Congratulations Sasha

We spent this afternoon and evening at our friend's Rick and Sasha's house. Sasha recently passed her test to be a nurse's aide and they had a cookout to celebrate. Wesley loves Rick and Sasha and quickly made their house, his house. He terrorized - I mean loved on- their cats. Cochika doesn't like kids, but Spaggy put up with the boy pretty well. Especially when you consider how many kisses that poor cat had to endure. Wesley also loved the wood floors throughout the house and the very open floor plan that allowed him to run around and around and around and around.

We discovered that Wesley really likes bratwurst. He kept saying "More brat please." He also ate a lot of pretzels and chips and fed them to everyone else. Thank goodness our friends are used to toddler manners and didn't mind.

Brett and Alyssa

Ray and Krystal hamming it up

The best part of the day for Wesley was swimming in the pool. He had his first dip with Aunt Sasha. It was hard to tell who was having more fun. He got in the pool a few hours later with Daddy, Rusty and James.

I got stay dry and give Wesley a nice sun-warmed towel and cuddle him dry.

We ended the evening by chasing fireflies - Wesley's first time. What a great night!

We Can't Do Molly Woos

We went to Molly Woos with a large number of the family tonight - Grandpa and Grandma H., Aunt Sue, cousin Josh, Aunt Christie, Uncle Dave, cousins Jonathan and Cherie. I love the atmosphere and food of Molly Woos, but I HATE to got there with Wesley. It's the type of restaurant that they don't rush you through - which is great - but a 2 hour dinner is about and hour and 15 minutes too long for a toddler! Duane and I end up walking around with Wesley and are never at the table at the same time, Wesley barely eats, and I leave with a headache. On the up side, I did learn a couple things tonight.

1) Wesley thinks he's ready to try chopsticks

2) Chopsticks make GREAT drumsticks!

3) A toddler can eat coconut cream pie with chopsticks, but will eventually discover that it is MUCH quicker to pick it up with his hands and shove it in his mouth!

The Big News Revealed!!!

After making you all wait for weeks on end, I can finally tell you the big news! The library I work at has been named "2007 Library of the Year" by Library Journal!!!!! For those of you not in the library biz, this is the equivalent of getting the Oscar for Best Picture! I am super excited!!!! I wasn't allowed to say anything until today because this is the day Library Journal publishes the LOY issue. The library held a big press conference this morning and now we can tell everyone on the planet (and after 4 years of being a finalist, but not winning, we are definitely telling everyone!) I'm assuming you can go to their website and check it out, but I'm not sure.



I'm extra excited for a couple of reasons. First of all, there is a big banquet at the ALA conference in Washington DC to honor the winning library. Even though I am not attending the conference this year, the library is flying me out the morning of the banquet and home the next morning! I GET TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going shopping tomorrow for the perfect dress and shoes to wear! I can't wait!!!!



I'm also excited because a photographer came at the end of May. We were told it was to take pictures for posters and internal publicity, but the photos were really for the LOY issue of Library Journal. That means the pictures of the storytime I did might be in the magazine! Wesley, Grandma H., Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kei were all there too, so they might be in the magazine as well!!!!



Hope none of you are disappointed in the news - I've been on cloud 9 since I found out. I hope you are at least half as excited as me!

Silly Mommy, Silly Wesley

I may crawl around the floor and pretend to be a lion. I may cry loud fake tears when a character in a book cries. I may sing the "Jaws" theme when I am about to tickle Wesley. But Wesley laughed at me last night like I was the goofiest mommy in the world. What did I do to that Wesley found so funny now (but will no doubt embarrass him to no end in 8-9 years?) I was doing the dishes last night and rocking out to 80's hair band music - Poison to be exact. This included head banging, hair shaking, spinning and shaking the dish towel. Wesley was powerless to resist the lure of the hair band. He started stomping his feet and dancing with me.

Yep, Mommy may be one goofy lady, but at least I don't put numbers on my head like some silly boy does.

