Put Everything on Hold

This morning I was getting ready for work and I was more tired than usual, which is really bad because I am not a morning person to begin with, when Wyatt decided he would come in and beg for my attention. I do not give myself much, if any, wiggle room in the morning. I usually just try ways to get him to quickly change his mind about playing with me and refocus him towards Patrick. But this morning he comes in and starts to pull out his bathtub toys and is telling me in his usual babble about them. Then out of no where he stops short and looks up at me and says, "No Duck" with his arms out, hands facing upward. I was shocked. Not just two words together, but an actual thought! Everything stopped. I stopped caring about being at work on time and started in on the conversation myself.

I was not able to get him to repeat his sentence though for Patrick. I tried, trust me I tried. But I am willing to bet that by that time Wyatt knew I understood what he was looking for and was not going to say it again. But that didn't matter. I was there and I heard it - that is all that mattered. And to think just a few short weeks ago I was slightly concerned his speech skills were not quite up to par. I no longer am worried to say the least.

After he found his duck

Nana Louise

My mother's mom was the complete opposite of my father's mom. She was silently strong. I am eternally grateful that she was able to see Wyatt before she died. Growing up I knew how much she loved to spend time with my brother and me (her only two grandchildren). As soon as I got engaged, back in 2005, she started to pray to see a great-grandchild. Of course her desire was for a great-granddaughter... but she loved Wyatt as much as she would have loved a little girl.

Nana and me: Christmas 1987

Nana loved to give gifts to me and my brother, although she could hardly wait for us to know what they were. We often got to open Christmas gifts early because she was so excited. Christmases were crazy awesome because of the amount of presents Grandad and Nana put under the tree. And they were always perfect gifts. For most of my childhood, they lived in Toledo but would come down for Christmas. It was like Santa came early to our house because suddenly the living room would be full of presents all wrapped and spilling out from the tree. Of course she was the main reason I am an avid book collector and reader- she would make sure there was a whole box of books in that pile every year.



Nana and Grandad

 As I got older I would confide my greatest secrets with her. No one could keep a secret better, or listen without making you feel stupid. She was my hollywood gossip buddy. In fact I often had to keep up with her, especially when it came to murder mystery type news. We would go on forever about latest discoveries in cases and what those discoveries might mean.

I am still grateful that she was willing to let Patrick and me move into her house while she was living with my parents. It was hard, I know, for her to see us change the house she had lived in, but she was a good sport about. And now it is Wyatt's first home! I will forever miss her, and I am sure I will still be looking to her to share some secrets now and then.  We will remember you forever Nana - we love you!

Planting Hostas with Nana

Soaking wet from muddy water

Even after living in our house for 4 years we are still working on getting the yard looking nice. The thing is that it isn't that big of a yard at all, but there are so many little areas that weeds had just taken over that it has been a slow process. This summer, with the help of Patrick's Mom, we finally got the small stretch the runs along the side of the house weeded and mulched - for the first time since we moved in! I know it was a great accomplishment. Since that was taken care of my mom decided to transplant some of her hostas there.
  So this week we got to plant some little hostas along our house. Wyatt was very into this project. At first because he got to be outside, his favorite place to be. Then because he was able to get muddy and play in puddles! And what little boy wouldn't just love that?


Covering the roots with dirt



He discovered the mud when we finally empty the bucket the hostas were in for transport - there was quite a bit of water and mud at the bottom of it. After examining the bucket for a few minutes he picked it up and turned it upside down, right over his head! Instantly he was covered in mud and soaking wet. He was loving it. He then proceeded to play in the new puddle he had created. By the end of the whole adventure we had to strip him down and rinse him off in the kitchen sink - oh and throw all of his clothes, including his shoes, directly into the wash. But we have a nice little pathway with a hosta border now and Wyatt stayed within our line of vision for the whole project, so what more can a mommy ask for?



