Out of the Cocoon!!

Us -- all three of us. The Westphal Family.

Fletcher spends time with Aunt Mary. (He's wearing the 12 month outfit from Chris's Argentine clients.)

We ate a delicious dinner at Aunt Mary's -- Fletcher ate his hands and enjoyed all the attention...

Susan and Mary massaging Fletcher's hands and cooing over him. He says... more...

Best seat in the new house.

Fletcher’s pretty much got his head control now and he is working hard to lift his head when he’s lying down. He’s definitely using his hands and has mastered finding the openings of other women’s shirts when they are holding him. The Westphal trademark eyebrows are really starting to fill in…the EYEBROWS. Good thing Fletcher wasn’t a girl. Otherwise, we’d have to invest a lot in future hair removal.

What a week it has been for Fletcher! We’ve kept our little boy in the cocoon (house) long enough. We are more confident in our ability respond to Fletcher’s needs out in public and are becoming more proficient and confident at maneuvering and using all this darn baby equipment. So, this week, Fletcher had lots of new experiences and met lots of new people.

The week started with a trip to the grocery store – Mommy finally mustered up the nerve. Fletcher loved all the bright colors and all the ladies at the deli. He dished out a few smiles and they responded and he dished even more… The trip was a lot of fun for Mommy and stress-free mentally, but physically Mommy had an aching back from carrying Fletcher in the Bjorn Baby carrier.

Fletcher has logged about 10 miles in the jogging stroller this week. He likes the fresh air and being outside. Mommy likes that she can exercise and have Fletcher with her.

Fletcher’s weekend started with a shopping trip to Nordstrom’s and Safeway, and then he visited the model home in Raspberry Falls where his new house is being built. The ladies there swooned over him – lots of hugs and kisses for him – those cheeks are definite kiss magnets. He seemed to enjoy and ask for mooooorrrrrre…. He visited his new house that’s under construction, he spent time exploring our friends 14 acres, he visited his first Loudon County winery, and he went to his first Japanese restaurant (where the waitress kept rubbing his feet without Mommy’s or Daddy’s permission… grrrrrrrrrrrhhhhh). This was all in one day. The weekend ended with a trip to our waterfront house and a dinner at Aunt Mary’s house where he got to meet his cousins Malik and Macayla for the first time. At the weekend’s end, the new parents reclaimed spontaneity and learned the sweet joy of a new definition of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. -- being out in public with a “good” baby! Thanks, Fletcher.