Young Game

We got Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U recently. I knew Angela would enjoy it but I didn’t figure how much the kids would want to play, too. It’s got easy drop-in co-op play, and more-or-less allows players who get easily distracted (like a 6- or 4yo, for example) to coast along side other players for a bit.

But both kids have started playing &emdash;and beating&emdash; entire levels on their own. Not that I should be all that shocked, as both Angela and I started playing video games at about this age. So far, it’s been a lot of fun for all of us.

Young Gamer

Trains at Cheekwood

We have now taken Wyatt to see the Tennessee in D outdoor model trains exhibit at Cheekwood a couple of times. Once on his second birthday, when the exhibit opened, and again more recently with Angela’s parents. His "Pap" shares his love of trains and his "Mee-ma" loves gardening, so we figured this would be a hit with all and it was.

Here are a few photos from the second trip:

Dyers at Cheekwood

The whole gang gathered together outside of the exhibit. Wyatt’s ready to race back off to see the trains again.

Train Guys

Wyatt showing Papa some of his favorite trains.

Day Out with Thomas

Being the huge fan of Thomas & Friends that he is, Wyatt got a chance to go see a real, live Thomas the Tank Engine this Fall. He could hardly sit still the entire (short) train ride and it was like meeting a rock star when he got to pose—along with his sister‐for pictures in front of Thomas. Despite the heavy rain, we all had a great time.

Kids with Thomas the Tank Engine

The kids with Thomas, a working tank engine.

With Grandparents

On board the train with Angela’s parents

Ready to Ride the Rails

Waiting for the train to depart the station.

Waiting in line for the train

Braving the rain while standing in line to board the train.

Wyatt at the Petting Zoo

The "Dickens of a Christmas" in downtown Franklin (there’s a festival in downtown Franklin every other weekend, this one is a Christmas one) had a small petting zoo. Wyatt got to go in and pet the animals. His favorite was one of the ducks, which he chased for ten minutes; until the owner said he was likely to get kicked by some other animal as he ran around screaming for the duck. It pretty much came to an end at that point, but Wyatt sure had a blast.

Wyatt at the Petting Zoo

Wyatt’s Room

When it came time to work on a nursery for Wyatt, we had a few guiding thoughts in mind. First, we really wanted a room he could grow up in, not just outgrow. This meant picking designs and colors that weren’t all pastel, cute, and cuddly; but would be the sort of thing a young person would still find interesting.

Secondly, we wanted to make a study in contrast to his sister, Ainsley’s room. Where her room has a pink color punch, light colored wood tones, and curved shapes; Wyatt’s room would have blue accents (okay, so the colors are hardly inspired), dark wood colors, and linear shapes.

Lastly, we do things on the cheap here at the Coleman-Dyer household. We would re-use many items that would fit in this design schema from around the house. So, this is the final result:

Wyatt's Room Panorama

You’ll note another contrasting idea to Ainsley’s room is that of vertical stripes instead of the horizontal band of color. This is a very simple idea that seemed to work quite well when put along side the other elements in the room. The stripes become more architectural in this context. We also continued to use the idea of overlapping elements to tie the stripes into the furniture.

Wyatt's Ikea Cubby

The crib was real find. We very happy with with Ainsley’s crib, so we turned to the same manufacturer (AP Industries) to see what they wold have. Needless to say, their Element crib ended up being the inspiration for a lot of the room. We were able to find the crib online at a great price (Albee Baby) and we purchased some conversion kits for toddler beds & full bed side rails at La Difference back in Richmond on a trip this past winter.

Wyatt's Crib & Rocker

So, we’re very pleased with Wyatt’s room. I hope to add more robots & rocket ships as time goes on, but he may have a few things to say about that. Right now, we have some photos up on the walls and his sister likes to bring in some toys from her room to play while we read stories at night. That will do for decorations for now.

Coming Home

Angela and Wyatt came home from the hospital on Saturday. Both are doing excellent! Here are a few photos from our trip home:

Ready to Roll
Wyatt tries out Ainsley’s old car seat for size. Looks like a very comfy fit.

Mommy and Son On the Move
Angela getting put in her wheelchair (the hospital requires it; she really wanted to walk on her own).

Welcome Home
Angela carrying Wyatt from the car to the house.

Hi, Baby!
Angela and Wyatt were greeted to many barks from the dogs and shouts of joy from Ainsley. She was very excited to have everyone back home again.

Wyatt and Grandparents
Grandma and Grandpa Dyer sitting with Wyatt as he snoozes the afternoon away.

Nana and Grandkids
Nana Deaver holds Wyatt as Ainsley sits close by.

First Bath at Home
Wyatt gets his first bath at home on the kitchen counter.

Ultrasounds

Here are a few of the ultrasound images of young Wyatt.

This image was at just seven weeks in:

Its like staring at one of those 3D posters from the 90s.
It's like staring at one of those 3D posters from the 90's.

This set is from nineteen weeks:

Close-up Profile of Wyatt
Close-up Profile of Wyatt
The Pike Position
In the Pike Position

Its a Boy, all right!
It's a Boy, all right!