18 December 2008
14 December 2008
19 months old!
Will is 19 months old today. He's such a big boy!
Insert "pothead" joke here...
He's such a big help in the kitchen. Here he is, reorganizing Mommy's storage bags.
He doesn't like his bananas cut up anymore. He's a big boy, so he'll take it whole, thank you very much.
Insert "pothead" joke here...
He's such a big help in the kitchen. Here he is, reorganizing Mommy's storage bags.
He doesn't like his bananas cut up anymore. He's a big boy, so he'll take it whole, thank you very much.
He's getting better...
He'll hate me for this post some day, but he's just so dang cute.
He's letting us know now.
He's letting us know now.
Is that a Port Wine Stain?
Nah, just Zinfandel.
Rolf poured himself a glass of wine this evening and set it on the coffee table. Will came in, talked to us for a minute (his distraction technique), slyly reached onto the table, and yoinked the glass. A brief tussle later, red wine was all over the coffee table, all over the couch, all over the Christmas cards I was addressing (so now you know what happened if yours is stained purple), all over Rolf's pants, and all over Will. We were afraid Will's hair was going to be dyed. If you look closely, you can see the pink stain over the right half of his face (his right half). Fortunately, Will is stain-resistant.
Rolf poured himself a glass of wine this evening and set it on the coffee table. Will came in, talked to us for a minute (his distraction technique), slyly reached onto the table, and yoinked the glass. A brief tussle later, red wine was all over the coffee table, all over the couch, all over the Christmas cards I was addressing (so now you know what happened if yours is stained purple), all over Rolf's pants, and all over Will. We were afraid Will's hair was going to be dyed. If you look closely, you can see the pink stain over the right half of his face (his right half). Fortunately, Will is stain-resistant.
12 December 2008
Can you help?
I don't usually use this blog for things like this, but this is kind of a special project for my students.
The Invisible Children Schools 4 Schools program partners a school stateside with a school ravaged by war in Uganda. The (student) leaders from the top 12 money-raising schools in the country get to travel to Uganda, spend time with their counterparts over there, and generally have a life-changing experience. The video they showed tore my heart out.
My school is currently leading its cluster (beating out several much, much richer schools in Texas). We are, apparently, neck and neck with a couple of the other schools. The girl who brought this cause to my school is a fantastic kid. I would love to help send her on this trip. My classes at school (4 sophomore classes) donated nearly 1900 books to ship overseas (the school is nearing 10,000). Now, they're trying to help Horn High be one of the top money-raising schools in the nation.
I know everyone seems to have a hand out this time of the year, but if you could donate just a couple of dollars, it would go to a good cause and help send one of the most terrific kids I've met on the journey of her life.
Time is running out! They have until Wednesday, December 17 to do this.
Thanks.
The Invisible Children Schools 4 Schools program partners a school stateside with a school ravaged by war in Uganda. The (student) leaders from the top 12 money-raising schools in the country get to travel to Uganda, spend time with their counterparts over there, and generally have a life-changing experience. The video they showed tore my heart out.
My school is currently leading its cluster (beating out several much, much richer schools in Texas). We are, apparently, neck and neck with a couple of the other schools. The girl who brought this cause to my school is a fantastic kid. I would love to help send her on this trip. My classes at school (4 sophomore classes) donated nearly 1900 books to ship overseas (the school is nearing 10,000). Now, they're trying to help Horn High be one of the top money-raising schools in the nation.
I know everyone seems to have a hand out this time of the year, but if you could donate just a couple of dollars, it would go to a good cause and help send one of the most terrific kids I've met on the journey of her life.
Time is running out! They have until Wednesday, December 17 to do this.
Thanks.
06 December 2008
Conversation in our car this evening
Will: "Shew! Shew!"
Mommy: "Punkin, did you go poo-poo?"
Will: "Poo-poo. Shew!"
I'm glad he's starting to communicate these events with us, even if it's not always accurate. After we found a parking lot to pull into, there was no smell emanating from his diaper. Maybe it was a toot?
Mommy: "Punkin, did you go poo-poo?"
Will: "Poo-poo. Shew!"
I'm glad he's starting to communicate these events with us, even if it's not always accurate. After we found a parking lot to pull into, there was no smell emanating from his diaper. Maybe it was a toot?
29 November 2008
Christmas Tree!
I HIGHLY suggest you hit pause and arrow through the book at your own pace. The auto-playback is flipping fast!
25 November 2008
Eighteen Month Checkup
Height: 33" (54%)
Weight: 27 lbs, 4 oz (75%)
Head: 19.5" (75%)
All in all, a pretty proportional kiddo.
The bad news is that his last ear infection either didn't heal, or it healed and came back in both ears. Poor Will has to go on another round of antibiotics. This is ear infection #4. The nurse practitioner said (before she saw his ears) that 5 infections within a year or an infection that lingers through a few rounds of antibiotics usually warrants the referral to the ENT. Ugh.
