We've been tickling Hunter since he was an itty bitty little thing. He hearts it. Can't get enough. That kid for sure loves him some tickling. He will often grab your hand and bring it to his belly to continue with the tickle festivities if he feels like you have prematurely ended the fun.
I, on the othe hand, am not a fan of being tickled. I can take it in small doses, but after a while it feels like torture. Well yesterday Hunter discovered that tickling is a two way street - it started with him sticking his finger in my belly button and me responding with real laughter. But then he started actually tickling my side - what can I say? my kid is talented! At first I couldn't get over the cuteness (and pure genius) that this was, but then quickly realized that now my kid has a small amount of power over me. This is a little worrisome considering he's not even 18 months yet...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Mr. Independent
Hunter's getting more and more independent, which is so exciting to watch. And more and more strong-willed, which is not so exciting to watch...or hear...especially in public.
He had a play date with his friends, Charlie and Preston, a couple of weeks ago, and right when we got there, they all sat down at the table to eat lunch together where Hunter sat in a regular sized chair. This is inexplicable to me. When did my little baby get big enough to sit in a regular sized chair? Look. He's like a small person...
He even has a plate sitting in front of him with the food on it rather than one that has been turned over and food that has been thrown on the floor.
These three boys had their first play date when Hunter was only 2 months old....
He had a play date with his friends, Charlie and Preston, a couple of weeks ago, and right when we got there, they all sat down at the table to eat lunch together where Hunter sat in a regular sized chair. This is inexplicable to me. When did my little baby get big enough to sit in a regular sized chair? Look. He's like a small person...
He even has a plate sitting in front of him with the food on it rather than one that has been turned over and food that has been thrown on the floor.These three boys had their first play date when Hunter was only 2 months old....
Such a huge change from then to now...
Unfortunately Charlie left before we got the cameras out, so I just got a picture of Little H and Preston in the middle of their in depth comparison of Huggies versus Pampers wipes.
Other than his love for baby wipes, Hunter also has a newfound fascination with my watch. Everyday, he reaches for it and tells me (in Hunter speak) that he wants to play with it. We've recently reached the point where "playing with it" isn't enough. He wore it around the house the other day for about an hour...
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Hunter and Hyde
Friday afternoon my sisters, niece, nephew, Hunter and I headed out to Great Wolf Lodge to meet my mom and her boyfriend, Rich. Rich took all of us there for the night for my sister's birthday (the hubbies met us after work).
The kids were really excited on the way down.
When we got there, we saw that my mom and Rich had reserved a big family sized room with a "kid's cabin" that had bunk beds for the kids. Hunter thought the bunk beds were soooo cool. 
After we checked out our room, we got in our swimsuits and went down to the waterpark section of the hotel (which is HUGE). Unfortunately this is where Hunter's sweet smiley face turned into our little whiny, fussy, teary toddler or as I like to refer to him, Toddler Hyde. Hunter looked like this for the majority of the day and night...
whether we were holding him or not, tears and whining persisted...
This is in no way related to Hunter's feelings about water parks. He actually enjoys the water most of the time. It's just that my child has decided to take on a new, not so attractive, temperment this past week (aka Toddler Hyde).
The kids were really excited on the way down.
When we got there, we saw that my mom and Rich had reserved a big family sized room with a "kid's cabin" that had bunk beds for the kids. Hunter thought the bunk beds were soooo cool. After we checked out our room, we got in our swimsuits and went down to the waterpark section of the hotel (which is HUGE). Unfortunately this is where Hunter's sweet smiley face turned into our little whiny, fussy, teary toddler or as I like to refer to him, Toddler Hyde. Hunter looked like this for the majority of the day and night...whether we were holding him or not, tears and whining persisted...This is in no way related to Hunter's feelings about water parks. He actually enjoys the water most of the time. It's just that my child has decided to take on a new, not so attractive, temperment this past week (aka Toddler Hyde). I tell myself daily that this is a direct result of the 3 molars that Hunter has cut over the past week and the 2-3 canines that are currently preparing to bust through his gums. He's had every symptom of teething known to man...diarrhea, a fountain of snot continuously pouring out of his nose, and my favorite part, irritability. Actually irritability isn't a good word to describe my son's general mood over the last seven days. Screaming, wailing, leg-stomping, arm-flailing, full on tantrum-throwing, bratty kid nearly 24-7 is more like it.
Like I said, I'm choosing to believe (or at least hope) this is COMPLETELY, TOTALLY, 100% due to the teething and is in no way, shape or form a preview of the terrible twos. Starting the terrible twos at 17 months is not my idea of fun. Yeah. Pretty much zero fun in that.
We finally decided to temporarily do away with the "pacis at bed and car time only" rule (just like we've done every.single.day this week...I know - good parenting skills all around), so our kid would stop the screaming already! and have some fun dangit! This appeared to be somewhat successful. I wouldn't necessarily classify these pictures as "smiley", but at least there's no tears or tantrums, right?
