Sitting and Spitting

Wiley is doing both! He is sitting up, and very close to crawling - getting so big! And the house isn't quite ready. Aden didn't really put things in his mouth too much as a baby, and for most of his 'crawling months' we were in the US in other peoples' homes, so we're learning what it means to baby-proof a house. Wiley is also spitting things out as he gets his first tastes of 'real food'.  It's a challenge here, since there isn't really decent baby food available. We were excited to find rice cereal, but discovered that it is loaded with sugar, so now Wiley spits out anything that isn't sweet enough for his palate (which is pretty much everything we give him). Now we know why he loved his baby food so well! On top of that, the baby food Mommy makes isn't always the perfect 'baby-friendly consistency' so he is discovering new textures, too. Usually after gagging his way through a few meals, he adjusts and takes new foods just fine. It certainly is a learning curve for all of us!
       

"It's okay, Wiwey . . . mmm-ah (kiss)!"

Wiley's two front teeth

Finally, the photo you've all been waiting for . . . (the teeth are there, just look closely) . . .

Aden Needs Attention!

I knew that Aden would sometimes get a little jealous of the attention that Wiley received from mommy and daddy, but I had never seen it quite so obvious as today. We were in Aden's room playing today, while mommy took a nap on the couch. Aden and daddy were playing on one side of the room with some cards that Wiley would undoubtedly try to eat if he were near them. Wiley was on the other side of the room rolling around and grabbing at anything that happened to be near him. I looked over and he had trapped himself between a bookshelf and nightstand. His feet were tangled up in the cord hanging down from the lamp on top of the bookshelf. I asked him how he got all the way over there and told him that we better get his foot out of that cord before he pulls the lamp down on top of himself. So, I moved him back to the middle of the room. In the meantime, Aden had moved to the other side of the room and positioned himself lying on his back, in the same place between the bookshelf and nightstand and had wrapped his foot up in the cord. I turned around to find him whimpering and saying "Aden foot in cord." So, I rescued his foot and picked him up. He had a big smile on his face and put his head on my shoulder. I guess Wiley isn't the only one that sometimes needs a little extra attention.

Just out of Reach

Last night after dinner Mommy was sitting on the couch feeding Wiley, and visiting with Aunt Kathy. Aden came to Mommy asking for some juice. Mommy saw Aden's cup sitting on the dining room table, about 5 feet away, and realized it might be difficult for him to get without some help, or without climbing into a chair. Unable to help him immediately, she encouraged him to try to get it himself, "Can you reach your cup over there on the table, Aden? If you need help, just tell me." Without hesitation, and without moving his feet, Aden stretched his arm as far as he could reach, and cast his eyes at Mommy to make sure she could see that his arms just weren't long enough.

Home Away From Home

One of Aden and Wiley's favorite places to go is to the house of Bubu Jim and Kah-tee, Ceeya, Jo and Lee-ya (a.k.a. Radcliffe House). So imagine how excited they were when Mommy and Daddy said we were going to stay there for a week while Bubu Jim and Kah-tee were in Singapore for some regional meetings. OK, maybe you couldn't tell from Wiley's expressions that he actually knew any different, but Aden was obviously excited. It started off by Daddy and Aden taking them to the airport to say goodbye. Aden sang all the way to the airport "Aden will see balus!" (pronounced 'bah-loose', it is the pidgin word for airplane) We got back to the house and he has never had so much attention, getting to play with Cilla, Jo and Lydia every morning, afternoon and evening. And of course, the toys and books are always a nice change. We have enjoyed getting to stay here. We will be moving back to our own house tomorrow, but not before Daddy and Aden make another trip to see the "balus" and pick them up. All week, when Aden has been asked where Bubu Jim and Kah-tee were, he has responded, "Bubu Jim go on big balus." So, I am sure that when we see them getting off of the airplane, Aden will be reassured that they indeed have spent the last week flying non-stop around the world on an airplane. And to think that Ah-Bu and Baka, who are on furlough for four months, are also circling the globe in an airplane as far as Aden is concerned. It does make you wonder what actually does go through the mind of a two year old sometimes.

