Kyler -- Week 43 (9/8/12-9/14/12)

We started out the week as a family divided -- but it was only distance between us. The Wiersum family tries to go to a University of Michigan football game every fall, and this year we saw UM win over Air Force. Kyler is still a little too young to join in on all the fun, so we had wonderful people playing with him all throughout the day. My aunt Diane and her granddaughter Abby took most of the day, which included lots of playing and fabulous babysitting skills by Abby. (I guess Kyler napped a little too long for her tastes though.) My cousin Sarah and her husband Andrew came over for the evening and had a great time getting to see what they have in store for themselves as new parents. Kyler is such a happy guy, and it sounds like he had a great time playing with such wonderful people.

We spent Sunday as a family, enjoying a walk and having Great Grandma Linda and her mother come for a visit. Kyler was excited to see them, but what really seemed to fascinate him was the walker! Oh, my son and his fascination with things that move... Kyler also started to wave today, but not very consistently. As the week went on, the waving morphed into high fives as well. Kyler continues to explore and has since found where we have hidden Duncan's food and water bowls (in our closet). We now have a dog that eats/drinks from on top of our bed off a breakfast tray. Oh, the things you have to figure out with such a busy little boy! Kyler has also discovered how much fun it is to play with Duncan's crate, which includes putting toys in there that we find later in the day.

We were very busy socializing this week. Levi came over on Tuesday morning, and we all took a trip to the park. Kyler doesn't really understand how to share yet, and that seems to be true of the space in the stroller as well. To keep Kyler's hands from grabbing his water bottle, Levi just held on to it. On Wednesday, we headed out to see cousin KayLynn and enjoyed playing at her house for the morning. Thursday brought Aunt Sharon over for a nice morning walk and a time to catch up. By Friday, Kyler was not feeling the best, as evidenced by the fact that he was not eating his lunch (which never happens--trust me, this boy can eat!), so we skipped going to Aunt Lynsey's garage sale.

Easily the biggest highlight of the week was when Kyler started to say "Mama" on Wednesday. He may not know what the word means just yet, but it is so wonderful to hear him say it! What a great little guy. :)

Great Grandma Linda came to visit!

"I get to hang out with TWO GRANDMAS?!" Kyler is clearly excited!

Kyler and Levi holding hands on the way to the park. 

"I just wanted to see why Duncan likes it so much, Mommy!"

Watch out--this kid is fast!

All decked out for fall and on our way out for our morning walk

"So where are those dog food dishes?" Kyler is also sporting some über-long shorts

And we have spotted the camera!

Kyler -- Week 42 (9/1/12-9/7/12)

Labor Day weekend was a lot of fun, especially since we had our great friends Matt, Becky, and Louisa to share in all the adventures. We went shopping for shrubs and other plants out in West Olive with Grandma and Grandpa before our guests arrived. On Sunday, we headed out to Lake Michigan to play in the water and have a picnic. Kyler absolutely loved the water and giggled or laughed pretty much the whole time. He loved the waves, watching the people, and even putting his feet in the water. On Labor Day, our guests had a great walk with us, but then had to head out on their long drive back to Illinois.

At the start of the week, we had our first morning with Levi at our house! With Levi to play with, Kyler has been learning to share and not go after toys that are being played with by others. Ryan teaches a class on Tuesday nights, so we made sure to video chat with him that afternoon. Kyler thought it was pretty fun to see Daddy on the computer screen, but all he wanted to do was grab the computer. On Wednesday, Kyler started making all types of fun noises, including "Ba, ba, ba, ba" or something similar. It is so much fun to hear him chatting while pulling books off the shelves or racing behind his dino toy. On Thursday, he started to be able to turn said dino toy on his own! He often would cry or whine when he got stuck and needed assistance to have it moved, but now he can do it all on his own--what a big boy! Kyler also discovered that he likes vacuum cleaners and wanted to climb up the machine, much to the disdain of Duncan, who thinks the vacuum is pure evil. So funny!

Taking pictures after getting out of the pool and playing in the grass

"Maybe try me at this angle"

Just chilling in the grass...soon we might have our own

"Just hold my calls and have your people call mine"

Just pushing his car around...

...and around, and around! He never seems to stop!

This is how we eat at a picnic: Kyler-style

"Wow, Daddy! That is a really big pool!"

Jumping the waves with Daddy--he LOVED Lake Michigan!

