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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.

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.

more firsts

tonight marks the night will sails to slumber on his first big boy bed. i am both thrilled and terrified. we've installed a railing to keep him from rolling out His old crib is being mothballed until the fleet needs it again.

Project 365 Week 18

Monday, September 8 - Will has been one hungry hungry hippo lately. He's eating a lot, sleeping a lot, and fussing a lot. He's hitting several new cognitive and physical developments. Plus, he's going through a growth spurt (in his mouth, too - see previous post). Will's World hasn't been a happy place to be lately. :-(



Tuesday, September 9 - We were eating non "pre-chewed" food, as my department chair calls ground beef and chicken nuggets, so Will got to eat one of his Gerber graduate meals. The instructions call for 3o seconds in the microwave, but after just 20, it's lava in a tray. We usually have to remove the dinner early and stick it in the freezer for just as long, if not longer, than it was in the microwave. Even then, it's still plenty warm. Will will blow on his food if he thinks it's hot (see post Cookie Monster for evidence).



Wednesday, September 10 - Will's Great-Grandad turned 85 today. We also experienced a sudden downpour around the time Rolf was on the road home. Will loves outside in any weather, but he seems especially fascinated with the rain. I'm a bit more nervous because the concrete on our patio is extremely slippery when wet. His feet slide around a little. For that reason, we only take very short sojourns outside when it's raining.



Thursday, September 11 - "Bear?" After a particularly fussy afternoon, Will grabbed the remote, waved it at the television, and asked for Bear. Since all my other efforts (playing, reading, cuddling) were refused by Mr. Grumpy, I obliged. I put the DVD in and turned around to see that Will had very properly sat on his stepstool and was awaiting his favorite show. He began to bounce when the theme music came on, happier than I'd seen him all day.



Friday, September 12 - Will is in a better mood, and he has several new toys, including this farm magnet set. I went with Jack's mommy to a massive consignment sale on Thursday night. We got in early because we were teachers. Apparently, it wasn't early enough. Most of the great stuff already had "sold" tags on them. My major coup? A toddler bed for $30. Rolf and I had debated about whether or not to transition Will to a toddler bed or a twin mattress. Since I was able to find the bed so cheap, we will get him into the toddler bed by Halloween. He'll have more autonomy when it comes to getting in and out of bed, which is a mixed bag. I'm glad he'll be able to lay down if he's sleepy, but I know the first time I wake up to find him standing next to my bed I'll be scared sh!tless.




Saturday, September 13 - As Ike rained down on us outside, we had a nice hang-around-in-your-pajamas day. As I said in my previous post, Will was up and down most of the day. He had a good run in the afternoon playing ball with daddy, though. Will's favorite thing to do is fling something, anything across the room and yell, "Ohhh!" If I can get it on video, I'll show you.



Sunday, September 14 - Rolf and I caught The Who's Tommy at the Dallas Theater Center this afternoon. It's part of our goal to support the arts more and to have more couple time. Will stayed with Grandma and Grandad (and Great-Grandad, who now lives with G'ma & G'dad). Of course, life was much more exciting over there, with three people doting on him and two dogs to play with, so naptime was nearly non-existent. Because of that, Will was ready when it came to bedtime. Here he is, with Boyd, his paci, and his blankie, ready to get into the rocking chair for his bedtime stories. I love that he's starting to take the initiative when it comes to bedtime. That's one reason we're fairly sure the toddler bed is a good idea.

Molarity

Sorry about the geeky chemistry reference. (okay, I'm really not.) This Saturday, knowing we were facing a day full of rain (and potentially dangerous winds) from the remnants of Ike, we planned on staying in all day. Good thing, too, because Will was fussy and feverish. He was up at 6, down again for a nap by 9, and another at around 1 in the afternoon. He must be teething, we thought. Hah! That's an understatement. I stuck my finger in his mouth as he watched the downpour through the patio door and felt a bud on the lower right side behind his canine. Okay, I figured. That's about right. Let's see how the others are coming. I moved to the left side of his mouth. Ouch! He bit down with a molar that's already half in and one that's, oh, about 1/3 through. Rolf went back to check the other side, and the top right molar is starting to peek through.

