How Many!?!?

Wesley was crawling on me earlier today and I reminded him not to climb on my tummy because of the baby in there.

Wesley: You don't have a baby in your tummy, Mommy. You have a puppy in your tummy.

Mommy: No Wesley. It's a baby, not a puppy. It's your baby brother or sister.

Wesley: A baby brother and a baby sister?

Mommy: No, just one. A baby brother OR a baby sister.

Wesley: A baby brother or a baby sister?

Mommy: That's right.

Wesley: Wow! That's a lot of babies!

Little MD

Today was a miserable Monday as far as morning sickness goes. I felt almost as bad as I did last week when I couldn't keep a single thing down. Wesley was so sweet about it though. I had just put his coat on him when I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom. As I was retching, I felt a hand on my back and Wesley said "I right behind you, Mommy." I almost melted on the spot. I told him, "I know you are Pumpkin, but Mommy doesn't feel well right now."

We managed to get loaded into the car and on the road without further incident. We were about halfway to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s when Wesley piped up from the backseat. "Mommy, Bear doesn't feel well. He has a puppy in his tummy."

I was amazed that Wesley drew the connection between me not feeling well and being pregnant. Now if only I could convince him that we're having a baby, not a puppy.

Munch Bunch

Presenting three mostly unrelated stories about food

1) I threw an apple in my backpack today, hoping I'd have time for a quick snack at work. Wesley saw me do that and must have decided I needed some additional food because he unzipped the backpack and added a piece of play pizza and a play ice cream sandwich. Now that's a tasty snack.

2)Wesley asked me for a cheese sandwich for dinner, then climbed up on the couch next to me and snuggled in. After enjoying the love for a few moments, I asked Wesley if he wanted me to make his sandwich, or sit with him. His response? "Make my cheese sandwich, of course!"

3) We had junk food for dinner and I washed my meal down with a chocolate milkshake. I let Wesley try it (his second milkshake ever) and he LOVED it! In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he hugged the cup and said, "I love this cup!"

Still Here

I'm doing such a lousy job posting lately. Sorry. The W. family is still here, still alive and in my case still puking. Not a day goes by that I don't "worship the porcelain god" at least once. Will someone tell me again why I wanted to be pregnant?

I did pull myself together on Friday long enough for an outing with Wesley and Grandma H. I was hungry for some bagels and chicken salad from a particular bagel bakery/deli, so we all had a lunch date. Check out the super cute picture of Grandma H. and Wesley. The grey lump on Grandma's shoulder is Dusty the Elephant. Dusty was Wesley's substitute Stinky Bear on Friday. Wesley woke up on Friday and said his nose hurt and asked for Stinky Bear. Luckily, Dusty answered the call.

After a bite of lunch we decided to go to COSI for a while so Wesley could run around and play. We decided to copy Kate and Colin and took a walk through the "Progress" area before going to the Little Kidspace. I won't say that Wesley was enthralled, but he had a great time taking all the play veggies out of one basket and putting them in another, and spinning around on the diner stools.

I'm happy to report that Wesley was less of an OCD child in the Little Kidspace. He actually played with lots of different things (instead of the one toy he usually spends all his time on) and even tried some toys we've never played with before. The ambulance was a big hit! Check out Wesley's wing man - yep, Dusty the Elephant again!

After our big afternoon, Wesley and I headed home for a nap. He woke up screaming after about an hour and crying out for his Stinky Bear. Poor guy was inconsolable. Luckily Daddy had arrived home while Wesley and I were napping, and Daddy has a special knack for making things all better.

I had to work all day yesterday, but Daddy and Wesley got to go to Kierstin's birthday party - pizza and cupcakes for everyone! Wesley was on his best "show off" behavior and told Grandma W. how to spell cat. He even read one of his books to her! Wesley's reading involves spelling the animal word on a page (such as f-r-o-g) looking at the picture, and telling the audience what it spells. Grandma W. was properly impressed. And Stinky Bear was retrieved from Aunt Melissa's!!!!! Little Dude has been sucking on the tag all morning!

Carbivore

I've decided that during this pregnancy I have become a carbivore / carbitarian. I've always been a HUGE fan of potatoes and bread. Good thing too, since that's ALL 2.0 lets me eat these days. I'm practically living on a diet of bread and cheese, peanut butter sandwiches and baked potatoes since I am most likely (although not guaranteed) to successfully keep those down. I've also been informed that on the rare occasion I am allowed to eat salad, only ranch dressing may pass my lips - and I almost never eat ranch dressing!

