Our boy finally has hair! Its still really short in the front and I have been so hesitant to get a cut for him until it was all grown in, but we finally decided it was close enough and the back was a little too out of control … albeit adorable! So Weston got his first haircut on Saturday, September 17 … just a few days shy of 22 months. Here is a before shot of those precious strawberry-blonde curls! Don't worry, they saved a few for us :)
And here it is in all its out-of-control glory after a sweaty day!
Checking out the car beforehand …
He was so so good during the cut! Totally into the toys and Cars (the movie … brilliant!) and checking everything out … and so cute in that cape. He definitely did a quite a bit of moving around to check things out, but didn't seemed bothered at all by the lady messing with his hair. She worked really fast, which made me nervous, but I guess its probably the only way to cut a wiggly worm's hair ;)
Checking himself out afterward … so funny!
All done and so handsome! Still curly, but a little more under control. Tim and I were both shocked at how much older he looked immediately … can't believe 2 is just around the corner!
And for the grandparents, here are a couple of videos of the action …
In August, Weston and I went to spend a week with my wonderful older sister Michelle and adorable getting way too big nephew Jackson (he's 9 … how did that happen?). We had a great time hanging out, playing, relaxing, going to football practice and eating. Weston is (understandably so) a huge fan of both of these guys … after watching these videos you will be too ;) could they be more fun?
I took these at dinner one night. Weston is at a stage where he is far too busy to be bothered to sit down and eat. So we have to get creative sometimes in encouraging him to take more bites. He loves applause, so that's how all this started … "Weston, if you take another bite, they'll clap for you!" … which worked like a charm, especially when it was both Jackson and Michelle. And it quickly evolved into an all out show. They are semi-long videos, but the giggles are so contagious* … I have watched them over and over. Enjoy :)
* Please excuse my video taking laugh. At least I hope its just my video taking laugh. I think I'm trying to be kinda quiet because I know I'm on video and it turns out to be this deep and rather loud something with the occassional snort. But its impossible not to laugh at this kid ;)
I am actually already 23 weeks, a little more than halfway there! I've been writing an announcement post in my head for months now, literally, and well it's already been established that I'm not a consistent blogger (or journaler or anything like that) … but its been really fun actually going the old-school route and just telling people as we see them and letting word of mouth work its magic. It's fun to have those conversations and to see people checking out the belly and trying to make sure its ok to say something … even though I don't carry discretely at all. So sorry for the delay, but I'm thrilled to be sharing this now and can't wait any longer because I just had to share these pictures!
I took Weston to a local toy store where they have lots of demos and encourage kids to play. He wandered into the little girl's section and came proudly out pushing a baby doll in its stroller! He had to show her the whole store. They played together …
Did some shopping together …
Let the baby take a little rest … (the blinking eyes were so intriguing!)
And did some more strolling running through the store …
He played with the baby for a long time, but there were lots of shiny distractions and eventually he moved on. But as we were leaving he stopped and asked "baby?" so we went to find her to say goodbye and I told him to give the baby a hug and a kiss …
But the best part … was when he, all on his own, took each of the baby's hands and gave her a high five!
I almost burst right there! How precious is that? I think he's really going to like being a big brother and I think he might somehow know that we're having a baby soon. He's been noticing babies everywhere … pointing them out and has gotten to meet a few newborns lately. I talk about baby brother and try to connect it to my growing belly, but I just don't know if it is clicking at all … but somehow, I feel like he has a clue … just not the whole puzzle yet. And while we'll definitely have to work on being gentle (not poking eyes, etc) I think he's going to be a very loving big bro, if his affinity for hugs and high fives is any indication of his little heart.
According to the tentative plan, we only have 116 days left to meet baby BROTHER! Yay! Another boy :) I will most likely have another C-section at the very first of December. So with Weston's birthday being Nov 25, they'll be almost exactly 2 years apart. We are obviously praying that they will be the best of friends and great playmates and it doesn't hurt that baby bro already has a wardrobe in the right sizes for the right seasons!
