Visitors, visitors and more visitors!

Weston's arrival has brought lots of visitors to our house and we love it and have so enjoyed the extra attention for Weston and for us as new parents!

While Andrew was TDY, my dad and Brenda (aka Papa and Grammy, as they have decided) came out and I was so excited to see them 4 days into Andrew's absence!  I tried not to jump for joy at the extra set of hands but inside I was pretty giddy. To have two extra sets of hands with a 9 week old was a wonderful thing at that point.
I can't say that we did too much while they were here but I certainly tried to catch up on my sleep when I could and they were wonderful about hanging out with Weston and loving on him.  He seemed to really take to his Papa and there were times when I had to ask dad to let his grandson go so overall it was a wonderful first trip!
Here are some pictures from their stay with us.  I can't thank you both enough for your help around the house but mostly just loving on Weston!

Yawning contest--Weston won!

Papa and Weston--notice the cute AF outfit that Ms. Lisa sent!  :)

Weston's favorite place most of the time when Papa was here!  

Three generations of Haynes right here--we promise to work out the youngest's crossed eyes one day!  :)

Weston, Papa and Grammy

The next set of visitors also arrived during Andrew's absence (actually we just had a visitor exchange you could say as they arrived the same day and dad and Brenda left), Uncle Derrick and Aunt Katie came and also loved on Weston!  Actually, Weston was a first baby experience for his Uncle Derrick in the realms of holding a baby, changing a baby and just about everything else, I would assume.  Derrick and Katie were also wonderful guests as they cooked, wore out the dog, changed diapers, baked,  and let us heat the hot tub up for them!  :)
Here are some pictures from Uncle Derrick and Aunt Katie's visit:

KJ really took to Aunt Katie--hugs for playtime!

Uncle Derrick soothing Weston--he only dropped him once!

How many Stolee men does it take to change a diaper?  Only one more is needed in there to have a completed Evolved Stolee Moment--you know, one where the newest generation changes diapers!  :)

Uncle Derrick and Aunt Katie--again, we will work on the whole eye ball focus thing!  

Yep, most of us do cry when we think of scary 'staches, Weston--I understand!  Thank goodness for Aunt Katie that Uncle Derrick's was fake!  

And, thank goodness for Uncle Derrick that Aunt Katie's was fake!  :)

Finally, our last recent visitor was my wonderful friend Nikole from Colorado.  It just so happened that Nikole was in Vegas for a conference so we kidnapped her on her last day in town and got to spend the afternoon with her.

Nikole, Weston and I--Weston's not cross-eyed!  Thanks, Nikole, for helping him focus!  :)

Weston turned TWO months....a little while ago! :)

Yep, so Weston turned two months on the day that Andrew left for his first post-baby TDY and thus I was able to snap the photos but obviously didn't quite find the time to post the pictures!  Weston is doing wonderfully, the doctor was quite pleased with his progress at his two month appointment.  Although his growth is still on the slow side for an 11 week old, he is making progress and that's what is important!  He is not quite on the full term baby growth chart so he technically has 0% on that chart, but on the adjusted 33 week chart he is 50% for weight (9lbs, 3 oz), 55% for height (21 inches) and 33% for his head circumference (14.5 inches--the doc said that his head circumference will catch up as a lot of preemies have what she calls "toaster head" as their sides need to expand a little).
Along with his growing chart, he is surprising us each and everyday with new skills.  He has rolled over three times now, although all of them have been because he was fussing and just plopped himself from his tummy to his back.  He has begun to smile at us and that makes all those crying moments totally worth it.  We still think a lot of his smiling is due to gas but every now and then we know we are getting genuine smiles.  He can scoot all over his crib on his stomach when he's angry so we know he has some strength in that little body.  One evening, like a good mom, I even took out the bumpers (like they are recommending now) and he woke me up twice because his arm had gotten lodged in the railings so back the bumpers went!
Here are some two month photos:

Look!  My eyes are open and my diaper looks HUGE!

It's tiring being being this cute and 2 months old!

Somehow I don't look as comfortable as mom made me last time--can you tell dad had a hand in this?  

Yep!  Still slipping!

More to come because well, Weston will be 3 months soon!

Weston and I survived!!

Andrew had his first TDY (work trip for non-AF people) in Weston's life and Weston did just fine giving me a run for my money!  Andrew headed to Panama City, FL to do some training for 10 days and although Weston and I had help during most of it, we did spend the first four doing it just the two of us and keeping each other alive (and awake at night--thanks Weston!) 
We had our schedule down for the most part, but I have lots of credit to give to some dear friends of mine who have done this mere weeks have their little ones have arrived and continued for 5+ months as their husbands deployed (they also had other little ones running around).  In my book, albeit after I only survived 4 days solo, these women are saints!  They know who they are and should certainly give themselves a pat on the back along with a shopping spree, a vacation and whatever the heck else the want!  I am in awe and know that one day I may face that task and will certainly survive that one, but I am just happy to have survived the first TDY experience--it can only get easier from here, right?
And, as luck would have it for Andrew, the night he arrived home at midnight, Weston was up and ready for him and I gladly passed him off so that they could late night bond!  The little guy was ready to see his dad, I guess!  :)
More to come on our visitors during Andrew's absence as well as Weston's two month check up!  :)

Making changes...and I don't just mean the baby!

