Hoppy Easter

I'm posting a day late and I'm in an extra cranky mood. I'm just going to say that yesterday was wonderful and we had a very happy holiday. Enjoy the pictures.

Let's Go Visiting

The W. family headed north today to visit Aunt Carol, cousin Al and another aunt and some cousins visiting from California. I almost feel sorry for them - you run a pretty big weather risk by visiting Ohio in April. As any Ohioan can tell you, April means it might be 80 degrees one day and snowing the next. That is exactly what happened this past week. My cousin Debbie said she packed her long underwear and her bathing suit because she wasn't sure what she'd need. Smart woman!!! On the bright side of things, she hadn't seen snow before, so that was kind of cool. She even managed a shovelful for a photo op (trust me it took all the snow in the drive to even look like a partial shovelful.)

Visiting with my aunts is always a treat. Aunt Carol has pretty much decided that Wesley is not only her great-nephew, he's also her honorary grandson. It's the only explanation I can come up with for how much she loves the little guy. She is always willing to chase him around, read a book to him, or shower him with gifts. She was prepared for Wesley's visit with a football, a light up toy, and some new books. Wesley was quite alright with that!

The women on the M. side of my family are talented in many things. They all played various instruments growing up, they danced, they all taught (or were certified to teach). These are some pretty impressive women. But let me tell you, NO ONE can shop like these women and we really really enjoy eating. If you can combine the two activities, well, you have some happy ladies on hand. So that's what we did!

Our first stop was Malabar Farm. They weren't running tours, so we spent a fair amount of time in the visitor's center and gift shop. Wesley was especially impressed with the large cow statue and bestowed many a kiss upon it. Aunt Carol bought Wesley a little stuffed bunny and the gift shop. He loved so much, that he dropped OSB for a few minutes to play with it! When we left, he put it on his lap and talked to it the entire drive to our next destination.

Kiss A Cow

Is some bunny following me?

As I said, shopping and eating makes us pretty darn happy, so we headed to the Dutch Heritage restaurant (excellent Amish style food and a kick butt gift shop upstairs). Unfortunately, Wesley was not as enthralled with the place as the rest of us. He ate a few peas, and then refused anything except bread and butter. Then he pretty much wandered the restaurant with one of the grownups in tow.

Chowing down with the family.

After dinner the ladies shopped while the guys went home and Wesley had a meltdown. Oh well, we can't all be perfect.

Okay

Wesley's new favorite word is "okay." He uses it in place of "yes," which is cute, but starting to drive me up a wall. Here's an example. Wesley is currently watching Dora on tv. Dora said something like "Will you help me find the (whatever)?" Wesley looked at the screen and very earnestly replied "Okay!"

How do I change this habit? I know he picked it up from us - although he did start saying it after spending the day with Grandma H. - so I'm trying to use "yes" in my conversations with him rather than saying "okay" all the time. Here's hoping he parrots it back to us.

Complicated Climb

Ever since Wesley climbed out of his pack and play on Monday, he is bound and determined to climb out of his crib. Much to his chagrin, he can get his foot up on the first rail, but not the second - which means he's stuck! At this point, he will start to yell "Up please! Up please! Up please!" as if asking nicely will somehow stretch his little body just a couple more inches. If I offer to help him, he'll sit down in a corner of his crib and flat out scowl at me while shaking his head.

I'm ready for the big move to the toddler bed before Wesley manages to climb out and bonks his head on his wood floor. I just wish the timing was better. We are heading out of town tomorrow, I work all day Saturday and we're going out Saturday night (which means Wesley will be getting to bed late anyhow) and Sunday is Easter. Maybe we'll make the move on Monday. But that means we have to get to Target and get rails for the bed (he rolls way too much not to have them) and doorknob covers so he can't escape his room in the night.

Then there is the decision as to which bed Wesley should have. Cathy has given up a super cute car shaped toddler bed, but Wesley's crib will also convert to a toddler day bed. We are debating whether or not Wesley will continue to be an only child. If we decide to have another child, we'd need the crib and have to switch him to the car bed. But if we start him in the car bed and decide NOT to have another child, what are we going to do with the convertible crib? I guess we could use it as stuffed animal storage until he's ready for a full size bed. Or we could convert it now and make it a guest bed?

This is just a small side trip into my slightly obsessive compulsive, type-A mind. I won't even begin to bore you with my internal debate on which room we should have Wesley in and whether his current room should stay his, stay a nursery in case we have another, or become a play room. The agony of being anal retentive!!!!

Toddler Triple Play (plus 1)

1) The Potty - Wesley is doing well with his "introduction" to the potty. As long as we sing songs and read books, he'd be fairly content to sit there all day. This morning, I had to pick him up off it so we could leave on time. Way to go Wesley! (No pun intended)

2) The Meltdown - I thought Wesley was pretty good at these before, but he has perfected them over the last few days. According to Grandma and Grandpa P., Wesley achieved an unprecedented four meltdowns today. What a record! Of course, one of those was when I was leaving for work. Wesley went limp and started screaming "Mama!" while tears ran from his eyes and snot ran from his nose. That's what I get for being home on vacation for nine days.

3) The Climb - One of the meltdowns today prompted Grandpa P. to place Wesley in his pack and play in hopes he would take a nap. Grandpa left a screaming Wesley in the bedroom and walked out to the kitchen to get a drink of water. A minute later, Wesley walked into the kitchen too. Grandma and Grandpa figured that Wesley had only climbed out because the pack and play was next to the bed. The next time they put him down for a nap, they moved the pack and play away from the bed - it didn't help. Wesley still climbed out.

(+1) The Door - Wesley really wanted to go outside today. He even opened Grandma and Grandpa's front door so they would take the hint.

