Thursday, July 30, 2009

Efficient? I think not.

For the past couple of months we've been trying to adhere to a pretty strict budget in preparation of me not working when the baby comes. One of the items on the budget is to do all of the grocery shopping for a two week span at one time. I write up a meal plan with 14 breakfasts, lunches and dinners and off I go. It's good in the sense that I don't call up Sean at work at 5pm and say "we've got nothing for dinner can you pick something up on your way home?". My plan is to cut eating out almost completely as it is expensive and nutritionally not so great. So far it's been going well, I don't have to wonder what to make for dinner every night and I don't have to make the almost nightly trips into the local supermarket for one or two items. On the down side, I have to bring Wesley with me on my big shopping extravaganzas. The child gets a gleam in his eye when he knows it's shopping day. I've found it's his life goal to make these shopping trips living hell for me. Everything in the cart has to be piled along the back....well out of reach of Hell Boy here. God forbid a loaf of bread tumbles within grabbing distance. It immediately becomes smooshed unless I intervene. I have to shove everything breakable or smooshable under the cart, even meat goes there. We've gotten it down to a fine art and are improving as the time goes by. I've also decided that a bag of cookies goes a long way to make a toddler happy in the grocery store.

The other down side to doing a mass two week shopping spree is that the day or two before you shop, your fridge looks like this:



It's pretty much completely empty. Sean says that we're just efficient. I say there is a giant red headed whale floating around the house eating everything in sight. I'm pretty sure I'm correct.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Exhaustion

I find myself suffering from sheer exhaustion these days. I'm ashamed to say that I've been crawling into bed the second I get Wesley down for his nap. It's crazy. The only thing I can attribute it to is the pregnancy, yet I just don't remember being this tired all the time when I was pregnant with Wesley. Can being two years older make all that difference? Or is it the fact that I have to chase a two year old around constantly while being pregnant that is causing the exhaustion? I wish I knew because it's kicking my butt. I'm not even doing anything productive to explain how tired I am. At least if I was painting the house still, or out gardening constantly, I'd have something to blame it on. But nope, this is all from carrying around a highly active little girl in my belly and watching a two year old be crazy. These kids just suck the energy right out of me....one from the inside and one from the outside. I seriously don't know how people do it with more than two kids. You'd have to just bury me in the backyard.

On a different note, we are gearing up for a small road trip this weekend. Sean's folks sold their farm so we are headed out for one last hurrah to the place where he grew up. It's roughly a five hour trip from here so we plan to stop frequently to allow Wesley and I some time to get out and stretch our legs (doctors orders). This is about as late in the pregnancy as I feel comfortable traveling so I'm thrilled they picked this weekend as I can't wait to see everyone!

Monday, July 27, 2009

County Fair Time

It's the end of July, it's steamy hot outside, I'm starting my eighth month of pregnancy so what better to do on a boring Monday morning than go walk around the county fair. Jessica and I loaded the kids into the van and took off this morning to show them all the glorious animals. It's amazing how much can change in a year! Last year at the fair Wesley wasn't even walking and I took him around the fairgrounds in the stroller. He wasn't much interested in the animals at that time. This year he was quite a bit more excited to see the bunnies, chickens, goats, pigs and cows. I'm sure every year that goes by will be more fun until he's old enough to join 4-H and show his own animals. It brings back memories of all those hot summers growing up at the fair and showing livestock, I can't wait for him to have fun doing that as well. Jessica and I were walking around commenting on what animals we would allow and not allow our children to raise and show. She showed pigs one year (and only one year) and thoroughly thinks they were worthless to have. I'm under the conclusion that my kids can raise animals to show that don't have to be sold for meat. So no beef, bucket calves, sheep or meat goats. I think dairy goats, bunnies and poultry would be fun (I mean for the kids that is..he he). I'm sure Sean will have some input as well.

Our little pen of crazy animals



There was a whole lot of pig petting going on



Look Ma! A baby cow!



