15 Months

The vocabulary of Wesley at 15 months:

• Hi
• Daddy (first sentance "Hi Daddy")
• Mom (although he uses the same sound for "more")
• Crackers (cracks)
• Outside (side)
• Car
• Doggie
• Crash
• Cyrus
• Cup
• Cheese
• Moo
• Meow (this sounds a lot like moo, but at a higher pitch)
• Up (used for upstairs)
• Cat
• Kitty
• Splash
• Socks
• Fish
• Yes

You know, I've been freaking out that he doesn't say very much that we can understand, but that's not a bad list.

Words I'm surprised are not in his vocabulary - but I'm sure will be there soon

• Noggin
• Moose
• Zee
• Tag
• Frank
• Book
• Milk
• Grandma/Grandpa
• Dora
• Blue (as in Blue's Clues)
• Jack (Jack's Big Music Show)

Sunshine and Shirtsleeves

There is nothing even resembling a winter wonderland in central Ohio these days. It was October weather today! We were outside without coats! Now I enjoy warm weather as much as the next person, in fact I'm solar powered and crave the sun if I have to go more than a day without it, but it's awfully hard for me to get into the holiday spirit when temperatures are in the mid to upper 60's.

I guess there are some pluses to the warm weather. Grandma W. had an open house today so everyone could see all the improvements that have been made to her house in the last year or so. Thanks to the warm weather, Wesley and his cousins were able to run around the backyard until their little hearts were content. Duane even raked the leaves into a huge pile for the kids to jump in. Well, Kierstin and Mark jumped, Wesley watched and ran around. I tried to get pictures, but Wesley is on the go so much that it is hard to get a picture of his face and the kids were mostly buried in leaves. Maybe next time.

Grandma and Grandpa H. also took advantage of the warmth and had Duane help put up the outside Christmas lights. I think this is the earliest they have ever had them up, but when mother nature decides to play nice, it's best to play along. We started putting some of our decorations up too. The tree will go up sometime this week. I can't wait to see Wesley's reaction to that!

Still Giving Thanks

Last night we enjoyed our third Thanksgiving meal of the holiday weekend. Since Grandma and Grandpa P. were sick/recovering on turkey day the celebration was postponed until yesterday. Meaning that Duane, Wesley and I were able to attend.

Aunt Paula hosted and Duane and I were much more concerned about Wesley getting into everything than Paula or Uncle Stacey were. Their house is beautiful and Wesley felt that it was his toddler duty to touch everything he could. We managed to escape with nothing broken or permanently stained. Yay!! Of course it helped that there was a sweet chocolate Labrador named Riley visiting. Riley let Wesley kiss her and pet her and even try to climb her. Wesley also checked out his cousin Aaron's drum set and performed his version of Riverdance for us.

Dinner was absolutely yummy and Wesley actually ate instead of insisting on crackers. Wesley sampled turkey, duck, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn bread, cheddar biscuits and green beans. Not too shabby. The only thing he didn't try was the asparagus and that is because I thought it would be too difficult for him to eat. Oh! And remembered how important it was to mooch whipped cream off anyone eating dessert. Who says I haven't taught my son the important things in life.

Date Night

Duane and I got to go out on a real date (without the boy) last night!! It was strange not to ask for a high chair and to be able to order what we wanted without worrying if Wesley would be able to mooch it (crab and artichoke dip). We had a long relaxing dinner and went to a late movie. Although it is slightly pathetic that we saw a "kids" movie. We went to Happy Feet because it's what was starting. It was cute and about 2/3 of it was really funny. However, we would not take a child to watch it. There were several scary parts and while a lot of kids movies throw in a few jokes for the adults, this whole movie was one big innuendo. Fine for us though. Wesley was sound asleep when we got home. AHH!! Date night!

Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry I've been absent from posting for a few days. The plague hit the family this week. Wesley was sick Monday, I came down with it Tuesday, Grandma and Grandpa P. got it Tuesday night, and Grandpa H. got it today. So it's been kind of ugly all the way around.