Who would of thought this innocent little guy could cause so much trouble!?

Denied

How is it that kids learn how to withhold their affection when they want to make a point? I wiped Wesley's yucky nose and asked for a hug a minute later. Wesley HATES having his nose wiped and to make sure I got the message he looked at me, wrinkled his brow and said "No hug!" Ouch! Point taken.

Tears of a Toddler

Wesley is just breaking my heart these days. Whatever illness he has is taking it's toll on his normally sunny attitude. The poor little guy has a runny nose, a cough and a mild on and off fever - and it's enough to send him over the edge. We get at least one of these fits every day since Wednesday. The only thing that got him to quit crying tonight was watching Elaina on her mommy's blog. We'd watch and he'd say "Laina again!" What healing powers that little girl has!

Vacation Down the Drain

There aren't too many worse ways to end your vacation than with a sick toddler. Wesley has been running a fever on and off for the last couple days. Wednesday we tried to go to storytime and he had a meltdown in the middle of it. As we were leaving the library, I asked him if he was a cranky toddler and he replied, "U-huh." Two hours later he was burning up with fever and we slept on the couch all afternoon.

Things were sort of under control yesterday. I gave him some Motrin in the morning and since he didn't feel warm to the touch, we tried going shopping with Grandma H. BAD IDEA!!! Halfway through the shopping trip he started crying and wouldn't stop. Grandpa H. came to get Grandma and Wesley so I could finish shopping. Wesley got a bit of a second wind last night though and even went to the grocery store with Daddy.

Fast forward to 11:00 PM. Wesley was screaming and crying again and nothing we could do would calm him down. He ended up in our bed once again and at 6:00 this morning was burning up. Almost 2 hours after the Motrin, he's sitting on the floor reading and downing his second cup of milk. I know it's just a small reprieve though. By noon the medicine will be wearing off and he'll be miserable again. That means no Toddler Play Zone today, no North Market and no vacation fun - not unless I want to play Toddler Roulette. When the hour is a little more respectable, I'm going to see if I can get a grandparent to come over and keep the little boy company while I make spinach and black bean lasagna for a baby shower tonight. Wesley is pretty clingy when he doesn't feel well and I don't think I can cook with an extra 25 pounds in one arm!

Little Stinker

I was at my wits end with Wesley this morning (and I'm talking between 6-7 AM). He must have known that I'd about had it because he brought me NSS bear and said "Mama. Sad." then handed me the bear. Let's just say I got over being mad pretty fast!

Bubbles and Butterflies

Wesley was a pretty lucky little guy today. Duane took the day off work, so we had family vacation day. Since it was so pretty out, we spent some time outside blowing bubbles. Well, Duane blew the bubbles, Wesley popped them and I recorded it! Not too bad. I normally sing the Popping Bubbles song, but I sound like a chipmunk on video.



We met Grandma and Grandpa P. at the diner up the street for lunch, then headed to the conservatory to see the butterflies. Wesley had a great time! As soon as you go in the conservatory door, you are met with a whole bunch of steps. Wesley climbed them all (with OSB in one hand) and said "Good job!" when he got to the top. While Daddy bought our tickets, Wesley practiced the fine art of sticking one's head through bars on a railing without getting one's head stuck. He also admired the large glass sculptures below - although he thought they were big flowers.

Our next stop on the tour was a kids area they have set up. It's full of all sorts of neat ways for young children to learn about butterflies. There was a cocoon tunnel to crawl through, a swinging chair (I forget what that was supposed to represent), caterpillar and butterfly picture books, a mural, puppets and lots of other stuff. Wesley really liked the caterpillar puppets. He even dropped OSB to play with them. We tried to buy him one as we were leaving, but they were out of them at the gift shop. Thank goodness for the Internet. I have strong feeling that the Easter Bunny may somehow deliver a new caterpillar friend. Ever the librarian's son, Wesley was also quite taken with the books - especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I read it. Daddy read it. Grandma read it. Grandpa read it. I tried to read Waiting for Wings to him, but he only wanted the caterpillar.


Grandpa has a butterfly on his head (guess who watches too much Laurie Berkner?)




Once we got into the conservatory proper, Wesley saw so many new things. One of the first things we encountered was a small waterfall. Wesley knows the word waterfall because one of his books has a picture of a waterfall in it, plus I'm certain Dora has at least one adventure that features a waterfall. It took us a really long time to get Wesley past the waterfall and on to other things.





Wow! Look at the water!








Really. Look! It's water!



The section of the conservatory that housed the butterflies was pretty darn cool too. On our way to that room, we passed through an exhibit that explained the life cycle of butterflies. Wesley would look at the pictures and say "Caterpillar. Butterfly." Grandma said that if Wesley managed to say "chrysalis" she was going to enroll him in kindergarten right then! Wesley saw a lot of 'flies but again, what really kept him involved was the stairs and ramps. He was so busy walking around that he missed the butterfly that landed on my head! Wesley really liked the glass sculptures in the pond too. He thought they were balls, but thankfully he didn't try to climb in and play with them. We might have to take a second trip to visit the butterflies this spring. It was definitely a great way to spend the afternoon.

It's My Potty

We bought Wesley a potty yesterday. It's not that we really want to start potty training, but he hates getting his diaper changed so much, that we figure it can't hurt to introduce the potty. The plan is not to make a big push towards potty training, but to sit him on the potty a couple times a day when we are changing his diaper, or getting him dressed (wake up, get dressed, bedtime).