Time Out

It's a day for the history books. Wesley had his first "time out" tonight. After throwing a fair amount of his dinner on the floor, and repeatedly pinching both me and Daddy, I scooped the boy up and took him up to his room for a little alone time. He screamed bloody murder and banged on the door for about 30 seconds, then calmed down and started playing the music thing in his bed. When I went to get him two minutes later, he was a much improved little boy! He even picked some flowers for me outside. Awwwwwww.

Plan B

We had planned to go to the Rose Festival at park in town yesterday, but Wesley's pink eye kind of shot that plan down. We figured it would be better to stay home and not get anyone else sick. To pass the day, we got out Wesley's new sandbox. He got it for Easter, but we just got around to putting it together. Since we didn't have any sand, we filled it with water and let Wesley splash around to his heart's content. We went through two outfits and lots of smiles.

Let's see, we played with his boat and sang "Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me!" Wesley dunked his head a couple of times and kept trying to drink out of the plastic cup we put in there for him to play with. He actually did remarkably well with it - but I was still glad he was outside.

After all that splishing and splashing, Wesley and I crashed hard on the couch! Not too bad a day.

Murphy's Law of Motherhood

Yesterday was the first day of the Summer Reading Club - translated: the second busiest day of the year if you are a public children's librarian (the busiest will be Monday). This past week has also been really hot and humid, meaning that Duane (who works in heating and air) had to work yesterday too. Now you have the setting - it's 6:45 AM, Daddy is already at work, Mommy is getting ready for work, and Wesley wakes up with his sticky goop coating his eyelashes and his eye is swollen. Guess who has pink eye!?

Grandma and Grandpa H. still took Wesley for most of the day. Grandma H. is a retired public school teacher and pink eye doesn't faze her. Luckily, the Children's Hospital Urgent Care Center did not require a parent to take Wesley in. The doctor saw the boy and prescribed eye drops - so much fun for a toddler.

Grandma and Grandma P. (retired public school principals - also fearless) were willing to brave pink eye and watch Wesley while Duane and I went to a play after work. Apparently, pink eye didn't slow Wesley down one little bit. He ran around and was going strong until after 10:00!!!

We had a great time at the play. We went with a bunch of people from my work as the webmaster was acting in it. The theater is in a small, converted country church so the atmosphere is very laid back. The whole group of us tailgated in the parking lot before the show. It was so much fun! The weather was perfect and the food was delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed the play too. We were warned the character Stephen played was "slightly slimy" but that was a lie - he was totally slimy!!! It was great! I work with some of the greatest people. Who says librarians don't know how to have fun!

Fun Friday

I had today off work, so Duane took a vacation day so we could go to the Arts Festival. Since the festival didn't open until 11:30, the W. family walked up the street to an excellent diner. It's only about a block from our house, and is pretty well known in our city. Wesley thought walking up the street with Mom and Dad was awfully special. He was so good! He held one of our hands the whole way. For his breakfast, Wesley ate some waffle, eggs, toast and jelly straight from the container - what can you do?

Going to the Arts Festival with a toddler is completely different experience than going as a couple. Even though Wesley slept in the stroller most of the time, we kind of hurried through things. Not that we had money to buy anything, so I guess it didn't really matter. I saw some beautiful photographs of places I'd love to visit, great Christmas gifts I couldn't afford, and some pieces of art that just made me happy for no particular reason. Wesley did wake up long enough to eat the bread of my sandwich and explore a little.

Wesley took a moment to look at the river from up high.

"Hum.....Could rain. I'd better put my umbrella up!"

"What? Road Closed?"

"No problem for me!"

After we walked through the festival, we ducked into COSI for a little bit. Wesley hasn't been to COSI for long time, so he had a blast! He kept bringing balls to Duane. Duane would roll them through a tunnel, then Wesley would run around to the other side, retrieve the balls, and take them back to Duane. They must have played that game for half an hour. The rest of the time there Wesley pretended to feed me water from the water table. Yum.

This afternoon was naptime for Mommy and Daddy. We both managed short naps thanks to a Dora DVD, but Wesley woke us up by climbing on us, walking on our heads and (my personal favorite) stepping on my bladder. I think he learned that from Sanders. Daddy retreated upstairs to continue his nap, but I had brownies to bake so Wesley hung out with me.

