Peek-a-Boo

Grandpa P. took this picture last week. TOO CUTE!!!

Dancing in the Aisles

Wesley sure kicked up his heels in church today. During the last song of the contemporary worship service Wesley and Regan (19 months) stood on the steps and clapped their hands and stomped their feet almost in time to the music. Johnny thought this was so funny that he kept playing the song after the service ended. He'd play it fast, then slow, then fast again just to see what the kids would do. The look they both gave Johnny when the music was super slow was too funny! I'm so glad people at our church get such a kick out of Wesley and Regan. They are the only 2 babies in our congregation and boy, do they get their share of attention.

Buckeye Babies

We had some friends over this afternoon to watch the Buckeyes pummel Michigan State! Our godson James (who is 4 months younger than Wesley) was also in attendance. Wesley hasn't shown much interest in "babies". He prefers following kids who are a little older around. However, James must have been especially interesting today. Wesley started out by touching James' hair. A while after that, he began following James around in an effort to hand him a toy. Then Wesley started grabbing the back of James' outfit whenever he'd crawl past. Then he started pulling James' hair - which was quickly ended by both mommies.

After all that, Wesley must have decided that James was an acceptable playmate because they sat on the floor together and "shared" a toy. Now, keep in mind that a baby's version of sharing is taking pieces of the same toy away from each other. There weren't any tears though, so it definitely counts as playing!

Does This Child Look Sick To You?

Wesley may have an ear infection in both ears, but it sure doesn't slow him down much! He went to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s today and was quite the busy boy. Grandma and Wesley took a walk around the neighborhood and all three came to visit me at work. That's always a big treat - even if it does mean I'm fairly unproductive while he's there. It was good timing though. We got a new rug in our storytime room and Wesley got to test it. He also got to check out the new puppets we got last week. The old ones were so nasty I wouldn't let him get within five feet of them.

We've had a pretty quiet evening at home. Wesley has gotten almost all his books out and is currently playing with a couple plastic clothes hangers. We watched a couple episodes of Blue's Clues and generally kicked back. He has been so smiley and happy. I wish I was like that when I'm sick!

Poor Baby

Wesley has been a little off this week. He's not been eating as well as normal and has been a bit cranky. We went to the doctor today and it turns out the little dude has a double ear infection. Poor baby. On the plus side, he loves the taste of his medicine, so that's not a problem. I just wish I could be home with him. My jealousy of stay-at-home moms is growing!

He Speaks!

Yesterday Grandma and Grandpa P. told me that Wesley said two new words. Apparently he said "Duck" and pointed to a stuffed duck on Grandpa's computers. Later when Grandma asked if he'd like to go outside, he ran to the door and said "outside."

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about this. So far Wesley's words have consisted of "es" for yes, "ish" for fish, Mom, Daddy and something that vaguely resembles shoes. I really thought Grandma and Grandpa P. were just having a "very proud grandparent" moment and were hearing what they wanted to hear. I am now a believer!

This morning I dropped Wesley off at Grandma H.'s. When it was time for me to leave I told Wesley I had to go to work. Grandma said "Let's go outside and say bye-bye to Mommy." Wesley headed for the door and said "ou-sigh," which any grandparent or new parent will tell you translates to "outside." Go Wesley!

Nature Walk

Today was so beautiful that I couldn't stand the thought of being inside one second longer than I had to. Translation - I dragged Duane and Wesley on a nature walk. Wesley was more interested in the geese in the parking lot than actually walking, so it took a little while to get moving. He wanted to pet the geese and got way too close for comfort several times. Once we got on the trail, Mr. Outta My Way I Can Walk, proceeded to sit down and examine the gravel.

Things got a bit better as we got moving. Wesley didn't always want to stay on the path, and he didn't always want to walk the direction we were going, but he did pretty well. There was so much for him to look at! He picked up leaves and acorns, saw a bunch of deer (which he also wanted to pet) , flirted with a little girl who was walking with her mom, and checked his vocal cords to see how loud he could holler in the trees. It might not have been your typical nature walk, but I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon!

HELP!!!

How do you get a one year old to stop grinding his teeth? He's driving me nuts and I worry about long term damage. Any ideas?

Happy Birthday to Me

Just in case anyone is wondering, 33 feels an awful lot like 32. :-)

Duane and I began celebrating my birthday yesterday since we usually don't see each other very much on Wednesdays. He picked me up from work with a dozen beautiful roses and we went to dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant. It was such a treat not to have the boy with us and just have a relaxing meal. We absolutely gorged ourselves on the wonderful food and ended up lying in bed groaning over our swelled tummies. YUM!!!

Wesley gave me a terrific present by letting me sleep in until 8:00 this morning. We ate breakfast, got dressed and went to the library for storytime. This was Wesley's first storytime since he became mobile and he was wound! I was probably a bit more self conscious than normal because I did that storytime a couple weeks ago and I could just hear people thinking "Well, the librarian can't control her kid...." Luckily he did pretty well. He loved the songs and bouncing rhymes and didn't get too restless during the books. We're going to try and make that part of our Wednesday routine.

After storytime we did a little shopping with Grandma H. and Auntie Sue (who is visiting from England). Grandma needed to buy a baby gate since Wesley has discovered the stairs at her house and doesn't want to do anything but climb them all day. We all had lunch out and Wesley ate so much that even Auntie Sue, who has two teenage boys, was impressed. What a piggy!!!

