Will - 8 Months

Happy 8 Months Old Will!

It seems like every month there are so many new things to report about Will. He is growing so fast and I am beginning to feel like I need to do daily updates instead of monthly because there is always something new. This month's highlights...

- Sits up on his own

- Pulls up on couch and stands up in crib now

- Can entertain himself when left alone for a little while

- Looks for toys that he drops now because he knows they are around somewhere, whereas before he would cry because it was out of sight. Now I think he drops things just to make us pick them up.

- He loves to play in a box. Bubble wrap is an added bonus.

- Plays peek-a-boo. We call it "Where's Will?"

Food:
Apples and sweet potatoes are still the favorites. We have tried chicken and he isn't too sure about it yet. I don't blame him, I wouldn't be a fan of pureed chicken either. I have to give it to him with sweet potatoes or carrots and just sneak in a bite of chicken every once in a while - he makes the funniest face! His new love is peaches. Mum Mum rice snacks are these dissolvable wafer things that he can hold and chew on. They really just turn in to a big pasty mess. I feed Will in his high chair and Maggie swarms around it. She has learned that Will + high chair = good chance she is going to get to lick up some food. She is a total distraction to Will though, because all he wants to do is pet her while she is so close. He isn't a fan of a bib either. He rips the velcro ones off and plays with it, or tries to give it to Maggie.

Door stoppers

It didn't take long after we brought Maggie home that she found a way to entertain herself...


Not surprisingly, Will has the same fascination...

Thanksgiving 2011

Will had a very busy 1st Thanksgiving! He traveled and met so many new people over the long weekend.

We started off with lunch on Thursday at Gram and Gramps house - a lunch with 42 people! NeeNee, Uncle Jon, and Ashley even joined in the celebration. It was great to have everyone all together! My favorite part of the day was that Mama was feeling better this year, so there was no pressure for making those perfect rolls (refer to last year's Thanksgiving post)!

On Friday morning we headed to West TN. When we got to MAO's house, Great-Grandmother finally got her hands on Will. Uncle Anthony, Aunt Tina, and cousins Taylor and Teagan were there too. This was the first time that MAO had all of his grandbabies together - that is something to be thankful for! We enjoyed spending time with Jayme, Madyson, Kristi, and even met Uncle Tim for a minute.


Then we were off to Adamsville so JT could go watch his high school football team play for a chance at the state championships. Will got to meet lots of JT's high school friends and got a tour of Adamsville.

We came home Saturday afternoon and were ready to rest! Will was such a trooper through the whole weekend! He was a great traveler and was almost always in a good mood. Sunday he was clinging to me more than usual, but I have to admit that I enjoyed that! He was so exhausted and glad to be back home.

As always, we are so thankful for our family and friends! JT and I both thank God every single day for our precious Will! He is the greatest gift we have ever received!

Will - 7 Months

Happy 7 Months Old Will!

Picture time gets more and more interesting each month as Will becomes more mobile and easily distracted. I imagine the pics of the next few months will simply be a blur of Will as he jumps off of the chair. First he decided that the giraffe pillow was in his way. Then he wanted to eat the giraffe pillow. Finally he began to cooperate. And then he decided picture time was over.
Toys: Will is so playful now! He is sitting up by himself which has given him a chance to explore and grab things with both hands. He has a new fascination with the glow-worm that Uncle Kyle got for him. He likes the songs and loves that the face lights up. He is still into Bug and Sophie too. But his most favorite toys are simply household items - a paper towel, empty paper towel roll, and electrical cords (dangerous I know, but it is the first thing he goes for). He is also obsessed with the computer keyboard and likes to type/bang on the keys as hard as he can.

Another household discovery - the door stoppers. Funny, this was Maggie's first favorite thing in the house too. Most of these have been removed because Maggie's obsession with them drove us crazy!

He has his own version of peek-a-boo and he picked up on it pretty quickly. It started at Gram's house where he thought he was hidden by the giraffe on the playmat. Now he tries to hide behind the bar of his playmat at home. He has a blast!

Food: Still stuggling, but we are making progress. He likes sweet potatoes, apples, and sometimes green peas. He is not so fond of pears and bananas. He just never seems interested in eating any of it though. He just loves his bottle! I have learned over the past week to give him the spoon and let him play. Eventually he wants something on it, and then he eats it all up. He mostly wants to feed himself though. I think I'll have better luck once we get to finger foods. He has his 2 bottom teeth now.

