Today's Blow to the Ego

I put on a new outfit today – black pencil skirt, black heels, black ruffled blouse with purple flowers – very cute. Wesley looked at me and said, “Mom, you don’t look very handsome today.” I told him that was OK. Girls are supposed to look pretty, not handsome. He gave me the once over and announced “I think you look kind of bad.” Great. My three year old thinks he’s on What Not to Wear. Add to this the fact that Wesley has been telling me that he ordered a crab costume for me to wear for Halloween and my poor little ego is taking a beating.

On the other hand, things are going really well at work. I haven't had any trouble getting out the door with the boys, probably because Duane and I are doing everything we possibly can the night before - diaper bags packed, lunches made, car packed, clothes set out, etc. The downside is that by the time we do all these things plus eat dinner, it's about time to get the boys ready for bed. That's when the mommy guilt hits. I had a passing thought of how much more I might be able to accomplish if I started drinking regular coffee again, but I'm not ready to go down that path. This is just the new normal and we're still adjusting to it, right? Oh PLEASE tell me I'm right!

Tomorrow is Another Day

I'm going back to work tomorrow. I'm excited about going back, but I've got this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Part of it is fear that work doesn't really want me back and part of it is leaving the kids. I know both fears are irrational, but that's just the way it is. All I want to do today is cuddle the boys, but instead I'm packing diaper bags and my work bag and running last minute errands. I'm sure it will all be fine though. I'll let you know tomorrow.

I Guess They Are Related

I haven't thought that Wesley and Ryan resemble each other at all. Yesterday, I discovered I was wrong. Here's both boys - Ryan at 2 months, 1 week and Wesley at 2 months, 3 weeks. Wesley is on the left. I'm not saying they are clones, but I do see a resemblance for the first time. But wow! Ryan sure didn't get the hair gene, did he?

Wesley is several weeks younger in this set of pictures, but I'm sure you get the idea.

Tummy Torture

I hate tummy time.

Seriously, I hate it!

I am so outta here.

Later that same day.............

Whoa! Maybe this isn't so bad.

Oh yea! I could get used to this!

It's My Potty!

Wesley completed his first potty chart today! We put a sticker on his chart every time he actually goes on the potty. You'd think that chart would fill up really fast, but that isn't necessarily the case. We've been working on this one for two or three weeks.

Wesley was really excited to put the last sticker on. As soon as he did he yelled, "Chuck E. Cheese! We're going to Chuck E. Cheese! Let's go Mom!" Somehow I convinced him to wait until Daddy got home - we even invited Cathy, Sho and Kei along to celebrate the big event. Wesley is a long way from potty trained, but he's making great progress.

Of course, it was when we got home that the "fun" really began. Wesley fell asleep in the car, so I carried him in and set him on the couch. I went to grab Car/Stinky Bear to put next to him, but I didn't know where he was. We did not take him to Chuck E. Cheese, so I knew he was in the house, but I could not find him anywhere! I tucked Not-So-Stinky next to Wesley in case he woke up and began a frantic bear search It took almost an hour of frantic searching before I found him in the frame of our bed. As soon as I set him next to Wesley, he rolled over and began sucking the tag (he hadn't touched Not-So-Stinky) Think I can put a tracking chip in him?

How Do You Spell Trouble?

Sometimes I think Wesley is too smart for his own good. I have to preface this little Wesley story by informing my readers of two things. First, we are working on spelling with Wesley. Second, the minivan has beige carpet so we keep Wesley's cup in the cup holder while we're driving. He has to ask us for it when he wants it.

Yesterday Grandma H. and I were in the van and I was telling her about all the words Wesley asked me to spell. He asked how to spell "dinosaur" and "Sanders" and "Mommy."

All of a sudden I heard Wesley chime in from the back seat. "How do you spell drink?"

Grandma and I were more than happy to reply (in unison) "D-R-I-N-K"

Wesley replied, "May I have my drink please?"

Sneaky little kid!

Catnapping

Bedroom Blues

Wesley's latest comic adventures have both taken place in his bedroom. Last night when Duane put Wesley to bed, the little guy complained about being hungry. This is very often a stalling tactic, so Duane just told Wesley that he should have eaten more of his dinner and that it was time for bed, then Duane went downstairs. About half an hour later, Duane went back upstairs to check on Wesley.