I had to work the rest of the day. Four hours of leadership training isn't a normal birthday celebration, but it wasn't too bad. Especially considering that Wesley hid my glasses yesterday and I had to go without all evening. My co-workers showered me with candy and that almost make up for the fact that I was in charge of the building during a tornado warning. We had to herd everyone into the basement of the library for about 40 minutes while the sky got darker and darker and the sirens blared. Did I mention that I have quite the fear of storms? The fact that I remained calm is nothing short of amazing.

When I got home Duane and I ate the remainder of my birthday cake and looked at the proofs of Wesley's one year pictures. They are fantastic!!! Duane gave me a beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings and we called it a night. Do I have an amazing husband or what?! Happy Birthday to me!

Star Trek Invasion

I am not a Trekkie. In fact, I much prefer Star Wars to Star Trek, but even I can tell when our baby has been abducted and replaced by a Klingon baby. Wesley has done nothing but "cling-on" Duane today. The guys had all weekend together since I worked. Wesley loved every moment of it, because you would have thought the world was ending when Duane tried to leave for work. Poor Duane was putting his coat on and Wesley was chasing him around the table screaming with his arms outstretched. It would have been pathetic if it hadn't been so cute.

As soon as Wesley and I got home he turned into a Klingon once again. Duane couldn't even do the dishes because Wesley wanted to be held. The boy also insisted that I hold him while I typed on my blog. We've sacrificed Gus to Wesley for a few moments of peace. Wesley is now chasing the furry fat cat around and giggling like it's the funniest thing he's ever seen. Guess there aren't any cats on his planet.

What Goes Around Comes Around

You knew it, didn't you? As soon as I said that I was sick, you knew it was only a matter of time before Wesley came down with it. Fine. I admit it. You were right. Wesley woke up screaming at 2:00 this morning. The more troubling aspects were that he was a bright pink color (as if he had fallen asleep in the sun on the beach) and refused to take a bottle. A quick touch to the face and we knew he had a fever. Luckily the little dude actually likes the taste of his medicine so we gave him a dose and plopped him in bed with us.

I don't think the medicine helped right away, but being in our bed did. He was suddenly a happy little camper - diving into the pillows, laughing, taking up the entire bed. He finally settled down though and that lasted until the next screaming fit at 5:00. This one was a little less fun because NOTHING would calm him. At 5:45 I finally went downstairs with him and we watched Noggin on the computer until the channel came on at 6:00. Then we kind of snoozed a little bit (with Daddy's help)

Needless to say, we didn't make it to the zoo today. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that we were cursed this spring. Any time we even talked about going to the zoo someone would get sick or it would rain. Guess the curse continues.

Wesley and I spent today mostly hanging around the house. We took a bath with all his bath toys (BIG FUN!), I made chocolate chip cookies, we did some laundry and ran to the ultimate store of wonderfulness -Target! Not too bad a day considering that Wesley's nose is running even faster than he does.

I'm starting to feel pretty sorry for two-thirds of the cats in our house. Wesley loves them so much that he just can't leave them alone. Poor Gus and Sanders get tackled several times a day. At least Sadie is smart enough to run when the boy comes close. Oh well, if the really cared, they'd move. And you can't really fault Sanders, who curled up next to the sickie today and slept with him for two hours. AWWWWWW.

Confessions of a Slacker Mom

UGH! I'm sick of being sick! I must be feeling a little better though, because I'm taking myself on one heck of a guilt trip. I don't know if it's because I've been inside the last two days or what, but I feel like I'm such a slacker mom. It all started because I don't feel well enough to take Wesley to storytime before I go to work (I HAVE to go to work today). So the illogical part of me is speaking very loudly and telling me that I don't expose Wesley to enough or do enough with him. Never mind that we just got back from the beach, a trip to a farm and that we're going to the zoo on Friday. Nope! My inner voice says that I don't do enough for him and that I don't give him enough chances to socialize with other children. Never mind that he spent part of Sunday playing with Colin and Elaina, or that he spends Thursdays with his aunt and cousin. Nope! I'm obviously depriving him of important chances for social growth. Oh! I'm also stressing out because he isn't talking yet. We get the occasional Mama, Daddy or "yes", but my illogical side is convinced that he is somehow developmentally delayed.

I wish I could just tell that voice to shut up!

Hardly Fair

I've worked three days since getting back from vacation, and guess who had the library crud that was working through the department last week - ME! My throat is so sore I can barely talk. I've been chugging sore throat medicine like it's kool-aid and I still feel less than wonderful. Of course, being home all day with Wesley when I can barely talk had it's own challenges. I had to whisper everything to him. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie sounds very interesting when read in a voice no louder than a mouse's. Overall, he was pretty good today and I even got a couple of naps in. We'll find out later if that was enough.

On the plus side, being home sick today allowed me to watch Wesley play peek-a-boo with our cat Gus. Gus was sitting in the dining room window behind the sheers. Wesley would pull the sheers away, see Gus and laugh. Repeat this for about 15 minutes and being sick is almost worth it.

Family Hog Roast

Today was the annual bonfire/hog roast at Duane's aunt and uncles. It was grey and rainy so Walt and Shirley had tents set up outside the barn. The fire was still lit and the food was still delicious. By the time everyone was done with the first round of eating, the rain had ended.