Will still isn't exactly crawling, but he can scoot all over the place. Before he gets going, he has to prepare...his whole body shakes and then he takes off. JT says he is "stuck in neutral" at first. If there is something he wants, he will go after it!

Will has had his first cold and it has gone on for almost 3 weeks now. It is so frusturating to not be able to give him any medications for this. We've tried Vick's, saline nose spray, and got him a humidifier. He is doing better each day, and it really hasn't slowed him down any.

Halloween 2011

Happy 1st Halloween Will!

I knew this Halloween wouldn't be a really big deal because I had to work and JT was going to be in Memphis. It didn't really bother me since Will isn't going to remember this one anyway. Publix was having Trick-or-Treating at the store from 4-7, so the plan was for Gram to dress him up and bring him to work so I could see him. Little man decided to get his first illness though, so we didn't want him to get outside and around a bunch of people. Will and Gram had a few of the neighborhood kids Trick-or-Treat at our house, so he got to see a few people. Gram said he wasn't too interested though.

Luckily we got a picture of Will in his costume on Sunday. Pops and Nonna came to visit and brought a cute little monkey costume along with a banana candy bag. So cute! I dressed him up and off to Karen and Jamey's we went. Thank goodness they were prepared with candy since we were a day early!

That was so much fun, we decided to ring our own doorbell for Daddy to answer! (No candy at this house though.)

Happy Halloween to our little monkey!

Sitting Up

Will has been sitting up on his own now for about a week. It may sound crazy, but I think this is a huge accomplishment! He now has both hands free for whenever he wants to grab things!

We went to Cracker Barrell with Pops, and Will sat in a high chair for the first time.

He didn't sit there too long by himself because he wanted to be in everyone's lap trying to grab food. The end result was that every spoon on the table ended up on the floor. He had a good time though, and that's all that matters.

How do I know if Will has a fever?

Just one of the questions that I ask every "mom" friend. The answer is always the same..."You'll Know!!!" Will has felt a little warm before but nothing like anyone has ever described (being hot from head to toe).

Yesterday Will had his 6 month shots plus a flu shot. He was running a low-grade fever of 100.5 in the evening (which is expected from shots), and I could tell just by touching his head. I was proud of my mommy instinct! I gave him some Tylenol and he played like normal until bedtime. At 11:30 he was SCREAMING! I went to get him and I when I picked him up I instantly realized what everyone had been talking about - I kissed his head and he didn't feel warm, he was HOT! Sure enough his temperature was 102.5. He was screaming as I was trying to get him dressed and this woke JT up. We were both panicked so we decided to be the classic example of a new parent and called the doctor in the middle of the night. To our surprise, the doctor answered the phone...no leaving a message and waiting for someone to call me back, no nurse triage, the actual doctor on call! I told her I couldn't remember what the temperature was that I should be concerned about and she said 104 or his temp now if Tylenol couldn't get it down. I had just given him the medicine so we had to wait and see. Just like old times, we paced the house and sang to him. After about 45 minutes he was cool and calm so we put him back in his crib and he slept the rest of the night.

What a helpless feeling! I know this is the first of many fevers. I know it will be worse when he is actually sick. He woke up happy and with some crazy hair! Apparently he sweat that fever out through his head - it was to cute to try to brush it out.

So glad that you are feeling better Will! Mommy and Daddy will always wish that we could transfer your pain to ourselves.

Adventures in the Kitchen

Well, I think we all know how this is going to turn out...disaster!

Bill and Rita gave me the Baby Bullet for a shower gift. I can make my own baby food with it. It is really just a glorified food processor, but it comes with great little storage cups, menus, and recipes. I decided that I was going to use store bought baby food first to see which types of things Will actually enjoys eating before I slave away in the kitchen. He loves sweet potatoes, so that has been my first attempt.

I picked out a sweet potato and boiled it.

While that was boiling, I cleaned all of my equpiment and set it all out.

It turned out perfect! Time to put it into little storage cups now, but the blender seems to bulky so I think I'll remove the base to make it easier.