Wesley looked at his daddy and asked, "Did you bring me a snack?"

"No," said Duane. "You didn't eat your dinner."

"So bring me my dinner!" answered Wesley.

At that point Duane decided this wasn't a stalling technique and that Wesley really was hungry. The answer? A bedtime picnic of peanut butter crackers, cheese and juice!

Wesley slept like a log all night, but woke up crying out in frustration. "This is not good!" I kept hearing him say. I got up and went into his room to find him looking in the mirror.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"My hair is a mess! Can we go fix it?"

The really funny thing about this is that Wesley usually hates having his hair fixed in the morning. Today though, it couldn't happen fast enough! Silly boy!

Big Boys

Ryan had his two month check up yesterday (just 2 days early.) He's now 23 inches long and 11 pounds, 4 ounces. Not too shabby. There were two rough spots in the appointment. The first was the fact that he cried and cried and cried when we first got there, and then calmed down when the doctor examined him. So basically I was expressing my concern about a child who screams almost whenever he's awake, while he was being good. Great. Make Mommy look like a liar. Of course, the screams started up again when he got his shots. Poor kid. They hit him hard yesterday and most of today. He's just been a pathetic little lump with a fever. I can't wait for him to feel better.


Wesley had his 3 year portraits taken today. What a nightmare! He was so uncooperative! The entire shoot was a struggle despite bribes, threats and Mommy doing a dramatic recitation of one of Wesley's favorite books. The good news is that the photographer managed a few good shots. Including the one to the right. After we left the studio I told Wesley I was very unhappy with the way he behaved. "Why did you act like that?" I asked. Wesley gave me a look like I was completely dense and replied "Because I didn't want my picture taken." UGH!


After that torture session, we stopped by the library so I could drop off my work release from my doctor. Yep, I'm returning to work on Monday. I know it makes me sound like a bad mommy, but I can't wait to go back! I need that facet of my life in order to feel completely happy and I really miss it. I hope everyone is ready to have me back!

Going Whole Hog

I always say that I know it's fall when it's time for the annual hog roast and bonfire at Duane's aunt and uncle's farm. In my book, fall officially arrived last night. The hog roast is one of my very favorite parties of the year. Even though it's the same people at the same place, it's just so relaxing and the food is so good, you can't help but have a great time.

You know it's an authentic hog roast when someone is running around with the hog's head on their hand. Real nice there, Olivia. And to think, when I first met her years ago, I thought she was a little bit prissy.








Duane's family is so big that new little ones don't get the distinction of being the youngest for very long. Ryan was snatched out of our hands almost as soon as we arrived! Here's a picture of Ryan with Aunt Melissa.








Here's a picture of Duane celebrating his birthday with his two favorite little guys!

One of the biggest changes I noticed this year had to do with Wesley. Last year he could not be convinced to eat with his plate on his lap. It was just a foreign concept to him. This year, he managed it like a pro! Unfortunately, the same can't be said for drinking out of 16 ounce "big boy cup." He spilled lemonade and juice on himself during his attempts to quench his thirst. Normally that wouldn't have been too much of an issue, but he only has one pair of jeans that fit (at least until I buy the poor kid some fall and winter clothes) so changing out of his wet pants wasn't an option. I'm just glad there was a lot going on to help distract him - like Grandpa H. playing "spider" with him!

Another tell tale sign of Wesley getting bigger was his desire to climb the fence to the horse's pen. He must have spent a good half an hour or longer climbing up and down it. But would he touch or feed the horse? Of course not! That's OK, from what I hear, that isn't the friendliest horse anyhow.


And what was baby brother doing during Wesley's adventures?

Stylin' in some new threads and charming Grandma W. of course!

After dinner, we made sure to take a hayride. Once again, this is the first year that Wesley was really enthusiastic about it. Whenever the horses would stop to take a quick rest, Wesley would say "I want another hayride!"

"More hayrides please!"









We drove home with Mommy in a happy sugar coma from eating s'mores made over the bonfire.

