We had Weston's school conference yesterday. That kid is such an animal, we weren't sure what to expect... Fortunately, he is passing the Infant D room with flying colors! Well, he hasn't learned his colors yet, but he's passing anyway :)
Ms. Kristy, one of his amazingly patient and loving teachers, said Westy is very interested in group time. He expresses this by being an active participant - always eager to clap his hands during songs, flash a smile during silly books, and sit "nicely" on the group-time rug for as long as 15 minutes. The whole hand clapping and smiling part doesn't surprise us...but sitting nicely? Who
is this kid?! When they are done playing a game involving props, Kristy has each child take a turn putting one of the props away (like slipping a card back into a file folder). Apparently Weston recently picked up (literally) on how to complete this task and thinks it's just great. Maybe that means he's going to keep a very clean room when he's older? Hmmm. A mother can hope.
A couple areas for improvement include using sign language to express emotion and using a sippy cup to drink his milk. And yes, everyone involved here realizes he's not even a year old yet, so we are giving him some time to get the hang of it all. He has 11 more days and then we're cracking the whip. Ha!
The problem is that he's lazy and feisty. Lazy in the sense that he wants others to do everything for him...like hold a bottle in his mouth...so when handed a sippy cup, he screams and throws it to the floor. Total rage. And feisty in the sense that any time he needs to communicate something to us, such as "more please!" or "I'm done!" or "help!", he screams. Again, a total rager. If he's on the floor, he will instantly fling himself forward, bonk his forehead into the ground, and pound his fists and feet. He'll look up to make sure we're watching and then do it again. How do we respond? Usually with laughter because it really is hilarious! He's such a little spaz. Tanner and Miles think it's funny to say, "Westy, use your words!" I think Weston understands them because then he starts laughing. Ugh...it's all a game, isn't it?!
So we'll keep encouraging Weston to use the appropriate signs and smother him with praise when he does. Once in a while he'll do it, so we know he's capable. Just stubborn. We feel like Miles had the sign language thing down for months before turning one, but...then again...that boy has always been an over achiever in the communications department. I'm pretty sure he was using Morse code in the womb.
Some people snicker over the fact that Kids Korner does parent/teacher conferences for infants. They wonder why babies have "teachers" in the first place (aren't they too young?) and wonder what on earth we could possibly talk about during a conference... Well, we love it. You'd be surprised at what you can learn about your child from the people who care for them 40+ hours each week! They are learning about how things work in the world around them, they're becoming more self-aware, and learning how to cooperate and play with others. We're forever in debt to the ladies that have helped both Weston and Miles grow. I like to think that if I had the ability to stay home with them during the day, they'd be the smart, respectable young men they are today...but the reality is, it takes a special kind of person to do such a job :)
We are still in denial that Weston is turning one year old this month. He brings so much joy to our family -- he's a wild, roaring (yes, he roars!), sweet, usually gentle, silly little boy. More often than not he looks like this:
And sometimes like this:
Here's how he looks at school:
And on his big brother's hot rod:
Here's to you, Westy! Keep up the good work in school! For the next 18 years! We love you.
and Weston was The World's Cutest Bumblebee (not an easy thing, considering bumblebee costumes seem to be popular among one year olds) -
Except for taking Miles through the haunted house (total disaster), it was a fun way to ease into all of the Halloween festivities taking place in the coming days. There will be lots of ghoulish behavior in St. Peter this weekend as all 6 cousins will be together, mostly under one roof. Then there's a party at school on Monday, followed by trick-or-treating on Monday night. Uffdah! Let's hope the weather cooperates.
Sometimes I mind, though....yikes!
Besides swinging, Weston has learned that slides are a lot of fun too. At first he wasn't so sure -
but then he couldn't get in enough trips!
Such fun! Time to get ready to hunker down for the winter, do some growing, then go tackle the playground equipment even MORE next Spring :)
Weston Charles (Jay) Grimmius is growing like a weed. Mama took him to his "healthy checkup" this morning, where he acted like an animal (growling and roaring and such) except when Nurse Sarah or Dr. Bunkers were around...then he turned all shy and tried hiding in my lap. What a goofball.