Really?!?!?! Did I not just wash this and know that there was no bottom?!?!?! So my final product resulted in 3 Baby Bullet storage cups instead of 10. At least the little storage cups are still smiling.

Oh well! Lesson learned. Better luck next time...

By the way, Will loved my sweet potatoes! He didn't care that I made a mess.

Will - 6 Months

Happy 6 Months Old Will!

Weight - 17 lb 9 0z
Height - 27 inches

This month has been full of smiles! His smile seems to get bigger everyday. His is a happy baby most of the time. He really doesn't get too worked up unless he is hungry or tired (which is most of the day now that I think about it).

Food - We finally moved on from rice cereal despite his refusal to eat with a spoon. He would close his lips as tight as possible whenever he saw the spoon coming. He is ALWAYS reaching for our plates though, so I decided to try feeding him while we were eating. Worked like a charm! I gave him some sweet potatoes and he couldn't get enough! Now he has no problem taking a spoon. Thank goodness!

MAO came to visit and got to spend some quality time with Will. They watched some UT football together, played with Maggie, and did what they do best - rock in Cracker Barrell's rocking chairs. We found one just Will's size!




His first tooth has broken through. I knew it was coming because he has been chewing on anything and everything. He has been rubbing his ear which I read was a sign. I feel very lucky and am glad to say that teething isn't a big issue for him. It didn't wake him up in the middle of the night or any of the other things I've heard that come along with it. I know I may be speaking too soon, but hopefully the rest will go as smoothly as this one. It's a sharp little tooth!

Will isn't crawling yet, but he is very mobile with his scooting and rolling. I am NOT ready for him to crawl, because I am really NOT ready to chase him around the house. Maggie is going to be in for a shock when this happens too! Maggie is usually what he scoots towards. When he sees something he wants, he is going to get it. Determination!

He is big into elctronics now - cell phones, remote controls, cords, etc. Basically if we are using it, he wants it! I gave him one of JT's toy cell phones to play with. He knew it wasn't the real thing; he won't have anything to do with it!

Will turned 6 months old while we were at the beach. This was his first big vacation and plane ride. (I am writing another post about that, so I won't go in to all the details now.)

What a wonderful 6 months! Happy Half-Birthday Will!!!!!

Maggie and Will

Will has a puppy dog, puppy dog, puppy dog.
Will has a puppy dog; her name is Maggie.

And everywhere that Will goes, Will goes, Will goes;
Everywhere that Will goes, Maggie goes too.

They're gonna be best friends, best friends, best friends.
They're gonna be best friends, Maggie and Will.

I have been wanting to post about Maggie and Will for a while now, and just never seemed to get around to it. I can not express how pleased I am with Maggie's affection for Will. She LOVES him, and he LOVES her even more.

I'm not sure at what point during my new-mommy delirium that I made up this song posted above, but I can almost guarantee it was within the first few days we were home. When Will would cry, I would pace the house and Maggie would follow my every move. JT says he is surprised that I haven't worn tracks in the floor from circling through the living room, kitchen, and dining room. I started singing this song (the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb") and it would always calm Will down or put him to sleep. He was probably falling asleep just so he didn't have to hear me sing - hahaha!

The first few days we were home, Maggie didn't really pay attention to Will. The crying didn't seem to bother her. She went through a major depression because I was not allowed to play ball with her and people were always coming over and not paying attention to her. Luckily she never associated this with Will; her anger was directed more towards me and I was pretty sure that she hated me since I was the obvious reason for her no longer being the center of attention. We made it a rule that anyone coming to visit had to play with Maggie first, then they could see Will. This seemed to help a lot, and Maggie and I were able to bond again.

Maggie's protective instincts kicked in right away. She was next to Will at all times. If someone was holding him, she was standing beside them. If someone was walking around with Will, she was walking with them. Nobody was going to make it out the front door with Will without Maggie letting us know about it.

Will and I rarely moved from this spot. Maggie stayed right beside us.

I always fed Will in his room, especially in the middle of the night. Maggie was no longer forced to stay in her kennel, so she would come in there with me. It is not surprising now to find her sleeping his room sometimes. She is good at checking for monsters underneath the crib.

The first thing that Will squealed and laughed at was Maggie. He thinks she is hilarious! He loves watching her catch the ball, and when she brings the ball back to us, he squeals with delight. No doubt they are going to spend millions of hours playing together.

