One down, eight to go!

We survived the first week of separation.  Yay!  Now only eight more to go before summer break. Just seeing the calendar change from March to April should help my spirits.   Monday, I wrote about how hard it was to be away from my sweet boy.  By Wednesday, I thought it would be easier.  It wasn't.  I still had a lump in my throat when I put Will in his carseat in the morning.  My eyes still welled up with tears when a coworker would ask how I was doing.  I still counted down the minutes until the end of the day so that I could dash to my car and try to beat the after-school traffic.  I can't say that Thursday or Friday were different in that respect, but at least I knew we had the weekend around the corner.  

It's been a great weekend so far.  Friday afternoon, I spent quality time with Will.  Then around 6:00, I turned him over to his daddy for his bath and bedtime routine.  A coworker and dear friend invited me to a girl's night murder mystery dinner, called "Death by Chocolate."  I had to go in character, which was fun since I was a Latin dance instructor.  It was a hoot, and we all had a blast.  When I came home, Brian told me that he was surprised I didn't hear Will crying the second I closed the door.  Apparently, Will thinks it's ok if his daddy bathes him, but only if mommy is nearby.  Our little guy is a creature of habit.  Change his routine, and you'll hear about it!  Although I want Will to be equally comfortable with both of his parents, I cannot help but feel a little special that he wanted his mommy ... especially after this week of separation.  Today, we've been lazy.  I haven't done the housework I'd like to have behind me, but it's worth it to be immersed in Will-time.  I've worked on his baby book a bit during his nap, adding pictures and a few more details.  I plan on making a separate book out of his blog after his first birthday.  Hopefully, he'll enjoy reading it one day! 

Will's sitter reports that things are going well.  He seems content when we drop him off and pick him up, so that makes it a little easier on me.  Some days I call during my lunch to check on him, and he's usually taking his mid-day nap.  I am so thankful that he's receiving one-on-one attention right now.  Sure, he may be getting a bit spoiled, but I can try to undo that later.  

As far as milestones, Will is growing stronger and more coordinated every day it seems.  He is getting much better at tummy time, both in his ability to lift his head higher/longer and his willingness to simply tolerate it longer.  He rolled over again this week for the sitter (from tummy to back, the easier way).  She thought that it might have been his first time, and I could tell she felt bad for me, thinking that I had missed a "first."  She looked relieved when I told her that he had done it before and I wasn't missing something totally new.  Will is also talking up a storm!  If we get close and make sounds, he tries to replicate them (and does a pretty good job too).  We love having these little "conversations" with Will.  He also enjoys talking to the little fish on the Aquarium bouncer that Mandy gave us.  For whatever reason, those little bubbling fish really get him chattering away.  

We go to the pediatrician in a week and a half, and I'm eager to see how much Will has grown.  I can't believe he'll be four months old on the 4th!  Time is flying.  It seems like yesterday he was a little "curly" newborn.  Other exciting things: our friends are babysitting next Saturday night so Brian and I can have a belated anniversary celebration dinner and see the musical Wicked. Brian bought tickets ages ago, long before we had Will.  It'll be nice having a night out, and since Will goes to bed so early, we don't feel like we're missing out on a lot of quality time with him.  

I'll end this with a picture.  This was taken on Monday, just after getting home from our first official day of separation.  As you can see, he's smiling at me as to say, "Mom, I'm fine ... relax!" I love love LOVE that little boy!

I'm attached, what can I say?

Today was really hard.  Yesterday was fine since it was a teacher work day, but students came back today.  Somehow it makes it even harder to leave my sweet boy when I'm having to deal with hormonal, moody middle-schoolers.  I didn't boo-hoo, but I came pretty close two different times today when other teachers would ask me how I was doing.  I miss my love, our normal routine at home, and knowing I'll see every milestone.  Summer will be here soon though, so I hold on to that thought.  I'm sure once I survive the week, it'll be slightly better.  Here's hoping.  One thing that HAS made it easier is that Will has been a dream (at least around us).  He wakes up happy, eats quickly, then smiles and laughs during our brief morning playtime.  He doesn't fuss at getting in the carseat, and he doesn't cry when I leave him.  He looks content when I come to get him, and his face erupts in a smile when he sees me.  He gibber-gabbers away at me in the afternoon, still loves his bath and baby massage, and never protests his bedtime.  He makes it easy to love being a parent.  I'm not going to pretend it'll all be this easy, but I think he knows that his impressive behavior makes it just a little easier on his mommy right now.  Like I said, I'm attached.  I hate leaving him, but things are going great with the sitter and she takes wonderful care of him.  So it's a hard week, but I'm looking forward to Saturday when I have a whole day to devote to my sweet William James.  No pictures tonight - just the update.  Until next time ...