Wesley and I were feeling pretty good today though, so we did get to celebrate. We started our Thanksgiving celebration by heading up to Grandma W.'s house. Our friend Rick joined us for the festivities this year, as his wife is out of the country. Rick got to experience the overabundance of two Thanksgiving meals in one day.

We had a lot of fun at Grandma W.'s. Everyone was there! Uncle Doug, Aunt Judy, Aunt Melissa & Uncle Mark, Mark and Kierstin - even Cyrus the dog! Wesley refused to eat anything but crackers (his new word is "cacks") but he really put a hurting on them. After we ate, it was time to decorate the Christmas tree. Kierstin had a great time working on the tree. She even decorated herself!!

Aunt Judy and Kierstin making deviled eggs

Rick and his after turkey nap

Mark, Mark and Cyrus

Decorating Kierstin - I mean the tree!

Later in the afternoon we went to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s for our evening meal. I'm sad to say, Wesley wasn't any more interested in eating. He did have a great time chatting away to Al. Too bad no one can understand what Wesley was saying. It must have been very important though, because he jabbered away for at least 20 minutes. A family friend was there with her mother and dog, Crash. Wesley added a new word to his vocabulary. You guessed it! He can now say "Crash!"

Daddy carving the turkey

Wesley's spoon trick to avoid eating

Mooching pie from Rick

Aunt Carol, Grandma H., and Mommy

Why I Love My Grandparents - 2

I love my grandparents because when Mommy called them at 6:00 in the morning to say I am not feeling well and could they please come to my house to take care of me today, they readily agreed, hopped out of bed and came right down. They even brought me popsicles!

A New Discovery

This will be one of those blog and picture combinations that Wesley will want to kill me for when we is a teenager. Wesley has discovered his belly button! Like a lot of toddlers, if you ask Wesley where his belly button is, he'll lift up his shirt and smile, but yesterday we got full belly button awareness.

After the big game (GO BUCKS!!) and the departure of most of our friends we stripped Wesley down to his diaper to a) let him run around as Nearly Naked Boy and b) to try to keep him awake a little longer since he skipped his nap. It did not take him long to realize that there was something in the middle of his tummy. It was - GASP - a belly button!!! I tried so hard to get a picture of him walking around with his tummy pushed out trying to get a look, but this is the best I could do. Just wait until he discovers that everyone has a belly button. All I can say is, keep those shirts tucked in if Wesley is around!

Our New Additions

Cat Tested....
Heather Approved!

Have a Seat

I am so excited I could almost burst! We bought new furniture for our family room today!!!! In case you haven't visited our house recently, let me assure you that this was a purchase that was long overdue. We've had people practically injure themselves sitting down too hard on our couch. We can't afford really nice furniture right now, but thought we could probably get some "transition" furniture to last us a few years until we move.

We did a little looking last week and found something we talked ourselves out of. Good thing too! A quick trip to JC Penney Furniture Outlet proved to be a very good move. We found a sofa and loveseat that is going to be perfect. The colors match the front room, it isn't an obnoxious pattern and the back cushions are attached (a must unless you want the cats to squish them down permanently.) Duane and our friend Ray are picking the stuff up as I type. All that will be left to do will be to replace the curtains.

This wasn't exactly on our agenda today. Looking was, maybe even purchasing, but we didn't think we'd be picking stuff up today. However, delivery was kind of expensive and I don't have any mornings I'm off this week. The store hours are kind of weird, so it was pretty much pick it up today, or......well, we didn't know when. I can't believe I'll be watching the game on brand new furniture!!! Don't worry - I'll post some pictures later today. In the meantime, enjoy seeing Wesley perched on the new cushions.

Paprazzi Returns

I promised some pictures of Wesley and since I didn't go to work today I tried out the new camera.

I missed the picture of Wesley asleep in his jacket and hat, but I did catch a couple cute ones of him asleep in his high chair. Duane always says that he's never known anyone who can fall asleep as fast as I do. Wesley can! One minute he was happily eating beef stew and the next minute he was fast asleep.

