Now is the time!: Introducing Wesley Thomas McCunniff!

The greatest blessing entered our lives two months ago, and his name is Wesley Thomas McCunniff! The precious baby boy that I am currently staring at as he sleeps so sweetly has forever changed my life for the better. I am unable to adequately describe with words the immense amount of love I have for Wesley. I love him with every ounce of who I am, and I would do anything for him. He’s been on this earth for only 2 months, and yet I can’t imagine a day of my life without him now. Bill and I are so honored that God chose us to be his parents, and we are committed to being the best parents we can possibly be to him. He brings so much joy to our lives, and his smile melts our hearts into a million pieces.

I intended to write about his birth much sooner, but I never in a million years imagined the craziness that that would ensue the moment I became a mom. This afternoon is really the first chance I’ve had to sit down and gather my thoughts enough to write about everything. I think I’ll start with current news. Wesley had his two month check-up and shots this morning. He now weighs 12 lbs 10 oz, and he is just under 25 inches long (long and lean!). I also didn’t realize until getting there that the poor boy would have to get 5 shots in his legs! He definitely did not like being stuck with a needle that many times, and his red, hot screaming face proved it. I felt so awful for my little guy! I fed him afterwards to calm him down, and since we’ve been home he’s been sleeping much of the day. I just glanced over at his sweet, angelic face as he sleeps. There is just no better sight in the world. J

All right, so now back to his birth. I was induced the morning of June 6^th (I thought for sure he would come on that day), but Wesley decided to make his debut on Friday, June 7^th at 12:19 a.m. He was 9lbs 6 oz, 21.5 inches long and perfect in every way. When we first went in on Thursday morning, I was barely two centimeters dilated so they gave me Cytotec to help soften the cervix more. I was then given Pitocin around 1:00 to begin the induction process. The contractions weren’t bad at first, but around 4:00 they were getting pretty painful, and that is when I received my epidural. Thank goodness for epidurals! I know some women opt not to have them (and more power to them), but I definitely was not one of those women. At 4:00 I was around 5 cm dilated and by 9:30 I was fully dilated. I began pushing around 11:00, and just under an hour and a half later, our little boy was born (or should I say big boy!). J My labor was long, but I wouldn’t say it was unbearable. There were moments I was in quite a bit of pain, but it was never too much to handle. One of the worst parts was the fact that I became very nauseated about 30 minutes before I had to start pushing. Thankfully, the moment Wesley was born my nausea went away. I was just so relieved and thankful to have my baby in my arms!

We then spent two nights in the hospital and headed home late afternoon on Saturday, June 8^th. The moment Bill and I brought him in the house we looked at each other with a “well here goes nothing!” expression. It really is the craziest feeling to know you have this precious life to take care of, and yet you have no prior experience to know what to do! I will admit that the first several weeks were tough and draining. I didn’t sleep a wink in the hospital and couldn’t sleep the first couple of nights at home either. I was sleep deprived and exhausted both physically and emotionally. Breastfeeding was extremely challenging for me those first several weeks, and I felt like all I was doing was feeding him and changing diapers most of the time. Of course I loved Wesley from the second he was born, but I have to say it wasn’t until these past couple of weeks that I’ve really felt like I’ve bonded with him as his mom. He looks at me and gives me the biggest grins now. He recognizes me like he knows that I’m the one taking care of him. He may be screaming and crying, and unlike in the beginning, he now calms down when I pick him up and cuddle with him. I think we just know each other better now, and the better you know someone the more comfortable you are. J

There are still mornings where I wake up uncertain as to how I’m going to handle being a mom that day, but I definitely have more confidence now. I’ve realized there’s no way I can do this on my own. I need God to help me every second of every day. He has been so faithful to provide for us and sustain us during this time. He knew Wesley since before he was born, and I find so much comfort in knowing that before he was my child, he was and is God’s child. Bill and I are his earthly parents, but I pray that one day Wesley will have a close relationship with his Heavenly Father. As I hold my baby, I pray over him and thank God for the miracle he’s given us. Wesley has made our lives richer and more full of love. I can’t help but smile each time I look at his adorable little face. He is perfect in every way, and I’m forever grateful to call him my son!

And now for some pictures! I apologize in advance for the picture overload. :) These are primarily pictures from the first few weeks. I will post more recent pictures soon!