Par-tay!

So, I've been meaning to write this post about Will's birthday party for several weeks now, but like with everything else in my life that doesn't demand immediate attention, I've been putting it off. My problem with blogging is that I always want the posts to be 'just so', so I end up waiting far too long in the hopes that the perfect words will come to me at some point. Sensing that that's not going to happen, I decided to just post something.

For Will's first birthday we had a small party with mostly family. Zach's parents were in town, and my parents, sister/BIL, and cousins came over, plus a few close friends (but no other kids). I don't believe in big parties for kids until they're at least three. I mean, if I'm going to spend all that time, money, and energy, they need to have at least a chance of remembering it! I'm only half-kidding---I really don't think that kids need a petting zoo or moon bounce at Will's age. Considering that tin foil still excites him, I think we can hold off on the moon bounce.

ANYWAY, the party that we did have was lots of fun and very sweet. I don't think Will had any clue as to what was going on but he looked adorable in his blue gigham shorts and white t-shirt with a cupcake applique. The adults had BBQ and a delicious chocolate and peanut butter cake from Olexa's. Will had his own little cupcake--white cake with chocolate icing--decorated like the big cake. However, the big disappointment of the party was that he had no interest in the cake at all! Even when we fed him a piece, he didn't seem care for it. I think he was honestly just ready to get out of his high chair, but I was really hoping for the picture of him with chocolate icing all over his face. I guess this is a good lesson in enjoying the life you have rather than the one you picture in your head.

Will got lots of presents--way too many, in my opinion, but I know that there are so many people who care for him and want to get him something. And that is really nice to know. But, he didn't understand the idea of opening the presents, so Zach did it for him. He seemed genuinely excited by all of the things, and he has really enjoyed playing with them since. However, he probably also would have been excited simply by the BOX that the toys came in. In fact, he really loved the tissue paper and the ribbons used for wrapping. His favorite present was, yes, the balloon that we tied to his high chair. That has provided hours of fun over the last few weeks. (Although, the balloon has come back to haunt us. He is now obsessed with them and just about had a coronary yesterday in the grocery store because I wouldn't let him touch each and every balloon that we saw. I guess I never noticed how many balloons there are in a grocery store.)

Overall, it was lots of fun being surrounded by people who love Will almost as much as Zach and I do. I think he had a wonderful day, even if he didn't realize it was all for him. We were all exhausted after the party, and the adults had to join Will for nap time.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Dear Will

Dear Will,
Happy Birthday! You are one year old today, and I can't believe it. I can't believe how much you've grown in the last year. You are a little boy now, and not a baby (although you'll always be my baby.) By our measurements, you weigh about 26.5 pounds and are somewhere between 30 and 31 inches. It's quite hard to measure a wiggle worm like you. We're going to see Dr. Levin on Tuesday, so we'll get the official updates then.

You're not walking yet, but you're a speed demon crawler. You love to crawl down the hallway and bust open the door to our room. You do everything with such intention...we don't always know what your plan is, but you do! Sometimes you get a bit frustrated when you can't convey what you need or want to do (and by a bit frustrated, I mean that you pitch a fit!). You can pull up on almost anything, and you love to walk around the coffee table and sofa while holding on. You also try to procure things that you know you're not supposed to have--remotes, phones, magazines--but as of right now, Mama and Daddy are still faster than you. You love to bang on the table or the door like you're playing the drums. You are always in motion, unless you're asleep.

You are a good sleeper--you still sleep from about 6:30pm to 6:00am (or thereabout), but you try to avoid naps at all costs. You will generally take a nap if you're at home, but apparently there is too much interesting stuff going on at school. No time to sleep!

You're also a good eater (see weight stats above). You have six teeth to use for chomping! We haven't found many foods that you don't like. Right now, you love foods that you can pick up and feed yourself. For dinner, you often eat chicken, quesadillas, or ravioli. You've also had hamburger and grilled cheese. You love all fruits, particularly bananas and watermelon. Cheese is one of your favorite foods (no surprise there, given your parents' love of cheese), and you also love YoBaby yogurt. You're even good at eating vegetables--carrots are your favorite, but you also eat sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, and corn.

You can say about seven words that we can recognize: Mama, Dada, Baby, Bear, UhOh, Bye-Bye (which was your first word), Duck, and Dog (although these last two sound suspiciously the same, and we have to use context to figure out what you mean). You have infinite words that mean something to you, but that we can't identify. My favorite is "a-deedle-deedle-di".

Playtime! Simply...you love to play. You love to explore, and you are curious about everything. You want to touch everything (sometimes with your mouth, too) so that you can figure out different textures and materials. You love to wrestle with Daddy on the floor. You love to talk to your stuffed animals and play them a song on your xylophone. You're getting very good at your star-stacking toy and at making and destroying stacks of blocks. When we go to Hulie and Bubs' house, you love to play with/antagonize Annie the dog, play Bubs' piano, and climb the stairs. You love the water. Bathtime is pure fun for you, even when we pour water over your head to wash your hair. You often line up your duck toys on the edge of the tub. You also enjoy going to the pool and "swimming" around.

