Year of the Boar

Tonight we celebrated the Chinese New Year with Grandma and Grandpa H., Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kai.

A restaurant in town had a special Lion Dance tonight, so that's where we decided to dine. It was a lot of fun, but Wesley forgot his restaurant manners once again. He cried anytime we put him in his highchair and refused to eat even a morsel of the delicious food. He spent most of the evening wandering around the restaurant with either me, Daddy or Grandma H. Why does he do this? Most of the time he is fine at a restaurant, but if it's a special occasion of any sort, he refuses to cooperate! He wasn't bad, but it's hard to have a nice family dinner when someone is always off walking the toddler.

The Lion Dance portion of the evening was a lot of fun. It was loud with drums and cymbals and there were three separte lions throughout the restaurant. Sho and Kai were a bit scared (especially Sho) but Wesley didn't seem to mind the whole thing. He even reached out and petted one of the lions. My brave boy!

The Deception Has Begun

I just logged off amazon.com after purchasing a new Stinky Bear. In 3-5 days we should have a brand-new, stink-free version of Wesley's most beloved toy. Now I just have to decide if we will rotate the two bears, or wait until the original Stinky Bear has some sort of accident. I'm fairly certain it won't be long until that happens. This weekend Wesley started grabbing the tag between his teeth and pulling it - an act almost certain to shorten a toy's life span. Here's hoping this works!

Love Fest

Wesley and I are having a little love fest this morning. I've been showering him with loud, "smacking" kisses all over his face and neck. He rolls around an laughs and grins. When I stop, I say "I luvvvvv you," and he giggles some more. Then I ask if he wants more kisses. Wesley will wait for a moment, then say "Yes!" and the whole game begins again. I think the best part of it is that he's starting to say "I love you" after I say it to him. Sigh!

Happy Valentine's Day

I used to really hate Valentine's Day. I hated that there were all these expectations to have this incredibly romantic day and nothing you did could ever live up to the hype. When Duane and I got together he promised me that I would never have another bad Valentine's Day and he's been able to keep that promise each year.

Duane gave me a vase of beautiful yellow roses and a heart shaped box of chocolates on Tuesday night. He said he was going to hide them in the basement, but since we have an outside entrance to the basement, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get to them this morning! I thought that was wonderful and more than I needed since we were also going out to dinner. But he had another surprise up his sleeve. When I turned the computer on, I noticed my background was totally different. Instead of a picture of Wesley, the screen was red with two arrows pointing to a new icon and the words "Try this! Happy Valentine's Day!" Duane waited until I went to sleep last night and downloaded my favorite computer game for me. I am totally addicted to the free version of Zuma, but I can beat it with my eyes closed. So Duane paid for the "real" version! You thought I had a Zuma habit before!

The weather is still pretty stinky and the library was closed again (I had already taken the day off though, so all that meant for me was that I didn't have to go in for a meeting.) Wesley and I spent the day hanging out together and it was so much fun! His Valentine's treat was a sippy cup of strawberry milk - yummy. I got to be the coolest mom in the world for awhile this morning too. I broke out the Gymboree bubbles and let loose in the kitchen. Wesley was running around saying "Bubbles! Bubbles!" and laughing up a storm. I think we had the whole room covered in bubbles! It was a perfect diversion for an inside day (even if I did have to mop the floor afterword)

Wesley gave me a great Valentine's Day gift too. We took a two hour nap together on the couch. I count this as a gift because for two whole hours I got to have my best little guy snuggled up against me. Wesley doesn't like to sit still for too long, so I know those moments are going to start coming less frequently. It was perfect for today though. I would have stayed there with him for hours more if I could have.

We ended our Valentine's Day by going out to dinner with Grandpa and Grandma H. There used to be a completely over the top Polynesian restaurant called the Kahiki. It closed several years ago, but some of the former employees have opened a smaller restaurant featuring many of the same dishes, tropical drinks and slightly more refined decor.For two hours we escaped the ice and snow. We wore leis, drank tropical beverages, listened to a guitar player sing Hawaiian songs and ate yummy food. It was like a mini vacation. Wesley wasn't overly interested in sitting to eat. He wanted to look at the fish tanks and dance to the music and jabber away to the guitar player - that's why he looks so thrilled in the picture. No one cared though. Everyone in the restaurant was there to have romantic getaway, but it was just loud enough that Wesley's occasional whines didn't interfere with any one's evening. The highlight for us, was the desert we ordered. It was called the Big Fat Mamasan and was a gigantic concoction of fruit and ice cream. It arrived at the table flaming and then the waiter poured water on a tray of dry ice it was sitting in. Wesley loved the "fog" rolling over the table from our dessert almost as much as he loved the ice cream. It was a perfect evening.

Snow Day part 2

What a wonderful lazy day it has been! Wesley and I have done a whole lot of nothing and I have loved every second of it. I even took two naps! Duane came home a little early too. Wesley and I went outside for all of two minutes as Duane shoveled the ice and snow, but what fun those two minutes were!

It's a SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I woke up this morning with a horrible feeling of dread. After my two hour commute home last week, the mere word "snow" makes me sick to my stomach. However, when the phone rang at 7:00 this morning and the caller ID said it was my boss, I knew exactly what was happening - SNOW DAY!!!!!! I had to call the six people I supervise to give them the news and it was so much fun! Everyone was so happy to hear from me!

Let the snow come falling down today! I am comfy in my jeans and sweatshirt. I get a whole day with my boy! We are going to drink hot chocolate. We are going to play in the snow. We are going to read books and play and watch TV and it's going to be terrific!!! I called Duane at work to let him know (he goes in at 7:00 and only has a 2.5 mile drive). He's a little bit jealous and said, "well, I wish I hadn't cleaned off your car," but I could tell he was kidding. He knows how much I hate driving in the snow and I know he's glad I'm home today.

