Will - One on 11.11.11

"Whooosh!"

That was the sound of the past year flying by.  :)  How is it possible that my baby is 1 - and really, less of a baby and more of a toddler?  Although it has flown by, it's kind of hard to remember life without Will.  He has brought so much fun, laughter, and joy to our little family.  The price of lost sleep has been worth it!

A few things about Will at age 1:

• At his one year appointment, he weighed 24 lbs, 12 ounces (75th percentile) and measured 31.5 inches tall (90th percentile).  Quite a difference from his petite sister (see Claire's one year stats here).
• Will LOVES his big sister, and she adores him, too - except when one of them has something the other one wants.  Taking something away from Will is about the only thing that really sets him off (other than generally being hungry, tired, etc.), and Claire is a pro at getting that type of reaction.  Most of the time they play well together and love each others company.

• He likes to eat and will try anything.  What he doesn't like gets immediately spit out and thrown on the floor.
• When Will is done eating, he wants his plate/high chair tray completely cleaned off.  If you don't get to it before he does, he will take care of it for you by throwing food and waving his hands over the tray until everything is gone.  We're working on that.  :)
• He loves to hold a spoon or fork even when he's not eating.  He's quite independent and already wants to feed himself.  He's getting good at it really quickly.
• Will is still taking formula in bottles.  Last week was supposed to be "bottle boot camp" when we switched from formula to milk, reduced number of ounces, and switched all (at least day time) bottles to sippy cups.  That plan was interrupted by a nasty double ear infection, so we will try again soon.
• He is not walking yet, but cruises around and will occasionally stand on his own for a few seconds.  I'm in no rush!
• Will is transitioning to the next class at school and is quickly adapting to the new teachers and new routine.  They take naps on mats rather than cribs - such a big boy!
• Like his sister at this age, he has lots of teeth - 6 on bottom, 4 completely in on top, and his upper one year molars are about halfway through.  The canines are already starting to work their way up, too.
• We are getting there on sleep - he sleeps through the night (7 pm to 5 or 6 am) most nights, and he will usually take a bottle and go back to sleep for another hour or so.  It's been a long road, but we're finally making some good progress!
• Will is saying several words that we can understand - "throw", "ball", "uh oh", and "up" are the most often heard, and we'll occasionally get a "da" for Robert and a "maaaa-ma" for me, but I'm not adding it to the "official" list yet.  He can follow simple instructions - "Come to Mama", "Drop your spoon in the sink", etc. so we know he is understanding a lot.
• Going by his words, it shouldn't be surprising to know that some of his favorite toys are balls or other things he can throw.  He also really likes the play kitchen, spoons, and digging around in drawers and cabinets.

• He laughs easily, smiles easily, loves to cuddle, and is a happy little guy who is very loved!

Will at 11 Months

Better late than never...  :)

Project Life: Weeks 40 - 41

Photos from October 3 - 16


Monday, October 3




Tonight we tried out one of the new smoothie recipes we tasted at the Vitamix demonstration at the Fair - a green smoothie with grapes, banana, lime, orange, and spinach.  It was delicious - you don't even taste the spinach, so it's a great way to get in some extra veggies.

Saturday, October 8



Will looked so cute stretching on his tip toes to play with the kitchen.  I was so glad I already had the camera out and had taken a few pictures since a few moments later Claire came over and did this:



I feel like it's such a great expression of their relationship - I've gotten a little choked up a couple of times when I look at this photo.  We are so blessed!


Tuesday, October 11


Mom, Dad, and Aunt Nancy were here this past weekend, and we put Dad to work building a couple of stepstools for Claire's bathroom (one for the sink and one for the toilet).  Today the paint was done drying so we moved them into her bathroom.  She was so excited to test them out - no more stretching to reach the toothpaste!



Will is 11 months old today!

Friday, October 14


The kids enjoying a rare quiet moment watching "Blue's Clues".

Saturday, October 15


We saw a cat in our yard this morning, and I sent Claire to take care of it.  She stands on the edge of the patio and yells "Go away old cat!  Go away!  Go away!"  Really scary.  :)

Will at Nine Months

On August 11th, Will turned 9 months old!

