The Grocery Store

Again, sorry not to have pics to go along with this. Please use your imagination! For the most part, I enjoy bringing Christopher along with me when I go grocery shopping. But yesterday was classic. After his afternoon nap, we went to Whole Foods and Chris brought his little Thomas the Tank Engine along with him. As we were walking through the produce section, Chris was having Thomas "sample" all the foods that I was picking out and saying "Yum yum yum" whenever he tried something. Then (and I wish I had video for this) we were looking at different types of pasta and out of nowhere, Christopher starts making his goat sounds! And really loud too! Then he started cracking up and the woman standing next to me thought it was the funniest thing. The "baahs" started morphing into horse, cow, and dog imitations as well followed by more laughing. And finally, when we were checking out, CJ was totally flirting with the cashier, saying "hi" and giving her his best smile. The whole time she was ringing us up, he was saying "hi" and laughing. I'm not sure if he was hoping for a discount but he sure did try!

BALL-timore

So we have returned from our weekend trip to Baltimore, Maryland which, as we found out while visiting, is known as "Charm City." (Should have known that as we occasionally watch Ace of Cakes!). Anyway, every time we mentioned to Christopher that we were going to Baltimore, he would give the sign for ball and say, "ball." We did some exciting things while we were there including going to the National Aquarium with Grandpa, visiting the Port Discovery Children's Museum with both Grandma and Grandpa, and eating out a lot. The highlight of the trip for CJ was a visit to the B&O Railroad Museum where they were having a "Day out with Thomas." Chris got to see a life-size Thomas the Tank Engine as well as Sir Topham Hatt. His favorite part, however, was watching the three different model train set-ups. Here is some video of him watching the outdoor model trains:

We did not lug the camera around for this trip so there are no other pictures to share (sorry). Chris is a trooper when it comes to traveling. We were those people with the screaming child on the plane ride to Baltimore, but other than that, CJ had a good time. It was like visiting the "big city" for him and he was happily talking about the traffic lights and buses that he saw while we were there!

Boy at Play

Here are just some random play pictures from this morning. The first two are of Christopher playing in his tent/tunnel downstairs. I'm not sure if I've ever taken pictures of him in the tent, but he sure does have a lot of fun in it.

I've also made a little reading corner for Chris downstairs, complete with pillow and blanket for maximum comfort while perusing books. In the near future I hope to add some free standing bookshelves for our ever expanding collection of children's books, but CJ seems to like this setup just fine... As a side note, Christopher's language is just exploding! It is so fun to hear him trying out all kinds of new words each day. As we were reading in this reading corner this morning, he knows some of the books so well that he will say the words as I say them. This is so exciting to hear!

Christopher and his blog will be going on a short vacation this weekend to Baltimore so I probably won't be updating until we return. Check back next week to see what kind of adventures Chris goes on while in the windy city? (no) big apple? (no) city of lights? (no) well, that city between Philly and Washington (I guess). We're only taking the video camera so hopefully the little boy will put on a good show. Until then...

Kaw Prairie

I have discovered a new way to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes! It's called "climbing like a 21 month-old on playground equipment." Christopher and I visited a new church down the road called Kaw Prairie that has a coffee shop and an indoor playground. I sacrificed my coffee fast for the day so Chris could get a good play session in. The equipment is designed for 3 to 12 year olds (and in my case, 32 year olds) so it was just a little too big for CJ to do on his own. However there was a SUPER COOL tunnel slide 3 stories up that Chris just had to go down. There were no stairs to go up; you had to climb up these platforms that Christopher couldn't do on his own. Long story short, I was sweating by the end of the time we were there and my jeans have a nice hole in the knee. If it gets any sort of crowd, though, it will be a little too hectic for lil' buds. But it was fun and for today, we had the whole place to ourselves.

More bubble pictures

Here are some additional pictures from last night's bubble extravaganza to add to the current video. The first two are my favorite. He is sporting a nice bubble beard in the first picture and you can really see how long his eyelashes are in the second!