Enjoying himself at the fair



Abby and Wesley terrorizing an unsuspecting duck



Cooling down with a drink on the way home

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Weekend Update

The house projects are coming along. Sean spent another weekend working on the replacement of the exterior door. I'm happy to report we have a new door and new siding around the door. Sean is now in the process of installing a small gate that will be a few feet away from the new door to protect it from our crappy dogs. The old door suffered a fate worse than death from the dogs and we plan to not let that happen again. Our setter mix Sophie decides that whenever she wants in the house for whatever reason (thunder, guns shots, her sheer crappiness...) she will scrape on the door. This destroys the seals around the door along with the trim. She is such a destructive animal. I keep thinking we need to invest in a shock collar for no other reason than the pure satisfaction it would bring me every time she started scraping up something, or eating off of our counters, or anything else from the giant list of her sheer crappy dogness. Anyways, I've sure veered off subject.....here is the new door minus the new siding that is up.



While I'm talking about the dogs, I'm excited because I just got back from picking up a dog run in town. I've been keeping my eyes peeled on Craiglist for a dog run and found one today that was in my price range (cheap). Since we now are back up to three dogs the kennel bill for vacations is back up to $50 a night which is just plain crazy I think. We've been planning on putting up a dog run that fits next to the shop with a doggie door that swings between the outdoor dog pen and a pen inside the shop. This way when we go visit Sean's folks in New Mexico every winter we can just throw them in this pen and save oodles of money. I figure someone comes out daily to feed the horses while we are gone so they can just throw dog food in with the dogs while they are here. It is a win win situation.

A little bystander watching the mayhem. Those dogs play HARD.



When I was at a garage sale awhile back I found a set of Veggie Tales books. Wesley has decided that he LOVES Veggie Tales and will carry these books around insisting we read them at least five times a day. I like the books, they are cute and fun and deliver a good message I think. I've decided, in an attempt to retain my sanity, to purchase a Veggie Tales DVD in the hopes that he will want to watch it rather than the cursed red monster known as Elmo. I found one that even has to do with the Wild Wild West which seems to be a good bet seeing as he still talks about his Wild Wild West party daily and will put on his own cowboy boots. Wish me luck.

He loves his cowboy boots.



Do you guys like the look of the new blog? It feels fresh and summery to me. It's fun changing things up now and again. Have a good week ya'll.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Discipline

We are quickly finding that we need to come up with a reliable form of discipline for Wesley. He's getting more and more adventurous these days and testing his limits more and more. As of yet he hasn't really needed more than a firm talking to when he does something out of line but over the past few weeks that's changing. He's just not listening when we talk to him anymore. I guess this is something I need to get used to as he grows but for now we need to have some sort of disciplinary action.

There are a few occasions when I've swatted his bottom for something bad he's done. Really the only thing he does that results in a spanking is banging stuff on the windows. He'll pick up some big toy and throw it at the window repeatedly. He gets a firm "NO" and a swat. Unfortunately he finds this funny at the moment. He grins and then walks around swatting his own behind. Obviously not working.

I'm implementing time out for him in the next few weeks. I haven't quite figured out the logistics of it yet. Time out needs to be in a secluded spot in the house, away from all the action. Somewhere that he doesn't get attention and realizes he's getting a punishment. I'm strongly debating bringing down an unused car seat that he'll sit in only for time out. I could even strap him into it if he just doesn't get the drift. Is that wrong?
I hope this works, the kid is getting more and more brazen and needs to understand there is a consequence to his actions.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The playground

The hot days of summer are officially upon us. Wesley and I are entering the "what-the-heck-are-we-going-to-do-all-summer" part of the year. Yesterday I decided we needed to get out and do something new so Jessica and her gang and Wesley and I went to the local elementary schools playground to play and have lunch. This school was built just a couple of years ago and has an awesome playground. The ground cover was particularly interesting. It was made up of at least a foot and a half of recycled rubber tires. You bounced as you walked. I imagine there are few injuries associated with falls out at this playground. It's a far cry from the hard asphalt we got as kids. There is a side for little ones and a side for the bigger kids. Wesley was still too small to really enjoy all it had to offer but I think another year, a few more inches and a load of confidence will put him right in line to enjoy it.

He'd get himself to the top but still undecided whether he wanted to actually go down the slide.



Never mind all the slides and ladders, he just wanted to climb the stairs.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Chapters

Today marks our 8th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been eight years already. This October we'll have been together for ten years. Time just seems to fly as I get older. We've been through so much together and I wouldn't change any of it. I truly married my soul mate and best friend. Happy Anniversary Sean!