My sisters graciously watched Hunter part of the time for us, so James and I could go ride the slides, and more importantly, take a break from our moody baby. Here Hunter's playing with his aunt and cousins in the kiddie area right before he notices we've come back.
My sisters graciously watched Hunter part of the time for us, so James and I could go ride the slides, and more importantly, take a break from our moody baby. Here Hunter's playing with his aunt and cousins in the kiddie area right before he notices we've come back.Hopefully (for my sanity's sake) this week Hunter's alter-ego won't make as many appearances.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Today
Four years ago today James asked me to be his wife. I'll spare you every detail, but I will say that my husband is gifted in romanticism, so it was a really well planned and special day. He promised to serve me and love me for the rest of our lives.
...
The promises James made to me on that hot August day in 2004 when he asked me to join with him in this covenant of marriage, have all been kept. Like everyone, we do have our share of bad days, but in them I know that he loves me, and I know that he constantly seeks to serve me and lead our family the way God has directed him to.
...
I love you babe. I'm so thankful for your heart.
Mine is so full,
BW
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Six Things
My friend, Stefanie, tagged me this time. Here are the six quirkiest things I could come up with. (This was a stretch, since I already told 10 things about myself in this post, so don't judge too harshly.)
1. I'm a tv addict. Summertime (aka tv's off season) really makes me feel good about the amount of time I spend in front of the tv each day. I only have one season pass on my tivo right now...that's unheard of y'all. My current show is Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. I love Tori. I think we could be best friends if we ever met. (I also think that Angie and I could be best friends if we ever met, but that's a completely different story). I know those two women are pretty much polar opposites, but I admire Angie so much and I think Tori and I have really similar personalities...minus Tori's incessant inappropriate sexual dialogues on national tv and new age religious beliefs and that whole adultry thing. Okay so maybe we're not that similar, but I still love her. Watch the show, and you'll see the draw. That girl is crazy funny.
2. I love to clean. I think part of it comes from my need to stay busy (unless of course I'm watching tv:)) and part of it comes from the gratification I feel after I'm done and can look around at my clean house. I also just love order and when there are things out of place, I start to feel a little OCD. This has become more of a challenge since having a toddler, but I've actually surprised myself on how lacks I can be on this...well, some days.
3. I hate massages. If you're looking to pamper me, never buy me a gift certificate for a massage. James has learned to stick with facials. It's so much less oogy to have someone rubbing on your face than your entire body. My friend, Emily, is the only person I'll let massage me...and that's only when my back is hurting to the point that I have limited strength to walk.
4. I have a compulsion with moving things around in my house. If I'm ever bored, I pretty much immediately start looking around at decorations or furniture to see if there's a new place for it to be moved. And then it's kind of like a domino effect, because once one thing is moved it throws off the whole room and I keep moving things until eventually the whole house has been turned around. And when you get multiple rooms involved, well that's just bad...but unfortunately pretty frequent. I just did a big house makeover on Friday, and my friend, Molly, asked if it made my husband crazy that I can't just leave things where they are. The answer is yes. But I have to think that part of him loves it...at least a little bit.
5. The one thing I want when I'm uncomfortable (whether it be from illness or pregnancy or winter) is a hot bath. Hot to the point where the water almost feels cold on your skin. I love to feel it run over my feet when it's coming out of the faucet. My baths are always really short though, because the water is so hot that the minute I turn it off I have to get out because I'm sweating, and we all know how I feel about that.
6. I'm a crazy planner. I started planning Hunter's first birthday party in my head when he was about 4 months old. I often plan things out looooong before they will happen - months ahead, years even in some cases. I had already planned how I would tell my family we were pregnant with our second child long before we even started thinking about talking about when to have a second. I just get excited about things so I daydream a little. Sometimes it just gets out of hand.
I'm tagging these six friends...
Tricia
Courtney Chamblee
Rikki
Kerri
Mindy
April
1. I'm a tv addict. Summertime (aka tv's off season) really makes me feel good about the amount of time I spend in front of the tv each day. I only have one season pass on my tivo right now...that's unheard of y'all. My current show is Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. I love Tori. I think we could be best friends if we ever met. (I also think that Angie and I could be best friends if we ever met, but that's a completely different story). I know those two women are pretty much polar opposites, but I admire Angie so much and I think Tori and I have really similar personalities...minus Tori's incessant inappropriate sexual dialogues on national tv and new age religious beliefs and that whole adultry thing. Okay so maybe we're not that similar, but I still love her. Watch the show, and you'll see the draw. That girl is crazy funny.
