Little Junebug on the Move!

Will is now well into his ninth month and has grown so much this summer. Since today is the first day of fall, I thought I'd review his summer progress.

Summer started out like this. . .

Sitting up on his own if he was propped up the right way. Also, sporting the baby faux-hawk look.

His sitting skills improved quickly. Here he is supported by the boppy, but sitting up much more straight.



And, finally, all on his own.

He is moving around so quickly. He is superbaby--he can crawl faster than a speeding bullet. He loves outlets and things plugged into them. We have a bunch of those nightlights that come on automatically when it gets dark and they are his favorite. Because he gravitates towards them, I have nicknamed him Junebug. The second you look away from him he is making a break for one of those little lights. It has turned into a big game because when he goes after one, you go after him, and he turns around, smiles and crawls faster to get to it before he is swept away--which always makes him laugh and want to go after it again.

He is eating great. We are moving on to real food lately and he loves green beans, carrots, and--get this--peas! Remember the ugly peas faces from this post? He chows them down now! He has six teeth--the better to chew with, my dear.

He is also drinking well from a cup. However, "well" is relative. If you ever saw how Luke drank as a baby then you know how Will is drinking. That means that about half of what comes out of the cup goes down the front of the shirt--I just have drooly kiddos. Luke's drooling improved tremendously once the tonsils came out. Hope we are not heading down THAT road again. Ominous signs are presenting themselves lately--drooling, snoring, and we are currently healing up from our fourth ear infection.

Look at that beautiful hair!! No more faux-hawk around here anymore!

I just love the big eyes in this picture!

Willy still loves his bath time but has graduated to the big bathtub now because his splashes got too big to be contained in the bitty bathtub. He was flooding the kitchen floor with each bath. His second favorite game (behind get-the-nightlight game) is catch-the-wet-baby game. After his bath he will NOT sit still for three seconds to get baby lotion, diaper, and pj's on. We end up corralling him in his room with the door shut. I usually try to corner him and just attack it from all angles. I am really good at diapering a standing infant backwards. This is the Bathtub Bandit calling for help on his imaginary telephone after being imprisoned in his room after bath.

 He has been pulling up on things all summer to cruise along furniture, walls, toys, etc. He now is taking up to four or five steps at a time.  He is a good climber and will just climb over anything in his way instead of going around. This defeats my strategic furniture placement as a way to contain him. Being so mobile does get you into quite the predicaments.

Stuck under the kitchen table.

Just before tumbling out of this end table in the living room.

Plowing through the mess of toys that is our living room.

Will loves playing with his big brother. In moments of sharing, Luke likes playing with Will too.

Luke teaching Will how to drum.

This picture is fuzzy, but they were having fun tickling each other. (The roughhousing has already begun.)

And finally, just wanted to share some more of my favorite pictures.

Just a cute little guy exploring the house.

Bathtub Bandit looking pretty darn sweet and innocent.

And here we are now! He looks so grown up in this shot! Something about this kiddo--most kids look like babies when they sleep, but to me, Will looks older when he sleeps. I don't know if it is because his features are so similar to Luke's and they stand out when he is asleep or if he is just an old soul deep down. Luke still looks like a baby when he sleeps.

Speaking of sleeping--he is sleeping great at night. Has been for a while now. He is still not fond of naps and rarely do they last much past an hour. Because he is so active, I decided to put him in preschool this fall with Luke. He was sick the first week, but has been twice now and done pretty well.

First Day of School

Today starts Luke's third year at preschool.

His first year, leaving the house went well, Luke was cooperative an happy.

The next year, Luke was neither cooperative, nor happy. I couldn't even get him to stand for a picture.

So, I was expecting the worst this year. To avoid not getting a "first day of school" picture, I actually took a back up picture on "meet the teacher" day last week, just in case our morning was rough.

Funny shot, but he is jumping for joy at the prospect of going to meet his new teachers.

Luke is also very into picking out his clothes and he loves button shirts and shoes--putting them on, taking them off--over and over and over. He got to pick out his outfit for "meet the teacher" day and for the first day of school.

Will went with us to "meet the teacher" day, so he got to be in a shot too.

Cutest boys ever, right?

Anyway, lucky mommy's morning went off without a hitch! I would have chosen different shoes (possibly the new ones we bought for school and he has been D-Y-I-N-G to wear), but, seriously, who cares? I was not picking any battles this morning! He looks awesome AND was cooperative with the picture taking I subjected him too.

Happily went to school with only the slightest hesitation at the door. Yeah!!

I, however, am at home with a sicky baby. Will has been running a fever about 24 hours that the drugs just aren't kicking. Going to the doctor after we pick up Luke from school this afternoon.

just for giggles. . .

Having some fun with Will.

seriously, whose day isn't better after watching baby giggles?

Move over David Beckham

There is a cuter soccer player in town now!

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!

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!