Monkey Man

Monkey Man got to wear his costume to school today, which was a real treat! When he got to school, they had decorated everywhere (even the banisters outside had webs & spiders, which got him very excited!) - they had a Halloween parade, followed by a trip to the "pumpkin patch" that had been created in the playground area. Happy Halloween!

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Okay, so it's a crisp Fall day, not quite "frightful" but I'll tell you what is - Waking up in the morning at 7:00 AM with a 15 month old & thinking about being contained to our house all day because it is so cold out!

My challenge to myself this Fall & Winter is going to be to find more fun things to do with Wyatt, that don't cost a lot of money & involve being somewhat indoors. Over the course of the Spring, Summer & even so far the Fall, we have really been doing a lot outdoors. I love this time of year, but in a way I hate it because it starts to get dark a lot earlier, knocking out our after dinner trips to the park, and then colder, making it hard to eat a picnic lunch in Duke Gardens on any given day.

Yes, we will still go to the playground & for walks & will just bundle up (we just bought a new winter coat & hat!), but if anyone has great cold weather ideas, I would love to hear them!

Take Time for a Great Time

After a two year hiatus, our little family decided to make a trip to the North Carolina State Fair this evening. We beat most of the traffic by arriving at a little before 5:00 PM, armed with our B.O.B. jogger & plenty of snacks for the little guy. We had a great time just watching Wyatt take it all in, and were able to leave at a decent hour before all the crazies arrived :) Here are some of my favorite snapshots of the evening:

I knew Wyatt would help me eat one of my favorite fair foods!

When we got into the building with the cows, Wyatt literally took off running towards them yelling "Hi! Hi! MOOO! MOOO!"

Wyatt meets Roo from PBS Kids - he said "eyeball" to him & was wanting to poke his eye - don't think Roo was interested in letting him follow through...

Wyatt (and Mom) mesmerized by all the lights & rides once it started to get dark

The Perpetual Bruise

I am convinced that Wyatt will have a bruise on his forehead from now until the day he turns 3. For some reason, although he seems to have mastered walking, he has gotten increasingly unsteady on his feet. He has been working on turning & because of this is like a little drunk man - constantly falling, knocking into things & bumping his head on everything. During most falls, he can get his hands out in time to catch himself. If not, he will land face first - because of this, he has a bruise on the middle of his forehead that has been there for almost two weeks.

This morning we went to REI to (ugh) try on "winter" coats. Not a fun task for any child, but especially not for a 15 month old, who would rather have me chase him through the racks & racks of coats! Finally we get into a dressing room (the only way I can get him to sit still). After wrestling him into a coat, while I am trying to zip it up, he falls forward - you guessed it - right onto his forehead. Now, not only is there a bruise, but there is rugburn too... Needless to say, we bought the first coat that fit, gave a kiss on the forehead & left the store before people thought I was torturing my child.

Keeping Us Sane

Thanks to Abby for all the great ideas for posts & links! Here are our Top 5 things we couldn't have/can't live(d) without:

1) Miracle Blanket - Hands down the best baby item we ever received. Certainly may not be for everyone, but Wyatt started sleeping through the night (6 hours) at 4 weeks old, and we kept him swaddled in this thing until he was 14 weeks. At that point, he would break out of it, but I would have done it longer if I could have! He has always been an amazing sleeper & we credit the Miracle Blanket!

2) Bouncy Seat - This was how we were able to eat all of our meals, watch TV or simply have a free hand during Wyatt's first few months. Another item that we practically wore out - we used this all the time & Wyatt loved it!!

3) B.O.B. Jogging Stroller - One of our first outings with Wyatt was to Greensboro so we could pick up this stroller. Seth did all the research & selected this one, especially for trail running which we both love to do! At the first possible chance, we stuck his car seat into the infant adapter & took him on the Duke Trail - we have been doing it ever since & he loves the stroller still to this day!

4) Little Giraffe Blankie - This was given to us as a gift, but we had already purchased a similar one. My sister used these blankies for her girls & they LOVE them. I bought one for Wyatt before he was born, but he really became fond of the faux fur one when I gave it to him at 6 months. These are small blankies, so they won't get tangled with baby in the crib, and they are easy to travel with or have in the car seat in a long road trip. As a person who (shamefully) still sleeps with her blankie, I was excited for Wyatt to have one.

5) Summer Video Monitor - I cannot say enough good things about this monitor - we LOVE it, and I can't imagine life without it (except when we are on vacation & we use the regular kind). From day one, Wyatt slept in his crib in his room, and I think it is all thanks to this monitor, which also has night vision. When we were letting him "cry it out" or even when he fussed during the night, it was great to be able to just look at the monitor & see that he was fine. I have also been able to see if he has thrown his blankie out of the crib, if he is in fact sleeping when it's quiet in there or if he's tearing off all his clothes!

