snowing here in Ohio (and my dislike of actually being out in the snow)

It's been snowing here in Ohio like crazy! I think we have about 6 inches now and it's still coming down. Personally I have loved it because I've been able to hang out here at home in my pajamas (except for today when I went to work). I wasn't too excited to get out in the bitter cold (the wind chill was below zero when I left this morning), but the roads weren't too bad. I have to say though that even though the roads were decent, I still drove cautiously. A woman in her big ol' Cadillac Escalade though rode the back of my Accord for a few miles. When we got to the area where the road becomes two lanes, she pulls up next to me. What do you know - she was talking on her cell phone!! Why must people talk on their cell phone while driving a huge vehicle while it's snowing and the roads are snow and ice-covered?? What must be so important that you risk your own life and the lives of everyone else on the road? Sorry - this is just one of my pet peeves.

Wesley is doing well. We haven't gotten him a snow suit yet, but we're looking for one. I think Damon might have to be the one to take him out to play in the snow. My wardrobe isn't exactly made for play in the snow, even the more utilitarian items I own. I am also cold all the time, thus I would probably only let him play outside for a few minutes. Damon would be much better for outside snow play than  I would. Can you tell that I'm trying not to feel guilty for my refusal to play in the snow? I just don't think I've ever been all that fond of playing in the snow, but I'll have to ask my Mom. (Mom - did I ever like being outside in the cold, wet snow when I was young?)

See - I do think though that Damon is more suited for being outside with Wes...I mean he's going to the Cincinnati Bengals playoff game tomorrow afternoon with my Dad and it's going to be a high of 20 degrees!! I get the chills just thinking of sitting outside in the bitter, bone-chilling cold with snow blowing all around on a hard, plastic seat. You might think I am kidding, but I did just shiver.

Anyone else excited about the winter Olympics? Now with my hatred of being out in the winter weather, you might think that I don't like sports involving cold weather, but this is not so. I don't like to be in the elements myself, but I have no problem sitting in my warm home watching others freeze as they struggle to perform a sport well. I also like that many of the sports are shorter events that finish in under two minutes, so it satisfies my short attention span. Thinking about the Olympics though reminds me of Ukraine. We were completing our adoption during the summer Olympics, so that is pretty much all we watched on television. The reason is because we could watch it with the sound off (not in English) and still understand what was going on. We couldn't do that with any other program, and since VERY little on tv was in English, we loved it.

We've still been working with Wesley on chewing. He does great with mushy food that he can squish with his tongue and swallow. Things get tricky when chewing is necessary. If we don't watch him, he will just swallow the food whole, which does result in some chocking and gagging. I did get some fried chicken from the deli the other day, and I would tear off a piece about 3 inches long. I was able to hold the chicken on one end and have Wes chew the other. He kept chewing until it disintegrated, then he swallowed it. He seemed to "get" chewing at that meal, but apparently he forgot by the time dinner rolled around. I'm not sure what it is, but he understands that some things have to be chewed (like Cheerios and Alphabits cereal). He will just swallow meats, vegetables, fruits, etc., so we have a way to go.

I am still hopeful (dare I even say confident?) that the feeding tube can be removed this spring. I probably need to clear this with the nutritionist, but we have only been giving Wesley about one can of Pediasure a day. It's surprising how many calories you can pack into an almost three year-old through soft or pureed food!

GO BENGALS!!

(or as Wesley would say "Go Who Dey")

Damon partying hard on New Year's Eve

(Do you see the bottle of champagne in the background right above his head?)

here's a shot outside the front door