He had a well baby check this week, and stats were:

Weight: 22 lbs., 13 oz. (80th percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (85th percentile)
Head: 18.5 inches (85th percentile)

For comparision, here is Claire's 9 month info. At her appointment, she was 15.5 lbs and 26 inches - so different! Our big boy dropped a little in the percentiles, but is still proportional and growing like he should. The doctor reviewed a development assessment that I filled out (the Ages and Stages Questionaire) and said that he is perfect (which we already knew!). We're starting to move out of the 12 month clothes into size 18 month, depending on the brand, but this move seems to be happening more slowly than the previous ones. It's so nice to not have to continue buying him a completely new wardrobe every two months!

He started crawling this week - he finally figured out how to get those legs positioned so he could take off! He'd figured out awhile ago how to get from laying to sitting to all fours and back again without any trouble, but he would just rock back and forth or scoot himself around. Once he did it a couple of times, he started taking off. We all still get excited when he gets going, especially Claire. In the most excited voice, she'll exclaim "He's crawling! Will crawling! Good job, Will!" I know I'm biased, but it really is the cutest thing, ever.

Will is a great eater. His fine motor skills have really developed, and he loves feeding himself. Besides the usual puffs and Cheerios, he eats waffles, pancakes, some apple plum bars I baked this weekend, mixed vegetables, bananas coated in wheat germ (makes it easier to pick up). Basically, he'll eat anything soft that I cut or tear into soft pieces. He's also still eating some purees, and we started yogurt this week. I have no worries about him eating properly. :)

We're still working on consistently sleeping through the night. He started going from 7-7:30 to 5 or later a couple of weeks before he turned 9 months old, but then he got off again the night after his check-up, waking once during the night. We had one night since when he slept through, so I haven't given up hope that this is just a minor regression!

The sleep issue is easier to handle since he is the easiest baby in all other respects. Robert and I were talking the other night about how rarely he cries. Will is so happy, and he loves his family. We gives us the biggest smiles and giggles, but Claire definitely gets the most laughs. They already have so much fun playing together, and it's fun to watch their relationship develop.

Will, you are truly a blessing to our family. We love you so much!

Will at Seven Months

Will turned 7 months old on June 11th!

As I've said before, and I know I will say again, this boy has completely captured my heart. He brings so much joy to our family, and I think he's pretty happy with the family that he's got. :) Claire is his favorite person - there is still no one that can make him laugh as hard (or as frequently!) as she does.

He is still a happy and easygoing little guy, especially if you keep him fed. :) He is still drinking about 5 bottles of formula a day and eats solid foods twice a day - usually a jar of Earth's Best breakfast food in the morning and a serving of organic fruits and/or vegetables with cereal in the evening. He likes to eat, and I'm looking forward to moving on to finger foods in the next month or so.

Will is sitting by himself very well, and now knows how to catch himself when he starts to fall over. No real signs of crawling yet, which suits Mommy just fine!

He has four teeth - two middle ones on the bottom, and two on the top. No, not the two front teeth - the two on either side. We call them his "snake teeth." I'm trying to get a good picture of them before the front teeth come in, which looks like it will happen any day now.

Will still isn't my best sleeper, but with the exception of a few nights, we usually just get up once and then he will sleep until 7 or later. Teething hasn't helped, but his sleep always gets better once those teeth pop through.

We love our sweet Will!!!

Will at 6 Months

Will is six months old!



He had his 6 month well visit yesterday, and his stats were:

Weight: 20 lbs, 2 oz
Length: 27 7/8 inches

Our big boy is around the 85th-90th percentile for both weight and length, but is still perfectly proportioned and right on track for body mass. For comparison, "Big Sister" was 14 lbs., 1 oz and 25 3/8 inches at her 6 month appointment. :)

He got 5 vaccinations in 2 shots and one oral dose, and he handled it all like a champ!

Will is sitting well on his own, but still needs someone close by to keep him from falling over backwards. We're still working on sleep, but he's usually only waking up once, or making it to around 5 before he's up. The haze is starting to lift!

Chair pics - 25 Weeks

Such a sweet little face!

