The Verdict Is In...

Not a huge fan of sweet potatoes..

"Where is milk?!!? This is NOT my momma's milk!"

This picture was Will's first taste of sweet potatoes. We decided to try sweet potatoes first since several people have told me that all babies like sweet potatoes and to try out all the veggies first because the fruit will taste much better to them and if you do the fruit first, they will never want the veggies. So we are on Day 2 of sweet potatoes. I will say that today a much better time was had by all during our 2nd attempt. He looked like the picture above both times I fed him yesterday. It was so gross. Today he did so much better. He is actually swallowing now and at 11 he finished 3/4 of the jar and at 6 he ate the whole jar, with minimal spillage on the bib/highchair/face/wall/mommy. We could not stop laughing at him yesterday. Our doctor said that if he is not tolerating it very well to give him a swig of milk in between trying to feed him the sweet potatoes. So we tried that, but it was like he was confused on whether he should try to suck on a nipple or swallow. Changing it up made it worse and so when I would put a spoon in his mouth he would try to suck on it and when I would put the nipple from the bottle in his mouth he would do the opposite, like he was trying to swallow the sweet potatoes. Today we did not have to give him milk in between and that helped us out a ton. We start squash on Tuesday...oh joy!

4 Month Check Up

We got manly band-aids this time!Will was actually 4 months old on May 13, but his pediatrician was out of town and then it was the end of school and we went out of town so this was the first chance we had to take him to get his check up. He is perfect! He now weighs 16 pounds and is 26.5 inches long. He is the 90% percentile for both height and weight. He got 2 shots today and did so great. His eyes just got really big when she gave him the first shot and he kind of growled. The second shot he started to cry and spit his paci out, but he was immediately calm when I picked him up. He was such a big boy! Up to this point, Will has only had his momma's milk...we got the go ahead from the pediatrician to start rice cereal in a bowl and stage 1 fruits and veggies tomorrow twice a day. John and I are so excited to see how he is going to react! We will make sure to have the video camera close by.

Little Crabs

This is the last round of pictures I wanted to post from the beach. Holly and I ordered the boys matching crab smocked outfits a while back, long before we knew we would take them to the beach together. They all wore them on our last night to dinner and they looked adorable!

The Warrior

We took a little video footage of Will's first trip to the beach and Will's first swim. Although the weather was not pretty the first day and was on the verge of a storm, we still had to capture his first beach experience. John does a GREAT job commentating. I could not stop laughing.

I have a few more pictures from our trip that I am going to try and post tonight. Will did AWESOME in the car on the way home. We left after lunch Monday so we were really worried that he would cry the entire time but he napped and watched movies and napped some more. He only cried when he had a dirty diaper (which happened 3 times on the way home!! geez). We were so thankful that he was such a trooper!

The Beach: Day 2

We were so happy to be greeted by the sun this morning. We have so enjoyed the day. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Summer Kick Off

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!! I could not be more thrilled. I am so excited to have the whole summer to spend with Will. We decided to kick off the summer festivities by heading to the beach with Holly and Dax and their boys, Cole and Owen. We are in Gulf Shores until Monday. Will was an absolute angel on the way down. We borrowed a DVD player which worked like a charm. 20 minutes into Finding Nemo and out of Birmingham and Will was asleep. He slept until we stopped to feed him and then fell back asleep until we got here. Praise the Lord!! We have been dreading this car ride for weeks and it turned out to be just fine.
The weather is not looking promising for the weekend. There was a little sun today which gave us a short trip to the beach. We had Will's tent and all of our stuff set up for about 15 minutes before it started to rain. We got some cute pictures though! We also put him in the heated pool for his first swim. He was pretty much indifferent-he didn't love it but didn't hate it either. He seemed very unamused but at least there were no tears...I will leave you with a few pictures and will add some more after we get home. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Holly ordered the boys matching outfits with their names on them...so cute!

I don't even think Will noticed the sand-he was too concerned with his Bumbo.
First Swim!
I think he liked this part of the swim experience better...
First family pic at the beach!
Me and Holly with Will and Cole (2)

Lovin' The Bumbo

This thing is a lifesaver! If you have never heard of one or don't have one and have a baby that is not sitting up, you must go get one!! Will has just in the past couple of weeks enjoyed sitting in it. Usually we would sit him in it to entertain him. Now we can sit him in it and get things done (sterilize, laundry, etc). John left yesterday morning for Kansas City for a conference (work). I do not know how single parents do it! You don't realize how helpful an extra set of hands are until they aren't here anymore. We miss you daddy!

Today I popped in Will's Baby Einstein Video. This was his first time to watch it and he was mesmorized. For 3o minutes. I have got to get some more of these :)

The Unwritten Rule

I have decided it is an unwritten rule of moms with blogs to post tons of pictures, and even better, videos, of their little one to the blog. Now pictures are one thing. Everyone likes to see how others kids are growing, etc. But videos...I should know that no one is going to care or appreciate these as much as I do (except for immediate family). However, I feel that I must post these 2 videos of the most recent milestones for Will. I wouldn't want to break the rules! They are short-and please excuse my talking. I sound ridiculous on there but I guess that goes to show that babies can make adults act like complete idiots and talk in the weirdest voices possible.

Here is Will's exciting new trick-rolling over!

And this is our most favorite thing-Will giggling...It is contagious!

The Graduate

Congratulations to Stephanie (John's sister)!! She graduated on Saturday from the Nursing School at Auburn (where else??). John and I went down for the ceremony. Poor Will missed seeing his aunt, but we figured that would be a little long for a 4 month old! The highlight of the day for John was that Bo Jackson was the speaker. John just wished that he was graduating now instead of in December so he could have shaken Bo's hand as he received his diploma. Steph will start at Children's Hospital sometime in July, once she has taken her boards and her scores come back. We are so proud of you Steph! We love you!

