Life of Wyland & Sawyer

Welcome, Baby Sawyer!

I haven't been posting much lately. I was in the midst of being pregnant, raising a toddler, and helping with Woody's campaign for Largo City Commission. It is amazing how busy that made me. And on October 20th, 2010, we were proud to welcome Sawyer Louis Brown to our family. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 22 inches long (a little string bean).

Everyone is in full adjustment mode. Woody is at the tail end of his campaign. So in between shaking hands and waving signs, he's helping with late night diaper changes and helping Wyland get acclimated to life with a sibling.

So far Wyland has been great. He is such a sweet boy, and to hear him squeal "Bay-Bee" is precious. But we have had some moments. Thank goodness Nana is here to help out. Soon I will have to figure out how to juggle the needs of my toddler boy with that of a newborn. I'm a little scared, but also ready to jump in feet first!

Keys to a Wonderful Vacation

Family, friends, and food made the vacation...who needs sleep!

Road trip!

Woody and his catch.

Mmmm...fresh lobster.

Ricky's Blue Heaven - double mmmmm...

Wyland loved the butterfly garden. Of course, trying to get him & a butterfly in a good photo was impossible.

Feeding greenbacks to the tarpon at Robbie's.

Nana and Wyland. Thanks, Nana for all of your help!!!

Mum, no!

Mommy looks pretty tired!

Ok, it is Wednesday, three days post vacation. We are all trying to get everything back to normal. Woody is back to work and the campaign trail. I am knee deep in laundry and cleaning (and wondering how the house gets dirty while one is not in it). I am also full-on list making...mostly all of the things that we need to do before October 25th (due date). And Wyland seems to have adjusted pretty well during the waking hours. We are active as usual, swimming, playing outside (hot), and playdates, etc. It is the night time that has become a bear for the whole family.

It all started while on vacation. I think that we got full nights of sleep 2 nights total. And one of those nights Woody and I were in Key West while the grandparents were with Wyland (and he slept all night??). The nights were filled with crying, limp noodle, pacing, reading books over and over again, Elmo and Thomas videos, pregnant lady on blow-up mattress...Woody and I were perplexed as to what to do. During our days we kept Wyland super busy. He took naps. We swam a ton. Our other guests commented on how tired he was and how he would sleep all night for sure. Yah, right!

Now that we are home the nights are not quite as sleepless, but they are still difficult. Bedtime has been later and there is a lot of struggle. Wyland's new favorite phrase is, "Mum, no." Ugh. It is hard to hear when you are trying to do the best thing for your child. I am trying to keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day. It will take time...but this is a project I am willing to take on. We all need our rest. For sure!

Cabin Fever

After not raining for almost a month our lawn and garden were getting pretty crusty. Our rain barrel was emptying at a rapid pace. Everyday, I prayed for rain hoping it would moisten our landscape and cool us off.

Well those prayers were answered last week and it hasn't stopped since. Everything is starting to regain its green color. The rain barrel is overflowing. Also, the mosquitos are thriving and we have full blown cabin fever!!!

Wyland and I have spent some time at the library, at the mall, and just driving around the neighborhood. Our usual activities, swimming at the pool, going to the beach, and playing in our yard have been put on hold. Well, except for playing in the yard. I figured there is no harm in playing in the rain and puddles if there is no thunder and lightning. Wyland loves it, too. He finds the part of the patio where the roof pours off the most water and stands there with a huge grin.

But we've grown tired of the rain. (Make that, I've grown tired of the rain.) Now I am praying for sunshine. I'm running out of inside activities. I feel like the least creative mom when we are stuck inside. We've colored, played with play dough, played trains, read books...Woody and Wyland even had dueling pianos, which was awesome. I'm sick of everything feeling wet, dirt and muck being tracked through the house, wet dog, and frizzy hair (ok, that is a fact of life rain or shine). But we are ready for some sun!!! Do I sound desperate? I am...Sunshine, please come out tomorrow.

Dueling Pianos

Our Little Fish

We spent last weekend visiting Jacksonville and spending a lot of time in the pool. We already knew that Wyland loved the water...at the beach, in the pool, bath, sink...he's not too particular. But since we don't have a pool, we didn't know how much.

Wyland swam back and forth between Woody and I, wearing a huge grin. Always surprised when his mouth and nose dipped into the water. But he wasn't scared. He had a "that was weird, let's do it again" look on his face. We were in the pool for hours...leading to pruney skin, hungry bellies, and tired babies.

It's nap time!

Busy Busy World

So much has happened since the last time I posted on this blog. And it would be too hard to list them all. Life really does go by at a million miles an hour. I've been trying to keep my eyes open so I can absorb everything.

Wyland is now 20 months. Yes, only four months until he's two years old. Everyday is something new and different. When you have a baby they say to talk to them all the time, even if it's mundane and I did. Now I have to watch what I say and how I say it. I can tell Wyland feeds off my mood and my actions. If I groan, he'll groan (it's kind of cute). You can tell when his little wheels are turning. It's amazing. I can't wait for all that thought to be turned into words.

Wyland decided one day that it was time for a "big boy" bed. He climbed out of his crib like a Cirque de Soleil acrobat...once at nap time, then the next morning at 4am, we heard the pitter-patter of little feet in the dark kitchen. That's when we knew it was time for the transition. But it was not easy. Goodness, no one told us how hard that would be. It only took 10 days, and now, Wyland loves lounging, reading books and even playing on his bed.

