How do you spell......

James is learning to read. He is really making a lot of progress and is starting to sound out words. However, the English language is really messed up. First of all, James is now just getting the "r" sound down. Any word that has an "r" in it he really enunciates. For example, grrrreen....rrrrrrred....etc...(Andrew has also started to do this. It's helped him learn his "r" sound, plus it's pretty cute!). Before James learned the "r" sound, he pronounced it with the the typical "w" sound. For example, gween, wed. So, he has dropped the "w" sound to some words that are supposed to have a "w" in them. Yesterday he was telling Andrew he was going the wrong way. He pronounced it, wrong ray. So I had to remind him of the "w" sound, and that "way" is spelled with a "w." Then he asked me how to spell "wrong way." I thought about this for a minute and thought, oh no, they both start with a "w". I then proceeded to tell him (very badly I might add) about silent letters. Sheesh, who ever thought that up was messed up! James is always asking me how to spell words, and more and more I am realizing how much of it is memorization, because just when you think you have a letter sound down, it changes. He asked me how to spell "one." I asked him, "do you mean the number 1, or like, I won a race." He meant the number. So I told him, O-N-E. He replied, "shouldn't it start with a "w"? I said, "well, if you are talking about if you won a race, then yes, it starts with a "w," but the number 1 starts with a "o." Why????? Who knows????? I think I am doing more harm in trying to "teach" him to read. I think I am doing it wrong. And yes, that is WRRRRong, with a "w!"