Watering the hostas



Pillow Play

Peeking out of his pillow hiding spot

What kid doesn't just love to play peek-a-boo? What kid isn't a fan of playing on mommy and daddy's bed? Combine the two and you get a very happy Wyatt. We were in the process of putting clean sheets on our bed over the weekend when Wyatt decided he wanted to help. He helped by piling up all the pillows and the hiding under them. He would giggle uncontrollably under there, it was great. Then he would poke his head out from under the pillow to see if we were watching. Of course when he caught our eye he would rush back under the pile and giggle. I have no idea exactly how long this game went on, but it was long enough for me to find the camera and still get good pictures.

Playing Kaboom...

After some time of this burrowing game of peek-a-boo Patrick switched the game to a large scale "kaboom" game, I think because Patrick got bored of the simple peek-a-boo game. For those of you who do not know about our "kaboom" game, it is a simple game all kids play with their parents I'm sure, one of us picks Wyatt up and holds him so he is facing the ceiling and then we drop him on a bunch of cushions, usually on the couch. Of course he loves it and wants to play it for hours, but our arms and backs get tired way before that. Anyway, Patrick and Wyatt ended up playing this large-scale kaboom on the bed and pile of pillows. Wyatt just loved it. It was like the best game ever.

By the end of this play session I don't know who was more worn out - Wyatt or Patrick. Either way the house was nice and quiet for a couple of hours that afternoon while Wyatt napped and Patrick vegged in front of the TV!

Jammin'

For the past month or so Wyatt has truly enjoyed getting into the driver's seat of the car and pretending to drive it. There are tons of buttons to push and things to move, why wouldn't a toddler love it? In the past couple of weeks he has actually started to beg to be allowed to get in the front, by beg I mean he goes "vroom, vroom" over and over until we let him into the front! It is priceless.


We have always made sure the car is in park and the keys are no where he could get them in an effort to keep this play time safe. He usually only gets to go vroom vroom while we are unloading the groceries so we are carefully watching him. However, this past Monday was a little different. As I pulled into the garage a great, danceable song came on the radio. So I left the keys in so the radio would continue to play for the duration of the song. (Granted I did cut the engine.) Wyatt of course scrambled up into the drivers seat as I was unloading bags and not more than a minute later he reached for the volume knob. He cranked up the volume loud enough for the people across the street to hear. And then he started to dance in his seat. It was priceless. I wish I could have captured the moment on film, or at least with a picture. But my hands were full and I was not going to leave him alone in the car!

I only let him jam for the rest of the song and then I turned off the car. He seemed a little bummed with the lack of music and quickly decided the car was no longer fun, at least for the time being. This whole thing has shone me that my little guy might actually be as into music as his mommy is! Now that is exciting.

Funny Article

I spend most of my time as Wyatt's mommy, but every once in awhile, I get to be just plain me, and really enjoy a moment. A friend sent me this great article (click here) about the death of the English language.  I'll admit that even though I have an English degree, I often fall into the trap of quick and easy English that has become accepted in this technological age. Not to mention that spelling has never been my strongest subject.  With all that said, this article is great, at least to those people that have taken grammar classes. I hope that even with all the blogs and texting going on that the future generation realizes that there is nothing like a solid foundation in basic grammar and spelling. The business world does still give credit to those who are able to form intelligent sentences without error. Then again, with a new generation not caring to learn it, maybe that will change? I guess only time will tell...

Successful dinner




Started with Mommy's help for the first couple of bites



After taking care of kids for my entire adult life (nanny right here!) I have come to accept the fact that most meals just are not going to impress kids. Either they won't even want to eat it, or they will make such a mess of it they barely get in any in their stomachs. But you just keep trying at every meal and hope that they figure it out. At least that is my philosophy. 




Going for bite number 5

 At dinner last night we had a break through - Wyatt not only ate his whole dinner, but he used his own spoon to properly get it to his mouth. And he did all that with only letting two spoonfuls slide down his belly and on to the chair. In my book that is a complete success. Of course the down side might be that it wasn't actually a meal that I prepared. It was one of those not so healthy, health meals that gerber makes. But supposedly they aren't horrible and he hardly ever gets them. In face he got it this time because mommy and daddy made a nice seafood dinner for themselves that we never Wyatt would not enjoy. So in the end everyone had a great dinner. Now we can look forward to Wyatt using his own skills at the dinner table, which thrills mommy!

