Murphy's Law of Mommyhood

When you drop your child off in the morning and he is clean and happy, and you say "Mommy has to go to work" and lean in for a kiss, he will turn away from you so fast you will wonder if you were eating limburger and onion sandwiches in your sleep.

When you go visit your child at lunch and are getting ready to return to work (and a meeting), and your child's face is covered with peas, apples and blueberries and say "Mommy has to go to work," he will lean in and gladly give you the biggest sloppiest kiss you have had in ages!

Happy Memorial Day

In addition to being Memorial Day, today is Wesley's nine month birthday - or as I like to say "He's now been out as long as he was in!" We celebrated today by introducing Wesley P. to two very important P's - the park and a pool! Duane and I took Wesley to a nice little park near Grandma and Grandpa H.'s house today. Wesley LOVED the swings (of course) and he really liked the little bouncy horses. Once again, he hated the slide. He didn't even like it when I went down the slide with him on my lap. Oh well, hopefully that will come in time.

The pool was a big hit. There has never been any doubt in our minds that we have a total waterbaby on our hands. This was just a little inflatable baby pool, but he was a happy happy boy in it. We bought him some squirty fish and a little fishing net too. I think he could have stayed in there all day. Bless his heart, he didn't even mind having sunblock put on him. I can't wait to see him in the big pool at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s!

You Cannot Resist My Charms!

Whatever did we do before Wesley was born? Sunday evening we had a cookout at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s house. We arrived first and it was so funny to watch everyone else come in. They'd say hi to Grandma and Grandpa, then park themselves wherever Wesley was. It must stink not to be liked! :-) Uncle Stacey had a tough day at work and said that Wesley was about the only thing that was going to make him smile. Wesley's cousin Mike (22) took such good care of him. Mike obviously did something to win Wesley's devotion because Wesley just held onto Mike's leg, looked into his face, and babbled away. It was like his was explaining it all to his big cousin. VERY CUTE!!!!

We all gorged ourselves on the first official cookout of the season. I don't know what it was, but everything tasted extra good! Wesley had a strawberry and some grapes. I gave him a couple kernels of corn and even let him taste a little bit of my hamburger. He seemed to like it all, but nothing compared to the taste of Grandpa's special banana cream pie. Is it any wonder the kid was completely wired all evening and wide awake when it was past his bedtime?

Who's Been Sitting in My Chair?

Saturday night our home was filled with friends that we haven't seen in a while. We used to get together on almost a weekly basis, but kids kind of change that. Anyhow, among the crowd were Rusty, Katie and their son James, who is 4 months younger than Wesley. Wesley wasn't sure what to do with James - especially since James was playing with Wesley's toys, sitting in Wesley's chair, eating a jar of Wesley's babyfood. Wesley was just very curious about the whole situation since he's used to being the center of attention.

Of course, Rick and Sasha were also here and they are some of Wesley's very favorite people. He got over James relatively quickly, because there were other people to charm! He played with Sasha most of the night, but did take time out to show Rick how to work the baby MP3 player. Busy boy!

Gotta Hand It to Ya!

Wesley has discovered a new way to get someone to give him what he wants. He hands it to them - literally. It started a week ago when he went to aerobics with Grandma H. She gave him a couple of veggie puffs, put the lid on the container and started her exercises. A few minutes later, Wesley crawled over to her with the container of puffs. He took her hand and put the container in it. Grandma caught on right away. Today he tried the same trick with me, except instead of handing me something to eat, he handed me the TV remote! I thanked him, but told him that we were not watching any more Noggin this morning. He tried again and although I knew exactly what he wanted, I'm not a total pushover! What a smart boy (if I do say so myself!)

Wouldn't You Like to be a Pepper Too?

I wonder if Wesley is going to be as caffeine addicted as his parents......