Wesley woke up with a dry diaper this morning, so I figured it would be a good time to visit the potty. After a minute of sitting there talking, there was a tinkle. I was pretty excited, but Wesley looked at me and said "Oh-no!" He thought he had done something wrong! "Not oh-no. YAY!!!" I told him and said what a good job he did. I took a moment to do the necessary clean up and Wesley helped me reassemble the potty.

Now, I'm not fooling myself that he is really ready to potty train, or that it is going to be a snap when that time comes. I'm just happy he "met" the potty successfully once!

Bits and Pieces

A totally random blog for today -


Wesley Wrestling Entertainment - who says the WWE is fake?








Wesley ate a cupcake last night and made a bigger mess with that single cupcake than he did with his 1st birthday cake. Note the yellow icing around his lips - at least he matched his shirt.





We went to the grocery store and ran some assorted errands today. I told Wesley it was time to get his shoes on because we were going to go. "Go circus!" he exclaimed. Too bad Target doesn't have trained bears. I think he was sorely disappointed.

Wesley watches a lot of Dora (probably a bit too much). As Duane was putting Wesley in his car seat today, Wesley said "Seat belt. Be safe." Only parents who also watch too much Dora will see how Wesley's statement relates to the show.

We also went to the park today. Wesley was a mud magnet, a dog stalker and a crank pot while we were there. His favorite dog to chase was a German Shepard puppy. He splashed in every mud puddle he could find and threw a fit when we tried to walk him towards the car. The thing that ended the fit was a guy playing the guitar and singing a hundred or so yards away. Wesley quit the fit and stared at the guy for a long time. I asked Wesley if he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. "YES!" he replied.

Here are some pictures from the park. I did shoot some video (and learned how to post it on the blog) but it's pretty dull stuff. I tried to tape the temper fit, but I got about 3 seconds of it before he started listening to the guitar player. I also shot some cute video of Wesley running up and down a ramp at the playground. The problem is that Duane is in the video from the waist down and he's wearing Wesley's baseball cap on his belt and...well...to be pefectly blunt it looks like he has a codpiece on. So, no video today!

Score: Wesley 0, Mud Puddle 1

Running up the hill.

Is that music I hear?










Hummm....bet I could play guitar like that!

Circus Report

Turns out that taking Wesley to the circus at 18 months, wasn't quite as bad as I feared. Now don't get me wrong, it definitely had some rough moments, but for the most part, he did really well. He even woke up from one of his naps yesterday and said "Daddy. Circus."

Duane and Wesley met Grandma and Grandpa P. at the circus (I had to work and arrived a little bit later). The building they held the circus in was different than in past years and even had a small midway filled with rides, games and - my favorite - fair food! Grandpa P. has a friend who is a clown with the Shrine Circus, so the guys got a picture taken with a bunch of the clowns.

I cannot put into words how much I love this picture. My three favorite men on the planet in one photo together!! I'm very much a Daddy's Girl, so this shot means the world to me. Oh! That's Grandpa P.'s friend in between Duane and Grandpa. Notice that although Wesley isn't exactly smiling, he isn't upset. There was nothing at the circus that scared him!

We played in the midway for a while before the show started. Wesley discovered a bubble machine near one of the clown booths and spent a lot of time there. This kid is obsessed with bubbles! In fact, several times before the show actually started, Wesley would take off and head back to where he saw the bubbles. Even if the machine wasn't on, He'd stop and say "Bubbles! Bubbles!"

Since I hadn't eaten dinner Duane and I indulged in some delicious, greasy, totally bad for you fair food! Wesley was fairly content to munch on our french fries, but then he spied a smoothie booth. At first he tried to swipe a banana from their display of fresh fruit, but then we noticed they were giving out samples. I snagged a sample for the boy and we went back to our picnic table. Wesley downed that smoothie in no time flat and asked for "More juice please," so Daddy went back and bought him one. I guess I should impressed that Wesley wanted the healthiest thing on the midway. After eating, we went to look at the ponies and elephants. Wesley was pretty darn impressed with seeing a real live elephant. He kept saying "Phant" and making his elephant noise.

When the lights went down for the show to start Wesley went "Ooooooooooohhhhhhh." He was pretty good for the first couple of acts. It helped that the very first act was the tigers and we were really close. Maybe a little too close, because Wesley wanted to go visit the tigers. He kept trying to scootch out of the row onto the steps. The trained dogs followed the tigers and again, Wesley sat enthralled for a few mintues, then wanted to go visit. The picture to the right is during the enthralled stage. Grandpa spent a lot of time walking around with Wesley during the show. Overall though Wesley's favorite things about the circus were the animals, the motorcycles, the steps and the cotton candy. I think the balloons and the inflatable Dora he got rank pretty high up there too.

What about the aftermath of the circus? Well, the ride home was pretty amusing. Wesley was WOUND up and kept bouncing his legs up and down and talking about the "phants." One of his balloons popped in the car, but it didn't phase him at all. By the way, having a balloon pop in the car while you are driving is a great way to test your bladder control. I passed! Wesley went to bed pretty easily, but we could hear him talking to his stuffed wolf "Frank" and our best guess is that Wesley was telling him about the circus.

Wesley woke up this morning in our bed, thanks to an early morning bad dream. He rolled over, gave me a hug and said "Hi Mommy." Then he saw Sanders and said "Hi Sanders. I circus." When Gus jumped up on the bed, Wesley greeted him with "Hi Gus. I circus." Wesley talked about the "phants. tigers. baoon (balloons)" so I guess it made a good impression on him. We're going to spend some time going through the photo program today while we finish the cotton candy. I'm really glad we went. What a great way to start my vacation.

