18 Months Old

We had William's 18 month "well* visit" today.

(*I use the term 'well' loosely b/c he is still recovering from his Hand Foot Mouth infection.  Sorry again, Bridget and Mom!  I owe you big time!  B - Let me know when you/Wells want a night away and Michael and I will come to your house and watch all the kids...even if they're sick!)

He is:

• 25 lbs 5 oz (45th percentile - which blows my mind b/c he seems HUGE to me)
• 32.25" tall (50th percentile)
• 18.75" head circumference (50th percentile)

So, all in all, he is an average sized baby. :)

He's started talking a bit.  He now says:  More, up, uh-oh, ball, beaux, cat, car, truck, bubble...and I'm sure I'm missing a couple others.

He's also into anything with wheels, climbing, running, and kicking.  He is 100% pure boy.  And still showing signs of tantrums and frustration...which I'm guessing will only increase in frequency and magnitude for the next 12-24 months.  (Yay!)

Here are a couple pictures from William's stay at Bridget's house last week while we were in Mexico for Adam's wedding (Congrats, Adam and Melissa!).  He was definitely feeling yucky but apparently still ate cookies and goldfish crackers.

Was okay and playing with Oliver the day after we left...but illness was already brewing, because then...

 He wouldn't eat. Or sleep.  Or probably do anything peacefully.  But apparently he still ate cookies.  (You can see a few of the rash blisters beneath his mouth; and this was only a bit of it, Bridget said it was much worse than even this picture lets on..)

 Asleep on my mom's lap while watching "The Sound of Music".  And trying to get out one more goldfish to snack on in his sleep.

Staying with a houseful of girl cousins means you drink out of whatever cup you can get your hands on...in this case, a pink Hello Kitty cup.  (At least we didn't see any pictures of him in tutus or with purses this time!)

Whew. On the road to recovery. Finally.

Well, his fever finally disappeared yesterday and hasn't returned since (thank goodness!)

Today, we had his 15 month "well" check-up.  (I use the term "well" loosely, as he is still not 100% - still has a super runny nose and a cough, but "well enough for daycare, where he finally returned today after a 9 day absence.)

Anyway, this was a LONG stint of a cold/virus and I'm so glad it is on the way out.  I lost my patience with it about three days ago.

His check-up went well today:

• He is now 23 lbs 8 oz (in between the 25th and 50th percentiles)
• 31.5" (in between the 50th and 75th percentiles)
• head circumference is 18.5" (50th percentile)

He's still not really talking much, and the ped isn't worried yet, but wants us to keep naming things as he points (which he does ALL the time.)

Other news and tricks:

• He has learned to walk a few steps backward and he thinks it is funny (although it isn't quite "moonwalking", it's close)
• He is getting more and more picky about food and clearly knows that shaking his head means "no".  He uses this frequently when we try to give him food.  (What in the world happened to my good eater???)
• He knows the sign for "all done", but only uses it when I try to give him medicine and he doesn't want it...he hasn't really used it to signal "all done" with his meal.  :)
• He is stacking some blocks now...but still mostly destroying the stacks that you make instead.
• He still loves books - especially the truck book that Grandpa Mickey got him for Christmas. Thanks, Dad!
• A few weeks ago he gave me my first slobbery toddler kiss.  It was pretty cute. I look forward to more - less slobbery ones - in the future.

His First Halloween and First Birthday

We celebrated BIG recently:

• 3 years of marriage
• 1 year of baby William
• William's first Halloween

We combined the celebration of our anniversary and W's birthday in a brunch this past Sunday.  I haven't uploaded my pictures yet, but will do so very soon.

The next day was Halloween and William got to be the "turnip" that he's always been in our minds!  (It has been his nickname since he was 17 weeks in utero!)  Thanks, Linda, for creating such an amazing costume!

Here is a quick picture of W in the turnip costume with daddy.  Birthday photos to follow later.

Just a Tuesday morning update

Just a couple quick things this morning...

• I *finally* started brushing William's teeth (7 of them now!) last night.  He thinks it is HYSTERICAL to have his teeth brushed.
• Aunt Bridget and the cousins sent some birthday books over so that William could "prepare" for his upcoming first birthday.  He really likes them.  Thanks!
• Poor W got his foot stuck in the crib slats last night - I had to go in and rescure him around midnight.  Must not have upset him too much though, because he pretty much went right back to sleep.

6 Months Old and Mother's Day

William turned 6 months old last week and today we had his 6-month check-up.

Stats:
Weight - 17lbs 9oz (50th percentile)
Height - 27" (75th percentile)
Head - 17 1/4" (50th percentile)

Fun Facts:

• Still pretty lazy.  He HAS rolled over from his stomach to his back, but he doesn't do it very often. 
• He has not yet rolled from back to stomach.
• We successfully unswaddled him and now he both naps and sleeps without being wrapped up.  Now, with more mobility in his arms and legs when he sleeps, he wakes up in different positions than we last left him in...with his head where his feet were and his feet where his head was.  He oftentimes can be found sleeping on his side.
• He's doing a little sitting now, but topples over after about 30 seconds or so.
• William continues to be a good eater - and has not refused ANY food that we've offered him (his list is now: sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, green beans, peas, butternut squash, apples, carrots, rice cereal and oatmeal).
• He can now hold his own bottle.  (He also can recognize his bottle from across the room and if he is hungry, there is NO getting around giving it to him.)  The boy definitely takes after his parents in his strong desire to eat.  Yum.
• He's already growing out of his 6 month clothes, and even one pair of size 6-9 month pants had to be put away because they were too small.
• Most socks will still not stay on his chubby little feet.  Michael thinks it is because he has cankles.
• He's still laughing, but still a tough crowd.  Michael by far gets the most laughs out of him.  He still doesn't seem to think I'm very funny.
• He's still not a good napper - especially at daycare, where he only sleeps in 5-10 minute increments...but his nighttime sleep has improved and now he does a pretty good job sleeping from 7pm-ish until 6am-ish.