Warm Weather Wear

Now that I am back at work, the weather has decided to turn absolutely beautiful. It's even supposed to climb into the 80's by the end of the week. Perfect shorts weather. The problem? The only shorts I own are pre-Wesley shorts which I have zero chance of fitting into. Shopping for shorts ranks right up there with shopping for bathing suits, so I have spent today wondering if I still have my maternity shorts. As much as I hate to admit it, those were some comfy shorts and I would not be above wearing them (at least until I feel like trying on clothes). I plan on digging through my dresser tonight and I am really really hoping to find them. How sad is that!?

Dance Baby Revolution

Wesley has joined the pack and can now do the official baby boogie. You parents know the one I'm talking about, the one where the baby will bounce up and down to any music they hear. Grandpa P. told me that Wesley had been dancing for them a week or so ago, but I had yet to see the boy cut a rug. Tonight Duane told me Wesley was dancing. Sure enough, he would stand at his exersaucer, press one of the buttons that plays music and bounce away! Shake that diapered booty!

Maybe My Baby

We went to COSI again today and as I was watching Wesley, I started to wonder what kind of kid he'll be. He's such a happy and well behaved baby and I wonder if it will continue. We are already seeing bits of his own personality coming out.

Wesley is pretty independent. Of course there are days that he just wants to be held and cuddled, but more and more he wants to do things on his own. He needs help with the walking toys because he can't quite control how hard he pushes them yet, but if he can tell I'm helping he gets annoyed. I can just hear a little voice saying "Me do it!" On the other hand, he'll play by himself with one toy for a long time.

Wesley is curious. It's so much fun to watch him discover new things, but he's so into the details. Today I blew bubbles for him and he was more impressed by the fact that I was blowing to make the bubbles than he was with the bubbles themselves. He examines every toy for the places where there are holes and screws and he'll be fascinated! He loves to watch people and faces and really see what's going on around him.

Wesley is fearless! He loves to be bounced and swung hard and held upside down. I have a awful feeling that he'll be into bungee jumping someday. He can't stand without holding onto things, but that hasn't stopped him from letting go with one hand (or sometimes both.) He rolls off the couch and it doesn't slow him down for a moment. He's already trying to climb things too. Uh! I can practically feel my hair turning grey.

Today I saw that Wesley is a little stubborn and has a bit of his mommy's temper. The first thing he wanted to do at COSI was ride on one of the bikes. Great! But whenever I stopped pushing the bike he'd burst into tears and scream. I know that he doesn't have any other way of communicating, but I actually got pitying looks from a couple other parents. As soon as starting pushing the bike though, the tears would be replaced by his normal sunny smile.

I had a few minutes when I worried that maybe he'll be a bully. I ran into someone I went to library school with and her youngest was born 3 days after Wesley. The two little guys were playing on some soft blocks and really started checking each other out. Wesley hasn't been around other babies his age. Colin and Reagan are older and James is a few months younger (which is a big difference at this age). They touched each others hands and faces, but then Wesley reached out and pulled the little boy's hair. I was mortified! Logically I know that Wesley has no idea that hair-pulling isn't nice and that it hurts (something Mommy hopes he learns soon!) but still, he kept doing it.

Luckily I was redeemed a little when another child came over and took a toy Wesley was playing with. Wesley just looked at him and that was that. Although later when someone else tried to take his wheelbarrow, Wesley refused to let go. He didn't cry. He didn't get angry. He just held on until the other child gave up and went to play with something else.

You just wonder sometimes what these sweet little babies are going to be like in a few years. Are we going to be memorizing dinosaur names? Will we be tripping over cars? art kits? Will he still love his books so much or will it be a struggle to keep him reading? Are we fated to enter the chicken nugget stage? I can't wait to find out!

