Stealth is Not His Middle Name

Wesley was having a little trouble with his walker tonight. First of all, his shorts threatened to fall down with each step his took. After a few steps Wesley looked like he was sporting a hip hop fashion. The other problem he had was that he seemed to confuse his walker with an invisibility cloak. I was sitting on the floor by the dining room table and called Wesley to come over to me. He took the long way around the table so that he would come up behind me. He got about 2/3 of the way there before he was overcome with giggles. It was almost like he knew he was "sneaking" up on me and it was hilarious.

Speaking of hilarious. Check out Wesley getting ready for his bath. He stands on his tip toes and looks over the edge of the tub like he just can't wait for it to fill up. Tonight he even kicked his own super loose pants off. That's one excited kid! Too bad he was so tired he could barely splash about. Duane and I managed to get through bathtime without getting too wet. Don't worry, I'm sure Wesley will make up for it next time.

10 Months

I've got my baby back!!! I had to work a ridiculously long 14 hour day yesterday, so Wesley had an overnight with Grandma and Grandpa H. Tuesday night. The only time I got to see Wesley yesterday was the 45 minutes I spent over there on my dinner hour and he was asleep by the time I got home. No matter now. I have a whole morning of mommy and baby time!!!

Small Steps

Wesley is rapidly moving towards walking. He has perfected the Bear Walk (as seen below) whenever his knees are in danger of touching a hard surface.

But we are progressing beyond the Bear Walk. Wesley took a step last night. I'm not sure it counts because he didn't know he did it. He was pulling on his ear with one hand (one of his tired tells) and began rubbing his eyes with the other. In the middle of all that, he took a step. I figured it was a fluke, but Grandma H. reports two steps were taken this morning when Wesley wanted his toys. Man the gates! It won't be long now!

We're Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo

After nearly a month of trying, we finally made it to the zoo today. Duane ended up having today off and the weather was beautiful, so we packed up the young'un and met Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan at the zoo. Of course every other family in the state had the same idea we did. I have never seen the place this crowded except when they do the lights at Christmas! We only ended up staying a couple of hours (one of the perks of membership is that you don't feel like you have to stay a certain amount of time to get your money's worth) but Wesley had a big time.





First we went to the petting area to visit the goats. Wesley was most impressed with this. The cats generally run away from him. Dogs usually cover him with slobber. The goats just didn't care and Wesley loved it! Unfortunately the excitement must have been too much for him because he fell asleep shortly after that and watched the back of his eyelids instead of the animals for at least 30 minutes.





Wesley woke up in time to see the penguins and then - the most awesome sight of all - the carousel! He couldn't take his eyes off the movement and the lights and the music so Duane and I decided it was time for his first carousel ride. He wasn't too sure about it at first, but before long he was smiling and he didn't want the ride to end.

After the zoo we headed to one of my favorite places to eat - City barbecue! Luckily for me, Wesley seems to have inherited his mommy's love of smoked meat. He mooched off of everyone at the table and really put away some of Aunt Susan's turkey. Graeter's was right next door, so Wesley topped off his meal with quite a bit of my mango sorbet. I couldn't get the spoon to my own mouth without him opening his wide! He was just such a happy kid!

I can't remember the last time I just hung out with my brother like we did today. It was wonderful! I had the best time just being a family today. That's really what weekends are for!

Ya Got Anything to Eat?

Wesley has discovered the refrigerator. Everytime we open it he crawls as fast as he can over to it and peers inside the door. I really think he'd be content to stand there examining the contents for a very long time. He loves food so much, maybe we have a future chef on our hands. He must have a rather sophisticated palate though. The shelf he was examining contained garlic chili sauce, whole grain mustard and capers.

Sweet Dreams

Duane and I have finally discovered the best way to get a good night's sleep with an infant in the house. You turn the baby monitor on and accidentally leave it downstairs when you go to bed. You won't hear a thing! Actually, our room is right next to Wesley's and we would've been able to hear him crying, but thankfully he let us sleep!

Happy Father's Day

Today marked Duane's first Father's Day as an official daddy and in true Duane fashion, he spent it making sure everyone else had a good Father's Day. We kicked off the day by having breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa H. While I was sick and laying on the couch yesterday, Duane took Wesley and went to the North Market to stock up on goodies for this morning. He did a fantastic job - everything was delicious.

After eating way too many pastries, Duane, Wesley and I headed up to the mall so Duane could get fitted for a tux. He is the best man in his cousin's wedding in a couple of weeks and I must admit, my husband looks darn good in a tux! Once we finished at the tux shop, we cruised across the mall to a new store that is totally geared for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. We found so many things there that we'd love to get for Wesley - definitely someplace we'll be visiting closer to the Little Dude's birthday. Duane found the sweetest little stuffed husky that he thought Wesley had to have. So now Wesley has a new best bud named Frank - short for Frank Sinatra (blue eyes don't ya know!)