Everything else looked good. He's walking/running like he should, talking ahead of schedule, pretty coordinated for his age. He got three shots (two boosters + flu). He also got his finger pricked for the hemoglobin test. That, of course, hurt and made him mad. His little hands were cold, so she had to milk his finger a bit, so that made it worse. He didn't really melt down, though, until she put the bandaid on his finger. For some reason, he really doesn't like bandaids. I held him down for his other three shots and then pulled his bandaid off. That calmed him down a bit, until he saw his finger bleed. I guess all the screaming got his blood pumping because that darn finger just kept going and going. I applied pressure. Will screamed. I wiped it with a Kleenex. Will screamed. I ran it under a cold tap. Will screamed even more. He clutched at me and at Boyd, getting us all a little bloody. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes but was probably 90 seconds, his finger stopped bleeding and we were able to get him dressed and out the door.
Will stayed with Grandad this afternoon while I went to school, donated blood, and taught one class for the day. He had a rough go of it over there, too. He napped MAYBE 20 minutes in the car on the way home from the doctor's office, and he wouldn't go down for Grandad. Dad said that for a good 25 minutes, Will stood at the kitchen cabinet, screamed, reached for his paci and Boyd, took a breath, handed his paci and Boyd back to my dad, screamed again. Apparently, it was very methodical.
Of course, I have pictures scheduled for Will tomorrow afternoon. Let's hope he's in better spirits then.
Weight: 27 lbs, 4 oz (75%)
Head: 19.5" (75%)
All in all, a pretty proportional kiddo.
The bad news is that his last ear infection either didn't heal, or it healed and came back in both ears. Poor Will has to go on another round of antibiotics. This is ear infection #4. The nurse practitioner said (before she saw his ears) that 5 infections within a year or an infection that lingers through a few rounds of antibiotics usually warrants the referral to the ENT. Ugh.
Everything else looked good. He's walking/running like he should, talking ahead of schedule, pretty coordinated for his age. He got three shots (two boosters + flu). He also got his finger pricked for the hemoglobin test. That, of course, hurt and made him mad. His little hands were cold, so she had to milk his finger a bit, so that made it worse. He didn't really melt down, though, until she put the bandaid on his finger. For some reason, he really doesn't like bandaids. I held him down for his other three shots and then pulled his bandaid off. That calmed him down a bit, until he saw his finger bleed. I guess all the screaming got his blood pumping because that darn finger just kept going and going. I applied pressure. Will screamed. I wiped it with a Kleenex. Will screamed. I ran it under a cold tap. Will screamed even more. He clutched at me and at Boyd, getting us all a little bloody. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes but was probably 90 seconds, his finger stopped bleeding and we were able to get him dressed and out the door.
Will stayed with Grandad this afternoon while I went to school, donated blood, and taught one class for the day. He had a rough go of it over there, too. He napped MAYBE 20 minutes in the car on the way home from the doctor's office, and he wouldn't go down for Grandad. Dad said that for a good 25 minutes, Will stood at the kitchen cabinet, screamed, reached for his paci and Boyd, took a breath, handed his paci and Boyd back to my dad, screamed again. Apparently, it was very methodical.
Of course, I have pictures scheduled for Will tomorrow afternoon. Let's hope he's in better spirits then.
Just Sayin'
You know, I tried the corporate thing. I hated being behind a desk. However, there are times when it sounds appealing. Like tonight. I could be out having free drinks because some VP had a birthday instead of at home, trying to keep an 18 month old who has a double ear infection, who got three vaccinations today, and who did not nap all day from destroying my house while he refuses to eat, to sit still to read, or to go to sleep.
23 November 2008
Recent Will Pics
Ah, yes. The genetic fascination with writing utensils. I'm so proud.
In his cute Cookie Monster sweatsuit he got from Grandma and Grandpa.
This is why he loves Boyd so much - his tail. He also is re-addicted to his paci. I wish it weren't so, but he has to have that thing with him.
We cleaned out the fireplace so we could light a fire one cold evening. Will had to help. Since it was flameless, we let him. He knows not to touch the fireplace unless Mommy or Daddy says it's okay.
I just love fall colors. I am an autumn, and judging by this picture, so is my son. He has gorgeous chocolatey brown eyes. Mine are hazel-green, and Rolf's are brown-green, but Will's are pure brown.
For some reason, the advent of cold weather puts me in the mood for ice cream, so on our way home on Friday, we stopped by Dairy Queen. This was way past Will's bedtime, but he saw fit to shake himself out of his stupor, grab his fork, and help himself to my sundae. He always wants to eat what I have. Apparently, whatever Mama eats is teh awesome, even if it's the same thing that's on his plate. He'll say, "bites? bites?" Sometimes, that's followed with a "theeze," but usually it's followed by an open-mouthed, "aaaaahh." He has to be hitting another growth spurt soon because he is an eating machine. I made pancakes for breakfast this morning, and he ate two and a half full-sized, grownup pancakes. Holy cow.
