Will is 9 mos old!

Will turned 9 months old on August 18th!! He had his trip to the doctor this past week and he is a growin' boy!! Will is tipping the scales at 25 lbs. 6 oz. and he is 31 inches tall!  He is at the top of the growth charts hitting 98-99% for both and following his own growth curve nicely.  Will has hit many milestones since the last posting!  He started crawling forward on July 31st and since then he has perfected it.

 Has to grab the exam table paper!!

 Will being very still while Dr. Fleck checks his ears!!

He is basically into everything now, very nosy and interested in many new things like the fireplace and cupboard doors.  We can always tell when he is excited because he kicks his legs as fast as they go.  He is just starting to try to pull himself up on things, but his legs are still a little bit shaky!  A few months ago we took will to the Neurosurgeon since his head is a little bit uneven and flat (that's what happens when your kid loves to sleep on his back), and everything is okay.  It is just going to take some time for it to even out.  Because of this, I really wanted to start getting him used to sleeping on belly!  He has definitely learned to love to sleep on his belly (probably because he's like a turtle--if he gets on his back, he can't roll over without help!!)  When he is on his belly he can roam his bed and change position as much as he wants, and he can even sit up and play with his stuffed animals (which he loves to do).  I've learned that a few toys in the crib with keep him busy in the early AM and most of the time he will fall asleep again before I go in to get him in the morning.  His favorite toy in his crib right now is his stuffed Cat in the Hat doll!  Another big issue we have had in the past few months is sleeping through the night!  He was doing a great job until he starting teething.  He then decided he needed to wake up 2-3 times at night.  Well, since I am alone at night I started a habit of bringing him into bed with me when he would wake up (I needed sleep!).  Bad idea.  I had to do a little bit of sleeping training with him at about 8 months old.  At bedtime we've started the 5 B's (bath, brushing, books, baba, bed); no more rocking or singing.  It took him about 3 days to understand that I wasn't going to hold him until he fell asleep (the longest he cried was 45 mins).  Putting Will to bed/naps now is awesome--he will let out a small cry rarely, but for the most part goes right to sleep!!  He is a sleeping champ!  I hope it stays this way. Will loves food, and obviously he rarely misses a meal. We have tried a lot of different finger foods, and just today he has decided he wants to feed himself---we are now on baby food strike (of course I just bought a ton of it).  His favorite foods right now are puffs (any flavor), wagon wheels (he gets pissed if I take it away), sweet potatoes, HappyTot Organic Superfood (any flavor), and apples/pears.  He is mostly a simple guy--liking foods that aren't mixed together.  He is a very verbal eater and we always know when he likes a food....he says...MMMmmmMMMMmmm.  He also loves water out of his sippy cup which he has been a pro at since a little bit after 6 months old!!

Last week, Will and I went to visit John in Indianapolis.  It was a well needed visit!  When we got to Indianapolis, it was about 11:45 pm--  I carried Will in to the apartment, he lifted his head, saw John, and smiled from ear to ear!  He was so happy to see his Daddy!!  During the week, it was really just Will and I roaming the city and relaxing until John got home from work.  Since we had the time, I took Will to get 9 month pics taken.

We decided to go visit the LaDukes on the last weekend we were there since they had not gotten to meet Will yet and it was just 3 hrs from Indy.  We had an awesome visit with them.  Will went to his first football game to see his cousin Grant beat the other team in the last minute!!  It was very exciting!

Some pics over the past few months:

 Hanging out watching Baby Einstein...

 Funny boy trying to grab the camera!!

 Beautiful Miss Olivia who we visited while they were in town from Fla!

 Will and mom before heading to a party at the Newell's to meet Eli!!

 Such a peaceful boy!

 Love this pic...in the midst of saying something really important!!!

Sooo BIG!!!

It's been quite a while since I've updated the blog because I have wanted to spend as much time as possible with Will and John before school started...and today was the day!!  Will is over 6 months old now.  He is growing and changing every day (I know I say it in every post!) I can finally say that he has rolled over for the first time (May 11) Since that first time, he has been doing it sporadically, and mostly by surprise.  I have just come to realize that he is happy as can be laying on his back, reaching for toys with the closest hand!!  Although, he has become more and more fond of his tummy time lately! He tries to get to toys in front of him, but ends up going backward---the beginnings of crawling I think!   His favorite toys right now are Sophie the giraffe (the very expensive toy that looks and sounds like a dog toy), his crackle book, my car keys (the toy ones are no fun), and he LOVES his jumperoo!  He loves to give big, open mouth wet kisses and also loves to mock back and forth with me!  Other milestones since the last post include sitting up on his own (just the past few weeks), able to stand for extended periods with a little assistance, and pushes belly off the ground during tummy time!  He is definitely a screamer, and his personality is really starting to develop.  He will screech and talk in delight most of the time, but it can turn into an ear piercing scream if he wants something!  Will loves to read books...mostly grabs at the pages and flicks them with his hands.  

