Christmas recap

WOW! The last week for us has been busy, busy, busy! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My Grandparents are in from Florida, we had to finish Christmas shopping and wrapping gifts, and of course, we work full-time. I absolutely love Christmas, but I am not too sad to see it pass. I am already excited for Christmas next year, but I'm ready to get the house cleared and life back to "normal" (whatever that is).

So much for not playing up Santa too much - the kid is sold. He cannot get enough of the guy in the big red suit. I realize now that if we're going all out, then I should have used the "Santa is watching" line much earlier in the year. Damon is still trying to use it and Christmas is over! Damon and I have also decided that next year we'll pack up toys we no longer need for Santa to take with him. We have so many toys now that I honestly don't know where to put all of it!! I can only imagine how crowded we would have been in our old house that is half the size of our current home...

My friend Jessica came up with a great idea that we used this year...we all got together for a toy exchange. Everyone brought at least five toys and we took turns picking out toys. It would have worked better if we had more moms with children of varying ages (our kids are close in age), but otherwise it was awesome!! I was able to get a lot of toys that Wes was excited to get for Christmas. I'm not ashamed to give him used toys (and neither is Santa)!!

Wes is eating fabulously!! He continues to eat more and is chewing more consistently all the time. We've been feeding Wes small bites, but he just swallows them whole and sometimes (well, usually) gags. Amazingly when he's fed larger bites, it forces him to chew and he doesn't gag at all. Wes hasn't been to feeding therapy in over 6 weeks, and I'm not sure that we really need to go anymore. He won't eat in front of the therapist and since he's making such progress at home, I just don't know that there is a need. I'll probably call the dietician in the next two weeks to see if we can cut back on the g-tube feedings. On days when Damon and I are home all day, he usually only gets a can of Pediasure anyway. I'm sure we could just feed him a can of yogurt to get the same calorie content in.

I know I have more say, but I'm heading to bed. I just wanted to post an update because my Grandma checks every day and she asked me to post more often :)

Happy New Year!

Staci

Wesley tearing into his first present (I love his little tongue sticking out)

one of our Christmas trees (we have two up and we purchased two more for next year)

I thought that Wesley might like a Cabbage Patch Doll - I was wrong. I do like the "are you kidding me?" look  :)

It's so tough to wait for your turn to open gifts when you're two years old!!

Wesley with his cousin Lillie and his Great Grandma and Great Pawpaw

everyone on my Dad's side of the family

just the three of us

Wesley with his Uncle Scott

the family (us, my parents, my brother)

update and boring talk about the weather

The breakfast with Santa went well. Wesley could hardly hold in his excitement as we waited for Santa to arrive. Of course Wesley didn't stop moving long enough for me to get a good picture (even with the sport setting on the camera). We did a little shopping after breakfast, then came home for Wes to nap. When he woke up, he asked if we were going to eat dinner with Santa too. Well no, that's not quite how this works. Or maybe it is because he ate dinner with me and Damon...

Wesley and Daddy at the breakfast

Wesley hugging his Daddy

I just like this picture

I think my Aunt Donna said it best when she said that Wes looks like a politician in this picture. I have to wholeheartedly agree :)

Wesley couldn't stop waving to Santa

Much different than last year's Santa picture...

the three of us

Wesley is now eating dinner with us in restaurants!!! We went to O'Charley's last Friday night, and Wes ate all of his children's macaroni and cheese. The trouble is that I am not sure that most restaurants serve much variety in terms of children's foods that he can eat at this point. I also realized that we are again going to need to cut back on eating out because it's expensive when you have a child who eats! Who knew?

The weather here in Ohio is FREEZING!! Last night when I went to bed (around midnight), the temperature was -12 degrees with the wind chill. It's weather like this that makes me want to stay inside ALL the time and never leave. I think that I really mean it makes it harder for me to leave the house, but not impossible. Anyone with a very active almost three year-old knows that you cannot stay home for days at a time without the possibility of losing your mind or becoming temporarily insane. Before we had Wesley, I could have stayed home just snuggled on the sofa reading a book for days at a time, but now we get out at least once a day. Last winter when we had an ice storm, the three of us were stuck in our house for a day and a half - the stress was palpable in this house. I have to add also that this was before Wesley realized that he liked television so much, which may have made the time inside easier on us all.

