7.29.09 ~ Bouncing and Waving

Will's world this week...it's all about sleeping on his belly, boucing and waving.
Although he's been rolling since the beginning of May he has always slept on his back. Being a great sleeper, I used to swear that I didn't think he even moved when he was sleeping because he seemed to be in the exact same position when we would get him up in the morning - however, a couple weeks ago when he came down with his first cold, it was like he figured out he could breath better if he was on his side. Now he's going completely on his belly - I was warned he would do this - and what is so funny - watching this in the monitor (I'll have to take a picture!) he looks like he's mooning us because he tucks his legs up underneath him and his butt is up in the air - it's a riot. What is even cuter - when you go into his room in the morning, he's pushing up so far on his arms that he can see over the edge of the bumper so he smiles really big when he spots you opening the door. It won't be long before we have to move his mattress level down...

This morning I watched him as he tried to push himself up to to a seated position - you know how kids somehow get on their butt and push up - he got to his forearms and then got to frustrated - or to tired - put his head back down and zonked back out.

Besides loving his bouncer/exercisaucer when he's in it he now loves to stand on your lap and jump, and jump, and bounce and bounce - he can keep this up for quite some time - very entertaining!

We had a visit from Papa Larry & Nana Betty this weekend (Chris's dad and step-mom) - Will was all smiles and even managed to get in two naps on Papa Larry.



After they left, Chris got him waving - he would do it in response to Chris, as if imiating him and he was laughing up a storm - probably more so at us because we were both planted in front of him waving like idiots and cracking up every time he would do it!



So...being three weeks away from hitting 6 months we are on the final countdown to trying cereal and then (drumroll) real food. The doctor gave us the go-ahead when we went for his 4 month appointment but from everything I've read, have been told and what the doctor said waiting to the 6 month mark is a good idea. He is getting more and more interested in what Chris and I are doing when we are eating - he analyzes my spoon as he watches it go from my oatmeal to my mouth each morning. I've given him one of his spoons and it immediately goes into his mouth - so he's got that part figured out. It will be interesting to see what he does when there is something on it! Right now he's eating about 7-8 ounces of milk at each of his 6 feedings so he's more than ready to take on the challenge of real food...that first meal should be quite interesting....we tried out the high chair and he seems to like it just fine!



here's a few pictures from this past week -

So...when Will was little - I say that as if he's so big now - but when he was younger - a lot of the outfits we had for him had matching hats - this one my mom got him and he hadn't worn it yet - the hat was just too cute - when I put it on him he kind of gave me a look like "uh - a baby hat??" since he's been wearing flop hats outside and at the beach - all the ladies at day care just cracked up!!!



There was this great kids stuff sale at the NC fairgrounds this past weekend - I got a ton of stuff so cheap - I'm talking sixty cents for a pair of pants - outstanding since he's already wearing 6-9 month clothes and in some brands 12 month clothes!!!! One of his favorite toys at daycare is this surf board playmat they have - I found one at the sale - looked brand new for $1 - it went straight into the sanitary wash cycle when it arrived at the house and within minutes - he was surfing!...and of course a few minutes after that it was in his mouth - like everyting else he touches! The sanitary cycle on our washer is probably one of my favorite things in the whole world!




And after our Sunday morning run - you would think from the way he's zonked out he was the one that ran!

7.21.09 ~ Laugh for a Tuesday

Monday afternoons usually we bring home from school a very tired little boy and yesterday was no exception. While he didn't crash on the way home, as soon as he started eating at 7:00 - yep - he was gone! Getting him to eat - not a problem. He is like a magnet to his food source...thus the comic below...once he finds it - his eyes roll back in his head and he is OUT! Now mind you, he still eats at both 7:00 and 10:00 - even if he's dead asleep - he chows...but you know he's tired when we go to get him up to eat at 10:00 and he doesn't even open his eyes when his diaper is changed....



He is still getting over his cold - the sniffles are decreasing by the day which is good because he hates the 'nose sucker'. He sees it coming and his hands go right up to cover his face!

He is loving his bouncer more and more each day. Last night he sat in it and entertained Chris and I while we were making and eating dinner. It's so funny to watch how even a day changes how he looks at something and how much his finger control improves. He is trying so hard to sit up both when he's sitting in his swing and sitting in his carseat. Most of the time this extra effort leads to a bit of spit-up because he is straining so hard to sit up. Until then - he is settling for playing with his toes and just rolling back and forth and doing a complete circuit - back to belly to back.