One of the first things Will does in the mornings is look around for Maggie. He smiles and squeals when he sees her. I usually sit in the floor with him in my lap so she can come up to him and he will pet her. So sweet!

They play together on the playmat. Will can scoot across the floor, and Maggie is always the target. Maggie used to get up and move when he got close, but she is more tolerable to it now and usually lets him touch her.

Maggie's favorite toy is "Bruiser". Will is interested...

Got it! Maggie will not be happy this, because she isn't allowed to play with Will's toys. Maggie will not tolerate this double-standard.

And after all that playtime, they nap together.

Maggie was not feeling well last week. She didn't want to play and you could tell that Will was missing her. I know that sounds crazy, but he seriously looked for her when he was playing. She finally came around and Will put his hand on her paw to comfort her. She put her other paw on top of his. My heart melted...
I am so glad that this relationship has started off so well for them. They really are going to be best friends. We are proud of you Maggie! You are a great big sister!

Sweetness

My favorite picture of Will!

Will - 5 months

Happy 5 Months Old Will!

Stats:
Height - 26.5 inches
Weight - 16 lbs

His personality is coming out more and more each day. He is a mover too - always on the go. This made picture time interesting since he decided he wanted to peel off his sticker and eat it.

Will tried his first food at 4 and 1/2 months. Rice cereal - yummy! We got the video camera out, got all prepared, and learned that Will + spoon = mouth closed, lips sealed! Really?!?! This is coming from the kid that has his mouth open to everything! I was afraid he didn't like the cereal so I just put it in his bottle and he seemed to have no problem with that. I tried just milk in the spoon and got the same closed mouth reaction, so it is definitely a spoon issue rather than the actual contents. I try to give him the spoon to play with each day so he can hopefully get used to it. Until he gets good at the rice cereal, we aren't moving forward with any other foods. He can hold his bottle though, so we are making some progress.

Will seems to be recognizing the people that he sees more often. There is no greater feeling than seeing that sweet baby grin when he see you coming!

Will got to visit with his great-grandparents Mama and Poppa. He first met them when he was just a few days old, so this time they really were able to enjoy him. In November, Will is going to finally meet his other great-grandmother.

He is starting to scoot just a little. His object of desire is usually Maggie. He will scoot a couple of feet towards her, and right when he gets to her she usually gets up and moves. Poor Will, he has to start all over. Once he figures out how to get up on his knees he will be off and crawling. I am pretty sure that he will never walk...he is just going to start running! He scoots all over his crib throughout the night, but usually ends up in a corner with his bottom sticking up in the air.
Speaking of his crib, Mama was given a project to find a way to attach his bumpers to his bed so that he couldn't pull them off. Gram had previously tried velcro, but he would just pull that right apart. Mama sewed on buttons, but he could snap those apart within minutes. He really enjoys this and thinks it is a game. We could go check on him thinking he was asleep when he was finally quiet, and this is what we would see. I didn't really worry about him suffocating from the bumpers, but he would eventually get stuck in the slats and start screaming when he got an arm or leg caught and couldn't move. (The American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends that bumpers not be put in cribs at all anymore. I think this is insane! I really think he could break an arm trying to twist and get unstuck.) Gram finally fixed the problem! She got some rope type material and sewed it on to each piece and then we tied it around the crib slats. Those bumpers aren't going anywhere now!

His new toy this month was the Johnny Jump-Up. He doesn't do much bouncing in it yet, but he likes to just spin around in circles and check everything out.

As I say every month, this one has been better than before. Every day is a new adventure or new discovery. There is nothing like seeing the world through the eyes of a baby!

Will - 4 months

Happy 4 Months Will!

Stats:
Height - 25.5 inches
Weight - 15 lb 2 oz

Will is showing his personality now. He is a happy baby (most of the time) and loves to smile. He can entertain himself with his toys, but he loves to be interacting with other people more than anything.

Playtime - He is more playful than ever, especially in the past week!

• Bumbo seat - We call it the "Baby Koozie" (stole that phrase from a friend).



• Playmat - My new way to take a shower! I can put him down on this and tell him to play with his "friends" and I have earned a good 20-30 minutes of time for myself. He bats at toys, talks to them, and eventually rolls over for some tummy time. Maggie helps him stay entertained with this by knocking one of the bars every once in a while so all the little toys shake.
  