Two other points of interest from yesterday: We went to our PAT playgroup and Christopher painted for the first time! He really enjoyed it and I can tell that he is totally ready to fingerpaint by the way he was sticking his fingers in the paint on his picture. His masterpiece is displayed below. It is also currently showing in our kitchen gallery... Also, one more of Christopher's new cousins is home from the hospital. Elsie has arrived! I told this to CJ in the morning (that Elsie was coming home) and throughout the day we would talk about it. When I would say "Elsie," Chris would say "home." He is excited to meet his new cousins!

Bubble boy

There is a new phenomenon in Christopher's bathtub these days... bubbles! We purchased some genuine bubble bath the other day and our little man is thoroughly enjoying them. The whole five minutes that the tub is being filled, all he says is "bubbles, bubbles, bubbles." Here he is enjoying his new fun:

Mmmmm...

A poem by Christopher:

I love my shoes, I love my socks

But what I mostly love is rocks!

Not in the north, or in the south

No, I shall put them in my mouth.

Tiny pebbles, round and small

I gobble them, they're such a ball!

Mommy knows I like to eat

These stones, they're such a tasty treat.

--C.J. Wogs

(Yes, Christopher did in fact ingest some pebbles this morning at Ernie Miller. It was more like he picked up the gravel from the path we were on, looked at it in his hands for a minute and thought, "Hmm, I wonder what these would taste like?" Fortunately I was quick enough to get most of the stones out, but I'm sure some of them made it into his digestive tract. Oh well, at least it was natural and organic... with no sugar!)

Balancing act

We all know Christopher is a very physical boy (or I guess you could just say, he's a boy) and he is adding one new skill to his repertoire. Any time he sees a curb, stone wall, or stone border around a garden or park, he has to walk on it. It's funny watching him figure out how to take small, careful steps. Depending on how high the curb is, I either walk right next to him or hold his hand. But either way, he is becoming quite proficient in balancing. We'll see where it leads him next!

When Mommy's away, the boys will play

Mommy got to go up to Chicago for the day on Saturday to attend Chrissie's baby shower and I am happy to report that the house was in one piece when I got home. No wild parties, nothing was broken, and the dishes were even done! Daddy had a very fun day with Christopher. The boys went to the park, attended the Parents as Teachers Earth Day celebration, and played some major trains! The fun didn't stop just because Mommy came home either. We went to Deanna Rose today and Daddy finally got to come with us. Here are some of the highlights...
Chris really enjoys ringing the cowbells that are outside of the barn. And, while he was inside the barn watching the calves, he learned how to ride a horse western style.

Of course, Christopher loves his goats. He walks around the entire farm saying "Baaaah" for everyone to hear. Today he even got to feed them by hand! Besides the goats, he also spent a lot of time at the fish pond (shocking!) watching the koi and the turtles.

After a lot of walking around, we made a stop for a snack near the waterfall. There is a beautiful little pond there and some child-sized benches to sit on. Christopher was mesmerized by the waterfall!

He also showed Daddy the big bridge and made him walk across it. Daddy was a little scared because it was such a big bridge, but Christopher reassured him that everything would be alright.
Finally, Chris wanted us to share these last two pictures. One is a goat trying to eat a piece of hay and the second picture is of the three little piglets that they have at the farm. This is the first time we've seen the pigs and they are so stinkin' cute! (You have to click on the picture to see them up close).

After a lovely day at the farm, Christopher invited Olivia and her parents over for some mac and cheese, fruit, and bean salad. The kids had a lovely time playing together and Christopher almost got a hug from his friend but it ended up being a high five instead. He also helped her put her shoes on--what a gentleman!