We've created some wonderful chapters in our life, from dating:




To engagements.




To marriage.




A wonderful honeymoon.




A couple of graduations.




To creating a beautiful baby boy.




Can't wait for the next chapter....that chapter is kicking the crud out of me as I type. :)

Monday, July 20, 2009

Energy Drain

This has to be the most productive summer we've ever had. Between painting the house, installing a perimeter fence, new landscaping, finishing the pool demo and chipping limbs it's been a crazy summer. I've said before, but it seems that when a new baby is on the way, we turn into crazy working fools. Everything that has ever been on the "to do" list gets done. I didn't think we could top the summer that Wesley was born but I believe we've done it this summer. But with all this productivity comes the inevitable energy drain. Sean and I are both feeling it although my drain is mainly due to being in the last several weeks of pregnancy. Sean on the other hand has been running around like the energizer bunny and now is starting to feel it.

Saturday he decided to tackle one of the larger items on the "to do" list. This item has been there ever since we moved into our house five years ago. This house was a repossessed house when we purchased it. In some instances when a home owner is facing repossession they go around and strip the house of anything of value. We lucked out on this house, it was move in ready with a few exceptions. The exterior door leading out of the laundry room looked like it was taken and replaced with an ill fitting door. So for five years now we've been saying how much we need to replace this door that leaks air like a sieve. In the winter I feel it would be like leaving a window open. Not good for the electric bill. It was always a project that needed to be done in the summer but never really got remembered until the dead of winter. Sean got a nice new pre-hung door and installed it yesterday. It is still without trim for the moment but it's wonderful to have a tightly sealed and much safer door installed. Have I said how lucky I am to be married to such a hard working guy?



I was going to spend the weekend refinishing a dresser I bought for the baby but have since decided it might not be a good idea. I was all prepared to go out and use the hand sander to even out the surface when Sean reminded me that the dresser looks like an antique and might be covered in lead paint. Not such a good thing for anyone to be inhaling, especially me. So poor Sean has a new project on his already stuffed schedule. I'll have to do a before and after on the dresser as I think it's going to turn out gorgeous.

That's about all for now. I have to add in here that Wesley just said "I love you Mommy" for the first time (unprompted) as I left his room for his nap time. Talk about precious.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Insecurities

I'm not sure if it is a phase or if my kid is too sheltered but he's grown scared of many things lately. I'm always afraid that these insecurities stem from him not being exposed to lots of things since we tend to stick around home. This morning we go outside to play, like we do every day, and I turn on the sprinkler to water the baby grass. Wesley became terrified and ran to the farthest corner of the property. He stood there for five minutes while I tried to coax him back.



I eventually had to take him around the front of the house to bring him inside since he wouldn't go near the sprinkler. This isn't the first time I've turned on the sprinkler. In fact it's a weekly occurrence and he's just now become terrified. Strange. This isn't the only thing. This past week he's grown terrified of the steam that comes when I cook dinner. The other night I made some pasta and the steam rising from the pot made him run and hide behind the curtains. He then cried uncontrollably for ten minutes. I'm just dumbfounded. It has to be this age. I have no explanation for it. Poor little guy.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Transitioning

It's strange to me to think that I have a two year old now. I think about how two years ago I was stuck in a recliner unable to move with a week old baby stuck to my boob and it baffles the mind. How was that two years ago? And how is that going to happen again in two months? I can't believe I'll soon be a Mom of two. These changes are happening so fast! Time seems to go into warp speed once you have kids.

On the subject of changes, Wesley has transformed so much in the past month. He picks up so much of what Sean and I say now that it's gotten us to really think about what comes out of our mouths. He mimics everything. My favorite so far is whenever we give him something we say "Here ya go Wesley". He takes the object, a snack for instance, and immediately says "Here ya go Fesley". He can't say Wesley, so he's Fesley. The kid always talks in third person too. I don't know if he's been watching too much Elmo's World or what. I'm anxious to see how he is around the new baby. I'm a little afraid of how jealous he's going to be. I hope he understands that Mom isn't going to be able to run around and play with him like she usually does. Luckily Sean gets two weeks paternity leave from work so that should be a huge help. Sean has been taking over many of the evening baths for Wesley so that he can transition into that full time once the baby arrives. I also plan to purchase a few new toys that come out only during baby feeding time so that he has something to focus on while I'm indisposed. In theory this is all going to go smoothly but I know it won't and I know it will be crazy around here. We are just trying to soak up as much time as we can as a family of three before transitioning to a family of four. It's alarming to see that baby counter on the right in the single weeks now.....scary!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