We had a nice Mother's Day weekend.  The picture at the top shows William and I at the Strawberry Street Festival here in Richmond (Thanks to Aunt Bridget for the great hat...and thanks to Laura for letting us borrow some of Ben's cute clothes - that adorable yellow striped polo is his).  On Sunday, we visited with the neighbors and I took a couple hours off to do the Museum District Mothers Day House Tour.

Best Night/Morning EVER!

THANK YOU, WILLIAM!

Last night, he slept for one 7.5 hour stretch last night, woke up for a quick feeding, and then slept another 4 hours!!!! He didn't get up until 10:30am which allowed Michael and I to sleep in, have coffee, read the paper, and have some homemade pumpkin-pecan waffles (which were delicious, thank you Michael!).

And, he also has just taken a 1.5 hour nap so far today! Yay!

I know I am WAY overdue to post some new William pictures, so I hope to have a little photo shoot with him this weekend.

Baby Free Time

I had a bit more baby free time last night when Michael watched William so I could go to book club baby free! It was nice to catch up with everyone and it made me feel a bit more like a real person again...instead of just a mom. It was pretty refreshing.

Thanks, Michael!

Who has the best husband in the world? Denise does.

"Did Do"

So lately I've been feeling like my "to do" list is doing nothing but growing and growing and GROWING. So I saw on someone else's website that to make themselves feel better they started a "did do" list...instead of a "to do" list.

Here is my "did do" list for today:

• Nursed William for ~4 hours
• Changed a bunch of diapers
• Went to visit Claudia and Ethan (Hi, Claudia!)
• Cleaned the microwave and toaster oven
• Swept the upstairs floors
• Vacuumed the stairs
• Made dinner
• Showered!
• Updated this blog :)

Okay, so I probably did a few other things that I've forgotten about, too...but this is a start. It seems to be a better perspective on my day than ending the day not having accomplished anything off of my "to do" list.

The cheeks lie. W is not a big boy.

His two month check-up yesterday proves it. I do not have a big baby. Even though he has the biggest cheeks on the planet, he is only:

~11 lbs (40th percentile weight)

~22" (25th percentile length)

~?? (20th percentile head circumference...although I forgot the actual measurements)

He also got 5 shots yesterday - 3 in one leg and 2 in the other...along with an oral vaccine. Yowza! The good part of it is he's been sleeping like a charm yesterday, last night and so far today.

Here we are after a lunch outing today with Stacey (thanks for lunch, friend!). He slept through the whole thing in his moby wrap.

And here is a quick picture to commemorate his 2 month "birthday". It is super blurry, but I had trouble getting a good shot. Looks like I need an SLR camera after all! (Okay, "need" is probably not the word I should use...maybe "want" is more appropriate!)

Richmond Baby Shower

Okay, so this post is a bit late (I am proving to be a horribly out-of-date blogger), but my sister and my neighbor threw me a baby shower on September 11th.

I had a great time and hey did an AWESOME job with the planning and the food and drinks (apricot gingerinis!). Thanks, ladies!

Here are some pictures:

Happy Fourth of July!

So happy to have a three-day weekend! Unfortunately, Michael is working. :(

I have a couple friends coming up to spend the weekend at the river, though, so I'm sure we'll have fun! (We'll be thinking about you, Michael! And they'll drink a beer in your honor!)

Also, I thought I would give an update on my 2nd anatomy ultrasound, which was completed on Wednesday. They took a good look at everything (again!) and spent some time looking in detail at the heart, and I'm happy to report that all looks good. The specialists didn't even want/need to see me back again. [They probably didn't even really need to see me the first time!]

I'll post another belly shot early next week. I am definitely looking bigger these days.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Fuelin' Around: New Orleans

We had a long day in the car yesterday, driving from Austin to New Orleans. Horrible weather (more rain!) and our first traffic jam of the trip only added to the pain factor.

However, once we got here we met up with a friend (Christy, or Critty as we like to call her) for dinner at Brigtsen's. As usual, both the food and the company were excellent.

This morning we are off to buy a couple NOLA staples for the pantry (olive salad, Abita beer, and hot sauce), grab a delicious iced coffee, and dash into the Quarter for a bumper sticker to add to our growing collection.

Then another day of car time as we head to Atlanta.

P.S. - Happy 7-Year "Anniversary" Michael!

~Denise

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad! Hope that you are having a great day! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you!

Fuelin' Around: Breakfast and Kayaking in northern Idaho

Had a great breakfast this morning cooked by Marilyn and Michael. What fantastic hosts! Thank you so much you two!

Then we went kayaking and I LOVED it; now I want to buy some for our river house.

Happy weekend everyone!

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: WY

Just entered WY. Passed a mint El Camino with a camper shell. Immediately thought of Brando.