Wesley Lawrence

Now that there are two...

2010-11-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

...I find myself with a lot less time than I had before.

I started a picture blog for BOTH kids, and will try to keep it updated regularly. Check it out:

parkerandwes.blogspot.com

Last Day of School

2010-05-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Warning to the grandparents: This picture might make you cry!

Today was Wes' last day of preschool in the 2's class. He's officially a 3 (come September when school starts again).

I pulled a very non-Kristina move and actually was organized enough to take a picture on both the first and last day of school. I hope I can continue to be this organized for the rest of his school years (although I'm sure I'll get some resistance sooner rather than later).

Just uploaded these this evening and oh my gosh. How much he has grown. Not just physically, although you can see that. He looks so confident in the second pictures. A little boy more sure of his surroundings than he was back in September. I know that his school played a big part in this. I'm so proud of him.

Berry Picking

2010-05-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wes refuses to eat berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries...won't even try them. I asked him what he had for snack the other day at school, and he said, "Chex and Blueberries." I said, "Oh! Did you eat blueberries?" Wes: "No, I had raisins. I roll my blueberries on the table to Elliott." Heh. And sorry, Ms. Julie.

So, I didn't know how berry picking would go over. Fortunately it was a big hit. It seems that while eating strawberries is out of the question, traipsing around in mud and digging through wet and dirty plants to pick them was right up his alley.

We met a few friends out at the berry patch as well, and I'm excited to be able to do some of these outings during the week and make some new friends!

Rain, Rain Go Away

2010-05-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

My first day at the "new job" started early - 5:50 a.m. Someone thought we should go ahead and get up (hint: it wasn't me).

The day was great. We visited the library and the indoor playground at the mall, mainly because outside it looked like this:

A torrential downpour all day long. Driving rain. The kind of rain that makes you want to put your feet up and put on a Lifetime movie.

Thankfully, Wes had a long afternoon nap that allowed me to recharge as well. (Rain makes kids cranky. Getting up before 6 makes kids and adults cranky, too).

Luckily after his nap, the rain slowed down enough for us to put on rain boots and a rain coat and go stomp in some puddles:

We ran into our friends Sara and Megan (2 yrs) and they came over for some inside play.

The best part of the day was when daddy got home and we got to play on the porch, with the driving rain all around us:

Aaaahhhh...heaven. But now, I'm going to bed.

~Kristina

My New Job...

2010-05-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day at Kenan-Flagler...I have a new job. Stay-at-home mom and chief playmate of this little guy:

I definitely had mixed emotions while leaving the building this afternoon. A while ago when I set the date of May 14th it seemed as good as any. And it came pretty fast...too fast for me to process it and get nostalgic, really. I've been at Kenan-Flagler since July of 2006, when Neil hadn't even started law school yet. So much has changed since then, and my co-workers have been through it all with me.

But, it's time. I'm ready to spend my days playing outside in the sandbox, fingerpainting, and taking care of Wes. And in September, his sister will join us and a whole new chapter will start!

Let's Play Outside!

2010-05-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wes loves to be outside. This time of year, it's perfect. We are loving our new yard and screened in porch...they make it so easy to enjoy being outside.

Day (Grandaddy) built him this sandbox in our backyard. I love it because it's under a huge shade tree. I can sit underneath the tree and watch him play. Occasionally I get to show him a Grandaddy Long Legs or ant crawling by, and he loves to say hello to them. He'll even introduce himself: "Hi Ant, I'm Wes."

I snapped these pictures of Wes playing in his sandbox this week:

The new sandbox (built by Day):

He loves to lay down in the sand...you can imagine how dirty he gets!

Getting up close and personal with an ant.

Showing me where he is. "Ant, go see your mommy and daddy!"

Ultimate concentration.

Allie watches from the porch.

~Kristina

Easter Love.

2010-04-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the perfect Easter weekend in Salisbury.

Family, sunshine and perfect weather (temps in the 80s!) and plenty of Easter bunny fun.

Although I'm still kicking myself that we didn't do an Easter Egg Hunt (but who has time when there are piles of dirt to dig in outside?) it was a great weekend.

We headed to Salisbury on Thursday night and spent all of Friday and Saturday playing outside and shopping with Nanny, Day and Aunt Kelly. We lunched at Sidewalk Deli, had ice cream, and played in the sand with all kinds of trucks and shovels.

Sunday he was very excited to see the Easter Bunny had come and brought toys! This was the first time he has been super excited and aware of some imaginary person bringing him presents - Christmas should be fun this year!

Looking like such a big boy before dinner one night...

The Easter Bunny brought Bob the Builder toys...

Family pic on Easter Sunday

We had to kidnap him to get him in the car for church

Circus Peanuts.

2010-04-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

We took this video of Wes this week. The highlights include Neil throwing popcorn to him one kernel at a time (like circus peanuts) and him attacking them face first (we tried to give him the bowl, but it was messy, to say the least), his "cape" and especially his expression at the end of the video. This is typical Wes all the way.

Our Big Boy.

2010-03-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone that sees Wes lately remarks, "He's not a little boy anymore!"
He is growing up fast these days. The baby fat is gone from his face. His monthly trips to the barber shop for haircuts mean that his hair is now wavy, not curly. He's tall and thin and talks in full sentences.
We took these pictures this weekend of our big boy:

Sweetie Pie.

2010-03-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture Wes' teacher sent in her weekly round up...
My sweet little boy, all dirt and worms and trucks, feeding his babies.
I love seeing him showing his sweet side...deep down he's a loving little boy (who just happens to like to get dirty, too).

Glad he's getting some practice!

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day(s)

2010-03-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

We've had a rough week at the Magnuson house.
We enjoyed a fun dinner last Sunday night with the Mihalovich family, in town from Kansas City.

Monday night I woke up at midnight and got sick...and proceeded to get up and get sick every hour during the entire night. Neil came home from work early Tuesday feeling rotten. Our savior, Day (my dad), came to help with Wes (I couldn't raise my head off the pillow without getting sick). He returned from the playground Tuesday afternoon with bad news: Wes had throw up everywhere.

We got better one by one; it took Wes the longest to recover. As of 8:30 pm tonight, he hadn't throw up all day, the first time in a week that he made it through the day without vomiting at least once. We took him to the doctor yesterday, who took a good look and told us that the bug was just taking a while to get out of his system, which at least made us feel better.

And everyone at that fun dinner on Sunday night? Every single one got sick. This is one nasty bug and I hope it's gone for good!

I have lots of blogging to catch up on; Wes is making us laugh every day, even when he's feeling awful.

More to come soon, promise!

~Tina

Catching up...

2010-01-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Wes' blog has really been neglected lately! Big things are happening in our world:
During the holidays we decided to rent a bigger house while we're saving up to buy a place. We checked out a new place on Christmas eve, and by the Monday after Christmas we had been approved with a move-in date of Jan 16th. So we've been busy. Packing, moving, setting up everything. We moved Saturday and we are absolutely loving the place so far. We have four bedrooms, a playroom, screened in porch, and a Den and living room. Wes can run circles around the house (and he has been!). Also of note - Neil started his new job today. Hooray! He is in Richmond at orientation until Thursday.
I still need to catch up on Christmas posts, but until then, here's a picture of Wes this morning. I was taking pictures of the place to send to Neil's parents, and he wanted to get in one. Notice the Crocs and fireman hat - his favorite attire...so glad he's getting opinions about what he wants to wear! :)

~Tina

December!

2009-12-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

We're only halfway into December and it has been a blast already. We have Christmas at home and visits to both Salisbury and Nashville to look forward to in the next few weeks. I'll be home from work for almost two weeks!

We went and listened to the Clefhangers sing at the Old Well on the last day of classes (and played in the dirt)

We tried and tried to get Wes to sit still long enough to take a picture for the Christmas card (yes, I'm way behind).

Obviously, I failed, and went with an action shot:

We went to a Moravian Lovefeast last Sunday at Wes' preschool's church, which was interesting (try disciplining a two year old with a burning candle in your hand!), but he sure looked handsome.

Today was the Christmas Party at Wes' preschool. The kids sang us Jingle Bells (Wes didn't sing, although he's been practicing constantly) and then made Reindeer Dust to sprinkle on our doorstep on Christmas Eve. The children loved putting oats in the bowl and then sprinkling them with LOTS of glitter.

