Say it Like You Mean it.

"Mama." Yes, ladies and gents, Wyatt's first word is "mama". I win! And how, you may ask, do I know for sure that he's saying "mama" and not just playing with the "ma" sound? Oh, I know. A mama knows. Plus, you know, he just says it when I leave the room or he needs me. Yeah, guys, that's definitely "mama". That's "Where are you going? Come back! I need you." That's "Mama" with a capital M. And while there may be a day when I wish he didn't know how to say it, because it will have been abused beyond recognition by stuff he wants in stores and separation anxiety melt-downs, right now it's pretty much the coolest sound in the whole wide world.

And now for the crazy news. It looks like Ryan, Wyatt and I are moving to Boise, Idaho. Wait, what? Huh? I know. Like I said, it's crazy news. It's something we've been talking about for a while, but we wanted to be sure it was the right decision before we let too many people know about it. I won't get into too many details, but this could be a huge opportunity for Ryan's company, and a smart move for Wyatt. The schools are great. The shopping is surprisingly good. The health care system up there is great. The cost of living is really low, too. There are four seasons, but they're mild enough not to scare this California girl away... etc. I know, it's a sales pitch. Can you blame me for hoping I can lure some of my friends up there, too? :) And I guess, technically, it' not in stone yet. Ryan and I are flying up there the weekend after next so I can get a feel for the place and make sure it's somewhere I could call home. I've been there before, but never as a prospective resident, so I need to see it with new eyes. It's going to be kind of strange to live in a different state. Beyond some short stints as an exchange student in Germany and in Australia, I've never lived anywhere except California. And now a quote for my friend Jade: "We're in YOUdaho!"

WWK's Mobility Revolution

We've had our first casualty of Wyatt's mobility revolution: his head. Yeah, the little dude took a spill while climbing Mt. Coffee Table. We estimate, from his all-boy energy, that this is the first of many. Great. I guess it comes with the territory, but no Mama likes to see her kid with a fat bruise on his forehead.

As you know, Wyatt's a crawler now. He gets more confident and a little quicker every day. Well, it turns out that mere crawling was boring my child to tears. So, he decided the night before last to pull up to a standing position on the coffee table all by himself. Yes, my child is now standing without help. This is where I remind you that this kid is only 7 months old. In a month's time, he has gone from playing on his back and tummy to sitting up on his own to crawling to standing. The next step will be cruising, which doesn't seem too far off. And then, of course, comes walking. Exactly how early is this munchkin going to walk? Holy frickin' cow!

I have one last little milestone to share. This one helps me out a lot. Wyatt is now consistently holding his own bottle. Yesterday he did it for every bottle, so he's proven his capability. When Wyatt proves he's capable of new things, we don't allow him to opt out. If he wants a bottle, he now has to hold it. End of discussion. We did the same thing with sleeping through the night. Once he'd done it 3 nights in a row, we knew he was capable. After that, he never got another middle of the night feeding. (Well, except for that one time when he was sick, but those were extenuating circumstances.) Everyone has their own parenting style, but for us, enforcing things like this have been very successful. That, or we just have a really good kid, in which case I'm sure I'll be eating crow when we get around to baby #2, haha.

Well, I guess that about sums things up. Clearly my son is in a hurry to grow up. I have a theory on that. Ryan always tells him that when he gets bigger, he can go to work with Daddy. Wyatt obviously likes this idea a lot. Watch out for our blue-eyed boy in a hard hat and work boots any day now...