We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening with Grandma and Grandpa P., Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan. Wesley showed off his considerable walking (while assisted) skills by pushing Frank around the house on his bike. Duane pushed the bike around and around and around the house just to see Wesley laugh. Very cute stuff! Grandma and Grandpa P. gave Duane a beautiful framed picture of Wesley (which is already hanging in our front room) then we all went out to eat. Just a nice day.

Part of my present to Duane was changing all the poopy diapers today, part was a tool set and part of it is this - me stating to all who read this blog that Wesley is just about the luckiest boy in the world to have a daddy like his. A daddy who is kind, generous, and loving. A daddy who would give his last dollar to someone who needed it and would do absolutely anything for his son. A daddy who loves Wesley's mommy very much and isn't afraid to show it. A daddy who will sing along to goofy songs on the radio and dance with his family in the kitchen. That's some kind of daddy and I hope as Wesley grows up, he'll learn to be the kind of man his daddy is. Happy Father's Day!!

Relay for Life

Last night the whole family participated in the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. My library had a team, and it seemed like a good thing - family time with a cause - so we packed up Wesley, dug our walking shoes out and hit the track. Here is Wesley making sure his stroller had the essential fruit and veggie puffs packed, and staying hydrated on the track.
We walked from 7-8. Wesley really enjoyed it at first. He swung his legs, clapped his hands, looked around and talked to other walkers. He especially liked it when Daddy made the stroller pop a wheelie or spin in circles, or side swipe a trash can. Little Dude made it until the last two laps when he finally gave in to sleep.

Sleep only lasted until we exited the track though. As soon as we made it back to the team tent, he was up and ready to go. I wish I was that refreshed after a ten minute nap! Of course, it could have been because I said the magic words "Ice cream!" We ended our healthy evening of walking for cancer research by downing ice cream cones at the local Dairy Queen. Does anyone else find that a little....odd?

Belly Laughs

Is it possible for a baby to be a little slap happy? Last night Wesley found almost everything absolutely hilarious. It began at dinner when I put a napkin on the cat's head. Apparently this was the height of entertainment and Wesley began to laugh. Then Daddy put a napkin on his head. Even better! From then on, everything was funny - especially Wesley's favorite silly words "Geek. Goof. Yucky." Stand up comedians would pay big bucks for the kind of laughs we were getting. Too bad he won't always be so easy to entertain.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

We decided to brave the weather on Sunday and headed to the Rose Festival with Grandma & Grandpa H., and Grandma W. Duane and I try to go every year and I was very anxious to take Wesley there. Unfortunately, he wasn't nearly as excited as I was.

Once he woke up though, he seemed mildly interested in what was going on around him. OK, he was mostly interested in all the dogs that were there, but I figure that counts. I did try to get him to look at and smell the flowers. He just thought that was funny. Oh well, you can't blame a mommy for trying.

After the Rose Festival we headed to our church for the first ever Strawberry Festival. Wesley enjoyed some of Daddy's ice cream, some of Mommy's ice cream and some of Grandma H.'s ice cream. What a mooch!!

Nine Months Going on Nine Years

Wesley and I had planned to go to the zoo today with Grandma H. We have planned to go to the zoo for the last month, but every day we try to go it rains. Today was no exception. So instead of going to the zoo, we went to the North Market. For those you who don't live in the area, the North Market used to be a farmer's market. In fact, my Grandpa P. used to buy produce for his grocery store there. Now days it has lots of specialty and international food vendors. It's a great place to look around and even better to eat around!

We were standing in line for lunch at a Vietnamese booth, when another customer commented on how cute Wesley was. What parent doesn't like to hear that? I turned around to talk to her and she asked how old Wesley was. When I told her she said "WHAT?! He seems so...mature." Was that a nice way of saying my baby is big?

I didn't give it too much thought until we stopped at Pure Imagination for some chocolate. Daniel is the guy that owns the place and makes all the chocolate and he waited on us. While Daniel was helping Grandma H., Wesley was busy sticking his hands in my mouth and laughing. Daniel thought this was too funny and starting talking to Wesley and making great faces at him. He told us that his own little boy was in the market that day and if he hadn't been upstairs, the two little guys could have played. "I bet they'd have a great time," Daniel said. "My son is 15 months." When I told him how old Wesley was, he did a complete double take. I think he thought the boys were the same age.