For those of you keeping count, that's roughly 14 1/2 teeth in, 5 1/2 more to go before we get a break from this. For the real stat junkies out there, this will mean eight, yes, EIGHT teeth broken through between July 7 and September 21. Poor kid.

Project 365 Week 17

Monday, September 1 - Labor Day. Will and Daddy share some of the last watermelon the season has to offer. Will could have eaten the whole thing, if we'd let him, but I didn't want to deal with the diapers that were sure to follow. I know daycare didn't, either.




Tuesday, September 2 - "Bye-bye!" Will decided that after the fit he threw at daycare (separation anxiety is a bitch) that he wanted to go out again. We're not sure where he wanted to go. He just wanted to be somewhere besides the house. I can't blame him; I'm the same way sometimes.



Wednesday, September 3 - Will and Daddy play. "Whee!"



Thursday, September 4 - Apparently inspired by the political season, Will practices his stump speech. He's got my vote!

Friday, September 5 - As an effort to make dropping off at daycare a little easier in the morning, I have started to send Will with his dog Boyd. After I picked up Will at 4:15, we got home to find Rolf had gotten the hot water heater taken care of (too much money, but at least the house is up to code now!). Will was tired and cranky and acted like he needed a nap. Rolf tried to put him down at around 5, when we realized that Boyd was nowhere to be found. In one terrible, sinking moment, I realized that Boyd was still at daycare. Knowing that we wouldn't get any sleep all weekend without him, I rushed back up to get Boyd and two pacis that had been left in the Infant II room. Will has been spending his afternoons in the 18-month room. He loves playing with the bigger kids, and honestly, I think he likes the teacher in that room a lot better, too. We rescued Boyd in time, and we figured out that Will's fussiness was as much hunger as anything else. In all the hubbub, we didn't get a picture.


Saturday, September 6 - Blanket monster! Arrrrr!


Sunday, September 7 - I think we're about to see another growth spurt, a developmental milestone, or a few teeth. Will has been eating everything he can get his hands on, he has been fussy fussy fussy, and he has been sleepy. He walks into his room, pulls his blanket through the crib bars, and requests "Boee?" and "Pah" (his dog Boyd and his paci). Then, popping the paci in his mouth, he cuddles up on the floor or in one of our laps. He usually only uses the paci to sleep at night, but I'm afraid it's starting to become a little security measure for his separation anxiety. We're going to have to work on weaning him of that soon.

Water Dragon redux

Apparently it fled from the hall bath and took its revenge on the hot water heater this morning. the call to the mega hardware chain for assistance guaranteed a call back in an hour for installation tomorrow...as you can probably surmise, i didn't get a call back from my 'installation co-ordinator' :P

with everything we've done to the house ourselves already, i'm tempted to try this on my own this weekend...

on a different note, the weather was beautiful today. we went and played in the back yard when i got home from work. Ghostie got some good shots of will practicing his oratory skills, check it out in the next 365 update.

rolf

Whee!

Who needs fancy ride-on toys?

Cookie Monster

...or should I say, "Cuh-kee" Monster?

Monday morning, Will was up bright and early. Because of the holiday, I tried to let Rolf sleep in a little. I got Will his milk and began to scramble him an egg for breakfast. I heard his little bare feet slapping the floor as he ran across the house. The sound faded slightly before the monitor picked him up again. I heard him burst into our bedroom, saying, "cuh-kee, cuh-kee, cuh-kee." Rolf didn't have a chance. Essentially, Will said, "screw the scrambled eggs, Ma, Daddy gives me cookies." It's kind of Rolf's fault, though, because when he let me sleep in on Sunday, he fed Will graham crackers at breakfast.

Here is my little cookie monster in action.

Project 365 Week 16

Monday, August 25 - The first day of school with students. Photography was the last thing on my mind.


Tuesday, August 26 - After a vigorous play session in his sand table, Will gets Daddy to rinse his toys.