Will Updates
I know, I know. It has been nearly three weeks since I posted. I apologize for the delay. I have pretty much decided that Project 365 is officially defunct. I can post at least one picture a week, but I can't guarantee every day any more. In many ways, that's a good thing. It means I'm living more of Will's life with him than recording it.
Will's vocabulary is growing exponentially. Whereas he once picked up a few words a month, it seems that now he is picking up a few words daily! Much of it it still echoing what we say, but we've heard a good 50+ words come unprompted from his mouth. Fortunately, none of them have been naughty just yet. The best thing is that now he'll say, "love you!" That made my week the first time he said that to me. I'll try to get him talking on camera soon, but he generally clams up once the camera is out.
Reading is still one of Will's favorite activities. He will read to himself and request books to be read to him. One day a couple of weeks ago, Will shut himself in his bedroom (shutting doors is one of the new games he plays). Since we have the monitor on at all times, we decided to let him play. He was shuffling around in there, talking to himself and singing for several minutes. Rolf decided to check on him. He quietly opened the door, peeked around the corner, and called me in from the kitchen. I joined him at Will's door to see our little man stacking about a dozen books in his rocking chair. Once he realized he was being watched, he turned around, stuck up his hands in an "I don't know" kind of stance, and said, "Wead? Wead?" How could we resist?
Brushing his teeth used to be a favorite part of his day, but by October, it had turned into a struggle. Even singing the "Brush Brush Bree" song from Bear in the Big Blue House didn't seem to help. Rolf had a stroke of genius (no pun intended), and let Will try out his powered toothbrush. The vibrations felt good on those molars coming in, so on our next trip to Target, we bought a kid-sized power toothbrush. Will brushes his own teeth, does an actual good job of it, and he is happy to run to the bathroom to brush again.
Will is now officially out of the "infant" rooms at daycare and is in the first "toddler" room. We got the tuition break to prove it, too. $20 a week less. Woohoo! Will loves being with older kids. The younger ones just frustrate him. I know they have a good curriculum there. Will comes home knowing words we havent taught him, knowing what the parts of his body are without our concentrating on that lesson, and knowing songs we haven't sung (or sung in a long time).
The last major update is that today, we bought Will *drumroll, please* a potty chair! All of my babycenter emails suggest getting your child used to the idea once he shows interest. Boy, does he show interest! I haven't used the bathroom alone in two weeks now. There's a little girl in Will's room who is in the process of toilet training, and all the kids in his room are fascinated with the fact that she doesn't have to get up on the changing table. Will has also begun pulling at the front of his diapers when he's wet, and he goes for longer periods of time without wet or dirty diapers. Now, I'm not delusional. I don't think he'll be potty trained in the next few weeks, or even in the next six months, but I don't see any harm in his getting used to the idea of going in the potty.
I'll post pictures in a separate post.
I'll try not to take as long before the next post.
Will's vocabulary is growing exponentially. Whereas he once picked up a few words a month, it seems that now he is picking up a few words daily! Much of it it still echoing what we say, but we've heard a good 50+ words come unprompted from his mouth. Fortunately, none of them have been naughty just yet. The best thing is that now he'll say, "love you!" That made my week the first time he said that to me. I'll try to get him talking on camera soon, but he generally clams up once the camera is out.
Reading is still one of Will's favorite activities. He will read to himself and request books to be read to him. One day a couple of weeks ago, Will shut himself in his bedroom (shutting doors is one of the new games he plays). Since we have the monitor on at all times, we decided to let him play. He was shuffling around in there, talking to himself and singing for several minutes. Rolf decided to check on him. He quietly opened the door, peeked around the corner, and called me in from the kitchen. I joined him at Will's door to see our little man stacking about a dozen books in his rocking chair. Once he realized he was being watched, he turned around, stuck up his hands in an "I don't know" kind of stance, and said, "Wead? Wead?" How could we resist?
Brushing his teeth used to be a favorite part of his day, but by October, it had turned into a struggle. Even singing the "Brush Brush Bree" song from Bear in the Big Blue House didn't seem to help. Rolf had a stroke of genius (no pun intended), and let Will try out his powered toothbrush. The vibrations felt good on those molars coming in, so on our next trip to Target, we bought a kid-sized power toothbrush. Will brushes his own teeth, does an actual good job of it, and he is happy to run to the bathroom to brush again.
Will is now officially out of the "infant" rooms at daycare and is in the first "toddler" room. We got the tuition break to prove it, too. $20 a week less. Woohoo! Will loves being with older kids. The younger ones just frustrate him. I know they have a good curriculum there. Will comes home knowing words we havent taught him, knowing what the parts of his body are without our concentrating on that lesson, and knowing songs we haven't sung (or sung in a long time).
The last major update is that today, we bought Will *drumroll, please* a potty chair! All of my babycenter emails suggest getting your child used to the idea once he shows interest. Boy, does he show interest! I haven't used the bathroom alone in two weeks now. There's a little girl in Will's room who is in the process of toilet training, and all the kids in his room are fascinated with the fact that she doesn't have to get up on the changing table. Will has also begun pulling at the front of his diapers when he's wet, and he goes for longer periods of time without wet or dirty diapers. Now, I'm not delusional. I don't think he'll be potty trained in the next few weeks, or even in the next six months, but I don't see any harm in his getting used to the idea of going in the potty.
