shutterbug ramble

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

You are a little more than two and a half now. We just came back from a jazz festival in Eureka where you and I hung out the whole weekend together while daddy taught and danced. You had a lot of fun running around and mostly you kept your ear protectors on. You had your first bout of car sickness. We went to the beach and it took a while to convince you it was fun to walk around barefoot in the sand. You don't like getting dirty. You've been getting up a lot earlier lately but you've also been getting better about snuggling in the morning. Even if you don't fall asleep, you lay in bed with me and daddy for a surprising amount of time. You often wake up fussy after naps. If daddy's tickles don't curb the tears then hugs from me usually calm you down. I love you so much

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

You've been going to pre-preschool for 5 months now.  You know all your ABCs, your teacher is very impressed that you can even pick each letter out.  You're saying a lot of three word sentences, you love to dance and come up with new moves all the time.  You LOVE basketball, both you and Sammy created your own cheer that no one understands but you two.  You have a hoop in your room and a surprisingly good shot.  We just moved you into a big boy bed and you're being so good.  It isn't very difficult to get you to stay in bed for naps/bedtime.  Now if only we could get you to poop in the potty!  We got a kitten before Christmas and you two are super cute together.  He puts up with your shenanigans surprisingly well.  It's amazing to watch you learn and see more understanding behind your eyes.  Today I was napping and you came in the room after playing with Sam for hours, you got under the covers and laid on your tummy.  I rubbed your very tiny back and within minutes you were fast asleep.  That was the first time you've ever fallen asleep next to me, other than the one time you fell asleep in my arms while we were walking with daddy, grandma and ito in LA.  It was pretty cool <3

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

Now that your cousin lives just one house away you two see each other pretty much every  day.  I've been listening to you two talk/giggle/jump/yell before you finally fall asleep at nap time.  You still don't like sharing with him, you will hold your hand over the food so he can't get to it and Sammy is too timid to force his way through.  You can act out almost the entire movie Frozen.  You love to sing along.  Both you and Sammy came with to the Sun Valley Jazz Festival this year and spent most of the week with your grandma Tutu.  She's in St Croix right now so daddy, Uncle Ryan and myself have been trading babysitting duties.  You wore a lion costume to class on Halloween but your daddy says you didn't keep the hat on for very long.  You're getting more adventurous with your talking and are willing to try to say things when I ask you.  You can say sock and feet and nose, water and you love saying your vowels.  Today we were watching a football game and you said the teams name slowly at first and then chanted with me LSU, LSU, LSU YAY!  haha

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

You turned two almost a month ago now! You and your cousin Sammy decided to take a stroll by yourselves near the end of the party. The cops almost called in police dogs but thanks to an app called Nextdoor people notified us that you were found at the park seven blocks down the road. How you found your way there safe and sound boggles my mind but those had to be the worse 30 minutes of my life. You said your first multiple syllable word butterfly except you pronounce it “utterfry”. You’ve also said bubble. Today your grandma Erin sent you a big box of big boy clothes and you wore size 4T! It doesn’t even look big on you. You love snuggling when you’re tired and can’t get enough of your books. Thankfully you usually are happy with one read through then you’ll go sit by yourself and pretend to read the book over again. You love balls! You have quite the arm. You can pretty much count to 10 now although you skip a few here and there. I've danced with you a bit, we hold hands and sway back and forth while you say "1,2,3,1,2,3". You started pre-preschool last week. The teacher says you’re a bit all over the place during class but that he will work on that with you. Today you were too sick to go though, all of us have had a pretty decent cold for a solid 6 days. I love you so much, you are so sweet and funny.

