Wyatt

It's been a while since posted anything about just Wyatt, so I thought today, which marks 28 months he's been on the planet, that I'd sort through some fun pics of our sweet little singleton and give him the spotlight for a minute.

This first picture is from when we first got here.

He's all tan and chubby.

I miss his tan little arms.

And this picture is actually from the summer.

He was going on a playdate at my sister's house.

He insisted on wearing his backpack.

The outfit he's wearing was my favorite.

And when he got home that afternoon, he mowed the lawn with daddy.

This one is one of my favorites. It's quintessential Wyatt. He is very meticulous and focused. He loves the challenge of stacking cars or trains and making "car carriers" as he calls them.  I think it tickles me that he does this because my nephew Ferris is the same way, and I feel connected to my sister when I see attributes of her son in my son.

Ferris also does "set ups", which is another thing that Wyatt started doing when we got here. 

Like how he parked all these animals in a row under his high chair.

I was talking to Josh yesterday about how different Wyatt is than his brothers.  I was talking specifically about his shape. He still looks like such a baby.  At two the twins looked like big kids.

They were also much more sure of their bodies & physicality, whereas Wyatt is more cautious physically.

I love comparing him with them, and vice versa. It fascinates me. They prove the adage that you are born who you are.  The twins came out ready to go-go-go!  Wyatt was born content.

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When I am getting frustrated, I tend to take a deep breath. Wyatt will notice and say, "You breathe, mom?"  Or when I make a mess and mumble "Grrr" he will ask me, "Why you say Grr, mom?"

He is God's gift to me.  He has made me the mom I am today.  With him I became a breastfeeding, attachment-parenting, baby-wearing stay-at-home mom.  And I couldn't be happier.

For a time after we got here, he would walk over and ask me if he could give me a hug.  It was so heartwarming.  He gives me the best snuggles, laying his little head on my shoulder. And he loves when I kiss him, but he always says to give "little" kisses. He doesn't like big smacky ones!

I still rock him to sleep at both nap time and bed time.  This is such a sacred time for me.  I think I am especially appreciative of it because I  missed this time with the twins.  I missed it at nap time because I was working, and I missed it at bed time because, well, there were two of them, and rocking never really worked out that great.  

In the rocking chair we pray & we sing. And often, we both fall asleep.

That room is my sanctuary.  It is where I meditate, where I can gather my thoughts in the quiet and reflect on my days.  I am so grateful for it.

Wyatt is also really fun when he's awake.  "You play with me, mom?" he always asks.  

Then he'll go get us each a train, or bring out a puzzle to do.

But his absolute favorite activity is reading.  After I read one book he will ask, "Get another book???" And when I nod my head, he gives me this smile that is just... priceless.  

Full joy.

When I ask Wyatt if he's poopy, he'll tell me, "I not poopy. I fresh." 

And if I disagree he will argue, "Yes I are!"

The twins had, at 28 months, been working on potty training for over eight weeks. We are not there with Wyatt. I have no idea when we will be there.  I am in no hurry. That is something I noticing the second time around. I am in less of a rush. Wyatt crawled & walked incredibly late.  I wasn't worried. We did extended breastfeeding, quitting just before he hit eighteen months, and I loved every minute of it.  I didn't start him on solid foods until he was over eight months old. With the twins I was in such a daggone hurry!  It's nice to feel less frantic now.

Wyatt adores his big brothers.  And they love him. The twins fight over who gets "special time" with Wyatt.  They like to read to him, play hide & seek with him and do puzzles with him.  Their all time favorite is to snuggle with him, either at bedtime or while they watch a show.

In the mornings they love to watch Paw Patrol & Team Umi Zoomi together.  During bedtime prayer Wyatt is often grateful for Bot, Millie & Geo, the characters in Umi Zoomi. His big brothers are often thankful for him.

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This is the shirt I ordered for him from Carter's. I love it.

When I ask him, "What's your shirt say?"

He'll answer, "It says Genius."

And when I ask, "What does that mean?"

He says, "It means my smart."

And he is. He is such a smart boy. He remembers details, can recite things he's only heard a handful of times, and has great attention for detail. Today he wanted to find his Mater and he kept saying, "Let's stop and sink." Over and over I tried to figure out what he was saying, but I couldn't. Finally I said, "Let's stop and THINK?" And he smiled and said yes.

He was looking at a train book the other day & one of the pictures has a Burlington Northern/Santa Fe railroad train in it, and looks like it's going through Montana.  We saw a lot of trains during our road trip this summer, and somehow he remembered. Because when he opened to that page, he goes, "It's like our train in Montana, mom!"

Aside from being smart, I think he's quite adorable.  The kids at the park all love him as well. It's funny though, because they aren't used to seeing children with light eyes. Many of the younger children will ask, "Is he wearing contacts?" and I have to assure them that he was born with blue eyes.  It's so cute.

Another time we were on the playground, one of the kids asked, "Why does he love you so much?"  He tends to like to stay close to me, and prefers that only I pick him up.  I was touched by her question and told her that he likes me because we spend so much time together.  But it stuck with me. And it made me feel so good.  I love that I am someone he's attached to and comfortable with. I love that when he is hurt or sad, I am the one he wants. I am grateful that I get to be his everything for this short while.  Being his mom is one my greatest joys.

And watching how he has changed our family-- how in love Josh is with him, how much the twins have benefitted from being big brothers, learning empathy & caretaking-- warms my heart.  He is how I know God has a plan for my life.  When I found out I was expecting, I had no idea the joy he would bring.  Now I get the pleasure of not only being his mom, but of being a stay-at-home mom, enjoying with him the things I missed out on the first time around.  What a blessing.

"There is an enduring tenderness 

in the love of a mother to a son 

that transcends all other affections of the heart."

-Washington Irving