A OK

Wesley learned "OK" the other day and it is now his favorite thing to say. He "answers" absolutely any question or statement with it. It's a little maddening, but mostly cute.
In other Wesley news, we are going to the circus with Grandma and Grandpa P. tomorrow night. He's probably too young, but we can't resist! I've been trying to prep him for the big event by talking about it. I told him that we were going to go to the circus and we would see clowns and elephants and lions. "Circus. 'Phants. Lions" he replied. I told him that I would get him some cotton candy and a balloon at the circus. "Circus. Candy. Balloon." Guess we'll just have to see what happens.

The Parent Contract

I was just checking my friend Kate's blog. She mentioned in her post that mommies aren't allowed to cry. I would like to invite all of you to pull out your Parent Contracts and look for the paragraph that addressed parental crying. WHAT!? You don't have a Parent Contract!? Well of course you don't! The Parent Contract is a fictitious document that Duane and I have created to keep our sanity as parents. Need to take a shower, but your child is whining and pulling on your leg. Do not feel bad about getting in the shower. It is in the contract that you are allowed to take a shower every day (or at least it's in ours). Want to sit and read a book/check your email/blog/talk on the phone for a few minutes? You are allowed - it's in the contract. We use the pretend contract to justify having a little bit of a life as individuals and not just parents. Our contract says that Duane gets to go play poker sometimes and I get to go out with the girls. It also says that Wesley has to sit in his highchair while we eat (even if he is on a hunger strike), that we are allowed to go out without the boy sometimes.

Of course, I'm waiting for the day that Wesley asked to see this fictional contract! Hummmmm.....any fictional lawyers out there?

Movin' On Up

Everybody say "Yay!" Cathy closed on her condo today!!! We spent this evening helping her move a bedroom set into the new place. I had the job of keeping Sho and Kai and Wesley out of the way. Luckily that was very easy. The new condo has a HUGE hill next to it and we ran up and down the hill until we were all out of breath. The boys spent the rest of the time running in circles in the empty living room. I felt so sorry for the people next door because they sounded like a herd of elephants - thank goodness Cathy got a end unit.

I really let Wesley rough and tumble around with Sho and Kai - something I haven't really done before. They ran and tackled and rolled around and hugged each other. Yes, I was a little worried about Wesley since he is quite a bit younger than the other two, but he did great. Plus his "cousins" really like him and don't want to hurt him. If I asked them to stop doing something or to let Wesley up, they did immediately. Of course, my favorite part was not them playing, but when Kai decided he was Wesley's babysitter. He held on to the back of Wesley's shirt whenever Wesley started to walk away, so he could go too. Kai would also hold Wesley's hand and lead him around the new place.

After all the furniture was moved we went out to eat to celebrate. Duane was easily the most popular grown up to the kids. Kai even refused to have Cathy help him with his coat, he wanted "Uncle" to do it. Duane had to hold Sho and Kai's hands as we went into the restaurant too. We ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise because we figured it would be very kid friendly. Wesley was QUITE impressed with the decor. As soon as we walked in the door, Wesley stopped in his tracks and said, "Oooohhhhh!"

It was a long day, since we didn't get home until 9:45 (and yes, Wesley was still awake), but we had a lot of fun and we are so happy for Cathy and boys!

My Treat Mommy

Wesley treated me to breakfast at Starbucks this morning. Well, not really, Daddy's gift card treated me to Starbucks, but it was Wesley's fault. The little darling woke up at 5:00 this morning. Sometimes Wesley will fall back asleep if we put him in our bed, but this morning was not one of those days. At 5:20 I plopped Wesley back in his crib with a bunch of books, hoping he'd read and keep himself busy. NOPE!! We got to listen to him cry for 40 minutes, so Mommy stopped at Starbucks on the way to Grandpa and Grandma P.'s.

I skipped the line in the drive thru and opted to take Wesley inside with me (a little revenge for the 5:00 wake up call), where all the women in the store began to coo over him. "He's so cute!" they all said. I responded that what he is, is ornery! "Yes, but he's so cute! He could get away with anything," they said. And of course, by this time he was being perfectly charming.

As we left the store I told Wesley he had to hold my hand while we crossed the parking lot. Apparently Wesley has selective hearing because all he heard was the word park. "I go park. Doggies!" he exclaimed, leaving me to explain that we certainly were not going to the park at 7:30 in the morning while it was raining. We were not going to see any doggies. Of course, the next traffic light proved me a big fat liar. A Chemlawn truck with a HUGE picture of a Dalmatian on the side pulled up next to us. Guess Wesley got to see a doggy after all.

St. Patty's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!! Hope everyone had a great day and didn't drink too much green beer! I didn't have to worry about green beer today since I worked. After I got off work, I met Duane and Wesley at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s for the traditional March 17th dinner of corned beef and cabbage. Dinner was yummy, but what was really fun was watching Wesley, Sho and Kai after we ate. Wesley has finally decided that his "cousins" are pretty cool dudes and are acceptable playmates. They have been a little overwhelming for him before, but not anymore! We spent a good part of the evening singing "Old MacDonald," "Umm Ah Went the Little Green Frog," and "The Wheels on the Bus." As Duane said "This is a happening Saturday party." Well, it is when you've got three boys under 5 there!



You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. Or can you?

Wesley decided he would hug Sho, whether or not Sho wanted hugged. Or maybe it was revenge for the nose picking.

Kai, Wesley and Sho - "cousins" and buddies wearing o' the green!

Wow Wow Wesley

The best thing about being the parent of a toddler is that everyday brings something brand new - a new word, a new discovery - it's magical!!

Today Wesley and I did a lot of errands. He got a haircut, then I dragged him to Target and Old Navy. I desperately wanted some spring clothes, so I bought a couple of things without trying them on (bad idea - nothing fits right and I need to return it all). Wesley was so so good through all of that! Then we went to lunch with Grandma and Grandpa P.