30 Weeks



Whale watchers of America unite! Holy cow do I feel HUGE. I have 10 weeks left (or 70 days) of this pregnancy and naturally they happen to be in the hottest part of the entire year....great planning eh? It is going well though. She's officially dropped. When I sit at the computer I feel like I'm holding a watermelon in my lap. She's literally sitting on my thighs now. Her kicks are becoming much more "Kung Fu Fighter" like. Only a few have been painful, the kind where you cringe until they end. At my appointment last week the doctor measured my belly and said she's measuring a week ahead. So here's hoping she makes her entrance into the world around the middle of September rather than the 25th.

I've purchased the last of the needed baby items this week including a breast pump. I squeaked my way through breastfeeding Wesley for 10 months by borrowing two different people's breast pumps (thank you Jessica and Becca!) and decided this time to not be such a cheap skate and buy my own. So a nice new Medela Pump in Style is on its way to my front porch and I couldn't be more thrilled. It seems strange that something so trivial as a pump could make me giddy. Oh well. I also ordered some Dr. Browns glass bottles off of Amazon. I did the whole Playtex Nursers with Wesley and got so sick and tired of buying liners that just got thrown into a landfill. It was so wasteful. It also seemed expensive buying liners every time I had to buy formula there for those two months he was strictly on formula. So this time we are going the glass bottle route and I hope it pays off. That's about all that is happening lately.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Under the big oak tree

My favorite time of the day is right after dinner when we all go outside and play under this giant oak tree in the back yard. We let the dogs out to run and play in the back acreage while we sit around in lawn chairs and watch Wesley play in his sandbox and pool. It's such a relaxing time of the day and I look forward to it each day.

Yesterday we got to add a new plaything out under the tree that he received for his birthday. His Granny Randi and Grandpa Rich got him a water wheel table so he can play in the water but not actually get into a little pool (which he refuses to do). It's an elevated table that has ramps and boats, cups and towers to dump the water into. He's thrilled with it. Here are a few pictures from the past few days while out under the big oak tree.

Such a happy little man


It doubles as a giant dog water dish


Yes, he's officially our dog now...his name is Cody


That's a mischievous grin if I've ever seen one


Froggy pool + black lab = dirty froggy dog pool


Still loving his faithful sandbox


King of the hill

Monday, July 13, 2009

2 Year Stats

We went into the pediatricians office today for Wesley's two year well baby visit. We got to meet his new pediatrician. Last fall we switched doctors but we haven't been in since to actually meet him. Turns out it was a good switch and we're happy with our choice. He's somewhat open to working with me on a delayed vaccine schedule which makes me happy since there will be a new baby to bring in soon. I'm glad I don't have to worry about what I'm going to do with the vaccine situation on this new baby. It's one less thing for me to worry about. That was a huge source of unease with the first baby.

Wesley got to be weighed and measured on the big kid scale instead of the baby scale. He was sure happy to stand up on that scale. I wish I had my camera since he decided he needed to wear his cowboy boots after being weighed, so he was butt naked with only a diaper and cowboy boots on. What a look! He's doing good with his percentages, weight is 28.2 pounds which puts him in the 53% for weight, height is 35 inches which is the 63% and head circ. is 49.5 which is the 68%. It's nice to see his body finally catch up with his giant head. I can officially switch him to 2% milk now. I asked, since I feel he's on the skinny side, if I should keep him on whole milk for the added fat and calories and the doc said that studies done on young children that passed away in car accidents already showed plaque and build up on walls of the heart and arteries. He said it's good to get kids off of high fat foods earlier these days. I found that interesting.
Overall a good visit and we're happy with how our little man is growing.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Happy Birthday Big Boy!


Wesley turned two years old today and we had his big Wild Wild West party yesterday. The kid had a blast. I decorated the house Friday night after Wesley went to bed so when he woke up and walked into the living room he just stopped and starred. There were cowboy hats and balloons, streamers and even a big mylar horse balloon. Two is a fun age, he really is starting to soak up everything and develop that little personality.