So, apparently in true Stolee style, when we go for change we go for some BIG changes!
(1) Due to Weston's early arrival, I have decided not to go back to work this spring.  Well, I did decide but Weston (once again) made the decision for me. :)  As the doctors recommended, it is going to be best for Weston if we keep him out of daycare for as long as possible in the first few months of life as preemies are much more susceptible to illnesses.  Weston could have gone to daycare but would have needed special shots and well, we just didn't want to risk anything putting him in danger and/or back in the hospital again.  I was a bit nervous about not going back to work because I love my job and what do I do with a baby--stare at it?  Okay, I have stared quite a bit and love my snuggle time and somehow the days truly are flying by.  The days also fly by because we pretty much do the same thing everyday: change diaper, feed Weston, pump, walk/play with KJ, REPEAT--it's amazing how quickly days will pass when the schedule is like that!  
Also, with all the visitors that are signed up to meet Weston, I didn't want to miss out on that excitement.  I am having to reapply to Clark County as a new hire once again which is fine and will be hopeful that good luck again finds me with a job next school year.
(2) Another blessing in me not going back to work (beyond extra time with Weston), is that Andrew has been given an opportunity to switch airframes.  He will be transitioning from an F-15 to an F-22:
From this:

 

To this:

 

What this means is that he needs to be trained on the F-22 and so Weston, KJ and I are going to be tagging along for the spring/summer.  Training is in Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Florida, right down the road from where Andrew and I met and married.  There truly isn't a better place for Weston, KJ and I to join Andrew for 2.5 months.  And, because it is a 2.5 month training course, that would have been a long time for Andrew to be away from us so why not join him if we can?  Andrew and I have spent two six month periods apart in our 3 years of marriage so we know that we should take advantage of the times when we can share in an experience.
Even though Andrew is switching airframes, we will still be staying in Las Vegas and that's a good thing.  It looks as though we will be here until 2015 which will be the longest assignment for Andrew in the Air Force.
On a purely selfish note, I cannot wait to spend 2.5 months in the Panhandle of Florida.  I have so many wonderful memories growing up down there and then as an adult that I feel like a kid at Christmas.  I don't know that any other place feels like home for me.  Along with my memories, Weston has so many wonderful people to meet and greet!  If you will be around, let us know because Weston and I will be spending lots of time hanging out!  :)

For now, those are the changes happening in our household--you know besides the diaper changes and trying to guess at how long Weston will sleep tonight!

Ugh! Mustache March

 The above picture details the start of the month that many of us DO NOT look forward to!  Andrew's 'stache is only 5 days here and sadly, it will only get worse.  I am trying to find humor in this month this year by using Weston as a prop!  :)
I guess another good thing about Weston arriving early is that his first introduction to his father isn't while Andrew is rockin' a lip sweater and that we did not have to document his first month with nothing but creepy mustache photos; much better to have Weston's 3rd month full of mustache photos.
I am sure that I will post more photos as the month goes on!  For now, Weston has beaten his dad's mustache in the beginning of the month!

The scale has tipped!!

Today marks the day that we have finally beaten the number of days that Weston was in the NICU!  We have enjoyed having Weston home now for 28 days and we know that we will just continue to stomp on the 27 day number that he spent in the NICU.
Weston is still thriving at home and continues to bring joy to our lives and has actually had a busy last week.  Not only did we see his due date come and go, but on that same day, February 29th, Weston got to welcome his grandparents from Minnesota.  Having Grandma and Grandpa Stolee just begins the grandparent and family love that is to take over this house in the next few weeks!  Weston is so lucky to have such adoring fans!  :)
Here are some pictures from the past few weeks and Grandma and Grandpa Stolee's visit:

 We continue to ensure that both of our babies get snuggle time!

Grandma Stolee seems to handle her duties with both of the newest additions quite well!  

Grandpa Stolee took a more formal approach when introducing himself to Weston.  Weston seemed to be quite relaxed with the introduction!

Along with just meeting his Grandpa, Weston helped celebrate Grandpa Stolee's birthday with a good ol' fashion bottle drinking contest!  Grandpa knocked back his root beers but Weston took the prize with the continuous number of bottles he knocked back while Grandpa was visiting!