But anyway...the weather is just cold and windy, no real snowfall. We did have snow on Monday morning, but Wesley told me it wasn't snow it was rain. My bad...(even though it really was snow). I always think that I want snow until it really happens. So right now I am thinking that we should at least have snow with the chilly weather.

I'm heading to bed now because I am even boring myself to sleep talking about the weather. Guess that's what happens when you are in your thirties :)

Staci

talk about the jolly guy in the red suit

Tomorrow is the big breakfast with Santa! Wesley has been excited to see Santa this year, but I don't know that he "gets" the whole Christmas theme. Which leads me to something my girlfiends and I were discussing tonight...what is the best way to handle the role of Santa in Christmas? I want him to know that Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus but at the same time I know how exciting it is to think about Santa bringing gifts on Christmas morning. Its a little tough because all of our friends are handling the situation differently, so when the kids are all old enough to talk to each other more, they'll be able to put the pieces together. What's a parent to do? We could definitely use some advice!!

I could really use prayers regarding my work lately. It's a difficult time right now for my employer, so to say that the situation is hostile might be an understatement...I am just struggling to conduct myself in an honest and upright manner befiting a Christian. Others are saying many things that are not true and trying to destroy the reputation of many hardworking, wonderful people. Please just pray that those spreadsing mistruths are exposed and those of us working for a cause will stay strong and keep our sense of humor. I am not sure I can say much more than that.

Thank you!!!

Staci

family picture for Thanksgiving (better than the previous one I posted)

Wesley LOVED jumping off the trailer. He would jump off and climb right back on to do it again.

Happy Thanksgiving (just two days late)

I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. We had both my family and Damon's family over for a late lunch. Damon smoked a turkey, and I baked a turkey breast in the oven (at Damon's request in case his turkey didn't turn out well). My turkey was good for making the gravy, but Damon's turned out better than mine!! It was so moist and the smoked flavor added a different taste. Here are pictures of the turkey before and after. (and yes...I did wash and sanitize the platter)

Last year we started having both families over to our house for Thanksgiving, and personally, I think it has turned out well. Even though you might not think so, it is much less work for us to have it at our house than to attend two LARGE meals at both my parent's house and Damon's mother's house. It's also easier on me mentally to have Wes at our house because when we go somewhere else I worry about him breaking things as he tears through the house. Wesley did eat a lot at our thanksgiving meal! He had turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing, jelly (don't ask - Damon fed him that). He is making progress on chewing more foods instead of just swallowing and seeing if he gags, so I am thankful for that!

We headed to northern Ohio today for my mother's side of the family's thanksgiving dinner. It was great to see everyone since we don't get up there as often as I'd like. It is difficult to make the trip up there and back in one day - especially now that we have a small child who doesn't love to sit still for a 2.5 hour car ride (We almost always do it in one day because otherwise we have to get someone to take care of the dogs).

Here is a picture of us with my parents, my brother Scott and his girlfriend Emily. (I would like to add a disclaimer that this picture was taken at the end of a long thanksgiving day. I would also like to add that Wesley's ear looks like an elf because you can see just a hint of the fireplace behind his head)

Damon is going to the Bengals game tomorrow, so Wesley and I are going to start decorating the house for "Critmas," which is Christmas in Wesley-speak. We did a little Christmas shopping on Black Friday, but we didn't leave our house until around 11:00am. We missed some of the sales, but got a few good deals. I decided that for myself sleep was more important than saving a few dollars, which goes to show how much I needed sleep! The sale at Staples ended at 10am, but if they had items left, then the sale price was good until they sold out. We didn't get there until around 1:00pm, but they had sale items left.