2. I love to clean. I think part of it comes from my need to stay busy (unless of course I'm watching tv:)) and part of it comes from the gratification I feel after I'm done and can look around at my clean house. I also just love order and when there are things out of place, I start to feel a little OCD. This has become more of a challenge since having a toddler, but I've actually surprised myself on how lacks I can be on this...well, some days.
3. I hate massages. If you're looking to pamper me, never buy me a gift certificate for a massage. James has learned to stick with facials. It's so much less oogy to have someone rubbing on your face than your entire body. My friend, Emily, is the only person I'll let massage me...and that's only when my back is hurting to the point that I have limited strength to walk.
4. I have a compulsion with moving things around in my house. If I'm ever bored, I pretty much immediately start looking around at decorations or furniture to see if there's a new place for it to be moved. And then it's kind of like a domino effect, because once one thing is moved it throws off the whole room and I keep moving things until eventually the whole house has been turned around. And when you get multiple rooms involved, well that's just bad...but unfortunately pretty frequent. I just did a big house makeover on Friday, and my friend, Molly, asked if it made my husband crazy that I can't just leave things where they are. The answer is yes. But I have to think that part of him loves it...at least a little bit.
5. The one thing I want when I'm uncomfortable (whether it be from illness or pregnancy or winter) is a hot bath. Hot to the point where the water almost feels cold on your skin. I love to feel it run over my feet when it's coming out of the faucet. My baths are always really short though, because the water is so hot that the minute I turn it off I have to get out because I'm sweating, and we all know how I feel about that.
6. I'm a crazy planner. I started planning Hunter's first birthday party in my head when he was about 4 months old. I often plan things out looooong before they will happen - months ahead, years even in some cases. I had already planned how I would tell my family we were pregnant with our second child long before we even started thinking about talking about when to have a second. I just get excited about things so I daydream a little. Sometimes it just gets out of hand.
I'm tagging these six friends...
Tricia
Courtney Chamblee
Rikki
Kerri
Mindy
April
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Laundry Day
I've already trained Hunter to start helping with the chores. 
Do you think this means we have to start giving him an allowance?
Do you think this means we have to start giving him an allowance?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Another List
I've told many of you that early toddlerhood has been my favorite age so far. Since Hunter turned one, I can actually see him learning something new every day, and I get to see his personality develop more and more...which I LOVE! Since I have so much fun watching Hunter's little personality, I thought I'd make a list of my favorites for you...
*Constant exploring - Although Hunter is still pretty cautious, he's become a lot more willing to take risks lately. He's got a perfect balance of the two...for now at least.
This was at the church nursery several weeks ago. They pulled the "ball pit" into the baby room for him since he's pretty much over all of the other toys in there. (He got to move up to the big boy room this past Sunday, and had SO much fun).
*Constant exploring - Although Hunter is still pretty cautious, he's become a lot more willing to take risks lately. He's got a perfect balance of the two...for now at least.
This was at the church nursery several weeks ago. They pulled the "ball pit" into the baby room for him since he's pretty much over all of the other toys in there. (He got to move up to the big boy room this past Sunday, and had SO much fun).*Climbing...
and destroying...
Hunter tries to climb up on everything now, which of course makes destroying things so much more fun.
*Posing for the cutest pictures...
which are balanced with the occasional camera phobia or more likely annoyance with his paparazzi mommy...
*LAUGHING - allthetime:)
Hunter loves to get the swiffer duster out and attempt to dust. He's also started getting a diaper for me when I tell him it's time to change it.
*But the cutest thing by far is my son's musical ability. He loves singing and dancing, and does so whenever he hears music. Over the last couple of weeks, he's learned "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and sings it throughout the day. I didn't believe it at first (Aunt Kate actually pointed it out to me), but that's really what he's singing. I caught a tiny bit of the song on video today so y'all could hear it (ignore my annoying screaming at the end).
Friday, August 1, 2008
The Wagon
Hunter is obsessed with his wagon y'all. Obsessed. He's been super fussy lately (probably because of the 6 - six! - teeth he has coming in), and all that he wants to do is go outside and play in his wagon. Look how happy it makes him... 
As sweet as that is and knowing that this won't win me parent of the year, I have to admit going outside isn't working for me right now. 100+ degree heat and Mommy don't mix. I've tried to explain that to Hunter, but for some reason he's not following.
..
Doesn't he see the sweat dripping from my body after 10 minutes of outside wagon play? Call me a baby. I can take it. What I can't take is the suffocation I experience everytime I'm outside for more than 5 seconds. So for now, we'll be alternating between 10 minutes of happy toddler and grumpy mommy outside and 30 minutes of screaming toddler and mommy who can actually breathe and see straight thanks to the gift of A/C inside.
..
Until fall, it looks like James is so going to be the favorite parent. I can't really blame Hunter for choosing James over me at this point. Daddy actually takes him out of the backyard for rides in the wagon...
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