HOORAY! HOORAY! IT'S A SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blueberry Boy

I am losing my battle of wills against Wesley. Remember when I said I was not going to fight with Wesley over food? I lied. I lied BIG TIME! Wesley has become the stereotypical toddler who will only eat some of the time and only some of the food offered. The problem is, there is no rhyme or reason to it. Yesterday he ate like a pig, today he's barely touched food all day. Some bites of food are acceptable to eat, but some bites of the same food must immediately be thrown on the floor. I am starting to dread mealtimes!

Duane and I have instituted a rule that Wesley does not have to eat the food on his plate, but he does have to sit with us during dinner. Of course, we aren't real good about that rule. We desperately want him to eat and can't leave well enough alone. Tonight we waited until he started whining, then stuck a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. Once Wesley tasted them, he decided they were acceptable for at least a few forkfuls. We cheated though and sneaked bites of pork chop and broccoli in the potatoes. That worked for while. Then, when he started whining again, I popped a blueberry (previously frozen) into his mouth. That worked for awhile too. Wesley suddenly remembered that he likes blueberries and ate several. Good thing it's bath night! He also worked on a piece of bread and butter. It was a far cry from a meal, but at least I know he got some food in him.

Super Hubby Strikes Again

Have I told you all lately how wonderful, incredible and all around terrific my husband is? Well sit back, because here comes another "Super Hubby" story. I woke up this morning a little after 8:00 and headed downstairs. I arrived in the kitchen to find Duane at the counter, cooking. "You ruined the surprise!" he said. "It's hard to bring you breakfast in bed when you are already up." So he sent me into the living room (where Wesley was) to read the paper and relax while he finished breakfast. A few minutes later he presented me with Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes and a mug of hot tea. After I finished eating, he rubbed my back and shoulders too! I am so spoiled! The spoiling continued as he went to Panera for me this afternoon and kept Wesley busy while I did some creating in the kitchen. I just can't get over that this amazing guy is really my husband!

Self-Control or Secret Plan

Wesley amazes me on a daily basis. I love to watch him and listen to him because I never know how he's going to astound me next. I guess that's part of the joy of being a parent.

We went to the memorial service for a family friend today. Wesley did pretty well at first. He had just woken up from a nap in the car and was busy taking in the sights (including Grandma and Grandpa H.) The service started and I broke out the Taiwanese candy from Aunt Cathy. Wesley loves that stuff and since I break it into tiny pieces, a little lasts for a long time. Eventually Duane did have to take Wesley out of the room, but the little guy continued to behave.

After the service ended, everyone stood around and talked for awhile. It was during the social time that Wesley discovered the nifty carpeted steps in the hallway of the funeral home. There were only about six steps and Wesley had a grand time climbing up them. "Climb!" He'd say and start up them! However, mean ol' Mommy wasn't sure that was the best thing for Wesley to be doing at a memorial service, so I pulled him off the steps, told him no and carried him down the hall way. The first chance he got, Wesley ran back over to the steps - but he didn't climb them!! He stood at the foot of the stairs and babbled away. He'd point to the steps, he'd say "Steps" and he'd say "I climb steps." But if I told him no, he didn't put so much as one foot on the step. We repeated this for a good five minutes How impressive is that!? That's the self control part. The secret plan part is as soon as my eyes were averted, he climbed the steps. Guess he figured he had lulled me into a false sense of security and it was time to make his move. Toddlers is tricksy!

He's Got Your Number

Wesley surprised me tonight by saying a number other than two. We were counting his Weebles and he said "six" right after I said five. Mind you, he didn't say any other numbers but I've still decided it's progress.

A "Must Buy" Book

Since I am a children' librarian, it's amazing that I don't post about books more often. I have volunteered to update our Baby and Toddler book list at work, so I've been on the search for new books that Wesley enjoys and I could recommend to others. This week we discovered "Dog" by Matthew Van Fleet. It's part touch and feel book, part pull tab and all cute! Grandma bought it for Wesley yesterday and the boy is in love! The first thing Wesley did when he woke up this morning was get the book off the table and say "Uff! Uff!" - which is Wesley for "Woof! Woof!" The book is adorable! If you have a dog fan at your house, you MUST check it out!

Snow STINKS!!!!

I always say that I like winter through New Year's and then I'm done with it. I've been a little more lenient this year until this week, but I'd officially like to say I am DONE with winter. It just took me two hours to drive home from work (normally a 20 minute drive in rush hour traffic). ARGH!! The good news is that I didn't slide and I didn't see accidents and everyone was being very cautious, but two hours to get home is too much! I barely got 1/2 hour in with the boy before it's time to get him ready for bed. At least tomorrow is my late day. If I had to go in at 9:00, I think I'd cry.

I Dub Thee Sir Wesley!

Wesley is in love with the Weebles castle that his Aunt Judy gave him for Christmas. The other night he didn't want to listen to any books at bedtime, he only wanted his castle. When we put him in his crib he cried and cried and reached out for it. Wesley played with his castle for nearly 4 hours yesterday with only a couple short breaks! I had no idea that toddlers could have an attention span that long. Although the music it plays started to annoy me somewhat, it did allow Duane and I to watch the Super Bowl. Wesley sat three feet away from us, played with his castle and almost never looked up. In fact, the poor guy played with the castle until he was so tired, he could only lift one finger to press the button. I think I'll have to get him some more Weebles play things!