Speaking of good deals...have you ever visited the website restaurant.com? With the code "SAVE," right now you can purchase $25 gift certificates to restaurants for only $2!!! We have been able to go out to eat with another family for only about $10 each (includes tip)! Most restaurants required you to spend $35 and add on the gratuity, but it's a cheap way to try new restaurants. Also a good gift idea...

I am heading off to bed, so have a great rest of the weekend. Why does it always go so quickly?????

still progressing & a list of things I am thankful for

Wesley is eating more all the time! He is getting better with chewing and being willing to eat, and God-willing we hope to get the tube removed maybe as early as next spring!! We had a follow-up with the surgeon this week, and he couldn't get over how much Wes has grown since mid-summer. Wesley will have another follow-up appointment in February to have a swallow study and we are going to work on getting him off the tube feedings by then. If Wes eats enough by mouth, the doctor will reevaluate Wes in April and take the g-tube out then if he continues to grow and maintain weight in those two months. I am really not sure if it will happen, but I am already praying for it.

Another point of good news is that Wesley has continued to gain weight since going down to 2 cans of Pediasure a day.

I had an MRI done on my knee the other day and it turns out that I have a sprain and a small tear in my MCL. There is also likely a tear in the meniscus, but the doctor couldn't be sure from the MRI. I will likely have surgery sometime after the first of the year to make the repairs. Once that is done, I hope that my knee feels good as new. We'll see...

The big OSU Michigan game is tomorrow and you know who we're rooting for!!!

If I don't post before, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Take time to remember all that the Lord has blessed you with - a caring husband, a wonderful family who you know would do anything for you, friends who make you laugh and look out for you, a child who couldn't be more like you and your husband if you gave birth to him, our health, "furry" children (aka Duke and Katie), a roof over your head, food on your table, employment, good books, clean laundry, fresh water, Sesame Street to keep your two year old occupied for a few minutes of quiet, enjoyable music, a comfortable bed to get a good night's rest, facebook to keep up with old friends, a big purse to hold anything you could want to carry, silly tv shows to make you laugh (like "The Office"), my contacts to be able to see, Ohio State and Bengals football (we are hard-core fans in this house), long showers, clothes that fit just right, but most of all I am thankful that Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior came to this earth and died to forgive my sins!!!!

Have a good weekend!

visit to the nutritionist & feeding therapy

I took Wes to the nutritionist on Wednesday morning. She looked at the feeding "diary" we've been keeping of what food Wes eats by mouth and when and was pleased with his progress. She said that we could cut down Wesley's tube feeding from 5.5 cans per day to 2 cans. Of course I was happy to hear that, but we've still got a way to go.

Feeding therapy this week did not go much better than the last time. I was thankful that he didn't scream and cry the whole time, but by saying that though, I am not implying that he ate. We are going to try one more face-to-face meeting, but if he won't eat in front of her, then we're just going to do phone conversations. He is learning to eat and chew, so the goal is being achieved.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I typed those last paragraphs over a week ago, and I went in the next day and finished with a big ol' long post. Somehow though, it wouldn't post and I lost the whole thing. I have been mad at blogspot, so I haven't gotten on here to type again.

Now I cannot remember what I was blogging about...On Election Day, a local issue I spent many hours on was defeated two to one. I'm not upset any more, but I spent the two days after very depressed. I think now that the voters weren't quite sure how the issue would affect them, but I guess it's a learning experience. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to experience disappointing circumstances, but then I wouldn't realize how great the rewarding experiences are. God knows what He's doing.

Wesley is continuing to eat well. He loves for me to get a piece of fried chicken from the grocery deli and tear it apart for him. He's gotten over being afraid to eat chicken because it will "peck his hand." He also is quite the fan of brisket (or "cow" as he calls it), but we really don't have that very often unless we go to City Barbecue - YUM. Mommy and Daddy like it a lot too!

My knee has been getting worse (louder grinding, more swelling, even bruising from the swelling), so I have an MRI scheduled for Wednesday. I meet with the doctor on Friday to get the results. We'll know for sure soon, but it looks like my meniscus might be torn. I am praying that it is just one side and not both. If both sides are torn, they could be fixed with one surgery, but recovery will be longer.