Wonderscope

This morning, we found a museum that was made for our boy. Wonderscope is a hands on children's museum that has all these different rooms with various themes. We did not get to see the entire museum as Christopher sort of fizzled out after an hour (they need to open at 8AM, not 10, when the buds is at his finest). Anyway, he enjoyed working a real cash register and pushing a child sized grocery cart around with vegetables in it. Then he found the ball and ramp room which was an engineering/physics project gone crazy! He probably would have stayed inside if he didn't find the train table down the hallway. It was a sad state of affairs when we had to leave that train table, let me tell you. Anyway, here is a short clip of Chris watching a gear and ramp structure with much intensity. It is hard to hear but he is saying "up" and "down" as he watches the balls go through their motions. Future engineer at work!

RIP Chris Fish

It is a sad day in the Woglom household. If you have followed us from the beginning, you know that we purchased a fighting fish in honor of Christopher right before our little man was born. Well, today, we went to feed our fish and realized he was not moving or breathing. Christopher does not really understand the whole concept of things dying yet so he wasn't overly affected, but I was saddened nonetheless. Perhaps we will replace Chris Fish soon. How long is the mourning period for a fighting fish anyway?

Priceless

Here is Christopher at the library during Walker Time today. He is dancing to the "Brown Bear Brown Bear" song at the end of class and he throws in a little "sheep" to top it all off.

The Great Outdoors

One of the many things I will be eternally grateful to my parents for is the way they taught me to appreciate being in nature and enjoying the great outdoors. This thought popped into my head this morning as Christopher and I meandered through the trails at Ernie Miller Nature Center. Even at his young age of 20 months, Chris is already developing an appreciation for everything you can see on a walk through the woods. We stopped by a pond on our walk and got a close look at a snake as well as two frogs who then hopped into the water. We walked through a small garden with native plants and a babbling fountain... Chris just stopped and watched the water in the fountain, mesmerized and saying "mawmaw" (his word for water) over and over again. He was fascinated by the barn owl they have at Ernie Miller and said hi to it repeatedly. As we walked, he would stop when he heard a bird singing nearby, point to his ear as if he was tuning it in, and laugh. Later he stopped and watched a squirrel picking up seeds under a bird feeder. I just get the biggest kick out of his excitement over everything he sees on our hikes! When Christopher grows up and has his own children, I hope he feels the same gratitude that I do for being able to appreciate the natural world.

New blog

In case you are interested, I have started a new blog where I will be writing about topics related to health and wellness. Yes, I know, it will not be nearly as fun or cute as watching videos about Lil' Buds or reading about his exciting adventures. However, I am hoping to share some personal thoughts as well as information I have been learning about health and nutrition. I probably won't update it as much as Baby Wogs, but check in periodically to see what is there. To access this new blog, click on "Healthy for Life" located on my blog list on the left hand side of the page. Or the actual web address is http://healthyforlifekw.blogspot.com. Thanks for checking it out!

Boy in training

When is the Shelter Island 10K again? I think we all have our work cut out for us! Look at him go!

Date night in Lawrence

I am the luckiest girl in the world! Last night, I got to go on a date with not just one, but two of the most handsome boys I know. When you can't find a babysitter on a Saturday night, you have to go with plan B, which ended up being better than plan A anyway. It was a gorgeous evening, and the three of us made the drive out to Lawrence to play, eat, and stroll. First, we stopped at South Park (I know, it's got to be good with that name, right?) and CJ played on the swings, the slide and then perfected his balancing skills on this stone edging that went around the garden. It was 72 degrees and sunny and across the street a radio station was playing music for all the park-goers, and there were many. People played frisbee on the lawn, kids were tackling each other in a football game, and we were having the best time. It was close to dinner time, though, so we made our way to the Tenth Avenue Bistro for some delish vegetarian cuisine. After dinner, we strolled up and down Massachusetts Street with hundreds of other people (as well as some crazy college kids) enjoying the evening. Chris got to stay up a little past his bedtime and he believes it was well worth it. Lawrence, Kansas is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to go!

