Today we enjoyed lunch at Exotic India. Wyatt was very interested in all of the different foods - he had Chicken Saag, naan, basmati rice, tandoori chicken, and samosas. Exotic India has a fantastic lunch buffet!
What a content, messy face. :) I hope he stays an adventurous eater!
I even have an iMac computer in my room - too bad that Mac's don't have SD card readers built in like PC's do, or I would have posted last night. I couldn't even get Facebook to work right on the Mac. But... I also couldn't get the wireless to work on my laptop last night, so I couldn't blog then. Tonight the wireless works on my computer - I don't think I did anything differently!
I even have a fainting couch in my room. The view is of downtown Chicago.
A king-size bed all to myself! :)
Anyway, this morning we headed down to check in to the American Prosthodontic Society meeting around 7:15. They had a continental breakfast, then the program began at 8 am. We listened to speakers all morning, then we went to the business luncheon (so boring) and then had more speakers until 5:40 pm!!! My brain was fried after all of that. Some were very interesting, some were boring, and some of it was a little overwhelming. There are just so many systems out there in restorative dentistry, and there are different indications for the use of each of them. But it was kind of exciting to see some of the potential for improving smiles - yes, I'm kind of a nerd. :) I had a few funny moments today when I kind of put my foot in my mouth with some things I said. At breakfast, one of the APS members asked me if I was planning to do Pros. I said no at first, then I said "Well, I plan to DO pros (crowns, bridges, dentures, etc.), I just don't plan on specializing in pros." I think I could have been a little more polite about it - I kind of laughed when people asked if I was planning on specializing in pros. I just don't want to spend 3-5 years of my life waxing teeth and being made to feel like an idiot. At another point in the day, one of my instructors from the dental school came over to talk to my classmate Christi. She looked at me and didn't recognize me at first. So then I said, "Well, I'm not pregnant anymore." And I motioned an outline of a belly. (I worked with this instructor when I was pregnant last year) I guess you had to be there. Sometimes it's awkward to make small talk with instructors outside of the dental school. :)
More pulling up and standing today. Now he can hold onto the table and reach down to pick up another toy. He biffed it a couple times though, so I'm sure he's got a few good bumps today. He's got a fascination with these ceramic chickens that are on our living room floor - they are from one of Aaron's friends who a ceramics grad student. I tell him "no" when he heads for the chickens and now we're making progress so that most of the time he will turn away from them. Well, tonight he did not listen to Mommy and when he lunged at them he scraped his cheek on one of them. So, he's got a little scratch on his cheek too -hence the title of the blog. I'm trying to be more stubborn than he is when it comes to the off-limits stuff... :)
When I was cooking supper tonight, he was playing in the kitchen. I found him here, among other places. He bumped his head on the chair and got mad... I feel bad that he falls over and I don't catch him every time, but I hope that he will learn from the falling!
He's starting to want to hold the spoon when I feed him. It's making eating so much messier. Tonight I gave in and gave the spoon to him. 
Is that a pleased-as-punch face or what???
This little boy has discovered a whole new world. Tonight he pulled up on anything he could get his little hands on - the stair railing, the gate, his activity table, my legs, and the coffee table/TV table. I'm saying "No" a lot more! He really wanted to get into the trash in the bathroom, and I told him no. He turned away and threw a little fit on the floor! *sigh*
This weekend has been a whirlwind - my mom came down on Thursday night and spent all day Friday cleaning my house for our open house on Sunday. I took the afternoon off on Friday so I could help her, and then we headed back up to Cedar Falls for the weekend. It was a pretty nasty drive - the roads were bad and traffic was worse. I think we went 45-50 mph most of the way! Anyway, while in Cedar Falls Wyatt tried his first Ritz crackers and I think they were a hit.
"No you can't have my Ritz!"
"I ate it all gone!"
"Was I really so messy with my crackers, Grandma?" My mom has a vacuum that she can strap on her back - I think it's genius. I hate trying to balance the vacuum while cleaning the stairs, etc. Plus, it makes you look like you could fly... :) 
I put Wyatt down in the living room with some toys and went into the kitchen for a minute. When I came back in, this is where he was. We're going to have to tighten up the lock on the gate! Also, when I was unpacking his suitcase from the weekend, I set him in his crib with some toys. Again, I turned my back for a couple seconds, and when I looked back at him he had pulled up in his crib! So I moved the mattress all the way down to the lowest setting. He most likely wouldn't have been able to get out where it was set, but I don't want to take any chances. He is getting so big! 