40 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

We've already started our Christmas shopping. Last year I waited too long, but I'm already getting in the spirit, so I figured why not? When I went grocery shopping this morning, they were playing Christmas music in the store and the workers were wearing Santa hats. Might just be a little too early for the hats...Even though Wesley is already talking about going to see Santa. Last year he was terrified of Santa, but a few weeks ago we were in a shop and Wes yelled out "Santa." He was pointing at a little figurine of the big guy, and I was shocked he even remembered who he was.

Happy Birthday, Damon!!!

Hopefully your Buckeyes pull out a win for you today...

Here are a few more Halloween pictures. I love the one where Wes is walking with Damon and looking back at me. He was upset that I wasn't taking him, but they only went to a few houses. I then took him to a few as well. All he talked about though is raccoons scaring him (don't know what that's about, but it probably has to do with some sort of mask) and a hand scaring him. Damon told him to stick his hand in a bowl where a hand grabs you as soon as you touch the candy. Hopefully he' not scarred for life.

family picture (dogs included)

eggs and chicken today

Look at me posting two days in a row, but this will be a quick one...

Wesley ate eggs with us this morning! Then we had chicken at lunch and he had some too!! Obviously they were very small pieces of each, but he chewed them and swallowed. He is just coming so far so quickly that I couldn't ask for more!

My Aunt Donna came down to visit and Wes was so excited to get to spend some time with her. Here's a picture of him playing in the leaves with Doda and Donna. Thanks for the pictures, Donna!!!

eating more food every day

I just want to clarify that Wesley is eating more food every day, while Damon and I try to eat less. Yesterday he at 36 ounces!! This is HUGE! I remember just a few weeks ago when he would only eat about 2 ounces a feeding, now we're over 10. I've started keeping track of all his feedings in a journal, so if I feel discouraged, I can look back and see how far he's come.

Due to the fact that Wes is eating more each day, I called the nutritionist and she suggested we meet again and review his caloric intake. The way I figure it, we should be able to decrease from 5.5 cans per day (which we haven't been giving him) to probably around 2. I was thinking yesterday (only happens once a week or so) that he has to be getting at least the same amount of calories in the meals we feed him as he does from the cans of PediaSure.

So I went grocery shopping yesterday and it was a different type of shopping trip than I've ever had before because I was buying food specifically for Wes. I usually buy yogurt for myself and Damon, but I buy the Yoplait light 100 calorie cups. When I was looking for yogurt for Wes, I tried to find the yogurt with the highest amount of fat and calories. I also tried to buy other varieties that I wouldn't normally buy because I don't like them. I have to remember that just because I don't like it doesn't mean that Wes doesn't like it. I tend to be a picky eater (my Mom is laughing because I am a VERY picky eater) and I have to remember that he will probably like a wider variety of foods than I do.

When Wesley had his esophagus repair surgery in April, I told Damon that I would be so happy if we were able to have the g-tube removed next summer. Just six weeks ago I thought that goal was completely out of reach, but I am just know beginning to realize that it is entirely possible. Which leads me to...Matthew 19:26 - "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' " I really believe that after the surgery we relied too much on ourselves and trying to make Wesley eat. Obviously that just caused him to fight us even harder and we all just ended up frustrated and feeling defeated. It was so freeing to me when I finally gave up on using my own "power" and trusted that God could take care of the eating on His own. And he did it without my help :)

Wesley with Daddy before going to a "Trunk or Treat" with his grandparents at a local church.

Who else would he dress up as? That kid LOVES Elmo!!!

Wes had his first "real" food today!

While Wesley was napping, I baked a pot pie (not from scratch, of course). I then pureed it in a little Magic Bullet blender (generic, of course) and separated out a few servings. I could hardly wait for him to get up so he could eat, which is not something I normally look forward to. When he woke up, I told him that I had a surprise for him to eat. Big surprise here...he wasn't excited.

