Catch Up Post: November

Here are a few notable things that happened to the Willhites in November:

1) Megan's chicken pox finally crusted over and she was able to leave the house again. Hallelujah! (The pox have not disappeared completely yet, though, so that is a disappointment.)

2) The sweet, compliant boy who lived at our house magically and suddenly turned into an opinionated, obstinate, loud, and very frustrating 2 year old. His favorite phrases are, "No, Mommy, no!" and "Sully want that!" Lucky for him he's still pretty darned cute. See?

3) We had a very fun birthday party for said obstinate 2 year old at Grandma and Grandpa Willhite's house with superhero decorations, snacks, and games. Grandma and I also made the coolest cake ever. He was a pretty difficult cake to make, so lots of oohing and aahing now would be appropriate.

4) Sully had his 2 year check-up and we found out that he's growing well, but that he is anemic. So we've been spending the last month pushing iron-rich foods, trying to limit his milk intake (Vitamin D inhibits iron absorption), and loading up on the Vitamin C, which assists in iron absorption. Unfortunately, our child is now addicted to orange juice and hardly wants any milk. But I think he's been eating more lately and he has been eating meat and whole grains without too much fighting, so hopefully his iron has gone up enough that we won't have to do a supplement. We go back to the doctor on Tuesday to find out, so keep your fingers crossed for us!

5) We had our first solo Thanksgiving at this house - just the three of us and Drogo (Mark was on call). I cooked a turkey all by myself (albeit a frozen-in-a-bag-put-straight-in-the-oven-turkey breast, but it was a turkey nonetheless!) and even did all the side dishes. The obstinate 2 year old ate only cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, but he did put one piece of turkey in his mouth. (It promptly came back out.) Sully did however do a Thanksgiving craft with me, and we got to snuggle on the couch and watch the parade in our pajamas, so all in all it was a nice Thanksgiving.

6) We finally got our digital camera back! Canon fixed it for free and it works great now, so hopefully I will get my act in gear and start posting pictures again! And they won't be grainy or fuzzy because they were taken with a video camera or scanned into the computer! YEAH!

7) Sully named baby #2 for us, so our new child-to-be is currently referred to as Baby Bodo. All seems to be going well with Bodo so far - the heartbeat is strong and I have been feeling some movement in there. I have to get a Level 2 ultrasound because of the chicken pox, so they'll be able to look more closely and see if there were any pox related complications. The ultrasound is scheduled for Dec 23, so we'll let you know what they find out. (And I am leaning toward not finding out the gender, so it's good that Bodo can be a girl's name or a boy's name!)

8) Mark continued to grow his goatee, which according to my mother makes him look Amish. I disagree.

So there you go - a brief look at November....a busy month at our house! (That's why I haven't gotten around to updating until now. That and the fact that my first trimester was very draining - thank goodness for "the golden age of pregnancy" as the second trimester is called. It's way better so far!)

Hope you all are enjoying this wintry December weather! We are off to see the Holiday Magic lights at the zoo tonight, so hopefully I can get some new pictures up soon!

Happy Halloween from the Wonder Willhites!

It has been a crazy week at the Willhite house! I found out on Tuesday that I have the chicken pox and have been quarantined since. Sully was vaccinated and Mark had it as a kid (although I did too, so I guess I am just in a weakened immune state because of the pregnancy?) so luckily for them, they were both able to enjoy Halloween to the fullest. Mark carved his pumpkin and I helped Sully paint his yesterday afternoon, but the highlight of the day was when the boys went trick-or-treating as the most adorable superheroes in Grayslake. While Danger Dad and Super Sully were out patrolling the neighborhood, I did answer the door for trick-or -treaters, but I did so dressed as a surgeon so I could wear the mask they sent me home from the doctor in. (Chicken pox is passed respiratorialy, and I didn't want to scare the children with my bumpy crusty chin!) I guess Mega Mommy will have to make her Halloween appearance next year. (But at least I didn't have to finish my costume - which meant I got Mark's done.....9 minutes before trick-or-treating started!) Sully had so much fun, and we were very amazed because he never tried to take off his costume! He loved trick-or-treating so much he wasn't content to do just the neighbors' houses - Mark had to take him all the way down the block. They were out for about an hour and a half and Sully still cried when Mark made him come in the house! We of course took lots of pictures - although Mark had to go out and buy a disposable camera because our digital one is busted, and we've been a little preoccupied and haven't replaced it yet. So I apologize that the pictures aren't of the highest quality, but when we developed them today they gave us a free photo cd, so at least I didn't have to scan them all. I also forgot to get the video camera out last night, so Mark and Sully put their costumes back on today and went outside to run around. Sully actually played in the yard in his entire costume for about an hour! It was the most adorable thing ever!

