You can't forget about Wesley!

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I think Wesley was feeling a little left out while I was taking Nolan's pictures and when we finally let him loose he immediately sat down on the backdrop and posed for a few pics. I couldn't help but snap at least one of my little boy.

Sweet little Nolan

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Oh my how the time flies! Didn't I just do Nolan's newborn pictures? Now, here he is, all full of personality, shy, smiling, and SITTING UP ON HIS OWN! Nolan is such a cute baby and so photogenic! This whole photo session took only 10-15 minutes and we got so many good shots! But then again, having a very handsome and cooperative subject helps tremendously! Thanks, Nolan! You can come over for pics any time!

He goes down stairs!

Wesley figured out how to go down steps (safely) this week. Now that is all he wants to do! As soon as the baby gate opens, he heads straight for the staircase leading down, as you can see. I'm telling you... it's something new every day!

Quinn and her big sister Kaya

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World, meet Quinn, one of the sweetest little bundles of joy I've ever held (and I've held A LOT of babies!) She was so snuggly and warm and sleepy, until she got hungry! After some yummy milk, we attempted some newborn pictures. You see, her mommy was willing to let me work on building my photography skills with her 6 day old baby. It made me long for the days when Wesley was that tiny. Oh, I miss having a newborn!

But what REALLY made my day was taking pics of Quinn's BEAUTIFUL older sister, Kaya. She is a kind and gentle little soul. It is obvious she ADORES her little sister and it was so touching to watch how attentive she is to her. The pics of Kaya really make me smile. She is just full of life and giggles. This first picture kinda reminds me of the Mona Lisa. I asked her to tell her bunny a secret and when she was done, she gave me this smirk. After I got a few shots of her with her bunny, she wanted to put on her "bride" dress (her Halloween costume) for a few dress up pictures. She is so photogenic!

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Due to time constraints, and feeding schedules, both Quinn's and Wesley's, I had to cut my visit short. Hopefully, I'll get to take some pics of the girls together. In the meantime, CONGRATS Bridgett and Bruce (and family) and thanks for letting me take pictures of your GORGEOUS girls!

Fender amps are the best!

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Daddy thinks so, and so does Wesley!

Mission 24 "Edge"

I got an assignment and a strict 24 hour deadline.
The assignment... 2 photographs depicting "Edge"
How did I do?
Mission accomplished?

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Edge... the first thing I could think of was the edge of a knife. Something sharp, something dangerous. But even more, the word edge denotes definition and precision. Hence, I tried to get a high level of detail. All this thinking of knives made me think cold, so the pic had to be in black and white.

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My other submission for the "edge" assignment was a knife, a likely thought and perhaps an automatic choice for this novice. I looked around my home and wanted something to contrast my cold hard knife. A baby toy. No sharp edges here!

The boy is back!

His temperature has been hovering between 100 and 101 today, but the boy is back! He has been all smiles and he has been playing (hard!) today. It is so nice to see his personality return! His digestive issues seem to have resolved somewhat today and he appears to be eating a little better, but he still won't eat his vegetables!

Wesley's first ER visit

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Wesley woke up screaming at 11pm last night. Greg pulled him out of the crib and immediately said "He feels hot." We checked his temperature and then I repeated it, and then checked it a third time. 104.6. It was time for another dose of Tylenol and then we hopped in the car and off to the ER. He has had diarrhea for 3 days, a fever for over 24 hours and it was on the upward trend. He wasn't having wet diapers and he wasn't eating very well.

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Did I mention lethargic? His whole demeanor was so mellow.

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He looks so sick.

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But he spotted a little boy in the triage area across from us.

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They entertained each other a little bit. Ahh, there is a sign of my baby's true personality!

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Boys will be boys I guess!

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As soon as we got to the ER, it was time for another dose of Motrin, so they gave him some. It was determined that Wesley was dehydrated and needed some IV fluids. He was so sick he hardly fussed when they put the IV in! They covered it with a diaper and he was so listless he didn't even mess with it.

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After 100cc of IV fluids, the old Wesley started to return, he was OK with not being held and he even started playing with toys and such. We had to "make do" with the available resources for entertainment, including this emesis basin. Wesley thought it was loads of fun!

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In total, he received 400cc of IV fluids. His WBC count was 12.8, elevated, but not high enough for them to give him antibiotics. His other lab work was mildly skewed, but since he perked up with the IV fluids and his temperature was coming down, we were allowed to take him home! We got home and he went right to bed. This was one "first" of Wesley's that I was hoping to avoid.

A Valentine's Day Party

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Wesley's class at school had a party for Valentine's day last Friday. This is the first chance I've had to post the pics. This was one of our first times letting him try to feed himself with a spoon. Well, something in a container that could be potentially messy. As you can see, he got ice cream all over himself! After he ate his cupcake I had to change his clothes. We had a really fun time just going to class and playing with the other kids. It makes me feel good to know he has a really great teacher and other nice kids to hang out with when Greg and I have to work.

I hate it when he is sick...

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Poor kid. He had some, uh, digestive issues the past 3 days and last night he felt warm. I took his temperature and, sure enough, it was 103. I gave him some Tylenol (it is CRAZY how much he LOVES taking medications!) and he just wanted to be held. Greg and I took turns holding him until it was time for bed. I checked his temp before bed and it was coming down. A few hours later I snuck into his room just to feel how warm he was and he woke right up. His temp was back to 103, and it was time for more Tylenol, so I gave him another dose. He was up at 5:30 this morning.

Daddy took him to the pediatrician and he got weighed... 22 pounds 4 ounces with his clothes on and he got a flu test (negative) and they did a CBC and his white blood cell (infection fighters) count was normal. The doctor wasn't all that concerned, even said it was fine if Wesley wasn't eating that much, as long as he keeps drinking fluids.

Wesley ate a bite of chicken for lunch. That was it. Dinner consisted of a few mandarin oranges, a lick of Oatmeal and Cheerios. I did add some rice cereal to his milk bottle just for some added nutrition. He won't touch his pedialyte.

Before bed his temp was 102.1, as evidenced by the pic. I started giing him Mortin between Tylenol doses in an effort to reduce his fever and help him feel better. The sweet little guy was so super cuddley today. He napped in my arms this afternoon, sat in my lap a majority of this evening and eventually fell asleep there. I did put him in his crib and I hope his little body beats whatever bugs real soon!

Sweet Valentine!

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It may be a day late, but I took Wesley's Valentine pics today with Greg's help. We started off with Wesley in his cute little outfit with his new, real shoes... some black Chuck Taylors, but as soon as he got to the chocolates, he jammed one into his mouth. A few pics later, he had chocolate drool all over his clothes! So, we did the rest of the pics in the diaper. But he is looking so big, he definately isn't a baby anymore. But he is still a super sweet little guy. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

I only have eyes for you, baby.

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Our neighbor, Kira, invited us to her third birthday party held at Jump Zone. A majority of my pictures did not turn out, but I learned a few things about my camera through the experience. These two are the only ones worthy of sharing. I just wasn't "feeling it" photo wise. But luckily, we were all feeling the birthday fun! Wesley had a great time on all the inflatables, he even went down a slide with Daddy. Of course, Wesley was running around and he really enjoyed the freedom! He wasn't the only little one there... our neighbor baby Abby was there too and it may just be love at first sight. How appropriate, considering Greg and I met on Valentine's Day in 2003.

10 on 10 (plus one for good luck)

Here it is, the 10th of February! Really! Seriously! So I'm trying to stick with the 10 pictures on the 10th of each month, so here is this month's installment. If you have any questions about my day or about the pics or even about the 10 on 10 challenge, just post a comment and I'll answer it.