Silly boy

A little "extra" post today.

I've been trying to snap a picture of William's tooth. It's hard - besides holding his mouth open (which I don't want to do, poor little guy), I've been trying to get him to open up wide for the camera. He gives me a big smile, or gives a good sneak peek of the tooth often, but as soon as I press that button, he either snaps his mouth shut or turns away.

Looks like he is trying to escape the paparazzi!

The Tooth Fairy?

Finally!

While sitting on the living room floor on Sunday afternoon, playing and trying to keep a fussy boy happy, I thought for one second that I'd just caught a glimpse of something small, shiny and white in his mouth...

Sure enough, his first tooth is poking through! It's on the bottom, front. I don't want to bug him and try to take a picture, poor guy is really in the throes of teething pain - plus it's still just a little "bud." But look at what I got to put on the calendar!



I feel like he deserves a treat for being such a little trooper. (Don't you think that the Tooth Fairy should come when little ones GET new teeth, as well as lose them?)

We had a nice relaxing weekend - all 3 of us went to the pool on Saturday. It is definitely Summer in Austin, 90s and humid already. No turning back now!

Another first for William - not really a normal milestone, but one that will make both of our lives easier - he's now big enough and able to sit in the childseat part of a grocery cart! He loved being able to see everything, and it was so much better than lugging him in in his carseat. I guess this is how we'll do it for the next few years! What a big boy.

Hope everyone has a nice week, and a Happy Memorial Day weekend! I wish we were back in PA for the festivities.

BIG BOY!

I can't believe the changes in the past week!


I hadn't even posted William's 6-month photo shoot pictures until now (above), and already they're outdated! A week ago he was able to sit up unassisted for just a few seconds before he'd topple over. A few days later, it was about a minute, and now all of a sudden he can stay upright for a pretty long time! He also, just this weekend, discovered that he can put his rolling skills to use to get around. He's been able to roll both ways for awhile now, but didn't do it often. Suddenly on Saturday, he started rolling 4-5 times in the same direction all at once, and was all over the living room floor! The nice little quilt that has been his play area for the past 6 months is now way too small.

I've been trying to get some good videos of the sitting and rolling. Here are a few new ones: sneak peaks into a Day in the Life of William... playing with Georgia, his favorite "toy," bouncing in his Jumperoo, and practicing sitting.

Videos

I think that this past week, he may have changed more than any week yet so far. It's really amazing!

We are really in trouble; time to start babyproofing immediately! For now we've been setting up a barrier around him with pillows, etc. (in fact, excuse the mess in these videos!) but that won't work for long. He looks so proud when he sits and moves. I can't believe he is so big and strong enough to do all of this. It seems like from months 0-6 he was an infant, and all of a sudden, he's a "big" baby!

Here are a few pictures from the past week.

Playing in his crib:


Waking up in the big boy bed (he has been waking up at 4 or 5, and after he eats, he falls back asleep in our bed for a little while... I love this one!



First time in his little pool in the backyard; it was hot this weekend:


Sunday afternoon playing and practicing his new sitting skills:

Mother's Day and SIX MONTHS OLD!

Dear William,

Today you are 6 months old. Last year on Mother's Day, we told our families that you were coming (see the pictures!) and now you're here. All of my early appointments - getting to see you on the ultrasound, hearing your heartbeat - were the most exciting things to ever happen to me and your Daddy! Now that you've been with us, out in the world for 6 months, there have been so many more amazing days.

-November 9th, 2009 - Your Daddy and I driving in silence to the hospital, so excited, so nervous, maybe still a little bit in disbelief. Hearing the nurse tell us that YES, you would be here soon, and then a few hours later, hearing you cry for the first time. Touching you for the first time, holding, feeding, and kissing you for the first time.

-Introducing you to your Nanna, Grandpa, Gula, and Grandpa... your Aunt Erika and Uncles David and Andrew... your Nain and Taid, Gran, and Mommy's "Dad's Dad." Each one of these days was so amazing for your Daddy and me.

-I think that by far - for me - the most incredible day (even more emotional for your crazy Mommy than when you were born) was when you smiled at me for the first time. I was playing with you on our bed, making silly faces as I had been for a few weeks, just dying to see you smile. And you did. Your little eyes were looking right at me, and you opened your mouth into a huge smile that lasted for about a second... the best one second of my life! I will never, ever forget that. I cried, and then I yelled for your Daddy to come upstairs to see.

So many fun days we've already had together! Some nights sprinkled here and there have been not-so-fun, but that's ok. No matter how tired and groggy we might be at 1 a.m. (and 2, 4, and 5:30...) it's quickly forgotten when we pick you up, rock you, and watch you fall back to sleep.

So many thousands of pictures we've taken of you! Our perfect little angel. We love you so much.

Today, on your 6-month birthday, these are the things YOU love:

-Your dog, Georgia. You've started to be enamored with her in the past few weeks! Any time you're crying, we desperately call for Georgia to come over so you can see her. As soon as that big brown face appears, you squeal, kick, and scream until you can reach out and touch her... which is followed by more screams. It is endlessly entertaining and so cute to watch!

-Bananas, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal. You're doing SO well with your solid foods. It's fun to feed you; I love it. We do this twice a day - in the morning after your first meal, and at dinner time. You open your mouth expectantly like a little baby bird when it's something you like. (When it's not - for example, the dreaded peas, you won't open that mouth for ANYthing!)

-"Flying." You love when your Daddy holds you up in the air and you have a whole new view of the world.

-For some reason, you love your Dad's hair! It cracks us up. He puts his head down on your tummy and you just "pet" his head, smiling and squealing away. (This is ironic, because your hair is also so soft that we pet it all the time, too!)

-Teething toys. We're expecting your first tooth any time now. You are drooling up a storm and putting EVERYthing in your mouth. Your favorites are your giraffe Sophie, Tigger, your keys, and your trucks.

-Reading. Of course we think you're a genius. You've loved sitting quietly and being read to since you were really little. It's adorable.

-Sleeping on your side. You are the cutest little sleeper - always rolling into an "L" shape. No matter how big I think you're getting, when I sneak a peak of you in your crib when you're fast asleep, you look so tiny and peaceful.

All I want for Mother's Day is to squeeze you. Maybe I'll even luck out and get a "kiss" - when you try to eat my cheek or nose! I love you to death, William Wesley.

Happy HALF Birthday!

Love,

Mommy