginning dad swore that our little nugget was going to be a boy and I think he was the most excited when he found out his wish had come true.  He is so sweet with him and can't wait for him to be able to stay up so much longer and be able to play all day.  Westley is very lucky to have him as a Grandaddy.  He has no idea how spoiled he is going to be!

I am so thankful for my dad and want him to know this Father's Day how blessed I feel to have him as my dad!

Really?!?

Well, it has been almost two weeks since my last blog post.  And these last two weeks have a been a bit wild to say the least.  I'm so sorry to say I don't have any pictures to post this week, because to be honest, we were just surviving.

Last week Brad headed out of the country for 10 days to visit with some missionaries that our church supports.  It's one of the perks of the job, getting to travel to dream destinations, to tell others the simple yet powerful message that Jesus loves them.  He loves having the opportunity to see the work that they are doing and uses it as a chance to really get to know them and encourage them.

West and I had a few plans for the week but for the most part we were just going to hang around the house and spend a little extra time with Ouma and Granddaddy (my parents.)  Well, we had no idea the adventure that was in store for as well.

Let's see, here is just a small recap of what we were up to while Brad was gallivanting around Europe:

I got the stomach virus (and all the nasty perks that come with that)
My master bathroom toilet was broken the whole time I was sick
West was having some major stomach issues and was screaming instead of napping for days
It was discovered that West has started teething so that explained some of the above behavior
And our upstairs air unit went out

I mean really?!?  Doesn't it always seem that when "daddy" is gone everything goes wrong that could possibly go wrong?  Well, that was the case for us, but we survived.  I am truly blessed to have my parents in the same town as us to help save the day.  My dad ended up having to be out of town as well so basically mom just moved in and stayed with us 24/7 and helped us get through it all.  Brad and I are very blessed to have so many friends here that offered to help in anyway that they could, but this was just one of those weeks that I needed my mommy!  There were definitely some tears, but for the most part we had to just laugh at most of it.  You don't have any other choice but to find the humor in it.

If it had been a calmer week either of us would have been able to capture through video or pictures some of the new things that West has started doing.  But since we had our hands full, you'll just have to read them instead of see them this week:

Rolling over from his stomach to his back

Raspberry noises and babbling a whole lot more

Picking up and stomping his legs

Shrieking & squeals from West when you walk into a room (makes you feel so special)

Scooted all the way across his floor mat

I'm sure some of these things seem very simple, but when you've never seen him do it and then all of the sudden it's a new normal, it's just crazy.  So, it has been a big week for everyone.  Needless to say, we are so excited that Bradley is back home with us and that all is well in the Ervin household again.

Apparently I'm the Cry Baby

This past week, week 17, has been another big week for our big boy Westley.  I'm finding that once you hit about 3 to 4 months, the rate at which they begin to learn new things rapidly increases.  I mean every day something new is happening and I find that I almost can't keep up.

The funny thing is, anytime we introduce West to something new, I am always a basket case with nerves wondering how he will react and wondering if it's too soon to be trying something new.  I am quickly finding out that he adjusts to anything that we introduce to him usually within a day or two and with no problem at all.  So I have usually had a panic attack for no reason at all.

I want to be the best mommy to him that I possibly can.  But I can already tell I'm going to have to be very careful that I'm not the one that is holding West back from new things.  It's okay to be cautious and protect him, but I can't keep him from experimenting just because I'm the nervous one!

Blame it on hormones and crazy emotions, but my anxiety keeps getting in the way.  I am just so over the moon, infatuated with our Westley, that I just can't stand it.  I want the absolute best for him, but I keep thinking of him as this little baby that used to just lay there.  It's just so hard to believe that it's time to be doing all these new things already.  But I find myself constantly tearing up and overcome with emotion.   My heart feels like it's about to explode because I'm so proud of my little man. Yet, at the same time thinking, it's too soon for him to be doing these things like such a big boy.

I am so proud of him and all the things he is learning and each day is a new adventure!  Here is some of the things that West has been learning this past week:

West took his first road trip to the mountains and loved the outdoors.

He just needed to hold mommy's hand on the long car ride for just a bit.  

First time in a bouncer, standing up so tall!  (definitely cried when I saw this)

First experience with rice cereal, as you can see, maybe not so much a fan yet.

Houdini finally learned how to break out of the swaddle, time to start sleeping like a big boy.

Just laying there isn't an option anymore, he's either standing tall or sitting up.

What was your favorite milestone that you got to watch your little one experience?