After a good long nap Wesley and I played with his Little People farm for at least an hour. And then we played with it some more. Wesley loves to put the animals in the fence and drop his cookie magnets down the silo. He knows that a cow says "Moo" and Duane finally got to hear Wesley's very impressive cow impersonation.

E-I-E-I-O Farmer Wesley.

Shhhhhh!

No, I'm not trying to be a stereotypical librarian. After all, I firmly believe in the "Less hush, more lush" theory of librarianship. Nope, I have completely lost my voice. Totally gone! I am still battling a bit of a cold and when I woke up Tuesday morning I could tell that it was just a matter of time before my voice took a little vacation. I lose my voice about once a year, so I know the signs. I did two storytimes on Tuesday to help one of my co-workers out and that sped up the voice-losing process considerably.

I was only scheduled for 3 hours of work yesterday, so I did go in. Unfortunately, I think those three hours totally wrecked whatever was left of my voice. Yesterday I could croak if I had to, today I can only whisper. No croaking, no nothing! Now I have a new dilemma. I am supposed to work all evening today with at least half of my time being on the public service desk. Do you know how useless I am on the public service desk? I can't even answer the phone! It's pathetic! I guess I'll call my supervisor in a little while and see what we can work out. Maybe I can be off desk all day.

On a totally different subject - pictures of Wesley will be returning to the blog soon. My camera died this week (which made me miss a super cute picture of Wesley sleeping sitting up) but I bought a new one yesterday. The paparazzi has returned!

Slacker Mom Strikes Again

Oops! Yesterday we discovered that we left Wesley's medicine that we are supposed to keep refrigerated on the counter for 13 hours. We had to throw it out because it smelled "off". So today I made an embarrassed phone call to the doctor's office to beg for another prescription. They were very understanding, but I still felt like a big ol' dork.

Mommy's Little Helper (and Daddy's Too!)

Wesley has discovered the joy of helping others. OK, maybe he's just discovered that when he helps us do something we smile really big, say "thank you" and generally make a big deal about it. Wesley has been helping us around the house by putting his socks in the laundry basket, taking clothes out of the dryer (or putting dirty ones in, but it still counts), and throwing his wet diapers in the trash.

This past week he added two new ways of helping to his library of knowledge. I have to shut Wesley in the bathroom with me when I take a shower and he's awake. The other day when I opened the door to the shower, Wesley handed me one of my towels. How sweet! He also helped us put the groceries away tonight. He thought everything went in the refrigerator or freezer, but it was so cute to watch him take things out of the bag, bring them to us, or try to put them on a shelf. "Thank you, Wesley. Good job!"

This is Getting Ridiculous

Can you believe Wesley is sick AGAIN?!? Guess that emergency haircut was in vain, because we definitely didn't make it to Mansfield (or anywhere else) today.

Wesley came down with all this yesterday - the day after he got is ears re-checked at the doctor. The doctor said there was fluid in his ear, but it wasn't infection and not to worry unless he got a fever. Twenty-six hours later, Aunt Melissa woke him up from a nap and he was burning up. When Duane gave Wesley a bath last night, the poor little guy started shaking and wouldn't stop. Wesley and I spent part of the night on the couch since I was off today and let Daddy get some sleep. Grandpa P. came down to sit with Wesley for a little bit this morning while I took a shower and went to pick up Wesley's prescription. Hopefully it will do the trick this time.

What I can't get over is the magic of Motrin. About 30 - 45 minutes after he gets a teaspoon of it, he is ready to go! I cancelled dinner plans with friends tonight because Wesley was just so pathetic and I felt like I needed to be with my boy. We spent part of the evening watching TV with Wesley laying on my chest. Every few minutes he'd lift his head up and let out a cry. I'm telling you, it was heartbreaking. Then it was Motrin time and 45 minutes later Wesley started turning in circles on the carpet, clapping his hands to music on the TV and laughing. I just wish it didn't wear off about 2 hours before we're allowed to give him another dose. At least it's my turn to sleep tonight - Duane gets couch duty if it's required.