We ended our Fun Friday at the library to finish decorating for the Summer Reading Club. Wesley loves the ramp in the lobby and he wore himself out! Time for bath and bed!

8 Random Things

I know this blog is supposed to be about Wesley, but this entry is going to be all about Mommy. Maybe he'll read it someday and learn something new about me! Some of the blogs I read have been doing "8 Things" so I thought I'd play along.

1. I am completely addicted to bread. I love pretzels, bagels, tortillas, rolls, you name it! I've even been known to eat an entire baguette in one sitting!
2. My favorite color is yellow because it seems happy. Duane even teases me because a lot of the houses I like are yellow.
3. I have lived in this city my entire life - and I love it! I think the farthest I'd move would be a suburb.
4. If I were to move someplace else, I'd want to go to Chicago.
5. I go to bed really early - usually by 10:00. On the other hand, I get up early too - usually around 7:00 without an alarm clock
6. I have a secret passion for slightly tacky shoes and purses
7. My current favorite candy is See's Scotchmallow, but I love chocolate and will gladly indulge in Vosges, Godiva, or plain ol' Hershey.
8. I'm a total girly girl - give me flowers, dresses, and frills and I'm a happy woman!

Nature Lesson

Wesley received a rather graphic nature lesson this morning. We following our normal Wednesday morning routine of getting up, sitting on the potty, talking to the cats that come visit Wesley while on the potty and reading books on the potty. Suddenly, Sanders lost interest in being adored (very uncharacteristic for a cat) and began batting at something on the floor. I looked and discovered Sander's new toy was a spider. I don't think Wesley's ever seen a real spider before, so I pointed it out to him and began to sing "The itsy bitsy spider...." when Sanders devoured the spider! YUCK! Wesley looked at me with a puzzled face and said "Sanders eat spider." Great! My son is going to think his cat offed the one and only Itsy Bitsy Spider!How am I going to explain that one to his future therapist?

Grandma's Tent

Wesley hung out with Grandma and Grandpa P. again today. They made their first ever tent in the living room and Wesley loved it!

Party at Wesley's Crib

For the past two nights, Wesley has been the last one in the house to fall asleep. He's not having a fit, crying, nor is he sick. He has been staying up talking to his stuffed animals! These new found conversational companions have made our bedtime routine even easier than it was. We read one or two books (rather than 6-8), and as we say our prayers, Wesley climbs into bed. Once in bed he gets his puppy, Frank, his blanket and happily says good night to Mom and Dad. Then the fun begins! He talks and talks and talks and talks and talks and talks and talks - my family says he gets this from me. The monitor goes crazy with it. Last night Wesley was even using different voices for his animals. Now if only we could understand what he's saying. All we could make out last night was "Mom" "Dad" "puppies". I wonder if that was a hint?

Twice the Fun

We are babysitting our godson James this evening. James is almost exactly four months younger than Wesley and only lately have the two blond boys started interacting. James' Mommy is expecting another child in October, and his Daddy has two boys from a previous marriage. Long story short, the older boys weren't home tonight and since it's much easier to get a sitter for one boy verses three - James' Mommy and Daddy got to have a date night!

James has done really well considering we've never had the honor of babysitting him before. He cried for about 15 minutes when his parents left, but that was it. I was a little surprised to see that James' tears made Wesley spring into action. Wesley would hug his friend, pat him on the back, kiss him and bring him toys to try and make him feel better. Wesley even fed James bites of biscuit during dinner! It almost made me think Wesley would be just fine with a sibling.

After we ate, we all headed outside for some playtime. The boys had a terrific time on the slide and with the bubble machine! Now we're kicking back in the jammies with some chocolate milk and a Dora DVD. I'm not sure it gets much better than that when your a toddler.

Check out the video of Wesley, James and the bubbles!

Say What?