• Toys - "Bug" is still his favorite. This was the first toy we ever played with, and it is always my go-to toy. I gave him his first lovey to play with. It is a blanket with a monkey head and it really likes it. He likes to talk to it and attempts to eat monkey's head. He also has some rattles but he isn't too in to those yet. "Sophie" the giraffe - this is a teething toy and he likes to gnaw on it. It squeaks just like a dog toy, and Maggie has her sweet little heart set on this becoming her toy. I already have a spare because I know that Maggie will one day get Sophie and it won't end well.
  
  


• Games - "Stand up" is still a favorite. It almost always gets him to smile. If he gets cranky when we play, that is a sign that it is nap time! We have started doing sit-ups now too. I pull his hands up and roll him up towards me saying "UP goes the Will, DOWN goes the Will" - he loves it! If there is anybody else in the room, he will keep his eyes focused on them like "Do you see what I can do?!?!". He also squeals the whole way up.
  
  
  
  

He can roll over from his back to his stomach when he goes towards the left. He does this with the greatest of ease - no struggle at all. He can actually turn over in the 2 seconds that I turn away from him. He sleeps on his belly now. I guess he likes it, but he can't roll back over yet so he is kind of stuck there. When he is playing and rolls over, he will usually hang out in that position for a while. Then he starts yelling for us to come help him - JT says it is like "flipping a burger".

He recognizes a bottle now and gets pretty excited when he sees it. He can even it hold it all by himself sometimes. He is not just interested in his bottles though - my water bottle catches his eye and he kind of reaches for my plate if it is close enough to him. I know he doesn't realize what he is doing, but I am hoping that this is just another sign that we are ready to start adding some solid foods to his diet.

Will got a great report at the pediatrician's office today. Over-achiever as always! He loves to flirt with the nurse and she always comments on his grown-up features. He was showing off his leg strength and rolling all over the table. The baby in the mirror caught his eye, so of course he had to roll on over and check it out.

Rmember all that hair he used to have? Well, it is gone, except for this mullet that has been left behind. New hair is growing in. It looks like it will be lighter than what he was born with, but I still think it will be more like JT's than mine.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

Will is rolling over from his back to stomach. I haven't actually witnessed the roll yet because he keeps doing it in his crib when he sleeps. He seems to be more comfortable sleeping this way, until he wakes up and realizes what he has done...he doesn't know how to roll back over yet. So he yells, and I come in and flip him back over. 5 minutes later, he is back on his belly again.

I think tomorrow we will practice rolling all the way over. Maybe then I won't panic since he isn't sleeping on his back as long as I know he can roll back over.

Will - 3 months

Happy 3 months Will!

Stats:
Height - 24 inches (That is 1/3 of JT!)
Weight - Not sure, but probably 13-14 lbs

This past month has been so much fun! Will's personality is starting to show more and more each day. Time is flying by and I really wish it would slow down.

Will smiles all the time! He smiles when he plays with his toys, when he sees us, and when we are talking to him. After screaming, crying, or any other thing that can test our patience, one little smile makes it all worth it!

I haven't heard a good giggle or belly laugh yet, but he is trying so hard. He goes through all the motions, mouth wide open, but no sound comes out. He does squeal with delight though, so I know the laugh should be coming soon.

JT and I traveled to Pickwick for a night a few weeks ago without Will. NeeNee kept him in the morning and early afternoon, then Gram, Gramps, and Uncle Brandon got him for the evening and overnight. I think everyone had a wonderful time! It was nice for us to get away, but I could not wait to get back home to Will! When we went to pick him up he was in a great mood! He was trying to be a part of everyone's conversation, making all kinds of sounds and just making sure he was center of attention. I swear he grew overnight!

We made our first trip as a family to Chattanooga. Will did great in the car! I rode in the back with him on the way there so we could play. We set up his Pack'n'Play in our room. Will didn't want to go to sleep because he was having way too much entertaining everyone there, but when he finally went to sleep, he was out!

I got a playmat for Will that has toys overhead. He lays there and checks everything out and is starting to try to grab at toys. It kind of scares him when he actually touches one because his startle reflex kicks in. He also has a mobile now over his crib that he is pretty fascinated with.