Random Thoughts

1) I knew that having a little boy was going to expose me to a certain amount of grossness. It goes along with being a boy. Wesley already thinks burps are hilarious, but I didn't think I'd be telling my 17 month old to stop picking his nose!

2) Remember that post about Prairie Dawn's nose? Well, it started an avalanche of comments on my friend Kate's blog. Duane asked that I air his children's show complaint. On "Blues Clues", why is Blue (who is blue) a girl? Shouldn't she be pink? Also, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper have a little boy named Cinnamon, which Duane firmly believes is a girls name - funny, I always thought it was a spice. Of course, we just a had a discussion on whether Linny on "Wonder Pets" is a girl or a boy. I say girl, he says boy. Anyone care to weigh in?

It's COLD!

I don't mean to sound like a whiner, but it's COLD!!!! I like living where we do because I enjoy experiencing four seasons. I was actually a little bummed out when it was near 60 degrees a couple of weeks ago. I guess I'm paying for it now.

We have gone into hibernation mode. Our furnace doesn't like to heat our 100 year old house very well when it's in the single digits outside. We woke up to the high 60's inside, which is about 3-4 degrees colder than normal and kind of noticeable. Duane lit a fire in the fireplace, Wesley pulled all the blankets out and we all (even the cats) congregated in the front room. I made a cold weather breakfast of banana chocolate chip pancakes (Weight Watchers) and the guys have thick sweaters on. The plan is for them to stay inside all day. I have to go to work, but the boys need to stay nice and cozy. Sometimes hibernation is good.

Cousins

I feel bad that I haven't posted any pictures of Wesley's cousins, Sho and Ki. We spent a little time with them at COSI yesterday. Here are a couple shots from the ever popular water table.
Sho is the older boy in the yellow raincoat, while Ki is in the blue.


Sho had a great time leading me around the Kidspace and showing me all his favorite things. For the most part, Ki hung out with Wesley. Poor Ki has been trying to give Wesley a kiss on the cheek ever since they arrive in Ohio. He finally succeeded yesterday. It just tickles me how much they like their little cousin. They even call me "Wesley Mama" most of the time!

The Up Side of Murphy's Law of Toddlerhood

The up side about getting up at the crack of dawn is that we've had great morning. I got my shower when Dora was on TV and we managed to make it to the main library for story time. Wesley did a fantastic job, considering he's only been to a handful of story times in his life. Yes, I know that is pathetic considering I'm a children's librarian, but most story times are when I'm working. Wesley loved the songs and even seemed to listen to the books. I just can't believe we made it there AND he was soooooo good!!!

Another up side? I got the menus planned for next week and a big dent in the grocery list. Too bad I'm yawning and have a full day of work ahead. If I could take a nap in the afternoon with Wesley, I wouldn't mind starting our days off nice and early.

Murphy's Law of Toddlerhood

I may have complained about this before, but a good gripe always deserves another airing. Why is it that on days that I have to be at work in the morning, Wesley could sleep till 9 and I have to wake him up and pry him out of bed, but on the days that I don't go in until the afternoon, Wesley wakes up at the crack of dawn? This is especially annoying when Mommy and Daddy have stayed up past their usual (pathetically early) bedtime to watch a movie.

I'm a morning person, but getting up too early is bad! It causes me to spend time musing about weird things, like "Why doesn't Prairie Dawn have a nose? Bert, Ernie, and Grover all have noses, but Prairie Dawn - who is supposed to be a person - is without a nose. How strange is that?" And of course the bigger question, "Why do I even care?"

Which Cat is Which?

Sanders









Gus

Sadie

Three cats, three different and distinct names. So how come Wesley calls Gus and Sadie by their names, but won't call Sanders anything but "Kitty Kitty?"

Toddler Police

I've been busted by a 17 month old. This morning I was getting ready to leave the house. I said goodbye to Wesley and put on my hat and gloves. Wesley looked me over, then tapped his head and said "Hat! Hat! Hat!" Wesley always has to have hat on if we leave, so I guess he figured I needed a hat too. As soon as I showed him I had a hat, I was permitted to leave. Guess it's a good thing I got off with a warning!

New Baby Trick

I was going to title this post "stupid baby trick" but that sounded kind of rude. So "new baby trick" it is. Wesley's new trick this weekend is a new word. Duane had to run into work last night, so Wesley and I passed the time watching a little hockey. After a little coaching, I could say "Wesley, what are we watching on tv?" and he'd reply "Hockey!" We repeated this trick over the phone for Uncle Kirk, Aunt Susan's voice mail and our friend Ray. We also called Grandma H. and Grandma W. so they could listen to the newest little hockey fan.

He was still going strong with it this morning. He'd even run around the living room chanting "hockey hockey hockey hockey" But would he perform at church when I tried to get him to tell Johnny what we watched last night? NO!!! But he'd tell us in the car. Now we just need to get him to say "football."

Shop Till You Drop

Poor Wesley. His mommy and daddy took him to so many stores today! We're so lucky that Wesley is a good sport and a good traveler.

Our errands started this morning when we left the house for Wesley's hair appointment. As you can see from the picture, Wesley was in desperate need of a haircut. I didn't even try to make it look decent before we left the house. I just slapped a hat on his head and decided we'd call it a severe case of hat hair. Wesley is getting a lot better about having his hair cut. He still cries a little, but it's no longer a scream fest. Once the stylist pops a Dora DVD in, we're pretty much good. That's not to say, he likes getting his hair cut, just that he tolerates it a little better.