Wednesday, August 27 - After heading outside to water the flowers and back in to get a bath, Will sat down and pulled out his books. He loves to read so much that he will, with no prompting, pick up a book and read to himself. It doesn't matter that anything round is a "ball" and that most animals are "dogs." What matters to me is that he loves books. I figure he was genetically predisposed that way, but you never know...


Thursday, August 28 - Will was a sleepy boy tonight. All we were doing was changing his diaper, and he grabbed Boyd and his paci and tried to settle in for the night. I don't blame him. By Thursday, I was more than ready for the weekend.


Friday, August 29 - After his bath, a naked Will ran through the house, squealing in delight at the feel of the wind on his bum, dodging every effort to corral him, and refusing to settle in to brush his teeth. This is the only picture I got that night that didn't include parts of his anatomy I promised I would never publish online.


Saturday, August 30 - Will in his cool shark swimsuit at his friend Brenden's new house. Based on his love of bathwater and hoses, we assumed Will would love to swim. We assumed incorrectly. Will hated it in the pool. I can't blame him too much. He's only ever swum once before, for about 5 minutes, when he was 3 months old. The water was too cold for him that time. This time, I think he had a better feel for the idea of water as an awesome presence. It must be genetic. Both my mother and I are not water people. I'll go soak in a pool, but I am not a big swimmer. I think I must have been drowned in a past life...


Sunday, August 31 - For some reason, we missed grabbing a picture while we ran errands. Before we knew it, the day was over. Dangit.

water dragons

i have done battle with the water dragon in the hall bath. it was a hard fought struggle that required me to re-supply from the neighborhood hardware store and bust out with the dremmel cutter... but it is done. the 30 year old fixtures have been replaced with shiny new stuff that will make us 30 percent cleaner and help whiten our teeth in our sleep.

Response to comments below...

I started this in the comment section of "Velcro Dad," but it got long-winded (surprise, surprise), so I decided to make it into a post instead.

Personally, I would prefer to leave our political views off of Will's page. I set this blog up to keep Will's more distant relatives up to date on his life, not to explain to the world to whom my vote goes and why. I know the blog is mundane at times; I don't always have the time to craft a witty post, and lately, the energy is lacking, too. I will try to post livelier stories of Will's (mis)adventures.

Additionally, I am very private about my political views around my students because I don't want my political philosophy tainting their view of me as a teacher. Most 15 year olds aren't quite mature enough to separate what their parents tell them is the right way to think from the people they admire. The last thing I need is for some kid to think I grade his paper harder because he follows a different political party. If they listen closely to what I say, they can figure out my viewpoint. Most don't listen that closely. Besides, discussing politics and religion (outside of immediate family) makes me physically sick to my stomach. They are two areas that represent who people are at the core of their being, and arguing won't change that.

Rolf's feed is already on the right side of the blog. My feed includes the Onion, the blog Cake Wrecks, and the Great White Snark. Everything else is either a friend's blog or the SAT question of the day, to which I subscribe for the SAT prep class I teach.

Rolf is thinking about starting a different blog for the side of our lives that has less to do with Will. I am not sure how it will fly, since Rolf doesn't even post here, and I have my aforementioned aversions to publishing my thoughts about the world where my students can find them. You may think me spineless for feeling this way, but remember the city in which I teach, and remember the close-minded nature of many of its citizens. The subject I teach has more "subjective" grades than straightforward a+b=c. Add to that a high-maintenance group of "helicopter" parents (not all, but there are more than a few in my school's neighborhood), and there's a recipe for trouble. It's not worth it to me. I live my own personal philosophies in my daily life through my service to the community and my tolerance for all walks of life, and I teach that service and tolerance by example in my classroom. I feel that's enough.

All that aside, the Henson exhibit sounds fantastic. I would love to take Rolf and Will to the Smithsonian someday. I don't think Will is going to be up for that much museum time for a couple of years, but it's definitely on the to-do list. One of my long held goals is to be a card-carrying member of the Library of Congress. You know, just 'cause.