Good thing we didn't go in the wine store! Wesley probably wouldn't have been carded! :-)

A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down

Wesley, Grandma H. and I took a little trip to a place I hope to never have to go again - Children's Hospital. Now before anyone starts to gasp "What happened to Wesley!?" nothing happened. At his 9 month check up Wesley was supposed to have a routine blood draw. Since we live in a house that is over 100 years old, he has to be tested for lead and our doctor's office was not set up for that. Therefore, off to Children' Hospital we went!

I had been at a conference for the first part of the day and was chatting away to my mom and Wesley, filling them in on my day as we headed to the hospital. I (finally) stopped talking and heard a little voice from the back seat say "maa maa" Wesley has never done the "m" sound before and he just said those two syllables. "Did he just say Mama?" I asked. "I think so," Grandma responded. I tried not to get too excited because it could have been a fluke. We went to the lab and while we were waiting for our name to be called, we read a few books. We stared with the color book and looked at the mirror book and then Wesley pulled another book from his bag. "Maa maa" he said. The book he pulled out was "Where is Baby's Mommy?" Could it be that he really does know "Mama??"

Wesley's blood draw was quick but painful. Grandma H. tried to distract Wesley while the tech. prepped her things, but as anyone who has met Wesley knows, he doesn't miss a thing. I had to hold him on my lap and steady the arm that they weren't drawing from. Grandma H. had to hold his arm straight while the nurse did the draw. It was quick, but he HOWLED!!!!!! Poor little guy.

So what did I do? I broke one of the cardinal rules of parenting. I decided that we should follow up this traumatic experience with his first ice cream. I know, you aren't supposed to use food to comfort or reward, but I wanted something sweet to come of the day. We went and got vanilla soft serve cones. I let Wesley try a bite straight from my cone and after the first taste he was hooked. He kept trying to shove the whole thing in his mouth. The gentleman in the booth behind us even commented "He sure likes his ice cream!" Of course, my favorite part was not how cute Wesley looked with ice cream melting all over his face. It was when he had just finished a bite of ice cream and turned to me, grinned, and kissed me. I could almost hear him saying "Thank you for giving me this wonderful stuff Mom!" definitely a sweet ending.

What Sharp Teeth You Have

Wesley FINALLY cut a tooth!!! We were outside playing in the yard and he shoved a handful of grass in his mouth. I put my finger in his mouth to remove the grass and felt something sharp. On closer inspection I could see that one of his bottom front teeth has just barely broken through the gum. I'm such a geek though, that I started jumping up and down and cheering - which really made the neighbors laugh. Hey, I'm just glad we won't have to order baby dentures.

BTW, you can't see his pin-prick of a tooth in the picture, but it was too cute not to post.

The Diaper Wars Have Begun!

My friend Kate has a son who is @17 months old. She recently blogged about the trouble she's been having changing Colin's diaper because he fights her tooth and nail the whole time. Kate - I'm with you! Wesley has become a terror to change. He rolls and screams and cries and crawls away only to sit up and laugh at you. It is infuriating! I can hardly change him by myself and when I do succeed it's only because I strap him into his changing table. I don't know what his poor grandparents are doing to combat this. Maybe we should just keep him outside all summer and let him run naked!

Invest in Raingear

Wesley has discovered how much fun it is to go "Pbbbttt!" I've had to wipe his soaking wet chin off several times. It was kind of cute when he was crawling around going "pbbbttt!" It was kind of cute when he was playing with his cars and going "pbbbttt!" It is so NOT cute when you are trying to feed him dinner and he goes "pbbbttt" with food in his mouth - repeatedly! At first I thought he just didn't like the new kind of baby food we gave him for dinner. I could have understood that, it was even kind of endearing then. But when he started doing it to whatever we gave him, the cute factor plummeted significantly.

OH! Wesley just learned that when you pull Sadie's tail she does not say "pbbbttt!" She says ''YOWL! HISSSS!" Good lesson.

Absolutely Disgusting

What you are about to read is really really really gross. Seriously. I cannot stress this enough. If you have a weak stomach or are a reactionary hurler - READ NO FURTHER!!!!!!

OK, for those of you brave/crazy enough to read on, this is what transpired at our house this evening. Duane and I were enjoying a dinner of pizza from one of our favorite places. Wesley was entertaining himself by crawling around on the floor. He crawled over to the newspaper pile and proceeded to pull off some papers. Normal night. But then Wesley got really quiet. The sudden quiet was followed by gagging noises. Duane spun his chair around and grabbed Wesley just in time to be the lucky recipient of a whole mess of projectile vomit. Apparently our little guy had eaten a piece of paper that stuck somewhere. Within moments Big Man and the Little Dude were both covered with the remnants of Wesley's dinner.