It was after lunch that the toddler magic kicked in. Wesley and I got in the car to go to Grandma and Grandpa's for a little while. I told Wesley where we were going and he shook his head. "I go park. Doggies!" I couldn't believe how clearly he told me what he wanted. I told him that it was too cold to go to the park and that we were going to play at Grandma and Grandpa's. That was ok too.

We beat Grandma and Grandpa to their house, so Wesley and I ran around the front yard a little. All of a sudden he stopped and said, "Hear bird. Tweet tweet." We looked all around and finally found the bird in the tree that Wesley heard. Right after that Wesley decided that he was ready to go inside. He marched up the steps to the door (saying "March, march, march" the whole time) and insisted I ring the doorbell. He just didn't understand that no one was home yet. He kept peeking in the window by the door and wondering why no one was answering.

When Grandma and Grandpa did get home Wesley swung into full entertainer mode. He played in the pillows (poes), played the piano and ran around. I started crawling around the floor pretending to be a lion. I'd roar and stalk him, then pounce and tickle him. I was a little worried he was scared at first, because he wedged himself between Grandpa's chair and the coffee table. I worried for nothing though because after I pounced the first time, Wesley shrieked "AGAIN!" When I finally got tired of being a lion, Wesley took over. He'd crawl around and say roar. That's the second time I've really seen Wesley pretend and it still astounds me. We showed off our lion skills to Daddy tonight. He was properly impressed. What can I say, but "Roar!"

Toddler Love

Thanks to Elaina's mommy, I think I have a new way of entertaining (or bribing) Wesley. She posted a cute video of Elaina talking to camera over at her blog. Wesley has fallen head over heels in love with it! He'll watch that 30 second video over and over and over and over and over and...well, you get the idea. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if his next word was "'Laina" Move over Laurie Berkner and Dora the Explorer. There's a new girl to watch!

Hygiene Help

I could use some advise from any parents reading this. How on earth do you brush a toddler's teeth without it turning into a wrestling match?? Wesley HATES to have his teeth brushed. He runs as soon as he sees his toothbrush and we have to literally hold him down in order to clean his pearly whites. Putting him in a straight jacket would be easier! Duane and I are starting to dread it as much as Wesley! Please help us turn the toothbrush from an instrument of torture to one of oral hygiene!

See Food Diet

I am beginning to see the danger of Wesley being an only child surrounded by parents who think he hung the moon, five doting grandparents and countless aunts and uncles who think he's the greatest. Wesley LOVES all the attention he gets - maybe too much. And yes, I do see the irony of me lamenting about this on a blog I have posted for the world to see.

Tonight at dinner, Wesley was sitting in his highchair contentedly eating pineapple. All of a sudden he started pushing partially chewed pieces out of his mouth and laughing. "Wesley!What are you doing?" a slightly exasperated Mommy said. "I funny. Ha ha ha," was the oh-so-proud response.

Seriously, is this a boy thing, a toddler thing or an only child thing?

Little Charmer

So I know it's probably not a good thing that Wesley is taking a nap at 6:00 in the evening, but we've had such a busy day that I just don't have the heart to wake him up.

We celebrated Uncle Kirk's birthday with Grandma and Grandpa P. today. The whole gang headed to brunch after church. Duane and I absolutely pigged out! Wesley didn't eat too much except strawberries. Whenever anyone went up to the buffet we had to ask them to grab a couple more strawberries for Wesley. Good thing he's well loved. The only other thing he was interested in eating was chocolate from the chocolate fountain. Aunt Susan introduced him to this very important piece of machinery and it was love at first sight, um....taste.

Open wide.......

Wesley, you are supposed to eat it, not wear it!

After brunch we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for awhile. As usual, Wesley provided the bulk of the entertainment.

Time for piano practice!

A duet with Grandpa

Storytime!

What a full day! Is it any wonder the boy is wiped out!?

What's Cookin'?

We bought Wesley his very own kitchen set today. I have this warped dream that by putting a kitchen set in our kitchen, Wesley will be so enthralled with his toy that he'll leave us alone to cook or wash dishes or whatever. I'll let you know how that works out.

Grandma and Grandpa H. came down for dinner and so Grandma and I could start working on Uncle Kirk's birthday dishes for later this week. While she and I cooked, Duane and Grandpa worked on putting together the new kitchen. Wesley was so cute about it. At one point Grandpa was laying on the floor trying to figure something out and Wesley was kind of in the way. When I went to move him, he said "No. I help Pa!"

Of course, one of the coolest features of Wesley's new kitchen (and it has MANY features) is the cordless phone. It looks scarily real and has batteries so it makes all kinds of noises. Wesley was carrying it around and whenever he put it up to his ear he'd say "Hi dare" (hi there) and start jabbering away. I don't think he put the phone down for almost an hour. Why do I have visions of never ever being able to use the phone when he is a teenager? :-)

Overall, the new kitchen is a hit. Once it was fully assembled and in place Wesley kept himself busy checking it out. Grandma brought down some plastic fruit and veggies so Wesley spent quite a while sitting on the floor, taking all the food out of the storage drawer and putting it back in - repeatedly. He also liked pretending to fill up a cup with juice and drinking it. He'd make little gulping sounds and then say "Ahhhh!" He did share his delicious juice with me and Grandma. I can't wait to see what else he creates. Who knows, maybe we have a future chef on our hands.

More New Words

Wesley is adding new words every single day, but I thought I'd highlight a few for you.