After the hair cut we went to JoAnn Etc. The door to the closet where the cats pans are was shut yesterday and one of the furry little darlings peed on Wesley's chair. It soaked into the foam, so we couldn't exactly wash it. We thought we'd try to save a little money and buy the foam, instead of a whole new chair. Yeah, there would be the headache of cutting it to size, but we figured it would be worth it. WRONG!!! It was less expensive to buy a whole new chair at Pottery Barn Kids.

So back into the car we went and headed to the mall. In addition to going to PBK, I wanted to check the card stores for a spare Stinky Bear. Because we were going to be doing a lot of shopping, I broke one of my cardinal rules and decided it would be alright if Wesley played in the kids area for awhile. That place was a zoo!!!! I think Wesley was overwhelmed by all the kids in the little space. We only stayed a few minutes and he didn't do much more than look at all the things to climb on.

Oh! Then there were the dogs. The mall we went to actually allows people to bring their dogs inside. I have mixed feelings about that, but we saw the most beautiful dog while we were there. She was a golden lab and husky mix and was so friendly! Wesley was busy petting her, when another woman showed up with her dog. Wesley looked at the dogs and said "Two!" The women were very impressed, until I told them that two is the only number he seems to know. Duane says I should have just let them think he was a genius.

We bought the chair, ate some lunch, checked another store for a Stinky Bear (no luck) and headed out. The next stop was Grandma and Grandpa H.'s for a short visit. We played with Aunt Cathy, Sho and Ki for a while, then got back into the car again and headed to Target and the grocery store. And this is how you can tell you have been shopping for way too long!

Big Sexy

It's supposed to be really cold the next couple of nights, so I dug in my dresser drawers and broke out the one, the only Big Sexy! Big Sexy is easily the least attractive article of clothing I own. It's a big grey flannel nightgown that covers me from neck to ankle. Add to this the fuzzy kitty head on the front (complete with tail on the back) and the pockets and I'm sure you can see how Big Sexy got it's name. I have owned Big Sexy for at least 12 years and I only break it out in very cold weather.

This is the first time Wesley has ever seen Big Sexy, and well, I don't think the poor kid knew what to think. It didn't take him long to notice the kitty on it though. Wesley started following me around the house saying "kitty kitty" and trying to pet my stomach. When he does manage to pet the kitty on Big Sexy he says "nice." Great. His psychoanalyst will have lots of fun with that some day!

That's What Grandparents are For!

Do you know how incredibly lucky Wesley is to have 5 grandparents within a 30 minute drive? Do you how spoiled he is by those 5 grandparents? :-) Not only did Grandpa P. make a grand impression on Monday, but a couple of the grandma's have been playing catch up.

Grandma H. has spent two and a half days with Wesley this week. As you can see, Wesley is just heartbroken about all this time he has been forced to spend with Grandma. They took a trip to COSI today and never even made it to the kids area! Apparently, Wesley had such a good time toddling up and down the super long hallway that there was no need to travel to the second floor.

Of course, Grandma also had some of that magic that Grandpa P. dusted on Wesley when he was here Monday. When I walked into the house tonight, Wesley came flying into kitchen, hugged me and called out "Mommy!" Then then ran to Duane, hugged him and called out, "Daddy!" He was back and forth for a few minutes, just laughing and smiling!!

Grandma W. has also in on the spoil-Wesley fest. Wesley was the only one of us to get any decent mail yesterday. He got a "just because" card from Grandma with a little bit of green in it and a note to have some ice cream on her. Now that's a lucky little boy with some very special grandparents!

Beasty Boy

I think Wesley is suffering from cabin fever. We stayed home all day Sunday, Grandpa P. came here to watch the boy on Monday, Grandma H. came here to watch the boy Tuesday and Wednesday. Wesley's been outside once to play in the snow, but other than that he's been tucked away and I think he is bored!

I found myself stuck in the house with a beasty boy yesterday. Wesley wasn't interested in doing anything unless it was something he shouldn't be doing. The word "No" must have come out of my mouth every two minutes. As an added bonus, every time I said "no," Wesley would lay down on the floor and give a screech. Thank goodness his fits last for all of 5 seconds. Then he'd get back up and get into something he wasn't supposed to and we'd repeat the whole process.

By the time Grandma H. got here, I was ready to bolt! I left for work with an assurance from Grandma that she'd take him to the library or the grocery store or someplace. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. Wesley fell asleep shortly after I left and slept until about 30 minutes before Duane came home. So...no field trip. Duane did take Wesley to the store to buy milk and look at the apples (Wesley's favorite grocery store past time) so there was a slight change of scenery.

And now it's 6:45 in morning. Wesley has been up for about 20 minutes. He's refusing to drink his milk and trying to con juice out of his daddy. Duane must be a big softy, because it worked! Part of me is debating going to story time at the main library this morning, but by the time we go and come back, we'd have to leave for Aunt Melissa's in less than half an hour. Knowing that Wesley will probably need a nap earlier than usual, I'm just not sure it's a good idea. Oh well, Wesley hasn't been to Aunt Melissa's in two weeks and he'll have her, Mark and Cyrus to play with. That will make him plenty happy - I hope!

Grandpa Magic

I don't know what Grandpa P. did to Wesley today, but I hope he repeats it often! Grandma P. was under the weather today, so Grandpa came to our house to watch the boy. I wish Grandma felt better, but it was kind of nice to leave for work an hour later than I usually do on Mondays.

I'm not really sure what all they did to pass the time, but Wesley must have had a great time. Not five minutes after Grandpa left, Wesley was dragging Duane around by the finger and saying "Pa! Pa!" He was quite clearly looking for Grandpa. Wesley did the same thing to me after dinner. Speaking of dinner, Wesley ate the best meal he has eaten in nearly a week. Either Grandpa didn't feed him all day (sorry Dad, that's a joke) or he helped the boy work up a good appetite!