In addition to these items, here are a few of the books that we could not have lived without:
The Happiest Baby on the Block - Dr. Harvey Karp, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems - Dr. Richard Ferber & Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - Dr. Marc Weissbluth

The Name Game

In response to my friend Abby's post, I had to put out my own post about Wyatt's name & how it came about. Abby had a great story, and mine isn't as exciting, but here goes...

Seth & I had always said that we liked the name Wyatt. I am one of those people that had lists & lists (some of you know I am famous for my "list making") of names, some of which were pretty out there - Axl, Grover, Felix...still all great in their own way, but if you know my husband you know they would never fly. At any rate, from the moment we found out I was pregnant, I just had this really strong feeling it was going to be a boy, and we sort of settled on Wyatt early in the game. Of course we were thrilled when we found out my instincts were correct & Wyatt stuck. We did have a few moments of hesitation though. We wanted to use Jesse as the middle name, after Seth's late maternal grandfather. "Wyatt Jesse Jernigan - is our child destinted to be an outlaw?" I uttered one evening. We kept his name a secret until he was born, and everyone seemed pleased with it when they were introduced for the first time. I can't imagine him going by any other name...

My New Landscaper

He does a great job, and charges a very reasonable rate - I highly recommend him!

Joe Cool

Current Stats

Wyatt had his 15 month doctor's visit today & everything was great! The first thing the doctor noticed was how much talking he does. She said at this point they like to see kid's his age saying at least 5 words, so he is ahead of the curve with his potentially 50 word vocabulary. He is still working on his walking, and can be wobbly at times, but has finally gotten the hang of getting up to standing on his own. I am convinced that he was slower to walk because he is so busy talking!!

15 months
24 lbs, 11 oz
31 1/2 inches long (or do I say tall, now that he is upright all the time)
taking after Papa in the head dept - 90% percentile but don't remember the size :)

One of Those Weeks

It has been "one of those weeks." It started with me uttering these words to my husband: "I need some new clothes for Fall. I am sick of my clothes & would love some nicer things to wear around - I feel like ever since I started staying at home my wardrobe has got to pot." This is how my week then progressed:

Monday - Lunch with Mom & Wyatt at Panera Bread - spill tomato soup down the front of shirt
Tuesday - Wyatt spills grande Starbucks down my white t-shirt before storytime
Wednesday - attempted to make Butternut Squash soup, only to have the blender explode soup all over me & the kitchen
Thursday - try to show Wyatt how to "jump" off the swings at the park & get stuck briefly (yes - complete blow to self-esteem, but thankfully the park was empty at the time) & get rust stains all over khaki shirt
Friday - attempt to shop for the new clothes I "needed" & resign that I will end up staining or ruining them somehow, so buy clothes for Wyatt instead...

One day, I will get back to a somewhat decent sense of style. Until then, I will live vicariously through Wyatt when it comes to "fashion."

All By Myself

Growing up, some of my favorite books were the Mercer Mayer books. In the spirit of my favorite childhood read, I had to let Wyatt try eating his food on his own. We have started dicing things less & less (even though we are still waiting for molars), and just the other morning I decided it was time to make good use of the spoon & fork.

Welcome to My Life

Just a typical day lately...

Make Room for the Little People

It has been WAY too long since I have posted on here. I have meant to just about every day, but have been sidetracked as the Bargain Sale is fast approaching & I am up to my ears in financials (as the Business Manager - what have I gotten myself into!!??)

Lots has been happening lately, but I had to share a few photos from tonight. Seth, Wyatt & I went to the Fall Festival at our church, which was a lot of fun. There were tons of family, even more kids & homemade chili, which was delicious!

Towards the end of the evening, they announced that there would be a balloon guy & a magic show for the kids. Seth & I thought we would check it out, and just see what Wyatt thought. We enter a Sunday School room to find the "clown" (no make-up) making balloon animals for all the kids. Without warning, Wyatt pulled away from our hands & charged right up to the front of the crowd. It was hilarious to watch - he was totally intrigued by the balloon shapes this guy was making. After waiting patiently for 5-10 minutes (without even TOUCHING all the tempting things hanging out of this balloon guy's bag!!) he leaned over to Wyatt & gave him a mouse!

Mom's Morning Out

Wyatt attended his first day of Parent's Morning Out today at McMannen United Methodist Church. It couldn't be more convenient, just about a half mile or so down the street. I managed to keep myself busy for the 3 hours he was there from 9:00 - 12:00 (and will be once a week), but I will admit that it was a little tough saying goodbye to him - harder for me than him. As soon as we got there, he said "DOWN" and ran over to the first colorful plastic toy he could get his grips on! I promised myself that I would get a picture of him on his "first day of school" - not the best shot, but had to snap one before we left the house!