City slicker Wesley had a great time! There was a very sweet dog tied up by the hen house, so Wesley trotted on up there in the drizzle to pat the dog and get lots of doggie kisses. It just about broke his heart when the dog became much more interested in trying to catch one of the chicken then paying attention to Wesley. I'm telling you, sooner or later we are going to have to get this poor child a dog!

As soon as the rain stopped Wesley took his first hayride. Walt and Shirley have some Amish neighbors who came to the bonfire and brought their wagon and two very large black horses. We sat in the hay and bounced on metal wheels down the field, through the woods and back up through a different field. There was a scary moment when the horses slid in the mud, but all was well. I'm sure the horses weren't scared! Wesley desperately wanted to pet the horses (we figure he thought they were really big doggies.) Duane held the little guy up to pet them on the side , but he only wanted to pet them on the head - and mommy and daddy weren't exactly comfortable with that idea. The horse's head was MUCH bigger than Wesley.

Wesley got over his disappointment though when he discovered a smaller horse near the barn. He stood at the gate and pointed for the longest time. Unfortunately, when the horse finally came over and looked at Wesley.....well, it scared him so much he didn't even want to touch it with one finger. Maybe next year.

Wesley spent the rest of the evening picking up rocks, chasing the dogs and taking the gourds out of Shirley's garden. He came home smelling of campfire smoke, covered with mud and food and very happy. Not a bad evening at all!

Fast Friends

Wesley made two new friends today. Aunt Melissa is babysitting another boy a couple days a week. Lance is about four and while Welsey didn't seem so sure about him, Lance seemed to love Wesley! He kept hugging him and trying to play basketball with him. So cute! Wesley was much more obviously impressed with his other new friend - Cyrus the dog. Cyrus is a big boxer type dog with the sweetest personality I have ever seen. I think he'd be content to be petted and lick people all day long. Wesley loved Cyrus! Plus he came home with a spit shine!

Back to Reality

Oh yeah, the vacation is over. I was supposed to go into work at 1:00 today. At 8:15 the phone rang. It was one of my LAs calling in sick. She had a program to do this morning, so I called the other librarian who was scheduled to work today to see if she could cover the program. PROBLEM! She was sick too! The Youth Services Manager was already covering a program at the other library which meant there was literally no one to do the 10:00 program at my building. EEK!!!!

I frantically called my mom and begged her to come down and get Wesley. In the meantime I threw a frozen waffle in the toaster for Wesley, tore it up and tore up some banana, tossed it on a paper plate and plopped Wesley down in front of the TV while I got ready. I skipped the shower thing (my apologies to my coworkers) but managed to make it to the building by 9:35. Laela had already prepped the program for me which helped SO MUCH!!!

On the up side, the building manager let me work 10 - 6 instead of coming back for my 1-9 shift. That allowed me to have Duane's birthday dinner with him. I wish I could go back to the beach!!

Last Day of Vacay

The laundry is nearly done thanks to Super Hubby. The house is vacuumed. We've been to the BMV, the grocery store and returned overdue books to the library. Duane is going to Target to replace our pillows (drat that cat!) and I got one more afternoon nap in. And that all folks!

Home Again

We made it home around 5:00 today. At 5:15 Sanders expresssed his displeasure at our absence by peeing on our pillows. Welcome home!

Not much happened today since we just drove. However we did eat lunch in the cafeteria of the West Virginia capital building. Anyone who knows Grandpa H. understands this.

Heading Home

Well, vacation is over and it's time to head home. We kicked off the trip by overindulging at the House of Blue's Gospel Brunch. YUMMY!!!!! We sat right up by the stage and Wesley was totally intrigued with the band, Glory. Good thing I bought their CD when we were here a couple of years ago. I don't think Wesley took his eyes off the lead singer the entire time. Not even when he was eating - and that's saying something for this boy!

We drove back to Mt. Airy and the same hotel we stayed in on the way down. Have I mentioned that a toddler can destroy a hotel room in less time than it would take a rock star?

Beach Baby Part 2

What is Wesley going to do when we go home and the beach isn't right outside the door? At 7:20 this morning he was sitting by the door with his shovel and pail just waiting to go outside. We went to my favorite pancake place for breakfast and he screamed as we put him in the car because he thought we were heading to the beach. It's going to be a LONG car ride home!

If You Give a Boy a Shovel

Wesley was determined to help Duane and Grandpa H. with their sandcastle. Grandma and I tried to keep Wesley busy under the sun shelter with a bucket of water to play in. Unfortunately all Wesley wanted to do was dump the water and "help" the guys.

Loud and Clear

Luckily the rain held off until this afternoon because Wesley desperately wanted to take his morning walk on the beach. Grandma and I were drinking our coffee when Wesley walked over to the door and did a "come here" motion with his hand. We asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and he nodded his head and said "es," which is Wesley for yes. Needless to say, Grandma and I hurried to get our jackets and bustled out the door. I don't think the walk lasted long enough for the little guy, because when we took him out of his stroller, he turned away from us and trotted back toward the beach. I told him that we were done with our walk and could go to the beach later, which he objected to by beginning a fit. Thank goodness the Mommy Voice actually works sometimes.

Grandma and I spent the rest of the morning shopping. I wanted some slightly dressier clothes to wear for work and we found some great outfits. Spent way too much money, but I'm so happy with all of my purchases. We also did a wine tasting at a local winery. I discovered that I prefer dry to semi-dry wines. The medium and sweet ones we tried did nothing for me. It was so much fun to shop with my mom without having to worry about Wesley having a meltdown, or trying to keep him entertained.

