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!

3 years and 5 months

I took the boys to have pictures made a few weeks ago. We had to wait a really long time for our appointment, so Will had already lost his patience--and smiles--by the time they got to us. Luke's turned out great, and Will's are good except for the tear-filled, red-rimmed eyes--so pitiful.

I can't get the photos to turn because they are copywrited (copywritten?) proofs and my computer won't let me change them.

oh, Will's sad little hair-do. In the last few weeks it has really started to fill in. These were taken at the peak of his hair loss.

   I am having serious trouble getting these picutres to go where I want them. I give up! Here is the randomly placed final picture that won't go where I tell it to.

Picture Catch-up

I just got so behind with all the pictures that I wanted to share so I decided to just make one long post of pictures with short descriptions rather than long stories.

Luke, Mommy, and Will at Aunt Fara's before the March of Dimes walk. Daddy walked with us too, but he was taking the picture.

The little family at Easter. I look like a grandma sitting in that rocker with all the little boys around.

More Easter. Daddy picked out the "after church clothes" outfit.

Mommy and Will--both sporting a comb-over.

I snapped this on the way home from my Mom's one evening. If you look in the mirror, you can see that both boys were completely sacked out. Oh, and I didn't pick out the bow. Luke found the ribbon in a drawer at Grammy's house and wanted to be "wrapped up like a present."

Will has been introduced to all sorts of new toys this month. Some he is happier about than others. . .

The doorway jumper.

All tuckered out from bouncing.

And the Exersaucer.

This is also the "after" picture for the home haircut.

One evening Will was fussing, so Luke got down on his blanket and taught him how to play trucks. He loved it.

Then he learned about trains. Big brothers know lots of things.

One afternoon after school, Luke was playing in the backyard while I was watching and cooking dinner. I noticed him spending a lot of time up against the fence and went out to see what was going on. He was chatting with our neighbor, Gage, who is a few months younger than Luke. You can kind of see Gage through the fence slats. Luke kept sticking his art project (a small paper cross) from school through the slats to show him. It was really cute until Luke lost his project and started crying. Luckily, Gage's parents were chilling on the patio and were able to pass it back.

Let' talk about ME!

Things you may not know about me. . .

1. I really love bland food--its my favorite. White rice with butter, Malt-o-meal, buttered noodles--all staples of my diet. Not until adult-hood did I start to experiment with flavor.

2.  I obsess over misplaced items. If I can't find something, my life becomes consumed with finding it. Gene knows it all too well.

3. I like to use things to their fullest--pick out every cereal bit from the crumbs in the bag, use the last drop of shampoo, use up the sliver of soap until it just disappears. Ahhhhh. . . . sweet satisfaction.

4. However, I will NOT eat the last bite of food (unless it is a dessert) on my plate. This is referred to as the "butt" of the food, and I don't eat butts. (This started when I was young. My parents gave up trying to rationalize me out of it.)

5.  I love high heels.

6.  I plan out my family's meals every week and jot it down in a journal. I have been doing this since May 2007 and I love to look back through the journals to see what we ate this week last year. Maybe it will be good to eat this year too!

7.  I can play the piano and the guitar. Not wonderful on either, but I can read music for the piano and read chords for the guitar. I used to play the clarinet in middle school but I don't have one anymore. For my nursing school pinning ceremony, I composed a song--music and chords--which was performed by a girl with vocal talent and I accompanied her on the guitar with a friend.

8.  Right now I am obsessed with oranges. I could eat five a day. As soon as I finish one, I start dreaming about the next one. I think it is an addiction.

9.  I can type super-fast.

10.  I hate driving, especially at night. I am content to be the passenger 99% of the time. The other 1% is when I don't trust the driver.

11.  I love working at night. I have been working nights since 2001 when I was still in nursing school. Gene really wants me to work days right now while Will is battling his colic/insomnia. Don't they make baby ambien?

12.  I am resistant to change--especially when it is in the technology field. I was the last person I know to learn how to text message, I don't have an iPhone, I don't even Facebook yet.

13.  I love to read the newspaper. The real newspaper, you know, the one that turns your fingertips all black? The internet newspaper doesn't cut it. I read the locals, Dear Abby, and the Life section everyday. I used to do all the crosswords, but then I had kids.