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

You just recently spent a lot of time with your Grandma Erin. She came up to hang out you while your dad and I went to a dance event in Ohio. Those plane rides were tough, I spent most of the time worrying I would never see you again. While we were gone you found your rhythm. You dance to the beat most the time now. You also started interacting and singing to songs. You can say at least 10 words now but you don't always use them appropriately. Most the time you pepper them into baby talk to make it sound more legit. You have been skipping naps on occasion which is fine with us as long as you don't get fussy. You also started drawing, it was super fun watching you figure out how to use the pen. You make me laugh every day and I spend most of my work shift missing the sound of your voice. Good thing I have lots of videos to watch <3

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

You are so cool. You love bubbles and throw tantrums in the bath when we put away the bubble wand which is pretty funny since you have to hold your head above water while you do it. You love brushing your teeth and you just started pretending to wash your hands and dry them on an imaginary towel. You give lots of kisses and you’re a great snuggler now. Recently you’ve been going to bed without crying and when Josh says good night you wave bye to him. We took you to the river and it’s clear you’re a big fan of water. You were very courageous and even though you dunked yourself a lot you didn’t cry and kept exploring. You’ll be turning two in a little over two months. I can’t wait until you start using words, I can tell you understand a lot of what I’m saying. You like when we count on our fingers and you try to do it yourself but you haven’t quite got it yet.

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

Today the girls and I had singing practice. You get super excited when you see Heather and spend a good chunk of time saying "hi" and giving her hugs, also you run around doing your happy dance and clapping your hands. Sometimes when you take a drink of water you go "ahhhh" afterwards like it's super refreshing. You can count up to three on your fingers. You say "I don't know" and sometimes "I don't know why" and of course you still say "no" and "hi" a lot. You have been hitting and throwing things more often now, I'm thinking its time to start implementing time out. You crawled out of your crib the other day but you fell pretty hard so you haven't done it since. You enter through a phase where you didn't like being on the bed but now you will hang out there a little bit. You like to pretend fall onto soft things especially when Sammy is around to laugh at your shenanigans.

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

You will be one year and eight months old tomorrow. You have visible molars on all four sides and you’re clearly not happy about it. You’ve been scream crying a lot and throwing a solid amount of tantrums a day. You just started eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and you like to hold your toothbrush A LOT. You are laying down on your belly when you take baths which I appreciate since you’ve always been a stander or squatter. We went to the park today before dropping your dad off at work and you hung out with a bunch of four year olds for a bit. They kept asking you questions not realizing you didn’t talk yet and you even tried to hug one of the girls. The kids wanted to play with your ball and you didn’t mind but another parent told them to give it back to you. One of the parents noted how fearless you were, I agreed that you were a very independent kiddo. You are usually a good listener, you know what I mean when I tell you it’s time for a diaper change. You sit down when I ask you not to stand on the couch. You clearly understand a lot of the things I say… you just don’t seem rushed to talk back at this point. You LOVE being outside and exploring. You climbed up on top of the coffee table. I remember when you used to get stuck dangling a quarter of an inch off the floor. Sometimes you’ll come up and give me a hug or a kiss without encouragement. It’s the best.

[farrellanna]

Dear wyatt

You turned one and a half today. You like waving goodbye to people. You lay down when I ask you to (for your nap time sippy cup) and you like to give me kisses when I get you up from naps. You’ve been dancing and spinning for a couple months now. You walk over to the kitchen gate and fuss when you want food. You eat a lot in the morning and less at night. You’ve been letting me sleep later by talking to yourself in your room. You’re a much better eater these days, you like your veggies cut up very small. You like the pancake squares your dad makes you, basically anything he makes you you devour. You’re becoming a much better cuddler and you’ll even reach up to sit on my lap sometimes. You like stacking things, especially the blocks your grandma Erin got you. You’re not much of an English talker yet but you definitely babble like a pro. I can tell you have a lot of opinions to share and I can’t wait to hear them. You love bath time like always, you even stick your face in the water and then laugh with me about it. You've been climbing on the couch for a while now and you've even made it up onto the big blue chair too. You're really good about getting down on your own too.

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

[originalgiantcontent]

Way to be, homie.

[craigsjunkdrawer]

amazing.