It turns out that while we were gone, Duane tried to get Wesley to nap. Basically he cried and fought it until Duane took him down to the beach - where he fell asleep instantly. Maybe we need to purchase a CD of ocean noises.

Once the rain rolled in Duane, Wesley and I headed to the Ripley's Aquarium. Duane and I were shocked at how expensive it was for us, but within the first 10 minutes Wesley was trying to touch the fish through the glass and saying "ish," so we decided it was money very well spent. They had a really neat moving sidewalk that took you though a tunnel aquarium with sharks and all kinds of other fish. I have to say, I was pretty impressed.

After the aquarium we drove to Merle's Inlet and met Grandma and Grandpa H. at a restaurant I had read about in a guidebook. It wasn't very busy on a gray, rainy weekday evening, but the food was good. We all shared an alligator appetizer - even Wesley. Our waitress was trying to charm Wesley, but he was pretty determined to be shy. We finally took him out of the highchair and let him run around while we ordered dessert. As soon as Wesley heard the waitress say "ice cream," she became his very best friend. He even held onto her leg! Turns out that he liked Mommy's creme brulee much more than Daddy's ice cream. What can I say? The kid has taste!

Wesley ended his night with a bit of communication that had his Grandpa H. stunned! Wesley walked over to the table, picked up his changing pad and wipes and brought it to us. "Do you want your diaper changed?" I asked, not expecting an answer. "Es," Wesley replied with an emphatic nod. EEK!!! If he starts doing that on a regular basis we'll have to consider potty training early!

Perfect Day

What a completely beautiful day! It's supposed to rain tomorrow, but today is picture perfect! The temperature has been just right to lay on the beach and read. I watched Duane and Grandpa H. work on their sandcastle (Grandpa makes one each year.) This year's is shaping up pretty well.

We drove up to Calabash for dinner. Duane walked Wesley on the dock for a little bit while we waited for our table. Wesley was a piggy pig at dinner. He ate a ton of hush puppies and chicken fingers. We couldn't tear the food up fast enough for him. A couple at another table thought it was the cutest thing. They said he reminded them of a little bird. Being the Ladies Man he his, Wesley tried to follow a good looking woman out of the restaurant once we took him out of his high chair.

After dinner we went over to this incredible Christmas store that I love. There I was holding Wesley and looking at all the beautiful ornaments, when I saw someone who works at the library with me! Quite strange! I didn't even know she was going to be on vacation at the same time, let alone near the same place. Guess the pull of the beach is just too much after Summer Reading Club.

Beach Baby

I knew Wesley was going to like the beach. He got up pretty early, so Grandma, Wesley and myself went out for a morning stroll on the sand. You know, I was fairly underimpressed that Grandma wanted to take the jogging stroller, but it was perfect for walking on the beach. Wesley just looked around and took it all in. What I really loved was that he would look at the water and smile. I'm telling you, it makes the long drive to get here totally worth it!

We hit the beach for real a bit later in the morning. Wesley was a tad bit wary at first, but it didn't last. He absolutely loved digging in the sand and I liked watching him try to walk in it. He'd take a couple steps, fall down, get up and repeat the process. He did really well with the water too. Duane and I just held him so his feet got wet. Of course, Wesley did sit down and get knocked over by a wave,but he only did it once and there was no harm done, so we'll just call it a learning experience.

Wesley had his very first grilled cheese sandwich tonight at dinner. Talk about a tasty treat! He ate a ton of it! Top that off with window shopping at a toy store and some ice cream from Maggie Moos and you have pretty good day for a toddler. Even a scraped knee couldn't quite dampen Wesley's spirit.

Local Color in South Carolina

One thing about traveling with a toddler, you will definately experience things you never would have considered before. The morning started out pretty well, but as noon approached Wesley began a big ol' hunger meltdown. Of course, we had just passed the exit with a whole bunch of restaurants, so I called Grandma and Grandpa H. on the cell phone (they were in the lead) and told them to pull off at the next exit. We didn't care what there was to eat, but our little boy needed food and out of the car NOW!

Grandma dutifully got off the highway at the next exit where the only thing was a gas station and a big sign that just said "EAT" next to an otherwise unmarked restaurant. The good news was that the parking lot was PACKED with local cars, so we knew it couldn't be too bad. Turns out it was a treat! The restaurant was full of people who had obviously just come from church. There wasn't a menu, just a buffet full of catfish, corncakes, the world's best fried chicken, rutabaga (which Wesley really enjoyed), stuffing, biscuts and the like. Everyone was super friendly and one elderly man came over to our table and commented on how well the Buckeyes played the night before - we think he saw our license plates. It was so much fun and we never would have stopped under normal circumstances.

Wesley did really well the rest of the way to the beach. We popped a DVD in the player we borrowed from some friends and he passed the time watching Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer.

It's a beautiful day in Myrtle Beach. I stuck my feet in the sand immediately!! Wesley just kind of stared at the ocean, but I just know he's going to love it!

Hitting the Road

Can I just say that Wesley did a GREAT job on the first leg of our trip! We bought him a little remote control thing that you hang on the back on the passengers seat and he can use a steering wheel to make it light up, play songs, etc. It took him no time at all to figure it out. He "drove" us both nuts by playing Old McDonald over and over until he fell asleep, but it kept him busy.