Showing off the honey mustard sauce he was "adding" to his food

Anniversary week

Patrick and I have officially been married for three years now (well as of Wednesday that is). I think we have accomplished a lot between September 2007 and now. There is the obvious fact that we have Wyatt, and we couldn't be any happier with him. We also both have good jobs. I have since gotten my degree, and Patrick has received his MBA. It has been a crazy busy three years that is for sure. Most importantly, Patrick and I are still extremely happy and in love. We have been learning how to be even better friends to each other and stronger support systems for each other.

We sort of didn't celebrate in any real way on Wednesday, but we have been celebrating for a few weeks. We had an amazing dinner in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago. We got all dressed up just because we could, always a fun thing for girls, at least Patrick humors me and pretends to be alright with dressing up. And we wrapped it up last night by exchanging gifts. Patrick has been sticking to the recommended anniversary gift list- this year was leather -  so I got a nice black leather purse. I have to admit that is a good thing. I have had a habit of going to Don Drumms to find him something, and this year I think I did great - he got a modern style cross. So I think we are both very happy with our gifts and accomplishments. Now tonight we can enjoy the wine from Patrick's parents and a good seafood dinner, of course with the accompaniment of Wyatt.

I am excited to see what our future holds!

Reading Books

First story time with Daddy in March 2009

Between Patrick and myself, we love to read. Of course our reading choices are extremely different, but that is the best thing about books. That there are so many choices and everyone can find something to read at anytime they want. Because of our passion for books, I am not surprised that Wyatt is enamored by them.We have been reading to him since we brought him home from the hospital all those months ago. In fact the first thing Patrick read to him was some boring financial advice! I know sad, but still.



Reading stories to his little sock monkey



Now that he is getting bigger and wants to do things on his own, books have become on of his favorite things. He will climb in the big rocker in his bedroom and grab the books sitting there from the previous day's book reading time. And just sit there with his book, looking at the pictures and rocking. It is amazing.


I keep praying that this love for books will continue through his life. I truly believe there is no better way to get your mind off of whatever stresses the world throws at you. Hopefully with my Nana (my inspiration for reading) watching over him, he will continue to love books and reading.

Mommy Cards

Another one of those "Why didn't I think of that" moments came to me today. I can not tell you how often I wish I had some way to give my number to a new friend at church or event. I mean sure I could stop and write it down, after I found a pen and paper that is. But that never happens and I end up forgetting all about it, and then weeks later realize I don't have any real way to contact this new found friend, and I don't remember her full name so I can't really find her on facebook or anything! As a result she doesn't get on my list of people and soon I forget completely!

So anyway, today I was just searching stuff online and came across this super obvious but great idea - Thanks Kodak (sorry but I have to give credit to them)- Mommy Cards. They are just business cards in essence, but they can have a picture of your or your kids or your whole family, with all your information on the back. How smart! Of course I would still have to remember to keep them in my purse and/or diaper bag and then give them to my new friends... but still a step in the right direction.

If you are curious, here is the link I found, enjoy! http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/mommy-cards/c-C870009-navAction-pop

Energy

I have never claimed to be full of energy like Patrick, but then again I'm not a complete lazy person. That being said, I need a way to find more energy in a day! It seems that the past two days I have started out full of energy ready to take on the day but by 3 or 4 in the afternoon I'm exhausted! Wyatt on the other hand is still going at full steam. Yesterday was particularly frustrating. I wanted to have energy left over to finish up some housework, but that so did not happen. I wore myself out going up and down stairs with Wyatt (10 times at one point) just because he is loving the practice of going up and down stairs. Later I went outside with him and Bisou and the sun must have drained me of whatever energy I had held in reserves.

Of course the big draw of going outside yesterday for Wyatt was getting cold water for Bisou to drink. Since it was beautiful yesterday, Bisou spent much of her time on her tether out back. I felt bad that it was so warm so I figured we could put ice cubes in her water bowl, and that would keep Wyatt in one spot for a little while. Little did I know that moving ice cubes from one container to another would be a super fun game! We had to get more ice cubes at least 4 times because they kept melting.

I'm not complaining though, Wyatt is just too much fun. He can't help it that he is super inquisitive and always on high speed. I just need to find a way to keep my energy level from dropping out.