Tonight our good friends Sarah Jane and Hayes came to eat dinner. They moved to Arkansas this summer so it was such a treat to have them here! The boys played and had so much fun together, and SJ and I had a blast catching up. We miss them so much!

Here are the boys eating dinner:

(love the hat, Wes!)

These boys have grown up together. Here's a picture of one of their first play dates:

It's hard to believe they were that small!

Here's to December! We can't wait for the rest of it.

Kristina

Football Saturday in Chapel Hill

2009-12-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we finally made it up to campus before a UNC football game. For one reason or another (naps, illness, out-of-town trips) we hadn't been to Tar Heel town before a game this year.

Wes' first trip to UNC for Tar Heel town was when he was only a few weeks old. He was a tiny little thing and got lots of attention for being the smallest fan there.

the new Magnuson family, September 2007

Last year we went and he had fun watching the team at the Old Well Walk (he couldn't even walk then!):

this is the same jersey as he has now...look how big it is! September 2008

This year he had a ball. There were all kinds of things to look at. Wes LOVED watching the band perform in the Pit. We ate in Lenior (Chick-Fil-A, of course!) then went to play on campus.

And now, 2009 ...my little man!

So many leaves to play in on campus!

He wanted to get his picture made with the big shirt, but changed his mind at the last minute! (He is really hightailing it out of there)

We found some big sticks to play with:

After playing in the leaves, we watched the team walk through campus for the Old Well walk. Again, Wes was mesmerized with the cheerleaders, Rameses, band, and of course, the BIG men walking by. He held his hand out (with a little help) to get some high fives and he got lots of smiles. The highlight was when Butch Davis saw Wes, smiled and ruffled his hair. I think Wes was his good luck charm (we beat Miami)!! Maybe ol' Butch should have had Wes come to Raleigh for the State game.

After all this fun, the boy was wiped. I snapped this picture of him walking with Daddy, on the way to drop Day and Daddy off at the Stadium and go home for a nap:

That's a picture of two happy boys right there.

-Kristina

Sing Song...

2009-11-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

Wes is now singing! Out of the blue.

Yesterday Neil said Wes saw a picture Neil had drawn of Allie and said Spider! (heh) Then he just lit into "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." The whole thing. News to us that he knew this one!

He sang it for me when I got home. Every time he sang, he got a bit bolder, louder, more confident. Finally when we were putting on his PJs, he belted it out and even added a little sing-song tone to his voice. After two rounds of Spider, we sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (the song that caused the tears last weekend), the Good Morning Song (a preschool song that Neil and I don't know), and Max and Ruby. Then he started requesting, "Cars song! Cars song! Drive!" I asked, "Life is a Highway?" and got a "YES!" So we sang Life is a Highway from the movie Cars about three times before bed, too.

I will be visiting Itunes later today to download some of these songs for him! I only know one line from Life is a Highway and it's getting a little old. :)

Aldersgate Preschool Dedication...and the saddest little face ever.

2009-11-18T06:17:00.000-08:00

You just have to love this picture of Wes.

His preschool dedication was Sunday at Aldersgate Methodist, and the children of the preschool sang songs in front of the whole congregation. This kind of stuff makes my heart palpitate, and I'm 30. So I had no idea what to expect from a slightly shy two-year-old that's just like me.

We sat down at church and Wes was a little wiggly, but good. I loved seeing him get excited to see his friends and wave. The threes class sang first and did a great job. They stepped aside and the twos class was called up. I watched in shock as Wes climbed down from the pew and walked up to the front of the church all by himself (I was sure I would have to take him up there). All the little boys went up and took their places at the church - they certainly had practiced. When they started Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the boy beside Wes belted it out in a scream...and that's when Wes lost it. His face turned all red, the lower lip puckered out, and he did his silent cry....the one that means, "Hey. I'm really upset here."'

Thankfully, the lovely Ms Julie swept him right up in her arms and he made it through the rest of the song and the next one. I met him at the back of the aisle when it was over, his face streaked with tears, and swept him up in a big hug. I told him how proud I was of him, just for making it up to the front of the church. And I really meant it.

-Kristina

Cooking...

2009-11-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Wes loves cooking these days. All I have to do is ask if he wants to help in the kitchen, and he comes running. He'll yell over his shoulder, "Daddy, get chair?" Neil will get him a chair and he stands with me and helps put in a pinch of salt, spices, or a can of tomatoes. He loves to stir when everything is in the pot. And if you give him a task, he'll take it very seriously and do it well - whether it be washing cherry tomatoes or handing them to me, one by one, so I can chop them in half.

The chair one morning while we made a crockpot meal:

Adding some spices.

Stir!

The happy chef!

Our Nashville Visit.

2009-11-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun time in Nashville for a long weekend (Thursday evening until Monday afternoon!). Wes is still an incredible traveler. On the plane ride over, I was clutching Neil's hand and doing a little deep breathing, and Wes was just laid back looking out the window. The rest of the weekend was great. Wes continued to prove that he is the sweetest boy alive. He took right to his other grandparents, and started calling them "Bapa" (Neil called his grandpa Bompa and this is Wes' version) and "Marme" (Bapa, play trucks, too? was heard many times over the course of the weekend.)

And Wes LOVES his cousin Diem. His first word every morning was, "Diem." We heard a lot of "Diem, sit here. Play trucks." Of course, Diem just wanted to take the trucks and run, and he didn't even mind that too much. There were lots of hugs and kisses, and even more chasing and laughing. We laughed about how much fun they are (and how tired we were) and how quiet it used to be in the house.

The plane ride was so much fun. Wes is the BEST 2 year old flyer in the world. "Mommy, I like airplanes!!!"

We got right to playing when we got there.

The park was fun...

We also ate a LOT (this is 9 layer dip...)

Wes got his very own pumpkin.

We played some more (Bompa can make these cups spin!!)

Bompa loves to carry sticks to the park, too!

We tried to take a picture of the two cousins but it didn't quite work out.

The Nashville airport has a great playground!

We can't wait to go back to Nashville and visit at Christmas!!!

Halloween '09

2009-11-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

So much fun this weekend on Halloween! Last year, Wes was sick as a dog and we ended up having to cancel our plans. This year, he announced that he would like to be a fireman, so that's what we did.

We were in Salisbury on Halloween, so we dressed up and went uptown to trick-or-treat with the downtown merchants. I think Wes enjoyed looking at the kids in costume, but wasn't too sure about going up to people for candy. When we got home we trick-or-treated with neighbors and then called it a night.

Wes looked so adorable in his fireman costume (mom cleverly bought a fireman raincoat and rain boots so they could be worn again).

He learned that he likes suckers.

And was very excited with all the CANDY!!

Preschool Update

2009-10-21T07:05:00.001-07:00

Another good week at school last week! We got our weekly email update from the teachers this weekend. Last week was the final week of their Farm unit, and they planted daffodil bulbs in the playground.

I loved this picture of my sweet Wes playing with some other kids. All the other ones I've seen have been of him off by himself, pushing something around (which he loves to do at home, too), so this one of him playing with other little ones made me smile:

He had to stay home from school yesterday because he still had a low grade fever hanging around from the weekend. When I got home from work yesterday, I noticed his eyes were puffy and he had hives on his hands and neck. So, off to the doctor's office we went! The place was a madhouse of screaming children, but we finally saw Dr. Lotz and she said she had seen six or seven kids with the same exact hives that day. She classified it as a virus (that's where the fever came from this weekend), listened to his lungs (they were great) and then sent us on our way with orders to take Benadryl all week. So, Wes will be back at school tomorrow!

Aldersgate Preschool

2009-10-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

So far all of the Magnusons are LOVING Wes' preschool, Aldersgate. Things are getting better every morning - this morning he didn't cry until they were pulling him out of the car (yes, an improvement).

He has been doing better while he's at school, too...after the few tears in the morning, he's happy to play all day. Last week's weekly email update told us about the kids painting a Carolina blue sky, singing songs, and playing on the playground (Wes is famous for yelling at all the trucks that go by).

He loves his teachers, Ms Julie and Ms Holly, and I do, too. Last week after a particularly bad dropoff morning Julie called and talked to me for about twenty minutes one night - they're so loving and calm with Wes and with me.

After that bad dropoff, Wes had a great day (maybe that was the worst of it and he's over the hump). His teachers took some pictures to show me how much fun he was having...enjoy!