Possibly the best side effect of Wesley's day with Grandpa has been how lovey he has been this evening. Wesley has run up to me and Duane at least a dozen times and given us gigantic toddler hugs. If I tell Wesley I love him, he squeezes me in return. It's been wonderful!

I think it's time for me to sign off. Wesley is currently chasing his Daddy around the dining room table and one of them needs rescued. I'm just not sure which one.

No Such Thing as Free Puffs

Nope! This little boy has to earn his keep!

Sir-Whines-A-Lot

GOOD GRIEF!!!! That's all I can say about the whining level of the boy today. It started before he even woke up. He ended up in our bed about 1:00 this morning, because he was crying out in his sleep. Too bad it started up again in our room at 5:30. He whined about his morning cup of milk, about his breakfast and about getting dressed. He whined about getting his coat on. At least he stopped to enjoy the snow and he wasn't too bad in church.

To be honest, he was pretty darn good in church, but I think part of that was due to Sho and Ki. They spent a good chunk of the service feeding Wesley cheerios and puffs. It was almost like he was their pet. Very cute!!! He was good after church too. We stopped for lunch (it's a cheat day on the diet) and Wesley ate better than he has all week.

It's too bad that charming little boy didn't make it home with us. As soon as we got home he magically transformed into Sir-Whine-A-Lot. It almost sounds like we have a puppy in the house. Offer him a snack and he whines. Color with him and he whines. Try to type on your blog and he whines. I'm pretty sure he's going to have a little bruise on his forehead, because when he whines, he puts his head on the ground. Oh the tragedy! His parents are so mean! I guess we just don't understand the pressure a 16 month old is under. :-)

Let it Snow

Wesley got to experience snow this morning as we headed out to church. I'm not sure he really knew what to think of it, but he did smile a lot.

"Cousins" and Choo-Choos

What a day! We got to introduce Wesley to his new "cousins" and his "Aunt" Cathy. Cathy is a very good friend of Grandpa and Grandma H.'s from Taiwan. Her two sons, Sho (4) and Ki (2) were born in the United States, but have been living in Taiwan since Ki was only a few months old. They are back now, and the three of them will be living with Grandpa and Grandma H. until they can find an apartment, a job and get settled in.

We dropped by to say "Hi" to our extended family today. I'm not sure what Wesley thought of the whole thing. Neither Sho nor Ki speak English (but then again, Wesley barely speaks any English either). Sho really wanted to play with me and Wesley, but Ki held back a bit. He was really curious about Wesley though and would get super close to him and stare. Cathy said that Ki has never really been around anyone younger than him, so that might have been part of it. I wonder if it's partly that and partly because Wesley is so blond and blue-eyed. He's so different from Ki. They'll have lots of time to get used to each other now.

Wesley got a second treat today in the form of a new Thomas the Tank Engine toy box. Now Wesley has no idea who Thomas the Tank Engine is, but the boy knows a "choo-choo" when he sees one. As soon as he saw this toy box, he was in love. I told him that the train on the front was named Thomas and a couple of minutes later, Wesley was saying something that sounded an awful lot like "Thomas" Guess I know the next DVD I'll be getting from the library!

Scratch and Sniff

We took a family trip to Half Price Books today. The plan was to get Wesley some DVDs, but the selection was pretty small. He ended up with three new books today, which is probably better! One of the books is a scratch and sniff book about fruit. Mommy gets to scratch the pages and Wesley sniffs them. He doesn't quite get it though, and sniffs both the page with the smelly sticker and the page without it. Oh well, at least he'll know what books smell

like.

And no, the little girl on the back of the book is not picking her nose; she's pointing at it.

All About the Grandpas

Wesley has added another new word to his ever increasing vocabulary. He now says "Pa" for grandpa. Wesley spent yesterday with Grandma and Grandpa P. When it was time for a nap, Grandma laid down with Wesley and left the door open a crack. After a while, Grandpa peeked in to see if the boy was sleeping. Wesley saw him, sat up and said "Pa!"

What is impressive to me is that fact that Wesley seems to recognize that he has two grandpas. He pointed at Grandpa H. the other day and said "Pa" as well. Today as we were walking up the drive to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s, I told Wesley that Grandma would be waiting inside. Wesley stopped in his tracks, looked at me and said "Pa." He only started moving again when I told him Grandpa would also be there. Too cute!

Baby OCD

Is 16 months too young to start exhibiting signs of OCD? Wesley gets onto something and becomes obsessed with it. Lately it has been a new game that we play called "Round He Goes." Basically, I sit in the middle of the floor and chant "Round and round and round he goes. Where he stops nobody knows" while clapping the beat. Wesley runs around me in a circle giggling the whole time. He will play this game for a good 20 minutes before it starts to get old. But if I stop clapping, he'll stop running, grab my hands and force them apart and together in a clapping motion. If I'm not clapping, he's not running. A little OCD?

Wesley has another motion he had to repeat tonight. Wesley got to watch a Dora DVD while Duane started dinner. When the DVD was over, Wesley grabbed Duane by the finger and led to the television chanting "dee dee dee" (Wesley speak for DVD). He must have done it ten times before giving up and seeing if Mommy was an easier touch. I wasn't. After about a dozen more tries, Wesley took me to the television one more time. He pointed to the television and said "No." It finally sunk in and Mommy and Daddy are both still sane.

Just Eat!

