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.

Blanket Time

Wesley isn't interested in having blankets on him at night, but he loves to play in them!