I'll post pictures in a separate post.
I'll try not to take as long before the next post.
04 November 2008
02 November 2008
Project 365 Weeks 23-25
This has been a weird couple of weeks. I am coming out on the other side of some insidious throat infection that, oddly enough for me, wasn't strep. It had all the earmarks - massively inflamed and painful tonsils, body aches, chills, fevers spiking as high as 103.9, and the feeling I was run over by a mack truck. Fortunately, the antibiotics seem to be kicking its butt. My throat only hurts a little bit now, only on one side, and only when I swallow.
I tell you all of this not to elicit your sympathy, but to offer some excuse for my absence in posting and my disorganization when it comes to the pictures.
Without further ado, here is what my darling boy has been up to the past couple of weeks.
Monday, October 13 - Will has a little leftover 'nana pudding from Daddy's birthday celebration at Will's Nini (who may become Nana) & Papa's. Will feels the need to style his hair with whatever his food is.
Tuesday, October 14 - He has such long eyelashes.
Wednesday, October 15 - Will has a strange affinity for my phone. He won't mess with Rolf's, but if mine is unattended for five seconds, he finds it and starts pushing buttons. He actually called his grandma the other day. The cuteness in this video gives me a twinge of guilt, too. I have taken his picture so much for this Project 365 that when he sees the camera, he starts blinking against the anticipated flash. I hope I'm not damaging his eyes. I'm trying to get more shots that aren't head on.
Thursday, October 16 - My little artist. Give the boy a writing utensil and something to write on, and he's a happy boy. Here he sports his painting smock from Harrod's in London. I found it at a consignment sale and couldn't resist. Harrod's was one of the places Rolf and I missed during our trip to London, and we wish we could have gone. Below, you can see the pumpkin Will's grandma got him to paint for Halloween. Will picked the different colors. I was just there to pull the caps off the paint pens for him.
Friday, October 17 - I don't even remember this day.
Saturday, October 18 - Beautiful weather, so we sat outside for a while after dinner. To my surprise, Will was suddenly tall enough to climb in and out of his chair on his own. I knew he'd grown over the past couple of weeks, but this confirmed it for me. He's just chillin' here.
Sunday, October 19 - Will plays with Mommy's headbands and looks up at Daddy with the sweetest puppy dog eyes. The bump under his eye is the result of an overly-energetic dance move at daycare. He spun around, lost his balance, and his face met the corner of a shelf. Ouch!
Monday, October 20-Friday, October 24 - An entire week's worth of pictures are MIA. I don't know their location at this point. If I find them later, I'll post them.
Saturday, October 25 - Will and Mommy at the Halloween Carnival, er, Fall Fun Festival, at Mommy's school. He hadn't been feeling super well, but he felt better in time to have a great evening.
Sunday, October 26 - Will's favorite kitchen activity - playing with the drawers we left unlocked for him. I think he'll have a lot of fun learning to cook in a couple of years.
Monday, October 27 - ??? I had started feeling pretty bad by then, so who knows?
Tuesday, October 28 - We had soup for dinner to try to help soothe my throat. Is there any better comfort food than grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup? I don't think so. Will seemed to like it, too. After he couldn't scoop anything else up with his spoon, he grabbed the bowl and drank. Rolf was so proud.
Wednesday, October 29 - see Oct. 27
Thursday, October 30 - I hung in for a half day at work so I could get my stuff ready for the sub, then came home and crashed. I picked Will up at 4, came back home, and collapsed on the couch again, getting worse with every passing minute. Will was so sweet. He grabbed my drink from the coffee table and brought it to me. When I ran to the bathroom to lose my lunch, he followed me in and asked, "are you okay?" I swear, he said it!
Friday, October 31 - I finally went to the doctor to get fixed up, and we headed to the grandparents' houses to trick-or-treat. We put a "quarantine" sign on our front door and left a bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. I figured I could handle sitting on a couch and watching my little man have fun with his grandparents. This is my little Cookie Monster heading up the sidewalk to Nana and Papa's house. Forgive the gangsta hike up of his pants. It was not part of the costume. As a side note, Halloween marks the 13th anniversary of Rolf's and my first date: Harry Connick, Jr. at the Super Pit in Denton. Floor seats. Awesome. I still have the pick HCJ used at the concert.
Saturday, November 1 - Nana and Papa had volunteered to take Will and play for a few hours so I could rest and Rolf could pick up the house a bit. I pulled the carseat out of my car and set it in the kitchen so they could install it in their car when they came to pick him up. Will woke up from his nap, wandered into the kitchen, and immediately sat down in his car seat.
Sunday, November 2 - Will helps himself to a blueberry muffin for breakfast. Look how much older he looks now than he did at the beginning of October.
I tell you all of this not to elicit your sympathy, but to offer some excuse for my absence in posting and my disorganization when it comes to the pictures.