Will is an awesome eater!  I feed him solids 2 times a day....mid morning breakfast and dinner.  We have tried many different things.  He loves his orange vegetables (carrots, squash, and sweet potato) and hates the green ones (each bite followed with a cringe and gag)  He also loves pears, apples, and bananas (but only fresh ones in the mesh eater)  Another favorite is prunes (I told him that only babies and elderly people like them...and also pop-pop!!)  

On a side note---it has been pretty stressful the last month for our whole family!! John took a job promotion in Indianapolis in the middle of May and he moved out there.  Will and I have been staying with my parents and it has been going really great so far.  My parents have been a HUGE help during this transition---with starting school, clinicals, and work.  And, John's parents have been really helpful too with watching Will throughout the week!!  We are so grateful to have such wonderful families!!!  I can tell that Will really misses is daddy because when he sees him after a long time he gets sooo excited!!

Here are some 5-6 month old pics....

We've got a 4 month old here!!

Will is now over 4 months old! We visited the doctor on his 4 month birthday and he is doing great!  Will is 90th percentile for height and weight! He weighed 17 lbs 7 ounces and 26.5 inches tall!!

Some pics over the last month...

 First try at rice cereal!!!  Will opened his mouth like a champ, but seemed to dislike the taste/texture! It gets better everyday though!  Will has been drinking about 40 oz. of breastmilk a day so my extra stores are gone! We had to add formula this past week and he has seemed to tolerate the transition just fine.  I also tried sweet potatoes yesterday (against the dr advice) because it has seemed like the rice just wasn't enough! He smacked his lips a ton for those, and didn't make the gagging face!!  We LOVE sweet potatoes!!!

Happy St. Patty's thanks to Auntie Brandy!

First Video Attempt....

Will at 3 and half months old (sorry about the commentary)

More Milestones!

We've been so busy since the last time I wrote on the blog!  Will is so big and his personality is budding! I am now back at work, and Will is so lucky to be able to hang out with cousins Steve and Claire three times week! From what I hear, they are getting to be great friends!

Will is now 3 and half months old.  He didn't get a three month checkup so I weighed him on our scale and he was 16 lbs!  He's so tall...we have tried to get a length at 3 months but he won't hold still long enough and we aren't as talented as the doctor's office!  He's wearing 3-6 month clothing and 6 month clothing mostly for the length.

Milestones this month:  Laughing at his mom and dad, able to grab toys and hold on to them, pushes up with his arms during tummy time, starting to stand up, able to sit up on his own for brief periods, sits in exersaucer and bumbo for short periods of time, found thumbs and loves to suck on hand!!

Typical picture full of kicking legs!!! They never stop... especially the right one!

Will's favorite sport!! (At least his daddy hopes it is!)

Abigail's Baptism

Able to sit in his bumbo with a little extra padding/help

Big boy sitting up in his highchair!

Melissa Newell's baby shower!

A cute little outfit...the hat did not fit his huge, round head!

Will is 10 weeks old!

Will is 10 weeks old tomorrow!  Just in the past week I have noticed he is learning so much so fast!  He had his 2 month appointment last Thursday January 20th!  The doctor said he is perfect!  Weighed in at 13 lbs 8 ounces (80th percentile), 24.25 inches (80th percentile), 40.5 cm head circumference (50th percentile).  He got round 1 of all of his vaccines!  He cried really hard after the 3 shots, but I think his Nana cried harder!!

 At every appointment, they always draw a little picture and write Will's name on the table! So Cute!

 A happy boy before the shots!

 Dr. Fleck and Will!

 Will crying during his shots!

Milestones this month include:  Smiles at familiar faces, cooing and laughing out loud, kicking, able to hold head up during tummy time (sometimes to 90 degrees), swings arms toward toys, opens hand to touch toys (only sometimes), follows me when I walk away or across the room!
This past weekend we went to visit Aunt Alissa and Uncle Bryan and cousins Maya and Claire.  We had a blast!  Maya and Claire both love Will so much and want to know where he is at every moment in the day!

 Chillin' on the couch with daddy!

 Will facing out in the baby Bjorn for the first time!

 Poor Maya was wheezing so she had to do many breathing treatments!!