COSI Kid

Today Grandpa P. joined us for some play time at COSI. We haven't been there in two months and Wesley has changed so much in that time. He can crawl to what he wants to play with now and he really enjoys watching the other kids. Last time we were there he didn't like the little bikes, but today he laughed and laughed as I pushed him around (at least until he fell off!) Last time Wesley just kind of sat in the water table and chewed the toys, but today he splashed around in the water too! I think my favorite part was when he was pushing the wheelbarrow. He'd push it as far as his little arms would reach and his tushie would stick way out. Then he'd take a few steps forward before doing it all again. It was so much fun! He's getting to be such a big boy.

Chew Toy

It's a darn good thing this kid doesn't have teeth yet! About an hour ago Wesley crawled across the couch and chomped me on an area he hasn't been permitted to clamp onto in 8 months (and it figures, we couldn't get him to latch on then!) Then he bit Sanders tail - and tried to bite it a second time! Then he crawled across the room and bit my knee! Now he's chewing on the computer chair! Duane just called him "Sir Munch-a-Lot" It fits! All I can say is I've earned that pint of Ben and Jerry's tonight!

Mother's Day

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day as a mom! It's really kind of strange to think I'm included in that holiday. Wesley is sitting right next to me, but sometimes it's a little surreal to think I'm a mom.

The day started out as a picture perfect Mother's Day - meaning that Wesley took pity on his poor mom and after waking up at 4:30 for a bottle (which Duane took care of) he slept until almost 9:00. That has NEVER happened! Duane took charge of getting Wesley ready for church so I could take a long, relaxing shower and actually blow dry my hair. Duane got me a very sweet card and "Wesley" had already given me a box of very fancy chocolates from Voges and a card.

Once we were all dressed and ready we headed out in the 50-something degree weather (about 20 degrees cooler than usual) and the rain to church. Wesley behaved pretty well in church, but apparently he got Mother's Day and Father's Day mixed up because after being a complete Mommy's boy all week, all he wanted was his Daddy! That continued as we went to brunch with Grandma and Grandpa H. Poor Duane had to eat with his left hand while holding Wesley (who wanted nothing to do with his highchair.) Brunch was delicious though and Wesley behaved quite well - especially since we had already expected him to behave through a church service.

That's the highlights of the day. After brunch the lowlights hit. Duane developed a massive headache and was pretty much immobile the rest of the afternoon. Wesley proceed to have 3 poopy diapers in half and hour and soaked two outfits. Grandma H. brought a ray of sunshine to us when she came down to play for a couple of hours, but once she left the clouds rolled in again. Duane woke up feeling much better, but I developed a terrible tummy-ache and went to bed around 8:00. The good news is that we all feeling better this morning! Happy belated Mother's Day!!!

Busy Baby

We're back to the routine of super busy weekends. Duane worked this morning, so it was me and the boy hanging out. Aunt Susan had a special Mother's Day luncheon at her house for the moms in her life, so we went down there. It was so nice! My mom, Lynne, Paula, Susan's sister Lisa, and two of Lisa's daughters were all there. Having two of his grandmas in the same room seemed to confuse Wesley a little bit. He'd look back and forth between them a lot and couldn't decide who he wanted to go to. This isn't the first time Grandma H. and Grandma P. have been together, but Wesley probably doesn't remember the other times.

We had a great afternoon. We ate, played some games and basically spent a lovely afternoon together. Wesley got to be the token male and ate up all the attention that was lavished upon him. I was so impressed by how wonderful Maggie and Emily were with Wesley. Granted they have a little sister who is not quite two, but they were so patient with him! They held him, read to him and played with him. It was so sweet.

After most everyone left, Susan did me a HUGE favor by cutting Wesley's hair. You know you're baby is overdue for a haircut when your niece (who is in kindergarten) looks at him and says "Baby Wesley, you need a haircut!" Susan did a fantastic job - as I knew she would- and even swept up some of the hair and put it in a little bag for me to keep. She thinks of everything!