I proceeded to lose my appetite very quickly. I helped Duane strip Wesley down to his diaper and the three of us headed up to give the little guy a bath. We ran the bath water and Duane whisked Wesley's diaper off and plopped him in the tub. The problem? Wesley's diaper had been poopy and there were now diaper remnants floating in the water. Duane decided to run downstairs and change out of his disgusting clothes and then we'd change Wesley's bath water. The problem? Our doorbell rang as Duane was finishing changing. It was our friend who was stopping by to pick up his cell phone that he had left at our house.

You would think that things would be pretty well under control at this point, right? WRONG!!! While Duane was changing clothes, getting Rusty his phone and cleaning up the carpet, I suddenly became overwhelmingly grossed out by the entire situation and began my own reactionary vomiting.

Disgusting? DEFINITELY! Funny? Well, if you don't laugh about stuff like this you'll end up crying about it. So, yeah, it was kind of funny. And not your normal blog entry.

Now You See Him. Now You Don't

I temporarily lost Wesley today. He was entertaining himself by standing at the dining room chairs, so I decided to pop into the kitchen and heat up his bottle. After all, the bottle was already made, and you can see the dining room from the kitchen so there was no problem. I popped the bottle in the microwave and less than a minute later returned to the dining room where I couldn't find Wesley. "Ok," I thought, "He probably crawled into the family room." I walked into the family room - no Wesley. I returned to the dining room and still didn't see or hear him. It took me a moment, but I did find him. He was sitting under the table looking at a book not making a sound. He didn't even want to come out to eat until he finished his book.


Definitely a librarian's kid!

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.

The Difference A Day Makes

First of all, for any of you who also read Kate's blog - I did not mysteriously give Wesley's virus to Colin through the phone! :-) If I had that kind of power, I'd be rich. I mean, just think of how many folks would pay for their ex, soon to be ex, or nemesis to suddenly become ill just from talking to me. Bwah ha ha (evil laugh) - THE POWER!!!!!

Wesley is doing so much better today. Yes, I know I said that Wednesday too, but he really is acting like himself today. The whole family ended up sleeping in the living room last night. I took first shift on the couch with Wesley while Duane slept on the floor. The plan was to switch off during the night, but Wesley really wanted his mommy and ended up on the floor with me for a good part of the night. Boy, I thought I moved a lot in my sleep! Wesley wasn't still for a moment. Several times I woke up to find his head pressed up against my tummy - almost like being pregnant again (NOT!). The good news is that his fever broke around 12:30 and even though he was a sweaty mess, I knew the worst was over.

We spent the day hanging out at home again since we didn't want to take any chances with the little dude. I did dash out long enough to go to the grocery store, but that was mostly because I needed a break from being so needed. Grandma H. and Aunt Susan came to visit this evening. Aunt Susan brought Wesley his own baby "MP3" player that plays 14 songs. He is a happy boy now!

I'll tell you what, Duane and I are going to start making plans every weekend again. Just look at what happens when we don't

You Give Me Fever

Duane and I were so excited that we had no plans whatsoever this weekend. We were really looking forward to doing a whole lot of nothing. Funny how fast things change. Wesley woke up crying at 5:45. Curious. We fed him and put him back to bed, but he woke up again at 6:30. Curiouser. I put him in our bed and he proceeded to crank for 15 minutes before the three of us got up and went downstairs. Wesley seemed pretty cranky, but he fell asleep on the floor and we didn't think too much of it. But when he cried and cried instead of eating his breakfast we knew something was wrong. We broke out the thermometer and discovered the little guy had a fever of 102.2! The doctor wasn't overly concerned and told us to give him medicine and make sure he didn't get dehydrated.

We have spent the entire rest of the day in the living room. One of will hold Wesley while he sleeps, and when he wakes up we give him a bottle and some meds. He has slept nearly the entire day and when we last took his temperature, it was down to 100.5. I thought my heart was going to break a couple of times when Wesley would wake up, but just lay there listlessly and whimper. He's doing quite a bit better now. He still has a fever, but he's been "talking" to us and playing with some of his toys.

ARGH!!! Murphy's Law of Motherhood. No sooner had I typed that last sentence when I smelled something....strong. Wesley had a diaper that EXPLODED!!!! Guess the little guy is getting a bath tonight!

Let's Hear it for the Boys

Three cheers are in order tonight!

1. For Grandpa P. who met me at the library before 8:00 this morning! Doing the baby swap in the library parking lot not only ensured that I'd be able to attend the department meeting, but it meant I didn't have to leave my house at 6:30. HUZZAH!
2. For Duane, the most incredible, thoughtful and amazing husband in the entire world! When I mentioned in an email yesterday that I wanted to make cookies for Grandpa P., Duane went to the store, bought the ingredients and made the cookies before I got home from work last night! HUZZAH!
3. For Wesley who sleeps through the night almost every night, took a 2 hour nap for grandpa, and brings smiles to the faces of everyone who sees him. HUZZAH!