Cuts and scrapes

Although the weather has started to feel like fall, Wyatt still thinks it's summer. And he wants to play outside all day everyday, until we carry him back inside screaming and crying!  I am actually pretty happy with it because he wears himself out pretty good. The major problem is that he is a little too sure in his ability to play everywhere and at his speed, which is fast! So this weekend that came back to bite him, and me.

Friday we get home and he is happy and playful so I decide to stay outside for a little while. We go up front to get the mail, and I help him up the one step like always, and then he just decides to walk off it like there is no step at all. This is a daily thing for us, going to the front and getting the mail and going up and down the stair! And this time he just tries to walk off it! And of course he falls, on this face, on the cement! After calming him down and getting his face cleaned off, he clearing has road-rash on his nose and upper lip!  I don't know how he got the scrape there and not on his hands or anything else. But that was just the start!

Sunday we were all at my Aunt's for a family birthday party and he just as we were getting ready to go home he falls again. He tripped over the dog's tether and falls on the walkway. This time he catches himself, but somehow bites his lip and splits his lip. So now he has a huge scrape on his face and a huge, fat lip, that is bloody.

It was horrible. I felt horrible. I know that kids fall and hurt themselves, even when you are right there, but still. I can't stand watching him cry when I really can't do much to make it better. And then today, taking him to the gym and the store, every time someone looked at him I just wanted to tell him that they were all accidents and that I really do love my son! I'm just glad these boo-boos are over with, so maybe it won't be so bad next time.

Nana Days

As a working mom there are many days when I wish that I could be with Wyatt all day instead of at work, granted there are days when I'm glad to have an excuse to be out of the house. This past Friday I lucked out. I picked up an extra shift and luckily for me, my mom was able to watch Wyatt so that he didn't have to go to the sitters for the fourth day in a row. I have to say I love my sitter, but it extra special to know my mom is watching my little guy.

At the end of the day, Wyatt didn't even seem to realize I was there to pick him up. He just wanted to keep on playing. There are always more things to get into at Nana's! He was most enjoying these little foam stickers my mom had. He was sticking them on his face! And loving every second of it. Even while he was having an afternoon snack he had to get a star on his nose and check that it was still there off and on. I am so glad that I got to be there for this little bit of bliss.

Thanks to my readers....

I wanted to take a minute to say thank you to my readers - my friends and family for the most part. I would love to hear any of your thoughts on my posts, so please feel free to post a response. I realize that these are just overviews of my personal life and therefore can be boring to many of you. So any feedback would be great. Also if you could please click to become one of my followers. I have talked to a few friends about doing giveaways on here and I need to have so many followers in order to do that. I think it would be fun - so if I can get enough followers I will start that too! 

Zoo trip again

"Don't let it get me mommy"

It is no surprise that Wyatt loves going to the zoo. He just loved animals, so of course he would love the zoo. The thing is trying to find the time to go. Today was great because the weather was amazing - in the 70s with some sun peaking through the clouds off and on. And I had the day off work. I usually don't take time off since I only work three days a week, but today was a lovely exception!

We started the adventure today with a trip to the library. Wyatt always enjoys the library and we haven't even done a story time yet. The downtown Akron Library is a perfect place to go and get kids interested in books. Not only is the kids section separated (so as not to disturb the adults at the library) but there are puzzles and puppets and toys.

Then it was off to the zoo. Now the main point was to get tickets for Boo at the Zoo - I tried last year and they had sold out of the tickets, so I was going to make sure I got them this time! So yes it is more than a month until Halloween, but we have tickets! Of course after getting the stroller out so we could get to the zoo I figured we would walk around. I didn't figure we would be there for two and half hours! But Wyatt loved it.  He was enthralled by the snow leopard, who was pacing right up against the wall. And then he wanted to "dance" with the bear, at least that is what the trainer told us the bear was doing. It was all topped off with a stare down with a tiger. Wyatt made sure to show the tiger he knew how to roar! It was adorable.