I can't wait for 2.0 to allow a little variety into my diet.

Bear is MIA

I got home last night as Duane was tucking Wesley into bed. After hurling what was left of my dinner, I joined the boys for a bedtime story. As Duane was reading, I looked around and noticed that Bear was missing.


"Where's B-E-A-R?" I asked.
"I haven't seen him today," Duane answered.
"He went to Aunt Melissa's."
"Well, he didn't come home."


Wesley didn't seem overly concerned at the moment, so we let it go and Duane called Aunt Melissa a little bit later. Now, Aunt Melissa has caller ID and when she saw our number pop up at close to 10:00 at night, she knew exactly what we were calling for. In fact she answered the phone with the following words, "I found him 10 minutes ago."


Duane and Wesley already had plans to go to Aunt Melissa's for a little bit on Saturday, so they decided to pick up Bear then. Apparently the only person upset about Bear's disappearance is me! Duane pointed out that Wesley isn't nearly as dependant on Bear as he used to be. That's true, but he still sucks on the tag when he is tired or upset. Yes, we have Not So Stinky, but Wesley isn't even a little bit fooled by it.


In an effort to erase Bear from Wesley's mind for the next 36-48 hours, I dug through the toy box and found good ol' Frank. Wesley immediately hugged him and told Frank he loved him. We've spent time reading to Frank and feeding him apple juice and sitting on the couch with him. Maybe we'll survive until Bear is safely home.

Mr./Miss Independent

Sorry I've been absent for a few days. 2.0 has been busy letting me know that he/she is not just like Big Brother. See, I've been counting down the days until I was 12 weeks along. When I was pregnant with Wesley, I felt TONS better at 12 weeks. It was almost like flipping a switch. No such luck with this one.

Warning: lots of stories involving vomit to follow! I hit 12 weeks on Monday. So what did 2.0 do to me? Well, Sunday night I made soup for dinner, ate a bowl of it, and got sick. I tried some bread and cheese a little bit later and got sick. Monday morning I got up and got sick. I took a shower and got sick. I drank some tea and got sick. I got dressed and got sick. I woke Wesley up, got him dressed and got sick. I loaded up the car, strapped Wesley in his car seat, buckled myself in and got sick. Needless to say, there was no work on Monday. Super Grandpa P. came down and took care of me and Wesley. By mid afternoon I was finally able to keep a little bit of food and drink down.

I went back to work yesterday and felt relatively OK for most of the day. I even ate a little cheese pizza during a lunch meeting. By 5:45 I was feeling awful and when I left work at 6:00 I was just hoping I wouldn't get sick in the bushes next to the library. You'll be happy to know I did make it to the car and my handy dandy bucket.

I called Duane to tell him that 2.0 wanted nothing to do with the homemade mac and cheese that was on the menu for dinner, but that he/she wanted won ton soup and potstickers. Duane went and got me the dinner that 2.0 wanted. And how does 2.0 thank us? I ate a small serving of soup and 3 potstickers and got sick!

I'm feeling OK this morning but I've learned that doesn't mean anything. I'm just hoping that 2.0 decides to settle down soon! I am so tired of being sick all the time!

Someone is Going to Be Very Disappointed

Wesley has decided that I do not have a baby in my tummy. Nope. According to my son, I have a puppy in my tummy. Maybe it's easier for him to think we're adding a puppy to the household, but he's going to be very disappointed come August.

I Don't Want to Know

On our way to Aunt Melissa's yesterday, Wesley suddenly piped up from the back seat, "Mommy, Aunt Melissa have a cat?" I told him that yes Aunt Melissa had a cat named Autumn. All was quiet for a moment, then Wesley said, "Autumn really loves hot dogs!" I don't even want to know how my son came to that conclusion. I'm picturing two things 1) him throwing hot dog on the floor and Autumn playing the role of vacuum cleaner, or 2) him chasing Autumn around with a hot dog trying to force her to eat.

On a totally different topic, check out my little caveman watching t.v. yesterday.

My Hero

In case I haven't told you all lately, I married an amazing, wonderful and all around incredible guy! He spoils me on a daily basis - especially now that 2.0 is on the way. Duane fills my gas tank so I don't have to. He runs out at any time of day or night to get me whatever it is that 2.0 is making me crave. He's been changing all the poopy diapers because it turns my stomach right now. He plays with Wesley so I can rest on the couch. He makes dinner most nights because I haven't felt up to cooking. Tell me, could he get any sweeter? YES!!!