I'm telling you, I am one lucky lady!

All Better

Wesley is definitely feeling better! He's been cruising along the couch today while making his happy hissing spitting noise (yes, I know my child is weird) Yesterday he went to Grandma H.'s and accompanied her to aerobics and to Daddy's softball game. I'm so glad it was just a little touch of something. I prefer a happy healthy Wesley.

Unexpected Day Off

Warning! Not for the weak stomach!!!

So is it a perk or curse that having children forces you to take sick days? I was having a great morning. I managed to get completely ready for work(including packing breakfast for the Cafe Hyundai) before Wesley woke up. I got him dressed, gave him a bottle and put him in the exersaucer while I loaded up the car. Then 7:45 hit. At 7:45 Wesley, who was sitting on the floor, projectile vomited. "OK, not a problem" I thought. "I'll just clean him up and we'll go along our merry way." So I cleaned up and went to throw the rag in the laundry. Wesley crawled into the kitchen after me and promptly vomited again, soaking his outfit. Now believe it or not, I still wasn't sure if I should be worried at this point. Despite the fact that he had just gotten sick twice, he was still smiling and acting alright. I called Duane and my mom and was debating whether or not I should go to work when he vomited twice more. Decision made. Mommy took a sick day.

After doing the new parent freak out (taking his temperature and calling the doctor) we had a cuddly day at home. The triage nurse said not to worry unless it continues for several days or is accompanied by another type of grossness we won't go into here. So we read every book that was downstairs - twice. Except for Made By God which Wesley wanted to hear five times in a row. We watched Blues Clues and Sesame Street. We napped. We played. Basically he spent the entire day acting just fine. Then Daddy came home. Wesley was so excited to see Duane that he crawled and cooed and smiled and projectile vomited. Nothing says love like partially digested formula, right? Why do I get the feeling it may be a very long night?

Baby Mail

Wesley received a package in the mail today. I have to admit, I was a little jealous since I LOVE getting surprises in the mail, but this was so cute. It was from his cousin Geoff in Seattle. Geoff was born about a week after Wesley and if they lived in the same state would probably be partners in crime. Inside the package was a super cute monkey bib and a note from Geoff. The note explained that monkeys are Geoff's favorite animal and that his mommy, daddy and brother all do a monkey dance when Geoff plays with his monkey toys. Apparently my stepsister bought Geoff a bib and he talked her into buying one for Wesley too. :-) Wesley immediately sampled the bib, gave it his spit of approval and posed for a picture.

Bottle Baby

Maybe I read too many parenting magazines. Thanks to a suggestion in one of the magazines I read, I am somewhat obsessed with the whole idea of a sippy cup. "Seven months is the perfect time to start introducing a sippy cup" the article said. "Great!" I thought. "He got one of those new adjustable ones as a gift." For those of you who may not have seen these check out http://www.gerber.com/bf/products/transcup/index.html I LOVE the idea of the cup, Wesley hates it. He wants nothing to do with the sippy. He doesn't want to hold it and he certainly doesn't want to try drinking out of it.

I'd probably worry about all this a bit more (because I love to worry) but there does seem to be some hope. Wesley loves the cup we use to rinse him off in his bath. He holds it and lifts it with both hands to try and drink from it. Maybe I just need to fill his sippy cup with soapy water (I'M KIDDING!!!!)

Baby Lord of the Rings

My Precious........

Mr. Independent

All of a sudden Wesley has become little Mr. Independent. You name it, he thinks he can do it. He thinks that just because he can chew on his spoon, he can also feed himself. He can, however, feed himself the fruit or veggie puffs (baby crack.) Stand up? Of course! Now that he has managed to pull himself up a couple of times, he thinks he can do it all the time. He's getting pretty close to it. Tonight he pulled himself up from his knees for the first time. And what did he do? Let go with one hand! He holds his bottle, turns the pages in his book and will even walk a bit if you hold his hands. What a big boy he's suddenly becoming!

Happy Easter

I can't believe that last year at this time Wesley wasn't with us. I remember sitting at my dad's last year and being the after dinner entertainment. Dad did some sort of old wives tale test to see if I was having a boy or a girl - the test came out saying "boy." Go figure. I was just starting to show and that night was the very first time I felt him move. It felt like popcorn popping and I wasn't even sure what I was feeling. Amazing the change a year brings.

We had a busy Easter, but a good one. Wesley actually made it through church today. I didn't think that would happen after the disaster last week. But Wesley was back to his old charming self. He flirted with the ladies behind us and schmoozed the ushers. He even slept for awhile so I got a chance to enjoy the service. About the only thing I didn't like about church today was the little girl who told me the Easter Bunny probably didn't bring me an Easter basket because I'm too old. Talk about a blow to the ol' ego.

