Mommy Mandy and Some Long Overdue Videos

I'm back in LA now after barely surviving a Midwest snowstorm. Well, maybe not barely, but pretty close to barely. After being away from cold weather for even just a little while, you forget how cold cold really is - especially Chicago cold. It was about 30 degrees, but with the windchill it felt more like 0 degrees. Our California winter coats just aren't made for Midwest winters.

While I was away and Ryan was at work, Mandy filled in as temp mommy. She's babysat a few times before, but this was her longest stint yet (two 10-hour days with the little guy). The first day sounded a bit rough because Westin wouldn't nap. Apparently he was way too pumped to have a new buddy to play with. So, as most of you know, a child who doesn't nap can be a bit of a challenge. Pretty sure Mandy went to bed at like eight that night :)

Westin finally passed out on Mandy's shoulder early in the evening.

The next day was Westin's birthday, and Mandy did a great job of celebrating his birthday sans mom and dad. After he napped (on time, yay!) she took him to the party store to get a birthday hat and balloon.

The birthday boy with his birthday treats

Here is one of Westin in his Christmas colors with his new balloon.

Mandy kept me updated the whole time via texts. There were a couple that made me laugh out loud:

"Lesson of the day: if it's just a little poop... he isn't done yet and diaper should not be changed too soon."

"The best part of the day is being able to dress him up in adorable outfits. Today I put him in Christmas colors. He's going to hate me when he's older."

Mandy, you did a great job. Thank you!

Also, as promised like several posts ago, here are some videos of Westin. The first is of Westin answering the phone. He'll take just about any toy and hold it to his ear/shoulder/neck when you say "hello." The second is from our trip to Utah at my mom's house. He loved moving that box around.