Hair 911

How bad does a child's hair have to look for his Grandma to look at it and say "I can take him to the salon this afternoon?" That was the situation we found ourselves in yesterday. Let me back up a little. Wesley and I are heading to Mansfield tomorrow (with Grandma and Grandpa P.) to see the great-uncles. Wesley has been in desperate need of a haircut for a little over a week, but time has not allowed us to get to the salon.

I really want him to look nice for his visit and his hair was hanging in his eyes. So like any desperate mom, I thought "I could just cut the front a little so he can see." BAD IDEA!! I took way too much off and it looked terrible - prompting the above comment from Grandma H. So while I was at work, Wesley and Grandma went to get his hair fixed.

Apparently the salon was an adventure all it's own. Wesley screams whenever he gets his haircut, so that was nothing new. What was new was the little boy a few months older than Wesley in the waiting area. According to Grandma, the little boy came over and hugged Wesley, then knocked him down. Wesley got up and followed the boy around then gave him a hug. A few minutes later the boy came over to Wesley, hugged him and knocked him down. When the boy approached Wesley the third time, Wesley decided it was time to get the upper hand. Before the boy could hug Wesley, Wesley knocked him down!

I called Grandma H. during my dinner hour to see how the haircut went. "It looks....fine," she said. I could tell that wasn't exactly a heartfelt statement, especially when she followed it with "It will grow." But the worst comment of all was "He looks cute no matter what!" At this point I was convinced that Wesley was sporting a buzz cut or something equally as drastic. It turns out that his hair really does look fine. It's a little on the short side, but no one is going to point and laugh on the street. But I can assure you, I am NEVER taking scissors to my child's head again.

I know these are not very good pictures. My camera is dying a slow, painful death and it decides when it wants to take a picture - which is never when I want it to. Wesley was also trying to watch "Play With Me Sesame." Guess I shouldn't' get between a boy and his muppets.

If You Give a Boy a Box

What is it with kids and boxes? I bought a mega box of diapers last week and Wesley just loves the box. We haven't been able to throw it away! He likes to put his stuffed animals and books in it and push it all over the house.

On the up side, it does allow time for Duane and I to get a few chores done.

Totally off the subject, Wesley has started to run away when it's time to get his diaper changed. He's currently hiding out in the kitchen because Daddy is armed with the changing pad. Hum, wonder who will win this one? :-)

Watch Out for Hairballs

Some of you may not know that I am a total cat person. We have three furry angels in our house: Gus (a stray we took in shortly after we got married), Sadie (a cat we bought a year before we got married) and Sanders (my soul mate kitty I adopted from a shelter 8 or 9 years ago.) Sanders is the most gentle kitty on the planet. Proof? Wesley was smothering the poor kitty with kisses to the point where Sanders little head was completely wet. That sweet cat just laid there and took it. What a good kitty.

Why I Love My Grandparents by WPW

I love my grandparents because even though I didn't eat a bite of my dinner and I smeared it all over the table, Grandma still let me have ice cream for dessert (and it was Haagen Dazs coffee flavored - yummy!)

Mommy and Daddy Sitting in a Tree

Wesley is so funny! If Duane and I hug in front of him, he gets a big, goofy grin on his face and demands to be included in the hug. In the midst of a family hug today, Duane and I kissed. Wesley smiled very big, and we kissed again. Wesley looked at Duane, then looked at me, then planted a kiss on Mommy. Duane kissed me again, then Wesley kissed me again. I'm telling you, I've never felt so loved!

Hard Habit to Break

I love to watch Wesley eat. It must be a mom thing, but I think it's so cute the way he uses his little hands to pick up pieces and place them in his mouth. Seriously, I love to watch him eat - until he decides he doesn't want anymore. Then he picks up pieces of food and drops them over the side of the highchair. It's bad enough at home, but it's downright embarrassing when we are at a restaurant. Duane was a pretty good catch at dinner tonight, but I think the cleaning crew at Damon's will be earning their paycheck tonight.