I have a feeling there will be a lot of posts about the cute things that come out of Wesley's mouth as he begins talking more and more. I'm always so amazed by what he says and does. I could watch and listen to him for hours (which is good, because the boy talks A LOT)

• This morning Wesley sat on his potty as usual. WARNING POTTY HUMOR AHEAD. We always make sure that his penis is pointed down so we don't get a fountain effect instead of things going in the potty. As soon as Wesley sat on the seat, he made the adjustment and said proudly "Penis down!" Yes, I know he'll be mortified by this when he's older, but it was so cute!


• When we got to Grandma and Grandpa H's house, Wesley ran in the door and into the kitchen/family room area yelling "Hi!!" Unfortunately, no one was downstairs to greet him. Wesley turned to me and said "I say hi." Then he started looking for his grandparents, calling "Gamma, Pop. Where you?" Seriously too cute!

More News!!!!

I hate to do this to all of you (especially Kate) but I have even more exciting news that I still can't reveal until June 15th. I'll just say that when I found out about it I starting jumping up and down and couldn't stop smiling!! I think I actually screeched!

Here are some more hints/torturous clues:

1. I am NOT pregnant (or adopting)
2. We did not win a house, a cruise, or any other fabulous prize
3. I will need to go shopping
4. I am NOT pregnant or adopting
5. I will have to do the "suck it up" dance and do something I don't really like to do - but I don't care!
6. I'm so glad I scheduled a haircut before I even found out about this!
7. We are still not moving
8. No one I work with, or am related to, is pregnant to my knowledge (sorry Kate, I know this blows one theory to pieces)
9. I will be REALLY tired on June 26th and 27th
10. I and NOT pregnant or adopting

Breakfast of Champions

What is the toddler breakfast of champions? If you are Wesley, it's pizza. That's right. Pizza. Most mornings Wesley dines on pancakes and eggs or fruit bars and yogurt. Today he requested pizza. At first I played the Mommy card and told him that pizza was not a breakfast food. When he asked me for the third time an hour later, I gave in. Since we didn't have any actual pizza, I dug through the freezer until I found a pepperoni pizza Lean Pocket (shout out to Wendy and Kate). So, that's what the boy is having for his breakfast. A pepperoni pizza Lean Pocket, milk, and I'm hoping the pears I put on his plate end up being something besides decoration. I feel like I failed the parenting exam this morning - especially since I'm letting him eat his "oh so healthy" breakfast on the floor while watching Dora.

Warning: Stress Level HIGH

Approach me at your own risk. My stress level at work is sky high right now and for the last couple days I just want to cry when I think of everything I have to do. My hands are starting to sport stress bumps. What's a stress bump? Well, ever since I was in high school I develop small itchy red bumps on my hands and fingers when I am completely stressed out. Trust me, they are there now! I also get a little compulsive about scratching and end up breaking the skin on my arms and legs. OK - I know that's gross, but that's how it is. The worst part about all this is that summer reading starts next week. For Children's Librarians that's kind of the Christmas shopping season. We will be horribly busy every day and do more programs than we would normally do. Oh, my library also starts building redesign as soon as the summer reading club is over, so we're also weeding like mad to make sure the collection looks as fresh as possible and all "dead weight" is gone. Oh! And Fall program ideas are due in 2 weeks. Oh! And I haven't even begun gathering decorations for my department, which needs to be decorated in 8 days. I don't know where we are in hiring - after all those interviews I'd love to have an answer - and I could really use an extra body in the place.

Oops. Time to stop grumping. I'm developing a twitch in my eye.

Say That Again!

Wesley is starting to crack me up with the things he says. This morning we were snuggled on the couch, when he sighed and said "No baby." I'm not sure if he meant he is not a baby, or he doesn't want us to have a second child (no, I'm NOT pregnant) Either way it was pretty darn cute. A bit later he colored a picture and when he finished he said "Give Gamma". That was crystal clear, so that work is currently hanging in a place of honor on Grandma's refrigerator. I love hearing him talk!

Oh! This is Why I'm Tired!

We spent the Memorial Day weekend celebrating in true American style - by eating too much and doing too much!

