3

My baby boy is 3.  It seems just like yesterday when we met him for the very first time.
I remember stroking his chubby little cheek while Jeremy held him during my C-section.
I remember changing all his cute little outfits just because I had nothing else better to do.  
I remember fumbling with diapers and nursing and a circumcision, and spit up, asking God to give me wisdom on how to take care of him.
I remember staring at him and just being amazed that you could love someone so deeply that you just met. 

He's getting bigger and growing up and I just want it to slow down. But then again, I don't.  I want to keep enjoying him enjoying life and all of God's blessings.  I want to see the boy and one day man that God has planned him to be.

His hand feels so big wrapped in mine.
He speaks in these complete sentences, that keep me in stitches. 
He gets so excited about what he's going to say that he can't find the words fast enough.
He is bruised up and down his legs from just being a boy, always jumping and climbing, and falling.
He never goes anywhere without his sunglasses and eats a bee-nana almost every day.
He started peddling a bike about a month ago, and he speeds around like he's been doing it his whole little life.
He loves Max and Ruby and The Wonder Pets.
He loves his little brother.
He loves singing  "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinky sounds!"

He is shy and and a ham-bone all rolled into one.  He's a little bit of both of us.
He has a kind heart and a stubborn streak and I know God will use both.
He is my Wook, underwear on head and all.

How to Fold Sheets...The Toddler Way

I get a lot of help around here.

Wookie is learning to fold sheets.

He picked up on it really quickly.

His steps were pretty much limited to "wad", "spread out", "roll around".

 

It gave me took him 20 minutes, and he needed a little help at the end, but whatever works for me him!

 

Wordless Wednesday...Lazyboy

Have you checked out he newest Lazyboy model?



The Wook was sad that this one didn't have a built in cup holder!

Great Granddady...Wanna Race?

The Wook and I get to visit my grandparents often. They live about an hour away and we tag along with my mom to take them to doctor's appointments when we can. I can see how much joy playing with him brings them (who could resist him?) so I try to get by there as much as possible.

Last week when we visited, I realized yet again what a sponge my little one is.

Great Granddaddy is in his 90s and just in the past few years has started using a motorized wheelchair. He likes to take the Wookster for special rides. Wook sits on his lap and my Granddaddy drives him around, letting Wook push the buttons. Wook thinks he is making the chair go.

When it was time to leave, I put The Wookie in his stroller so that I could carry some things out to the car. We watched him as he played with this little red button on the front left hand side of the stroller. He kept pushing it and leaning forward like he was trying to make his "chair" move too! It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

Great Granddaddy watch out...it looks like Wook wants to race!

You Know Your Child is Hungry.....

When he stands in front of the cat food dish and signs "Please".

Wookie Wednesday

I know it's been a couple of weeks since Wookie's birthday but here are some pics from the exciting day!


These were his homemade cakes. I got the idea from here.



This cake didn't stay cute long...

It didn't take much encouragement to get him to play in it!

How To Recycle Diapers

Ok so I don't recommend this to anyone!

Sometimes in Blogland we run across those mommies who like to portray themselves as perfect. If you are looking for one of those mommies here...move along.

I want to share with you what happened to me yesterday. Yesterday it was not funny. Today I can laugh about it. Sorry Robin for boring you with this story twice.

Wook has not been feeling well. I called our fabulous pediatrician's office and they gave me a very small time window for getting ready and making it on time.

We left without shoes. And another very important article of baby clothing.

We made it on time. We checked in. I smelled something terribly foul.

My sickly child had a sickly poop.

I took him out to the van to change the poop in order to spare the other sickly children in the waiting room from gagging.

When I got out to the van, I looked in the diaper bag and realized I had no diapers with me.

No problem because being the mostly organized Mommy that I am, we keep a basket with much needed items in the van, including 8-10 diapers.

But what happens when you forget to restock your back-up basket?

I went into immediate panic!!!!!!!

I know what some of you not so perfect mommies are thinking....

Jess..."Dump the poop patty and move on." But it was goopy poop!

I was frantic. And I knew they were going to check his temp rectally because it was so high. And I wouldn't get past the desk with the smell.

That's when I recycled my first diaper.

There was one diaper wrapped in itself in a perfect little tight diaper square, it had rolled under the seat (or I had just left it there for who knows how long).

Before I opened it I prayed. I did. I stopped to take the time to pray.

