Easter weekend

Well, it just keeps happening. Although I think I can’t love Will anymore than I already do, he always comes up with something new to keep me falling in love all over again. He has been giving little laughs for about two or three weeks now, but this weekend, he finally erupted in giggles. Maybe he wanted to show off for Grandmonty, who was visiting. Whatever the reason, the boy is laughing up a storm. It just warms my heart to hear it.

He was a good boy for Grandmonty, who babysat for almost an entire day while I worked then joined Brian at his law review banquet. It was fun to get out, but I enjoyed lounging around the house Friday with mom and Will (Brian was here too, but he was diligent in studying in his office most of the day). Saturday, we got out for awhile, but the dreary weather and my sinuses made us head home early. We ate great all weekend, of course. Mom brought crawfish Wed., then Friday she cooked steak while I made the sides. Saturday night I cooked chicken picatta with pasta and asparagus, and Sunday mom made a great Easter lunch of ham, dressing, butterbeans, and rolls. Now I’m stuffed and am contemplating an afternoon nap while Will is down. He’s napped great today in his pack n’ play, and I’m thinking he must be tired from the extra excitement of mom’s visit, me being home, and all the laughing and silliness.

I have Monday off of work also (inclement weather day never used), so I look forward to having yet another day at home with Brian and Will. Mom left today to beat the bad weather that is headed our way tomorrow, so I’ll probably catch up on housework and get lots of playtime with Willie- Bug (our new nickname for him). We might even watch another movie. Lately, we’ve seen some good ones: Marley & Me, Grand Torino, Seven Pounds, and Slum Dog Millionaire to name a few. I’ll also continue our new late afternoon routine of feeding Will in his highchair. I am laying off the veggies until Will gets good at eating rice cereal. He is starting to understand that he opens his mouth with the spoon comes near, but he doesn’t understand that he’s supposed to swallow it. I know it’ll come with time, so we’ll keep trying until he gets the hang of it.
Here are some pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

Doctor's Visit

Will went to the doctor today. All is well! Our little man is a little over 14 pounds and just under 26 inches long. Those stats. put him about 75% in height and 50% in weight. He's over double his birth weight and almost half a foot taller. In other exciting news, we can try solid foods now. This week, we'll introduce a few veggies (one at a time) and rice cereal first. I gave Will carrots tonight. It was pretty funny! He looked at me like I was crazy. It was like he was thinking, "What in the world are you putting by my mouth, and whoa, this doesn't taste anything like my bottle!" I'm sure in no time, he'll get the hang of opening his mouth for the spoon, but until then, it may be extra EXTRA messy. Here are a few pictures from the big milestone.

3 month pictures - proofs are up!

http://www.jessicaparrisphotography.com/Clients/Pages/Noble.html
Will's 3 month old picture proofs are up. We'll be ordering the ones where he is in the cream blanket for framing, plus some others just to have. Our favorite is the last one where he is smiling. That's the one we'll put on the wall somewhere in the house. Hope you like them!

4 months old!

Will is now 4 months old (4 months at 4:40 on 4/4/09). Since it fell on a Saturday, we had a nice day at home, filled with lots of chatter and cuddles. We celebrated getting through another work week without any trouble, although it is still really hard. Some days are ok, but some are still just as hard as the first day. One day he was so smiley and cute when I woke him up (ok, so he’s always smiley and cute to me, but he was especially so this morning, really hamming it up). I hated to drop him off. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want him to be upset when I leave him. But it’s hard knowing he’s in such a great mood that I won’t get to see all day. Anyhow, we survived and talked about how we only have seven weeks left now. It was a tough week of state testing, and I was formally observed (an unannounced visit by my principal) on Friday. Everything went extremely well, but I was so glad when Friday afternoon rolled around. Will is growing so fast. We just switched to size 9 month pajamas! He's so long that he seems to wear a size larger in pjs vs. onesies in pants. He can still wear 6 month pjs, but the leg room is getting a little cramped. His 3 month onesies are getting a little snug, so I washed his 6 month ones over the weekend. I pulled out some of his newborn stuff yesterday, and I couldn't get over how tiny it was. And to think, it was HUGE on him at first. He wore premie diapers in the hospital and would have fit in premie clothing if I had bought any. Time flies. I can't believe a third of his first year has already past.

Back to Saturday – Will supervised while Brian and I cleaned the house. Together we covered most everything, so it’s nice to have a relatively clean house again. After hanging out with Will and straightening all day, we got ready for our first night out together since we had Will. Our wonderful friends Krislyn and Scott, who are both in law school with Brian, came over to keep our little man. They are truly awesome people, and we are so thankful for their help. We never really went out to celebrate our anniversary back in March, so Brian had arranged for us to go to our favorite special-occasion restaurant, Ruth Chris, and see the musical, Wicked. It was amazing! The music, the costumes, the set, the message … it was all wonderful. It’s my favorite musical out of all of the ones I’ve seen (which is only about five, but still … this one blew me away). Brian had read the book last summer, so he was excited to see how it compared to the novel.  Krislyn and Scott reported that Will was fun and that they pretty much held him the entire time until they put him to bed.


We have an exciting week ahead. Mom is coming Wednesday, and she is babysitting Will Thursday while I’m at work, and again Thursday night while we’re at a law review banquet. Friday, I’m taking off work so we can visit and get out and about. I also have Monday off of work since we never used the day for bad weather. I’m so excited to have a super long weekend and for mom to get to see how much Will has grown since she last saw him in early February.
Speaking of Will growing up, here are a few pictures taken this weekend. You can see that he’s liking tummy time better, and he can stand up with my help. He loves standing and can do it pretty well as long as we help him keep his balance. Also, I included a picture for comparison purposes that is almost the same scale as earlier pictures in the bouncy seat. Enjoy!

Will, several days old vs. two months vs. four months!

Notice the paci size - since it's the same paci, you can see how the face has grown.  

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!