Louisa and Kyler hanging out...Kyler was pretty taken by her :)

We hope these two like to hang out in the years to come

Kyler -- Week 41 (8/25/12-8/31/12)

This week was very busy with seeing lots of friends and working on the yard. Kyler enjoyed all the excitement and getting to visit Grandma and Grandpa's pool. We started out the week with a trip to Menards and Sonic (still too early for Ky to have tots yet...bummer, kid!) and arrived home to see our friend Melissa from Ann Arbor. On Sunday, we went to Ivanrest CRC to visit Brent, Jen, and Emma before heading home for more time in the pool. Kyler now likes to drag his hand across the top of the water and make noises (that one boat trip must have really made an impression). Grandma watched Kyler while we picked out a wonderful burgundy belle red maple tree for the front yard and picked him up a pair of cars from Costco -- Batman and Joker, of course.

On Monday, Kyler helped me clean up lunch by wiping off his own high chair tray with his washcloth. Then we headed out to Calvin for the Biology Department picnic. Kyler had not napped much, and then we hit some really bad traffic due to a car accident. We were stuck in the car for almost 2 hours! Kyler was great the whole time and actually fit in a nap that lasted almost an hour. Tuesday was yet another picnic at Calvin, but this one was for the new faculty. We were able to talk with the new president (Michael LeRoy), but Kyler thought his prayer was too long and squealed loudly for it to end. Oh, the fun of Kyler! :)

Wednesday brought the planting of our tree and Jen bringing Emma over to go swimming in the pool. Later that evening, Grandpa was cutting down hawthorn trees in the back yard, but Kyler did not like the sound of the chainsaw and had his little lower lip quivering anytime we went outside. We had dirt dropped off at our house on Thursday, but the truck driver came right as I was up to my elbows in a dirty diaper. So we ran to the door with a bare bottom. On Friday, Grandpa came over for the day to rototill, and we spent the day eating our meals outside. Grandma came over at lunch and after work to help out. Kyler enjoyed both of the new foods he tried this week: barley and broccoli.

Trying to help Daddy with the computer

"Daddy, I need to check my email!"

He likes his books, even though he looks tired in this picture

Look how tall he is!

Playing with the laundry basket

Trying to get in the cupboards

Watching the tree get planted in the front yard

So mesmerized by either the tree or the truck

"I am coming to get you, Mommy!"

Watching the hard work in the yard...

...but he needed to take a chewing break

Kyler -- Week 40 (8/18/12-8/24/12)

We started out this week with a great activity: going to John Ball Zoo! Kyler had a great time looking at all of the animals, meeting some new friends, and basically just getting to look around at all kinds of new things. I think he liked it a lot, but I know that when he is a little older, he is going to LOVE going to the zoo. Later in the week, we also did something that is a fun, west Michigan thing--the Hudsonville Community Fair. Kyler again loved seeing all the animals, hearing all the great noises, and just getting to spend a lot of time with other family members. Grandpa put him up on his shoulders for part of the evening, and Kyler had the biggest grin on his face. I think he liked being so tall! Unfortunately, we failed as parents and forgot the camera for that great experience. Maybe next year!

Sarah and Andrew stopped by to see the house on Sunday, and we had a great time hearing how they were doing with preparations for their little one. Kyler loved to play with them and will adore playing with their new baby too. We also went to visit Ryan at Calvin and got to see Josh and Karyn (some friends from Ann Arbor) for dinner. Kyler had a great time exploring their house and seeing just what his parents would let him get away with. We tried two new foods: wheat in the form of teething biscuits (SOOOOO SUPER MESSY!) and mango. Kyler also turned 9 months this week and had his first Michigan doctors appointment. He did great, especially since Aunt Sue was the great nurse that took care of him. Kyler continues to grow, coming in at 22 lbs 12 oz and 30 inches long. The pediatrician said Ky looked great and that he would not be surprised if Ky was walking soon.

Kyler petting the goat...but Ryan seems even more excited!

Looking at the cows, but Kyler was distracted by the sheep

Looking at the birds...so much fun looking around at everything!

"Wait--this isn't what they are for?"

Having fun digging in his changing table bins

Pushing his car... Vroom!

"What? Mommy, you spill food too!"

Oh, the camera...and check out that Nazi gold (as Ryan calls it)! The joys of colds...

"I love my puppy!"

Daddy is home!

