14 Months Old

We have a jealous little boy on our hands! This kid needs all the attention and if he is not getting it you will start to hear a little whine. He got so angry at me the other day for holding my niece Kennedy. He also gets really upset if I'm giving one of the dogs attention instead of him. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to another baby...whenever we have one.

Halloween was exactly what I expected it to be. Will napped later in the afternoon so he was well rested for the outing. Once we finally got over to the area we were trick-or-treating in he lasted about 30 min before he ripped off his dinosaur head and was done.

Not much new to report this month. He is getting better and better at walking and very very soon he will be off! Part of me can't wait till that happens and the other part of me knows exactly what the reality of it will be. He is starting to mimic the sounds of sentences or phrases when Chris and I are talking. The other day Will and I were heading out to Target and I said to the dogs, "Be right back boys!" and Will says "BAT BAT BOY!". He also says "Ber" for Bert and "Baa" for Baxter. Its pretty cute to hear him trying to talk all the time. He also says "bye-bye" and waves, can say mom, dad, and can do patty-cake as well. You can tell he wants to talk so bad! He has always been a talker and will speak his own baby language all the time, but now you start to hear words. Chris and I just laugh cause it's so cute.

This year we are having Thanksgiving at our house. It should be fun and we are excited to be the host. I am working on ideas for Christmas photos for Will this year. Some super cute stuff coming your way! Also can't wait to see the pouty lip face he's going to give right before he busts out crying with Santa this year. it's gonna be classic :)

 

 

Halloween 2013



1 Year photo session

Here are a few pictures from Will's 1 year session with Sofia Brown Photography. She always does such a great job capturing my boy :)

 



13 Months Old

I just can't bring myself to give up the monthly posts and pictures of this growing child of mine. I enjoy looking back on this last year and seeing the changes in him through these photos. Having said that I have decided to continue doing this for at least another year...maybe longer. It must be the photographer in me :)

13 months. Wow. Still can't get over it. Not much has changed in the last month. From what my pediatrician says their weight and height does not change much in their 2nd year. He is still wearing the same clothing and diaper size. He was not a fan of long sleeve shirts or long sleeve pajamas but has since come around to the idea. It is starting to get a bit cooler here in AZ so it's nice that his is starting to like wearing those things. Plus that is pretty much all they sell for kids his age at the clothing stores. I was a little scared that he wasn't going to want to wear all the cute fall/winter clothing in his closet! We have started to put shoes on him as well. He wore them for his 1 year photo session and didn't mind them so much but has since changed his mind. Every time he is wearing them he tries to pull them off and throw them to the ground. He is also starting to "Frankenstein" walk. He takes the unbalanced, shaky steps toward me or Chris and sometimes even the dogs. He is getting better at it each day but still not to the point where it is more than 5-6 steps before falling. He will get there. We don't rush him and we let him do things at his own pace. He also started clapping. He doesn't do it on command or when you are "suppose to" (saying yay, etc) but more on when he feels like it. He very much enjoys the company of the dogs and gets very VERY excited when he sees them or plays with them.

His sleep schedule is still the same, 1-2 naps during the day and 12hrs straight at night. His eating has become more of a 3 big meal 2 snacks sort of routine. He still only drinks milk at night before bed and nothing but water all day long. The Doctor says its ok that he isn't a big milk drinker, he gets his dairy in cheese and yogurt.

We are excited for his first real Halloween in a few more days. We plan to take him trick-or-treating with his cousins, Leighan and Kennedy. I'm sure it won't last long but should still be fun.

I have decided to change up this years monthly photos with a different vintage chair and a chalkboard. His photos his first year where on fabric pieces with monthly stickers on his onesie as well as a monthly chair picture of him in a vintage yellow chair and mustache pillow. He was much more interested in the pumpkin, laughing and playing with it. Of course once I finally get him to look at me and sit still he gives me the serious "board meeting" face. Ahh...my child. I love him :)

 



Happy 1st Birthday William!!

Will's first birthday has come and gone. All the weeks of prep work and stress the night before was gone once the party started. It was such a great birthday weekend for him, I couldn't have asked for it to go any better. His grandparents from ND came for the weekend and brought one of his great grandmother's with for the celebration. We spent his actual birthday hangout at home with both of his grandparents and great grandmother. We had a nice big dinner and he finished his day off with a cup cake. After he went to bed the party prep start. I had decorated the entire house for the party that night. I knew there was so much to do the next morning before the party, I had to get as much as I could done the night before.

The next morning he woke up on time, 6am, and we were off to a great start! Since we did most of the baking the day before all that was left to do was put food out. and clean up the back yard. We ended up having about 40-50 people here for the celebration. I know it sounds like a lot but it turned out to be just right. He didn't cry or get overwhelmed by everyone. When it came time to sing happy birthday and eat his cake he just stared at everyone. He didn't eat his cake because everyone was watching him, but the second I took him back inside and he was not the center of attention, he went to town on it! Shortly after he finished his cake he was ready for a nap. And with that came the end of the party. He slept for about 2 hours after that and when he work up he was ready to play with all of his new toys!

We had a great first birthday and of course, I am already thinking of what the theme will be for birthday number 2 :)

 



12 Months Old

One whole year has passed by in a flash. I can't believe my little baby boy is now 1 AND a toddler! We have come a long way from our sleepless nights that's for sure! This has been the best year of my life...so far. I have enjoyed everything about being a mother both good and not so good. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything and would do it all again in a heart beat. I love Will so much words can't even begin to describe what it is all about. I have enjoyed watching him grow and turn in to the little boy he is becoming.