Snacktime!

Playtime ~

The lovely Ms. Julie...

An Update.

2009-09-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Another busy month and of course, the blog gets neglected. Sounds like we need an update!

September came and went in a blur. Wes started preschool two days a week, and so far, after the initial tears when I leave, he is loving it. His language is taking off, too...he speaks in sentences now, and tells us, "I need nuggets. I need ice cream." (I have tried to explain to him the difference in want and need...so far he's not too interested.) He also loves to tell Day what he has just done. "Day, I ate cupcake!" "Day, I finished puzzle!"

We are loving every minute. From the hugs and kisses to the "I love you mommy" moments, we take it all in and enjoy it. We are commanded to "dance on the stars" (the rug in his room) and read Max and Ruby "one more time" at bedtime and we do it every time. If it's possible, Wes has actually gotten sweeter as he has reached his terrible twos. :)

Here are some pictures so we can play catch up!

At Meet the Heels at Kenan Stadium:

On the playground at his preschool:

Playing cornhole with Uncle J and Craig:

First day of school:

Walking to the park:

Having fun with cousin Diem:

"Mommy, reach. Too high."

2009-08-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Wes' language development really took off at the beach. I don't know if it was the fact that he was surrounded by family chatting him up all day, the new experiences, or if it was just time, but something clicked in his head. He's now asking for things in sentences and it's so weird. Yesterday he wanted a cookie for breakfast (of course). He went to the pantry, tried to reach it (they're on the top shelf for this very reason), couldn't, then turned to me and said, "Mommy, reach! Too high." I laughed and said, "No cookies for breakfast, Wes." (We did make a deal for a cookie later in the afternoon in exchange for him eating two good meals.) Anytime you try to reason with him now, he thinks about your offer and then says, "Um.....Deal."

This morning instead of the usual, "momaxruby" when Max and Ruby went off, he said, "Watch. More. Max Ruby." (How can you argue with that?) I'm loving this phase and watching him learn more and more by the day...and being able to reason with him is an added bonus.

A beach post will follow soon...I left the photos on my mom's computer, so I have to wait for this weekend when she returns!

Just another day at the beach...

2009-08-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

We're on day 3 of the beach and Wes LOVES it. I honestly didn't think he would like the ocean much, but I was dead wrong. He was amazed when he saw the ocean for the first time, and literally dragged Day and Daddy out as far as he could. Waves knock him down and he laughs and gets back up. And, of course, he's loving the pool. He kicks his legs and dips his face in the water and yells, "Splash! Splash!" We have a hard time getting him out of the water to take a nap.

More info to come, but here's a picture for now.

Something else Wes has learned between ages 1 and 2...

2009-08-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

How to properly eat a cupcake.

Happy Birthday, Wes!!

Looking back on a year...

2009-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Wes' 2nd birthday. Sometimes I can't believe it's been two years, and sometimes it feels like it has been much longer. Either way, I can't remember what life was like before him. Even when he goes to "Camp" for a few days (my mom and dad's house) and the house is quiet and I can pretend like I have no responsibilities, the house seems so empty without him there. I find myself wondering what to do next and being lonely without him. The truth is, the chaos and cleaning up and teaching and disciplining are part of the wonderful joy of motherhood.

This was a big year. A lot of things change from the time a baby is born until he's one, but it's all predictable growth. You know about the smiles, the rolling over, and the crawling, and you're excited when they happen. But sometime around Wes' first birthday, he really gained a personality. He started to look like a little boy - no longer a baby. He did things to see how I would react. He finally learned to walk. And eventually, now, he gives me hugs and kisses and tells me what he wants for breakfast. Between one and two, he has become not only a boy, but WES.

He finally learned how to walk at about 15 months. We thought the day would never come. The truth is, he knew how to walk all along, but the perfectionist in him (don't know where he gets that) wouldn't allow him to take the chance that he might fall. So he held on to couches and chairs and coffee tables until he could walk perfectly. And when he did, he was a walker. No toddling stage for Wes. He went from holding on to walking perfectly in literally a day.

In January, he had tubes put in his ears. After about eight ear infections and some fluid that wouldn't drain out of his ears, we had to do it. Holding Wes while they put him under was the hardest thing I've ever done. But he was brave, it was quick, and the doctors and nurses were fabulous. Mr. Cow even got to go in the operating room. The day after his surgery, he had already learned five new words. With the fluid being gone, his language started to flourish quickly.

Wes is the most gentle, most loving little boy I've ever seen (I know I'm biased, but I think it's true). He kisses his animals, walks up and hugs us for no reason, and says the sweetest little things. We laugh together all the time. We hide under a blanket (and Wes steals kisses while we're under there) from daddy when he comes upstairs, we chase each other around the room, we dance and play the piano, we go to the park, we pretend, and we're silly all the time. These have been the best two years of my life, and I can't wait to see what's next!

Wes' first birthday, August 2008

On campus with mom, August 2008

First birthday party, with Molly Harrell

Cupcake time!

Ready for the first UNC football game

Little Tar Heel

Sweet smile, September 2008

With Thomas the Tank Engine

Could still dress him in pink at this point...

Loving the balcony at TOPO with Daddy

Bath time!

Messy, messy eater

Carving our first pumpkin

Halloween 2009

Starting to pose for the camera, November 2008

Thanksgiving 2008 and Christmas card photo session

Eyeing the Christmas tree

Christmas morning - Santa came!

Pushing his little cousin Diem around

A new ride, January 2009

Favorite food = Beans!! February 2009

Running up the hill at the park, February 2009

Sweet boy, February 2009

Cuddle time with Dad, February 2009

Wes' first big snow, March 2009

Wearing dad's shoes, March 2009

Easter Egg Hunt, April 2009

Playing at the park, April 2009

Mother's Day/Graduation Brunch

Loving to be outside, playing in the dirt and water, June 2009

Franklin Street fun with mom, July 2009

The Future's So Bright...August 5, 2009

The Piano Man.

2009-08-05T06:57:00.001-07:00

Wes loves playing the piano, and he's actually pretty good.

Tuesdays.

2009-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays are hard for me. I'm with Wes all day on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and when Tuesday comes along it's hard for me to leave him. He wanted to go outside and see me off this morning. He and Neil walked along the side path and he yelled, "Bye-eee Mom-meeeeee!" and blew me kiss after kiss. It's hard to drive away from that.

At least I get to look forward to the "HEY MOMMY!" when I get home from work.

Elmo?

2009-08-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wes was such a funny guy today. He's picking up words faster than ever and constantly makes me laugh at his interpretations of words. Tonight was Taco Night, and even though Wes had already eaten dinner, when Neil and I made our plates he came in the kitchen and said, "Tato? Tato!" He ate the whole thing (must be a growth spurt coming along).
He seemed to embrace everything with a lot of joy today, and was talking the whole way. He spent most of the day in Neil's green hat (green hat! green hat!) and talked to all of his favorite TV characters (Dora. Boots. Franken (Franklin). Wonner Pets (Wonder Pets).) After the show would end, he'd look at me and say More Pets? More Max? More Franken? (That's usually when the TV gets turned off).
He was very concerned with the Boo-Boo that he picked up yesterday after the pool party. He'd never heard the word Boo-Boo, but Jen's mom used it to describe his skinned knee while she helped me clean it up and put on a band-aid, and it stuck. He spent a lot of time pointing it out and making sure I still knew it was there.
His Boo-Boo hurt in the tub tonight, so I gave him a washcloth to distract him. I had him find different body parts to wash with the washcloth and this turned into a game. Wes, wash your belly! Wes, wash your feet! We went through everything that he knew, and then I said, Wes, where's your elbow? He looked at me so seriously and confused and said, "Elmo?" Neil and I laughed and showed him where his elbow was. Now he proudly points to his elbow and yells, "Elmo!!!!"
What a great day.

Laughing with many wipes he pulled out when I was cleaning the kitchen this morning...

Mr. Mischievous

Working at his table in the green hat...

Talking to Allie in the hallway...

Caroline's Birthday Party!

2009-08-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun celebrating with Caroline Bowman yesterday for her 2nd birthday. Wes has been warming up to the pool little by little, but yesterday he was a complete water bug. He marched right in and needed no hand-holding time with mommy. I was so proud to see him dip his nose in the water and splash with the other kids. He even went down the water slide (with mommy and daddy) three times! During adult swim, all the kiddies would go to the Splash pad and run around - that's where I caught some of these pictures.