How come parents have so many hang-ups about food? We worry about what our kids are eating, if they are eating enough, if they are eating the right food. We try almost everything under the sun to get them to eat and freak out if they don't. Don't worry. I'm no exception. I have freaked out when Duane gave Wesley an entirely orange snack (orange cheese, mandarin oranges, cheese flavored crackers and, tangerine juice.) Which brings me to my bad mommy confession - part 2.

I keep saying I'm not going to fight with Wesley about food. Yeah, right. Wesley has not been eating very well the last few days (she says after he ate a ton of pita and hummus yesterday.) Breakfast has been particularly trying, so this morning I gave him something completely different - cornbread with butter and honey. He really enjoyed about 3/4 of it, then crumbled the rest on the floor. He didn't want his banana and barely touched his yogurt. Lunch was the same - not interested in his spaghetti, cottage cheese,veggies or fruit.

All he wants is juice. I try to give him milk, but he says "No, no, no. Juice." I'm trying not to give him more than one juice/water combo a day, but Duane just says "Juice is good for you too." Wesley used to only want milk and now I can barely get him to drink it! Oh, there is something he wants as much as juice - his hands. He's been chewing on them and sucking on them something terrible. He has two bottom teeth coming in and I think they are really bothering him, but he's going to end up with hickeys on his hands if he isn't careful.

Dinner was no better. Wesley did pretty well eating fish when we were on vacation this summer. I gave him some fish, black beans and peaches for supper. He tried a black bean and spit it out (twice,) tried the fish and then scraped it off his tongue (twice,) and dropped his peaches on the floor. He jammed his hands in his mouth and starting crying for juice and a cheese sandwich. I didn't relent on the juice, but I did go into the kitchen to make a sandwich for him (bad mommy). The only problem was that we didn't have bread. So Wesley got a cheese quesadilla, which was not what he wanted. He ate a little bit of bit, then began munching on his hands again.

I wanted something in his tummy and I wanted to relieve the (perceived) pain from teething. Duane and I wanted to hold off on the medicine until bedtime, so for the second time in his life, Wesley had ice cream for dinner (bad mommy). Please don't tell our pediatrician!

Bad Mommy

Duane went to play cards with the guys tonight, leaving me and Wesley to have a night on our own. Did I embrace this for the wonderful thing it is? No. I took this as an opportunity to get some things done and I feel bad about it. I did the grocery list and menus for next week, which is no small feat when you have a toddler pulling on your hand saying "Mama. Mama. Mama." When I did get up and walk with him, he'd take me to the computer, push me towards the chair and demand "Nanoo." Toddlers don't grasp the concept of "later." I didn't feel bad about putting off his computer time, but I did feel a little guilty about doing the grocery list. Apparently he felt bad about that too because he finally quit pulling on my hand - at least long enough to bite it!

We played for awhile and then I did something else to make me feel guilty. I popped a train DVD in for him so I could stretch out on the couch and finish reading a book that is overdue (double guilt.) It was a great book, but I knew he had watched a lot of TV, and I did it anyway.

Why do I feel guilty for taking a little time for me when Wesley is awake? That can't be a completely bad thing, can it?

He DOES Love Me

I'm sooooo happy!!! Wesley cried when I left him at Aunt Melissa's today! I know, that sounds like a really warped thing to say, but he never cries when I leave. When Duane leaves the house, Wesley has a full blown melt down, but when I leave it's more like, "OK. Bye Mom!" Not today. Today he followed me to the door, started whining and then the tears began to fall. I practically skipped down the stairs. How warped does that sound?

The icing on the cake was the report from Duane that while at Aunt Melissa's house, Wesley looked out the door, pointed and said "No Mama." He missed me! I'm on cloud nine!

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

Playtime with Gus!

What's That Smell?

Don't worry, it's not Wesley's diaper - it's his teddy bear (AKA Stinky Bear.) Duane and I managed to avoid the whole pacifier thing; Wesley never would take one. We don't have to have blankie with us at every moment; it's helpful but not needed. But look out if we don't have his teddy bear!

Wesley has always been a "tag" kid. He loves to chew on the tags of animals, clothes, towel, whatever. It used to be that one tag was as good as another, but no more. Now it has to be the tag on his Stinky Bear. I couldn't find SB on Sunday when it was time to go to church. We tried subsituting a different stuffed toy, but Wesley pitched a fit! I ended up tearing apart his room to find SB so we could go.

Why do we call Wesley's favorite comfort object "Stinky Bear?" Well, Wesley sucks on the tag pretty much from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed. SB can't be in the crib because Wesley gags himself on the tag in his sleep. Frank is the bedtime buddy. Anyhow, the teddy bear ends up with drool, food, dirt, snot and who knows what else on it, leaving a nice smelly, crust around the tag. We wash bear a couple times a week, but he really needs washed a couple times a day. Trust me, SB has a very distinct odor.

Lately I've had this panic that SB will fall apart in the wash. He's in great shape still, but I'm so tempted to go buy several of them - just in case! Is that a bad thing?

ARGH!!!!

I can't believe I lost sleep for the National Championship football game last night. Wesley stayed overnight with Grandma and Grandpa H. since we had friends coming over. I wish he had been here, because then I would have had a real reason to go hide - you know "taking care of the kid." What can I say, the game was painful to watch, put me in a rotten mood and the party broke up before the game was actually over. Just frustrating.