He has accomplished a lot since his last posting. He can know wave bye, shake his head no, started saying mom, can crawl up stairs, can stand on his own and can make motor boat noises with his mouth. He points, laughs when things are funny, and smiles the best smile I have ever seen.  He is just learning new things everyday it seems! Although he isn't walking just yet, you can tell that he wants to. He moves from coffee table to couch easily, but I think he is still not quite brave enough.

He is fully wearing 18-24 month clothes. It was a little bitter sweet packing up his 12 month clothes because he had been wearing them the longest and because he just turned 1. I felt like I packed up the rest of the "baby stuff" when I packed that up. He is also fully eating regular table food. No baby food at all. His favorite foods are anything pasta, toast, peas, fruit of all kinds and waffles. He only takes 1 bottle at night with half formula and half whole milk. I've been trying to slowly transition him from a bottle to a sippy cup at night but so far it has been a bust. It's weird because he drinks from a sippy cup and a straw all day long. I think it's mostly a familiar, comforting way for him to ease into bed at night. He still sleeps 12 hours straight at night and has now gone from 2 naps down to 1. Although he only takes 1 nap it's still a decent size nap at around 2 hours on average. Sometimes even 3 hours! He loves being independent when he does everything. Eating, playing, and bathing. Mr. Independent! He loves playing in every part of this house. He can entertain himself very well which is nice when I am trying to get things ready for his bedtime. I am with this kid all the time during any free moment I have and I just love all of the playing and the time we spend together. He makes me laugh so hard when he plays! For instance he has noticed his penis in the bath and he just cracks up. He will look down at it, touch it and then look up at me and start laughing. Then he just goes about playing. He is weighing in at just under 23lbs and is 32 inches long. He has gone from a super chubby baby in the 95th percentile to a not as chubby baby in the 72nd percentile.

I am excited to see what this next year will bring us. I am sure we will have a crawler before you know it and he will be getting into more than he is now! But I can't wait for all the new things he will experience and learn.

 



11 Months Old

And so the count down to turning 1 begins. I swear I get teary eyed  every time I think about his upcoming birthday party. I am such a baby when it comes to my little baby growing up!

Once again we had a lot of new things happen this month with our little man. He got another tooth in, which makes the total count at 6. I hope for his sake, and for ours, that we get a little break before more teeth decide to make their way in. He was teething forever it seemed and I just felt so bad for him! Since going on our trip Will started to taste lots of new food and no longer wants his mom or dad to feed him. Mr. Independent is just that...independent. He wants to feed himself and since starting to do so he eats so good and so much food! He is pretty much all table food now and drinks mostly water all day. He will still take a 6-8 oz bottle at night before bed but that's pretty much it. I guess that's good considering he needs to be bottle free by 1 year old. While we were on our trip he also took his first fall off the bed. We were at a hotel so it wasn't a far fall. And the carpeting was pretty soft, however that did not stop him from crying for about 15-20 minutes before falling asleep. Of course I was a totally wreck as well. I had tried so hard to not let that happen and when it did I totally beat myself up over it. The next morning when he woke up he was good as new and not a mark or bump on him from it.

After we got home from our trip we moved into our new house. It took Will a little bit longer to get back into his schedule from traveling and then also adjusting to the new house and his new room. After a few weeks he was back to normal and loving all of the space for him to cruise around in and play. He has become a little speed racer crawling around this house! He loves playing and chasing Baxter around as well. They have become good buddies since moving into the new house. Lots of room to play equals endless days of chasing a dog around the house. The best part is the little giggles Will does while doing it. He is also on the verge of standing on his own. He can pull himself up to his knees and sometimes even his feet. Walking is right around the corner!  He also got his first stomach bug...or perhaps over eating. We aren't sure. But one night while Chris was putting Will to bed Will projectile vomited all over his bedroom door, wall and carpet. It took us a good week to get the smell out. I wasn't home at then time but it was still a little nerve racking trying to figure out if your kid is really sick or just some random vomit session. Anyways he seemed back to his normal self by the following day.

I have been planning for months for his birthday party and soon it will be here! I am just getting all of the final touches together before the big day. All of the décor is done and we are just finalizing all of the food. My in-laws will be here for the weekend to help out and enjoy the party. I still can't believe he is going to be a year old in a month...time sure flies!



First Trip on a Plane

Our first family vacation was a success!! With our flights being delayed both there and back, coming back at 1030 at night and all the schedule changes and meeting of new people, William did just great! We found out that he loves turbulence. While I was freaking out and trying not to be sick Will was laughing and smiling at the "ride". Will has visited with Chris parents when he was about 3 weeks old, and he Skypes with them on a regular basis as well, so it was nice to see him take to them well. He was about to meet a lot of Chris extended family as well. It was a bit overwhelming for Will but he adapted well.  Our trip was very laid back as we were by a lake the entire time. Will "drove" his first boat, met his new BFF's Dalilah and John, ate Zorbaz for the first time and loved it and did many other things while visiting MN. Of course being a photographer we did tons of mini photo sessions. With tall grass and vintage cars, buildings and signs all over the place I could not resist! All in all we had a great time visiting, however I am in no hurry to go on another trip with him any time soon. It is sooo much work! I need a vacation from my vacation!

 

driving the boat with uncle Tim

visiting with great grandma Helen

generation photo: Bill, Chris and William

Me and my baby boy by Loon Lake

hangin' at Zorbaz