Questions??? Raising a kid is hard, especially when they're your own.

I have wanted to post a few more pictures of Iowa, but I have yet to get them out of email and onto the blog, so you will have to settle for the pictures below for now.

Patrick cut a fifth tooth at some point in the last few days. I noticed a little white speck on his upper gum next to his front tooth - and sure enough, there it was. This is no surprise as he has been a little off and biting a lot recently. He may actually have enough teeth to use them someday.

For those of you out there who read this by mere blog stalking and I may not know you, here is a chance to let me get to know you. I have a question/dilemma, and if any of you have suggestions I will be happy to take them. Don't be shy about commenting either. I am a serious blog stalker myself and someday may just comment on your blog. Anyway, here is the dilemma followed by the question...

Patrick is now just over 13 months old. Many of you have read in some past posts about him not liking being read to. I have held out hope this would change, but it is only getting worse. I am starting to get a little frustrated and upset because he is getting to an age where this should be an established activity and he fights it more now than ever. I am willing to give it to him that he is a busy and quite active guy who doesn't have time to stop to even eat, but I am feeling upset by this.

Does anyone have any suggestions to get him to sit and look at a book? I am basically taking stabs in the dark at this point, so I am willing to take your suggestions as well, even if they are just thoughts or ideas and not tried and true methods. Let me know if you think of anything. Thanks!

And finally, the pictures below were taken at dinner last night. I was headed off to a rousing night of Bunko, so I wanted to try to keep him as clean as possible so Brandon would not have to do an unnecessary bath. Needless to say, before the evening was over he had a bath because there was a screaming fit to feed himself and that left us with chicken, stuffing, green beans, and oranges in every nook and cranny possible on Patrick's body. And that story says nothing about his many moods, as seen in the pictures.