Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Food Frontier

It's been a while since I did a good update on Will. To sum it up--he's a maniac. He has earned himself the nickname "Will-da-beast." He still doesn't sleep great at night and now has decided that naps aren't really his style either. He really spends so much time working on his gross motor skills, how can you expect him to find the time to sleep? The kid wears my butt out! He is seven months old today and has completed the following tasks:
rolling both ways
sitting up unsupported
army crawl
regular crawl
super fast get-to-something-forbidden crawl
can get from laying to sitting
pull up on furniture/toys/crib rail
walk along furniture/toys/crib rail
can stand unsupported for 5-10 seconds
has taken his first steps

I really think his motor development is ahead of his age. What else should a baby be doing at midnight other than learning?

Over the last six weeks we have integrated cereal and baby foods into his life. He is not quite the starving baby Luke seemed to have been, but he is enjoying most of his food. The first couple of nights I just fed him in his bumbo chair because I hadn't yet brought the highchair in, but he seemed to enjoy it just the same.





Luke was initially fascinated with feeding Will and even took a few swipes with the spoon. Here he is being silly and trying on a bib. (Yes, he is in a polo shirt and underroos, because that is how he rolls.)





Okay. Enough with the happy baby in the high chair pics. I just wanted to show you the "before's". . .


Before. . .


PEAS!

I wasn't initially taking pictures this day, but the faces he was making were hilarious. This was the first day I fed him peas. He likes them better now. There's a bunch of pictures but they still crack me up every time I look at them. I only wish they had sounds with them.


I love the foot in the air here.

Such drama!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Summer Fun

Our summer is off to a busy, busy start. Luke has been taking a bunch of classes up at the rec center, we just finished two weeks of swimming lessons, and Will has been on the move lately. Will still doesn't consistently sleep great, but we are having more and more better nights. So combining the lack of sleeping with the early morning rising for all Luke's classes has really worn me out this month!

He first started Little Tot Tumbling. He did great for the first few times and tried everything, but one day he got in a scuffle with a bully boy and after that he didn't want to do anything so he spent two classes just watching. I was still proud of him for going into class without fussing, staying in class the whole time, and minding his teacher.

It really was a cute class to watch. Here they are stretching. . .



It's hard to see him in these, but his teacher is helping him onto the inclined mat to do a somersault in the first one, then the second one he is going head over heels--you can see his legs in the air (she is holding on to them), and thirdly, a grand finish!



Obviously, I took those in the early classes. He really was having fun and I was going to sign him up for the next session, but that changed.

He did, however, L-O-V-E "pirate class!" It was a little class with an awesome teacher where they sang pirate songs and made an art project every day. One class they made a crown. Luke brought it home and tried it on all of us, screaming out "King Luke!" "King Daddy!" "King Will!" "King Mommy!"



And lastly, we have swimming lessons. He spent every day for two weeks fussing about getting his face wet but thanks to Mr. Jake, his teacher, he made it in the pool and under the water every day, whether he liked it or not. There were only three kids in his class which was great because they got lots of one-on-one attention. In these pictures there was only Luke and our good friend Ryan as the third child didn't show up that day.

The last day, the parents got to stand up close and watch. Luke started off well. . .


Until the jump in the pool. Jump is a term used lightly as it implies a voluntary action. This was more of a dragging into the water.

Then the fussing continued during the "monkey crawl" along the side.

After they showed off all their skills, it was time for the best part of swimming lessons. On the last day of the session, they open the pool up for free swim and turn on all the slides and water fun! Jake snatched Luke up without even telling him where they were going, and ran him up to the top of the big blue slide! Luke didn't even have time to get scared.


Then he took both boys down the white slide.

And here they are on the pink slide--which they went down a few times.
This day was one of the few days Luke admitted to having fun in swimming lessons! When I asked him what his favorite part was, he said "the big blue slide!" I was so surprised!


Well, we got our money's worth from swimming lessons. Luke spent July 4th at my moms, doggy paddling, doing the monkey crawl, voluntarily putting his face in the water, and ASKING people to dunk him! Who is this child?? I am amazed!

We have a week off then summer session II starts at the rec center. Drawing class and soccer!