Grasshopper - one of Wesley's new favorite books has a grasshopper in it. So now when we turn to that page he says "s-popper"

Shadow - Grandma H. took advantage of the sunny day today and took Wesley for a walk outside. She pointed out the shadows and they talked about them. Tonight I reached across his highchair tray and my arm cast a shadow. He pointed and said "shadow"

Then tonight after supper Duane and I were each eating a piece of chocolate. Wesley looked at us and said "Chocolate cake please" Come on, who could resist that?

How to Freak Out a Mom

In order to properly tell this story I need to back up to last night. When I got home from work around 9:20 Wesley was still awake. Duane was sitting in Wesley's room rocking him and Wesley was acting generally pathetic. Apparently, Duane had put Wesley to bed at his normal time, but instead of falling asleep, Wesley whined and whined and cried out "Daddy!" We decided it might be a family bed night, so I changed into my pjs and we all climbed into bed together.

It was right about this time that Wesley had a miraculous recovery (go figure!) He stared talking and walking on the bed and trying to hug the cats. In Mommy and Daddy's world a miraculous recovery equals sleeping in one's own bed, so we put Wesley back in his crib. What followed was a screaming fit that lasted until 10:10.

Now we get to the how to freak out a mom part. This morning I went into Wesley's room and discovered blood all over his mattress. Not massive amounts, but any blood in a toddler's bed is not a good thing. Once my heart slowed down I checked Wesley over for his injury. Let's see, ears? Nope, all clear. Mouth? Clear too. Nose? Lots of boogers, but no blood. Hands? Face? Neck? Nope! So Wesley bled somewhere during the night, but from no place that I can discover. My experience mom friends tell me that it was almost assuredly a nose bleed. I've decided to believe that and not think on it anymore. But I'd prefer not to ever be freaked out like that again.

Sweet Dreams

After we tucked Wesley into bed last night, I was very tempted to run back downstairs and add another blog entry for yesterday. I managed to convince myself that 3-4 postings for a single day is a little obsessive and decided to wait until today.

Part of Wesley's bedtime routine is to say prayers with his Prayer Puppy. After we finished the traditional "Now I lay me down to sleep.." I said "Bless Mommy and Daddy and Grandmas and Grandpas " Wesley looked at me and added "Sho. Kai." How sweet is that!? He added his cousins! Despite my melting heart and the fact that Wesley was being super cuddly, we put him in his crib. Wesley immediately rolled over and grabbed Frank then began to fake snore! We've taught him, the ever important fake snore, but had no idea he knew when to use it! Very tricky!

The picture below isn't from yesterday, it's from the weekend, but a sleepy toddler picture is always worth including.

Country Bumpkin

We learned something very important about Wesley tonight. He likes country music. How did we discover this previously unknown preference? Let me explain....

Tonight was my night to do the dishes (100+ year old house = no dishwasher) For some reason I am incapable of doing the dishes without music blaring. Some of you may not know that I have...shall we say..."varied" taste in music. The only thing I really don't care for is rap and my CD collection contains (among many many others): Brad Paisley, Kiss, Meatloaf, Amy Grant, the Cure, Weird Al, Toni Braxton and Billwho. If I am in my car and not listening to a book for some reason I will most likely listen to contemporary christian music. Tonight I was scrubbing away to the soundtrack to the musical "The Secret Garden" but switched to Trick Pony to dry.

The first song on Trick Pony's debut CD is called "Pour Me" I don't think I was 30 seconds into the song when Wesley came tearing into the kitchen and started dancing - or in Wesley world, running around the kitchen. It was hilarious! We listened to the song 3 or 4 times, with Duane and I dancing and clapping along. When the dishes were done, we turned the CD player off and headed into the living room. Wesley promptly took Duane by the finger and led him back into the kitchen. Wesley stared at the CD player until we listened to "Pour Me" one more time. Poor little guy danced so much he could hardly walk - but he had a great time!

How to Tell When Your Toddler is Sick

Wesley actually told me he didn't feel well today. He was kind of whining at me this morning and I asked him to tell me what was wrong. Wesley immediately touched his nose and said "Nose. Ow." Then he pointed to his teeth (he has two more coming in on the bottom) and said "Teeth. Ow." Well, I guess that explains it, huh?

Two More Sickies

Duane had a horrible cold a little over a week ago. He's feeling much better, but Wesley and I both have it now. I guess that explains the howler monkey that appeared on Sunday. It's kind of funny, but Wesley and I have the opposite kind of colds. He has a runny nose and will sometimes touch it and say "Nose. Ow." I have severe congestion and a cough. Put us together and we are a mess.

While I spent yesterday at work in a sudafed induced haze, Wesley charmed the socks of Grandma and Grandpa P. When I arrived to pick Wesley up, he was busy with a game of "Ready. Set. Go!" He barely glanced at me. Of course, when it was time to put shoes and coat on he threw a fit. Guess he wanted to stay with Grandma and Grandpa longer. Can't say I blame him.

Howler Monkey Continues

Well folks, it hasn't gotten any better since this morning. Unless he's watching a DVD Wesley has been screaming up a storm. He was hitting his head on the high chair during dinner and has just been a screaming banshee! Trust me, I want to hit MY head on something right about now. Of course, having a serious sinus headache doesn't help.

Duane just ran out to the store for a couple of things we need. He took Wesley with him so 1) I could have some peace and quiet and 2) maybe Wesley will fall asleep and we can plop him in his bed when he gets home. I am so climbing into a bubble bath with a good book as soon as Wesley goes to bed. I'm going to soak until I prune, then I'm going to pop some cold medicine and fall into a coma and hope tomorrow is better. Much better.

The Howler Monkey Has Returned

Wesley has been screaming and crying for nearly an hour and a half! Is he in pain? Is he sick? No - he wants to "push the button" which means play his video game (leap frog). Or course, he is a toddler, so he wants what he wants now, even if Mommy says there is no way we are playing videos games at 7:00 in the morning.