Let's start with yesterday. Memorial Day weekend marks the Asian Festival in our city. This is one of my very favorite festivals, but Duane and I haven't been in several years. Three years ago we had just gotten back from our honeymoon, two years ago I was pregnant and didn't feel like fighting the crowds, and last year it rained. This year we went with Cathy, Sho and Kei and had a great time! Cathy ran into some of her friends from the Taiwanese church she sometimes attends and introduced us. We all ate lots of yummy food (although none of it as tasty as Cathy's steamed buns) and Cathy showed us some traditional crafts from her country.

Sho took such good care of Wesley while we were there. He pushed Wesley in the stroller and wouldn't let anyone else touch it. That was really nice, but Sho couldn't see real well over the top and kept running into people and bushes! Whenever Wesley wanted out of the stroller, Sho would let Wesley chase him around, but never went too far or let Wesley out of his sight. Similarly, Kei wouldn't let Duane out of his sight. That boy loves his Uncle Duane!



We got caught in a horrible cloudburst while we were there! We ran for cover with Sho leading the way and Kei crying because of the thunder. Wesley did OK - to be honest, I think he liked being out in the rain. I KNOW he liked playing in the overflowing gutter after the rain stopped. He even said "More rain!" when we finally walked away from it.







Today was the Memorial Day parade in the suburb I work in. The library had a "book cart drill team," and I volunteered to be in it. Duane and Wesley had wagon duty, so the whole family was at the library at 8:00. Wesley entertained himself by running around the lobby while I had a short practice with the other teams members. At 9:00 we got in line and had nearly an hour and a half to kill before we actually started walking. Wesley did pretty well with the wait though. He ran around (alot) and petted Angus (the unofficial library dog) who is MUCH bigger than me or Wesley! Of course, all that waiting can be pretty tiring, and Welsey fell asleep as soon as we stepped off. He slept through the entire parade!



Good grief! Is that a dog or a horse? The sad thing is, Angus is 2 months younger than Wesley!








Pre-parade time......








During the parade!




After the parade (and when Wesley finally awoke from his nap) we went to a park for a picnic with Grandma and Grandpa P. Wesley showed off his superb climbing skills as he broke the rule Mommy has been trying to drill in his head and went "up the slide" instead of "up the stairs." He was so proud of himself! He also found puddles to splash in, doggies to visit and little girls to chase. All that playing worked up quite a thirst! Good thing Grandma had a bottle of water handy!



From there we went to Grandma and Grandpa H's for another cookout with Aunt Susan, Uncle Kirk, Great Aunt Carol and Cousin Al. I have to say, that Uncle Kirk is quickly becoming one of Wesley's most favorite people! He always plays with Wesley and gives him plenty of attention. Plus Kirk tosses the boy around, just like Daddy! When it was time for us to leave, Wesley kept waving from the car windows calling "Bye Kirk! Bye Sus!" Really, who could resist that!?

Why is Mommy Tired?

Ooooooooo....multiple choice quiz!

A) After a fun day at the (very crowded and very hot) zoo with Grandma and Grandpa P., on Friday, we tried to put air in Mommy's tire. Turns out Mommy bent the rim when she hit that curb. Kind stranger changed the tire after Mommy, Grandpa and Grandma all fail to get last lugnut off.

B) Friday night spent trying to come up with the least complicated way to get tire fixed when Mommy has to be at work all day Saturday and Daddy will have the boy.

C) While in charge of the library on Saturday, the phones quit working, causing multiple dropped calls at both locations and endless cell phone calls to IT guy to try and get things working.

D) During phone fiasco, known pervert ( registered sex offender) comes into the building. Since Mommy is still in charge, Mommy has to call police. Meaning that 2 of the 3 situations you say the LIC Prayer about have happened. Mommy has had to "clear up" and "call the police" Mommy continues to pray that she will not have to "clean up" and thus have a tri-fecta.

E) Mommy stays up late (how pathetic that 11:15 is late?) playing Mexican Train Dominoes with a bunch of friends.

F) All of the above!

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Wesley has always been pretty fearless about being tossed around, hung upside down and anything else his daddy can come up with. However, he's now starting to embrace his inner dare devil. After climbing onto the couch, Wesley walked to the edge and said "Ready? Set. Go!" before launching himself off it! He landed none to gracefully (read on his face) on the floor. Amazingly enough, he didn't cry. But he did turn around and give that mean ol' couch a raspberry! How dare it cause him to fall!

