Be careful what you wish for!

This past weekend was a very trying one....in that mostly all weekend Zander was trying my patience. He is just a bundle of curiosity right now. He is into absolutely everything and nothing stops him. He can go through his baby gates, he gets in all the cabinets, he climbs on everything... by the time I get him stopped in doing something he isn't supposed to do, he's moved onto the next thing. His little mind works so fast....and his little chubby legs quickly follow. A big part of the problem is the weather...this winter has lasted SOOOOO long! It just won't leave. Here we are on April Fool's Day and its still cold and rainy. It seems neverending. Therefore, with all of his energy, he has been cooped up in this house. I know I should be careful what I wish for, but I really want him to be able to go outside and run some of that energy out. I know it will be almost impossible to get him back into the house once he gets the run of the backyard, but I remember when I was little (not as young as him mind you, my memory isn't that good) I LOVED playing in our yard. I think I was outside all the time. Of course I wasn't fat then either....hmmm....interesting correlation. Last summer Zander couldn't walk yet and he didn't like the feel of grass on his feet, so we didn't spend a lot of time outside. I think this summer will be totally different.

Now when Zander gets up in the morning, or from a nap, he pops up with a huge smile on his face and says "Hi!" (in his cute little high pitched voice). He seems to like mornings. I don't know where he gets this from, because he definitely didn't get that from me. He babbles all of the time too. It is getting to the point where he gets very frustrated when he wants something and I can't tell what it is. I think his building frustration is what is going to help him to start speaking more and more....at least that is my hope. Although, again....I should be careful what I wish for!!! On Sunday he was reaching for something, I think a baking dish, and I handed it to him. He clearly said "thank you".....now I mean that in I know he said thank you....but it did sound more like "kay kow". It was very sweet! Not only did he know WHEN to say thank you, but that means he has heard us saying it.....and hopefully he will grow up to continue to say it.

Zander still amazes me every day with what he knows and how quickly he learns. He loves for us to read books to him and could sit down for at least an hour at a time while we read book after book. While it does get a little old for us, my mom and I both know this is a good thing and we need to continue to encourage his loves for books. I was the same way when I was little too (and I still love to read). My sister reminds me a LOT how annoying I was. Here is her story:

"I would tell you to go get a book and I would read you a story before we went to bed. Well, you would come back with a stack of books (holds her hands up to show me how high this stack of books was). I would tell you I would read you ONE book, but you would whine until I read you more. Then I would get tired and try to skip pages and you would tell me that wasn't how the story goes. Then I'd get mad at you because if you know how the story went you should read it yourself!" - Kim

That's the story I've been told for years....that and the story of how of how she and I are not really sisters. See, the way she told it was that my mom and dad found me in a trash can and felt sorry for me. I should have known she wasn't too creative....seeing as my favorite character at the time was Oscar the Grouch....who lived IN A TRASH CAN!

Back to Zander...he loves to take things apart and put them back together too - like containers with lids, puzzles, and putting things in the trash can (unfortunately its not always trash).

One thing he really loves are pots and pans. He plays with mine and my mom's all of the time. It doesn't matter how many toys you get him....he will always go back to the pots and pans. In fact, the other night I said "Its bathtime, lets go take a bath." He started running towards the bathroom, stopped, turned around and went to get a big wok skillet and a sauce pan...oh, and some maracas....because really, you can't take a bath without these things. Then, the next night for bathtime he took a baking pan with him. Bathtime is usually pretty interesting.

He is at his Grandma's house tonight and now that I am typing all of this out about him, its really making me miss him!!!

Off the subject, before I close...I am VERY excited tonight! I am watching Anderson Cooper 360 right now and he just announced that Walmart has changed their mind in taking the money for the lawsuit they won against Debbie Shank and her family. I only had to boycott them for one week. They got the message from the outcry of all of the common people in America that heard this story. So this is good for several reasons:

1. Debbie Shank has been through enough and this will help her family tremendously in being able to care for her.

2. It was the right thing for Walmart to do.

3. Walmart plans to overhaul their benefits so they have "more discretion" in future situations.

4. People in America can make a difference....we should try it more often! It makes me proud!

5. I can shop at Walmart again (but I will be keeping a closer eye on them)!