Speaking of school, John is finished until July!!! He finished his case study yesterday. He has one class this summer that is only during the month of July and then he will start his last semester in August and graduate THIS DECEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will Goes To School

Today Will is 4 months old!! Crazy. My kids have been wanting to meet Baby Will. I promised them that before the year was up, I would have my mom bring him to visit. I decided this week would be best since next week will be a bit chaotic. It was hysterical. When I brought him in, all the kids crowded around his car seat. His lip puckered out and he started to cry...you could tell he was overwhelmed. Once I got him out of his seat and loved on him for a minute, he started to warm up. It didn't take him long to start cutting up with my class-smiling big and even giving high fives! My favorite thing one of my students said today..."Can he be our class child?" I won't get a class pet because they are just too much work, so I guess they have adopted Will as our class child :) Hysterical.

The Boys teaching Will how to high five!

They wanted me to put him in this chair, so I did. He was well supervised! He looked so funny in that big chair.

I am loving this age. And I keep hearing that it just gets better and better. But it is so fun right now. He smiles and laughs all the time. His chuckle brightens my day. Sometimes he cracks himself up which then cracks us up!

Here is the 4-1-1 on Will:

-He loves playing peek-a-boo

-He is loving his bath (except for lotion-not a big fan!)

-He can now roll over, though he is stubborn and usually only does it in his bed when no one is in there-I still haven't gotten it on video.

-He loves to eat! 7 oz every 4 hours...

-He saves his biggest poops for church when he is dressed in nice outfits

-He doesn't love the car (which is why we are a bit weary about the beach next weekend...)

-He has now noticed Bentley and will pet him (grab his fur and PULL) whenever Bent is near

-He is a great napper, and very moody when he does not get in a good morning nap

-He is a snuggler!

-He puts everything in his mouth which equals drool everywhere

-He is PRECIOUS :)

This is my favorite onesie....I found it on sale for $2.50 at Children's Place. SO ADORABLE!! And yes, he gets ALL those chins from his mama-looks just like my baby pictures!

And this is his smiley self tonight right after dinner when John was playing peek-a-boo with him

Happy Mother's Day

To Me! Today has been such a great day. It felt very weird having people all day tell me Happy Mother's Day. Today was just another day for me to realize how much God has blessed me with. By picking John out just for me, He made me a wife, and now by giving us this precious son, He has made me a mother. I don't think you can fully appreciate your own mother until you become one yourself. It was not until I had Will that I understood excatly how much my own mother loved me, an unconditional love, a sacrificial love. I now love Will in that way. I still look at him sometimes and think how weird it is that I have a kid. That I am responsible for another human being. It is a daunting task, but at the same time, a most amazing gift that I am so grateful for. In church today, the sermon was about what it meant to be a mother and the job bestowed upon them. The priest went on to say that the greatest gift you can give your child is taking them to church, praying with them and for them, reading scriptures to them. That hit me. Every Sunday, John and I contemplate dragging Will to church. It always seems like more of a hassle. It is right during his nap time, but soon after we get to church he wakes up. Then I am completly focused on Will and trying to keep him quiet instead of focusing my mind on the Lord. I end up taking him out towards the end, and sometimes leave thinking it would have been easier to just stay at home. Instead, most weeks we make a valiant effort to be in church. And hearing those words today, made me so glad that we do. It is my prayer that my children will grow up knowing the Lord, seeking His guidance, following His lead, praying, reading the Bible, and praying some more. If I fail at everything else as a mom, I at least want to know that I have brought my children up to know Christ. I guess the best way to do that is to set an example for them, but most importantly, praying for them each day. This job seems like the biggest job of all as a mom-but one I gladly accept, knowing that Will is God's first-I am just the lucky one who gets to love on him!! Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers.

Look What I Can Do!

I can roll over!! Mom and dad are so proud of me. Here are some action shots!

First I get ready by shoving my face in the sheet and mentally prepare myself...

Then I usually give Mom and Dad a quick glance to get some encouragement...




I tuck my right shoulder up under my body and tuck my feet up under my butt by moving them very fast...it is all in the feet...

Here I go... Wait for it....Wait for it...

Whoa! What just happened?

I am so proud of myself! Mom and Dad aren't hard to amuse!!

Let The Countdown Begin!!!

Only 8 more instructional days of school left!!! 10 days total left, but May Day Play Day and the last day don't count :) May 21 is the kids last day and May 22 is my last day. I am so ready to be out for summer and be able to stay at home with Will in the mornings...he is the snuggliest little fellow during this time!! I am going to miss my sweet class though-I have truly been blessed my first year at Liberty Park with incredible kids. As soon as we can get out of here on the 22nd, we are headed to the beach to spend a long weekend with The Pughs. I cannot wait! We are very curious as to how Will is going to do in the car for that long...the past 2 trips to Auburn he has completely melted down on the way home and that is only a 2 hour car ride. But if we can ever get there and get him adjusted, he will be oh so cute in his new bathing suit and sun hat the Easter Bunny brought him! If anyone has any tips on traveling with a baby, please send them my way!!!

Big Boy!

We put Will in his high chair for the first time on Sunday. He didn't eat anything in it of course, but he sat so nicely while we ate dinner!!

We got the Jeep Stroller out this weekend to take a walk. I wanted to see if he was big enough. He liked strolling in this so much better than in his carseat snapped into that big stroller. He kicked his feet and looked at them the whole time!

We also tried out this bathtub. We tried it once before and it did not work out so well. He did fine with it, but I think he prefers laying on the sponge better. It keeps him warm!