You're a very affectionate child, often giving great hugs to your favorite people. However, you're also quite agressive at this age. You like to bang on things, including Mama and Daddy's faces. We are trying to teach you not to hit or bite--you've gotten a few "incident reports" at school for biting the other kids. Mostly, I think the biting is from teething or being overtired, but I certainly hope it will end.

In short, you're a delight. We love watching you learn and grow. It's such a cliche to say that everything is different through a child's eyes, but it's a cliche because it's true. You have been a wonderful addition to our family, and we are so thankful that you are a happy, healthy little boy. Happy Birthday, sweet baby. And many more...

Love,
Mama

One Year? But I Feel Like I Barely Know Him!

Of course I know my child. Like most mothers, I can tell you what foods he likes (all of them), what makes him laugh (inexplicably, he cackles when he watches me take any sort of pill), and what really pisses him off (getting his diaper changed; pretty much anything that disrupts him from playing or eating). Yet some days I feel like, "Who is this little being in my house? Where did he come from? When did I become a MOTHER?" I really can't believe it's been a year (as of tomorrow!). It feels more like two months. And, I still feel like I'm faking it most of the time.

Objectively, I know I'm doing fine at this motherhood thing. He's healthy, he's happy, we're all getting some sleep. What more can you ask for at a year? Yet, you can never let your guard down. Just when I think I've got a handle on things, everything changes. I'd finally figured out bottles and that feeding schedule, and now we need to move to sippy cups. I'd gotten the hang of changing and dressing a newborn, but all of the sudden I have a wiggly, screaming toddler to contend with.

So yes, I know Will--I know the two-month-old, the seven-month-old, and now the twelve-month-old. But just when I get to know one baby, another one is rounding the corner. I can already see glimpses of Will the fifteen-month-old: walking, using more words, laughing a lot. I just have to trust that I'll get to know him and love him just as much as I have with the other stages of Will. Hopefully I will always been able to figure out what makes him smile, how to quiet his cries, and how to let him know that he is very, very loved.

Cutest Husband Ever

This morning, during our routine of "you entertain him while I shower, then I'll take him while you shower", Will wanted to be in the bathroom banging on the door while I was taking my shower. So, this meant Zach was in the bathroom too, trying to occupy Will. Of course, Will wasn't interested in any of the actual TOYS that were available to him. He'd rather open the cabinets, pull on the drawers, check out the night light, or chew on some shoes.

But Zach knew of something that all little boys love, because he loved them as a child too: FORTS! I looked out of the shower and saw that Zach had tucked a towel into one of the drawers and then draped it over his head for a makeshift fort for him and Will. It was the cutest thing ever. It gave me such a smile to see them playing like that, knowing that this was just the first of many, many forts.

Will: 1, Cell Phone: 0

While we were out shopping on Saturday, I made the excellent decision to give Will my cell phone to play with to keep him occupied in his stroller. I honestly didn't think he could hurt it (it should be noted that Zach disagreed). I thought he'd chew on it a little, press some of the buttons, and be happy and quiet while we shopped. Well, I'm sure you can see where this is going. Once we got home, I noticed that my phone was off and wouldn't turn on. But even then, I didn't think there was an actual problem. "No Zach, it's just out of batteries. Let me charge it and it will be fine."

Well, it wasn't fine. It wasn't even close to fine. We took it to the Verizon store on Sunday where they diagnosed it with "liquid damage". Yes, apparently Will had drooled on the phone so much that he had short-circuited it. Let this be a lesson to the rest of you!

At least I got a new phone out of the deal, which Zach claims was my plan all along. I'll never tell.... Will also got TWO new phones: my old one, and a display one that the lady at the Verizon store gave him. Of course, these are no longer of interest since they don't make noise or light up.

Trying New Things

I would love to get inside a baby's head. Everything about life is new to them, yet they are constantly gathering clues to help make sense of it all. I've been thinking about this lately because Will's been trying lots of new foods. Can you imagine what it must be like to taste a hamburger for the first time? Or cantaloupe? Chocolate cake?

On Saturday, Will got a big treat--he had his first Gilchrist milkshake! It has been so, so hot here, so Zach and I decided to share a chocolate milkshake, and we thought we'd let Will have a taste, as well. Luckily, we were smart enough not to give him any until it was almost gone. He got ahold of the cup, starting sucking down the milkshake, and wouldn't let go! He knew a good thing when he tasted it. He definitely would have eaten an entire milkshake if we had let him. That night he got two other taste treats--his first "hamburger" (really, just a tiny patty of ground meat) and some mashed potatoes. An all-American day!! Of course, this type of eating is not acceptable for every day, but he needs treats once in a while. He needs new experiences...we all do.