Oh well, I get my little boy back this evening and that ought to perk me right up. Add in our standing Tuesday Lunch Date (me and Wesley) and I'm sure I'll forget all about that game (I hope)

Someone Card This Kid

Wesley is lying about his age already! This morning Grandma and Grandpa P. and I were trying to get Wesley to put one finger up in the air for "Buckeyes are number one!" He wasn't in the mood to play our games though. Sometimes he'll show you the number one if you ask how old he is. So I held up one finger and asked him, "Wesley, how old are you? Are you one?" Wesley looked at me and promptly replied "Two." A few hours later, Grandpa P. sent me the following picture. I guess we need to start checking his baby wallet for a fake ID.

Vocabulary Explosion

I cannot believe how Wesley's vocabulary has taken off in the last week! It's not uncommon for him to have several new words a day now and he parrots everything we say. He's also getting to the point where you don't have to be fluent in toddler to understand what he is saying. We were at the store today and Wesley was saying "a-pool" in the produce section. The guy stocking the produce, grabbed an apple, gave it to Wesley and said "You want an apple? Here you go little buddy!"

Contrary to the way the picture below looks, Wesley has not added the word "Mine" to his vocabulary -yet!

A Me Day

I owe my wonderful hubby lots for allowing me to have a total "me" day! While he stayed home with the boy, I went with my mom, and Susan to a fund-raiser called "ChickLit and Chocolate." You know you are in for a good afternoon when you walk in the very first thing people want to do is give you brownies, a chair massage and sign you up for a drawing for a cruise! We drank chocolate martinis, ate chocolate fondue, hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, baked brie and rumaki. We shopped at a couple artists booths, we listened to Clare Cook (author of Must Love Dogs) talk, and listed to the author of "Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight." We bought books, got autographs, laughed and ate more chocolate. It was WONDERFUL!!!!

After gorging myself on chocolate and girl time, Duane and I went to Shadowbox with several of our friends. I was exhausted, but it was a very fun evening. I barely saw the boy, but sometimes I need to be "Heather" instead of "Mommy." I can be Mommy again tomorrow.

Just Say No

It's official! We have a toddler! Wesley discovered the word "No" this week. So far, we've been lucky and he hasn't really used it in defiance, but we know that time is fast approaching.

On Wednesday Wesley spent the day with Grandma H. Grandma has a tall skinny lamp that Wesley loves to shake. He has been told no numerous times by Mommy, Grandma and Daddy. Wesley knows he isn't allowed to shake the lamp. On Wednesday, he went over to the lamp and ran his hand up and down it. He checked to see if Grandma was watching him. She was and Wesley immediately said "No". "That's right, no" replied Grandma. "No," Wesley repeated - then viciously shook the lamp.

Yesterday, Wesley was standing in front of our video shelves. We have been trying very hard to keep Wesley from pulling all the videos off the shelves. Every time we see him in that corner we tell him "No" and move him away. When I saw Wesley standing in front of the shelves, I asked him "Wesley, are you supposed to be over there?" He looked at me and said "No," before moving away! Definite progress!

There is such a thing as too much progress though. This morning I asked Wesley if we should change his diaper. It was meant as a hypothetical question, but Wesley promptly replied - "No."

Stains Your Teeth

Wesley is currently a little crayon challenged. Oh he can say "crayon" and "color" and even manages to turn out a few scribbled masterpieces. The problem is that crayons look so delicious to him. He's content to color or take the crayons in and out of the box for awhile but then he gets this overwhelming urge to taste them. First he'll bring the crayon to his mouth a few times and check to see if I'm watching. "Yucky!" I'll say, and he'll lower the crayon for a few minutes before trying again. Sooner or later he'll get the crayon into his mouth. Then comes the moment when he discovers that crayons don't taste as good as they look. Yesterday he burst into tears and threw the yellow crayon across the room when the taste disappointed him. I just hope we don't have to sample all the colors before learning not to eat the Crayolas!

Computer Virus

Wesley seems to have come down with a computer virus that is making the rounds among toddlers in our area. It's called Nogginitis. Whenever the computer is on, Wesley believes it should be showing Noggin videos and nothing else. Sometimes the computer doesn't even have to be on. He'll walk over to it, grab the mouse and say "Na-noo," which is Wesley speak for Noggin. Ah, the power of Moose and Zee, Dora, Jack's Big Music Show and Move to the Music.

Where to Librarians Go on Their Day Off?

To the library, of course!!! I didn't intend to go to the main library today. Grandma H. and I planned to go to COSI, but because their levy didn't pass they are only open Weds - Sun. and we forgot that important bit of info. Oh well. We had a great time at the library. They have a ton of stuff for Wesley to do!

Our first stop was the fish tank. Wesley had a great time looking at all the fish. He even tried to kiss them. Um...YUCK!!!!

Then we checked out the hidey holes in the tree.

It's much cooler to hide in the tree without Mommy!

We checked out the decor too. Who's been stepping on my rug?

Wesley is suddenly very into "choo choos" so the train table was a big hit!

Wesley was sure to give all the little girls a peek at his domesticated side as he fed the baby doll pretend baby food. What a good little daddy!

You can't go to the library without finding a cozy spot to read. What a great afternoon!

Happy New Year

Man, that was some party last night! That's the last time we celebrate New Years at my crib!

Out With the Old

Time to close out 2006. We spent yesterday putting all the Christmas things away. My January decorations were brought up from the basement and I'll probably put them up today - even though snowmen in 60 degree weather just seems wrong. I think we're going to move the furniture today too. Duane has some master plan of how the front room should work, so we're going to give it a try.

No huge plans for New Years Eve. We were invited to a party, but no babysitter means a night at home. I have grand plans to cook a gourmet dinner for me and Duane. I'm really excited about it, but it would have been cheaper to go out!!! Oh well, I think we deserve a heck of a celebration!!

See you in the new year!!