Six months and counting

Wiley is now six months old (as Aden says, "one, two, fee, five, sick"), and had his well child checkup on Saturday. He weighed almost exactly what his brother did at six months - 6.98 kilos (Aden was 7 kilos), or 15 pounds, 6 ounces (if we did the math right). He is 26 3/8 inches long. At the time of his checkup he only had one tooth, but just today we discovered that another one has broken through. We'll get a picture soon to add to this post - it shouldn't be too hard since he is usually so eager to smile.

Too many family photo shoots?

Yesterday when Mommy walked into Wiley's room where Aden was entertaining his little brother, she found an unusual sight. Aden had pulled out the tripod, set it up, and aimed it at Wiley's crib. As he carefully adjusted things, he looked into the top of the tripod and explained to Mommy, "Aden taking picture (of) Wiwey."

Wiley Reaches New Milestones

Wily has his first tooth! Actually it emerged two weeks ago on March 25th, but we kept waiting to announce it, thinking we'd get a picture of his 'little pearl' to post. We've finally given up and decided to get the word out before his second tooth breaks through. Wiley is also rolling all over the place, and it's becoming quite common to find him in odd predicaments as he rolls around the house. He is exploring more than just his surroundings - he is trying out all kinds of new sounds with his mouth. He loves to vibrate his lips, and his latest fascination is making a popping noise with his tongue and his pacifier. He continues to laugh at all those around him, especially Aden, who can really crack him up!

Working

Today we began to wonder what Aden imagines when he asks if "Abu" (Uncle Bill) is working on the wards (at the hospital), or when we tell him that Bubu Jim or Uncle Andy is working at the hospital. The possibility of some confusion occurred to us when Aden appeared in Wiley's room this afternoon armed with a toy hammer. He proudly announced, half in English and half in Pidgin, "Aden go work at haus sik (hospital)." So what does he think Daddy does when he goes to work at the office?

Okay, now . . . I'll be right back . . .

We knew early on that eventually our kids would someday imitate the things we say and do. But when it actually happens, it seems to catch us off guard. Evidently two of Mommy's favorite phrases are "Okay, now . . ." (thinking aloud about what is next on the to-do list) and "I'll be right back . . ." Aden has adopted both into his vocabulary, tossing around the new phrases like one of his footballs. He seems to say "Okay, now" almost every time he changes activities, which is quite often in a two-year-old's day. He even said it once when he was getting off his potty chair! On a recent walk with Mommy, he brought along a little nerf basketball. Mommy stopped to pick flowers at a nearby house that has a basketball goal. As Mommy turned toward home, Aden turned toward the basketball goal and said, "I'll be right back!"

Wiley's First Teen Retreat!

This past weekend, mommy and daddy had the privilege of being the devotion leaders/chaperones for the MK High School's retreat, and Wiley got to go with them. He did so well and fit in great with the teenagers. It is amazing how much teens and infants have in common. : ) He loved hanging out with everyone because it meant extra attention. The retreat was at a Swiss Mission guest house located even farther up in the mountains than we live, about an hour and a half drive from Kudjip. It was beautiful with the towering mountains around us, and the running river to lull us to sleep at night if the rain on the metal roof was not enough. We enjoyed our discussions around the fire and the games by lantern and candlelight. We went on a short hike that Wiley just loved while strapped to daddy in his carrier. It was a lot of fun and we hope to go back again sometime with the whole family. Don't feel too sorry for Aden though. He got to stay the weekend at Bubu Jim's house and that is just as much fun as any trip into the mountains on a road that was full of big holes, big rocks and scary bridges. We were all happy to be back together though, and maybe none moreso than Aden and Wiley. They were all grins when they saw each other and Aden said "I wuv you Wiwey!"