Yosemite Trip

The weekend after finals we headed south for a quick weekend trip to Yosemite.  I love that place!  

We stopped at Tunnel View and watched the fog lift off the valley.  

We stopped in the theater as a dark place to nurse.  When Wesley was done, we let him roam around on the bottom tier for a bit.  He became intrigued with the safety lights on the auditorium steps and went to investigate.  I then watched my six month old slowly but adeptly climb up sixteen steps to the top tier.  His motor skills are incredible!

We stopped at Yosemite Falls which had some water flowing.  Beautiful waterfall and Wesley is completely mesmerized by a fence post.

Not something you ever see anymore.  I had to snap a photo before these things become truly nonexistent.

After a long day of being carried, the Wee Lad was exhausted.  We decided to catch the shuttle to some of our other favorite valley sites from a warm bus and let the little man rest.

I can't wait until Wesley is older and we can enjoy other hikes in Yosemite together and maybe even a backpacking trip.

 

Six months

Our little man is 6 months!!  He's a chunk and happy and healthy as can be.  Below is at his six month appointment with his pediatrician who I love, love, love!  In this photo he's contemplating her instrument before making a grab for it.

We went to Coloma, on the American River, to take pictures with our little man to celebrate 6 months.

Oh, how I love this man too!

Gil has been slowly introducing solid food to Wesley.  Thanksgiving was his first taste of mashed potatoes.  Grandpa Eccles, whose favorite food as a child was "spuds and guavy," is hoping this is not a permanent dislike.  

Terrible sleeper

 Back at work full time has been insane.  We are severely short staffed, I'm trying desperately to catch-up from the summer madness that I missed out on, and trying fit in time to pump while out in the field.  Since the power outages, Wesley routinely gets up four or five times a night.  I get up with him for most of them, giving sleep priority to Gil and his school work. (We gotta graduate and get out of CA!)  Working full time or more, coming home and mothering, wife-ing, and housekeeping full time, all on extremely fragmented sleep is pretty awful.  I had no idea just how much sleep deprivation affects brain function until the last few months.  I have a feeling though, at some point in my life I will look back and realize I never was and never will be again as efficient and on top of things as I am right now.

Looking through our pictures, we seem to have a lot of photos of the Wee Lad asleep.  Perhaps it is to prove to our groggy selves that yes, he really does sleep sometimes.

Asleep in the carrier after a walk, I got maybe fifteen minutes myself.

Asleep in the carrier after a walk.  Gil getting in a few minutes of studying.

Asleep in the carrier (sense a theme here?) on Nona during the olive harvest.

Asleep in his stroller after a Sunday afternoon walk. 

In one of the many baby sleep books I've read it says good sleep promotes good sleep.  It's just getting into that good sleep routine in the first place that is exhausting.

Lake Audrain

Gil had Veteran's Day off from school so we headed up the mountain for a hike.  

Wes and Gil, waiting for me to catch up.

We hiked to Lake Audrain.  This is one of my snow survey locations for work.  It was the first time I had been in this area without it being covered in snow.  The lake was not quite what I was expecting, but it was a beautiful day and so nice to be out as a family.

We dropped down into South Lake Tahoe for a late lunch at a small burger joint that was really good.  Wesley was ready to try his first french fry.  Not yet, little man, but almost!

October Happenings

I had a work conference in Sacramento the second week of October.  In the middle of this week-long conference, our utility company turned our apartment's power off, a public safety power shut-off, due to potential fire danger from an extreme wind event.  Gil, Wesley, and my parents all shared a room for a night at the hotel that hosted the conference.  Wesley got to meet Smokey and did just fine.  It was an awful night for the Wee Lad though and his sleep is still messed up a month later.  He's too old (and I'm too old) to be getting up every two hours at night.

Wesley participates in just about all our activities.  Here he is helping Gil vacuum.

He accompanied me to the grocery store.  He is getting really good a sitting up with support.

He tested his new seat at the table.  He is ready to chow down on our food too, regardless of not having any teeth.

He familiarized himself with the church's new youth program.

We attended a ward harvest party.  We rode the hay ride but found Wesley was more interested in driving the tractor.

Our little man turned five months!

Rolling!

The Wee Lad is rolling!  I don't know when babies are supposed to start rolling, but a smidge before three months seems really early to me.  Oh man!  No more leaving him unattended on the couch or bed.  Also, no more putting him to sleep swaddled - not that he sleeps well on his back anyway.  

Rolled himself right over and took a nap.  

Ready to do push-ups!

I went back to work (bah!) part-time at the beginning of the month.  Full time next month.  I got home and found this.  Don't be fooled, this little dude is a terrible sleeper.  When he does sleep, he prefers to be somehow attached or touching one of us and the more awkward the position the better.  Look at that sweet pose, with his hand on his chest.  If only the serenity of this picture reflected his true temperament.

Park Visit

We've had an unusually cool summer here.  It's been nice and I'm not complaining.  This afternoon we ventured to a park in Folsom between errands.

On the green blanket with Mom. (Notice the very pronounced Stander lazy eye.  It's very noticeable when I'm tired, which is all the time...)

 Oh how I love seeing that little bald head in the crook of Gil's elbow.  There is a special father/son relationship between these two.

Our evening bedtime routine the past little while has included a walk around the neighborhood.  We've caught some pretty spectacular sunsets lately.  Sometimes Wesley stays awake for the whole walk... and sometimes he's zonked by the time we get home. (And Gil always wears footwear.  He had taken off his flip-flops to feel the heat still trapped in the sidewalk.)

Weekend Hike - Sayles Canyon

We decided to try for a quick weekend hike before I go back to work and Gil starts school and our lives get busy and complicated.

We headed up to Sayles Canyon.  We only hiked out a mile before we turned around.  The temps were about 15 degrees cooler at 7000' and it was lovely in the shade.

Gil giving Wesley his first geology lesson.

 Wesley slept through a good portion of the hike.

 Then he woke up, had a quick bite to eat, and was a happy hiker.

It was a lovely outing.

Visitors and Blessing

We had family in town this past weekend for Wesley's blessing.  It was wonderful. 

Adam flew in on Saturday.  Wesley went to the airport to pick up his uncle and wore the onesie Uncle Adam got for him.  Uncle Adam bought him a pair of shoes to match the outfit, not realizing he, Adam, had the same pair.

 Wesley and Uncle Adam became quite attached to one another.

 Grandma Sharon, Gil's mom, also came for a few days.  She had some quality bonding time as well with Wesley.

Gil gave a beautiful blessing and Wesley cooperated through the whole thing.  He waited until after to get fussy and spit up all over the floor and my skirt.  

I love that bow tie!

 No, my child isn't smiling, he's screeching.  It was a long day.

My mother's cousin Susie who lives in the area came to but somehow she escaped without a photo.  It was a wonderful weekend.

Two Months

No fun outdoor pictures for two month birthday.

Wesley got a nap on Grampa.  He is averaging about two or three naps a day, each lasting about a half hour.  He averages 8-9 hours of sleep at night with three or four feedings.  Poor kid, he is not the best sleeper.

 Some happy 2 month photos.  He's a wiggler so some of these are blurry.

 Selfie with mom.

 Photo with dad.  Gil and Wesley are so comfortable and content in this position.