3 month photos sneak peak

I should be in bed as I have to wake up bright and early for work tomorrow (tear), but I just checked the photographer's website who took Will's 3 month old pictures.  She doesn't have the proofs up yet, but she did offer a "sneak peak" on her blog.  As you'll see, she's a very talented natural light photographer.  Will looks so sweet in the first picture especially!  Here's the link:  http://jessicaparrisphotography.blogspot.com/

Will, 3 1/2 months old

The week has flown by, and sadly, maternity leave is over.  I'm very lucky that I've had so much time at home with Will.  I can't imagine leaving him at 6 weeks like so many people have to do.  Although I know I'm blessed, it doesn't make it much easier knowing that I'll have to leave him to go to work.  What can I say, I love being at home with him.  I've been amazed at how busy I am just taking care of him, cooking several nights a week, and doing household chores.   Monday I'll start the countdown until summer, and I'm sure before I know it, I'll be writing a joyful blog at the end of May.  We also have some fun things to look forward to between now and then.  In a few weeks, we are going to have a belated anniversary dinner out alone and go see the traveling Broadway production of Wicked.  We also have a law review banquet to get dressed up for, and my mother is visiting during that long weekend to spend some time with us.  I'll just take things one week at a time.  Hopefully, this time next week, I will be feeling better about the separation and our new routine.  We've woken up early for the past four days to ease the shock of things, so that should help Will adjust.   I'll try to do an update at the end of the week on how we survived!  I'm sure Will will be fine.  It's me I'm worried about!

Here are some pictures from our last week at home together.  As you can see, he's growing up fast!  For the record, I'm not a fan of bibs, but the little guy is drooling like crazy.  Without them, Will would soak through multiple outfits a day.  

Will with his "Ellie Lovey" - a new naptime friend

First time in his high chair.  He sat slightly reclined and watched me do dishes.

I'm on a mission to rid him of the ugly aqua soothie pacis.  He spit the one in his mouth out immediately after this picture, but he likes the green one in the background.  

The bib is true - he's pretty crazy about his mommy if I do say so myself!  

Becoming more confident in his Bumbo seat.  His head and neck strength have improved significantly in the past two weeks.  

Spending a little quality time with Uncle Eric.

Will liked that he and Eric have the same hairstyle.  This was shortly before Will spit up all over Eric's jeans!  Opps!

5 years of marriage! March 17th

I know this blog is usually all about Will, but I had to give a quick anniversary tribute to my husband, who is a truly wonderful all-around person as well as husband and daddy. So much has changed in the past year alone, but we've been through some interesting times in the last five. Here are some pictures from our dating days all the way up until recently. There are some gaps, but I tired to span most of our marriage. A lot of my early pictures aren't digital, so if they're on here, they may be scanned and poor quality. Hope you enjoy seeing a glimpse of our life. Happy Anniversary, Brian! Oh, and it's best if you start at the bottom of the picture series and work your way up. That way, it goes in order from earliest to most recent.

July 2008, at a going-away party for a friend.  

Late June 2008 - I loved this stage of pregnancy.  We're at a cousin's birthday party.  

The Barrister's Ball aka "Law Prom" 2008.  This was a month and a half before we found out that we were expecting.  

At a military ball in Nashville - fun times (2007)

Acting goofy on our deck in Clarksville - trying to get a picture for our Christmas card.  We never took one good enough but we had fun trying.

Six months later - he's home for GOOD.  I made a special t-shirt to wear and had a big sign waiting on him in the yard.  This was the happiest day of my life next to Will being born.  I can't really describe in words how happy I was to see him.  He had sent me a journal weeks before that he had kept for me during his deployment.  It was so sweet.  My husband may be a macho-man, but when  times get tough, he can be a true uncover romantic.  I bet he'll cringe a little as he reads this.  Cat's out of the bag honey.  :-)

Flash forward quite a bit - this was from the summer of 2006 when Brian came home from Iraq for two weeks.  It was the most difficult thing we've ever been through, and having two weeks was bittersweet since he had to return for another 6 months in Iraq.  My husband hates to smile for the camera, but believe me, he is HAPPY but TIRED.  He had rented a car in Atlanta to drive home just to see me several hours before he could if he had waited for his flight.  I thought that was so sweet.  

