Sunny Day!

So it's another beautiful, sunny day! I wanted to try and get a good 11 month shot of Will. It didn't really happen. I mean, I got some cute shots, but he is just so busy looking at everything but me when we are outside. And he doesn't smile. At least not when I want him to. Actually he hasn't been feeling very well today. I'm pretty sure it's teething. He's been very fussy, clingy. DROOLY (like a faucet!), and he had a 101.6 fever. Now yesterday I found two new teeth on the bottom that have broken through. That will make a total of 4 on the bottom and 3 on the top. I don't think he's really sick, but I'm going to keep my eye on him.

Anyway, we went into the yard- which is not a pretty place to take a picture, but it's what we've got. Plus, I didn't have to change into "presentable" clothes to just go into the yard.

My neighbors had this pot hiding in their bushes so I pulled it out and propped Will up next to it. Again, my mistake- just one more thing that's more interesting than looking at Mom.
Here he is , being nosy and spying on the neighbors through the fence
Yay, summertime = barefeet!
Picking "flowers"

Then we came back in the house. Lazy me just laid my cereal bowl on the end table instead of taking it to the sink. Will taught me a lesson about that. Thank you, son. I'll do better from now on.

He just went down for a nap, so I have a few minutes to upload these pics and Dr. Phil is on. The topic is about moms and leisure time. There is some study that was done- it says that moms have about 30-40 hours a week of "leisure time". Boy, these moms are ticked! Tell em girls. I may have some more to say about this too. Arrrgh

I need an intervention

Every single room in the house is a COMPLETE disaster. I'm tired and have no motivation to clean. Between Will and I, I don't know if it's possible to keep a house clean. Maybe this will be my new ministry- I'll just keep my house looking like a bomb went off and everyone else will automatically feel much better about themselves and their homes. Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. If you're feeling bad or guilty and depressed about the state of organization or cleanliness of your home- come look at mine- you will immediately feel like Martha Stewart.

See how selfless I am? Your welcome.

(and no, I'm not posting pictures of it.)

Just Between Friends Finds!

Yesterday my Mom and I went to the Just Between Friends sale in Grapevine. If you don't know what it is look here. It's basically a giant garage sale for all things baby. There are a few things I had been keeping my eye out for since Will's birthday is in less than a month. Also, he really needs some clothes for the warm weather we are about to have.

I found some really great stuff. I wasn't super impressed with the prices, they weren't as low as I'd hoped they be, but still a good deal. I got him a few cute outfits, some books, a couple puzzles, and these items:

This book: Overboard by Sarah Weeks- I mean there just is not a more perfect book for my kid right now. EVERYTHING gets thrown "overboard"!

Word Whammer! I was really wanting one of these for him. We are saving this for his birthday. I think I paid $10 for it, but it's in perfect condition.

And this! I had been looking for one of these little Laugh and Learn houses too! It's in great shape and I know he's going to have so much fun with it. Especially since it has a light switch that turns on/off the little light. I bet he'll do that all day! (And no, it didn't come with this adorable little black girl) Another birthday gift.

Birthday gift #3- Limbo Elmo! I can't wait to give this to him. Hopefully it won't scare him. It's in perfect condition and I paid $8 for it. It is missing the limbo bar though, but we can improvise.

All in all, I was pretty happy with my purchases. My Dad watched Will b/c Steven was working at the church. Mom and I haven't been out just the two of us since Will was born, so it was so much fun. We ate at La Madeline...mmmm.. I never get to go there. Plus, we got a table by the cozy little fire. Also, I had a real Coke! I never get soft drinks at restaurants- I know- go crazy!

Today I have a couple things to do- pick up pics at Costco, CLEAN- Laundry!- dinner with Steven, Will, and Steven's brother Brian at Salt Grass (someone anonymously gave us a gift card! WOW!), and then maybe color my hair tonight with Haley. It always makes me nervous to do it, but it needs to be done and I would rather do it myself and use that money to put towards Will's party. Which is in full swing planning stages and coming right along! I can't wait!

Wish me luck with the hair... I'm thinking of going a bit darker... yikes!

11 Months

Yesterday Will turned 11 months! In a month he will be a year old! Now that sounds crazy! It's funny b/c one year olds always seemed older than I think Will is. He's still such a baby to me. Things are really changing around here.