Wyland is turning into such a little boy. And soon, he'll be a big brother! I'm sure anyone reading this already knows that...He'll always be my little baby...but now I have to change that way of thinking. Now he's my big boy...hard to believe.

We're working on Wyland, too. We ask him where the baby is and he just smiles. When I hold him, he likes to rest his legs and feet on my baby belly. I tell him, "don't kick the baby," which he thinks is really funny. He also likes to blow raspberries on my belly. I guess that is his first communication with his little brother (yep, another boy).

Home Alone

This past weekend, I packed up the car and headed to Gainesville for an ultimate frisbee tournament. I haven't been playing at all, so I was really nervous that I was going to suck. But I was more nervous about being away from Wyland (and Woody) for the weekend. It was the first time I had been away from the little guy for that long in 17 months. And it was the first time Woody was with Wyland all day long (and night and day again...) alone.

I left early Saturday morning while Woody and Wyland were still asleep (Friday night Wyland was up 3 times, so everyone was tired). Arriving in Gainesville, I called to check in. All was good...they were at the hardware store.

My team played, won some games. I called, checked in...Woody sent pictures. And a couple of times Woody put Wyland on the phone. I thought for sure he would be upset to hear my voice and not see me. But I was wrong...I was the one crying. His sweet little voice saying, "hi" was so precious.

All went well for me at the tournament. I didn't suck too much. And Wyland & Woody survived. Actually things went swimmingly! I think I'll have to plan more Momma time. But not too much. It was really hard being away from my boys!

Fun times!

17 months and all is well

I think I have fallen into a trap. So many people think that Wyland is older than his 17 months, that I have to remind myself of his age. I watch him perform tasks, say words, figure things out. It is amazing, he is truly a sponge. So when I think that he is 1 month shy of a year and a half it seems weird. I have to really squeeze my brain to think back to when he was a little baby (although he was never a little baby). Eons ago, really!

Wyland's newest accomplishments include learning to open the front door (yikes), locking the deadbolt (YIKES), helping water the plants, eating at the dinner table, drinking from a cup...OK, I could go on and on...he is amazing!

Please don't lock me out!

Similarities

This past weekend we hosted a man from Japan. We didn't know much about Aki before he got here. We knew his age: 31, his job: city planner for the Kami City, Japan, and knowledge of the English language: minimal. That was about it. Another thing I knew for sure is that my knowledge of Japanese is limited to what I learned from listening to Styx. I reluctantly went to the airport to pick up our visitor, dreading the ride home and the potential for Wyland to be a fussy (high).

Once Wyland & I met Aki, I felt at ease. He told me in English that he has a son also. His son is 23 months. I imagined perfectly proper Japanese toddlers minding everything their parents tell them and also never crying.

I learned over the course of his stay that as parents we have a lot in common. He told me that his son likes airplanes and trains, watching TV and eating pancakes just like Wyland. I also learned that Japanese toddlers are just that, toddlers...This was learned on an especially long ride to the museum...Wyland crying the whole way. It made me feel a lot better when Aki told me that when his son cries he doesn't know what to do. We should form a club.

What a great weekend we had welcoming Aki into our home. And despite our difficulty communicating, I was able to learn a lot about our visitor, being a parent and about having a toddler. Thanks, Aki!

A Pirate's Life

Poor, Wyland...he didn't choose to be a pirate. But he was born into a family of pirates. Peg-leg Woody and I have been pirates for some time now. Silly, yes. All in fun, yes. But we are also serious about our pirate-ness...we have a box full of pirate clothing, paper mache cannons and cannon balls. And at one point we considered dressing up and going out on the boat to attack the pirate ship that sails out of Clearwater Beach.

So it only seemed obvious that Wyland would have his own pirate clothes (thanks to Auntie Kristin & Jack) and that he would join his Daddy to celebrate Gasparilla.

Road Trip

On Thursday, we left under a veil of darkness. It was 4am and we were on our way to Destin, FL. Ok, the real plan was to get on the road while Wyland was still sleeping. A great plan if that is actually how it worked...We packed the car, then tried to pack Wyland into his cars seat with little disturbance, still sleeping for the next, oh, 4 hours. That's not really what happened but it's still nice to have a plan.

Actually, the drive was a breeze. And we had a really nice weekend exploring Destin and Seaside. We walked on the beach (Wyland chased the birds), swam in the pool, ate some good food, and Woody spent some time getting his continuing education requirements. All and all it was a great weekend.

Wyland & Daddy at Baytown Wharf

Wyland enjoying a dirty roast beef sandwich!

Fun at the playground

The bird, the birds...

Back to Reality

Mom & I at the Orange Bowl. Go Iowa!

Wow! The holiday season seemed really long this year. Like, really long! Thanksgiving, trip to Iowa, Christmas (with all of its preparations and fan fair), New Years, Orange Bowl (yay, Iowa!)...Wyland & I are finally home and trying to get back on track. And by that I mean schedules, eating right, exercising, organizing.

Woody is relentless about goal setting and I have to say, this year I am ready! It seems so much easier to say I am setting a goal, than to say I am resolving to do something. With goals, you can take baby steps to meet them. A resolution seems black or white and I am not to good with that. So the only resolution I have made is to set some goals!