However, this pregnancy, like the first, has been no walk in the park. I was super crazy sick at the beginning … lost about 15 pounds … sick all the time. All. the. time. Its not morning sickness or nausea … its something to do with my digestive system (waiting on an ultrasound, hoping they find something!). I switched doctors this time for many reasons and LOVE my new OB. He is way, WAY more proactive than the first. I've been to see a specialist … went to get fluids 6 different times … finally found some new medicines (not nausea meds) that helped me turn the corner about 9 weeks ago and I have been steadily able to eat more and am at least back to my starting weight now. I still have to be careful what I eat (mostly protein, carbs & dairy … pretty bland … nothing spicy, fried or vegetables) and when (every 3-4 hours) and I am doing so much better! I couldn't be more thankful.
We told our families really early since I was so sick and couldn't hide it from them very well. Here is a little video of Weston announcing the news to Granna & Grandpa Kuykendall :) we used the same shirt to tell the rest of the fam too, but this is the only one I got on tape.
As I've mentioned before, Weston is practically impossible to capture on camera. Pictures are hard without a blur. Capturing him on video has even become a rarity because of his obsession with my phone, so I have to do it without him seeing …
OR … let him watch himself while I video.
Which is what I did today. The video isn't really of anything specific (although I do prompt him to show off his facial features) but its a great glimpse of his little personality at this age (19 months on Saturday). It takes him a bit to get going, but my favorite part is all the little silly faces he makes at himself … we've watched it together several times today since filming it this morning and he even quotes along and laughs at himself. So funny!
As a bit of an explanation … the "uh oh" is because a text message popped up while filming. And at the end when he is saying Mama & Da-ee, he is looking at our pictures on the fridge. He loves to call "roll" in person or pictures.
This mama (or mommy as he called me for awhile yesterday … melt. my. heart.) is thrilled to have this little jewel capturing our sweet, serious, silly, smart, and independent little guy.
We took this video back in January when we were visiting Tim in his apartment in Tallahassee. This was Weston's favorite past time. He's thinking ahead … already preparing for his chin-up tests in elementary P.E. … or maybe the 2020 Olympics?
You are welcome in advance for this public service announcement.
Weston and I met some friends at the Pflugerville splash park today in a nearby neighborhood. It was awesome :) we'll be going back for sure. Weston wasn't totally sure about it at first, but we stayed alot longer than I thought we would and he wasn't ready to leave yet.
Which leads me into the lessons I learned as a mom today. Number 1 being that the splash park is not a place to "get some sun" ... if you have even the remotest desire of it being even. I am sharing this with you in hopes that other moms will learn from my pain. And I realize I am risking much ridicule from my parents and husband who have repeatedly told me I know better. Which I do ... But pale skin over here is sometimes willing to take a risk to get just a little color.
Well, I got color. Way more than just a little. Beat red was not exactly what I had in mind. Nor was my back the place I was hoping for said color as it's covered in basically everything I wear.
This, friends, is what happens when you spend time at the splash park ... With your toddler ... Who you bend over to talk to and play with and corral. Oy.
The front ... Minimal to no sun.
Even my face seems untouched. I did use my moisturizer that has SPF 15 ... But that was last night. Way to go Olay.
The back ... Well it's a different story. Yikers.
Note to self/all: sunscreen works. Weston isn't even a hint pink.
Here is a quick video of one of Weston's newest skills, doing the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. He is currently loving songs with motions … he is surprising me all the time with how much he pays attention and catches onto things.
He also had his first encounter with an actual spider the other day in the garage. Don't worry, it really was Itsy Bitsy, but I thought it would be fun to connect the dots for him. Instincts are an incredible thing, though. He didn't hesitate two seconds before stomping it to its death. 'Atta boy!
There are so many things he does now that I would love to share with you … but that would require him to allow me to take pictures and videos … which rarely happens these days as he is totally obsessed with my phone. He would literally sit all day and watch movies of himself on the phone if we'd allow it. He has major melt downs when it gets put away. I have to keep it hidden from him all day. So this video is quite a little gem for me :)