Without further ado, here is what my darling boy has been up to the past couple of weeks.
Monday, October 13 - Will has a little leftover 'nana pudding from Daddy's birthday celebration at Will's Nini (who may become Nana) & Papa's. Will feels the need to style his hair with whatever his food is.
Tuesday, October 14 - He has such long eyelashes.
Wednesday, October 15 - Will has a strange affinity for my phone. He won't mess with Rolf's, but if mine is unattended for five seconds, he finds it and starts pushing buttons. He actually called his grandma the other day. The cuteness in this video gives me a twinge of guilt, too. I have taken his picture so much for this Project 365 that when he sees the camera, he starts blinking against the anticipated flash. I hope I'm not damaging his eyes. I'm trying to get more shots that aren't head on.
Thursday, October 16 - My little artist. Give the boy a writing utensil and something to write on, and he's a happy boy. Here he sports his painting smock from Harrod's in London. I found it at a consignment sale and couldn't resist. Harrod's was one of the places Rolf and I missed during our trip to London, and we wish we could have gone. Below, you can see the pumpkin Will's grandma got him to paint for Halloween. Will picked the different colors. I was just there to pull the caps off the paint pens for him.
Friday, October 17 - I don't even remember this day.
Saturday, October 18 - Beautiful weather, so we sat outside for a while after dinner. To my surprise, Will was suddenly tall enough to climb in and out of his chair on his own. I knew he'd grown over the past couple of weeks, but this confirmed it for me. He's just chillin' here.
Sunday, October 19 - Will plays with Mommy's headbands and looks up at Daddy with the sweetest puppy dog eyes. The bump under his eye is the result of an overly-energetic dance move at daycare. He spun around, lost his balance, and his face met the corner of a shelf. Ouch!
Monday, October 20-Friday, October 24 - An entire week's worth of pictures are MIA. I don't know their location at this point. If I find them later, I'll post them.
Saturday, October 25 - Will and Mommy at the Halloween Carnival, er, Fall Fun Festival, at Mommy's school. He hadn't been feeling super well, but he felt better in time to have a great evening.
Sunday, October 26 - Will's favorite kitchen activity - playing with the drawers we left unlocked for him. I think he'll have a lot of fun learning to cook in a couple of years.
Monday, October 27 - ??? I had started feeling pretty bad by then, so who knows?
Tuesday, October 28 - We had soup for dinner to try to help soothe my throat. Is there any better comfort food than grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup? I don't think so. Will seemed to like it, too. After he couldn't scoop anything else up with his spoon, he grabbed the bowl and drank. Rolf was so proud.
Wednesday, October 29 - see Oct. 27
Thursday, October 30 - I hung in for a half day at work so I could get my stuff ready for the sub, then came home and crashed. I picked Will up at 4, came back home, and collapsed on the couch again, getting worse with every passing minute. Will was so sweet. He grabbed my drink from the coffee table and brought it to me. When I ran to the bathroom to lose my lunch, he followed me in and asked, "are you okay?" I swear, he said it!
Friday, October 31 - I finally went to the doctor to get fixed up, and we headed to the grandparents' houses to trick-or-treat. We put a "quarantine" sign on our front door and left a bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. I figured I could handle sitting on a couch and watching my little man have fun with his grandparents. This is my little Cookie Monster heading up the sidewalk to Nana and Papa's house. Forgive the gangsta hike up of his pants. It was not part of the costume. As a side note, Halloween marks the 13th anniversary of Rolf's and my first date: Harry Connick, Jr. at the Super Pit in Denton. Floor seats. Awesome. I still have the pick HCJ used at the concert.
Saturday, November 1 - Nana and Papa had volunteered to take Will and play for a few hours so I could rest and Rolf could pick up the house a bit. I pulled the carseat out of my car and set it in the kitchen so they could install it in their car when they came to pick him up. Will woke up from his nap, wandered into the kitchen, and immediately sat down in his car seat.
Sunday, November 2 - Will helps himself to a blueberry muffin for breakfast. Look how much older he looks now than he did at the beginning of October.
01 November 2008
CuhKey Monster!
Will had a blast visiitng his NiNi and PaPa. PawPaw had just built a covered back patio with a low fence that let him play with the dogs without having to worry about getting knocked over. They spoiled him with candy. YUM!
Then we went to visit Granma, Granddad, and GreatGranddad. We had fun with the trick or treaters that came to their door and watching some horrible b movie camp with boris karloff and jack nicholson. Will was getting a littly tired by the end of the evening but we all had a wonderful time.
Ghostie was running a pretty bad temp by the end of the night. She has been under the weather for the last few days and here fever seems to come and go. we left just as it was getting to it's highest point of the day.
pics of the evening to follow
rolf
Then we went to visit Granma, Granddad, and GreatGranddad. We had fun with the trick or treaters that came to their door and watching some horrible b movie camp with boris karloff and jack nicholson. Will was getting a littly tired by the end of the evening but we all had a wonderful time.
