Yuv You

One of the sweetest things Wyatt says these days is Yuv You (translation: Love You). For the longest time, he would only say it in response to someone else saying it to him. Lately, though, he has started saying it unprompted, and it really melts Mommy and Daddy's hearts.

Today, Mommy and Wyatt went grocery shopping at Meijer. After gathering our items and visiting the fishies, we headed for the checkout. Wyatt loves to watch the cashier at work, and today he excitedly pointed out that the cashier was wearing a belt like Dada wears. Once we paid and loaded up the bags, Wyatt looked at the cashier one more time and exclaimed, "Buh-bye! Yuv you!" Such a friendly guy, our boy.

Wordless Wednesday (Pampered Chef Edition)

Wordless Wednesday

Photo (and slide) courtesy of Nana and Papaw.

Land of Plenty

Ahhh, Costco. Home of ginormous vats of mayonnaise, packages of frozen chicken the size of a small sedan, and a checkout process that involves positively NO bags, checks or cash. And it's something else, too--Daddy and Wyatt's favorite weekend destination!

Wyatt just loves the roomy, luxurious shopping carts. This may change once he has to share that double seat with Little Brother.

But most of all, Wyatt loves the playhouse on display at "Os-ohhh". It's small, wooden, and the perfect place to hang out and watch other customers debate over whether to buy a 48-count pack of single-ply toilet paper or a 36-count of double-ply. (Oh, and sorry for the blurry photo--he's a toddler and the phrase "stand still" is not in his vocabulary.)

It really is a well-equipped playhouse; it comes complete with a doorbell. Ding dong!

Aw, just look at him there, busying himself with pulling out the plastic bins. But wait...what is that smell? Surely it isn't what you think it is. Oh, but one whiff of the air inside that tiny, confined space and you know for sure. That sweet little fellow has made one ginormous "boop"! Time to leave the playhouse...

Daddy just loves the fact that the diaper-changing station is located close to the entrance of the men's restroom. It means that every customer coming in gets to witness him cleaning up what he lovingly refers to as The Swath of Destruction.

Boy, that sort of heavy-duty clean-up really can leave a guy with a monster-sized appetite. Good thing Costco has sample stations set up all over the store where you can get a thimble-sized portion of such delicacies as twice-baked potatoes and double chocolate cake. Wyatt is always up for tasting samples...now swallowing the samples is sometimes a different story, but he gets an "A" for effort.

And just in case those samples don't hit the spot, Daddy always makes sure to stop by the Snack Bar for a take-home hot dog. Wyatt especially likes the bun.

Fathers and sons all have their own special ways to bond. Some play baseball out in the backyard. Some build model airplanes and battleships. None of those can compare to the time-honored tradition and sacred rituals of a trip to Costco, though. Just don't forget your membership card!

A Little Comparison

Mommy at 30 weeks pregnant with Wyatt:

Mommy at 31 weeks pregnant with Little Brother:

Mommy on delivery day (41 weeks) with Wyatt:

Yep, Mommy is thinking that Little Brother might not be so little when he finally arrives. (And, yes, wiseguys, there really is only ONE baby in there!)

Happy Birthday, Mamaw!

Today is Mamaw's birthday! We hope you have a happy day and we love you very much!

Happy Easter!

18 Months

Our handsome little man turned 18 months old today. He is such a joy to be around; Mommy and Daddy never tire of watching him learn and talk. It's amazing to think that just one year ago he was having his first taste of "real" food and starting to roll around. Now he can do so many things:

• Walk and run. In fact, he runs a little too much. Yesterday he did a face plant on the kitchen floor and had to go to the doctor. Thankfully, no serious damage was done! He was back to normal in no time, asking for a bagel and talking up a storm.
• Speaking of talking, he learns new words all the time! Mommy and Daddy have to be careful of what they say around him. :) Some of Wyatt's words include: bath, book, bug, vac (vacuum), nap, night-night, jams (pajamas), drink, empty, Nell, bye-bye, dub-dub (rub-a-dub-dub for lotion), phone, home, ball, etc. He also knows a couple of phrases: love you and buy a vowel.
• Yes, Wheel of Fortune is one of his favorite shows. He actually thinks Vanna is his Nana.
• He can identify several parts of his body and name them. He likes to touch Mommy and Daddy's eyes and honk our noses.
• He follows directions pretty well, or at least he knows what he is being told to do. Most of the time, he does it!
• He loves to help. He picks up his toys, unloads the dishwasher, puts clothes in the washer, and sweeps the floor. We should start giving him an allowance!
• He loves his "mink minks". These are two soft blankets that he takes to bed with him.
• He can feed himself most of the time with a spoon. He is just now learning how to "stab" his food with a fork.
• He gives big hugs. Just recently, he started holding the back of Mommy and Daddy's heads when hugging them. It is the sweetest thing.
• He still refers to himself as "Baby" (which could get confusing come June).
• He loves books. His current favorites are anything with meows (cats), Bot (Spot the dog), or Elmo. Lift-the-flaps are still a huge hit with him.
• He attends storytime at the library every Monday, playgroup every Thursday and recently completed a session of Music Pups classes.
  

Wyatt is a busy little boy, quite literally. It is rare to see him just slow down and linger, although he is starting to play independently with certain toys. Mommy and Daddy wish they could just bottle up that energy! In fact, we wish we could just keep our little man this little for as long as possible. Before we know it, he'll be a teenager and we'll be sitting around saying, "Remember when..." So for now, we're just soaking up all the cuteness and enjoying every little bear hug while they last.

Happy Half-Birthday, Wyatt. Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can say!


(If you like the picture above, here are a couple others for your viewing pleasure. They were taken by Portrait Innovations.)