The biggest news in the past few days is that he has started to WALK! Not all the time, and sometimes we have to make him, but once he's balanced he can walk across the room all by himself. He kind of collapses into your arms once he reaches you though. He is still cruising around all the furniture and rarely falls anymore- thank you Lord. I know walking will bring its own round of bumps and bruises, but hopefully less. The cool thing was that we had my brother on Skype and he got to see it too, plus my parents were there for Dad's birthday.

As far as talking goes, things are coming along- but very s l o w l y. Still no mama or dada, well maybe an occasional "ma" on accident. He tries to say "ball" which comes out as "ba" or "bow". He says it every time he sees one of his balls in the house and started saying it over and over at the Botanic Gardens. I looked up and saw a dad kicking a football to his boys and got so excited that Will recognized a ball out in the real world! Small victories! He also tries to say hi by saying "Ha" when he holds things up to his ear or waves.

Lately his moods have changed too. We are blaming the grumpiness on the teething. His fifth tooth poked through and I think more are on the way b/c the drool is pouring out like a faucet. He has been extra sweet as of late too. He will just come over to us, climb in our laps, and lay his head on our shoulder. He is also giving us kisses all by himself. I just melt every time.

Eating is still going great. We are still doing some baby foods for convenience sake, but he pretty much eats what we eat. Last night we had CiCi's and he enjoyed a breadstick and pieces of pizza. (So healthy right?) He goes crazy when we give him a plum and will just hug it to his chest and grin. The only thing he doesn't care for much is potatoes.

I'm still nursing him once a day, first thing in the morning. He gets formula two or three times- usually two, but it just depends on the day. This month I plan on getting him onto milk.

His favorite things right now are:

-clapping

-dancing (head bobbing)

-throwing things

-eating

-reading

-pulling open drawers

-pulling EVERYTHING out of the drawers

-playing outside

-riding in his wagon

-taking away Dex's toys

-"wrestling"

-peek a boo

-picking leaves, flowers, and grass

I know I'm forgetting so many things. We are having so much fun watching this boy grow up and learn about his world. I can't wait to see what this next month will hold. One thing I know is that it will be filled with party planning! I have already been working on his first birthday party. Even if it were just the three of us there, we'd go all out celebrating surviving one year as a new family!

Here are a few pics and a short video. Enjoy!

New baseball socks from Grandma, aren't they the cutest?

That's such a goofy smile, but it really is the best we could get. There is almost no way to keep this kid sitting here.

Pulling a picture off the wall

Mom and Dad on his 51st birthday

Will and Grandma

Will's first date

On Wednesday, Will and I met our friends Jen and Havanna at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. It was the prettiest day we've had in awhile and so wonderful to spend some time outdoors. We had a picnic, watched kids play, and explored all kinds of grass, sticks, and trees.

This is not from the Botanic Gardens, but I had to post it. I gave Will my spoon after I had some cake. He LOVED it!

Will was so interested and excited about this fountain. I can't wait until it's super hot outside and I don't have to worry about him catching a cold.

I'm doing my best to hold him back from just jumping right in. He's a strong kid!

We tried to get some pics of the two kids together. It was not an easy task...

... he was a little excited... and we are working on "being gentle".. Sorry Havanna!

There's no keeping that kid still

Or looking where you want him to

Success! Both looking, one day we'll get smiles.

Is she not so adorable? She's on my list of potential future girlfriends for Will. ;)

We played on this amazing tree. Will got so dirty and cried when I took him away. Such a boy!

We had on our St. Patrick's Day shirt- "Kiss me, I'm Irish". I don't need an excuse to kiss that face! I can't help myself!

Will is actually 11 months old today and hopefully tonight I can finish the official post. I have some very exciting news to share about my little man! Ok, I'd better get myself dressed while he's napping. Of course the minute I start to fix my hair he will wake up. Never fails.

Best Buds!

Disclaimer: This is not staged! I've received so many comments about staging this picture. It's true, he's just that cute!

Exploring the yard

Yesterday I was so excited about the gorgeous weather we had! I decided to take Will into the backyard to let him explore a bit. He was so enthralled that I could hardly get him to look at me. He just kept crawling from one thing to the other, touching, feeling, and (unfortunately) tasting. He just smiled and grunted and stared. It was so fun to watch him learn about his environment. We shortly moved to the front yard though b/c of some serious mud and dog poop. No, he did not find that- thankfully!

sampling some potting soil

My view of him most of the day!

love!

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Babies

Eli Cole Westly... so sweet, even when he's not sleeping

Our buddy Jaron is helping Will get a drink.

Lovin' this swing!