We gave the brand new carousel a try as well. It was Wyatt's first time on a carousel, so that was a little rough. He wasn't too sure about the up and down part. He did love the baby tiger he sat on, and really loved the mirrors in the center. Overall it wasn't that bad for a first try on a carousel. It was all too bad that daddy couldn't be with us for this fun day. I guess we will just have to hold out for next time!

Labor Day

New fall shoes!

I was completely surprised that this Labor Day weekend ended up being so much cooler than the previous weekends. However it was perfect. The sun was out most of the time and that allowed us to completely enjoy the time as a family. And we made sure to pack it full of fun!

Wyatt, Uncle Jordan and Sam

My brother Jordan and his girlfriend Sam came up for a day this weekend and we all met up at my parent's house for lunch. The funniest part was watching Uncle Jordan try to hold Wyatt. Granted he as successfully been able to do so in the past when Wyatt was younger, but for some reason each time he gets more and more nervous about. My mom went to hand Wyatt to Jordan and I'm not sure how to explain how Jordan held him, but he at least forgot to put his arm down under Wyatt's rear and as a result Wyatt panicked and started reaching towards my mom again almost in a panic. It was actually pretty funny. By the end of the day Jordan was able to figure it out long enough to get some pictures.

Yawning after a playful morning

Wyatt and Patrick also went on an early morning job through the Munroe Falls stretch of the bike and hike trail. After a fairly long jog they came across the amphitheater and park which was the perfect stopping area to let Wyatt out of the stroller to run around. It was the perfect morning activity to wear out a toddler and it let mommy have some time to herself to clear her mind. 

We finished off the weekend with a great dinner. Patrick made us ribs, and sweet potatoes on his new grill. And we rounded it out with fresh green beans and corn bread. I am happy to say that Wyatt even enjoyed the green beans and corn bread. I guess the ribs are still a little too grown up for him. But that is alright. And of course he always loves sweet potatoes. Oh and he got dippin dots ice cream for dessert - or whatever the brand that is available in grocery store is. He loved eating little tiny balls, since that is currently his favorite word.

Biting

Well I guess at some level I knew that it was inevitable - Wyatt actually bite another little kid yesterday. A part of me felt horrible, I couldn't believe that my little guy would actually do that. I mean after 18 months of not biting, why start now. I couldn't really do anything about it though because I wasn't there when it happened. It happened at the sitter's - a friend of mine watch Wyatt and few other little kids during the week  while us mothers work. It didn't sound like he did it to be mean. In fact, and not to lay blame, I am willing to bet he is just copying the behavior of my friend's daughter. Unfortunately, my friend's little girl has bitten Wyatt at least 3 times since she started teething. Luckily never so bad as to break skin, but still. Wyatt still plays well with her, so he must not be offended. The issue now is how to stop this behavior before it gets out of hand. I have always tried my best to tell him no biting whenever he opens his mouth as though he might bite me while we are playing and I know that Patrick does the same thing. And so far that has been enough. I am worried that I might have to actually experience this behavior to find a way to combat it.

Although, I guess any suggestions that anyone might have would be greatly appreciated.

Listening for words

After going to the doctor's early this week I have decided I might be the one missing Wyatt's vocabulary, so I have decided I need to try harder at listening to him. Which sounds easy, but it is quite difficult. I mean I spend a ton of time alone with him, without any other distractions (including the tv or radio) and yet I don't really hear him. Of course I catch pieces of what he says, but most of it sounds like babbling so I guess I have gotten used to tuning it out. Since the doctor mentioned working hard on getting Wyatt to use more words, I decided I would try harder. Then like magic, he said "out daddy" to Patrick during bathtime that exact night!  Two whole words from my little man!  And I missed it!

Now that I know he knows how to talk more, I need to make sure I am paying attention. I have been asking simple choices and then shutting up and giving him a chance to respond. Someone mentioned to me that we need to think about how long it takes us, as adults, to answer a question in a foreign language (one we are learning, or know sort of). We need time to come up with an answer and then time to figure out the actual words to describe what we think. I remember in my french classes thinking if the teacher would just give us a chance to think I would have more answers, so that reasoning makes sense to me. Now I just have to actually remember to slow down!

Wyatt's words so far include:  Ball, Bubbles, Book, Dog, Juice, Duck, Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Moo, Quack, Out, Down....