After church we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s. Turns out that the Easter Bunny didn't think I was too old, he just left my basket at Grandma and Grandpa's. Clever rabbit! He left Wesley a pretty impressive basket too. He had plastic eggs filled with banana puffs (which make his eyes get really big), a Little Quack duck and bath book, a frog that plays Jesus Loves Me, a Buckeye onsie, and some cool stacking cups that can go in the bathtub.

We had brunch at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. Wesley was a little cranky because he was worn out from his big day yesterday and today's early church service, but he did alright. Of course, it helps that he love love loves his Aunt Paula, Aunt Susan, Uncle Stacey and Uncle Kirk. Basically he loves everyone who is an official member of the Wesley Fan Club or will feed him puffs. Lucky little dude had another basket from the Easter Bunny at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. This time the furry one hooked him up with sweet potato puffs, a singing bunny and chick (which was a HUGE hit), a stuffed duck, a stuffed cat, some socks, some bibs, a book, and a froggy bath scrubby. Now I know that Santa and the Easter Bunny are friends and all, but I didn't expect Santa to tag along in April! Guess Wesley has been extra spoiled - I mean good!

I think the funniest part of our time at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s was Wesley's personal Easter egg hunt. Cousin Aaron has been the baby of the family for the last 16 years and I think he's gotten a little sick of it. He wanted to pass down the tradition of the Easter egg hunt to Wesley. Unfortunately seven and a half months is a little young to be hunting eggs (even though Wesley is very advanced *wink*) but we opened up a package of plastic eggs anyhow. One of them fell to the floor and Wesley spent several minutes chasing it. He'd catch it and then it would pop right out of his hands like it had been greased. Very cute!

We headed back to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s this evening for dinner with them, Great Aunt Carol, cousin Al (A.C.) Kirk and Susan. Wesley had an Easter dinner too. I found baby food that almost matched what the big folks ate - ham with apples, peas, and pineapple. He loved it all! I'm so glad he's a good eater. I just pray it will continue. We spent the rest of the evening playing with toys, posing for picture and just having an overall good time.

So we've now passed the first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter. What a busy kid! And just think, we still have first "official" Mother's Day, Father's Day, Fourth of July and birthday in the months ahead. One thing is for sure, having a child makes the holidays even more of a special occasion.

The Boys Are Back in Town

YO YO YO! Live from...ah...well...my living room, "Blog-Master D" in da hiz-ouse!!! Okay, that's enough of that. Today, Wesley and I embarked on a most excellent journey. Our mission: to visit Grandma W in the thriving metropolis of Sunbury (population---17), and Great-Grandma S out in the country just beyond. We went to Grandma W's house first. Grandma met us outside, and Wesley kicked it into hyper-charm. Grandma was smothering him with love before they even got to the door, but hey...I got to carry the diaper bag, so I didn't feel left out or anything.

Grandma sat on the couch and Wesley sat on her lap, sometimes playing with his toys and sometimes laughing and giggling at Grandma. When she finally went to put him down, he wouldn't have any part of it. The fact that he wanted to stay on Grandma's lap just broke her heart, too, I tell ya. She didn't really want to put him down anyway. Eventually Wesley and I showed her our trick. I sit behind him and read him a book. He looks at the pages after I have read them, and then I say "Okay Wesley, turn the page" and he does. Every time. Grandma was properly impressed, and promptly enrolled him at Harvard because he was obviously extremely smart.

After a few hours, a bottle, and a diaper change (he is a baby after all), we decided to go out for lunch. So Wesley, Grandma, Uncle Doug, and I all piled into the car and headed out. Wesley fell asleep just as we were pulling in. I managed to get him out without awakening him, and he slept in the crook of my arm for most of lunch. When he did wake up, I kept him busy with the paper placemat and several veggie puffs. Then I shared my banana cream pie with him. That is to say I ate the good part, and he got chunks of banana. It's okay, though. Bananas are his favorite food in the world anyway, with veggie puffs being the only possible exception.

After that, we dropped off uncle Doug and headed out to Great Grandma's house. He stayed awake for that ride. When we walked in, we handed him to Great-Grandma, and he hugged her and snuggled his head into her shoulder. I told you...Hyper-charm. And as if that wasn't enough, when my Aunt Charlotte stopped by, he flashed her his patented "Melt your heart, you will adore me now smile", and she was done. Boy, let the cooing begin. Between the three of them, I wasn't needed at all, except for the whole food and diaper thing. Once again, he showed off his "page-turning on demand" ability, and his ability to stand for long stretches of time as long as he has something to lean on.