Chair pics - 23 Weeks

Happy Easter!

Chair Pics - 22 Weeks

Project Life: Week 14

Photos from the week of April 4-10:

Monday

Claire can hardly stand for me to take a picture of Will by himself - she always wants to jump in! He wasn't too excited about his chair picture today (20 weeks - it was late in the day, but I couldn't wait another day to do it), but Claire had plenty of energy.

Wednesday

Claire really enjoyed her singing birthday card from Aunt LaLa and Uncle Robert!

Thursday

Claire kept "hiding" behind the kitchen island and jumping out towards Will - he just laughed and laughed every time he saw her and would wait anxiously for her next appearance. I love how they already play together!

Friday

Claire's birthday! Nana, Will and I spent the day with her. She got new blue shoes (Crocs) from Nordstrom and ate most of Nana's gelato from Paciugo. She had a great start to her birthday weekend.

Saturday
Claire's party at the New Braunfels Children's Museum - everyone had a fabulous time!

Sunday

Someone didn't want to sit still to take a picture with Nana, so we improvised.

Will tried solid food for the first time! He did a great job eating his cereal and seemed to really enjoy it. On to purees!

Chair Pics - 5 Months

Will is 5 months old (Week 21)! It really seems like it's going faster this time.

Project Life: Week 12

March 21 - 27

Tuesday

Claire requested smoothies after school today, and I was happy to oblige. Yum!

Friday

Today we had a playdate with Isabella, Megan & their mommies. We've been talking about getting together for a long time and finally made it happen. Claire had a fabulous time on Megan's new playset, and I loved getting some great girl time with some fellow moms in the same lifestage. Can't wait to do it again!

Saturday

Nana, Claire, Will and I went to the grocery store while Robert and Granddaddy worked outside. Claire was hungry and picked out a fruit salad for a snack. I don't know where she puts it all!

Sunday

Claire woke up from her nap around the time I was taking Will's weekly chair photo (a couple days late - shhhh!!), and she was a little jealous of the attention he was getting and tried to get in a couple of the photos. I tried to get a cute one of both of them together, but she just wanted to be in the chair with him. Not quite as easy this week to get a good photo, but I was happy with this one for Will's 19th week.

Will - 18 Weeks

Will turned 18 weeks old on 3/18/11:

He has turned into a drool monster! He will gnaw on anything he can get into his mouth, and we are wondering how long it will be until we see his first tooth. Claire got hers when she was about 5 months old, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if we see it soon. He cracks me up at how hard he will work to get something (usually his hand or thumb) into his mouth - he will almost double over when sitting in the Bumbo since he hasn't quite figured out that it's easier to bring your hand to your face that try to move your entire body to get to your hand.

I swear he gets cuter every day. He smiles and laughs so easily now and is still just an absolute joy to be around. I love my chunky monkey!!!

Chair Pictures - Weeks 16 & 17

16 weeks - finally captured a little smile!

17 weeks / 4 months:

He's already starting to look like a little boy to me - slow down, baby!

Chair pictures - Weeks 14 and 15

Will at 14 weeks:

Will at 15 weeks:

Although these photos don't really show it, Will is an incredibly happy baby. His smile just makes his entire face light up - and the faces of everyone around him. He loves to "talk" to us. I love that sweet babbling voice. Also, he is truly sleeping through the night now. Although he occasionally wakes up at 5 or 5:30, lately he's more likely to make it until 6 or later before he is ready to get up. We're consistently putting him to bed at 8 pm, so he's sleeping 10+ hours a night. Amazing what a little sleep can do for Mommy and Daddy's energy levels!

Now that I've put it in writing, he'll probably be up at 4 am tonight. :)

13 Weeks

Our boy is three months old!

Will - 12 Weeks

Will hit the 12 week mark on 2/3/2011. I'm not sure if he's a fan of the hat:

A little better...

Attempting to stare down Claire

The biggest recent development is that he learned how to roll from his tummy to his back, and he did it for the first time on his 12 week birthday. I had him on a quilt beside me while Claire was eating dinner and I was unloading the dishwasher. I looked at him, turned to get something from the dishwasher, and then saw he was on his back. We were all surprised, and I grabbed the camera. He rolled over a couple more times that night and has done it a few more times since them. Claire was a couple of months older when she first rolled over, so I'm curious to see if he will hit other physical milestones more quickly.