As is customary for all parental visitors to our house, we put Grandma and Grandpa to work!  Here Andrew and Rand are putting down rocks in the backyard--in total, they put out 55 bags and made our yard look so much better.  Rand also became our visiting pool boy--probably not a very lucrative profession in Minnesota but we would write a glowing recommendation for him if needed!

Meanwhile, Becky tended to windows, hedge trimming, floor cleaning and much more!  We can now see all the hard work through the extra clean window at the kitchen table!

I can't resist sharing this amazing picture that Grandpa Stolee caught of his two grandbabies--his favorite grandson and his favorite white granddog!  (KJ really bonded with Grandpa Stolee, especially on the REALLY long walks he took her on!)

Another bonding adventure for KJ and Grandpa Stolee.  We had not really put KJ near the pool because it was "off-season" but Grandpa Stolee said that dogs don't know seasons and I guess he was right because she took to the wading area like a true Golden Retriever!  She hasn't missed a day of wading in the pool since.

Finally, Grandma and Grandpa Stolee were here to see Weston really take to tummy sleeping (it's helping his reflux) and just let the world pass him by!  

If you want to see more of Grandma and Grandpa adventures, see Grandpa Stolee's Blog.

The things we have realized...

Beyond realizing how cute Weston is and how wonderful it truly is to have him home, we have realized that our experience in the NICU has many silver linings:
(1) We gained a lot of knowledge from being around doctors and nurses for 27 days.  We learned tricks as far as eating, burping, and general behavior.  At one point when Weston was learning how to eat from a bottle we met with a speech therapist and she taught us how to recognize when Weston needs to burp and whether or not he still has a burp left to push out.
(2) Our "newborn" came home on a set schedule for eating.  Due to the fact that nurses have more than one baby, they have to feed the babies on a schedule and essentially that was every 3 hours.  SO, when Weston came home we continued that 3 hour schedule and have since moved him to every 4 hours--can you say awesome for us?  It's really quite nice because I think we are getting way more sleep than most new parents who bring home a newborn. (We are reminding ourselves constantly that this isn't normal.)
(3) Overall, we just feel more comfortable as parents because we were able to practice so much in front of people who could give us advice.

As far as Weston is doing--he's doing great!  We have seen the doctor twice since bringing him home and he continues to grow and do well.  As of February 16th, he was 7 lbs and 2 ounces and 20 inches long!  It's hard to believe that he was 2.5 lbs smaller when he was born.  It's even harder to believe that he was born almost 6 weeks ago!  We know that he is small for his age (heck, he's the size of a regular newborn) but he is making such great progress and that's all that matters!  :)

Here are some photos from the past week:

Here's KJ getting as close as she's allowed to Weston one afternoon.  We are still working through some jealousy issues but she's doing pretty good with him.

Jealousy in full effect here.  I guess it's a good thing that the activity mat gets love even when Weston isn't on it!  :)

Here's Weston sporting some more propaganda for dad.  This great onesie and blanket were gifts (Thanks Dawn and Blend'r!) and Weston looks quite good in the onesie (from Peanut Gallery Girls on Etsy).

Here's Weston being "palmed" by Uncle Sig--check out his hand wrapped around Weston's head! 

Andrew captured this and I have to say these are some of my favorite moments.  I am soaking them in as I know they won't last for long.  I felt guilty the first few days about doing this rather than taking advantage of his sleeping time but now I have said "screw the house work" and enjoy the sweetness!

Birthday shout out to Grandma Stolee

It's a busy birthday week for Weston--he has been recovering from that other lady (Hey You) and here it is Grandma Stolee's birthday!  Here are some photos of him sharing his birthday wishes, Grandma.  He can't wait to meet you and share his quality "gifts" with you in less than 2 weeks!

It's kind of hard to read Weston's shirt, but it says, "I heart G-mom!" :)  

Here's your first born and our furry child (who also can't wait to meet you)--they are excited to celebrate your birthday as well!  KJ was jumping for joy and Andrew just happened to catch her!

This is how your oldest "child" and first grandson are celebrating now after a long night of ringing in your birthday!  Weston started partying shortly after the clock rolled to February 16th as he knew it was a party day!

Andrew says, "Congratulations on turning 95--the actual age of a grandma!"  

Happy, happy birthday Mom/Becky/Grandma!

Happy Birthday Lady Who Can't Come Up with a Name!

Today is Kendra's Mom's birthday and it is a celebration of the XX anniversary of her 39th birthday (as Kendra was brain-washed to say).  We are pretty sure that if we gave the right anniversary, we might be mean-mugged all the way from Seattle and gray skies would be sent our way!  SO, Happy Birthday Mom/Gay/Name you have yet to decide*!
Weston wanted to send some special photos your way to celebrate:

Oh no!  What do I say to you?  How do I wish you Happy Birthday?  I have to learn this skill!