Evenually, Grandma, Wesley and I went for a little nature walk in the woods behind her house, and Wesley gave Grandma a freshly picked flower. I picked it and put it in his hand, but he gave it to her. He held it out to her, and when she reached for it, he let go. More cooing. Then I picked some flowers for Heather's mom, Grandma H, (Brownie points for me!) and we were ready to go. We dropped off Grandma W, then we dropped of Grandma H's flowers, and then we headed home. Mom showed up around 6:30, an once again I was no longer needed. That's okay, though. I got the privilege of spending the whole day with him. Combine all of that with a bath, some fun splash time, and a bottle, and he was out. Mission accomplished. Peace out! ...Sorry, it just slipped out. It won't happen again.

Mommy's Boy

Duane is usually the preferred parent in our house. I guess that's because he's the "fun" parent. He does the bathtime, rolls around with the boy, makes funny faces and tosses Wesley up in the air. I get Wesley dressed and drop him off with whoever is watching him that day. Wesley LOVES to be with his daddy. Even if they are just watching TV, Wesley has to be touching Duane. You know it's love when someone holds tight to your foot.

Last night it was my turn to be the preferred parent (I was going to abbreviate that PP, but decided that might be misinterpreted with an infant in the house.) Anyhow, Duane and I went to get Wesley ready for bed last night. I was sitting in the rocker while Duane put jammies on the little dude and Wesley could not keep his eyes off me. Wesley would play with my hair as I fed him a bottle. When he was done I did not want to put him in his crib, so I just held his hand for a little bit as he stared into my eyes. Every now and then I give his hand a little kiss and he'd giggle. It was so cute!

It was stormy at our house last night and Wesley had a hard time falling asleep. After one particularly loud clap of thunder, Duane and I heard him start howling. We both hurried up the stairs and Duane scooped Wesley up in his arms to comfort him. Wesley didn't want Duane though, and reached his little arms out to me. Now you know you are a parent when you'll set aside your own fear of storms to sit in the dark and rock your baby to sleep so he'll feel safe. Easily my favorite night as a parent so far.

Bouncing (?) Baby Boy

I was really worried that Wesley was going to look like he'd gone a couple of rounds in the boxing ring when he woke up this morning. Poor little guy has had a rough couple of days. Remember I wrote that he cracked his head on the changing table the other day? Apparently that was only the begining. Yesterday he had a small bump on his left cheek when I picked him up from Grandma & Grandpa P. Wesley had crawled right into the computer desk! "No problem," I thought. "He's a little boy. Won't be the first and won't be the last." Little did I know.

By the time we got home we had a little less than two hours before Wesley's bedtime. Wesley spent most of those two hours standing at the coffee table. Yes, I know that just sounds like a bad idea, but he wants to stand so badly and he crawls directly for the table any time we put him down. He was standing at the table, lost his balance and cracked his head on the table. The result was another bump, this one on his left eye and accompanied by a small cut. He howled for about 10 seconds until he saw a piece of paper on the floor. Suddenly his head didn't hurt anymore. Go figure. However, this family just can't leave well enough alone. Less than 30 mintues later we repeated the same drill - stand at the coffee table, fall, get big bruise on right cheek. At this point, Duane and I realize we have two options. We can either completely cover the coffee table in bubble wrap for the next couple of months, or we can move it into the garage or basement for awhile. Needless to say, our living room will look much more spacious today.

Head Games

WOW! What a weekend! Wesley managed to pull himself up to standing three different times this weekend. I knew the crawling thing wouldn't last. All he wants to do is stand. At church today he wanted to stand in the pew and look backwards at everyone. When that became dull he would stand on Duane's lap and lean forward until he was grabbing the pew in front of him. He finally got so worked up that I had to take him down to the nursery for a few minutes!

We spent yesterday getting Wesley's first professional pictures done. They aren't bad, but the little stinker wouldn't smile. I can't believe that! He smiles all the time at home, but put him in front of a photographer that I'm paying money for - Hello, Mr. Stone Face. Oh well, that's life.

Let's see, what else happened this weekend? We (and by we I mean me) kept Wesley up about half an hour past his bedtime last night. He and I were just having so much fun crawling around and screeching and laughing. I didn't want it to end. I learned my lesson the hard way though. When we did put him to bed he was over tired and wound up. He pitched himself backwards on his changing table and conked his head HARD! He had a little bump rise up almost immediately. No more staying up past bed time.