The Little Things

When you hang around Christopher for any length of time, you can't help but start to notice the little things in life. Such little things are, in fact, big things when you are but 20 months old. Yesterday afternoon, we spent over an hour looking at cracks in the sidewalk, dandelions in the grass, and the gates that go down when a train is approaching. We also found just about every stop sign in Johnson County as well as each little stream that flows along the trail by our house. As a bonus, we were able to watch four freight trains pass within the hour we were there!

This morning we were among the first people to get to Deanna Rose and Chris felt like he had the whole place to himself. We saw chickens this time, although CJ was a little shocked when one of them pecked at his hand. You can imagine that we visited the goats and we were the only kids there... besides the goats of course! The peacock was a big hit this time as we had just read "Polar Bear Polar Bear" and saw a peacock in that book. We even ran into Tristan as we were leaving the farm... Christopher also busted out some dance moves this morning while he was playing with his trains:

He's pretty coordinated to be able to dance like that and play trains at the same time!

Walker time

"I'm goin' down to the library, pickin' out a book, check it in check it out..." (I'm pretty sure Grammy and the Duren-Lubanski clan might be the only people singing this first sentence. Sorry!) If you didn't know it already, CJ spends lots of time around books. I suppose this is what happens when one's mother is a teacher. Anyway, we went to a new library a couple days ago and checked out 5 fantastic books that Chris has had us read over and over and over and, well, you get the idea. And today, we went to our local library for "Walker Time" which is a story time for 12 to 24 month olds where it is expected that they will get up and wander. Christopher loved it! The woman running it was great so I'm sure that helped. She varied the time with stories and songs and Chris even got up and did "If You're Happy and You Know It." He actually only wandered once the whole time we were there! You have no idea the thrill I get out of the fact that my kid loves listening to stories. It is the best!

Welcome Home!

In case you haven't heard, my Aunt Dabney and Uncle Peter had triplets in January so now I have three instant cousins. Woohoo! And today, my boy cousin, Bennett, comes home from the hospital. Let me tell you, I can't wait until I meet Bennett and teach him the ropes. I am especially excited because he is a boy like me and I have to make sure he knows that girls have cooties (don't tell Mommy I said that). We are so excited to meet him and his sisters, Poppy and Elsie. I'm still practicing how to say their names but for now I say "Beh," "Pah," and "Els." I'll be working on it for when we meet them back in New York really soon!

I also want to tell you about my day today. Mommy took me to my first real kids concert! The singer's name was Funky Mama and she totally rocked out, electric guitar and all. Mommy seemed to really be enjoying herself right from the start. I was skeptical at first and stayed in her lap just taking in the sights and sounds. I watched the bigger kids dancing to the music and finally (during the last song called "Moo Juice") I got up to show everyone my side-to-side, swaying eighth grade dance move. It was awesome and I think I saw a little girl with pigtails and a paci checking me out.

Chez Woglom

Our master chef, hard at work...

Changing table entertainment

The changing table is always an entertaining place to hang out, what with Christopher's early poop-master endeavors (see August 2008 blog entry), his display of wrestling moves, and his bending-over-backwards-to-see-the-school-bus yoga pose. Not all of his diaper changes are so physical, however, and he occasionally looks to me to entertain him while I clean him up. Recently, he enjoys my Bob Shepard impression. (All Yankee fans should know what I'm referring to and can place Mr. Shepard's voice with the following words). I will say (all while changing and wiping) "Now batting for the Yankees, number 20 (not quite sure why that number), Christopher Woglom... Number 20." And for some odd reason, this makes my boy crack up. Then I usually follow with the cheer "C.J. Woglom, clap, clap, clap-clap-clap." And again, boisterous laughter. Whatever works!

Egg hunt at home...