Wesley is usually such a happy boy and when he does throw a fit, it's usually incredibly short. Normally he'll hit his head on the floor once or twice and be over it in 3 minutes tops. Not this morning! Today he is screaming at various decibel levels to see which will be the most effective in making Mommy succumb to his demands. He's banging his head on the floor, on the desk, on the couch. He's throwing his sippy cup. Really, it's a pretty impressive tantrum, too bad I don't care. If he manages to keep it up for another half hour, I'm going to wake Daddy up and hide in a hot shower. Could be an interesting day.

March Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the most annoying?

a) an attention starved cat who refuses to let you drink a cup of tea and look at the paper in peace

b) a toddler who woke up too early, says "Mama, no" as you are getting dressed for work and refuses to let you drink a cup of tea and look at the paper

c) The Upside Down Show (for Noggin viewers only)

Let me tell you, before 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday you have to work (and wear pantyhose) they are all pretty darn annoying!

Culinary Mishap

As some of you may know, I consider myself something of a foodie. I love trying new foods - there's nothing I won't try once. I enjoy Food Network and my cooking magazines. I love cooking new things too, but sometimes things just don't go as planned. Take tonight for example. Duane and I are both trying to watch our weight, so I picked a recipe from a diet cookbook I have. We have made many recipes out of this cookbook and have almost always been pleased with the results. Not tonight. Tonight I made Fettuccine with Walnut Blue Cheese Sauce, or as Duane called it - wallpaper paste. He managed a few more bites than I did, but we both agreed that it was just not worth eating. I mean, how bad does a meal have to be to throw it out and eat a frozen dinner instead?

On a slightly related note, we had lunch with Grandma H., Sho and Kai at McDonald's today. When Sho and I went to the counter to get Wesley a second milk, the woman working the register nodded at Sho and asked me how old my son was. Kind of cute.

He's a Genius!

There's a story in my family about me learning to read. I used to memorize my books and "read" them to my family. When I was really little I "read" a book to my Grandma D. She was amazed and told my dad that she couldn't believe I was reading. My dad tried to explain to her that I has memorized the book and wasn't really reading yet. My grandma snapped back "She's reading!"

I think I know how my grandma must have felt now. I was putting clothes away in Wesley's room and he was sitting on the floor looking at books. All of a sudden I heard a little voice say "Night moon....balloon....bears, chairs....comb, brush...hush" I turned around to see Wesley with his Goodnight Moon book. He was "reading" the story out loud. Now I know my eighteen month old was not reading, but I will admit, my eyes teared up. He may not be reading, but he's on the fast track with those ever important pre-reading skills. My little genius.

Ready....Go!

Somehow Wesley has learned "ready....go!" This morning he was standing in the front room and said "ready...go!" then took off running. I guess you'd call it more of a sprint, because after a few feet he stopped, said "ready...go!" and took off again. The way he was laughing, it must have been a very fun game for him, but it was even more fun for me to watch! We played "ready...go!" when it was time to go upstairs to get dressed too. I usually count to three then lift him over the baby gate. Today I said "Ready?" and he shouted "Go!" I lifted him over the gate and he scrambled up the stairs as fast as his little arms and legs would carry him. What fun!

Fashion Emergancy

I should know better than to leave the house without a spare outfit for Wesley. I've been a mom for one day shy of eighteen months now. I should know better, but I don't. Nope I am content to live dangerously and tempt fate. The result - Wesley had a leaky diaper while we were on the other side of town. Grandma H. and I made an emergency stop at Target today between doctor's appointments and changed Wesley into a brand new outfit in the restroom at the store! Is that what it takes to get new clothes? I'm not sure I'm willing to go there, but there is this dress I have my eye on... Nah!

OK- on with the cute story. We ate lunch out today and Wesley entertained himself by feeding OSB. He charmed the waitress and the couple in the next booth with his parenting skills. What a good boy! And what a cute outfit (for something that was picked out in less than five minutes!)

Home Sick

I'm home sick today with a tummy/intestinal problem. I seem to be doing a little better than I was during the night (read: no longer running to the bathroom every 10 minutes) so that's good.

Wesley has been impressing me with his sentences this morning. So far, I've heard "I need help" when he was stuck behind his toy box, "Hello Gus" when Wesley went to pet Gus, and "Chocolate milk please" when his sippy ran out of nutrasure. Not too shabby.

Wesley and I both have doctor's appointments tomorrow, so more then.

Getting to Know You (and Me!)

OK - I totally stole this from Elaina's mommy, but it seemed like such a fun idea!

2007 Version of Getting to Know Your Friends:

1. What time did you get up this morning? Got up at 7:07 after a couple snoozes

2. Diamonds or Pearls? I love pearls because they are so classy, but I do wear a pair of diamond stud earrings every single day.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Happy Feet - which is really pathetic when you consider it was a "date night"

4. What's your favorite t.v. show? I hate to say this, but I am addicted to some reality tv. I adore America's Next Top Model, Top Chef and Dancing with the Stars. Other than that, I watch Noggin.

5. What did you have for breakfast? I treat myself to Starbucks one day a week. Today I had a tall, sugar-free vanilla, non-fat, extra-hot latte and a reduced fat cranberry oat bran muffin.

6. What is your middle name? Pendleton

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Any and all. I love spicy food though and had some fantastic szechuan duck last night.

8. What foods do you dislike? I'm not a huge seafood fan. I don't care for squid, mussels, oysters, or salmon. I'll try most anything else though

9. Your favorite Potato chip? Jones' Honey BBQ

10. Favorite CD you've been listening to lately? I listen to books on CD when I am in the car. Right now I'm listening to "Gods in Alabama" and just finished a fantastic teen novel.