Maybe all the energy came from this cupcake he devoured before the pool!!

Too Cute for Words.

2009-07-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

This outfit, that is. I had to take a picture, and miraculously, Wes complied.
Nanny and Day are here for a few days while Daddy takes the bar exam tomorrow and Wed. We can't wait to have him back!!

A perfect morning date.

2009-07-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Wes let me sleep until 7:15 this morning (greatly appreciated for a Saturday). We decided to repeat the plan from last Saturday since it was so fun: breakfast at Elmo's, followed by playing at Kidzu. Wes inhaled his home fries at breakfast, helped mommy at the post office, and then we were on our way to Kidzu! Wes had fun playing with all the trucks, puzzles, food in the kitchen, and blocks. When we had played enough, we went to a bench in a shady spot on Franklin Street to eat a snack (Pirates' Booty, of course) and watch the buses and trucks go by. Sometimes the simple things in life are the absolute best.

Our great Franklin Street spot:

What a smile...

Sitting up to get a better view:

BUS!

Wes loves Booty:

Thirsty, mom!

Let's go see daddy!

The Zoo!

2009-07-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

Nanny and Day took Wes to the zoo this week. He had so much fun! He LOVED it. He ran everywhere, of course, and came home with two skinned knees. Neil and I can't wait to take him in the fall! Nanny and Day didn't even make it to the Africa part of the zoo, so we definitely have more to explore.
Nanny took Wes to the gift shop and told him he could pick out any stuffed zoo animal he wanted and guess what he chose - a snake! Such a boy.

A new pair of shoes.

2009-06-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Wes' feet have really grown - so much that his brown Chuck Taylors (my favorite!) were getting a little hard to put on. Luckily, Grandaddy came to the rescue and ordered these Chuck Taylors in a size six. They're really cool because they're blue with Carolina blue straps. Wes loves them.

I took these photos during Max and Ruby, which is why Wes seems to be in a trance, staring at the TV.

The New Water/Sand Table

2009-06-01T16:52:00.001-07:00

Wes' newest toy - a water/sand table that goes in the backyard. He loves it with sand, but tonight we put water in it and he REALLY loved it.

Thanks for the new table, Nanny and Day!!

Thank God I'm a Country Boy...

2009-05-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

I find myself humming this song when Wes gets in the great outdoors. Despite being an allergic, pale, lanky boy, he LOVES being outside.

Morning, noon, and night, rain or shine, cold or hot weather, if he's awake, he's begging to be outside. So of course, his first trip to the mountains (with the Hardings on Memorial Day Weekend) was very exciting. He slept most of the way there, and when he woke up we were already winding around hills and there were mountains on both sides of us. I explained to him what a mountain was, because he had never seen a real one. He was amazed. He just stared and pointed the whole way.

And when we went on our picnic at Moses Cone on Saturday he was in heaven. He never sat down on the picnic blanket, just ran around in the grass in circles.

We had a blast with the Hardings and their little boy Graham. The boys played together, and Wes loved having a little boy to follow him around. He hugged him so hard that he fell over on several occasions (Wes would say, "Huh-Oh!" and I'd look over and there was Graham, on his back like a little turtle). They played with each other's toys, and Wes loved having a balcony to go outside and blow bubbles on.

A (Way Overdue) Update!

2009-05-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

Wes is pretty mad at me. He heard it had been 2 months (!!) since I had updated his blog.

So, a picture blow out is in order. Here's what we've been up to since I last updated:

We went to Super Saturday at UNC and Wes loved playing tball and running around Navy Field:

We went to several Easter Egg Hunts, including the Downing Creek event with Miss Molly Harrell:

He's been catching up on his reading in the rocking chair (this is The Owl and the Pussycat, or "Allie")

He's turned into a big boy almost overnight. I told him to sit and smile - and this is what he did:

He's really into being outside: chasing birds, going to the playground and going down slides (all by himself!):

This picture was the best I could find at describing THE HAIR:

He's still best, best friends with Allie (and Mr. Cow):

And we don't go anywhere without the bus:

Neil graduated from Law School last weekend!!

And Wes FINALLY got his first haircut (no tears were shed by either of us, mainly because he still has some curls):

We have so much fun watching him play and point out every bus, truck, car, letter, number, bird, cat and BOB (construction equipment) in sight. It just keeps getting more fun.

From Four to Ten!

2009-03-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

(clockwise from top left: Sarah Jane (with Hayes), Kim (with Ben and Henry), Me (with Wes), and Holly (with Charlie...Carter was at home)
Before Wesley came along I had the greatest group of girlfriends...Holly lived across the street from us on Fortunes Ridge and I would walk across first thing in the morning, in my pajamas, for pancakes. We would sit on the couch on Sunday afternoons watching Lifetime movies and have dinners together with wine and lasagna.
Neil and I would go over to Kim and Ryan's house for dinner and games. The night usually ended with us in sweatpants (we usually had a pair at each other's houses), drinking wine and watching a movie until very, very late.
Sarah Jane would join us for early morning runs around Woodlake and we always rode to Junior League together (and sometimes skipped out early on the meeting...even sneaking out a few times).
Kids entered the picture soon after and those long leisurely days and nights were a distant memory.
Holly had Carter four years ago, then added Charlie two years later. I had Wes in August, Sarah Jane had Hayes two months later, and then Kim had twins, Ben and Henry, in May.
Holly and Tim moved to Raleigh and Kim and Ryan moved to DC. Thankfully, Sarah Jane is still here (and we see each other quite often) but she'll be moving away this summer, too. It's been WAY too long since we've gotten together, but we have kids that range from 4 to 9 months, and someone has been pregnant or birthing or had a newborn for the past two and a half years!
Kim and Ryan were in town for the weekend, so we all got together last night for dinner. It was fun to see old friends, and we had no problem picking up right where we left off. I will always remember the fun times we had, but I don't know if it can compare to the fun you have when you add six boys to our foursome!

Go Heels!

2009-03-09T07:30:00.001-07:00

We had another first yesterday...Wes got to see his first UNC beating Dook celebration on Franklin Street.
UNC beat Dook (again!) and because the game was over by 6:30 pm for once, I figured we had time to go celebrate. I took Wes to Franklin Street to see the celebration.
We climbed up on a small brick wall to watch the students dancing, cheering, and jumping over the impromptu bonfire. Wes watched the whole thing with amazement, and held on tight!
I wish I had a picture of him in his Tyler Hansbrough jersey with the celebration in the background, but that would have required me putting him down to get the camera out, and he was having none of that!
GO HEELS!!

Snow!

2009-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

It snowed again today and we were actually prepared this time with a camera that wasn't broken or dead. :)
Here's a video of Mr. Snow. I think he would have stayed out all day if we would have let him.

Giggles.

2009-02-25T05:37:00.000-08:00

Because I could use a little laugh today... :)

Where does the time go?

2009-02-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated the blog.

Wes got tubes in his ears last Monday and the change has been remarkable. His vocabulary shot up almost immediately. He now points out every dog, cow, bird, bus, moon, door, and star in sight. He loves to say 2 and 3 (somehow he's decided 1 is not too important). And he is finally learning the answer to the question, "What do you say when you need help, Wes?" (Answer: "Please!" or as Wes says it, "Peas!")

He runs everywhere and absolutely loves his cars, trucks, and trains. Such a boy.

Enjoy some catching up pictures...and a promise to update more frequently.

Christmas!

2008-12-12T08:29:00.001-08:00

It's been a pretty eventful week at the Magnuson house. For those of you that don't know, dad had a heart attack early Saturday morning, but is doing much better. Wes and I were in Salisbury from Saturday until Wednesday "helping" him get better. :) Wes was out-of-control wild the whole time. He had his first taste of cat food (and second!) and gave his granddaddy lots of open-mouthed kisses.
We got home late Wednesday night and have been resting and enjoying our Christmas tree ever since. Here are some pics...

I call this one, "JOY."

Get better soon, dad!!

Looking Back.

2008-11-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of looking back this week as I've been making christmas presents for family. It's hard to believe how much Wes has grown in one year. Our lives have changed so dramatically in the past year, and definitely for the better.