Stepping Out

I wish I had a video camera with me yesterday. Wyatt is slowly starting to become one of those children that people refer to as "wide open." Our day started with storytime at the local library with Wyatt's aunt Carrie & cousin Lily. He gets so excited when we walk in the door & see Lily, and the excitement level only increases from there. Last week, much to my shock, he took off walking across the floor of the library & ever since has been getting better & better about walking. It was while we were singing "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" (a personal fav of his) and the teacher was a holding a puppet - he was just so focused on getting to that puppet to rip it off her hand, that he forgot about crawling I guess... So here we are at the library this week, and it is pretty much a free for all in there anyway. Wyatt is crawling around the room, only to stop every few feet, raise high up on his knees & screech with delight - people were really chuckling, as was I. Then, he would crawl himself over to another unsuspecting tiny tot and begin to try to pull himself up on that child, using them as a way to try & stand. Of course, this resulted in just a pile of toddlers and a little frustration on his part.

Through all this I wondered, will I ever get to hold my sweet little boy again? The closer we get to totally walking, the more he wants to gets down & do things on his own. Although he is inching his way towards 'back breaking' weights for mommy, I do still like to cuddle with him every now & then...

What Little Boys Are Made Of...

Had to post just a sneak peek from the photo shoot my friend Jennifer Haygood did for us the other day in Duke Gardens. I knew she would be the perfect photographer for the job, as I have always been impressed by her work. This was a favorite so far...

Dog Days of Summer

Lately Wyatt has just fallen in love with our almost 9 year old beagle Milo. Many of you know Milo, and know that he can often be anything but a sweet puppy. I will admit - he is spoiled rotten, and he was my "baby" before Wyatt. He only listens to me, and can often become a bit aggressive for a 16 pound dog. Case in point, this is what he looked like after fighting our Lab for a toy in the front yard - he was relentless (and this is NOT the first time this has happened) However, last night I could not resist this shot of Milo & Wyatt. They are buddies because Milo loves to eat, and Wyatt will always throw him scraps. After finishing his PB&J last night, Wyatt was just sharing as usual :)

Altitude 8,500 feet

Day 2 of our recent trip & we are headed to the peak on the left. We actually passed between these two peaks (if you click on the picture to blow up, you can actually see the trail), but someone suggested we make the extra climb to the top, and boy was it worth it! Best view of the entire 35 mile hike.

I May Not Walk

But MAN OH MAN do I talk! This little man is definitly a Wehmann!! I recently posted some of Wyatt's words, and they have increased even since then - he has gotten quite good at repeating things I name for him, even if they are the very, very toddler version (We call the "fan" the "fee") He has now even started to create a few phrases. Some of them are easy to understand, and some Seth & I just look at each other with puzzled looks.

The other morning, Wyatt & I were having breakfast. This little monkey eats a banana every morning, so I had my knife out cutting his banana. After I set it down, he was furiously pointing at it repeating "No, dat pop! No, dat pop!" After about a minute of this serious warning he was trying to convey, I realized that in Wyatt language he was saying "No, that's sharp!" When I repeated this back to him, he seemed so pleased to be able to communicate this important message to me ;)

Over Committed

So, I started this blog when I was pregnant & maybe trying to kill time at my job (which I believe they call "short timers syndrome" :)) I was so enthused about keeping it up to date, and my family loved getting to see all the pregnant photos & hear about "baby" Jernigan.

Fast forward to a year & a half later & I am not much better at keeping this thang updated. My other mommy friend Abby has such an awesome blog, and I wish that I could keep up with mine the same way. I suppose since almost all of my friends & family are close by, it's not a necessary that I keep mine so up-to-date. But it seems like "update blog" looms on my to-do list each day. It's probably the one thing on my daily to-do list that I WANT to do, rather than unload the dishwasher (which seems to happen 30 times a day with a house full of plastic sippy cups & containers), vacuum or do laundry.

I sat down tonight & decided to write this post though to think about WHY I can't get this done more often. After first looking through my email, it suddenly dawned on me - I am over committed, with a capital "O." I guess I have a problem saying no, but here are the things I am currently involved in:

1) Advertising Sales part-time at Chapel Hill Magazine & Durham Magazine
2) Business Manager of the Junior League of Durham & Orange Counties annual fundraiser, the Bargain Sale
3) Acquisitions Committee member for the Caring House Gala
4) Partner in Lily & Wyatt, my company with my sister

On top of all of this, I have to find time to stay home with my almost 14 month old (while he learns to walk) & keep him busy - all while I cook & keep the house clean. Now listen - I am NOT complaining, just merely reminding myself why I feel a bit frazzled at the end of a day and that I need to learn to say "no" more often. I wouldn't trade my life for anything, but it does make me laugh how I used to think about being a SAHM & all of the projects & things I would get done...I do have my moments, like when I made this for Wyatt in two days:
But what you don't know is that I STILL don't have the button holes done, and I started two more that are sitting on my sewing machine :)

With all this said - SOMETIME I will post about the amazing vacation my husband & I just took, and all of the latest news with Wyatt.