Wesley had a huge lunch at Wendy's. He's trying out shaking his head for "no", but he doesn't really associate the action with the word. He shook his head when I asked if he wanted a bite, but opened his mouth super wide when I said "ice cream." He'll figure it out way too soon anyhow.

The boy did have a MAJOR meltdown in the car around 5:00. Considering we left at 10:30, I was really surprised we made it that long. We weren't too awfully far from Mt. Airy, NC (where we stayed), but I knew his crying would drive Duane and I nuts before we arrived. So I did what any parent in the passenger seat would do. I put aside all thoughts of the car sickness I get in the backseat and climbed into the back while Duane was doing 75 through some winding roads. It didn't help me, but Wesley calmed considerably.

We ate dinner at a truck stop next to our hotel. Well, all of the adults ate dinner, Wesley picked at his food and wanted to run all over the restaurant. I couldn't really blame him since he'd been trapped in his car seat for almost the entire day. Luckily there's a field next to the hotel and Wesley could run until his little heart was content. We'll see how he sleeps in his pack and play when Duane and I are in the same room and trying to watch the OSU/Texas game. I'm betting there won't be a lot of sleep going on!

Blow to the Ego

Yesterday at work a patron asked me if I was expecting again. At least she had the courtesy to be mortified when I said no. Wonderful comment for someone to make before you head to the beach for a week.

Even the Kitchen Sink

I have been trying to pack for our vacation a little bit each day so I am not running around like a mad woman Friday night. I had NO IDEA how much stuff we were going to have to take to accommodate Wesley. Let's see, there's the booster seat, high chair cover, stroller, pack and play, diapers, wipes, swim diapers, toys, books, a few things of toddler food, all his clothes plus the things Duane and I need to pack. I have realized that Wesley has way too many toys and a better wardrobe than me. I have 10 outfits packed in his suitcase and he still has tons to wear.

unfortunately I am also reaching the point where I've packed just about all I can ahead of time. Most of the things left are things we'll need in the car or in the hotel on the way to the beach. I'm going to need a vacation to recover from my packing!!!

Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill

Wesley spent last evening practicing the fine art of walking up and down a slanted surface - the hill in Grandma and Grandpa H.'s yard. It was one of the funniest things I've seen in a very long time. I was sitting a little ways (a few feet) up the hill and Wesley was with Duane towards the bottom. Wesley would struggle to toddle up to me, then turn and stumble down to Duane. Duane and I slowly got further and further apart and I ended up at the bottom of the hill. Wesley would come flying down the hill and into my arms. I'd tip over then and roll in the grass with him. Then he'd toddle up to Duane and repeat the whole process.

I think it was best when Wesley was starting to get tired. After about 20 minutes he looked like someone had spiked his milk. It took him longer and longer to get to the top of the hill and would end up on his tushie repeatedly. He loved it though. He cried when we took him inside. Guess Grandma will have an easy way to keep the boy entertained today.

The rest of the weekend was spent eating way too much and getting ready for our trip. Wesley had a couple uncharacteristic meltdowns, but a lot is changing for him and we were off schedule so I guess that's to be expected.

Clean Plate Does Not Equal Clean Floor

Wesley, Grandma H. and I ate lunch at Eddie George's restaurant today. It's actually a great restaurant for kids because the noise level means no one can hear if he cries. :-) Seriously, they were VERY accommodating for him. Since we are trying to wean him off baby food we decided to order Wesley some mac and cheese. All I can say is "YUM!" That was awesome mac and cheese! Wesley really liked it and was shoving it in as fast as I could cut it up. Grandma and I were both impressed by how much he ate - until we looked under the table and saw much of it on the floor. No wonder he was such a bottomless pit!

One Year Milestones

Now that Wesley is officially one we get to start all the big changes that mark turning into a toddler.

1. Got milk? Wesley does! He had his first whole milk this morning and he sure didn't seem to mind the switch. Although I'm really glad not to have to mix up formula anymore, we got such a good deal on it that we are actually going to be paying MORE to buy milk. Wild, huh? The convenience will trump that though.
2. About face! Wesley weighs 21 pounds, so we can turn his car seat around. We probably won't get around to doing this until the weekend, but I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. It HAS to be easier to get him in the seat when it is facing forward. It will also make our trip to the beach easier since we got him some travel distractions that strap onto the front seat.
3. Bye-Bye Bottle! Dr. Matt said to start weaning Wesley off his bottle. I don't think this will be a problem since he does just fine with a sippy cup and loves to drink out of our glasses too. Just thinking of the counter space will gain when we bottle rack and sterilizer go "bye-bye" gives me goosebumps!
4. Something to sink his teeth into! We've already been giving Wesley lots of "people" food rather than baby food because he seems to have lost interest in the stuff that comes out of the little jar, but now we have the official go ahead from the doctor. I loved buying those little containers at first, but I'm craving the space they took up on the shelves and fridge. Wesley isn't even close to being a picky eater, so I'm not the least bit worried about this one. And I love to have him try new things!
5. New reading for Mommy. I have already witnessed some "toddlner" behavior from Wesley - strong preferences, frustration when he can't get his message across, stuff like that. Being the librarian I am, I automatically reserved "The Girlfriend's Guide to Toddlers." Guess I'll be doing research on vacation.