I sat him down in his chair and started feeding him. He wasn't loving it (at least I don't think he was), but he didn't fight it. He ate 4.5 ounces of it, then another 3 ounces of applesauce. So I would say that it was a good first attempt at regular food. Tomorrow we're going to puree some chicken and noodles that my mom made me since I've been sick with flu symptoms (feeling MUCH better now and it wasn't the pig flu).

Has anyone seen the movie "Gran Torino"? Damon got it from the library the other day, and it's a weird movie!! Clint Eastwood plays a strange character. We haven't finished it yet, but it has made me laugh quite a few times.

Here's an old school picture of me from a college friend of mine...look at that long hair!! I got it cut off in college and have never wanted to grow it back.

Wes at 10 ounces yesterday

Yesterday Wesley ate 10 ounces of food before lying down for his nap!! Of course I was excited, but only 90 minutes earlier he had the most awful temper tantrum at feeding therapy. We're talking the type of tantrum that we've only see about three times in the last year. He sobbed for 35 of the 50 minute therapy session, and I thought I might die of embarrassment. Good news though, I was able to talk to the therapist and get ideas on things to try. I am also happy that the crying and fit-throwing is now something we have to put up with every time we feed Wesley. The therapist said that she has families that have to deal with that EVERY time they try to feed their child. I am so thankful we don't have those issues in addition to the not eating.

We're starting to work on transitioning Wes to food that Damon and I are eating. This means we'll have to puree it or mash it up enough that he can eat it. We've been spoiled up until this point because we haven't had to pay to feed Wes because our insurance covered the cost of his PediaSure. I'll probably have to start going to the grocery more often and planning out meals a little better than I have been...

We went to a local pumpkin patch/farm, and here are a few pictures. Of course my camera died about 10 minutes after we got there, but then I could eat my caramel apple and not have to hold a camera instead!

Wes ate 6 ounces of food this morning!

We were able to get Wesley to eat 6 ounces of food this morning and another 1.5 ounces of milk! YAY!! I was feeding him and he got a little tired of eating toward the end, but he kept on going. We go to feeding therapy this week, so I am excited to hear what she has to say. In my non-professional opinion, he has made great strides these last few weeks. He was only eating about 2.5 ounces of food and 1 ounce of milk, so he has more than doubled his oral intake. Wes is also working on chewing, but he won't chew foods like baby pasta meals. He is more interested in hard breadsticks, french fries, and cheetos. I can't blame him though because I would much rather eat that food too :)

We have also stepped up the potty training efforts. Except for naps and through the night, Wes is wearing his big boy "unnerwear." He had one accident as soon as we first put them on him, but he's done well since then.

The three of us at Waynesville's Sauerkraut Festival (Who knew a town could have such a festival? Personally, I do not like sauerkraut, but Damon loves it. They have sauerkraut pizza, sauerkrat cookies, sauerkraut balls, sauerkraut ice cream, sauerkraut doughnuts, sauerkraut sundaes (pork, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut), and more. I ate a corn dog (without kraut) and a funnel cake (also without kraut). And yes - you could smell the stink of sauerkraut everywhere!!)

Damon and I at the Sauerkraut Festival

We also went to a Homecoming parade, and Wes was able to see fire trucks up close. He was excited, then scared, then excited again. The sirens scared him because they kept them on the whole time.

climbing onto my soap box

Tonight I went to a program at the local library called "every child ready to read." It's a program that is supposed to teach you things to do with your child to help them get ready to read. The idea is to promote print awareness, vocabulary, etc so when it is time for your child to read they have the foundation to help them with reading. Now it's not likely that a parent would spend 90 minutes in this session if you were not at all concerned about your child's future education - am I wrong? So why is there inevitably one mother who has to talk about how much her child loves to read and how smart she is as though every other child pales in comparison to hers? This woman started talking during the time for questions and didn't ask a question at the end of her speech. Then the woman next to me just kept saying "oh how wonderful," " what a smart little girl," "you must be so proud," etc. I must admit that the woman's little girl did sound smart, but "being smart" isn't the be all and end all to life. Now I would love for Wesley to be smart and to do well in school, but more than that, I want him to be a wonderful, kind person who loves the Lord with all his heart and works to serve Him.