11. What kind of car do you drive? Hyundai Elantra

12. Favorite sandwich? I am a sucker for a Reuben. LOVE THEM!!!

13. What characteristics do you despise? Racism and compulsive lying

14. What are your favorite clothes? I'm a jeans and v-neck shirt kind of gal. But I would so dress in head-to-toe Coldwater Creek or Ann Taylor if I could afford it.

15. If you could go anywhere in on vacation where would it be? A cruise! If it was just me and Duane it would be to Greece and Italy. A family Disney cruise would rock too.

16. What brand of clothes is your favorite brand? the brand that is marked 50% off!

17. Where would you want to retire? Near my son

18. Favorite time of day? I am such a morning person, it isn't even funny.

19. Where were you born? Same hospital Duane was born in and that I gave birth to Wesley in.

20. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football (Buckeyes and Browns) and Hockey (Blue Jackets)

21. Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi One (although I drink Coke Zero too)

22. Beavers or Ducks? WHAT?!?

23. Are you a morning person or a night owl? We established this in Question 18

24. Pedicure or Manicure? Pedicure- I'm less likely to chip my toenails.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Nope! I'm an incredibly dull person!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher

27 . What is your best childhood memory? Nothing in particular, but knowing I was loved no matter what sure ranks up there.

28. Ever been toilet papering? YES!

29. Been in a car accident? Yes, several - but nothing major and only one when I was driving (fender bender)

30. Favorite restaurant? Depends what I'm in the mood for

31. Favorite flower? daffodils and yellow roses

32.Favorite ice cream? pistachio

33. Favorite fast food restaurant? see question 30

34. How many times did you fail your drivers test? Passed it on the first try!

35. From whom did you get your last e-mail.. ? Old Navy

36. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Coldwater Creek, Ann Taylor, Gap

37. Last person you went to dinner with? Ann, Ann, Astrid and Michael

38.How many tattoos do you have? Two - just kidding, Dad!

39. Favorite magazine? Well, I have subscriptions to Every Day with Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and Bon Appetit

40. If you could meet any famous person, who would it be? Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks, I just think she'd be a blast to hang out with.

42. If you could choose another first name, what would it be? Don't know, I never really felt like a "Heather" though.

43. If you could change your profession right now, what would it be? Stay at home mom - or a Disney expert!

As Han Solo Would Say...

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Wesley is very aware of the fact that he has two bears now. This morning he woke up to find NSS in his chair with milk. This was OK for about ten minutes. Then he grabbed me my the finger, walked into the laundry room and said "Bear." I asked if he wanted his other bear (OSB) and he said, "Yes." The problem is that he refused to relinquish NSS. "So I suppose you want both bears," I said sarcastically (BTW - sarcasm is lost on toddlers). Wesley responded with a resounding "YES!" He's been carrying both bears around ever since.

I guess I don't mind it so much in the house, but this could be a problem when we head to Sam's Club later. I refuse to take two stuffed bears to keep track of. Wonder which he will want to take with him? Wonder how I'm going to get the other one away from him?

Can You Find the Original Stinky Bear?

Wesley sure can! Not-So-Stinky Bear (NSS) arrived yesterday and Wesley is not fooled for one moment. When Duane got home, he asked Wesley if he could see his bear (Original Stinky Bear - OSB) and did a quick behind the back swap. Wesley grabbed for NSS and immediately flipped him over to suck on the tag. However, when he examined the tag area, he could tell something was off. Maybe it was the lack of disgusting scent, maybe it was the absence of slightly yellow crust that no amount of washing will remove, but Wesley wasn't buying it.


Duane let Wesley see both bears together. Instead of causing confusion, Wesley was thrilled. Two bears!?! How cool is that!? In fact, we have discovered that although NSS can't be a replacement for OSB, they can be traded back and forth a little. NSS is good for big hugs and for using as a pillow, but not for tag sucking. OSB is good for tag sucking and MUST be available if Wesley is feeling anxious or sad.

We figure that after a week or so, NSS will be gross enough that he might be able to be confused for OSB. We'll just have to see (or smell as the case may be.)

Definately the Child of a Librarian

Wesley and I just got back from a trip to Target. While we were there I picked up a couple of board books for him. One was an Elmo book from the dollar section and one was a puppy valentine's book that was on clearance for .10. Let me tell you, that was a dime well spent! Wesley couldn't put the book down while he was in the cart and whined when I had to put it on the counter to pay. When it was time to go, I had managed to get the Elmo book in the bag, but Wesley would not let go of the puppy book. I finally told him that he had to let go of the book or his bear because I needed to hold his hand in the parking lot. HE LET GO OF HIS BEAR!!!!! I can't believe it!! He read his new puppy book all the way home, while Bear rode in the bag. Poor Bear.

Best Kitty in the World

I know there are some faithful readers out there who really don't like cats. I try to be respectful of their opinions, but if they had a wonderful cat like my Sanders, they might feel differently. Sanders was adopted from Cat Welfare about 10 years ago. He had been adopted by a family when he was a kitten. They kept him for a year, then returned him because he was "vicious" and would "bite the children". Sanders' vicious nature has become somewhat of a family joke because he is an extremely docile cat and puts up with so much from kids. When he gets sick of the attention, he walks away.

Last night Sanders was sitting on my lap having some good snuggle time when Wesley decided he needed to be on my lap too. Below are the pictures that tell you exactly how vicious Sanders is.

What you don't see in these pictures are the many kisses Wesley bestowed on Sanders furry little face. Vicious, indeed.

Wesley's New High Chair

Think he likes it? It's a great exercise tool for Duane too!