Wesley spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s last night because I have a conference this morning that is close to my house. Duane decided to take advantage of the fact that we didn't have the boy around. He showed up at work just before the end of my shift with a dozen beautiful roses and told me he was taking me out to dinner anywhere I wanted. And as we were leaving the restaurant he told me that he wanted to take me out because he figured we should celebrate. And do know what he said when I asked him what we were celebrating? Our marriage!!!! I don't know what I did to get such an amazing man in my life, but I couldn't be more blessed!

Humor A La Carte

2.0 wanted something substantial for breakfast today, so I decided to stop at Timmy Ho's for a breakfast sandwich (notice I said substantial, not healthy.) Anyhow, as we were in line at the drive thru, I told Wesley that I get a sandwich for me and donuts for him and Grandpa. Wesley was super quiet as I pulled up to the speaker and placed my order, but as soon as I finished talking, he yelled out "And one big pumpkin pie!"

Luckily pumpkin pies weren't on the menu and I was handed the bags with my sandwich and the guy's donuts. Wesley still must have a little confused though because as we pulled away he said," Mom, I want the french fries!"

He Speaketh the Truth

Wesley wanted me to play with him earlier, but I told him"Wesley, Mommy is tired." His response? "Mommy always tired!" I cannot wait for the first trimester to end, the morning sickness to end and my energy to return just a little.

Play Day

Despite the fact that I have been throwing up today and did something to my back when getting Wesley out of the car, this has been the best Saturday!!!

Duane has been on vacation this past week - which means Wesley has TOTALLY been a daddy's boy. In order to avoid mountains of paper work on his first day back, Duane went into work for a few hours this morning. That means for the first time in over a week, it was Mommy who was waiting for Wesley when he got up. The little guy wasn't too sure about that. He looked at me and said "You can go work at the library. I wait for Daddy."

I bribed Wesley out of bed with the promise of a trip to the big library. "Bear wants to go too!" was the response. In fact, it was all about Bear for awhile which is a little weird because Wesley is becoming much less dependant on his stinky friend. But for the morning, Bear ruled. When Wesley got dressed he said he wanted to wear his blue boots today and Bear wanted to wear red boots. Since Bear doesn't have boots, I dug through a basket of infant socks, found a red pair and ta-da Bear has boots. Wesley didn't want breakfast, but Bear wanted pancakes, eggs and strawberries. Wesley would touch each bite to Bear's mouth before eating it himself. Apparently a big breakfast made Bear sleepy, because we had to tuck him into Mommy's bed for a nap.

Once Bear was sleeping soundly, Wesley and I headed out to Wild Oats (an organic/healthy supermarket near our house). Wesley was SOOOOOOOO good!!! He grabbed a kid-sized grocery cart for us to put our groceries in and stayed with me the whole time. We got him a fancy "pup-cake" and they even gave him stickers at the counter. Of course, the best part for Wesley was that it was sample day. He nibbled on a piece of sausage, some cheese, and a wheat-free, dairy-free Oreo look alike. He also loaded the cart with things I didn't intend to buy - a huge navel orange, some yogurt and dried peas and corn. I can easily say no to junk food, but when it's healthy and I know he'll eat it (except the orange, he doesn't like oranges but insisted it was his "favorite") I have a hard time saying no.

Daddy was home from work when we returned, so we all had lunch together before going to the big library as a family. Wesley kept telling us he saw a doghouse in the children's department (there isn't one) and went on to tell us who was in it and what color it was and all sorts of details. Another mom looked at me and said, "Wow! He's got a great imagination for his age!" My response? "Yes. He often sees things we don't and tells us all about them." We only stayed at the big library for about an hour because 2.0 started to object to the grilled cheese sandwich we had for lunch. Luckily the big library is close to our house, because I barely made it home before...well, I'm sure you know.

We pretty much took it easy the rest of the day. I stayed on the couch with my sensitive tummy and achy back. We watched some football and some hockey. At one point I started to get really warm, so I pulled my sweater up over my tummy. Wesley kept trying to climb on me so I told him he had to be careful because there was a baby in my tummy. "A baby?" he asked. "Yep! Your brother or sister." Maybe that wasn't the thing to tell him because he was fascinated with my tummy then. He kept poking my belly button and trying to talk into it! Is this what I have to look forward to until August 4th?

It's Getting Hot in Here

Not only are we experiencing 50 and 60+ degree days in Ohio this January, but I have the joy of experiencing hot flashes with this pregnancy. I never had them when I was pregnant with Wesley and they are AWFUL!!!!! I'm talking "so hot I have to fight the urge to remove my shirt" awful.