-------

I don't fault the woman for wanting to brag on her daughter because who doesn't brag on their kids occasionally? I just think that as parents we have to avoid getting too caught up in what the world says we have to be as parents and who our kids have to be to be successful. I'm saying this as much for myself as anyone because I need reminded of this often!! I sometimes worry that Wes isn't as talkative or coordinated or social or well behaved as someone else's child, but I just have to remember that God chose Damon and me to raise and teach him. He is being used to teach us about ourselves, our attitude, and our faith and trust in Jesus.

-------

Now I'm climbing down off my soap box and going to bed. Good night!

feeding going well

I just had to post - Wesley ate his first whole jar of food yesterday!! He had 4 ounces of food and 1 ounce of milk. I was so excited that I nearly cried!! I remember when we could not get him to eat more than 0.50 ounces...I've been taking him to feeding therapy once a week, and I think it's helping. The therapist has really been trying to get Wes to chew food, but I just didn't think it was working. He was fighting it so hard, and it was such a stress for me and Damon. One night Damon and I were talking and we decided to focus on quantity right now and deal with chewing later. Since then Wes has quit fighting us so much, so I think the chewing will come. I figure that we can puree anything. We don't go back to the therapist for two weeks, so I'm excited to tell her his progress.

-------

I do wish that we were able to get Wes to consistently chew, but he won't want to eat baby food forever. He is starting to be more interested in food and what we are eating. He asks to try everything that I eat, so that is great. I don't know if it's the therapy or what, but I'll take it!! I think that part of the change is because Wes has decided that he doesn't want to be fed in his stomach tube. I told him that he has to eat in his mouth or we feed him in his tube, and maybe he is getting old enough to understand it is one or the other. He wants to be a big boy, and since big boys eat with their mouth, he wants to as well.

-------

Other than the feeding, we aren't up to much. We have started the efforts at potty training. It's tough to focus on feeding and pottying, but we're doing it. I don't know if he's quite ready for potty training, but Wes wants to wear "unnerwear" like a big boy so we're trying it.

-------

I go to an orthpedic surgeon on Friday about my knee pain. I don't know what is wrong, but it locks when extended and grinds when bent. Going up and down the stairs in our house is a little rough, so I try to go up and down as little as possible. I am hoping not to need surgery, but who knows? Our friend who is a physical therapist said that I might have to have a knee scope, but I hope not.

Happy birthday to me

Today is my 31st birthday! I don't exactly feel any older, but I do have a pretty bad cold so I feel out of it. I also wanted to say that I don't know why my last post stated that it was done on August 29th, but I think it was just last week. I may have started the post and not finished it until last week. Strange...

GO BUCKEYES!!

Wesley has been home one year!

I know it's been a LONG time since my last update, but I didn't let myself update the blog until I finished the annual update to the Ukrainian government. I think I'm going to start writing shorter updates more often. The problem is that I procrastinate so long that it's a daunting task to even start. But here we go...

-------

Wesley has started feeding therapy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We've only been twice, but the therapist has given us good suggestions to try. We are working on stage 3 foods right now, and I can assure you - it's a struggle. Wes does okay unless he realizes that the food is more than just pureed mush. He immediately spits out anything of substance, but I've been trying to get him to attack it with his teeth. So far it's not really working. The therapist though is really optimistic that Wes is going to "catch on" to eating without too much trouble. She pointed out that Wes letting us put the spoon in his mouth with food on it is really an accomplishment. She also stated that his ability drinking from a straw is a good indicator of his oral abilities - who knew?