Then we went to Babies R Us. Wesley managed to reprogram the tv the other day, so it was time to babyproof. I bought TV, DVD and VCR guards, some latches for the drawers and cabinets and other goodies. Aunt Susan and Grandma H. bought him clothes clothes and more clothes. This boy has quite the extensive wardrobe! Grandma H. also got him an Incrediblock, which he has been playing with all evening! He loves it! Pretty soon it'll be time for bath and bed. A busy day for a busy baby!

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Wesley has recently become a little kissing bandit. He has two board books with mirrors in them and he loves to kiss his reflection while reading. Let me tell you, it really entertained the people sitting behind us in church last week. The last couple of days he has progressed beyond kissing his reflection and onto kissing the phone. I know it's kind of gross, but both times he's done it, it's been while I was calling from work. Now if that isn't sweet I don't know what is!

City Boy

Tonight after dinner I took Wesley into the yard for a few minutes. It was just so pretty out and Duane mowed the grass this afternoon and it smelled so sweet. My feet were just itching to be in it, so I scooped up the boy and out we went. I think I enjoyed it much more than he did. Wesley was fine while he was just sitting in the grass, but the boy is mobile and he wanted to go. The problem? He HATED the feel of grass on his hands. He'd put his hand out to crawl, then snatch it back as soon as it touched the grass. Over and over - reach, pull back, reach, pull back. I couldn't help but laugh at him. Of course, that just made him laugh along and clap. He really wanted to chase the birds too, but that required touching the grass. Oh the trauma!

Happy Anniversary

I was originally supposed to work today, but one of my co-workers asked to trade a weekend with her, so I ended up with this weekend off. I was really happy when she wanted to trade because today is our two year wedding anniversary. I ordered Duane's present several weeks ago and even though it wasn't anything big, I was pretty excited about it. We went to a gorgeous place called Mohonk Mountain House for our honeymoon. Everyday at 4:00 they serve tea and cookies. We'd collect our refreshement and go sit outside on a couple rocking chairs overlooking the lake. It was wonderful! Duane really liked the tea and brought a box home with him, but it didn't last too long. I called Mohonk and had them ship a couple boxes of tea for his gift. Sweet, kind of romantic, didn't break the bank. I thought I did OK. Duane totally outdid me.

My wonderful husband remembered how much I loved just walking around Target on Valentine's Day. He went and got me small gift cards from a TON of places Target, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, Starbucks, Mozarts, Bath and Body Works, Rag-o-Rama, World Market, and enough for us to go to dinner at Eddie George's restaurant. Duane's oh-so-evil plan is for us to make an entire day of shopping around while Grandma H. watches Wesley (she volunteered) We're not sure when the big day will be, but I am so looking forward to it! I'm telling you, that man is amazing!

I'd better go. We're going out to dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date. Did I mention I love my husband!

They Were Right

Everyone said he'd be driving before I knew it! I just didn't think it would be in Grandpa's MG!

How to Keep a Baby Busy

The other day I needed to keep Wesley occupied for a few minutes while I packed his diaper bag and my dinner. It was almost time for his mid-morning bottle, so I figured a little food would keep him busy. I cut a strawberry into little tiny pieces and put it into a shallow bowl for him. This was a double treat because although Wesley has had strawberry applesauce before, he has never had a real strawberry. He's also never had his own bowl to get food out of. At first he was pretty enthralled with the bowl - I mean, how cool is that!? He patted it and turned it over. But once he discovered the strawberry pieces he was hooked. Everytime he got a piece into his mouth he'd say "mmmm." At one point he even stuck his face in the bowl to get the food. I tried so hard to get a picture of him looking up, but he didn't want to take his eyes off the prize.

Myth Versus Reality

The myth: Biter Biscuits are a yummy treat for your baby. The hard cookie dissolves as your child eats it, making it great "for mealtime or anytime" and great "when you are on the go" HAH!!!!!

The reality: Biter Biscuits are a yummy treat for your baby. The hard cookie dissolves into a sticky, paste-like substance as your child eats it and dries into something harder than concrete, making it a great bath night only treat in a highchair right before you go into the water.