Oh, and our word count is up to four. The new word - BALL. He throws his ball up in the air and says, "BAHHL!" Notice the pattern with the b words?

Here's a look back:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

Three Words.

2008-11-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

As of this morning Wes is up to three real words.
I'm not counting mama, dada, bye-bye, or baby...although those are all really cute. These are words for things, not just baby repetitive noises.
This morning he pointed to the book he was reading after he woke up, "What's Wrong Little Pookie," and said "Moo." While I think Pookie is actually a pig, he looks like a cow. Any animal that is black or white or looks like a cow gets, "Mooooo." Anytime Wes is at the freezer door when it's opened, he also points to his Ice Cream and says, "MOOOOO!"

Then when I got him out of his crib, he picked up his teddy and said "Bear" (it came out as Beah but I got the point). I said, "Yes, Wes that's your bear! Very good!" and he kept picking it up and saying "Bear" and then laughing hysterically and kicking his legs (he's a happy happy boy).

Finally, his first word and maybe the cutest: Balloon. It comes out as "Boooon. Booooooooon!" He loves the free Harris Teeter balloons and gets one everytime we go shopping. But anytime he sees a balloon anywhere (like the other night when we were out to dinner) he says Boon.

I can't wait for more and more words to start coming from him. Something tells me it's going to get more and more interesting at our house!

Halloween

2008-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

Wes was the sickest he'd ever been on Halloween...what a terrible weekend!
He woke up on Halloween morning with a 102 degree fever, so we went directly to the doctor at 7:30 am. Luckily his ears were clear, but he was diagnosed with a sinus infection. We spent the next two days trying to keep his fever down and clearing loads of snot out of his nose. I'm glad to report he's back to normal now and eating more than usual to make up for his lack of appetite for over a week!

We still dressed Wes up on Halloween evening and Ryan and Gina came over for chili and handing out candy. While our festivities were cut short by illness, we still had fun in the days leading up to Halloween.

We carved a pumpkin on Wednesday night.

We went to Fearrington Village on Thursday for their Kids Night - Wes got to pet some goats and see some cool jack-o-lanterns.

Dressed up like a greaser on Halloween

Hopefully next year Wes will be ready for some trick-or-treating!!!

A day in the life...

2008-11-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

Wes and I spent the whole day together yesterday while Neil studied, and I decided to take pics of all the fun things we were doing. A "typical" day changes so often - I need to do a better job of recording the little stuff. So, I present a day in the life of 15 month old Wesley.

Blue's Clues with a bottle and Mr. Cow (our morning ritual...this is the absolute best cuddle time and what makes getting up at 6:30 am worthwhile)

Mashed potatoes and turkey for dinner (notice that he's got just as much potato in his hair)

Crying because I took something away (completely normal these days).

Playing with his airplane - I walked over and realized his plane had a random car and one sock inside.

You never know what you're going to get with Wes, but you will always laugh and smile...and feel loved when he gives you a great hug!

Thomas!

2008-09-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

We went to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Spencer yesterday with Nana and Grandaddy. It was a blast but I'm so glad we went on Sunday morning (and not on a Saturday afternoon). Thomas is quite the rockstar! The bigger kids were so excited to see him pull up on the tracks. Wes smiled, pointed, and gave a grunt of excitement when he saw him.
We got to take a train ride (which was actually fun for everyone) and we were going to go see Bob the Builder but someone was a little too tired. :) It was a great day and I'm sure we'll be back to see Thomas for many years to come.

I see a pattern forming here...

2008-09-23T11:54:00.001-07:00

We're busy, we're tired, we're working, we're chasing a one year old around all day.
But I know people enjoy reading about/seeing pictures of Wes, so we'll try to do better.

An update - Wes is communicating so much better. It's like a light went off in his head one day and even though he can't talk, he seems to understand what you're saying to him. He can now ask for more in sign language, which is about the cutest thing you've ever seen the first 1,000 times. I was so proud when he did it the first time - a tangible thing that I'd taught him! It was so rewarding to see that he understands that more doesn't just mean More watermelon, it means, more water, more Thomas the tank, more mommy-making-funny-voices! We're now working on "more, please", thank you, water, and others.
Yesterday Wes took his first steps while he was walking back and forth between Gina and me. If he would just let go, he could walk all over the place, but he's the type that is going to be cautious and wait until he's sure. That's okay...I certainly know where he gets it from!
He is into everything - we've had to get new outlet protectors because he's figured out the cheap ones! He's a smart little booger.
I promise there will be MORE blog postings (just ask Wes how to ask for them in sign language!) Here are a few recent pics:

it's been way too long!

2008-08-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been too long since I've updated. We've been so busy around here...and tired!

One of the reasons we've been so busy is that my sister got married last weekend! A lot of our time and energy went towards her wedding in the weeks before but it was so worth it. It was the most beautiful and fun wedding I've ever been to.

Wes turned one on Tuesday. He's a typical one year old, crawling, cruising on the furniture and wanting to get into everything. He loves to walk with his little cart or holding my hands. He can get wherever he wants, and fast! He brings so much joy to our lives. It's hard to imagine what life was like a year ago before he was here. Now if you point to Neil and say, "Who is that?" he'll say "Dada." If you point to me he'll say, "Mama." And every kid that we pass (no matter what age) is "Baby".

Here are some pics from the past few months!

Eating ravioli at DJs:

Standing with the walker:

Eating with chopsticks!

With Caroline at her first birthday party:

Typical sweet face:

But he still makes the face when he hears the camera:

I love this one.

Sicky.

2008-06-26T12:43:00.001-07:00

I am really power blogging today.
We've been a little behind in the Magnuson household the past few weeks. Wes has been sick for the first time in his almost one year of life.
When I got home from work a week ago, his eyes were oozing snotty looking stuff and I decided then it was time to go to the doctor. He had been running fever (very low grade, never over 100) for a few days, which I attributed to teething. But the eye ooze scared me, so off we went. It turned out that he had a double ear infection.
After a day of getting better, he took a turn for the worse on Saturday night. The oozing was back, along with the crankiness and fever. We went back to the doctor on Monday morning and got a prescription for another antibiotic. It turns out the Amoxocillin was not strong enough to kill the ear infection, and it was worse.
The poor little guy feels much better after a few days of his new antibiotic. Looking back, he had been cranky for about a week before we took him in to the doctor, so I'm sure he's been feeling bad for awhile. It's so hard to know when to take them in to the doctor at this age - on one hand you don't want to be that overprotective anxious mom that's in the doctor's office weekly, but you don't want your baby to hurt, either. It's hard to know!
I stayed home with him on Monday and he was very needy - he wanted to be held during his nap and sometimes he would just cry out to hug me. I'd pick him up and he would just collapse into my arms and love me. It was a great feeling to be able to give him some comfort!
I took a couple pictures of him so we could document his first illness. You can see Mr. Puffy Eyes well, but here's one that's pure Wes so you can tell he doesn't feel that bad.

Swimming...with an ear infection post to follow.

2008-06-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Check out Wes' pool. It is so cool and he absolutely loves it (even though he has to wear swim diapers with bows and the Little mermaid on them).
You hook a hose up to it and water squirts out of various little holes all over the pool. Wes loves getting squirted in the face and laughs hysterically and screams at the water. He is such a little fish!
We are starting a mom and baby water aerobics class next weekend and I'm so excited.

Wes' first trip to the Symphony!

2008-06-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

The NC Symphony played a free concert in Southern Village a few weeks ago, and we all went to enjoy the music. They play outside on the lawn, which happened to be the perfect setting (it wasn't too terribly hot). We found a shady spot, spread out a few sheets, and had a great picnic supper - fried chicken tenders, chicken salad, potato salad, chips, melons...all the great summer stuff. The night was perfect, except for the crazy Chapel Hill people (who were quite possibly transplants from the North)who brought in their loads of crap at the last minute and crowded us, including a full salmon dinner for 10 and a rice cooker (!!). Who brings a rice cooker to a picnic?!
Anyhow, we had lots of fun, and Gina Riess joined us for a little while to enjoy the music. Wes made it through almost the whole concert, but we were only a block away, which made it very convenient when he decided he had had enough.