Despite the chicken pox, we had an enjoyable Halloween and Sully really seemed to enjoy the whole process. I think he'll be sad when we put the decorations away and he can't say "Hi pumpkin" or "See skeleton's bone" as we walks around the house. But as there is no reason he can't be Super Sully everyday, I am going to put him in that costume as much as possible while he still fits in it - he looks so cute! See?

Here are a few photos of our pumpkin decorating - but don't look too closely at the one of me and Sully....the pox are yucky!

And here are some of of Danger Dad and Super Sully being the cutest boys I have ever seen!

And finally, here are the Wonder Willhites in action! You may be able to see Danger Dad without his costume, so please don't reveal his true identity to anyone - it could put his family at risk! (Or his manhood - isn't he a good daddy to walk around the neighborhood in gold lame and shiny boots? At least I didn't make him wear tights!) Happy Halloween!

Wacky Willhite News

Yes, you heard correctly! There is another Wacky Willhite on the way! We had our first prenatal appointment and ultrasound yesterday and all is going well. The baby is healthy with a strong heartbeat and we were measuring right on schedule. I'm 9 and a half weeks now and due on May 22. Things are mostly going smoothly, but I am much sicker with this kid than I was with Sully. I've already thrown up 3 times today. Woo hoo!

Here's a picture of our little peanut (or perhaps it is a baby doll I accidentally swallowed):

So that's our news! We are all excited and Mark and I are incredibly relieved - it's been a rough 9 weeks wondering if everything was okay this time. I go back to the doctor in three weeks (right before our big boy turns 2 - YIKES!) so I should have more news to post then. But for now I need to go lay on the couch while Sully is in the crib. I'm realizing I need all the rest I can get now before it's too late!

Which kid is which?

I've always known Sully looks just like his daddy, but who could have guessed they were IDENTICAL toddlers?

We're Still Here!

So it has been an incredibly long time since our last post, and Sully has grown and changed so much that I am not even sure where to begin. He's talking up a storm and learns new words and concepts almost every day. To illustrate what I mean, here is a video of Sully's Uncle Rory teaching him a new trick.

It has been a lot of fun being able to communicate with Sully, and he is definitely willing to tell you what he wants or how he feels. Some of his favorite phrases include, "No way!," "Nope," and "Daddy/Mommy sit/play/read, etc." He's doing better on his manners, though, and usually remembers to say please when he is asking for more of something. We're working on thank you and he's doing pretty well.

Since it's been so long since my last post, I figured I'd just jump right into some pictures so you can see how much he's grown. I'll try to post again soon with some more details of Sully's brilliance!

Here's a few shots from our camping trip at Devil's Lake this weekend.

Even though I worked all summer, we did try to squeeze in some outdoor fun at the splash park, Illinois State Beach park and in the backyard.



And finally, here is my favorite Sully face:

The Cheesy Grin! Enjoy! Happy September!

My Baby is Gone....

and all of a sudden I have a boy running around the house. Sully is talking up a storm, weighs 26 pounds, and LOVES to play in the dirt. He's true boy all the way, and while I am sad that his baby days are over, it's been a lot of fun playing with our big boy! Here's a quick list of some of his new tricks:

-He can identify all his facial features and some body parts (feet, toes, hands)

-He likes to put various objects on his head and say, "Hat!" (Today it was the rubber ring that he pulled off of Drogo's food dish and also his dinner plate.)

-He can throw a ball and chase it (or chase Drogo once Drogo grabs it and runs away!)

-He's started playing imaginatively! He has battles with his action figures, cooks things and sometimes talks to his stuffed animals

-He knows lots of animal sounds

-He can scribble with markers and pens, but his scribbles are works of art!

I'm sure there are more fun things he is doing, but that's all I can think of at the moment and I know you've been waiting for new pictures, so here they are without further adieu!

By no means have we begun potty training, but Sully now has a potty chair which he is in the process of investigating. He says, "Sit" then puts a book on the potty and tries to sit on the book. Here is after I helped him move the book, then sit. (I know you're jealous that his potty is green!)