Toasted Buns

Wesley and I were outside playing in the sun earlier. Poor little guy sat down on our dark marble steps, then jumped up and yelled "Hot!" Good thing that diaper adds some extra padding! Turns out the plastic slide is much safer for non-toasted buns!

Bear Too!

Wesley's obsession with his best bear buddy continues to grow. We now have to brush Bear's teeth, let Bear sit on the potty, give Bear some sips of milk, and even give Bear goodbye kisses. Grandpa and Grandma P. have been very good sports about this, as the following pictures show. They took Wesley and Bear to the park on Monday and were sure to give Bear equal attention.

Wesley may have put Bear in the swing next to him........

.....but Grandpa had to push them both at the same time!

I'm not sure how Grandma got to go down the slide with just Wesley. Maybe Grandpa had just caught Bear at the bottom.

BIG NEWS!!!!

No, I'm NOT pregnant. I have really big, really great news, but I'm not allowed to share it until June 15th. However, I can tell you some things it is not.

1. I am NOT pregnant
2. Neither Duane nor I got a promotion
3. We are NOT moving
4. I am NOT pregnant
5. Wesley did not get early admission to Harvard (despite his degree from OSU)
6. Wesley has not decided to become a professional wrestler (that we know of)
7. No one is sick - that wouldn't be great news
8. I am NOT pregnant
9. I did not win a baking contest
10. We did not win the lottery

Tune in on June 15th for the announcement. Oh, and I am NOT pregnant.

Grant Me Patience

Wesley is only 20 months. Why is he entering the terrible twos???? We just returned from Duane's softball game. Notice I didn't say from watching Duane's softball game. Wesley was a terror!!! Granted, he didn't get much of a nap today, but still! He screamed and cried for Duane for about 20 minutes. Then a beautiful and friendly dog arrived that that kept Wesley busy for a few minutes. Then we discovered the playground. That OK for awhile, but all the kids on the playground were at least 4 years old and they played ROUGH! After a few narrow misses with Wesley, I decided it was time for us to leave. Too bad Wesley didn't feel the same way. He screamed and cried and pinched me and scratched me (broke the skin in several places). I look like a broke up a fight between Sanders and Gus!

I know that some toddlers go through the pinching or biting phase, but I think I'm the only one Wesley is this aggressive with. It's starting to give me a complex - not to mention scars. How do I deal with this? Some people have told me to pinch him back, but I don't want to teach him to hit when he's mad. Speaking to him in a stern voice doesn't seem to work and neither does sitting him down someplace away from me and walking off. Any advice???

Gracelets

We currently have an interim pastor at our church. Pastor Art always tells us that "God loves you more than you can mess up" - a saying I absolutely love! He also talks a lot about "gracelets," which is what he calls the little good things that happen to you each day that remind you of God's love. So, in honor of Pastor Art, I give you some of today's gracelets.

• Today I had a last minute presentation to do. I was told to prepare for about two hours and I was not looking forward to it. Not only did the presentation end VERY early, but Cathy, Sho, Kei, Grandma H. and Wesley were all there!
• I also received an email from someone in administration telling me what a good job I did - and they copied it to my supervisor!
• Sun warmed shoes to put my feet in after lunch
• Hugs from a toddler whose white shirt is stained with dirt (from playing outside), strawberry juice (from dinner) and orange soda (from a sip of Mommy's drink)
• A purring cat rubbing up against my face.
• Having a delicious dinner prepared by my wonderful hubby waiting for me when I got home from work.

Playtime

Wesley has a new buddy - a turtle named "Tortuga." As you can see, Tortuga is nearly as big as Wesley!

Bet you didn't know you could ride a turtle!

But be careful when your toddler son is playing outside.

You never know when he might suddenly turn into Captain Underpants!

Happy Birthday Kei

Today we got to celebrate Kei's third birthday. Like his big brother Sho, Kei wanted to go to McDonald's to celebrate so I got to experience the madness of the Easton McDonald's first hand. I guess it wasn't all that bad, Wesley made an impromptu slide out of the giant french fries and I only had to break up one fight between Sho and two other boys (don't ask.)