Happy Birthday Wesley

Today marks Wesley's official first birthday. While the rest of the country watched Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, our family anxiously awaited the arrival of our sweet little boy. I caught myself several times today thinking things like "Time for induction," "Got the epidural about now," "Here he is!" It's kind of surreal to think Duane and I have been parents for whole year!!

We celebrated with a little mini-party tonight. Duane's mom was unable to attend the big party over the weekend, so she joined us and Grandma and Grandpa H. for dinner. Grandma made meatloaf and mashed potatoes, thinking that Wesley would be able to eat it. He didn't eat, so much as inhale the meatloaf. It was in his mouth as quickly as I could cut it up. He didn't do too bad on the mashed potatoes or cottage cheese either. Wesley's new thing is to reject his sippy cup if he sees you drinking out of a glass, so he took many sips of my water.

Grandma H. also got Wesley another little birthday cake so Grandma W. could see him dive into it. He was slightly more enthusiastic this time and really put a hurting on the icing. Speaking of cake - the leftovers are calling my name. I think I'd better go!

Party On Dude!

Today we celebrated Wesley's first birthday by having a rather big family party. I have to be honest and say I have been stressing about this for weeks. In fact, I woke up at 6:00 this morning and couldn't sleep any more. Everything went off without a hitch and Wesley had a birthday party that rivaled Christmas!

We chowed on tons of City Barbeque! Wesley is a big fan of their turkey and their corn pudding. He did a great job feeding himself and Grandpa P. and Great Aunt Carol. Kate and Colin were there to celebrate with us. Watching Colin made me so excited about everything Wesley is going to learn this year. He'll learn to talk, he'll develop his sense of humor more. Colin even fed me watermelon off Kate's fork - sorry Kate.


Colin and cousin Kierstin helped Wesley open his gifts. I am almost embarrassed by how generous everyone was! Definitely a spoiled child. At least Aunt Paula didn't make good on that drum set! Wesley was particularly taken with the blankie Aunt Susan made him and the pink and white poodle from "Uncle" Rick and "Aunt" Sasha. I think Rick was a little embarrassed about it, but Wesley LOVES it! He immediately showered it with kisses. We have dubbed her Fifi and think she'll be a great companion to Frank. It's super cute to watch Wesley carry one under each arm.

Wesley was pretty clean about the whole cake thing too. I was expecting major icing everywhere, but he was much more conservative and preferred to pick the colored sprinkles off. Cute and I'm certainly not going to complain that he didn't make a total mess.

Duane and I are pretty much exhausted now. Wesley is tired too, but he's too keyed up about today to pay much attention to it. Hopefully we'll be able to stay awake as long as he does.

TP30

Wesley discovered the toilet paper roll today. I got out of the shower to find a big pile of toilet paper on the floor and a bunch in Wesley's mouth! That's OK, I also caught him trying to put the remote in the toilet while I was doing my makeup. I'm telling you - that kid's going to keep me on my toes!

We went to COSI with our friend Ray today to see the Star Wars exhibit. Wesley slept through most of it, which allowed me to indulge my inner geek. He did wake up for the millennium Falcon simulator though. Wesley even let Ray hold him at one point, which is pretty impressive when you consider that the little guy screamed bloody murder when Ray walked in.

After seeing the Star Wars stuff we headed to the Little Kids Space so Wesley could run around for a bit. A little girl came up to him, smiled and promptly lifted up her shirt to show Wesley her tummy. I guess Wesley doesn't like forward girls though because he toddled away from her and walked over to a 3 year old girl who was busily building a tower. She was not very friendly and kept telling me to take Wesley away. I was glad to do so, because that little girl was MEAN!!! We went and played with some other toys instead and had a great time. Ray kept rolling balls over to Wesley and he'd chase them around. Very cute!


The End

Game Time

It's not quite 9:30 in the morning and Wesley and I have already played a whole bunch of new games.

We've played:

1. Baby Hot Foot - This is when I blow dry my hair and (with the dryer on warm - not hot) blow the air on Wesley's feet whenever he comes close enough. He giggles madly, toddles off and then comes back for more!
2. I'm Hungry NOW - This is when Wesley helps me move the highchair from the kitchen to the living room because he is ready to eat (and was ready 5 minutes ago). I was actually pretty impressed that he could walk backwards while pulling on the highchair.
3. Feed Mommy - All those Cheerio lessons last week must have paid off because it was great fun to feed Mommy bites of cereal bar this morning.
4. Mooch - This has been Wesley's favorite game for months now. After he had breakfast, I grabbed a bowl of cereal. Even though he had just eaten all he wanted, he had to sample my breakfast too. He mooched bites until it was gone.
5. Baby Blogger- This is when I try to type my blog with Wesley sitting on my lap, throwing the mousepad on the floor, grabbing the mouse, typing on the keyboard and playing with the lights on the tower. Much fun for him, but not so fun for me!

I think we're going to go play Sort the Laundry next. It's a very educational game!

Wesley's Can "Dew" Attitude

Wesley still loves the idea Mountain Dew. He's never tasted it, but he LOVES to investigate the cans and bottles. I don't even want to imagine him on that much sugar and caffeine!

Sunday Dinner

Wesley was something else at church today. We attend our casual contemporary service, which is held in the Fellowship Hall. Pretty much everyone is used to Wesley playing with his toys and babbling during the service. However, today we had a visiting pastor and Wesley was not interested in anything except walking. At first Wesley just walked up and down our aisle, but during the sermon he took off for the front of the room. The visiting pastor was so nice about it and even worked it into the sermon.