One Year Ago Today

Monkey Man napped at Elmo's while Heba & I had a Girl's Night Out

I'd Like to Be Heard

Lately Wyatt really has his own opinion of things, and he tries very hard to express to me his needs & wants. We have had a constant battle of the "no-no's" lately and just like I have read in tons of books, it is one of his favorite words.

Speaking of favorite words & "no-no's", one of Wyatt's new personal favorites is the word "poop." It is actually great though, because he will say it right after he has done one, so no need to do the dreaded smell test. However, he now has quite an interest in his poop diapers. He wants to see them after I remove them (yuck), and then when I wrap them up in a bag, he thinks it is some sort of play toy. He got very mad this morning when I refused to let him play with one - here he is say "no, no, no" and crying. I mean, child - we have hundreds of toys & you want to play with a bag of poop!!?? I had to laugh to myself.
We have also been reading a lot lately. We started this when Wyatt was really young - probably about 3 months old, we would lay him on a blanket in his room at night & read a book or two to him before bed. As he aged, there were always new challenges that presented themselves - He would roll away as he tested out his new found freedom from rolling; He would sit up & want to hold the book; He would crawl out of the room; He would stand & simply pull every book off the shelf as you laid there reading... So, we now sit in his glider to read & he is a little more still. Lately he has decided that rather than reading books, he would just like to highlight his favorite parts of books. In Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? as soon as we present the book he immediatly starts saying "Teach, teach" and he just wants to turn to this page with the teacher on it & smile:
Not sure what it is about this face, but he loves it! He also likes to say the word "balloon," which he pronounces "boon," and only wants to read the pages of Goodnight Moon that have the red balloon on them.

So, I am learning to try to listen to his "demands" and understand what he is trying to communicate to me. It is so fun to hear the new words that he picks up every few days, and when we ride in the car he likes to sit in his car seat & run through all of them for me! Here is a rundown of what we can say so far:

Mama, Dada, Mimi, Nanny, Papa, Pop, Cow, Moo, Duck, Quack, Teeth, Teach, Poop, Cup, Cookie, Cake (of course, all the junk food words, right?), Juice, More, No, Milo, Doggie, That, Pat, Hot, Ouch, Cold, Balloon, Peace, Uh-Oh

I am always listening for new ones, and there are still some that I cannot translate. No doubt he'll be a big talker though, just like everyone else in the Wehman Family - look out world!! :)

Sleep Log Completed

Before Wyatt was born I took all sorts of advice from my sister, who is an amazing mother of two I might add. One of the best suggestions that she made to me was to keep a sleep log. It started as a side project, but then it became sort of an obsession (I used to have to do a lot of "reporting" at my old job, so maybe a sick part of me missed that...) I have to say though, that after keeping up with it for a year I am definitely glad that I did it. It started as a simple Sleep Log, and then grew into a serious spreadsheet - tracking eating, sleeping, milestones, etc. It really came in handy when I needed to look back at Wyatt's sleep patterns. I also kept track of weekly milestones, so I trust that it will help me give some advice to my now pregnant friends when they ask what Wyatt has been doing at each age/stage.

So, what prompted my post was I just laid Wyatt down for a nap, and I came in to the computer to log it - I haven't done it for a few weeks, but I am still working on breaking that habit. It's crazy how I have learned to retain numbers & times too - if we were away for a weekend Seth would tease me because I would come home to my spreadsheet & insert all the the nap & sleep times that I had remebered from the weekend...the things we do as new mothers.

We have been blessed with an awesome sleeper since day one, but when (and if) there is another Baby Jernigan, I hope to be able to use this as a reference.

My Budding Assistant

How do you think I get all this blogging done? With a little help from my IT guy of course!

The Best of Times

So last night my husband & I went on our first date night in a while. We actually get out quite a bit, with both of our parents living in the same town, but we hadn't been out alone on a "real" date in a long time.

After seeing The Dark Knight, which was AWESOME I might add, we headed out to dinner. While we waited for our food, we chatted a bit about this past year of parenthood. We came up with our Top 2 favorite things about being parents, then the 2 most challenging things. Here's what we came up with:

Best: 1) seeing Wyatt's smiling face in the mornings when we go into his room 2) watching him change & grow over this past year - he truly is turning into a little person & it is so fun to see him change
Most challenging: 1) finding time for the two of us - true quality time, and 2) finding ways to keep our favorite bits of our old lifestyle & incorporate Wyatt into them (camping, etc)

All in all, we agreed that our lives are so much richer because of Wyatt and even though quite a bit has changed we are better for it.