Of course, I also got the fright of my life too! Grandma H. took Wesley and Kei to the bathroom and Wesley had a fantastic time washing his hands at the toddler sink. A short time later, Wesley and I had to visit the bathroom to change a diaper, and once again he had a fantastic time washing his hands at the sink. After returning from the bathroom, I put Wesley down in front of our table and walked the other way around the play area. I could always see the table, but Wesley is little enough that he dipped out of my sight for a moment. When I turned the corner, he was gone. Not in the play area. Not in the house. Not at the table. No where I could see! Duane and Grandma immediately started searching as well. After about two agonizing minutes we found Wesley - in the bathroom playing in the sink! Once my heart started beating again, we decided it was time to head back to Grandma and Grandpa's for cake and ice cream. I had had more than enough of that place!

Happy Birthday Kei!!

Toddler Tornado

Wesley was all attitude today, starting from the moment he got up. I heard him stirring in his room, so I opened the door and peeked in. He was in bed talking to his stuffed animals, so I left the door open and figured he'd toddle into our room when he was ready. A few minutes passed and I heard some thumping coming from Wesley's room. I stepped into the doorway to see what was going on and Wesley slammed the door shut in my face!

The unusual behavior continued at church. While waiting for the service to start, Wesley gave someone a high five. That's only weird because he is usually pretty shy at church - except for today. Today he even went up to a member of the Korean congregation that uses our building and planted a big hug on the guy. He even cried to get out of Daddy's arms and see Aunt "Cafy"

Add to this the fact that he's been throwing toys he doesn't want, bit me during play time and has been pinching the heck out of me when he's mad and we have some definite terrible two behavior a few months early!

North Market Adventure

Grandma H., Wesley and I went to the North Market today. For those of you who don't live around here, the North Market is part speciality food place, part gourmet market, part farmer's market. OSB and one of Wesley's rabbits went with us. He spent a lot of time saying "Hop, hop, hop. Grrr. Grr. Grrr." Very cute.

Wesley wanted pizza for lunch, but the line was SOOOOOOO long. I got him to agree to a hot dog and some potato chips instead - which totally surprised me since I don't think he's had a hot dog since last summer! Of course, what Wesley ate wasn't just a hot dog. It was 100% beef, grilled and nine kinds of delicious. Calling it a mere hot dog is like calling the Titanic just a boat. Wesley ate almost all of it. I don't blame him. I would have gobbled the whole thing up too!

After we ate, we wandered around the market. Wesley spent a whole lot of time in front of the display for Mozart's Bakery. At first he was taken in by all the yummy looking cakes, pastries and other treats, but then he noticed the signs in front of each item and began reading off the numbers. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of drool on the display when we were through (he did actually lick it a few times), but he didn't ask for anything. Good thing too! The clerk was a former student of Grandma H.'s and when she discovered Wesley's was related to her former teacher, the boy got a free cookie!

We got some Jeni's ice cream (a food orgasm for sure!) and went outside to eat it at the picnic tables. Wesley didn't really care for the pistachio and honey, and I didn't want him to try the butterscotch with cocoa nibs, but he put a beat down on the Savannah buttermint. The ice cream came with a couple of wafer cookies which Grandma and I fed to the birds. Wesley loved watching the birds come up to us for their bites of cookie and he got very upset when Grandma dared to take a bite for herself!

We wandered over to Yankee Trader so I could get come pirate gear for work. Wesley managed to talk Grandma into getting him a tambourine and an airplane. When we got home Wesley shook the tambourine, Grandma played the drum and I had to wave the shovel. I know, I know. That sounds really strange, but Wesley likes to march around using the shovel like a drum major's baton. I guess it was my turn to be majorette. Guess I better dig those old pictures of Grandma out and let Wesley know who actually has some experience in those things.