16 Months!

The big news in Wesley's part of the world today is a new word - "apple", or as Wesley says, "a-pool." The other day Grandma H. and I were saying "apple" while Wesley ate some chunks of cooked apple. Once he started saying "apple," Grandma showed him a yellow apple. OK, fine. He can say apple. But today he brought me a red plastic apple and said "a-pool!" What a smart kid if I do say so myself. I'm not going to declare him a genius quite yet. He was eating brie and kept calling it cottage cheese, so I guess we still have some work to do.

Stay at Home Mom (for a Day)

I have a comp. day from work today, so I'm pretending to be a stay at home mom. Except for the meltdown first thing this morning, we've had a great day! We went to Target to pick up some things and checked out the after Christmas sales. I didn't buy too much, but did pick up some Sesame Street ornaments for Wesley's tree and a couple pairs of pants for him. It was so nice to just look around and know I didn't have to buy more Christmas gifts (at least for another year!)

I bought Wesley some crayons and a pad of paper, so after lunch we had some quality coloring time. This is the first time Wesley and I have really colored together (I know - slacker!) He was so cute! He'd take each crayon and barely touch it to the paper before picking up a different color and repeating the process. I plan on saving our jointly created art work from today.

We've spent a lot of time putting Christmas gifts away and rediscovering our goodies from that day. Wesley has been playing with everything on and off, but right now he is focusing his attention on TMX Elmo. Wesley still isn't real sure about the laughing, but he's currently dragging it around by it's arm and trying to make Elmo sit in his truck. Looks like Wesley and Elmo are going to be buddies one way or another.

Merry Christmas Achoo!

Never mind what the songs say. I don't want a hippopotamus, my two front teeth or even snow for Christmas. I wish my guys felt better. Duane has spent today sounding like a frog and poor Wesley has had boogers running down his face and a big ol' cough all day long. Not exactly the recipe for the merriest of Christmases.

It was a fairly sleepless night for all of us. We rolled out of bed at 7:00 - probably the standard time Christmas morning begins for families with young children. I popped the traditional Christmas casserole in the oven and we staggered into the living room to find goodies from Santa pouring out of our stockings. Wesley perked up considerably when he discovered his dog ornament that barks "Jingle Bells." The maracas were also a big hit. I was so glad to see him smiling and not looking miserable for a few minutes! Other hits included a car sent by his cousins in Seattle and the dark chocolate candy bars that Santa left for Daddy. At least we know the kid has good taste!

Duane and I enjoyed a breakfast of casserole and scones while Wesley refused to eat anything except a banana, then we got ready to go to Grandma W.'s. Wesley was stuffy and sleepy by the time we arrived, and Grandma wasn't feeling too hot herself. Uncle Doug, Aunt Melissa, Aunt Judy and I got the food and table ready while Duane held Wesley (who refused to be put down). Wesley did manage to eat some lunch - mostly mashed potatoes and "cracks" (crackers) but as long as he was eating, I didn't care if it wasn't a balanced meal.

Wesley's mood quickly deteriorated after we ate. No one could hold him except Duane or he screamed. Every time I tried to take him so Duane could help with the dishes or unwrap a gift or put together a toy for Mark Robert, Wesley would go limp and scream. By the time we left Wesley was doing nothing but whining and crying. I felt pretty much the same way. I had a very large headache from the boy's cries and the fact that he had been on a search and destroy mission. Add in the extreme rejection I faced from Wesley all day and I was on the verge of tears. I just don't understand why I don't exist to him if Duane is around. Everyone tells me it's a phase, but it's been a phase for 16 months now and it's starting to pierce my heart.

Wesley fell asleep in the car on the way to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. We managed to get him into his pack and play for a nap and I soothed my bruised ego with a couple glasses of Lambrusco and the delicious nibbles Grandma had prepared. By the time Wesley woke up I was feeling a little less sorry for myself, even if he did still want Daddy and only Daddy. Wesley nibbled some cheese and "cracks" and fudge until it was time to open gifts.

Wesley is quite possibly the luckiest boy around. Not only does he have tons of family in town that love him, but apparently they see it as their personal mission in life to spoil him. Wesley might have held onto his little Dora the Explorer figurines all evening, but I was stunned by two of his presents. Grandpa has been on a mission to get Wesley a TMX Elmo since about September. He has had people in other cities looking for them. He and Grandma went to separate stores at 5:00 AM the day after Thanksgiving looking for one. He even had Wesley's 16 year old cousin Aaron on the lookout. Well, all that perseverance (and some time on e-bay) paid off and Wesley now has a TMX Elmo. I think he's a little apprehensive of it when it's laughing, but when it was standing still, Wesley hugged it and gave it a kiss.

I was completely blown away by another gift Wesley received. Grandpa MADE Wesley a beautiful rocking horse. I mean, it is gorgeous!! I know my jaw hit the floor when the cover was pulled off it. I know Wesley doesn't understand yet, but it's something that his children and grandchildren will love too. My eyes tear up just thinking about all the work and love that toy represents. I pray Wesley will always know how much he means to his Grandpa. Wesley didn't want to sit on the horse, but he petted it a few times and said "Nice" so I think he likes it!

Wesley spent the rest of the evening watching the "choo choo" around the tree and dragging Mommy up and down the stairs about 17 times. Apparently I am not good enough to hold him, but stair climbing is in my job description. It was a terrific evening and by the time we got home, Wesley was fast asleep.

I can't believe Christmas is over. I can't believe how incredibly blessed our family is and how much love we receive. Thank you all for being the wonderful people you all and I hope your Christmas was as happy and merry as could be!