Grand Canyon - we drove there when we lived in Arizona.  Although I absolutely hated living there, we had some good memories of going to Tombstone to go to saloons in costume and hanging out with friends in the little mining town of Bisbee.  We expanded our "family" in Arizona by giving Rocky a brother, Mick.  

Brian's 2004 graduation commissioning ceremony. Mom and I pinned him, and Daniel Hartzog came to give him his first salute. He tried to look all military-stern, but he's really happy. Afterward, our family and friends ate Mexican and then went out to the Sneaky Tiki.

This was shortly after we were married at the ROTC ball at Ole Miss. I love this picture of us, although my face could definitely use a little sun (or darker make-up)! We had just gotten our puppy, Rocky, a few months earlier. Living in Oxford was really fun. Some of the most memorable times included eating crawfish at Aden's Grill and meeting friends at Parish's.

Later that night, a lot of our friends and us went out to a place on the reservoir.  We even had the same cab driver that I had for my bachelorette party.  It was awesome to see our friends getting along so well.  Many had never met each other  (college friends/high school friends/ Brian's college friends, etc.), but everyone had a blast.  

At our reception in Jackson when we got home.    Almost all of our friends and close family members were there, and we were able to relax and visit since the wedding was over.  The food was great and everyone seemed to have a good time visiting.  

Our whole trip was a blast - some of the best memories ever.  

What a beautiful setting!  Our ceremony was so special - just us and a Bahamian minister (plus the people laying out in the sun who watched).  I am so glad we went away to get married.  

Our wedding: 3/17/04, Nassau, Bahamas.  I love my dress.  Love it.  Still take it out of the closet from time to time to stare at it.  

This was at my 2003 Vandy graduation.  Little did I know that Brian would propose several weeks later.  He told my mom, sister, and sister-in-law on the way up to Nashville.  I was so sick in this picture.  The air in the gym wasn't working well and my sinuses were killing me.  

Back from our dating days - this is in about 2002/2003 era at Brian's old college apartment.  We went to college 4 hours apart, so we'd take turns every few weeks making the drive.  I miss the drive from Nashville to Oxford during the fall, going the cut-through way through Jackson, TN.  It was always beautiful.

End of maternity leave, last week left

This time next week, I’ll be getting ready to start my first work week since early December. It will be hard to leave Will, but he will be in the care of someone who will spoil him with lots of attention. With state testing and 8th grade “graduation” activities, I know the 9 weeks will fly by. I’m going to rely on a lot of my old activities from last year and hope I can get by fine without ever staying late. Come 3:10, I’m out the door and on my way to pick up my little man! I met with my substitute the other day to find out where I need to pick back up on things. A lot of the students seemed really happy to see me, so that lifted my spirits about coming back. Hopefully after the adjustment period, both Will and I will be fine. He’s in such a good routine, but the times will have to change starting next week. I may try to wake up early for the next few days to test out the schedule and see how it goes. He’s not the best napper in that he does not want to nap in his crib. The great thing is that he’s an EXCELLENT night sleeper. He sleeps from 9 p.m. until 7:30, and this has been consistent for over two weeks now. It feels amazing to get good quality sleep. When he was a newborn, I briefly wondered if I would ever sleep well again in the next year! Of course, I knew I would eventually, but I really didn’t anticipate that it would happen so soon. I feel like I’m jinxing myself even talking about it. I’m sure once he starts teething and feeling uncomfortable, he might have different sleep patterns.

These days, Will is smiling like crazy. We’ve learned just what to do to get him going. His absolute favorite song is Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker.” For whatever reason, he loves it. He seems to like it even more when his daddy sings it. He has also begun laughing, although it’s still a small “heheheh” at this point. I’m just waiting for the day he erupts with giggles. Some of his favorite things include Sandra Boynton books (thanks Mandy for introducing us to this silly author!), puppets (especially when the puppets sing, dance, or read), the floating fish in his little “aquarium,” the blinking star on his playmat, and of course, his gurgling, glowing, musical seahorse. As for activities, kicking his feet is his newest pastime. I think he might have a sense of rhythm because he kicks and moves his arms even more when I turn on the radio. He still isn’t a huge fan of tummy time, but we try it daily anyway since it’s important. Lately, when he drinks his bottle, he wants to hold both of my hands. It’s so sweet and it melts my heart when he stops drinking his bottle to smile at me and grip my fingers.