After the service I told the pastor I really appreciated his patience and humor with Wesley. He told me he completely understood. Once when he was preaching his son toddled up to him and wanted to be held, so he held him while continuing with the service. "Some people look on worship as fine dining," he said. "I consider it a family picnic." He was fantastic! Maybe we'll have to check out his regular church sometime.

Read and Repeat

Wesley has a new favorite book he likes me to read to him. As a librarian I should be completely thrilled by this, right? He'll listen to it over and over and over and over and...well, you get the point. The problem is that it is a book I cannot stand!! I am convinced that the well known author who wrote it just wanted to see how much he could get by on his name and put no effort into this title. Even worse - it's a series!

Makes no difference to Wesley though. He handed me the book last night and I read it to him. When I finished the book and set it down, he'd pick it back up and place it in my hands. Which meant I ended up reading it about six times in a row. When Wesley went to bed I put in on his bookshelf, relieved that I was done with it.

This morning I was sitting on the couch. Wesley toddled over to his book shelf, retrieved the book and plopped it on my head. I took that as a subtle hint that he wanted it read to him again. So we've had three more readings of it this morning. I think I might have to hide it for awhile.

Cheerio!

Wesley flat refused to eat his oatmeal or his fruit this morning, so Grandma H. gave him some Cheerios to munch. I had a few minutes spare before I had to take off for my conference today, so I stayed while Wesley ate. He did a really good job on his Cheerios. Just for kicks, I thought I'd see if I could get him to feed me a Cheerio, after all, he gives me a block when I ask if Mommy may have one.

"May Mommy have a Cheerio?" I asked, opening my mouth very very wide.

Wesley looked at me, smiled, and popped a Cheerio in his own mouth. After we repeated this little scenario several times, Grandma fed me a Cheerio to see if he'd get the idea. He did - sort of. He'd put a Cheerio in my mouth, but he wouldn't actually release it. After holding it there for a moment, it would go into his own mouth.

I was beginning to lose hope of ever getting a Cheerio when Wesley finally held one up to my lips. When I opened my mouth he actually gave me the piece of cereal. This must have been a pretty good game, because on my way out the door I leaned in for a kiss and he gave me a puff. At least I didn't go to my conference hungry!

Bouncing Baby Boy

Wesley discovered the fun of bouncing balls today. Not that he is bouncing them himself, but whenever I bounce one he giggles and grins! If I stop, he'll pick up the ball and hand it to me - which is very impressive with the purple oversized ball we have at home. He'll also bounce along with it. Too cute!

Fair, Fun and Family

Once again Wesley had a busier weekend than any 11 month old should really have to endure. On Saturday Duane's company had a family picnic at the fair. Wesley was not real interested in being social with all the HVAC guys, but he did surprisingly well as we walked around the fair. Or at least, surprisingly well as long as Daddy was holding him. I'm shocked that Duane's arms didn't give out completely! Wesley slept in his stroller long enough for us to go through some of the commercial buildings, but we saved the animals for when he was awake. He was pretty interested in the sheep building and really liked the "petting zoo" tent.

Of course, like most fairgoers, Wesley's favorite thing was the food. In order to do the fair up right, we let him sample whatever we were eating. He munched some BBQ, brat and potato salad at the company picnic. He sampled some corn dog and elephant ear and slammed the cinnamon mini doughnuts I had to have. And to no one's surprise he loved the strawberry ice cream we all shared while sitting on a patch of grass. Even just drinking a sippy cup of water seemed extra special outside with all the people around.

After the fair we all crashed at home for a couple hours before heading out to Wesley's first cocktail party. One of my coworkers hosted a "welcome home from Africa" party combined with a "we'll miss you when you move back to Turkey" party. It was wonderful! The food and company were great and Wesley managed to be on his best behavior. He tried to share some of his toys with the hostess' cat and impressed everyone by enjoying a fair amount of bread with goat cheese. He even curled up on the floor at one point and let his librarian girlfriend Wendy rub his back. I was sad when we had to leave to put him to bed.

On Sunday we drove to Mansfield to attend a family reunion. It was the family of my great great grandmother so I didn't really know anyone. In fact, I joked to Duane that we were so distantly related to these people that Wesley could marry one and it would be perfectly legal. It was a small gathering, but the food was FANTASTIC! Can you tell I totally blew my diet this week? We went to my aunts new place for awhile after the reunion. She has a ceramic dog that looks fairly real. Wesley did not know what to do with it. He was fascinated because it was a dog, but he didn't like the way it felt. After a few minutes of investigating it, he gave it a wide berth whenever he toddled by.

Which brings us to today's news. Wesley's third tooth has officially broken through! It's one of the top center ones which ought to make him look like a jack-o-lantern in another week or two. In other disturbing news, Grandma and Grandpa P. informed me that Wesley was totally enthralled by Michael Bolton singing Frank Sinatra songs on Good Morning America today. Could it be that we've found a replacement for Moose and Zee? Nah!

I Did It My Way

Remember when I said that I could almost hear Wesley saying "Me do it!"? Well, he still can't talk, but he's saying it loud and clear. Yesterday I had him in his room while I put away some of his laundry. He was walking around and yammering away. When I finished I told him it was time to go downstairs and I scooped him up. He immediately started screeching and pushing away from me with his hands and feet. "OK. He wants to walk," I thought. So I put him down and took his hand to lead him out into the hallway. He immediately started pulling his hand away from me and screeching. At this point I understood exactly what he was saying, but I also understood that I am the Mommy and we were going downstairs.

