The Great Communicator

If you came to this blog to read about a hyper-advanced toddler, you've come to the wrong place--you should check out Holden on the Fletcher blog for that. However, Waylon is pretty darn cute these days even though Aaron and I are forever worried that he isn't talking up a storm and following our commands. That said, I am very excited to report that Waylon said his FIRST WORD...DOGGIE. He said it about 2 weeks ago, the weekend we moved in. Grandpa Ed was able to hear him say it a few more times the same day I heard it, but now he's backed off and only says it sporadically. There have been a few more times where we've thought, "did he just say (fill in the blank)?" but there is no repeat occurrence.

We blame ourselves for his lack of communication because Waylon gets everything he wants without ever speaking. His new trick is grabbing Aaron or I by our hand/finger and taking us to whatever he wants. An example is that he will take us to the sliding door if he wants outside, or over to the pantry if he wants veggie puffs. My favorite is when Waylon is in the highchair and grabs my hand and pulls me towards him, while looking at me with puppy dog eyes, making it very clear he wants out. Thus, he now grunts, points, and pulls to let us know what he needs. Not exactly ivy league material, but at least he hasn't started tantruming to get his way...yet.

Despite Waylon's lack of words, one of his favorite things to do is play with phones and/or pretend he's chatting on the phone. He takes after Aaron for that trait. I thought these picture were hilarious and simply had to be shared...

Waylon's Big Announcement

Waylon is not sure if how he feels about the latest news...
OK, I guess I am happy about having a baby sister to push around!

Waylon is excited that he can teach a new baby how to terrorize the beagles.

Hopefully you can read and decipher Waylon's news....He is going to be a big brother. I am preggo again and due in late December. The baby will come via induction for medical reasons just before Christmas (knock on wood). We had the first trimester screening yesterday which is an advanced ultra sound and blood test, and although we dont have the blood results yet the doctor says everything looks great. They even told us they think its a girl! I am now 12 weeks along and thankfully the very intense nausea is passing, although I am still tired all of the time. Gotta get to work, but I wanted to spread the news!!!!

Father's Day Water Play

As always, Aaron spent Father's Day watching the US Open. The hilight this year was that Aaron was trying desperately to get Waylon to say, "Tiger" every time Tiger Woods came on the screen. During a break from his hardcore golf viewing, Aaron enjoyed some backyard fun with his son, while mommy was busy feeling tired and nauseous while busily creating life.

What Waylon Loves

Its been way too long since I've done any updates and I am not quite sure how to start. I decided I wouldn't start by bitching and moaning about how hard it was to live/squat in a Laguna Beach shanty house while we waited for the former owners of our new house to vacate. I also wont bore you with how hard it was to sell our house, move, change jobs, and start Waylon in daycare during about a 2-3 week period. Instead, I will focus on the good stuff.

Happily, we are in our new house . Actually, Waylon and I are here and surrounded by boxes while Aaron is on the road for work, but its MUCH better than our previous living arrangement. Also, Waylon has started daycare and I couldn't be happier with the situation. I had been wanting to get him into daycare so he could get more socialization and the nanny situation was not working out for a number of reasons. All I can say is that I wish I'd done it sooner. The daycare facility is stunned at how well he has transitioned, and I love how safe and fun the program is. Its definitely harder to get ourselves out the door these days rather than just handing him off to the nanny, but overall its worth it! The other positive news is that I am much happier at my new job. I am still doing family law 3 days a week, but I now work in Santa Ana with a completely new boss, who is awesome. I have a slightly longer commute, but the improvement in my work situation makes up for the extra 20 minutes I sit in my car each day. OK, that gets you up to speed on the big changes. I decided to catch you up with Waylon's progress with some pictures of WFD's favorite things:

DIRT!Waylon is definitely a little boy and loves to get messy. I am a connoiseur of the Spray and Wash products, and highly reccommend the stuff with Oxy Power. (I feel like Carol Brady trying to figure out the best laundry detergent--remember that episode?)

DADDY!

There is no doubt in our house who Waylon likes best--its Daddy. Aaron is way more fun than boring mommy who makes sure he is fed, clean, and safe. Daddy is all about making WFD laugh, and that makes him the best. The only time this changes is when Waylon is sick. He has had fevers twice in the last month and I have to admit that I was perversely happy that he liked to cuddle (which he never likes) and he actually preferred mommy when his mind was overwrought with fever.

PLAYING OUTSIDE

Our house in Laguna may have been a shack, but Waylon loved exploring everything, especially the rocks. He would move, stack, and organize the rocks for hours if we'd let him. The only downside was trying to get him to eat or go to bed when there were more rocks to organize.

Waylon is happy to be outside while Mommy and Daddy try to keep him away from rusty nails and dog poop.

WATER!!!

Waylon is definitely a water baby and loves to be playing in or spraying water. I dont have any pictures, but during an impromptu visit to the ocean 2 weeks ago, Waylon was a crazy man for the ocean and showed no fear charging into the waves. I tried taking him to the park next to the beach a few days later and we had to leave because all Waylon would do was point at the ocean and grunt, which is his way of saying he wants to go in.
Seriously, it doesn't get better than spraying water when you are 15 months old.

ACTING LIKE A BIG BOY
It may be hard to see, but here is a picture of Waylon strutting around the house with daddy's glasses around his neck. He loves playing with our glasses, phones, and keys. You know, all the stuff that we desperately need, and which he desperately tries to break.
Waylon LOVE, LOVE, LOVES anything with buttons. We have invested a pretty penny in the V-tech kids products, which make fake laptops, phones, keys w/ keyless remote, and cash registers. Of course, none of the toys keep his attention nearly as long as the real stuff, but it doesn't seem to keep me from buying whatever I think will keep him quiet for a 20 minute car ride.

The picture below shows Waylon enjoying dressing up in daddy's shoes and pretending to be a basketball star. Sorry, bubba, but I dont think your genes are going to allow you to be the next Kobe Bryant. HULA HOOPS

I cant figure out how to post the title above this picture, but you get the idea. Waylon loves to drag his hula hoops around, and thinks its hysterical when Aaron attempts to wiggle his hips and keep the hoop going.

THE DOGS

Waylon loves everything about his "sisters," the beagles, and even loves crawling in their cages trying to act like them. Their opinion of him has not changed, but they are surprisingly tolerant of his over zealous shows of affection.

STICKS AND POLES

WFD loves all things long and stick like, especially brooms. In the picture above he was playing with a broom and we tried to take it away so he could eat and he started crying. If you look closely you'll see real tears on his cheeks. We think his passion for brooms, mops, and vaccuums is a sign that he'll make a great janitorial engineer someday.

Being Naked

One of my favorite times of day is when its time for Waylon's bath. While he loves bath time, he often fights it at first, and the second he gets naked he runs off to play. Here he is playing with the kitchen set at the rental house just before bath time.