Today has been a fantastic day. Maybe the only wish would have been for Wyatt to sleep a little later, but a month and half ago I would have killed for a full night's rest! Anyway, we went to church in the morning and actually made it there 5 minutes early. Maybe the first time ever early since Wyatt's been born! :) Then we had lunch with Aaron's mom and just relaxed for awhile. This afternoon we played and watched the Olympics.
I swear Wyatt changes overnight. He now acts like he's been sitting on his knees for weeks. It's really cute.
Wyatt got a new giraffe toy - it is very soft and chewy. He likes to chew on his head! It squeaks too, so Chewie and Reuben are very interested in the toy - they think it's for them!
Speaking of Reuben - he naps in the strangest positions. You'd think he'd get a crick in his neck.
Ah, that's better.
A little Daddy and Wyatt QT. Wyatt likes to practice standing up all by himself.
Tonight Aaron cooked me dinner for Valentine's Day. He made Beef Tenderloin wrapped in bacon and topped with parmesan cheese, red potatoes and green beans, and french bread. We opened the bottle of Rhapsodie du Soleil wine from Sunstone that we've been saving - it was a great combination. Wyatt conveniently napped during dinner - it's hard to cut steak and entertain a child. :)
Option #2:
Option #3:
Okay, I know option #1 and 3 are similar - the difference is the direction of the stripes. #2 is a little foofy I think, but it's the typical napkin-in-a-ring look. I think 1 and 3 are a little more modern. These are the things I think about once Wyatt has gone to bed. :)
So again, here is option #1:
Option #2:
And option #3:
Let me know what you think!
Today Wyatt and I went over to see Grandma Cheri - I left for a little while to get my hair cut (nothing drastic, just what I've been doing lately. :) ). Wyatt got to play with the blocks and practice pulling up on the box. What a big boy!
Then he got to play with Grandpa Monte's bowls and spoons and measuring cups... What good noise!
Tonight Wyatt decided to empty his toy basket...
And crawl around...
It's just so much easier to play when everything is spread out!
And then Wyatt practiced standing up on his own! He holds on to that table for all it's worth!
Hey Mom! Look at how big I am!
Wow, that's hard work! I think I'll just play sitting down.
Well, it's even easier to play on my tummy.
Wow! It's been a little while since I've updated the blog. Sorry. Life has gotten a little hectic - I'm sure that's what you all figured. :) Aaron has started working in Cedar Falls, so the great commute has begun. He will have to spend some nights in Cedar Falls, which makes me very sad, but it's only for a few months. We'll make it! I drove up to Cedar Falls this past weekend and I ended up not coming back to Iowa City until Monday morning! I just didn't want to leave on Sunday, and the weather was much worse Sunday night than Monday morning.
This week, I've got a couple different things due for school, so I've been busy with that. I think I'm fairly caught up now, so that's good. My big project is getting the house ready for the open house - it's going to be the weekend of the 20th and 21st. I hope our house sells soon!
Anyway, here's the reason why you read the blog. Wyatt is getting so much personality! He's becoming our little explorer. Yesterday he discovered the kitchen and named it Wyatt-land. Today he discovered the rug in the kitchen and claimed it as well. He would like to claim the dog's food dishes, but Mommy has taken those away. What a mean mom.
And, I've officially moved him up to 12 month clothes. What a big boy! It's hard to find sleepers and onesies in the 12 month size. The Gerber brand is sized much smaller than other brands, so he's already outgrown the 12 month Gerber onesies! I bought 24 month size Gerber onesies, and those fit just right! Yeesh. But his other 12 month stuff is good. :)
Here's a little video of our explorer. He loves the laundry. Kind of like Reuben. :)
I set the clean laundry on the floor in the living room, walked away for a minute, and this is what I found when I came back in tonight. Wyatt decided to find out what Mommy was up to tonight!
Oh, a sock. I like socks.
I can tip the basket over.
Oops, you caught me!
I can sit in the basket too!
Let's go for a ride!
Oh hey Chewie! You want to get in the basket too?
What are those shiny white things in your mouth, Dad?
Let me take a closer look.
Here, you better tidy up Dad. Here's my burp rag.