Will at 8 Weeks

Check out those cheeks! No weight gain concerns for Mr. Serious...

After I took Will's weekly photo, I laid him in the crib for a few minutes to gather up my camera and a few other things. He looked so cute cooing and waving his arms around, and I had to break out the camera again!

Catching up on Will

12/30/10 - Will at 7 weeks:

Will continues to be a healthy and happy baby! He is settling into a nighttime routine, going to bed around 9 or 10 and waking up around 2 and 5 to eat. He usually will go back to sleep for an hour or so after the second feeding which we all appreciate, especially now that Claire is back to sleeping until around 7. We're still tired, but feeling much more rested than we were a few weeks ago.

A few other things:

- Will has given us a few intentional smiles in the past week - I can't wait to see more of them! He gets excited when he hears Claire - I think her enthusiasm has rubbed off on him. She is still completely in love with her little brother, although we have to watch her very closely around him to make sure she doesn't smother him while showing affection.
- He can follow an object with his eyes and turns his head towards a sound.
- He sleeps great in his car seat, which helps when we have to run errands (and during our recent long trips to Dallas and Vernon!).
- He only gets really upset when he's hungry.
- He weighs about 12 1/2 pounds, which is more than Claire weighed at 4 months.

My full-time maternity leave is almost over. The school had an opening in the infant room for Tuesdays and Thursdays, so Will is going to start going to daycare and I will go back to work for those days as of the 18th. Right now the plan is to do the two day a week thing for the second half of January, then move up to 3 days a week in February. After that, my bosses and I are going to decide if I will stay at 3 days a week or go back to my 4 day schedule. I'm so glad my job is flexible!

I never posted Will's 5 & 6 week pictures, so here they are. Obviously, in week 6 I forgot what he was wearing in week 5. I really wanted to be sure to get a photo of him in this outfit, though. Before Claire was born, I bought this outfit in blue and pink to be the coming home outfit for her (not yet knowing she was a girl). It absolutely swallowed her, and she was a four months old before it fit properly - I wrote a post about it here. I was glad that I saved the blue one, and I think it really illustrates the size difference between my two children!

Five Weeks:

Six Weeks - Merry Christmas!:

Will - Four Weeks

The little monkey was in a great mood on the morning of his 4 week birthday.

It was a busy week! On Tuesday, Will and I went to the pediatrician for his one month appointment. He weighed in at 10 pounds, which meant that he gained almost two ounces a day over two weeks! Our doctor said that the gain was "exceptional" - not surprising, right? :) I'm officially predicting that by the time Will is 18 months old, he will weigh as much as Claire. The doctor told me to get prepared to have people asking if they are twins at some point in the future.

Will's umbilical cord still had not fallen off, so the doctor took care of it. A portion of the vein was holding on, so he quickly removed it. Will was hungry and ready for a little extra snack, so he sucked on a bottle the whole time and didn't even flinch when it came off. I was glad to be rid of it, and we were able to give him a real bath that night.

Will continues to be an easy baby - rarely fussy, and only gets really worked up when he is hungry. I'm already able to put him to bed "drowsy but awake" at night, and it usually doesn't take him long to go to sleep. He wakes up twice a night ready to eat, so I usually get a couple of 2.5 - 3.5 hour sleep sessions in a night before Claire gets up. Claire has been waking up really early (around 6), but the past couple of days she has slept a little later, which makes a huge difference for me. I need that extra hour or so!

Claire is still completely infatuated with her "Bubba". She squeals when she sees him every morning and every afternoon when we pick her up from school. Her new thing is laying on the floor beside him during his tummy time. She loves to help, and does a great job retrieving things for me and trying to pat Will when he is tired. We still have to remind her to be gentle and use soft hands, but she is doing a better job remembering on her own.

Now that we have had our first week on our own, and Will is settling into a good sleep schedule, I'm starting to feel like we are getting things under control!