"Lord, please? I won't ask for anything for a long time. Please don't let there be poop in this used diaper. Please let it just be wet and crusty."

I opened it. I was an oldie but a goodie. A little wet, a little yellowed. It would do.

I then happily diapered my child with that recycled diaper. I was so relieved that I didn't apologize to him until later.

Yeah, we left with 2 ear infections, but I was proud of myself for being so crafty, and I did a little to help the environment too!

So to all you not perfect mommies...don't beat yourself up when you look in your vehicle and there are a few used diapers tossed around. What if you might need them one day?

Wookie Wednesday

I just wanted to post some of my new favorite pics!

I think this is my absolute favorite age! The Wookie is almost 11 months old and having a blast.

Life is good when you can eat Nilla Wafers and chase the cats all day. (ok I don't let him eat Nilla Wafers all day...that sounded bad)

Wooks is nearly running to explore everything. He is such fun, and he loves to play with us. You rarely see him without a book...he just walks around with them all day. He gives lots of kisses and occasionally graces us with a bye-bye. And his new word of the week is "Bob"?



Wook during his "quiet time" with his first bible...and sock monkey of course! I couldn't resist when I walked up on this.




This looks like a peace offering to me. Why wouldn't Bax want his Georgia Tech Lovey?
This is the cat who wants absolutely nothing to do with the Wookster. He's slowly coming around we think.


My DH has already started teaching Wooks to build "forts" in the living room.


Count them! That's eight teeth folks!


This has become an every morning ritual. Wooks and Mosey checking on the birds around 8:00 am each day. This is the other cat who follows Wook everywhere. Best Buds!

Ok...on another note. I do not like to toot my own horn but I have never sewn in my life. My Grandmama signed me up for a purse class at The Scarlett Thread (amazing shop by the way).

And now I am hooked. I mean I'm not ready for an Etsy shop or anything but I mean not bad for my first few tries?

Spoiled and Exhausted

Today is day three of the Wook's Sleep Strike.

Let me back up a little bit. My husband has what he calls "Early Weeks" at work. During these weeks he has to go into work at 7am in order to present at the morning meeting. Fortunately, his "turn" only comes around once every 6 weeks, thanks to the other folks in his department.

We have been extremely lucky since our Wookster began sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. And by through the night I mean 8pm-5am. I could handle one short breastfeeding at 5am, knowing I would be back in dreamland by 5:30am. Not long after, Wooks, being the considerate baby that he is, decided he could make it until 7:30am. What a sweetie! Yes folks, I have a breastfed baby who sleeps 11 hours through the night! And we have never had to experience the excruciating, heart wrenching, "cry-it-out" scenario.

Don't get me wrong. We have had the occasional "I feel like playing/nursing/babbling in the middle of the night" case. This generally happens during a play-date with our new teeth or a growth spurt. Ok, back to my point.

Since Monday, "early week" I need not remind you, Wook has woken up 5 hours into the night wailing to no avail. I assumed teeth. We did the usual Tylenol, Hurricane Gel (diamonds in a bottle) but nothing worked other than nursing him endlessly, until he wore himself to sleepiness. Then comes the "back in your crib tango". Fighting not to step just the wrong way, twitch, heaven forbid sneeze or bump the crib. Monday night my frustration took me so far that I whispered over my child's crib to Darling Husband "I could choke you" when he turned the monitor on while Wook was stirring, causing us to begin the whole thing again. Horrible I know, seeing that he (darling husband) was up WITH me! I love him.

Tuesday same scenario, but Darling Husband wore his clunky old man slippers across kitchen floor sending Wook back into a teething rage. I didn't mention anything about doing bodily harm this time.

Wednesday night, Wook went down easily as usual, but woke again with teething troubles. We spent an hour and a half just coaxing him back into dreamland after nurs-apaloosa. I then proceeded to have a meltdown about how I wasn't any good at being a mother and how I had now clue what I was doing. Boo-hoo-hoo. DH sleepily reassured me that Wook was lucky to have me and that I was a wonderful mother and that it was just a phase. Now who can threaten to choke a man who says things like that at 2 in the morning. We hugged and I selfishly thought about the sleep we got before Wook came along. Crazily, I would continue these sleepless nights forever to have my baby look at me the way he does.

I am exhausted. DH was dizzy yesterday. My neck hurts and I ache down my arms. I have a headache and miss my sleep. We are spoiled and have started to wonder if the Tooth Fairy has it out for us. Yawn-Yawn.