Bottoms up.

Wyatt has reached an adventurous stage in life... between crawling, cruising, and pulling himself up he can get into just about anything. Though fun to watch, it has turned me into a mad woman chasing him around, baby proofing the house, and re-proofing only after discovering he can reach a new level or open a new drawer. He is definitely a boy... doesn't mind being dirty (though it drives me crazy!), likes crawling on Bentley, and should he ever catch one of the cats, would love to pull a tail.

Just when it seems like things start to settle down... he will discover something new and it brings a whole new joy to our day. He recently started clapping, signing 'more', and walking behind something. I told Bryan we really need to get him a walker (Merry Christmas!) because he is currently pushing his sit n' spin around the house and I can tell it just isn't doing the trick.

He is also addicted to his bike that I bought him, thinking he wouldn't use it for at least a few more months, if not longer. I set in the living room to be stored away until he was big enough for it, but apparently size is not a problem and once he saw it there was no taking it away. Now when he sees it he will climb up to the handle bars and squeal, "Eee, eee, eee!" until someone takes him for a spin around the living room. The only way to get him off is to quickly dismantle him and hide the bike.

Wyatt's favorite activity is making messes, wherever he may be. Pulling DVD's off the shelf has been the current choice of disaster, but today he discovered how fun it is to take all the toys out of his toy box... right after mom has picked them all up. I have found this to be a losing battle and now wait (though there still is really no point, besides keeping my sanity) until he goes to bed to clean up. Today I was able to capture him getting a little 'high centered' while trying to get one of his books out from the bottom.

So here's to my little man... cheers. Or should I say, "Bottoms up!"

If you've got to stand for something.

They say that the average infant learns more during the first 2 years of their life then we do in an entire lifetime. As we casually glide our way through the milestones of the first year, I am reminded of how quickly the time goes and how every day Wyatt moves one step closer to being a toddler and two steps away from being the little newborn I still see him as. Since we are cruising (quite literally) along so quickly I thought I would write a quick update on all the progress we are making in becoming... a big boy.

Wyatt went from crawling to 'cruising' (the term used to maneuver around furniture while standing) in a matter of days. We think he is going to be an early walker, but you can never really tell. He is steady on his feet though and should he take a fall, we yell 'Safe!' with a big smile which usually leads to him standing back up and trying again, skipping the tears altogether. I read a book about a mom who said she couldn't help but gasp when her son would tip over or fall. It wasn't until he heard her do this though, that he would start crying. Sometimes its not the pain that gets them, but your reaction to it. Smart little buggers.

Like father (er, mother?), like son. Wyatt is currently going through a bit of a rebellious stage and thinks the word "No!" is as funny as watching Bentley chase his tail. His favorite pastime is pulling things off of shelves, whether it be DVDs or books, nothing is more entertaining then making a mess. He smiles an evil little smirk when I tell him to sit down in the bathtub, and then proceeds to jump up and down... all the while shrieking with the joy of defiance. And so it begins...

We (yes, I say we) got our first tooth on Tuesday, 11/31. At 2:30 in the morning I was woken by a shrill cry and went running downstairs. After trying everything to get him to go back to sleep, I had the thought that maybe, after all these months of waiting, his tooth had finally came in. Sure enough, with the quick swipe of a finger I was able to confirm that his first little razor-like shark tooth had arrived. A bit of Oragel and a few minutes of vigorous rocking did the trick and he was back in dream land in no time.

Much to Bentley's dismay, Wyatt is the equivalent of a garbage disposal, letting no morsel of food get away from his grasp. He is eating everything now, from tasty turkey on Thanksgiving to chunks of cheese and crackers for lunch. Occasionally Wyatt will have a change of heart and toss Bentley, who is sitting loyally by his side, a piece of meat loaf that he decided he could part with. I love watching them together, knowing that when Wyatt gets older he will always have a buddy... even if he is furry and rather annoying; Wyatt doesn't seem to mind.

Unless you have had kids, you can't really understand the excitement that comes with every new discovery. Maybe it is just a case of 1st-child syndrome. Bryan says I am setting myself up for disaster because I have done so much for Wyatt, between baby books and blogs I have a lot to live up to when baby #2 comes along.

But for now, I am loving every minute and I can't help but want to share our new discoveries and the fun I have everyday with the rest of the world... or at least with my 2 readers in Australia, whomever they may be.