His party went great. He was just crazy excited to have all these people come to see him. There could have been zero presents and he wouldn't have cared. He got his cowboy boots from us and pretty much hasn't taken them off since. He took a nap yesterday with them on, it was cute. I ask him now if he wants to wear his sandals or boots and he's picked the boots every time. It's a fashionable look with shorts you know.

My folks even dressed up for the wild west party!



Opening presents



Our strange tradition to give him a stuffed fish pillow from Cabela's every birthday. A walleye last year and a marlin this year.



Alex and Abby were the only kids that came, really the only kids we hang out with. They sure had fun wearing their boots and hats around.





Last but not least was cake time. He really enjoyed having the birthday song sung to him, just soaked it up. Then all evening he walked around singing it to himself.
All around a fun time, I'm glad it's over as I'm exhausted! I plan to sleep for the next two days. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend and keeping cool (101 degrees here today!).

Birthday boy before his cupcake (note the card in his right hand...yes Granny Randi that is your musical card, carries it around everywhere listening to it - he loves it!).



After the cupcake. I love this picture, so "Wesley" with that grin.



Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Planning

I've been running around preparing for Wesley's second birthday party this weekend. I can't believe the little guy is going to be two. When did that happen? For the past month I've been preparing him for his "Wild Wild West" party. I'm sure he has no idea what this means but he sure does get animated when we talk about it. I've told him he gets to wear a wild wild west hat and wild wild west boots and eat wild wild west cupcakes. He's also excited that Noni and Papa and Aunt Betsy and Uncle Blake will be there too. He talks about Betsy (my sister) and Blake a lot since they went with us to the Aquarium a few weeks ago. It's neat that he remembers events and people and will talk about them.

I do think having some kind of party once a year where people actually come into your house is a good thing. It makes me clean in ways that I normally wouldn't. For instance, I'm fairly tall but I can't see on top of the refrigerator so that layer of dust accumulates and goes unnoticed. Or ceiling fan blades that have a rim of dog and cat fur along with bird dander and other unmentionables plastered on it. And let's not forget oiling the kitchen cabinets. It's things like that, that are getting cleaned. It sure is nice having a clean house at least once a year. It's hard to tell if it's just the normal cleaning instinct or the nesting instinct kicking in. I've also been washing anything fabric in the house. Rugs, drapes, bassinet covers....it's all squeaky clean. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself once this weekend is over, every large project we've planned will be done. Maybe at that point it's called rest and relaxation although lately that's a phrase that's unknown to us.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Sean's gonna kill me

Sunday afternoon I had decided to go into town to order some balloons for Wesley's birthday this Saturday. I'm waiting for a train along with about eight other cars. Train goes by and we start driving forward. Then the four cars in front of me start swerving all over the place, some into the other lane of traffic and some into the ditch. Not knowing what the heck was happening up there I slowed down only to find a big dog trotting down my lane. This big lug was just lopping along into oncoming traffic. After seeing him almost get hit three times I pulled into a side road and turned around and drove back to where he was. At this point he had decided to take a break from committing suicide and went down into a ditch to drink some water. I opened the back of the car and whistled and he ran over and jumped into the back. The whole way home I'm chanting "Sean's going to kill me, Sean's going to kill me". I couldn't just let the poor dog get hit, after all it was the day after the 4th of July and he probably just jumped his fence from fright, it happens a lot.

The next day I took him to our local vet in the same town I picked him up and reported him as found. They also checked him over for a microchip with no luck. As of yet no one has posted a missing dog ad and as the days go by he's burrowing his way into my heart. He's such a sweet dog. From what I can tell he's a pure bred black lab, just a gorgeous dog. The vet tech thinks he's rather young, maybe around a year. He follows me everywhere and won't let me out of his sight. And the manners! I've never seen a better mannered dog in my life. He doesn't jump up on us, no counter cruising, he plays so well with the other two dogs and loves on Wesley whenever he gets a chance. It's heartwarming to see Sophie out running and playing with another dog. She hasn't done that since before Cisco got cancer. Is it wrong that I hope his owners don't come looking for him? I know, I know....like we need another animal now with a baby on the way very soon.