He was a happy guy!
Tanner and I both went to pick up the kids from school today. On the way home we heard a catchy tune on the radio and Miles asked what it was called. Neither Tanner nor I had heard it before, but it had a good beat so we cranked it up and started groovin'. Before we knew it, Westy's little head was bobbing all around and his hands were jiving. It was one big dance party! One of the best family moments we've had in the last year...I wish I could've bottled it up for future use :)
HEY!
Just a few more odds and ends to take care of in the morning and then we'll be ready to party hard with grandparents, uncles, an aunt, and cousins. Westy hopes they all bring their dancin' shoes!
Westy also enjoyed his first taste of real cow's milk this last week. His only complaint was that it was a bit cold. Aaaaah, he'll get used to it right quick!
Mommy and daddy had a date with Uncle Charlie and Auntie Angie last night in Minneapolis. We went to the State Theater to laugh at Jim Gaffigan. Mission accomplished -- our abs are sore and we're tired today! The boys cousins stayed with various grandparents and had fun date nights of their own. Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence of any of the above activities, so you'll just have to trust me.
Weston took his sweet time, though. He explored all options carefully.
And settled on this one until he realized it was a little on the heavy side.
Soon after, Miles decided that big ol' pumpkin was a good spot to take a rest.
After some solid afternoon naps (mommy included), we returned home to Otown to fill up our bellies with chili and support the local fire department. Tanner and I have gone to the chili feed every year since we moved to town (n=4). Miles has gone the same number of times, except the first year he was still in my belly...but it counts! Weston has shown his support for the fire fighters twice - once in my belly and now this year as a fan of the bread and crackers they serve. It is a really fun event that draws quite a crowd! Good food and all sorts of fire trucks to climb on and equipment to test. Unfortunately several firemen were called out to two crop fires within the first 90 minutes of the fundraiser. Upon their second return, Miles helped reload a 500 gallon tank with water from a fire hydrant. Not an easy job, but he took it all in stride and worked up quite an appetite!
Both boys took a truck for a spin around the block.
In the mean time, Tanner took the obligatory Owatonna Fire Ass'n shot. We now have four pictures exactly like this one. It doesn't change from year to year, but alas...he takes the dang picture anyway and laughs just as hard each time (because he's sooooo funny).
Oh yes, and I was there too :)
Next weekend is Westy's big birthday. We've got some planning to do for his big 0-1! It's sure to be a load of fun.
Don't worry, mama smooched him and made it all better.
And sometimes like this:
Here's how he looks at school:
And on his big brother's hot rod:
Here's to you, Westy! Keep up the good work in school! For the next 18 years! We love you.
How grateful we are that he knew GGC for nearly three years, long enough for some little memories to form.
One of the perks of being part of a blogging family is that you've probably already read about much of our adventures in the last month. If you haven't, well, then you'd better check out mom and Charlie's blogs. The boys just aren't going to nap long enough for me to post that much!
Miles' buddy Nolan needed a lift from his daddy, too.
Here they are checking out a plane. Unfortunately Miles was not allowed to touch the plane because some grumpy old fart (who didn't look like he should hold so much authority) scolded every little kid who gave so much as a gentle pat to a plane. Bummer.
We had a great time and look forward to going again next year. Weston should be able to run around with his big brother next time. This morning, he was content hanging out in his stroller.
Other than that, we've hit up a zoo --
Built a car ramp (that actually serves many purposes) --
Met Claire's new puppy (welcome to the neighborhood, Millie!) --
Popped four new teeth (they can't be seen in this photo, but he sure is proud!) --
Read some books --
Gone on several bike rides with the usual gang --
Eaten lunch with the other usual gang --
and guzzled lots of sweetened beverages. Groan.
Summer has been fun but we're excited for fall to arrive so we can go apple picking! I promise to blog before then, though...