We went to an outdoor wedding this weekend at this amazing house in Grayslake. Kevin and Lori have the most beautiful home and yard you have ever seen! Kevin built an entire gypsy wagon - which Sully LOVED - and they have a neat little play house with a kitchen that Sully could not get enough of. He also could not get enough of the cupcakes, which of course had to be red velvet....

And for the coup d'etat of this post - here is a wonderful video of Sully in the playhouse talking on the phone. I was sitting in there with him and I could not stop laughing! The lighting is really bad, but as long as you have volume you will enjoy it! (And once you watch the video the photo above of Mark and Sully will make more sense.)

That's all for now! Thanks for your patience with the Wacky Slacky Willhites! And until we post again, Sully says, "Helloooo!"

Sully in Action!

I thought I would post some video so you could see our busy boy doing some of his favorite activities. This first one is Sully playing with Daddy's (it used to be Daddy's but Sully commandeered it and ripped off one of the arms!) Boba Fett figurine on the window sill in our bedroom. Make sure you have your volume up because the sound effects are hysterical!

The next two are from our recent visit to Grammy and Grandpa's house in Frankfort. It was the one weekend that it was actually nice outside, so Sully got to play in the yard and use sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles. But none of those things really captured his attention, and his favorite activity ended up being a little strange. See for yourself...

And finally, since Sully is at the age his Grammy likes to call the "age of servitude" we have definitely been putting him to work! But since it feels like a game to him it's not like we are breaking any child labor laws. Let's just hope he continues to like these cleaning activities as he gets older!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The O'Willhites got all decked out today for my favorite holiday! Although it looks like I photoshopped the green onto Mark's face, he's actually wearing hairy face stickers. Cool, huh? And isn't it great how my husband will do goofy things like wearing hairy face stickers just for me?? Now that's love! But I guess my son doesn't love me enough, because he did not wear the hairy face stickers. I'm not even sure he liked them on Mark's face, since he kept trying to peel them off. At least we got him to sit still for a few pictures. Hope you had a shamrockin' day!

(Look closely and you might notice something special in that last picture. That's right - it's our new couch! And the ugly pillows that came with it - I need to recover them.)

And just because he really is the cutest boy I know, here are two final pictures of our little leprechaun reading his St. Patrick's Day card.

Where does the time go?

So as anyone who has looked at my blog more than once has probably noticed, I have a very hard time posting updates in a timely manner. I thought I would get better as Sully got older, but for some reason I am getting worse. The good news is that I get more sleep at night, but I honestly have no idea where my time is going during the day. (Not to mention the fact that somehow I am now 30 years old, have been with Mark for almost 10 years, have owned a house for 5 years, and have a child who is now 16 months old. So let's not even talk about where that time went...yikes!!) I guess most of my time is spent either cleaning up after Sully (his favorite activity is taking all the toys out of the toy box then going and playing in the other room where he can pull out more toys), telling Sully not to touch things or open things or get behind things or pull on things (like Drogo's tail), preparing meals and snacks for Sully (he's in a picky phase so mealtime always starts with, "So what will you actually eat today?"), or attempting to translate the jibber jabber that is Sully's language. I guess the overall message is that there isn't any more down time now that Sully is a toddler. He may be more independent, but he is much, much busier! So even when he gives me a spare moment to myself, I usually choose to do something unproductive (like sit on our brand new couch or play Diner Dash - I'm totally addicted!) because my brain just needs a break.

But although life with a toddler is busy, it's also very rewarding. Sully has gotten so entertaining and has learned so much since my last post. I don't even know where to begin! He just learned to point out some body parts, and he can find them on his own body or someone else's. So far he's figured out nose, eyes, mouth, hair and belly button. He had also figured out how to climb up onto the couch, but then we went and got a new couch which is much higher - and way more comfortable and presentable. Thank goodness! He's walking like a pro and has even started trying to run a bit. He loves music and we constantly have Here Come the 1,2,3s by They Might Be Giants playing at our house (Thanks Kath!). Sully dances and spins and if we forget to turn the music on he points at the cd player and jabbers until we turn it on. He also likes to push the Swiffer around and he loves to take a bath! He comes running as soon as he hears the water running. He has even started accessorizing - he likes to wear a gold Mardi Gras bead necklace that I call his "bling." He puts it on and then opens the hall closet where the full length mirror is and laughs at himself. The mirror is one of his favorite toys - he looks in it at least 3 times a day and just grins at himself. But who can blame him? He is pretty darn cute!

And to prove it, here is a collection of pictures from the last two and a half months of Sully just being Sully. Enjoy!