Oops, looks like I just wished you a happy birthday in the only way I know how---it's kind of smelly!  :)

*So, as my mom can't come up with a name, we don't know what to call her.  Now, even though she can't come up with a name, it doesn't mean she hasn't attempted some names.  In October she was trying out the name "Empress" with my best friend's kids.  Now, they thought it was all fun and Claire even adopted the title Princess to help the Empress out, but somehow, I don't think that will stick.  As well, I suggested GG, but nothing has stuck and so we might just train Weston on calling her "Hey You!" :)

Here's Weston and Hey You when she just happened to have a plane ticket to visit Andrew and I but Weston made his surprise arrival (he wanted to join the party).  He was still under the tanning lights and we only got to hold him for a few minutes as we were being stingy (or maybe it was just me) with our time to hold him!

Weston is ONE Month today

Today marks Weston's one month "birth" day.  Strange that this is still 19 days before his due date!  We think he's doing pretty good and we are just happy to have him in our lives!

KJ Trying to Find Her Place

So, as was expected, we have had to try and slowly introduce Weston to KJ.  Afterall, she has been our sole "child" since we brought her home at the end of October.  For the first few weeks while we were house training her, ALL of our attention was on her as we jumped up and down trying to make sure she didn't have any accidents in the house.  We sort of expected her to be at least another month old before having to deal with these introductions, but we are so proud (as doggy parents, of course) of how patient she is being.  She has her moments but mostly she is being very good and just wants to kiss him.  She does not quite know how to control her paws and wants to get those on him but otherwise just seems interested. (Is this anything like it is with a toddler at home when you bring another baby home?)
Here are some photos of KJ trying to find her place from the last few days though.  We have hopes of truly trying to get their photo together one day soon!

I think that KJ here is auditioning for her role as a Boppy.  If you will notice the pillow-thing that Weston is reclining in below, you will see that KJ has taken great care in mimicking that and is obviously volunteering her duties as replacement Boppy! 

We are not quite sure if we caught KJ being a protector or a predator?  The first night we brought Weston home, I woke up to KJ staring IN at Weston through the mesh-siding of the pack'n'play which Andrew thinks means that she was sizing him up for eating.  I choose to think she is just being his protector!  Let's hope so!

Finally, this is KJ's most pitiful pose to date.  We had just finished playing with Weston on his mat (he loves this, by the way--Thanks Nonny!) and as soon as we picked him up, KJ was there.  Notice how she was playing to the camera to make all of you feel sorry for her?  She just wants to be involved in the action, I guess.  One day she and Weston can hang here together hopefully!  

Weston Comes Home!!!!

Sorry for the long delay between posts, but times have been hectic and busy lately.  See below...

Weston finished his countdown week of monitoring fantastically.    He has been eating plenty and continues to put on the weight.

During our last week of observation we learned how to give Weston a bath.  When his hair is squeeky clean it is very blonde, as you can see here while Kendra is burping him.

Not only is his hair blonde, but his cheeks are getting chubby!

He still has a soft side for his mommy.

Here's another picture to showcase his blonde hair.  He's yawning not crying here (thank goodness).

Prior to being discharged, we spent the night in the hospital to "room-in" and allow the nurses to monitor our ability to provide for Weston prior to coming home.  As soon as they hinted that we would be discharged Monday morning we got everything ready to leave.  Here's a picture of Weston dressed up in real baby clothes with NO WIRES and ready to go home in the balmy 50 degree Vegas weather.

By the time we were discharged it had warmed up to 65 degrees and we found out Weston doesn't mind his car seat or riding in the car.  

Dad is still a little suspicious of his new roommate.  This new guy doesn't even pay rent!

Here's Weston in his new G-diapers on a new blanket marking his first day with some new blocks.  Thanks!

Weston has adjusted well to his new home.  KJ is still learning to adjust to her new roommate.   She is accustomed to being the center of attention, as displayed here when trying to take a picture of Weston playing.  She has gotten better every day and has learned to share the spotlight with her new sibling.

Weston's arrival meant Dad immediately began spreading propaganda through clothing.    In case you can't tell from the picture, Weston's "Daddy Rocks" and Weston's first words will be "Skol Vikings!"

Working his way to be the next 6 million dollar man!

We got the first set of hospital statements for Weston yesterday and enjoyed reading through how much the hospital is charging our insurance (may we please take a moment and say "Thank goodness for Mr./Mrs. Insurance!") and Weston has racked up a $15,000 bill through January 24th! So, we figure he might be somewhere around a $30,000 baby when his stay is all said and done--who said you don't put prices on loved ones?!? Actually, we know there is no price that we could place on the care that Weston has gotten over the last (almost) 4 weeks. If that bill covers the nurses and doctors, then we are fully supportive of the price (and more)!
Until his discharge, we will just cheer him on as the government continues to pay for him to be the next 6 million dollar man!
(Hallelujah for not having to pay these expenses!)