He needed a collar and the only one I had lying around was the goats old collar. It's just a standard dog collar with a tag on it that says "Goat Man" and our phone number. I told Sean we needed to give him a name even if we don't keep him just to make things easier when getting his attention. Sean, of course, said we should just call him Goat Man then we don't need to have a new tag made. I don't think we need two Goat Mans around here.
Who knows what will happen with him, but for now I'm enjoying the stray I picked up.

Isn't he gorgeous?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Weekly Winners June 28 - July 4


What a cute little bug


Can you tell I'm an amateur gardener? I'm so excited to see baby zucchini!


Hugs with Mom


Froggy shirt boy with his frogy pool (that he won't set foot in)


My painter man


My tomato plant with, count em, 31 tomatoes on it. Is that normal?


Giving the belly kisses



Visit Sarcastic Mom for more Weekly Winners.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Trend

There seems to be a growing trend lately. With summer brings summer trips and Wesley and I have become the pet sitters for family and friends. We are thrilled to do it too since there are numerous times that we are in need of pet sitters. My parents are building a cabin in Colorado and have been gone a considerable amount over the past two years. They are in the final stretch with the cabin and went out there this past week to paint interior walls. While they are gone Wesley and I have been going over to their house every other day to feed their two kitties and water the flowers. Poor Wesley doesn't understand that Noni and Papa are gone and so every other day he runs from the van to their front door, waits impatiently for me to unlock the door and then runs around their house yelling "Noni Papa!?" while looking for them. It's kind of sad. He's never let down too long before finding something interesting to play with. I've been working with him all week and now when we get to their house instead of ripping through the house looking for them, he enters and says "Noni & Papa in Lorado". Can't seem to say Colorado (it's a tough one) so he calls it "Lorado". I'm sure he has no idea what this means, but it's still cute. I give him two years and he'll know exactly what Colorado is, and probably be begging to go back out there.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Fourth of July Weekend

I love this time of the year. Sean has four days off of work for the Fourth of July weekend and we intent to utilize them to their fullest. Today we went to a big BBQ that his boss hosted. I got to meet most of his co workers for the first time. What a genuinely nice group of people. His boss lives in the middle of town yet the neighborhood is situated around a good sized lake. So each house has access to this lake with boat docks and sand beaches. It was quite fancy and made for a nice party location. Wesley had a blast playing with the other kids and soaking up the attention from the other adults. He promptly came home and slept for four hours. He was so worn out, poor kid.

We have so many projects planned for this long weekend and hope to accomplish most all of them. I am still painting the house at every available interval. Sometimes I think it will never end. It is looking nice and is totally worth the hard work and sweat (so much sweat). Sean is down to four piles of walnut limbs to chip out in the grove. He hopes to actually finish it tomorrow. Poor Sean is so fed up with chipping limbs, I don't blame him. His back has been hurting him off and on for the last month, hauling the bags of mulch to the mulch pile is taking its toll. He figures he has at least 25-30 hours in this job so far. He's sure saving us some money considering the quotes we got from tree companies were running $150/hr to come chip the piles.

We don't plan to do much for the 4th of July. Maybe sit in the back yard in our lawn chairs with a drink and watch the neighbors shoot off fireworks. We've never been into fireworks as I can't physically bring myself to spend our hard earned money on something you literally set fire to. Maybe when the kids are older we'll get a few things but for now we'll settle for a free show in the backyard.

One thing that I feel good about accomplishing is finally giving Wesley a proper haircut. He used to let me buzz his hair with the same clippers that I buzz Sean's hair with. I started doing this when the kid was barely 8 months old. We had no problems until he turned 1.5 years old. Then the clippers became the Spawn of Satan Clippers and I couldn't bring them within twenty feet of the kid without him screaming and running in fear. So I had to resort to cutting his hair with regular scissors. Needless to say I am not skilled in the art of cutting hair and the kid has been walking around with choppy, uneven locks for quite some time. Lately the back of his head has started sprouting what would be known as a mullet, so I figured the time had come to force the clippers on him regardless of his reaction. All last week I started prepping him, telling him he was going to get a big boy haircut with the clippers. Then on Tuesday night we were out playing in his sandbox and he said "Wesley get haircut?" and I said "Yes let's go get a haircut". So I strapped him into his booster seat and plunked him down in front of Elmo and he got his first big boy haircut in at least seven months.