Motherhood is absolutely the greatest thing. I knew I’d love it, but I just never realized how deeply I would feel. I’ve never been more at peace with life. Sure, there are days when I’m tired and I have spit-up stains on my shirt, but it’s the most fulfilling “job” I could imagine. It is also wonderful to see Brian with Will. He gets the biggest smile when he comes in from a long day at school and sees Will. Will has tons of fun with his daddy, and you can tell that they’ll be big buddies as time goes by. Even though Will is more grown-up, he still looks like a little mini-Brian. After comparing baby pictures, we determined that Will has my baby smile, cheeks, and chin, and well … everything else is pure dad. His eyes are getting a lighter blue, and they’re so pretty.

I’ll probably blog a few more times this week, as I’m sure after next week they’ll become more infrequent due to work. Enjoy a few pictures. I’m a picture-taking maniac, but I’ll confess that we’ve been slow to pull out the video camera. At least I’ll have tons of stills!

Today was a beautiful day. The weather is finally spring-like and we're making the most of it by strolling in the neighborhood. We are fortunate to have really great neighbors. Afternoons during the spring and summer are marked by kids playing in the cul-de-sacs and adults gathered around driveways, chatting in lawn chairs. Next year, Will will be running around with the little ones, but this year, I'm still trying to get him out and about. Our stroller is SO heavy with the infant seat in it, and it finally occurred to me that maybe he's big enough to be in the main stroller without the carseat attachment. Well after looking in the manual and consulting the message board I frequent, I determined that if I still left him in a somewhat reclined position, he would be fine since it has a 5-point harness. We gave it a shot and our stroll was GREAT! He liked it so much better since he could actually see the world. He kicked his feet and looked all around. Here are some pictures of Will. How cute is he in his little hat?






Today we also had Will's first official photo shoot. A friend of mine recommended a photographer, so I decided to have some 3 month pictures done. I'll share the link when they're ready. Jessica, the photographer, was so sweet. She was very patient with Will, even as he grew tired and cranky. I can't wait to see how they turn out! Will conked out for a nap after she left. I guess it's a busy day for a 3 month old!

Happy 3 month birthday!

Here is my little man on his three month birthday. As you can see, he's wearing St. Patty's Day PJs. He actually has a little Scotch-Irish in him from my side of the family, but the real reason I love St. Patrick's Day has more to do with the other holiday we celebrate on the same day - our anniversary. I love that our wedding anniversary falls on such a fun holiday. What's odd is that Will's due date was Dec. 17th, and St. Patty's is March 17th. Luck of the Irish? I think so!

Will still loves bath time and enjoys being under the warm water. I love comparing pictures to see how much he's changed. Before I sign off for the day, here's a photo of Will's bath last night vs. his first real bath at almost 6 weeks old. He's in his 12th week now.  That uncertain look from week 6 is long gone.  

4/3/08


Will's first bath about 6 weeks ago.

That's all for today.  Until next week ... 

Snow day

For the first time since we've had Will, we're having a snow day. Talk about weird Alabama weather!  We woke up to a blanket of white snow, and it came down for several hours this morning. Everything was coated, but now it's melting away.  Thankfully, we took a few pictures to document Will's first snow.  It was still coming down pretty hard when we took these, so we tried to capture it from inside the house.  I hid my face since I had just woken up, but you can see how short my hair is.  I went to get it colored and cut yesterday while Will and Brian had some father-son bonding time.  Apparently Will had a good time while I was gone, napping on his daddy's chest, smiling at silly conversations, and learning the lyrics to some new rock songs.  

I can't believe it's March already.  The end of maternity leave is rapidly approaching.  Although I dread leaving my little man during the day, I know that it won't be long until summer break. Also this month is our 5th wedding anniversary.  Maybe we'll find a babysitter and have "parents' night out."  Those are rare these days, so we'll truly enjoy it if we're able to make it happen.  

I hear little sounds over the monitor hinting that Will is waking up from his nap and will want to be fed soon, so duty calls.  As usual, here are a few pictures of Will's latest activities. 

This picture shows my clever combination of two really popular baby products - the Bumbo and the Boppy.  He is still a little wobbly in the Bumbo, so I added the Boppy for more added support.  He likes it for very short periods of time, and it helps him strengthen his muscles.  

 

No, he's not really napping on the daybed.  He fell asleep on me while I was rocking him, so I put him here for a quick photo op. before placing him in the crib.  You can see the snow in the background.

I love watching him sleep.

Looking at the snow in the cul-de-sac

Someone recently told me after seeing the blog that it seemed like Will was always smiling.  Well, not exactly.  I usually only post the best pictures, and he definitely is showing his range of facial expressions these days.  This one shows his "mad" look.  He pouts out his lower lip and gives me this glare.  He gets even more mad when I laugh, but I can't help it; it's so cute!