July 17, 2009 - Some recent pictures

Will's version of an inchworm....flat on belly, butt up in air, push face forward - yeah! I got somewhere!




Snuggling with Mom and Gram...if he had his way he would sleep ON someone for every nap and all night!




Playing with Daddy....




Mastering the bouncer...he finally puts his feet on the floor rather than letting them just dangle...




Doing his best Gene Simmons impersonation...he has rediscovered his tongue and for the past few days he has had it hanging out of his mouth. Everytime we go to get a picture, he pulls it back in...we almost got it in this shot!




Where do all his toys go right now? Straight to his mouth!

July 15 - Bouncing, bouncing, bouncing

So last night we got home from 'school' and Will was actually WIDE awake and ready to play so I decided we would try out his bouncer. He's been in it a couple of times - first time was good until he fell forward and bumped his face...it scared him more than anything...second time he was ok in it...really didn't put his feet down...well last night - yep - he not only put his feet down but he started bouncing and playing with ALL the toys! I'm comparing this to when I first started putting him on his belly...first try - yep about 1 minute...second try...about 10 minutes...now he LOVES being on his belly! So I'm thinking that by next week...we'll have that bouncer thing mastered and he might even figure out how to swivel in the seat!

This morning we woke up and he has rediscovered his tongue...not only was it out for me all morning but when I got to school - he proceeded to greet each of his teachers with it...not only was it sticking out but he was giggling like he had some sort of secret!

Last thing to note...we have had AMAZING days - both Monday and Tuesday I arrived at school in the afternoon to pick him up and he was in the same, and I repeat SAME, outfit that I dropped him off in. Now for some babies I know this might not be that big of a deal but for our reflux baby - this is HUGE!!

Think we can go for three days of the same dry clothes??? We shall see....

July 14, 2009 - A whirlwind four and a half months….

Good gosh – where to begin…it’s been almost five months since we were blessed with the arrival of Will…since then every day we have a what seems like a ‘first’ of something…first time he smiled when I made a funny face at him, first time he smiled at one of Chris’s funny songs…first time he rolled over!!!...first time he sat in his bumbo seat….I’m going to do a quick recap of the past four and half months and try to catch up on my blogging for all those of you who are following our family through this site…here goes…

February 23 – First Visit to the Doctor



February 25 – First bath at home – you were not to happy with us but since then you have come to LOVE bath time…a few times you have been so relaxed you have almost fallen asleep!



February 26 – First visit to Carter Finley Stadium

February 27 – First visit to EWP/EWPCM to visit Mom’s co-workers

February 28 – First portraits with Natalie Quilter – GREAT lady – very patient!



March 6 – First road trip – traveled to Greensboro to meet one of your Great Grandmothers and Uncle Geoff and Aunt Donna




March 8 – First walk in Umstead Park - a place we hope that you will love as much as we do each weekend!



March 9 – First visit from Pops



March 10 – First outing with Mommy driving after being cleared by her doctor after her c-section – yeah!!!



March 15 – First visit to a grocery store…you slept the entire time….it took all the way until July 5 which the first time that you were awake for a grocery trip – was AMAZED at all the sights and sounds!

March 22 – YEAH! You lifting your head up for 30-40 seconds at a time…after doing this a few times in a row you get really, really tired!



The month of April…..You are becoming VERY talkative….you love to look around…you are seeing more and more each day…smiles, more and more….we think the first smile came on the first but it could have been a really good APRIL FOOLS JOKE! You discovered your “Wally” the Green Monster mobile mid-month and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! You found your thumb and suck on it every so often, thankfully its not something you are really liking…you are also trying to hold your own bottles and grasp at your toys…

April 3 – we tried the Moby wrap for the first time…you fell right to sleep!!!




April 6 – first time you “played” in your pack-n-play and didn’t cry!!!...you just laid there – you loved your mobile and loved just gazing around




April 8 – you were officially diagnosed with reflux – yeah! At least we know what it is and where to go from here! You are 11 lbs 1 oz so as the doctor said – you are a happy puke’r! Today was also the first night you slept in your crib! Daddy was so excited that you were actually using it!

April 17 – Visit from Punkin and Papa Johnny – you were awake for almost their entire visit!