He still loves his hands and has become a thumb sucker. He isn't great at this yet and starts with his whole hand in this mouth and slowly tries out each finger until he gets his thumb. I have been trying to replace his thumb with a pacifier, and he seems be liking it more and more. It is calming for him and helps him fall asleep. He makes fists all the time and checks them out like it is the first time he has ever seen it.

JT's favorite picture - Will has his right hand in a fist and
he is staring at it. JT says it looks like he caught a bug
in it and he is trying to decide what to do next. :-)

Bath time is still pretty fun depending on the day. Sometimes he is in the mood for it, other times he just wants it to be over as fast as possible. He gets baths in the tub now. Maggie is usually standing over him wanting so badly to jump in!

Will holds his head up great! I have just started putting him in his Bumbo seat and he seems to like it. He bobbles his head and kind of dances around.

We love you so much Will! Our little family is just perfect!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back To Work I Go...

Which means that Will is almost 3 months old! Unbelievable! Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. I am excited to get back and see my work friends and patients, but I am going to miss Will so much! I love our daily routine even though it probably seems terribly boring to someone else. Will pretty much eats, plays, and sleeps...REPEAT pattern every 3 hours. But I enjoy this routine because it is me and my little man. He has become my buddy and I don't know how to spend a whole day without him.

We have a hired a nanny to come to the house to watch Will and Maggie. Gram and NeeNee are going to help out too. My instructions include a picture message to be sent to me several times a day.

So here I am putting Will to bed knowing that he will probably already be asleep when I get home the next 2 nights. JT is expecting a phone call from the nanny in the morning saying one of two things:
1. Sabrina won't hand over the baby and leave. OR
2. Sabrina is in the driveway crying and won't go to work.
I must admit, these are both great possibilities!

UPDATE: 7/15/11 - I made it through my first week! No crying or threatening to quit my job, so I think we can consider this a success! It is nice to be back in the real world, but I miss Will when I am away. I get to show off pictures and talk about him all day though, so it isn't all that bad. The long days are tough though because he may be asleep when I leave for work or when I get home. Will has done great with the nanny and I appreciate my daily pictures from her.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy FIRST Father's Day to JT! We had a great weekend just all hanging out together.

JT can never deny Will since he looks just like him! From hair color to birthmark, they are two of a kind! Will changes everyday, but his dominant features are clearly from JT. I think he is going to have those beautiful blue eyes too.

Will loves his daddy! As soon as Will hears him talking in the morning he starts looking for him, eyes searching the room. And then when he sees JT, he gets the biggest smile on his face (and milk usually pours out of his mouth because I am usually giving him a bottle at this time). They love to play together, but the best time is the bedtime cuddling. (I did not pose this picture. They are sleeping in the same position).


Will loves you very much JT! You have been such an awesome dad the past 2 months, and it brings such joy to my heart when I watch you with him!

S-H-O-T-S

This was probably the first word that I ever learned how to spell. My pediatrician came in to the room one day and said he would be back with a S-H-O and I started screaming. He didn't have to finish, I knew what was coming. I have always had a crazy fear of needles, and so does JT, so I can't imagine that Will is going to be very tolerant of shots.

Today we went to Will's pediatrician for his 2-month well check-up and first round of immunizations. He is growing, growing, growing! He flirted with the nurse, talking to her the whole time. She kept commenting on how much he looks like a little man because he has such grown up features. His weight, height, and head circumference were all right on track. He has gained 4 pounds and grown 3 inches since birth. He got a great report on everything, then it was time for the dreaded shots.

The nurse came in with 3 injections and 1 liquid. He got the liquid first which made him pretty happy. Then I held his hands and got close to his face and told him not to look at what she was doing! It took a couple of seconds, then his face got a look of panic, chin started quivering, and the screaming and crying began. Poor baby! The tears were heartbreaking! He got 2 shots in one leg and one in the other. The nurse was so fast so that it was over in just a few seconds. I got him him ready to leave, and he was asleep before we even got in the car.

He was pretty fussy in the afternoon because he just couldn't seem to get comfortable, but in the evening he became his normal self again. So I guess I can say that it went pretty well. And with the way I always acted when I got shots, I guess I can't be too hard on Will if he freaks out every time he gets a shot.