-------

It's starting to get cooler here, and I normally love autumn but I'm not quite ready yet this year. I think it's that Wes loves playing outside so much, and when it gets cold, we'll have to find a way to amuse him inside. The mall near our house has a small play area, but I think that will get old fast. We are outside at least 2 hours a day, and he wears himself out! I am just really not sure what we are going to do because Wes NEEDS physical activity. Any suggestions?

-------

I'm trying to think what else has been going on...work has been going well for me, but I'm feeling a little burnt out. I thought that working from home part of the time (and the rest of the time in the office to get to full time) would be a dream, but it really is more difficult than you'd think. I feel that work is always hanging over my head when I'm at home, and when I'm at work I think about home. I love my job, but it's a difficult balance, so I would appreciate your prayers.

-------

What else? Damon and I have been working on completing our basement, so that's exciting for us. We bought a new leather sectional, and it's so fun for all five of us (Damon, Wes, the two dogs and me) to sit on it together and watch Elmo.

-------

Nothing else going on that I can think of, but I do promise to write updates more often.

Damon, Pawpaw (Staci's Dad), and our friend Rob put up a new swing set in our backyard. Wes playing on the new tire swing - he quickly moved to the swings, then the slide, then the stairs.

going down the slide

Wesley was messing around with Damon's recliner and somehow got grease all over his face and hands. For the life of me I cannot tell where he got it off the chair, but I can't think of anywhere else he would have gotten it. Thankfully it wasn't on the tan fabric chair anywhere!

Kids can ride the pony at Meijer for $0.01!

Wesley was so excited to go on an airplane. This picture was taken at 4:00 in the morning.

Wes took a 90 minute nap in the airport!!

Wes and Daddy in the airport on the way to Maine

What kid doesn't love a sheepskin hat??

Camden, Maine port

family picture

The view from our hotel porch. What a wonderful sight to wake up to!

a sculpture in the museum lot in Rockland, Maine (I'm not sure of the artist...)

sitting in the seaweed in a cove on the Atlantic Ocean

Wesley loved picking up anything and throwing it in the water.

crawling in the seaweed

Not sure what this look is, but we get it all the time. I think it's the look of annoyance and boredom.

Wesley got to touch the lobster before it was cooked. The lobster was alive and Wes tried to take off the rubber bands around the lobster's claws!!

Wesley's look of fascination

Wesley kissed the lobster before we ate it. He didn't eat any of it, but he told people he did. What he really said was "Wesley eat lob-stah"

family picture

the beautiful view from the state park in Camden, Maine

at Cappy's Chowder House in Camden, Maine

on the coast in Rockland, Maine

You know how I love pictures of food...my caprese salad at the Three Dogs Cafe in Rockport, Maine. If you are anywhere near this restaurant in Main - EAT THERE!!! I love a dessert, and they had over 4 cases of desserts to choose from. I didn't get a picture of the dessert because I ate it too fast :)

Wesley sitting at the Three Dogs Cafe playing with his airplane.

Wesley riding a pony at the fair. Personally these little horses broke my heart because they looked so sad, but Wesley desperately wanted to ride one.

Wesley enjoyed gnawing on an apple after his first fair experience. He loved the animals, but a set of goats scared him. He was right outside their pen when a loud goat bleated (or whatever you call the noise they make) right in his face. Wesley's eyes got HUGE, then he started crying and had trouble stopping. We couldn't go near the goats again. Maybe next year...

Wesley loves horses!

Wesley with Doda and Pawpaw

Brian and Laura's first dance as a married couple!

Wes sitting quietly during the ceremony (and I do mean quiet because he didn't make a peep the whole time!!) Doda and Pawpaw bought him a little plush Grimace from McDonald's, so he played with it during the ceremony.

We live near a great public park with water fountains for kids to play in - Wes loves it! He will even put his face in front of one until it sprays him in the face.

Wes was messing around at City BBQ and almost bit through his tongue - talk about a bloody mess!! I think he is going to have a permanent scar on his tongue because this happened about 5 weeks ago, and his tongue is still cut open.

Wesley and "Great Pawpaw"

Wes riding on Pawpaw's back in the pool