Ghostie was running a pretty bad temp by the end of the night. She has been under the weather for the last few days and here fever seems to come and go. we left just as it was getting to it's highest point of the day.
pics of the evening to follow
rolf
25 October 2008
Halloween Carnival
Will has been kind of under the weather for a few days. He has been caught in the nasty web of weather change, wind, and molars. You'll be able to see the sheer volume of drool the kid has produced all week in the pictures. Poor baby's little cheeks have been chapped because he has been soaking his bedsheets with slobber.
Fortunately, Will woke up this morning feeling much better. He was fine all day, until we put on his costume. He had a major meltdown when Rolf tried to put the slippers we bought for his outfit. Will didn't seem to like the idea of mini Cookie Monster heads on his feet. We traded the slippers for his tennis shoes, and we thought that was it, until we picked up my mom to go to the carnival. One of the dogs loved on Will a little too hard and knocked him on his bottom. Absolute meltdown. Poor punkin.
By the time we got to the carnival, Rolf and I were pretty nervous about how Will would handle wearing a sweatsuit in a hot school cafeteria, tons of people, and lots of noise. After the first couple of minutes, Will got into the festivities. It only took him two mini-games to figure out that he got to put the candy he won into his own treat bag. Sweet boy kept trying to give it back to the people who were running the booths. Once he figured that out, we could hardly keep up with him. He dug through "sand" (shredded paper) for candy, plucked a lollipop and won a treat bag, pinned the nose on the pumpkin (and did a damn good job getting it nearly spot on), plucked a duck from a tub, bowled, played Plinko, plucked more ducks, and did a cake walk. One of my former students scared him by being dressed as one of the Joker's henchmen from The Dark Knight, but other than that, he did really well. He wasn't even afraid of my friend Megan, who was dressed as a witch, complete with green makeup.
Check out the slideshow below for pictures:
Fortunately, Will woke up this morning feeling much better. He was fine all day, until we put on his costume. He had a major meltdown when Rolf tried to put the slippers we bought for his outfit. Will didn't seem to like the idea of mini Cookie Monster heads on his feet. We traded the slippers for his tennis shoes, and we thought that was it, until we picked up my mom to go to the carnival. One of the dogs loved on Will a little too hard and knocked him on his bottom. Absolute meltdown. Poor punkin.
By the time we got to the carnival, Rolf and I were pretty nervous about how Will would handle wearing a sweatsuit in a hot school cafeteria, tons of people, and lots of noise. After the first couple of minutes, Will got into the festivities. It only took him two mini-games to figure out that he got to put the candy he won into his own treat bag. Sweet boy kept trying to give it back to the people who were running the booths. Once he figured that out, we could hardly keep up with him. He dug through "sand" (shredded paper) for candy, plucked a lollipop and won a treat bag, pinned the nose on the pumpkin (and did a damn good job getting it nearly spot on), plucked a duck from a tub, bowled, played Plinko, plucked more ducks, and did a cake walk. One of my former students scared him by being dressed as one of the Joker's henchmen from The Dark Knight, but other than that, he did really well. He wasn't even afraid of my friend Megan, who was dressed as a witch, complete with green makeup.
Check out the slideshow below for pictures:
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18 October 2008
Zoo!
We took a trip to the zoo today. As much as Will loves animals, we knew he'd have a blast. We were right. He was enthralled for much longer than we figured he'd be able to be. In fact, Will's friend Brenden did really well, too. All the parents were pleasantly surprised at how well the little boys held up.
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| Make a Smilebox scrapbook |
13 October 2008
Will Reads to Himself...and Us
This is Will's Sandra Boynton book Blue Hat, Green Hat. The book goes something like this: Three animals are wearing an article of clothing in an appropriate manner, e.g. "Blue hat/Green hat/Yellow hat." Then we see the turkey wearing the hat on his feet instead of his head: "Oops." Will says, "UH-ooohhhh." He loves that silly turkey who gets everything wrong. We were still eating dinner when Will finished, so we let him down while we finished up. He grabbed his book and sat at daddy's feet and read the book to us. Pretty durn cute, if you ask me.
Project 365 Weeks 21-22
I know I missed a week posting. I am sorry. Time just seemed to run away from me.
Monday, September 29 - No picture. I dunno what happened, other than I suck.
Tuesday, September 30 - So many of our pictures involve night-time reading for a couple of reasons. One, my child loves books as much as his mommy and daddy do, and two, it's generally the only time he's still enough to catch him.
Tuesday, October 1 - Poor, tired baby. Will had his pictures taken at school (hence the long-sleeves), and after school, Grandma and Grandad picked him up from daycare while mommy had a meeting. Will had a fabulous time dancing in Grandad's shed. He loves the sound of his feet on the elevated wood floor. He also played outside with the dogs for a loooong time. By the time we got home, Will was beat. He grabbed Boyd and his blankie and snuggled on the floor.
Thursday, October 2 - Apparently I suck. Again.
