First things first

It's overwhelming how many new experiences Westley has already had this summer. He's cooing, smiling, sticking out his tongue and rolling from his tummy to his back, just to name a few of his many talents.

Unlike most babies, he doesn't enjoy car rides, so we choose our outings carefully. A few of his firsts we documented with photos:

His first of several trips to the farmers market.

His first time at a restaurant. (Brian and I joined my parents on the Granite City patio to celebrate Mom's birthday.)

His first Fourth of July, which we spent at my in-laws'. Westley actually loved watching fireworks.

His first time to swim. (The swimmer diapers, which fit 16-pound babies, were a bit big on our 10-pound cutie, but we made it work.)

Hot fun in the summertime

Our new family enjoying summer:

Click to see additional photos of our summer adventures.

Westley's photo shoot, take two

Our friend, the very talented Randy Tobias, took photos of our family when Westley was 11 days old. I appreciated the opportunity because I wasn't feeling photogenic when we were in the hospital, but I wanted professional pictures to capture our new family in its early days. We also were in the hospital the day we were scheduled to have photos taken for our church directory, so Randy snapped one for the book, too.

He did a beautiful job:




Click to see additional photos from the shoot.

Thanking God for our little angel

The Sunday after Westley was born, we took him to church to introduce him to the congregation. My sister Amanda and my mother-in-law Janice joined us.

Westley won the hearts of hundreds -- and drew laughter -- when he raised his arms in the air during the introduction. I think he was saying, "Yay, God! I am finally here!"

The event was especially meaningful, as faith and prayers carried us along the path to parenthood. We feel immensely blessed to have this little man in our lives. I look forward to his baptism next month and to raising him in the church and watching him learn about faith.

To celebrate and as a token of our divine gratitude for our son, we had flowers placed on the altar at church. It was a striking parallel to the day we announced our pregnancy at church, another event we marked with a floral arrangement for the altar.

Westley's first week at home

Westley's first days home included a trip to the doctor for a checkup, lots of family visits and his first time attending church. What a wonderful whirlwind.

Daddy and Westley at the pediatrician


My sister Amanda and Westley

Cousin Kaden, when he met Westley

Westley's first photo shoot

The last thing we did before checking out of the hospital was to have Westley's first professional photo shoot by Baby Bloom. We love the photos of our little guy:








Click to see additional photos from the shoot.

At Wesley with Westley

At 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the day after Westley was born, Brian and I were trying to relax in our new hospital room. He found us each a sandwich and a muffin, further becoming my hero. (I hadn't eaten since dinner at 7 p.m. Monday, so I was incredibly hungry.) We enjoyed our meal and admired our sleeping baby.

About two hours later, an endless parade of doctors and nurses came through our hospital room to check on Westley and me. We also welcomed a handful of visitors and otherwise tried to rest.


My sister Jen with Westley