Fall can now begin!

Millions of Cats!

OK, maybe not millions, but Wesley has been a cat most of today again and he must count for at least a dozen! Actually, he was a pretty cute cat this morning. I was feeding Ryan, but Wesley wanted up on my lap. "Mommy," he said, "Maybe Ryan could cry while I sit on your lap." At least he had a possible solution. Once Ryan was finished eating, I did put him down for some snuggle time with Wesley. Of course, my lap quickly became a cat bed for the "big brother cat." Ryan was dubbed the "little cat" and I was "Mother cat." I wish you could hear Wesley say "mother." It sounds more like "muhver."

Wesley was certainly more pleased with his little brother once all of us had been proclaimed cats. We meowed at Little Cat until he smiled at us. Wesley got a HUGE kick out of that. So much so that we had to keep meowing at Ryan. He probably thinks his mommy and brother are a little bit nuts (or else we've been hitting the catnip). After the cat serenade, Wesley announced that "Big brother cat wants to hold something." Knowing full well what he wanted, I asked what he's like to hold. "The little cat!" I had Wesley sit on the floor and placed Ryan in his arms. The novelty wore off pretty quickly though - Ryan spit up on Wesley almost immediately!

Big brother cat is starting to do pretty well with his litter box - oops! I mean potty training! He's wearing underpants most of the time during the day and as long as we make sure he sits his tushie on the potty every hour, he has almost no accidents. Unfortunately, he won't tell us when he needs to go. Oh well, one step at a time. I have a fantastic picture of Wesley on the potty looking at the CD for Mamma Mia. I would love to post it here, but I'd like my first born to still be talking to me when he's an adult.

Into the Wild

I ventured outside the downtown area today for the first time since the horrible winds of Sunday evening. I was surprised by how much damage I still saw four days later! Wesley was pretty concerned about all the "broken" trees and asked me who was going to fix all of them. It made me sad to tell him that they couldn't be fixed.

Grandma and Grandpa H. are still without power, but are hopeful it will be on later today (although it may take until Sunday). Grandma and Grandpa P. got their power back late Tuesday night, so the kids and I went to visit today.

Wesley kept Grandpa pretty busy playing with his zoo animals. The animals went swimming, had a parade and took turns crawling through a tunnel.

Grandma had some quality time with Ryan.












Ryan relaxed the way only an 8 week old can.




It was a lovely afternoon and both boys are sleeping now. Maybe I can catch a cat nap before Duane gets home.

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

...or in Central Ohio in this case. Sunday night, the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through with winds around 50 miles per hour. I watched from our front window as limbs blew down the street, siding and shingles (and a window screen) fell from our house and street signs shook. Turns out we were among the lucky few that did not loose power for even a minute. Both of my sets of parents are still without power. The library I work at is closed for the second day. Our refrigerator has become home to refugee meat from family members. I know it's nothing more than a minor inconvenience for those of us in Ohio - especially compared to what they are going through in Texas. I'd like to blame my lack of posts the last few days on the weather, but it's really been because not too much is going on here.

Grandma H. and I went to another movie last night. We saw Mama Mia and we LOVED it!! We went to Target right after the movie and bought the soundtrack. When we arrived home, I walked in the front door singing and dancing. Wesley laughed at me and said, "Do that Mama Mia again!" So cute!

While Grandma and I were off gallivanting, Aunt Susan and Uncle Kirk came over to play - I mean help Duane with the boys! Sounds like a fun night was had by all. Here's the best picture of Ryan's smile I've been able to take so far. Trust me, it doesn't capture the cute factor. Especially when he grins with his mouth wide open!

It's a Miracle!

Wesley willingly tried a new food last night! Duane and I had roast chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots for dinner last night. Wesley looked at my plate and asked if he could have a bite. I asked if he wanted chicken, potatoes or carrots and he chose potatoes. The first bite was small and tentative, but he soon pronounced them delicious and ate almost all of them on my plate. I kind of wish it was the carrots he had fallen in love with, but I'll take any new food at this point.

Speaking of miracles, Ryan is starting to smile. No pictures yet because it's kind of hard to catch, but that little smile melts my heart every time.