Friday, October 3 - Will's big cousin Aidan turned 13 today! Will celebrated by taking off in his rocket ship. Look how big he's getting. I swear he's grown 3" in the last month alone!
Saturday, October 4 - He looks more grown up all the time, but he still has his chubby baby cheeks here. He's actually starting to sprout a mullet. I guess the time for his first haircut is coming soon. *sniff*
Sunday, October 5 - Grandma's 60th birthday. We watched Grandma and Grandad's dogs over the weekend while they headed to Austin for Grandma's retirement meeting with TRS. Will wanted to be with the dogs at all times. Here, the dogs are running around outside, stalking the squirrels they don't have in their neighborhood (the trees are too young). Will nestled himself in daddy's lap and watched.
Monday, October 6 - My fair day. I also had a doctor's appt. in the afternoon, so once again, we didn't get a picture.
Tuesday, October 7 - I don't remember what happened here. Just no picture. Dang, I just am starting to suck at this.
Wednesday, October 8 - Proof positive that Will has grown fast. This is an 18 mo. shirt. We are desperate for cooler weather because he has very few short sleeved shirts that are big enough to be comfortable for him. Plus, I had to post this picture. Love that little tummy hanging out. :-)
Thursday, October 9 - Will is becoming more receptive to wearing hats. he actually kept this one on for a good 5 minutes before he started playing with it. Now if I could just get him to wear sunglasses...
Friday, October 10 - Daddy's birthday is the 11th, but the family celebrated my mom's birthday that day. Will and I had a small party with daddy on Friday night. Can you tell what Will's favorite part of the meal was?
Saturday, October 11 - Everywhere Will goes, Will has his Boyd and his blankie. He'll pull all of this paraphernalia out of his bed every morning and will carry it around the house at night.
Sunday, October 12 - Will discovers the joys of the train table at Toys 'r' Us. Too bad we have no room for something like this. He would have a great time.
I will do better in the future. I promise!
Monday, September 29 - No picture. I dunno what happened, other than I suck.
Tuesday, September 30 - So many of our pictures involve night-time reading for a couple of reasons. One, my child loves books as much as his mommy and daddy do, and two, it's generally the only time he's still enough to catch him.
Tuesday, October 1 - Poor, tired baby. Will had his pictures taken at school (hence the long-sleeves), and after school, Grandma and Grandad picked him up from daycare while mommy had a meeting. Will had a fabulous time dancing in Grandad's shed. He loves the sound of his feet on the elevated wood floor. He also played outside with the dogs for a loooong time. By the time we got home, Will was beat. He grabbed Boyd and his blankie and snuggled on the floor.
Thursday, October 2 - Apparently I suck. Again.
Friday, October 3 - Will's big cousin Aidan turned 13 today! Will celebrated by taking off in his rocket ship. Look how big he's getting. I swear he's grown 3" in the last month alone!
Saturday, October 4 - He looks more grown up all the time, but he still has his chubby baby cheeks here. He's actually starting to sprout a mullet. I guess the time for his first haircut is coming soon. *sniff*
Sunday, October 5 - Grandma's 60th birthday. We watched Grandma and Grandad's dogs over the weekend while they headed to Austin for Grandma's retirement meeting with TRS. Will wanted to be with the dogs at all times. Here, the dogs are running around outside, stalking the squirrels they don't have in their neighborhood (the trees are too young). Will nestled himself in daddy's lap and watched.
Monday, October 6 - My fair day. I also had a doctor's appt. in the afternoon, so once again, we didn't get a picture.
Tuesday, October 7 - I don't remember what happened here. Just no picture. Dang, I just am starting to suck at this.
Wednesday, October 8 - Proof positive that Will has grown fast. This is an 18 mo. shirt. We are desperate for cooler weather because he has very few short sleeved shirts that are big enough to be comfortable for him. Plus, I had to post this picture. Love that little tummy hanging out. :-)
Thursday, October 9 - Will is becoming more receptive to wearing hats. he actually kept this one on for a good 5 minutes before he started playing with it. Now if I could just get him to wear sunglasses...
Friday, October 10 - Daddy's birthday is the 11th, but the family celebrated my mom's birthday that day. Will and I had a small party with daddy on Friday night. Can you tell what Will's favorite part of the meal was?
Saturday, October 11 - Everywhere Will goes, Will has his Boyd and his blankie. He'll pull all of this paraphernalia out of his bed every morning and will carry it around the house at night.
Sunday, October 12 - Will discovers the joys of the train table at Toys 'r' Us. Too bad we have no room for something like this. He would have a great time.
I will do better in the future. I promise!
28 September 2008
Project 365 Week 20
Monday, September 22 - The bed is still new enough that it's fun getting in and out of. The art board is there to cover the plug. The cute little dragon faceplates don't hold the plug covers very well, so we are waiting until the bedroom redo to see the best way we can keep someone's little (usually slobbery wet) fingers out of it.
Tuesday, September 23 - Daddy reads to Will. This is our favorite time of night. Notice that Boyd joins the story time party. Sometimes Boyd makes a better door than he does a window, but Will was cooperating and keeping him out of the way for these pics.