Wes reading the program

The crowd on the Green

Wes and Neil enjoying the picnic

Blueberry Muffin

2008-06-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Wes is loving eating with his hands these days. His favorites are chicken, potatoes, green peas, cheerios, watermelon...basically anything he can pick up and eat. He's been known to push the spoon that you're trying to feed him with out of the way - he wants to do it himself.
He loves the blueberry muffins at Weaver Street. So much that now we just get him his own when we go to get breakfast on the weekends. Mom and dad were in town a few weekends ago and we took his high chair out on the patio to enjoy the beautiful morning and eat our breakfast outside. Once I saw Wes tearing the muffin apart and getting blueberry all over the place, I had to get the camera out to take some pictures.

Curls, Teeth, and Funny Faces (an update)

2008-06-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've updated here! Things have been crazy around the house. Our living room is now the "Kiddie Corral" - we've rearranged the furniture, moved the valuables, and covered up cords with towels. Motherhood has definitely forced me to be a little less anal about how my house looks! Wes is into everything. He army-crawls over to whatever he's not allowed to get into and when you say, "No" he looks back, smiles, and keeps crawling. By the end of the day his knees and elbows are red and he's worn out (he's going to bed pretty easily these days!).
His hair is turning blonder by the day and curls up as soon as he steps outside into the humidity. I love it and am threatening to never cut it!
Everything is "Da. Da. Dada. Da-di." He loves saying Dada and usually reserves it for when Neil comes home from work (usually while wrapping Neil's tie around his head like Rambo).
A funny, but not so charming trait is his new "smile" for the camera. Whenever he hears the "beep-beep" of the camera, he grins with all teeth and closes his eyes. It's hilarious and impossible not to laugh. We'll have to break him of this before Kelly's wedding in August.
He's still not walking without help but he loves to cruise on the furniture. I'm sure once he realizes he can let go, there will be some falls (and some tears), but he'll figure it out quickly.

what a sweet face

the curls

the funny face

Motherhood in a sentence.

2008-05-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Kim had her twins last week at 32 weeks. Henry and Ben are doing fine - they will be in the hospital for a few weeks, but they are sharing a bed and doing better every day. I just got an email from Kim with an update - they have been at the hospital literally every waking moment to spend time with their babies.

In her email I thought she summed up motherhood in a sentence (well really two sentences, but one thought):

Today is their one week birthday and it has been the longest week of my life. Filled with fear, helplessness and overwhelming joy.

That's it, isnt't it?!

I am so proud of Kim and her boys! Please keep them in your thoughts as the boys grow stronger and hopefully go home soon!

don't mess with texas....

2008-05-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Wes' first trip to Texas! This brings his number of states visited to three (not bad for a 9 month old!)

Neil's best friend, Ryan, got married in Austin on Friday, May 16th. My mom and dad came along with Neil, Wes, and me for the trip. Neither of them had flown in over 12 years so this was a big trip! One of the most fun parts of the trip for me was watching my mom as the plane took off and landed. She was craning her neck to look out the window, and then would turn around and grin at us and say, "OH! I'm SO excited!!" All the while, my dad closed his eyes and waited for the whole thing to be over. We had a very smooth trip - Wes is a fantastic traveler/flyer. He sleeps on the plane and then is easily entertained by his toys, bottles, or cheerios.

Once we got to Austin, we went to Serrano's near our hotel for some fabulous Tex-Mex (fresh tortillas, quacamole, pico de gallo, etc. etc...SO GOOD.) Wes loved the tortillas!

After some much needed naptime (our flight was at 7am!) we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was so great to see and meet Ryan and Gina's families! Ryan has a huge family (2 brothers and 3 sisters and the most wonderful parents) and I honestly feel like an adopted Riess sister when I'm with them! There were also lots of other kids around, so Wes definitely had plenty to look at and do.

(check out the view in this pic...very texas!)

We had a lot of fun at the rehearsal dinner, and when 9pm rolled around (central time), we couldn't believe that Wes was still awake!! He didn't make it through the video slideshow, however:

On Friday morning, we slept in, went to breakfast at the hotel, and then went exploring around the University of Texas! We didn't realize that it was graduation weekend, but thankfully, once we parked, we didn't get caught up in too much more traffic.

Everything in Austin is UT related:

We couldn't see in the football stadium, but I took this picture from the top floor of the parking deck:

Texas also has a ton of statues around campus. We posed with Wes at several, because they were just so fun (Chapel Hill definitely needs more statues)!

And, finally, the wedding!!
Ryan and Gina's wedding was beautiful. Wes and dad spent most of the time outside (Wes doesn't yet understand that it's not appropriate to talk out loud in church) and Neil was a fantastic groomsman. The bride was absolutely gorgeous, and Ryan could not hide his excitement. I am so happy for both of them and can't wait for them to get back from their honeymoon and move into our neighborhood!

Wes (check out the outfit) and Neil

The reception was at the One World Theatre, which overlooked a beautiful valley in Austin.

Ryan's sister Alyssa with Wes and Xander (Ryan's nephew)

Neil and Me with Mr. and Mrs. Riess!!

Again, Wes had a blast with the Riess family, Ryan's sisters, and all the kids We danced to a few songs but Mr. Wesley conked out early, so we called it a night around 11pm. Another early morning flight put us back in North Carolina by early afternoon!

It was a whirlwind trip but so much fun. I love the Riess family and am so glad Gina is a part of them now, too. I also love getting my mom and dad out to faraway places to travel!

I Voted!

2008-05-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Barack Obaby in '08!

Teacher of the Year!

2008-05-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, Wes' grandma was one of nine finalists for North Carolina Teacher of the Year! Congrats, grandma -- we love you!!

Anyway, Tina, Wes, and I met Tina's parents at their hotel in Raleigh and got dressed for the occasion. I somehow doubt Wes has the patience for a tuxedo yet (the bow tie would be ripped off in about 5 seconds), but I must say -- he looked pretty swank in his collared shirt and sweater vest!

Wes loved the program. It was just like a menu! Unfortunately, this "menu" was made of paper and didn't last very long....

Boys' Day Out -- Part 1

2008-05-12T03:59:00.000-07:00

I took my last final of the semester on April 29th, and have been spending days with Wes since that time.

Our mornings generally consist of episodes of Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, and other kids' shows on Sprout (but not Caillou, who Tina calls a "wimp"). Wes loves Elmo's World, but I'm still a little creeped out by Mr. Noodle. And have you ever noticed that Elizabeth from Bounce wears the same lime-colored shirt on every episode?

Our Sprout lineup is promptly interrupted at 9am by the first in a series of Matlock episodes. Tina has the Tivo set to tape re-runs of Matlock, which airs no fewer than 13 times every day (not really, but it certainly seems to be on rather frequently). Wes now picks his head up every time the theme song comes on. The only other TV segments that have this effect on him at the moment are commercials for The Perfect Pushup and AARP. Tina's dad has suggested that Wes likes the AARP commercial for its use of the color red, which Wes likes and equates with Elmo. However, I'm starting to wonder if he notices it simply because it airs four or five times during every episode of Matlock!

Anyway, around 11am, we ditch Matlock's gray Crown Victoria for Nash Bridges' Yellow Barracuda (usually out of sheer laziness, as it comes on after Matlock and we're too preoccupied with napping and/or toys to change the channel).

Finally, lunchtime is here! Wes typically feasts on Oatmeal and an assortment of vegetables and fruits. Then, he and I will strike out in the early afternoon for some destination.

On May 1st, we decided to hit downtown Pittsboro and the S & T Soda Shoppe, where all the waitresses loved Wes and where I scarfed down a tasty buffalo chicken sandwich and soda-shoppe-style cherry coke. Wes had fun with the menu.....

The following week, we decided to have lunch at Tyler's Taproom in Carrboro. It was a similar scene.....

In fact, at just about every restaurant we take Wes, he insists on "inspecting" the menu. This usually involves banging it against the table and trying to eat it. Fortunately for the menu, it is often laminated or reinforced in some way.

Stay tuned for Part 2.....

a family visit!

2008-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

We went to Nashville last weekend so Wes could meet the youngest and oldest Magnuson family members!
Neil's grandmother was in town for a visit, and we also got to meet sweet baby Diem. It was wonderful to have everyone in the same room. Wes loved seeing his grandparents, great-grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin! We stayed in a lot, ate great food, played games and just held babies. What a relaxing and fun weekend.

Some pics:

The girls with their babies! (We switched right away. I couldn't believe how light Diem is - 7 pounds - and Tash couldn't believe how heavy Wes is - 20 something)

He loves to stand. (and dad is very proud!)