14.  I listen to the radio a lot. I turn it on at breakfast, listen through to lunch, and back on after naps until dinner is over. I can't stand to have the TV and radio on at the same time though. The two sounds together junk up my brain, so if Luke wants to watch TV, I have to turn it off.

15.  I have a serious case of middle child syndrome. I always have and I have given up on ever finding a cure. Instead, I run support groups to teach coping skills.

16.  I am the lone female in the den of testosterone that is my home.

17.  I like to think I could go out drinking and be fine in the morning, but the sad realization is that I am too old and too sober now. After my first pregnancy, my tolerance went out the window. One stiff margarita and I am toasted for the evening--hoping not to wake up with a headache.

18.  I recently forgave someone after seven years of silence.  Funny, I hate the silent treatment--to give or to get. When people use the silent treatment against me I just continue to call them and talk to them as if I didn't realize they were mad until they give in or forget why they were mad in the first place. I guess this was just a really bitter argument.

19.  I am a bit of an impulsive shopper. Don't send me into Target alone with a budget. Don't send me to Wal-Mart at all--can't stand that place.

20.  It took me two weeks to think of twenty things you might not know about me. I guess I don't have too many secrets.

Wide World of Will

Wide AWAKE world of Will is more like it! I am telling you--this kiddo does not sleep! It's a good thing he is so darn cute, because at 3 am, I am not the happiest person to be awake, but just look at this smile--

Doesn't that just make you forget all your troubles??

In the past month we have at least gone from awake & crying all night to just awake and playing all night. Only problem is, he doesn't want to play by himself quietly in the crib--I mean who would, right?? So Gene and I have been taking turns at night staying up with him. By no means are we encouraging this behavior. We are not up singing nursery rhymes and playing pattycake, mind you. It is lights out, entertain yourself with this rattle tied to the side of the crib business. However, a baby can only entertain himself like that for about 3 minutes before he drops it and forgets it ever existed. Then he once again finds himself alone, in the dark, in his crib with only the dalmations on his mobile for company. For example, just last night, he was awake from 11:00 pm until 4:00 am. I think he is averaging about six hours of sleep a night--not necessarily six consecutive hours either.

By the way--he is nearly FIVE MONTHS OLD!!

This is way to old to be acting like this! We have tried everything we can think of. I don't know what to do at this point except wait it out and keep reminding ourselves that it won't last forever. I just hope he will get some of the great sleep habits Luke has. For now we just take turns and swap shifts every night. I think in April he slept well (read this: was asleep by 10 pm and woke only once for a brief feeding) three times. These nights are so rare that I am actually marking them down in his baby book calendar.

Okay, enough about his sleeping habits.

My genius baby is a mover and a shaker. Since he has so much awake time, he has had plenty of time to work on his motor development.  He was rolling over one way at two months, and right at four months he started rolling over both ways. He loves to stand up (with help, of course) and loves to be talked to.

He still loves bath time. He L-O-V-E-S the TV. I try to keep him from the TV but he will wiggle and arch and roll around and whine until he can see it.

He is so strong! All the fussing and fighting he has done in his little life has really built up his muscles. When he gets mad, you had better watch out! He can arch his back, swing his fists, head-butt, and dig his toes in to your belly.

He is happy to sit up in his bumbo chair and watch the world going on around him.

If you can remember, he was born with a full head of dark hair. That beautiful hair is falling out faster than mine these days. For a while we were able to tolerate this cute little comb-over here. . .

But then it turned into this stringy-looking hair until Mommy got tired of it and trimmed it a bit. It looks better but he has all these random single hairs now that are like 6 inches long. You will find one you think is a hair already shed and try to whisk it away only to find it is still connected somewhere. The changing table, his crib, and carseat all have dark patches of shed hair on them.

At his four month check-up he was just shy of 15 lbs.

He adores his big brother Luke. He loves to watch Luke play and often if he is fussing, if Luke will go talk to him he will just stop and smile. Luke likes him pretty well, too. He is very concerned that we are taking good care of him and likes to see him playing with his different toys. Luke loves to decide what Will gets to do next--his swing, his toy jungle, his bouncer, etc. Also, Luke gets upset in the car if I have pulled the sunshade on Will's carseat too far and he can't see his eyes. He will not let me drive if he can't see Will's face. He loves to go in with me to get Will out of his crib when he wakes up and likes for me to hold him up to peek at him before getting him out.

I have more cute pics to share--ones that show his balding pattern more, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. I'm doing good to get these up for now.