I had a doosy of a hot flash at the Dancing with the Stars tour the other night. There I was, enjoying the show, when I suddenly began to feel uncomfortably warm. By intermission I was fanning myself with my program and Duane was fanning me with his. I looked around the arena, fully expecting to see half the room using programs as make-shift fans, but I was the only one. I was so tempted to remove my sweater (I had a tank top on under it), but stayed fully clothed and rolled my sleeves up as far as they would go. I didn't even put my coat on when we left -the cool air felt soooooo good.

Major hot flash number two came at work last night and I once again had to suffer through it. Like warm January's aren't hard enough to dress for, now I have to figure out a layering technique in case I need to strip!

Feeling Generous (Sort Of)

One thing I hope 2.0 will break Wesley of is the whole "Mine!" thing. I know part of it is being two, but it really bugs me that Wesley doesn't share better. Last night we had a whole bunch of folks over for the game (which I refuse to talk about.) Wesley and I ended up going upstairs to Mommy's room by the second quarter because he was being such a snot about James touching his toys. I can understand a fit about someone else touching Stinky Bear and I can overlook the fit about James wearing Wesley's blue boots. Wesley LOVES his blue boots and I think it's OK to have a couple things you don't have to share. But Wesley didn't want James playing with anything!!

Apparently the Share Fairy visited Wesley in his dreams though. This morning he shared a book with Daddy on the couch. Wesley wanted to share Sanders by taking him to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s (so not happening.) When we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s, Wesley continued his generous mood by shoving a book through the basement door for Sampson and waking Grandpa up to deliver Stinky Bear to him. Wesley can share with cats and grandparents, why not kids?

Property Dispute

Wesley and I had a bit of a property dispute yesterday. As many of you know, we have three cats - Gus, Sadie and Sanders. Sanders is 100% MY cat. He follows me around, sits on my lap all the time, sleeps with me. I don't know what I'd do without him. Over the last couple of days, Wesley has decided that Sanders is HIS cat. Wesley calls him all the little pet names I do - especially "Sweet kitty." He even tries to put the poor cat up and hug him. Last night he called Sanders his best bud - which was an honor that used to be reserved for Stinky Bear. I think I'd be jealous if Sanders was the least bit interested in returning Wesley's affection, but he usually runs away.

In other Wesley news, he helped me make peanut butter balls for buckeyes yesterday. At first we had a great system going, I'd roll the peanut butter mixture into a ball, hand it to Wesley and he'd put it on the plate (after calling it a coconut). This worked really well until Wesley tasted one of the peanut butter balls - then our system changed. I'd roll the peanut butter mixture into a ball, hand it to Wesley and he'd put it in his mouth! He's definitely his mommy's kid - that's my favorite part of buckeyes too!

I'm So Hungry

Now I know you are thinking that the title of this post refers to me and 2.0. While I am prone to sudden bouts of hunger (I came home last night at 9:20 and informed Duane that I MUST have a danish and I needed him to go get one), I'm actually talking about Wesley. "I'm so hungry" is his new stalling technique for bedtime.

It's just been in the past week or so that Wesley has started telling us when he is hungry or thirsty. At first I was thrilled, but now that he has turned his power to evil, I'm not so sure. Last night I heard the cry of "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" as I walked in the door. Duane was in the kitchen apparently making a plate of hot dog and strawberry for Wesley before bed because he had told Daddy he was "so hungry" and couldn't go to sleep.

While Duane went in search of the elusive danish I was the food police. Funny how a child who was "so hungry" was content to pick at his food. He kept trying to get up from his chair and get his toys out, but I wouldn't let him. If he was so hungry, he needed to sit and eat. I think it took him more than 30 minutes to eat half a hot dog and 2 strawberries. "I'm so hungry" indeed. Guess who is just going to have to go to bed hungry tonight?

Why Can't Wesley Read?

Maybe because he's only 2! But trying to explain that to Wesley does not work! The boy wants to read NOW. It's heartbreaking to watch him look at a book then bring it to you and say, "I can't read." I've tried telling him that he is learning to read, but that's no good. He doesn't get frustrated by it, but he sounds so sad.

He really is making great strides in his early literacy/reading readiness skills. He knows his letters, sees and reads letters on signs, shirts, and at the store. He seems to understand that we read left to right(because that's the way he points out letters). In fact, yesterday I was wearing at t-shirt that had RSC (a company Duane deals with) stitched on it. Wesley would say each letter, then run his finger across it and say "It says 'Mommy' " So close, and yet not quite there!