Wesley got to show off what a big boy he is at the library today. He figured out how to push the button to make the crickets chirp - which is a very big deal at my library. He had to stand on his tippy toes and stretch his fingers as far as they could go, but he did it!

He's now sitting on the floor looking at an animal book with Daddy. Whenever he gets to the page with the picture of the dalmation puppies, his kisses it. Could that be any cuter!?

Return to the Land of the Living

Sorry I've been so out of touch on the blog this week. I think I caught whatever it was that Wesley came down with last Thursday. I felt strange all day Monday and Monday night it hit me like a ton of bricks! The good news is that I went to the doctor today and I'm now on some antibiotics that should kick the sore throat I have right in the tonsils! Here's hoping the little guy doesn't pick anything up from me.

No super cute baby stories since I've been trying to keep some distance from him while I've been sick. However, I do have a super cute picture from Monday morning before it all hit. I call it "Farmer Wesley!" Nectarines are his new favorite fruit and he kept taking them out of the bowl.

Puppies and Uncle and Aunt - Oh My!

Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan came for a visit today. It's been awhile since they have seen Wesley and Aunt Susan was jonesing for a nephew fix - especially since she got her camera back. Too bad Wesley wasn't the most cooperative of subjects. He's still a little bit cranky from being sick. He did show off his walking skills though.

After dinner, we went to a nearby park for a walk and some time on the swings for Wesley. It's not the nicest park in town, but it has two very important things for Wesley - swings and dogs. You are guaranteed to see at least a dozen or more dogs there and most of them are very friendly. We walked near a couple of dog owners and one of the dogs just budded right up to Wesley, which Wesley LOVED!!! The owner was mortified that her dog was showering some baby she didn't know with kisses, but I assured her that we didn't mind one bit. Wesley was even happier when 2-3 dogs came over at once and kissed him, sniffed him, let him pet them. It was dog heaven! He did end up with a couple of scratches on his leg from one very exuberant puppy, but Wesley didn't seem to mind and if he doesn't care, we don't care. Small price to pay for all the attention! I am very glad tonight was bath night!

Longest Day EVER!

I can't even say when today began! I decided to sleep on the couch with the sicky last night because it's considerably cooler. Of course, our couch is less and comfortable and how much sleep can one really get when your child is burning up with fever? I didn't even try to go to sleep until after 11:00 (drat that World Series of Pop Culture!). I know I saw 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 - which is when Wesley drank a bottle - threw up all over. I woke Duane up around 4:00 to give me a hand. He took the 4-6 AM shift before he went to work.

Wesley's doing quite a bit better today. At 3:30 I was ready to take him to the hospital, but when I took his temperature, it had actually gone down. He sat up this morning and even got a couple of toys out. Grandpa P. came down this morning so I could catch a shower and a nap. By the time he left early this afternoon, Wesley was doing MUCH better. The little guy even managed some lunch.

We spent this afternoon playing with toys, blowing bubbles and not napping. Wesley finally crashed around 5:00 - right before Duane got home. Duane went to the grocery store and I got dinner in the oven before Wesley woke up in tears. He ate, but he's been crying pretty steadily since then. No fever, but definitely not Mr. Charming. He's finally running out of tears as he lays on his Daddy's chest and clutches Lambie (Frank still hasn't recovered from yesterday). I can't believe it's not even 8:00 yet! It feels like it's been today for ages.

Mommy versus Librarian

First of all, let me say that I love my job. I work at a great library and work with an incredible group of colleagues. But sometimes I hate being a working mom. Take today. I dropped Wesley off at my sister-in-laws around 12:00. He was fine. At 2:40 I got an email from Duane saying that Melissa had called him because Wesley threw up every bit of his lunch and felt warm to the touch. From that moment on I was useless. All I could think was that my baby was sick and that he should be with his mommy. The logical/professional part of me said that I had a meeting at 3:00, tons of work to do, and that Duane would be picking Wesley up in 2 hours. The mommy part kept telling the logical/professional part to shut up.

I went to my meeting, but even my boss could tell my heart wasn't really in it. After an hour she and the library manager told me to go home. I raced to pick up Wesley to find him really warm to the touch and just kind of moaning. Apparently he had made quite the mess because Aunt Melissa said she'd just wash his clothes. She also said that Frank (Wesley's stuffed wolf/dog) would probably never be the same. She did a fantastic job cleaning Frank up. I guess we'll just have to see how he dries. In the meantime, Wesley has Lambie to snuggle.

We've been on the couch since 5:30. He's had a popsicle and a bottle and has mostly slept. I hate to have him out of my arms for a minute when he's like this. I guess "Mommy" won!

New Nickname

Wesley got a new nickname last night. Because of the way he walks and how cranky he gets in the evening, he has been dubbed "Crankenstein"

All Boy

Looking for further proof that Wesley is all boy? How's this for evidence?

1. Eats dirt off the kitchen floor (yucky on so many levels!)
2. Squirms away during a diaper change, crawls three feet away, pees on the floor and laughs! Guess potty humor starts very early!
3. Scratches his tushy whenever his diaper is off
4. Discovered that if you purse your lips you can force food through the opening and then suck it back in. Super gross to us, super entertaining to him.
5. Believes yogurt is a finger food or beverage.