Wes with his Great-Grandma.

Not looking at the baby...

He's finally interested.

These pics are priceless.

Must. Touch. Her.

A very proud Wes (showing his teeth) with aunt Tash

At what point does middle-of-the-night become morning?

2008-05-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

This was the topic of discussion last night as Neil and I went to bed.
We take turns getting up with Wes in the mornings, and the deal is that whoever is not getting up in the morning has to get up if Wes wakes in the middle of the night.

It's really a sort of gamble these days, as sometimes Wes wakes up at 5:30 am and sometimes he wakes up at 7:30 am. And when he is up, he's usually up.

For the record, in our household the official time that morning has arrived is 5:30 am.

I won the big prize this morning, as it was my turn to get up, and we had to wake him up at 7:30!

BFF

2008-04-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

It may be a one-sided friendship, but check out these pics of Wes and his sister (yes, we know she is a cat) playing. And just look at the look of love in Wes' eyes! Hilarious.

And yes, we do keep our child caged in to play. It's the only way Neil and I can leave the room for 30 seconds.

I am exhausted.

2008-04-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well, as of the last several days, Wes is into EVERYTHING. I know it will get worse as he can actually move, but Neil and I are just trying to keep up with this recent development. No longer is he content to sit up and play with his stacking cups or Cookie monster book. He wants whatever you have, he wants it now, and he'll scream his disapproval if you don't give it to him. Then he laughs. The whole thing is pretty hilarious - for now.

His crawling right now consists of grabbing onto whatever is in front of him and pushing off with his feet to scoot along the floor. He can actually get along pretty well. He loves standing, as well. He loves to stand up at the ottoman and try to get whatever is on it at the moment.

You'll also see a mouth full of teeth in these. All four front teeth came one after another. He's started drooling pretty steadily again, so I wouldn't be surprised if the next round is on the way.

standing at the ottoman...

banging on the ottoman and "singing"...

on his way to get the camera...

on the move on his new abc mat...he looks like he's been busted.

Teething Sucks!

2008-04-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard trying to get Wes to smile wide enough for you to see his two teeth. We worked and worked and this is the best we got, and it's only of his bottom tooth (he has one on top and one on the bottom). You might have to enlarge it, but you'll be able to see the white tooth peeking out in this one!!

expressions...

2008-04-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Wes has the funniest expressions. He's had them since he was about an hour old. He's always narrowed his eyes and looked at you like you were either really interesting or a complete idiot. I thought these pics I took the other day in the exersaucer completely captured this look.

and one funny one...I think he was talking but it looks like he just sucked on a lemon!

Wesley's Photo proofs are here!

2008-04-09T18:56:00.001-07:00

If you haven't seen them yet, check them out. Holy cow, they are good.

http://www.tamaralackey.com/MagnusonFamily2008/

Wes is now a Cousin!!!

2008-04-07T06:32:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Natasha and Jud (Neil's sister and brother-in-law) who are now the proud parents of Diem Siena Schneider!

Diem was born on April 4th and was 6 lbs 14 oz, and was 17.5 inches in length.

Wes is very excited to meet his new cousin - I'm sure he'll teach her all kinds of things!!

Pics from the Beach!!

2008-03-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Wes and I visited Duck in the Outer Banks last week with Aunties Noelle, Melissa, and Katie (along with Noelle's family). We had a blast. Wes was a joy to be around. We only had to stop once on the four hour car ride - he slept, played, and talked the rest of the way. Once we got to the beach, he was passed around and loved every minute of it. He played with Noelle's family's three dogs and slept with mama every night. It was a nice vacation. Noelle's family's house is on the sound, and provides the perfect backdrop for pictures...

Being tickled by Noelle...

What a face.

Momentarily distracted by something.

Did I mention it was cold? Look at those red cheeks.

Posing with a proud mama.

Mama kisses are the best.

Noelle captured this one...you know he's saying something important.

We braved the cold to capture Wes' first glance at the Ocean. He was mesmerized.

Field Trip to UNC

2008-03-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful day yesterday...Neil and I packed Wes up and went for a walk on campus at UNC. We have to do this more often, especially when it gets warmer. Chapel Hill just provides such a beautiful place to walk, and Neil and I can compare our routes around campus. I always tell the same stories (like the one about the first time I saw Vince Carter my freshman year) but there is just something so nostalgic about being on campus. We are very lucky to live so close, and we need to take better advantage of it.

Here are some pictures from an impromptu photo session...

Rocker Wes

2008-03-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

What happens when you put Neil's skater beanie on a baby and give him a wooden spoon? He becomes a rockstar. Picture the spoon either as a guitar or drumstick for the exersaucer. These pictures capture Wes' personality so well. Happy all the time, and into everything. The beanie is on his head because when Neil came over to see him he HAD to have it.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2008-03-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

Wes has officially learned to roll over. Before we had to put a toy behind him and sit there and say, "Come on, come on, you can do it!" And then he'd whine and cry ad little and then finally sloooowy pull himself over. Now he just rolls with it. If you put him on his back, those little feet shoot up in the air and he's on his tummy before you know it. It's so fun, because I feel like he was in the "almost-doing-it" stage for so long and now I'm SO PROUD of him. I can't imagine what it will feel like when he hits his first homerun or gets his first A.

Here are some pictures of Mr. Tummy Time!

Update!

2008-03-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a few crazy weeks at the Magnuson household. Who can keep up? We've both been kind of puny-sick, each for a couple of days, work has been busy, Neil even pulled an all-nighter writing a paper for Law Review. And of course, Wesley has been keeping us busy. He demands a lot of attention from us from 5pm, when we get home, until 7:30 pm when he's in the bed. The rest of the evening is spent trying to work out, doing homework, cleaning the house, etc. But the fun never ends. Wes is getting more and more fun every day. He laughs at everything, makes friends wherever he goes, and loves to eat, play and dance. We wouldn't trade anything for our crazy life!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2008-02-14T10:29:00.001-08:00

Neil and I are going to celebrate with our #1 love by going to our favorite diner, Elmo's, for dinner.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Bananas? No thanks, mom.

2008-02-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last night we decided to try bananas with Wes. I was excited, because I used a real banana and just smushed it up, instead of the jarred baby food which we usually give him.

Well, I don't know if it was the texture, which is different than anything he has had, or the taste, but it did not go over well.

Here is the result:

I tried a few more bites, just to see if it would help, but after he gagged on the last one, we were done. He had the look on his face for a good 15 minutes after dinner.

Someone needs to tell him that monkeys are supposed to love bananas. :)

(Talk to) the Back of the Hand.....

2008-02-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

I mentioned months ago in this post that the "sooner you decipher your baby's various noises and mannerisms, the better off everyone will be."

Well, along those lines, here's something else I've noticed.

Much like you and I, when Wes is starting to tire, his hand flips over and he rubs the back of it against his face. In fact, sometimes he just flips it over and waves it in front of his face. Either way, when he employs the back of the hand, slumber is not far away.

Now, if I can just figure out a way to shield his eyes from the sheep in his crib, we'll be set. More from Tina on that in her next post....

Exersaucer!

2008-02-07T10:51:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm not sure how Wes got along before we introduced him to THIS, but suffice it to say that Wes loves it.

He swivels around 360 degrees in the seat, playing with a variety of toys that spin, bend, and make noise. He doesn't fixate on any one toy, but he does tend to gravitate to the ones he can get into his mouth.

Tina and I also like the exersaucer as a prelude to a good nap. Wes wears himself out in this thing! We owe our friends big time for loaning it to us.....

"Eat my toes, eat my toes!"

2008-02-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that babies are extremely supple?

Well, Wes is starting to notice this about himself. Many months ago, Tina dicovered that the act of touching Wes' feet to his cheeks and mouth made him giggle. She would sing to him as she did this:

"Eat my toes, eat my toes!"

Apparently Wes has caught on. He no longer needs our help to get his toes to his face and into his mouth. This is very convenient, particularly when he can't find his pacifier. This is also not surprising, given that everything goes into his mouth lately.

Of course, with his feet in his mouth, he won't be able sing the song (even after he learns it), so it's nice to know that we'll still be needed for some things, even after he's figured other things out on his own!