Tonight we had Kirk & Susan and Grandma & Grandpa H. over to celebrate the grandparents birthdays. Wesley put on quite a show by mooching for puffs (and any other kind of food he could see) and by standing and pounding on the coffee table. As long as he is the center of attention he's happy. The best part of the night though, was when Grandpa H. got the laser pointer out to play with Gus (one of the cats.) Wesley started watching it, and eventually crawled after it too. Then we had Gus and Wesley chasing it together. Everyone was laughing so hard we were all in tears! Maybe he bonked his head harder than I thought last night!

The Power of the Puffs

Gerber sure knew what they were doing when they created Veggie Puffs. Apparently they contain a secret ingredient that makes them addictive to infants and toddlers. Wesley simply cannot get enough of them. He knows what the container looks and sounds like. He knows which little containers in his diaper bag have puffs in them. It's a little scary.

Wesley didn't eat a very big bottle when he woke up this morning, so I knew he'd be hungry by the time we got to Grandma & Grandpa H.'s house. Once we arrived I put him on the counter and got a container of puffs out for him. As soon as he saw the container he started screeching in delight! Grandpa absolutely doubled over in laughter! I don't know that I've ever seen Wesley that excited before. He had his mouth wide open and waiting before I even got the lid off! The funny thing is, I've tried them and while they aren't bad, they certainly aren't that good! I suppose I just don't have the sophisticated palate of a 7 month old (who is currently gumming his mommy's arm!)

By the way, please forgive the half naked picture of the little dude. We had a particularly disgusting diaper this evening and it was easier to leave his clothes off than to dress him for the one hour before bath time.

Bad Report Card

I went to the doctor yesterday for my first appointment since my initial post partum exam. I saw the nurse practitioner and left feeling like a kid with a bad report card.

Do you know your cholesterol? No.
Do you take a multivitamin? No.
Do you take calcium supplements? No.
Do you drink? Yes.
Do you drink caffeine? Yes.
Do you exercise? No.

At least I could say I don't smoke! So the nurse told me that, although my weight isn't "too bad," I'm still carrying baby weight and could lose a little, that I should get a vitamin and calcium supplement into my day, and that I NEED to exercise.

I know I sound like I'm making excuses, but when am I supposed to find time to exercise? I already get up @ 6:00 every day, work full time and if I'm lucky get a couple hours of time in with Wesley before he goes to bed. I've decided that some of the things I do on a daily basis must count as exercise. Let's see, I lift a 17 pound baby - often! I do repeated 12 ounce curls (I have to get that caffeine somehow). I run lots of errands -yeah, they're in my car, but it's still running. I play soccer with Wesley. Well, we really just roll the stuffed soccer ball around on the floor. Once Wesley starts crawling more than a couple of feet at a time, I can count the time I spend chasing him as exercise.

OK, I guess maybe I do need a bit of exercise. Duane and I are going to try and go walking at a park a couple times a week, and one of my friends at work suggested we walk around the building during part of our dinner hour. Guess that's the only way I'll squeeze it in for now. Someone send me some motivation!!!

Remote Reward

Wesley is still working on his crawling. The remote is still the coolest thing in the universe for him because he'll consistently crawl for it. But look how happy he is when he succeeds! We tempted him back and forth across the living room floor for a good half an hour tonight. No wonder the little guy is pooped by 8:00!

Not Fair

I can't believe how hard it is to find cute little boy Easter outfits. Everywhere you look there are tons of frilly, poofy little girl Easter dresses, but the boys are sadly under-represented. Grandma H. and I were on a quest this weekend. We checked Target yesterday and found something kind of cute, but they didn't have Wesley's size. Today we went to Babies R Us and once again couldn't find anything in his size that wasn't a shorts outfit. Don't folks know that Easter around here can mean snow? Shorts are just impractical. We decided to try Kohl's after that. We've had great luck finding him stuff there, but today there were no boy Easter outfits at all! Burlington was next and we had the same problem. We FINALLY found a cute little outfit with long pants there - but I think it was the only one.

I'm hoping to get Wesley in somewhere for professional pictures (in his Easter outfit) next weekend. My friend Sarah said I'd better do it before he becomes too mobile. Sounds like good advice to me!

Doesn't Anyone Feed This Kid?

I said yesterday that Wesley is becoming a mooch, but I didn't realize how bad it really is. Grandma H. and I had lunch out and not only did Wesley eat two large jars of baby food, he tried to mooch off of us AND gnawed on the table. It only got worse when Duane and I took him to a birthday party this afternoon. He had a full bottle, a bunch of veggie puffs (baby finger food) and was still trying to con people out of their hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, whatever. It was almost embarrassing!

On a more positive note, he sat up by himself today. Wesley had been crawling when Duane and I both noticed he was sitting up. "Did you sit Wesley up?" I asked. "No," answered Duane, "Did you?" "No." Good thing he's got such observant parents, huh?