Wyatt Speaks!

Hey everyone, Wyatt here. I've taken over posting duties for the blog today because my mommy claims she is too busy. In fact she wanted me to tell you that she's sorry that she hasn't posted for almost a month now, but she just can't find the time. I don't believe her of course. But I guess teaching all that yoga and working on her research study and pretending to train for the Pgh marathon is taking up a lot of time! And let's not forget me!!! I am coming up on my 6 month birthday, making life at our house ever changing, always interesting and so much fun!! By the way, am I my father's son or what (see above!)??!!

In January so much happened! I spent my first night at Grandma and Grandpa Northrop's house without Mommy and Daddy! I had a great time and Mom and Dad said that they did nothing but sleep. Apparently, that is called fun these days. I also visited with my Great Grandparents and Cousins. Mommy said she can't find those pictures right now but will post them as soon as she does.

We visited with a bunch of crazy ladies that my mom calls "girls team". They seem nice, but all they like to do is hug and kiss me and pinch my cheeks. Luckily, Ethan and our daddies were there to distract them or I never would have gotten any sleep!

Last week was very exciting. It started out with a visit from my Grandpere and Grandmere Giovengo. They are back in the states for a few months and came from DC just to see me! I had such fun and now I miss them a ton. I will be seeing a lot of them in March though when they come to Pgh for a whole month!

That same weekend, the super Steelers won the AFC championship and now they are going to the Super Bowl! I was so excited. You may not have been able to tell, because I slept through a lot of the game, but, trust me, I was excited.



And then (there's more?!?!) Inauguration Day was great too! I dressed up for the occasion. Mommy and I watched all the festivities and she did not let me sleep through the big speech. Now I can say I witnessed history!
Let's not forget all the fun visits with my Uncle Ben and Aunt Sue! You can see that they are just like my mommy and love to dress me up in crazy hats and take my picture with giant trees!!


Some cool things that I've decided to do to impress my parents:
- I've started talking (hence the witty title). I've started to find my voice and am really goo-ing a lot now!
- My head control is getting very good. I love to sit on Mommy's lap and try to hold my head and torso up!
- I'm getting so much better visually, watching my parents from all over the room.
- I love to smile and play very early in the morning. And I think my parents are getting better at waking up at 6am on the weekends!
- And perhaps, most notable, I've started solids. I think I like that sticky stuff that they started with, but I really wish they'd hurry up and give me something with some flavor! I asked for cotton candy, the blue kind, but I don't think they'll go for it.





Like Mommy mentioned before, I have a lot of challenges that my parents and the great team of doctors at Childrens' are still sorting out. But I'm working hard, with therapists and on my own, and am making progress. I am giving the phrase "baby steps" a whole new meaning!

So anyway, hopefully my mommy will write again soon, before I turn 1! Uh oh. Here she comes. Gotta go. Pretend I'm sleeping! ;)

Merry Christmas to all!!!

just wanted to share some of the gorgeous pictures of my family with our fans. these are the best shots from our photo shoot with Abby Rose back at the beginning of the month. if i had your address, you likely received at least one of the pictures as a card. we are so happy with the way they turned out and are looking forward to having them mounted on our mantle! first, you'll see, grandma and grandpa with their lucky grandkids and then a few more shots of Wyatt, Ben and i and then of course the babe himself!!! hope you enjoy! Happy Holidays!

LATE! 4+months, Thanksgiving and visits in/with Ann(a) Arbor!

it's that time of year, when as soon as Thanksgiving hits I know I'm falling behind. late ordering the cards, late buying the presents, not to mention, late for work, late getting to bed and now late with our latest update, ugh...