He's Lovin' It

Yesterday I was marveling at the fact that Wesley has learned "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" without my knowledge. Today I am a little distressed by the fact that he can say "McDonald's" clear as a bell! We do not go to McDonald's very often. To be honest, Mommy and Daddy prefer Wendy's and that is usually our fast-food of choice. I'm trying to convince myself that this new word has entered his vocabulary because we are returning to McDonald's Sunday evening for Kei's birthday. Surely Grandma H. was talking about the "party" yesterday and that's where he got the word, right? Of course, I am freaking out that he's seen too many commercials or we really are eating way too many junk food meals.

Wesley is also lovin' making "raspberry" noises and spitting everywhere. He went through this phase a few months ago, but it is back with a vengeance! I had to wipe off the table and myself at dinner the other night. This morning he discovered that if he sticks his finger in his mouth he can make a slightly different sound with equally wet results. Lovely. I'm trying to put on my raincoat and ignore it, hoping this fascination dissipates soon.

Another new thing Wesley is lovin' is his Not So Stinky Bear! I know! Will wonders ever cease? OK, lovin' may be a slight exaggeration, but NSS got to sleep in Wesley's bed the other night while OSB (original stinky bear) was in the wash. Wesley even sucked on the tag a little bit. NSS has had an honored place in Wesley's bed the last few nights - sometimes with OSB. This morning Wesley carried both bears around. "Two bears!" he exclaimed. "Kiss two bears!" Maybe we are making progress.

The final thing Wesley is lovin' is his potty. He is starting to go in and sit on it fully clothed sometimes. He puts his stuffed animals on it. But best of all, this morning he tore into the bathroom and said "Sit potty! Sit potty!" I hurried over and took his diaper off. Wesley sat on the potty, did what needed to be done, jumped up and said "All done! Need diaper!" Goodness! Does that mean we can start potty training for real!?

Wesley is My Little Star

My son never ceases to amaze me. It seems like every day he is doing something new. Today we were watching "Oobie" before I went to work. One of the characters was singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and Wesley started singing along! This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but that isn't one of the songs we sing regularly. I mean, he's heard it, but I didn't know that he knew the words! Don't worry, I'll hold off on American Idol auditions for awhile yet.

Pork and Bears

Wesley and I had a hard time saying goodbye at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s house. I'm not sure who was more clingy - me or Wesley! I finally told Wesley I had to go to work. "OK. Mommy has to go to work. I have to bring home the bacon." Wesley looked at me with his bottom lip sticking out and said "No bacon!" Guess he told me!

I couldn't leave without a kiss from Wesley, and apparently Stinky Bear needed a couple of kisses from Mommy too. "Bear kiss Mommy," was the last thing I heard my sweet boy say as I headed out the door. Bear had a pretty busy day keeping Wesley company. Wesley gave Bear some milk and even a bike ride where Bear rode and Wesley pushed. They were blowing bubbles (big surprise) when I pulled up to take them home. I hope that Bear knows how lucky he is to have such a good little daddy.

Happy Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day today. After church we headed up to Grandma W.'s house for lunch with the whole family.



Kierstin entertained Wesley by reading with him while Duane and Aunt Melissa got lunch ready. Wesley was pretty interested in playing with his cousins - of course he kept calling both of them "Cousin Mark," but he did manage something that sounded like "Kierstin" before we left.

Here's a picture of the real cousin Mark.







After we ate the whole family headed outside to play. Aunt Melissa and I blew bubbles with Wesley and Mark. Wesley LOVES bubbles! He tried to blow some, but ended up with most of the soap in his mouth. Too bad I didn't manage a picture of him with a bubble coming out of his mouth. It happened, but I didn't have the camera ready.





There was also a pretty competitive croquet game between Aunt Melissa, Grandma W. and Duane. Wesley helped set up and tried to help the players along by picking up the balls and giving them to people. Despite all the distractions, Grandma won (although she claims Duane took pity on her since it was Mother's Day.)









As with most holidays we left one part of the family to go celebrate with another part. We wound down the day with Grandpa and Grandma H., Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kei.
We hit the bubbles again after supper, then Duane played ball with the boys and Cathy taught Wesley how to count to three in Mandarin Chinese. End the evening by turning somersaults in the backyard, and it's darn near perfection.