April 18 – TWO MONTHS OLD!!!! Had dinner with Mark and Mary Beth….we asked MB if she would be your God Mother (this was after you loved on her all night!) and she said YES!

April 20 – 2 Month Well Baby Doctors Visit – shots (so sad) – you cried and then slept it off by going for six and a half hours that night – your longest night to date! You are propping yourself up on your arms and can do about 20 minutes of belly time before you get really frustrated that you are not going anywhere!

April 24 – First Plane Ride – YEAH! You fell asleep at RDU before we boarded, slept through take off, slept through the flight, slept through the landing and finally woke up when we got there only to FALL back asleep on the drive to Gram and Pops.

April 25 – Your “Welcome to CT” shower – you met all of mom’s friends and a lot of your Northern family – they all loved you! You took a nap in Marci’s arms…gave your GNana a black lip and met your other Great Grand Mother – G-Grammy. This weekend was your first dose of hot weather and you were a bit grumpy! On the flight home you were awake for take off, then decided that Mom needed a challenge so you filled your diaper. We made it through a change in the SMALL restroom and then you fell asleep!




April 28 – You found your HANDS!!!!



April 30 – You went with Mommy to pilates class and slept the entire time…all the girls loved on you!

May 4 – You found your FEET!!!!

May 5 – Mommy & Me pilates – you were the littlest participant and you did the best!!!! You wore yourself and took a LONG nap that afternoon. You had your first crush…a sweet little girl in pink named Muriel – you couldn’t take your eyes off her!

May 7 – You ROLLED OVER – from your belly to your back!!!! And then to top off that great achievement – you slept through the night – 10:00 till 7:00 – yeah!!!!



May 10 – Our first Mother’s Day – you and Daddy took me to Pinehurst for brunch - such a nice way to spend my first mother's day!




May 20 – I have this down as the official first day that you grasped an object – you love the rattle that used to be Mommy’s and you love your puppy dog blanket with the rubber corners for you to chew on.

May 22 – Your first trip to the beach – here we come Bald Head Island!!! You didn’t really like the wind on the ferry ride over but after that…you seemed to like everything else….your first trip to the beach, your first trip to the pool, riding around in the golf carts….you even met the artist Bob Timberlake who gave you your first paint set! On Memorial Day you ran in your first race…well walked – the 1 mile fun run – then we cheered Daddy on as he finished the 5k in great form!




May 27, 28, 29 – you ‘tested’ out day care….you did really good and even rolled from your back to your belly! When I left you for a few hours on Friday – you ended up falling asleep and squashed all worries that I had about you sleeping at school!

May 28 – visit from our South Carolina friends – Janet, Kristin and Aiden – you guys just checked each other out.



June 1 – first day of school – you loved it and were all smiles when I came to pick you up! Knowing how much fun you were having with Miss Suzanne made it so much easier for mommy to go to work!



June 11 – first day of sitting in a bumbo seat….you had so much fun – you came home from school SOOOOO tired! We bought you one that weekend and you made us laugh – sitting there talking away!



June 20 – first baseball game – we took Daddy to the Durham Bulls versus Pawtucket Red Sox for Fathers Day – it was 98 degrees and very hot – we made it through four innings then headed to the Mellow Mushroom




June 22 – 4 Month Well Baby Doctors Visit – you got more shots which you cried at and then got big bruises on your legs…again, you slept it off.

June 25 – Your first FIRE DRILL at school - this I thought was a funny one to note in your baby book!

June 26 – You mastered blowing bubbles and giving raspberries – your new favorite thing….you do them when we go to change your diaper, when you are eating…you just giggle and crack yourself up!



July 4 – You loved the parade and fireworks – no crying…just pure amazement!!



June 10 – You came down with your first cold – sniff, sniff….by Sunday you were much better but learned very quickly that you do not like nasal drops or the aspirator! Thankfully Gram was with us for the weekend so she helped keep your mind off your running nose by snuggling with you and reading you books.

WHEW!!! As you can see we have been busy....thankfully Will is on a great schedule and 95% of the time he is a VERY HAPPY baby…he wakes up each morning ready for the day with a smile and puts himself to sleep by 8:30 each night. Thankfully he’s a great sleeper which makes it wonderful for us! (yes, we knock on wood each time we say that!) If we haven’t yet made proper introductions we hope to see you soon…I’m going to try and start doing a weekly post again…not sure how successful I will be but I will try!!! Until next week….