We Were Right!

So, all last week, we thought Will was teething. He was fussier than normal, woke up early, was trying to bite anything in sight (I know--can you believe we figured out these mystery clues??). Yet, the tooth never came. Well, Monday morning, we finally caught a glimpse of it! His top tooth to the left of the two middle ones (is that an incisor? I don't remember my tooth anatomy) came in, bringing his grand total to SIX teeth! Unfortunately, he seems to only be getting teeth one at a time, which makes for a long, painful process (for us and him). I guess there will be quite a few more before we can declare ourselves done with teething.

First Blood

Will got his first real "boo-boo" yesterday. He fell down and cut his lip on his teeth. And he bled. So sad. Luckily, I was not here to see it, and only heard about it second-hand from Zach.

How Much Applesauce Can One Baby Eat?

Will is trying to find out. He loves the stuff and had three bowls of it tonight. I hope there's no proven harm in consuming mass quantities of applesauce! We'll keep researching and let you know. He feels the same way about bagels and cream cheese. I just give him little tastes of mine, but he would eat it all day if I'd let him. I love to watch him put it in his mouth and roll it around a bit, as if he's savoring its deliciousness.

In other news, Will has a new word: "Beah", which in baby-speak means Bear. He points at his basket of stuffed animals and says "Beah" "Beah". I'm surprised that THIS is the word he has learned. I don't even remember emphasizing "bear" that much. I'd much prefer he'd learn "Mama" (he will say Mama, but usually only when crying). Oh well. It is super-cute to watch how excited he gets when I give him the bear(s) after he points to them (he's really learning to communicate his needs well, even with his limited vocabulary). He loves to give each bear a hug. I thought he wasn't going to get attached to a particular "lovey", but maybe one of the bears will make the cut. I'm trying to encourage the softer, smaller one.

Non-Napper

A few months ago we were at a dinner party and a woman was joking about how her daycare had labeled her three-year-old daughter as a "non-napper". I remember thinking that, while napping wasn't Will's best skill (he was around 7 months at the time), I was sure it would get better as he got older, learned to crawl, expended more energy, etc., etc. Well, it has NOT gotten better, in fact it has gotten worse, and I think I can officially say that Will is a non-napper.

Yesterday Will slept for 20 minutes. All day. One, twenty-minute nap. It's ridiculous and extremely frustrating. I'm trying not to get too upset by it and to realize that maybe Will is just what some of the parenting books refer to as a "wakeful" child. And, at least he still sleeps at night. In fact, he sleeps very well at night, which is a blessing. And, at least he's not super cranky when he gets home, although I can tell he is tired. So, the non-napping does not present a dire circumstance, but it still really frustrates me. And, I wish his teachers seemed a little more concerned or a little more interested in solving this problem. They just seem to shrug their shoulders and say "he just wouldn't sleep". Of course you can't force a child to nap. But I think there are some things you can do to encourage him to nap. Now if only I could figure out what those things are...

Sweet, but still Trouble

Such a Sweet Boy

We had brunch with my family on Sunday, and Will behaved very well. He sat in his highchair, ate his baby food lunch and some of Daddy's potatoes, and only threw a few pieces of food on the nicely carpeted floor. Near the end of lunch, Mom wanted to hold him, so she got him out of his chair for a cuddle. He gave her a big hug, then looked to her left and saw Zach. Will held out his hands to be passed to Zach, and then gave him a big hug. Then he saw Dad...he moved on and gave him a hug. Then Bob, then Mel, and finally to me. A hug and quick snuggle for each of us. It was super cute and sweet...a round of hugs from Will.

I want some assurance that he will always be this sweet. That even when he's bigger than me, he'll still want to give his Mama a good hug. Sigh.

A Random Milestone

The last bottle of Dreft.

Since I am OBSESSED with the baby smell of Dreft detergent, I have been unable to break myself away from using it, despite the fact that it is about three times more expensive than regular detergent. But, since we are approaching the year mark, I have resolved that my current bottle will be my last bottle.

Until the next baby, of course. :)