Date Night

I had a wonderful date with my hubby last night! We haven't gone anywhere as a couple and not a family since before Ryan was born. Yes, I know he's only seven weeks old, but it still seems like a very long time. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa H., we were able to spend the evening at Shadowbox with our friends Ray and Krysal. Seriously, you know it's been a long time when one of your friends comments how nice it is to see you without the kids in tow. Duane treated me like the most beautiful woman on the planet and spoiled me by buying me a football jersey for the game this weekend. BTW, I really wanted one, so it's much more romantic than it sounds. It was a great evening - I never even called to check on the kids. And the best part? Ryan fell asleep on the way home (10:30) and didn't get up until after 4:00 for a bottle!!

First Trip to the Zoo

Ryan had his very first trip to the zoo today! Grandma H., Wesley, Ryan and I took advantage of the beautiful and not too hot September day to spend the afternoon at the zoo. Ryan slept most of the time, but the rest of us had a lot of fun. Wesley even rode the train!

The boys arrived in style!










Ryan spent a lot of time in the tummy carrier.









Wesley loved watching the monkeys. There was a little baby one that was super cute. But Wesley's favorite was the one he deemed the "big brother." I think he was right too because this particular monkey was not a baby, but not as big as the others. The big brother monkey was very busy trying to get attention by picking on the other monkeys. Hmmmm...sounds a little like someone else I know.


I think it's a bit ironic that Wesley climbed on the word "food" when he is having another hunger strike day.









Wesley went down the slide at the zoo playground, then insisted everyone else go down the slide too.









Grandma was a good sport.










Ryan's first ride on a twisty slide.





My favorite part of the zoo was that I could keep my sunglasses on the whole time and no one gave me funny looks. My eye is a bit better than yesterday, but it's still bothering me a lot.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

...or at least I will be and I am wearing them to type on the computer. Who knew that potty training could lead to a scratched cornea? Confused? Let me enlighten you. Just before 9:00 this morning, I was in the bathroom with Wesley. He was sitting on the potty (5 hours dry yesterday!) and I was sitting on the floor in front of him. Somehow he managed to kick me straight in my open right eye. At 11:30, I called Grandma H. and asked her to come down instead of us going to her house because my eye still hurt a lot and was still watering. At 12:30 I broke down and made an appointment with an eye doctor.

Here it is, almost 4:00 and the diagnosis is that I have a surface scratch on my cornea. That means prescription eye drops, ibuprofen, and cold compresses on my eye for the rest of today and part of tomorrow. Oh! And I'll be light sensitive which should be a lot of fun tonight. Grandma and I are going to a girly movie (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2) and I have a feeling I may have to don the sunglasses in the theater to be comfortable. Oh well, it could be worse. At least we cut Wesley's toe nails last night!

Oh What a Night!

I don't know if I've really mentioned on the blog how much Ryan cries. He cries about 10 times more than Wesley ever did. Pretty much, if he's awake and isn't eating, he's crying. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but only slight. Couple this with the fact that Wesley does not stop talking from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed (even if he is eating) and you have the makings of a major headache most days.

Last night was something else - and not in the good way. I went up to put Wesley to bed just after 9:00. At roughly 11:00 I woke up to Ryan crying. Duane, who had been up with Ryan, said that he'd been asleep maybe 1/2 and hour. Duane stayed up with him until almost midnight and I was up with him until almost 1:00. YUCK! Then Ryan woke up again at 3:30. Duane took that feeding so I could grab a little more sleep, but sometime between 3:30 and 4:00 Wesley woke up. He wanted someone to get him a drink and come lay down with him. That was me. I did fall asleep again, but Ryan was up at 5:50. Duane made a bottle and I got ready to feed the little one, when Wesley woke up. UGH! Wesley went back to sleep and Ryan and I had some quality time on the couch. So if you happen to see either Duane or myself today and I see that we are in a zombie like state, you'll know why.

Down on the Farm

Grandma H. and I tried to take Wesley to a program at one of the Metro Parks today. Unfortunately, we got lost on our way there and missed the program. On the bright side, this particular park has a historic farm on it, so we took a little step back in time instead.