Will - 2 months

I really can't believe it has been 2 months already. Each day gets better because his personality is starting to show a little. Mornings are my favorite time because he is so alert and happy. When I am feeding him his morning bottle and JT walks in the room and talks to him, Will just smiles and then tries to follow JT all around the room with his eyes. I think he knows our voices well enough now to pick us out.

Stats:
Height - 23 inches
Weight- 12 lbs 10 oz

I think he looks more and more like JT everyday. His eyes are getting bluer, so I am hoping that he has JT's beautiful blue eyes. He still has tons of hair! He actually is getting a little mullet in the back - we may need to get our first haircut soon!

His umbilical cord finally fell off at 4 and 1/2 weeks so he had his first real bath in the tub. This wasn't as easy as just the sponge baths he has been getting, but he loved it! Just like his daddy (and his dog), he loves water!

He is getting really good at holding his head up. Sometimes he looks like a bobblehead doll and it is so cute! We play "stand up" a lot. This is where we hold him up under his arms and sing to him. He smiles and moves his head. Sometimes he will move his arms like he is swimming.

Will loves his hands. LOVES them! They are always in motion. I always tried to swaddle him to put him to bed, but he wanted his hands out at all times. Sometime he sleeps with both arms extended above his head - I think Meghan used to call this the "roller-coaster" position. Now he is trying to shove his fist in his mouth. He doesn't really take a pacifier, and he hasn't gotten the idea about sucking his thumb, so he just tries as hard as he can to get the whole thing in his mouth. Not really successful at this yet, but the boy is determined! He doesn't really grab on to toys yet, but he will play with a burp cloth.

He has spent lots of time with grandparents! NeeNee, Gram, and Gramps love to babysit! JT and I are learning to take advantage of this. We have been able to go out to eat lunch and run errands when they are around. It was hard to admit at first, but there is no doubt that the presence of me and JT really doesn't matter - it is all about Will! MAO has also been through town a few times, so Will is becoming a regular at Cracker Barrell. We spent a weekend at the lake with Pops and Nonna. Grandparents are the best!

I made my first trip out of the house with him when he was 4 and 1/2 weeks old. We went to Publix and he slept the whole time. I've realized that he is a pretty good companion, as long as he is sleeping. Now we pretty much go somewhere each day just to get out of the house.

On May 31st I got what I've been waiting for...a real smile! I melted of course! And now he smiles all the time. I get excited every time I see that sweet smile. Now I'm waiting for a laugh. He is very camera shy though. He will be smiling and cooing, but as soon as I try to get a picture or video, he becomes stone faced.

Will has met several of my coworkers. He has been out to the car auctions where he is pretty much a celebrity. Will and I surprised NeeNee at her office when her coworkers had a surprise baby shower for her. She had such a fun time showing him off!

Max and Grant have been over to play. They are much more interactive than Will, but it is fun to lay him down and watch the 3 of them. Will stares at one of them for a while, then the other one will catch his attention.

Big step - Will slept in his crib for the first time on May 23rd. I decided to move him from the bassinet to the crib on a night JT was out of town because I expected some serious crying. He slept better in the crib than he ever slept in the bassinet -I should have put him there from the beginning. He has the ability to turn a complete 90 degree angle from when I lay him down to when he wakes up in the morning. JT has started calling him "compass" because he says Will reminds him of a needle in a compass spinning around when he is in his crib. I have noticed the last few days that he is starting to wake up and entertain himself opposed to immediately crying. I need to get him a mobile to look at, this may earn me some extra sleep time.

Maggie is doing great with him! She loves him and wants so badly to comfort him when he cries. She lays on the floor beside us when we are on the couch, and lays by him when he is in his chair. I often find her sleeping in his room at night. They are going to be best friends, especially once Will is old enough to throw the ball! She actually put her toy in his lap the other day while he was in his chair. She was sitting there so patiently, just waiting for him to throw it to her. Really cute, but I hope she knows that isn't going to happen for a while.


This month has been so much fun. The pediatrician had told us that the first month was all about survival and everything revolved around Will. Then after that, we could start introducing him to our world and schedule. This has been so great because life is returning to normal, we just have a little buddy joining us. It is amazing how much Will has changed in the past month. He has grown of course, but the personality is starting to show and it makes everyday more incredible.

We love you so much Will!