[heybradwhatsup]

ok im crying

[vrmin]

Same ^^^

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

you are over a year and two months old now.  you have seven teeth and more clearly on the way.  today josh said that you said no for the first time.  youve been walking for a couple months now.  you were a slow starter despite being able to stand and squat for three or four months before.  sammy picked it up quickly after you did.  i think he doesnt want to miss out on any of the fun.  you two are adorable together.   you fight over toys and sometimes you tackle or push him but when i tell you not to then you stop.  you’re a really good listener most of the time.  you still dont eat very well.  its clear that weaning you off your bottle is going to pose a problem.  you got blood drawn for the first time.  your daddy held you while they took some from your arm.  the doctor says your iron and lead levels are exactly where they need to be.   you are very helpful when i am trying to put your clothes on.  youve just started using more of your facial muscles and the results are hilarious.   i can tell youre going to be a very expressive child.  ive read to you a few times and for the most part you lay there and listen, sometimes pointing at the pictures.  a few times youve tried to take the book away but i do my best to discourage that.  you are so social and everyone loves interacting with you.  you make me proud every day.

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

your first birthday is just two days away.  we are celebrating with friends and family.  you now have six teeth but i suspect two more are already on their way.  you stand and squat like a pro and you’ve even taken up to seven steps at a time.  you love baths and even though you fall sometimes, you quickly get over it.  sometimes you act a little shy, especially around dogs.  you sing along and dance, you say “ah bah boo” which ive discovered means winnie the pooh.  if youre ever upset in the car i can sing winnie the pooh to you and it calms you down.  you love making friends and most people love you as soon as they meet you.  ive had many people stop me to tell me what an adorable baby i have.    you get excited when we facetime.  youve outgrown your bouncy chair.  youre not much of an eater right now, mostly you just drop it to the side or mush it around.  everything you taste gets a face from you even if youve had it a ton of times before.  my favorite part of the day is coming home from work to give you a bottle and change your diaper.  i rub your head and give you lots of kisses and then i lift you into your crib and tuck you in.  you dont make it tough to figure out what you need, if its not a bottle or a diaper change then youre tired and i just have to let you cry for a little while.  you sleep a lot still and sometimes you play by yourself for hours.  you like hanging out on beds when we are at your level.  you crawl over and dig your head into my arm so i will give you kisses.  you are finally snuggling with me sometimes, usually when youre sleepy and dont have the energy to explore.  you are such a curious child.  when we say “no touch” you pull your hand away and shake your head no, most of the time ;)

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

today you are nine months and a few days old, today is also the first day you stood up unassisted.  you were up for about three seconds squat style.  it took your daddy and me a few seconds to realize what had happened, he thought i was holding up your butt and i thought you were supporting yourself with your hands on his side.  you have two bottom teeth.  you’ve been eating oatmeal like a champ but lately you stubbornly try and take the spoon away from me.  you seem ready for self feeding and when i gave you a banana yesterday you actually took bites instead of just sucking on it!  you met you great aunt april and spent time with your grandma erin last month.  you are easy excitable, throwing you hands around and shaking your head.  you sometimes copy what i do but mostly you prefer to do your own thing.  today i tried to teach you to clap and you were mesmerized.  you are very aware of your surrounding and often pick up on the little details.  strangers comment on how aware you are, they also think you’re older than you are cause youre suck a biggin!  it looks like you’re going to keep you baby blues after all and im so excited.  unfortunately you seem to have acquired my hair and i apologize in advance for that.  you are quick and get bursts of hilarious energy.  you smile.  A LOT.  we are all moving soon and I cant wait for you to have more space to explore and a room of your own that i can decorate.  you like to dance and sing along when i encourage you.

[farrellanna]

First swing was a grand ol time

[farrellanna]

My usual predicament is choosing the best photo to post which is why you guys get so many collages #firstworldproblems #wyattmclaughlin

[farrellanna]

#tbt two week old Wyatt

[farrellanna]

Dear Wyatt

you’re over 7.5 months old.  the doctor was super impressed that you can go from a prone position to sitting all on your own by 6 months old.  you’re now standing in your crib as well as anything else you can pull yourself up on.  you are finally back to taking a few naps a day, for a while there you would take only one.  you’ve been eating oatmeal cereal on a regular basis.  i want to start you on whole foods but i really want you to have a few teeth first.  if they dont come in soon i might start anyways.  youve stayed overnight with your great grandma a few times, she loves having you around.  sammy is starting to smile more and when you two are together you watch him with great intensity.  you are so curious, when we go out to restaurants you dont even need any toys because youre so busy looking around and watching people.  you started saying “ma ma ma ma” and “da da da da” but im not sure if you know what it means.  you give kisses.