Our Beautiful, Beautiful Baby

2008-02-05T18:37:00.001-08:00

Neil and I are seriously considering giving up our careers to be stage parents to our beautiful baby.
It could be the long hours we're pulling, or the boring reading, or the measly paychecks, but sometimes we daydream about Wes starting to pay his rent by being a baby model. Have you ever seen a more beautiful baby?

Prunes!

2008-02-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Wes is 6 months today! I can't believe it. Six months does not sound like a long time, until you realize it's half of a year, and then it sounds like a long time to me.

Wes loves fruit. We have to always do veggies first because there is no turning back once you give him some fruit. We did a few days of prunes, which as you'll see from the picture are a lovely brown color - well, let's just say they look the same coming out and smell like nothing I've ever smelled before. So we're off prunes for awhile.

He can roll over, he just isn't really interested. If you put him on his tummy, eventually he'll get tired of the view and roll over from his tummy to his back (he always looks at me like I'm crazy when I say, "YAY!" and clap my hands when he does this). He can also roll from his back to his tummy, but usually with a little help from mom.

We go to the doctor for his 6 month checkup on Monday. After that we'll have a weight report!

We Confess...

2008-01-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

...we're terrible bloggers.

It's been almost two months since our last post. Wes is certainly keeping us busy (along with school and work and all that other nonsense) but we need to be better at documenting our poor child's life.

Things change so quickly with Wes, sometimes you don't even realize it. He's a great baby, sleeping through the night, save the few trips to his room to pop his paci back in so he will go back to sleep. He's eating some solids now (peas and carrots are his favorites so far). He grabs at EVERYTHING, so dangly earrings are a thing of the past for me. If you get him started, he'll roll over on his tummy, although he's quite content to lay on his back and kick his legs with delight.

Until next time, Kristina and Neil

Rock Star!

2007-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

Wes is quite the rock star lately...he loves to party and get passed around. Considering all the spitting up he does, I told Neil he needs a "Party Till You Puke" shirt...then he'll be dressed for the occasion!
We went to the 2L Thanksgiving dinner tonight, and he was such a trooper. I looked over one time and some guy I had never seen before was holding Wes, who was just looking around like "this happens all the time". There was another group that were posing for pictures with the little rockstar. Through it all, he smiled, looked around, and only puked on a couple of people.

Sneaker

2007-10-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Wesley has this new game that he likes to play whereby I compose and post this great update to his blog, and then he hacks into my computer and deletes it.

OK, so maybe that's not entirely true.

The truth is that, for the past two months, I have been touring around with the Boston Red Sox, impersonating Josh Beckett. The real Josh Beckett is out of shape and lives in a van down by the river. I would have posted some updates, but hey, the Sox need me, and you must admit my curveball has been quite devastating lately.

OK, so that's also a lie.

I really have no excuse -- the blog has been languishing here and it's time for an update. Where to begin?

As Tina mentions in her last update, Wes has discovered how to smile. In fact, he's all about the smile. He's even mixing in the occasional chuckle. It's almost reached the point where I don't know whether he is laughing with me or laughing at me. Nonetheless, I love the smiles, so keep 'em coming, Wes.

In other news, he's at the 75th percentile for both height (length) and weight. This is not surprising, considering he's long outgrown all his 0-3 month clothes. And, in case you were wondering, no -- he's not sleeping through the night yet. He'll go from 8pm to about 2am or 3am, and then he's up again around 6am. So, we're getting there, but he still enjoys his middle-of-the-night bottle.

Wes is also building quite a book collection. He's been loading up on Dr. Seuss (Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, ABC, In a People House), The Clumsy Cowboy, There's an Alligator Under My Bed, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. We read a book to Wes every night after his bath, before he goes to bed (and sometimes AS he's going to bed).....

Smile for Me

2007-10-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

Wes is finally smiling for us all the time. He laughs, too, at the funniest things -The Itsy Bitsy Spider, getting his diaper changed, the monkey on his bouncy seat. Neil and I will do anything to get him to smile - we must look like idiots to those on the outside looking in, dancing and singing like fools. But those smiles are worth their weight in gold. I'd do anything to get one!

Tar....Heels!

2007-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Wes had his first trip to UNC's campus yesterday and it was a very BIG day. The Tar Heels were playing their season opener against James Madison that evening, so we decided to head up to campus for the Old Well Walk and Tar Heel Town. It was finally a nice mild day so it was perfect for a football Saturday. We all got in our Carolina gear and dressed Wes up in his Carolina onesie and socks. At the Old Well Walk, a lady that seemed to know a lot of the players asked if we could take his picture with a few players and put it on their posters that she hands out at the Walk. We said sure - we have no problem exploiting our adorable baby! :) So during the Walk, she pulled aside Brooks Foster and Scott Lenahan and had them pose with Wes and me for a picture. It was very exciting! We had lots of people stop us to tell us how adorable he was, and some people were even sneaking pictures of us. I think he might have been the youngest Tar Heel in attendance.
All that excitement tuckered us out, so Grandma, Mom and Wes went home while Dad and Grandad went to the game.
Neil has a video of the Old Well Walk that we'll try to post soon, but for now, here are some pictures of the Carolina family!

Reluctant Friends

2007-09-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

In case you can't tell, that's Wes and Allie on the couch together. I titled this post "Reluctant Friends" because Wes isn't yet aware that Allie exists and Allie isn't yet sure how she feels about Wes. But the day this picture was taken Allie jumped right up on the couch beside me while I was feeding him and let him touch her fur with his tiny wandering hand.
Every day she lets him get a little closer and becomes more curious about him. She smells his head, lets him put his feet on her and rub her, and today she gave his foot a good rub with the side of her face, thereby marking him as her territory. I think they'll be best buds before too long.

Out and About

2007-08-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

After spending much of his first week-and-a-half at home, Wesley did a little research on the outstanding male-to-female ratio at UNC and decided that it was time to make a public appearance.

His first stop would be none other than the hub of all activity in southwestern Durham: The SouthPoint Mall. Though his first adventure would be a relatively short one, Wesley nonetheless covered some serious ground, making stops at Panera Bread, Belk, and Nordstrom while cruising around in his Graco SnugRider.

Confident from this first foray, Wesley decided to make his next appearance a few days later at a well-known Chapel Hill watering hole. There, he made the acquaintance of several law school persons, befriended a nice bartender (who gifted him a free appetizer), and received his introduction to microbrewed delights.

Milk Coma

2007-08-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

One of the things I've gleaned after just a few short weeks of fatherhood is this: the sooner you decipher your baby's various noises and mannerisms, the better off everyone will be.

On that note, I have learned that, for Wesley, there is a point of optimal milk intake. As this point is reached, Wesley's eyes begin to close, his arms suddenly become much less active, and he begins to groan as you or I might after taking one bite too many at the dinner table ("uhhhhhhhhhh"). I like to call this phenomenon the "milk coma."

Make no mistake, this is a good thing.

When Wesley enters his milk coma, the end of the feeding session is in sight. You can almost feel that pillow under your head. It's just a matter of time before he's rendered incapable of fussiness for at least another three hours.

I am convinced that there are other such "optimal" times (for instance, the optimal time to change the diaper, so to avoid the post-change poop). Rest assured, we have people working around the clock on these items. For the time being, it's nice to know that it *is* possible to satisfy Wesley's hunger at 3 in the morning, if only temporarily.

My boys...

2007-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of my two boys! This was taken right after Wes was born. I just love to see Neil interact with Wesley!

More pictures are coming soon...I am having problems getting the computer to recognize the USB card reader for some reason. I need my tech support guy to come home from the library to help me!

sleepy head...

2007-08-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Just a few adorable pictures of Wes' second
favorite activity - sleeping.

For the record, eating is number 1 and pooping is number 3.

At the hospital...

2007-08-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

Wes has several friends already. We had lots of visitors at the hospital and home, including some of his new girlfriends, Molly Harrell and Caroline Bowman. Molly and Caroline are both older women but right around his age...I know we'll have fun comparing notes as they grow together. Here is a picture of Wes and Molly at the hospital together - his first visit from a girl! :)

Welcome to Wesley's Blog!

2007-08-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Eight days later than anticipated, Wesley Lawrence finally arrived on August 5, 2007. He weighed in at a very stout 7 pounds and 12 ounces, measured 20 inches in length, and promptly announced that he will be playing baseball for the Tar Heels in 2025-26.