Helping Grandpa put up shelves in his room... Yeah, power tools!

Kyler -- Week 39 (8/11/12-8/17/12)

Another week of firsts for the family, including our first morning in the new house! Ryan picked up some donuts as a special way to celebrate our morning, but in the mean time, Kyler found out that following Mommy into the fridge is a great adventure. Now, any time the fridge is open, Kyler seems to think that he needs to explore what is in there -- even climbing up into it! Kyler has his own cupboard of plastic tubs, which he often scatters all over the house. We took a trip to Costco to pick up a few things, and now that Kyler has become so vocal with all his squealing, Ryan has no problem finding us in the massive warehouse.

We started visiting different churches in the area, and we finally reached the point when we needed to put Kyler in the nursery--at least if we actually want to be able to pay attention during the service. I think that I had a harder time doing this than Kyler did (even shedding a few tears), but Kyler just saw other kids and new toys to play with. We dropped him off, and he did not even give us a glance back before he was crawling over to the new toys. When we came back to pick him up, he seemed very happy. Hopefully Mommy has an easier time putting him in nursery in the weeks to come. It just makes me realize how blessed I am to be able to spend my days home with him and how thankful we are that Ryan can support us. Later that Sunday afternoon, we got to go celebrate our triplet friends on their first birthday!

Ryan took his last day off from Calvin before he started heading in every single day. We enjoyed going to the farmers market in Hudsonville and enjoying a nice walk as a family. Grandpa and Grandma rode their bikes over to visit, and then later in the week, they brought Great Grandma over for dinner. Ryan started getting a cold and sore throat earlier in the week, and near the end of the week, Kyler and I were starting to feel under the weather, too. When Kyler is sick, he barely sleeps, and all he wants to do is cuddle with his Mommy (which I don't mind at all). When we were snuggling one morning, Kyler gave me his first kiss--or what seemed like a kiss. He will put his mouth, completely open, on your mouth and just hold it there. A little silly, but the thought was so sweet!

The piano man

Pushing his dino toy everywhere!

On a rainy day, he thought that he would help me fold laundry...

...or just push the basket around.

Trying to get a picture with the bear, but...

...Kyler wanted to get up close...

...and closer to the camera--I guess we will now have to snap pictures quickly before he wants to "help"

"Mommy, there is nothing good to eat in here."

Kyler -- Week 38 (8/4/12-8/10/12)

This week involved a lot of moving, unpacking, and mischief. Saturday was a busy day of moving into the house, which also brought out the favorite toy of the moment, the Stride-to-Ride Dino! He loves to push it around on his knees, but gets a little frustrated when he falls or gets stuck. Kyler also found another "new toy" -- the carbon monoxide detector. I thought letting him push the button and having that shrill noise go off would deter him from pushing it again, but to my surprise, he thought it was great. We had to put a baby gate up just to keep him from pushing the button non-stop and having us all lose our hearing.

We celebrated Grandpa's birthday, and all Kyler seemed to want do was play with candles or pull on KayLynn's hair--oh, what a boy! Kyler found out how much fun playing in Duncan's dog bowls can be, and we had many large puddles and wet bottoms to prove it. He also got into the new cupboards as we unpacked, tried to climb a ladder while drapes were being hung, and learned he can push the slider open if it is unlocked. Kyler also thought that this would be the time to start standing up in his crib and chewing on it. I definitely think that he is a challenge now that he is getting into everything, but it is still fun to see him exploring and learning new things.

We did have a great time with visitors coming to see the new house,  and we even took them swimming. Kellie, Ben, Julie, and Levi all had fun swimming and jumping in the water while Kyler napped. Next year he will be able to join in the watery fellowship. Kyler has found Great Grandpa's tractors at Grandma and Grandpa's house and has loved pushing them around while making noises. (How do kids know how to do this? No one ever taught him that!) He tried cottage cheese and millet this week as his new foods, and we moved into the house on a rainy Friday. Kyler's room was the first one done and even has a great paint job!

"What do you mean I have cottage cheese on my face?"

Vroom...

Playing with Great Grandpa's tractors

I think Great Grandpa would have loved that he plays with these

"I found a new place to hide, Mommy!"

The new dino toy--a soon to be favorite

"I'm riding on my friendly dinosaur..."

Helping Grandpa put together the storage shelves--I hope he takes after his Grandpa in handiness

Holding the ladder for Grandma--what a good helper :)