Wyatt is now almost 4 and 1/2 months old! he is growing so cute and chubby, perfectly kissable (just how we like 'em, right?) and more alert with everyday. check him out!









there are certainly new concerns that are cropping up, new diagnoses and new challenges....but Ben and I are taking each day for what it is and trying to be thankful for what we do have: a wonderfully supportive family and crew of friends, a rock solid relationship and a beautiful baby boy!

speaking of being thankful and supportive families...we spent a lovely Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Northrop here in Pittsburgh. the food was delectable and the company even more enjoyable. here are a few shots of our weekend!


and finally, we are just back from a whirlwind trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is essentially a family reunion of sorts. Grandma and Grandpa N. make the trip too, Aunt Alyssa and Uncle Will live there, and of course, lovely Anna! we celebrated her birthday (a little early). there are lots of shots of the celebration, but none of Anna and Wyatt together, so here is one from a prior trip plus more of the birthday girl and family!





finally, a highlight of the trip (there were many) was a family photo shoot by Abby Rose. she took some great pictures of the entire crew and of our little guy. I will pass some on soon!

one more tidbit that i MUST add. this little bugger isn't the best sleeper. but now, he is going on 4 hours napping and sleeping through a very, VERY loud installation of a new dishwasher...unbelievable.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

and it's only November! light up nights (plural) abound here in the Northeast as soon as Halloween passes and so we took advantage of Sue's prime location in the cute little village of Aspinwall to layer up the baby and make him wait in line to have his picture taken with Santa. i wasn't prepared for the fact that the hour long wait would be spent watching everyone else plopping their infants (most smaller than Wyatt) onto the big guy's lap. i guess i expected to be the only insane parent there. glad to know i'm not alone!! i have to admit, he did great - not one tear in line OR when Santa got a hold of him. he wouldn't look at the camera, but Sue assured me that, being only mid-November, we'd have plenty of other opportunities to get a good shot of Wyatt with St. Nick. below are a few of the pictures from Wyatt's first trip to see Santa. Incidentally, he asked for world peace and to be able to sleep through the night...




the next day there was a quiet and beautiful snowfall that had me itching to go for a walk, so, again, i layered up the little guy and strapped him into the front pack. which he LOVES (sic, check out his face in the first picture for proof) and we trekked up to the main shops on Murray and Forbes Aves. well, the quiet and beautiful snowfall that i observed from the windows of our toasty warm apartment was more like a blizzard once we were out in it, and i had to laugh. at first it was precious, snow falling on the baby's lips and he was licking them and waiting for more. but soon, he was fast asleep, in his cookie monster snowsuit with his face buried on my chest, and i was being pelted in the face and could barely see where i was going. we stopped in a few stores to defrost and then headed home. he didn't even wake up until i tried to peel him out of the suit. i think he had fun. i know i did.

Dear Aunt Sue,

my new favorite Aunt Sue and Wyatt picture! and i have no idea why this text is underlined....i'm new here ok?


just wanted to give a little air time to Wyatt's Aunt Susie, my sister. she has been an absolute godsend in these past 3+ months. practically a 3rd parent to our little guy. she spends every Monday with him, watching him while i teach yoga and before Ben gets home from work. and she has spent countless Saturday afternoons with him while i run errands, go for a jog or try to get something done in the house. we would not be able to function without Aunt Sue (and the other members of our family who will be getting their own posts soon :)

the best part about coming home to Sue and Wyatt is waiting until she leaves and then checking out the camera to see the cute pictures she has taken of the two of them. following are a few of my favorites! we love you Aunt Sue!

Punkin, I mean, Pumpkin Time!!

just a few pictures of october 2008 with Wyatt. yes, that is a picture of mom trying to put Wyatt in a pumpkin. or punkin as we say in our house. go ahead and try it - punkin - too cute, huh?

It was love at first bite!

when Olivia and Bekah come to visit we always have such a nice time. we've gone on walks with strollers and baby carriers, been shopping and to the coffee shops of Squirrel Hill. i know he's just playing hard to get, but Wyatt either sleeps through his dates or acts very uninterested. i'm sure that will pass, but i have to give little Livy props - she sure is persistent!