Wednesday, September 24 - Tonight, it was my turn to read to Will. We love the dollar spot at Target. We bought this book there, and it is one of Will's favorites. The Sesame Street books are generally pretty good, and Will loves identifying "Cuh-kie" and "Bee Biew" (Big Bird). See above picture for comments re: Boyd.
Thursday, September 25 - Daddy didn't get home until after Will was in bed, so I had to grab a picture of Will in his new footie pajamas I got at the big consignment sale for super cheap. Yes, those are cheerios strewn on the floor behind Will. We had an eventful dinner, consisting of my offering just about everything we had and Will's snubbing it or tossing it about, as you can see. Fun, fun, fun.
Friday, September 26 - Wii! Rolf got to test drive a Wii his office bought for an upcoming trade show, and Will had a blast watching us bowl. Saturday, I played a couple of games while Rolf showered. Will disappeared into the other room. Figuring he went to bother Rolf in the shower, I called to him. He came running back into the living room with the DVD remote control from our bedroom, parked himself about 3 feet from the TV, and started waving the remote at it. Very cute, but also a reminder that at this age, he's a little mimic. I really need to watch my language better around him.
Saturday, September 27 - We took down the crib once and for all. It was a bittersweet moment. We hope we'll be able to use it again one day, but there's no guarantee. Will is growing so fast. He's working on phonemes he hasn't tried before, and his language increasingly sounds fluent. Fluent in what, I'm not sure. Rolf swears that sometimes Will is speaking French. Lately, I think he's sounding a bit more Russian. I have a feeling that one of these days, all those puzzle pieces will fall into place and he'll be speaking fluent English.
P.S. Notice Will holding the pliers. He helped dismantle the crib. I think he was happy to have his room back.
Sunday, September 28 - This pretty much sums up the day. If we were doing what Will wanted, when he wanted it, we were all kinds of good. If not, Will threw one of his tantrums. Sigh. I'm afraid, along with the strawberry blonde hair, that Will got his mommy's temperament. There's a reason my mother used to recite this to me when I was younger:
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good,
She was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
That's Will, except male and sans curls. Today was just a grumpy day.
21 September 2008
Project 365 Week 19
Monday, September 15 - What did we do? I can't remember. No photographic record, either. Drat.
Tuesday, September 16 - Will pulled the chair one way and tried to sit in it the other at daycare. The bruise just over his right eyebrow is pretty, isn't it? It matches the blue in his cool comic book onesie.
Wednesday, September 17 - Will in the woods? Nah, just walking in front of a massive tree branch that Rolf cut down pre-Ike. The tips of it were traipsing on the roof, and we didn't know wht kind of wind we were going to get. Instead of risking shingles, Rolf climbed up in the heat and cut it down. With a hook saw on a stick. Ugh.
Thursday, September 18 - My handsome boy. Look at that pretty hair!
Friday, September 19 - Will stayed with Grandma and Grandad after daycare, and by the time we got home, he was worn out and cranky. He was up long enough to whine, drink some milk, and get ready for bed.
Saturday, September 20 - Dancin', dancin', dancin', dancin' machine!
Sunday, September 21 - Will helped Daddy anchor his bed rail to his new toddler bed. Later, he went to sleep in the bed for the first time. I almost cried, but held it back. Rolf tried to comfort me, telling me how it was cool that we raised him to another milestone, and I agree. But the part of me that isn't sure we'll ever get to do this again mourns the baby that is left behind with every step Will takes toward childhood. He's already so big and doing so much on his own. I know we'll be registering him for Kindergarten before I can blink. Every day with this little guy is so special.
Tuesday, September 16 - Will pulled the chair one way and tried to sit in it the other at daycare. The bruise just over his right eyebrow is pretty, isn't it? It matches the blue in his cool comic book onesie.
Wednesday, September 17 - Will in the woods? Nah, just walking in front of a massive tree branch that Rolf cut down pre-Ike. The tips of it were traipsing on the roof, and we didn't know wht kind of wind we were going to get. Instead of risking shingles, Rolf climbed up in the heat and cut it down. With a hook saw on a stick. Ugh.
Thursday, September 18 - My handsome boy. Look at that pretty hair!
Friday, September 19 - Will stayed with Grandma and Grandad after daycare, and by the time we got home, he was worn out and cranky. He was up long enough to whine, drink some milk, and get ready for bed.
Saturday, September 20 - Dancin', dancin', dancin', dancin' machine!
Sunday, September 21 - Will helped Daddy anchor his bed rail to his new toddler bed. Later, he went to sleep in the bed for the first time. I almost cried, but held it back. Rolf tried to comfort me, telling me how it was cool that we raised him to another milestone, and I agree. But the part of me that isn't sure we'll ever get to do this again mourns the baby that is left behind with every step Will takes toward childhood. He's already so big and doing so much on his own. I know we'll be registering him for Kindergarten before I can blink. Every day with this little guy is so special.
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