Grandparent-fest 2009

We had a fantastic trip to Ponte Vedra Beach, FL over Memorial Day. Not only did we get to see Grammy Donna and Granddad Sam, but Mimi and Poppie flew down to join us! Will was in grandson heaven, enjoying endless hugs and kisses from all of his grandparents.

Here are some photos that narrate our trip:



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Weeks 23-24

It's been a busy few weeks! Will has learned to sit up by himself. While he's still working on his balance, it's opened up a whole new world of possibilities. He's enjoying sitting across from Mom and Dad and rolling his new ball back and forth, and he'll reach forward to grab his favorite toys. Sometimes he overreaches and ends up doing a bit of a faceplant, but that's all part of learning how to balance. That's what rugs (and Mom and Dad doing quick catches) are for!

Mom's girlfriends from college came to visit for a girl's weekend up in Sonoma. Will got lots of attention from the ladies before we headed out, and then enjoyed a boy's weekend with Dad.

Here are some photos from the past few weeks:


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The Jumperoo

The title of this post says it all. Any toy with a name like "Jumperoo" has got to be fun! Will has always been a bouncy baby, so when we heard about this activity toy, we knew that it was made for him. He'd bounce all day in here if we'd let him!

In this video, he's still bouncing on top of the Atlas of the World. He started out with a stack of cookbooks plus the atlas, but has now grown tall enough that he's finally jumping book-free!

I'm 6 months old today!

Will at 3 weeks... and Will at 6 months!

Someone's Got the Giggles!

Will's laugh is contagious! It's also neat to see him figure out the feeling of anticipation. He starts laughing before he even gets tickled! Have a listen and see for yourself:

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated a wonderful first Mother's Day on Sunday. Will mysteriously decided to sleep in ('til nearly 9am!), so the first gift Mom received was a good night's sleep! Then, we enjoyed a big breakfast on Haight Street to gear us up for Elizabeth's first bike ride in over a year. We borrowed a bike trailer from our upstairs neighbors and popped Will inside, attached him to the back of Dad's bike and headed to Golden Gate Park. They close part of the park's roads to cars on the weekends, so we were able to safely cruise around the park and check out the roses (gorgeous!), the Dahlia Dell (Mom's favorite spot, but they're not blooming yet), stop for some It's It ice cream sandwiches and enjoy the perfect weather. We can't wait to do it again!

Here are some photos from our ride:

Diaper Tally

The New Yorker, May 4, 2009

Teething 101

Will is putting everything in his mouth these days, especially now that he's beginning to start teething. If babies do indeed explore their world this way, then Will is a modern-day Magellan! As a result, we've been trying to find a variety of interesting things for him to chew on.

But really, who needs cool teething toys when your big toes are available?

Weeks 19-22

Will's basketball-viewing future was off to a great start the past few weeks with some solid March Madness basketball, culminating in Carolina's (mom's alma mater) win over Michigan State! We enjoyed traditional North Carolina BBQ while watching the game with Uncle Kit.

Will also had another lesson in burrito-eating courtesy of Nicholas and Jason. This time, he almost nabbed an actual bite! We'll have to start keeping a close eye on him!

We experienced our first heat wave of the year - probably one of two that we'll get all year! - and Will showed off his chub in a few shortie outfits. He also enjoyed some visitors, including Tom and Amber and Laura. Amber and Laura looove babies. Will must have sensed this: he loved them right back!

April 10th brought Aunt Linnie's birthday, and Will sent her birthday greetings in style. The outtakes that followed, however, are what got us laughing. Check 'em out in the slideshow. Cake is way overrated.



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Goodnight Will

This is one of those posts that may not be especially interesting to blog visitors, but shares some memories that we'll want to revisit in the future.

One of the biggest changes in our lives as parents has been the two-fold transition of Will sleeping with us to sleeping in his crib, and from waking up every few hours to waking up just once or twice in the night. This evening, friends asked us over dinner what we do when Will falls asleep in his car seat. We were reminded that just a few short weeks ago our answer would have been to put him - car seat and all - in our bed between us! They admitted that they are encouraging their breastfed daughter to drink from a bottle by drinking from a bottle, themselves, so that she can model after them. We felt better about bringing the car seat to bed. My, how things have changed for us!

While to say that the extra sleep is welcome is an understatement to say the least, as a parent you sort of feel like you're no longer quite so essential. We're sure that this is the first of many times that we will feel this way, and are enjoying the fact that this transition is not accompanied by a withering age-11-going-on-21 look inferring, "Whatever, Mom and Dad."

Will's current bedtime routine includes changing into cozy footie pajamas, relaxing with a bottle and having Goodnight Moon read to him in his room. He's figured out how to turn the pages (it's the board book version - he hasn't graduated to paper just yet!), but also makes a habit of nibbling on the corners of the book as we read through it.

As he's settling into sleep, he lifts his legs toward his head and thwaps them back down on the mattress several times. With his typical flair for the dramatic, when he's really ready to sleep, he does a final leg thwap, tosses his head to his left, and flings his arms out to his sides, accompanied by a big sigh. He's now figured out that if he throws his legs to the side a bit while lifting and lowering them, he can turn himself around. So, when we go into check on him, we are finding him turned all sorts of different directions these days. Watching this activity is sort of like watching a helicopter rotor move in very slow motion, and yes, I do sit and watch sometimes.

I remember seeing him on the ultrasound just before he was born. At the time, I commented on how peaceful he looked, noting that this would probably be the last time I would be saying that for a few years! A friend emailed me to reassure me that even though there would be many sleepless nights for all of us in the beginning, I would see him that peaceful sooner rather than later. She was right. I love to watch him sleep. I love his stillness and breathing. I love to wonder what he's dreaming about.