Wesley was pretty excited by the idea of seeing cows, horses and pigs, but I think the real animals freaked him out a little bit. They were much bigger and much stinkier than they are in the storybooks. He refused to touch any of them - nor would he touch the lambs. Nope. In true Wesley fashion, his favorite animal there was the barn cat! Guess he really is my son. When I was a kid and we'd go camping, I would always manage to find a cat in the campground to play with.

Aside from the cat, Wesley found three other things on the farm that really caught his attention. One was the water pump. We pumped some water for the cat to drink out of tin bucket. Truthfully, I did most of the pumping because whenever Wesley tried, the handle would hit him in the head! It was still pretty cute and I know the cat appreciated it on this really hot day.

Wesley also discovered the joy of swinging in a hammock in the shade on a summer day. I was shocked when he allowed me to put him in it, but he loved it! He kept asked Grandma and I to swing him faster and faster, but let's be honest, a hammock isn't exactly built for speed. The whole time we were pushing him I was thinking about a comment someone made when Wesley wasn't more than a month or two old. Grandma and I had taken him someplace and an older gentleman watched us cooing over the baby. "Look," he said to his friends. "It's a little dictator and his servants." Check out the hammock pictures and tell me he wasn't right!

Mommy, on the other hand, had to be content to swing the old fashioned way.

The other thing Wesley loved was a marble ramp/game that was set up under a trellis for kids to play with. He must have spent more than half an hour playing with it. That was perfect for me though since Ryan needed a bottle. It wasn't the afternoon we had planned, but it sure was a great afternoon!

Summer's Winding Down

Since summer is almost almost over and Grandpa's pool closes soon, the boys and I headed up for a visit and a swim. Let me rephrase, Wesley and Grandpa went for a swim, while Ryan and I sat on the sidelines. I would have LOVED a swim today - it was so hot, even the bees were in the pool on the floaties, seriously. However, last year's bathing suits don't fit, my maternity swim suit is too big and there was NO WAY I was trying on bathing suits six weeks after giving birth! But Grandpa and Wesley had a great time!

However, I think Wesley failed to read the sign that says no animals are permitted in the pool or pool area. Don't believe me? Check out the video!

BUSTED!

I have this thing about the word "stupid." I don't like to hear little kids say it. I won't even read it in a book at storytime (I usually substitute "silly" instead.) We try to keep Wesley from saying it. When he does, I tell him that I don't like that word because it isn't really a nice word. Wesley has figured out that while I don't like him to say it, it doesn't actually result in punishment. His answer? He whispers it, "stooopid," (always drawn out like that) and then asks me if I like that word.

The other day I was listening to a CD of old songs in the car. One of lines was "Down with love, down with stupid, down with love, down with cupid." Wesley immediately caught the "bad" word and asked, "Mommy, do you like that word?" I was so busy bopping along, that I didn't even catch the word in the song and asked, "What word?" Wesley's voice dropped to a whisper and he answered "Stooopid."

Yesterday the word police caught me! Duane and I were watching some 80's videos on tv. A certain video came on and I said, "Great song! Stupid video!" Wesley immediately said, "Mommy, you don't like that word. Stooopid." I told him that he right, I didn't like that word and shouldn't have said it. Duane also chimed in, telling Wesley that Mommy and Daddy both needed to try not to use that word. But still, I felt pretty....stooopid.

Split Personality

Wesley has a new identity. In addition to sometimes being a puppy or a kitty, he now becomes "G." We have no idea where G. came from, he just announced one day that he was G and his bear's name was Car. G. comes and goes throughout the day, just like being a puppy or a kitty, but when he is G. that's what he wants people to call him. I do have a couple of funny stories about G though.

Wesley recently learned how to spell his name. While he was being G at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s, the following conversation happened.
Uncle Kirk (to Wesley): What's your name?
Wesley: It's G!
Uncle Kirk: How do you spell G?
Wesley: W..E..S..L..E..Y

And then there was the little exchange I overheard with the dinosaurs this morning. Wesley (in what I can only assume was his G persona) was talking to them, saying "What up, playa? What up, baby?" Thanks Uncle Stacey. We're real proud of that (she said sarcastically)