During Christopher's nap yesterday, the Easter bunny made a guest appearance and hid a dozen or so eggs in our flower bed in the front yard. Now that he knows what to do on an Easter egg hunt, Chris grabbed his basket and headed for the door...
It was very windy outside but that didn't stop our little man! He set his basket down on the sidewalk and went straight to work picking up all the eggs he could find.
After the egg hunt at Olivia's house, Christopher now knows that in order to make the most of your egg-finding, you must open up each one you find and search for the goodies inside. If there is nothing inside, you say "No!" (his favorite word) and continue on your way. Out of the eggs Chris looked for yesterday, only 6 of them had treats. And, of course, this was a health conscious Easter bunny who left Kashi cereal in the eggs. It certainly didn't bother Chris one little bit!


This morning, Tristan came over to play for a few hours and the boys had a great time together. Christopher just watches at first to see all the things that big boys are supposed to do and then he joins in on the fun. They had fun running, jumping, "cooking" in the kitchen, coloring and watching Thomas and Caillou together. The two boys are becoming great friends!

On an Easter Sunday morning...

Christopher has had a lovely Easter so far, full of this holiday's usual--church, the Easter Bunny, and food with friends. We spent our Easter having lunch with our "Kansas family" (Dan, Mary, Tristan, and the puppies). The Eakins had us over for a lovely lunch from which we are all very full. Kasey was in full effect with her friend Oliver, chasing him all over the house. And Tristan has the coolest train table ever so you can imagine what Chris was busy doing while we were eating. That's right, we had to let him know that food was being served because he was so into what he was playing with. Here are the boys...

And the weather here is absolutely glorious today! Brian declared this the official start of spring when he busted out his blue shorts. Yes, those blue shorts. (Actually, when I commented about the blue shorts, Brian said, "It's what Jesus would do." You can't argue with that!)
As if this day couldn't get any better, Chris is resting up and we are all preparing for opening night, Yankees vs. that team from Boston... Yay for baseball!!!

Baby's first running shoes

After falling forehead first into the concrete (not once, but twice) in the past 24 hours, I made the executive decision to get Christopher a better pair of sneakers as his current pair was (pardon me for saying this) crap. Poor little guy kept tripping over the inflexible toes of his shoes, probably because he runs so fast everywhere he goes. Now he has a lovely round raspberry on his forehead to show for it. Anyway, we got his foot properly measured and overpaid for a nice pair of Saucony running shoes but the toe is more flexible and the shoe itself is much more appropriate for our active little man. Chris is even considering a run at the Shelter Island 10K if he can build up his mileage in time!

Easter Egg Hunt

Christopher attended his first Easter egg hunt today at Olivia's house. There were lots of kids there and Chris basically cleaned up when it came to putting eggs in his basket. Of course, once he discovered that there were goodies inside, he preferred to open his eggs, even as the treats spilled all over the lawn. The buds had a nice time running around outside, decorating real eggs, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. Here is a bit of video of the Easter egg hunt...

We also managed to get Chris to wear bunny ears (only because they were blue) for about one minute, or at least as long as it took to get a quick picture.
And finally, we have some pictures of Chris with his parents...

Serious playing

Brian can often be found telling Christopher to rest well before naps and bedtime because the two boys will have some "serious playing" to do when CJ gets up. Here are some pictures of little man's serious concentration when he is playing with his trains.


The boy does not mess around with his train playing! We are off to CJ's first Easter egg hunt this afternoon. Updates to follow!

Deanna Rose

So Deanna Rose opened again today on this beautifully warm, albeit windy, spring day. We met Randa and Maddie there and checked out some of the animals. By far, Christopher's favorite part of the visit was hanging out with the baby goats. And I must say, he does a very good impression of a baby goat...

Other than the goats, we saw cows and their baby calves (so cute!) as well as sheep, peacocks, ducks, horses, and bunnies and enjoyed our time at the farm. We may even appear in the Kansas City Star tomorrow, as we were interviewed by a reporter regarding how Deanna Rose is charging admission on weekends (it was previously free). Hopefully we'll make it in.

Okay, so here's another little video of CJ mingling with the goats...