Two peas in a pod

Will and Elias have been best buds for awhile, but recently, they had a quasi-sleepover thanks to his very sweet parents C&B (I say quasi because we picked Will up super late after they put him to bed at their place). C did a great job documenting the whole event, and here are some of the highlights of their night.

They started out the afternoon by playing and sharing everything from toys to cups and pacis. Will loved playing with some different toys and reported that Elias was an excellent host.

Then, they went out to eat Mexican. Yup, C&B are BRAVE. Luckily, the boys did great!

Apparently Will wasn't a big fan of bath time, but you would never know from these pictures. He looks happy as can be. He was even a little mischievous as he tried to feed Elias the bath marker.

W&E already owned these matching pjs pre-sleepover, but I couldn't resist packing them in case C wanted to make them twinsies that night. Of course, she did and the boys looked like such cute little space explorers. Oh, and to illustrate the "sharing" these boys do, I'll point out that the boys swapped pacis. Will looks worn out from playing.

their signature pose

We are so very appreciative for a late evening out and look forward to when we can return the favor and host Elias for a sleepover.

Easter

Lately, I've been wondering where my baby boy went. He's growing so fast and is a full-fledged little boy who makes dog noises, likes anything with wheels or buttons, and loves exploring outdoors. As sad as I am to see that baby boy disappear, there is something so exciting about this stage. He's learning so much and is able to interact more than ever.

The following pictures were taken at my mommy group's Easter Egg-stravaganza. Will had a good time playing with his friends.

Will and his best bud E!

Will wanted nothing to do with the playground - he wanted to explore.

This, of course, meant I had to chase him the entire time. I love this picture (compliments of Christy, who helped with the chasing)

Will had just a few treats in his Easter basket

Checking it all out

Doesn't he look like a big boy in his hat?

Video - pre-bedtime playing

Playing at McWane

Will humming and playing

15 Month Stats.

Will was not a happy camper at his appointment today. He was ticked off the moment they tried to measure him, and he was not happy until we were out of there. His growth has stayed consistent, and now he is 24 pounds, 32 inches long. The only thing my pediatrician said is that his vocabulary is a tad lagging. Will says "Dada" and "Mom", and tries to say dog, but otherwise it's a lot of babble. His babble sounds like conversation, and he does say words like bye or hi, but not in context yet and not on command. The pediatrician said to just keep reading lots, which we do already, and definitely nix the paci except for bed. Will LOVES his paci and stashes them for easy access (quite sneakily, I might add), so this will be a challenge. Still, I know it's important and it'll encourage him to talk more without his paci, so to the crib it goes, and ONLY the crib.

Here's some other random things he's doing and preferences he has at 15 months:

• He loves reading, but still reaches for his favorites, Are You My Mother?, Guess How Much I Love You,The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and So Big!. He will pick any of these books out of a bin, bring them to you with a smile, then plop down on your lap to snuggle and listen. It's adorable, and likely my very favorite part of the day.
• He has become a bit more picky with his eating. He loves crackers, mac n' cheese, peas, pancakes, bananas, applesauce, and meatloaf, cheese toast, and PB&J sandwiches. I can't seem to get him to like more veggies, but we try and try again. He drinks his milk easily and has been off the bottle since 12 months. He prefers the straw sippies over ones you have to hold up (he's a tad lazy in that way!).
• Elmo makes him smile, and he loves his "Best of Elmo" DVD. We restrict it to once a day, but he loves that 20-something minutes of Elmo singing and dancing. He also loves when Brian or I play with his Elmo puppet. Those Sesame Street people know what they're doing!
• We have received great snuggles lately. Will has become so cuddly. Of course, we've always tried our best to snuggle with him, but now he initiates it often. Nothing warms my heart more when he walks across the room to me, then gives me a giant hug and kisses. He does the same to his Dada. It's the best!
• Will likes his shoes. He'll bring them to me and hold up his foot. He wants to wear them all of the time. I guess that's a testament to Pedipeds and their comfort!
• He's a great walker even though he's only been at it a month. He is so fast and keeps me on the go during playdates. These days I cherish nap time as it's the only time other than when he's in bed for the night that I truly get to sit down for any length of time.
• The boy just might be musical! He hums to songs, especially "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and he is usually on pitch and has the same rhythm. Maybe this is completely normal, but we like to think he's got some talent there! American Idol 2016???? Ha!
• He is a little Linus! Never before has he had a real attachment to any one item to the point where he wants to drag it around until now. He's taken a liking to his baby blue minky-dot blanket (the same type of blankie his cousin Levi sports). In the morning, he'll drag that blanket around and rub his face against it smiling. It's really cute. I wonder if Target still has that same blanket - I may need to get a "backup blankie" if I think the attachment will stick.
• It's so clear how impressionable we are on this little boy. He imitates us and looks at us adoringly. It reminds us of the huge yet precious responsibility it is being a parent. We continue to improve ourselves to lead by example and are so grateful for our Will.

15 months old!

Will is 15 months old now! It seems like yesterday he turned one. Time flew before, but now that he's so active, it's going faster than ever. We have his 15th month old well visit at his pediatrician's Thursday, so I'll have a full report then on his stats.

This week, we have crammed in a few extra activities. The weather was beautiful Saturday, so while his daddy took a legal ethics exam, we met up with Christy & Elias at the park. We mommies don't get to truly visit as much as we used to since we're chasing our busy toddlers, but we still have fun. The boys don't look too happy to be sharing a swing, do they? After the park, we grabbed a quick lunch at a Mexican restaurant. The boys enjoyed sharing crackers and banging on the table. They definitely act like friends, and it's the cutest thing to witness them exchanging toys and snacks.

Sometimes just going through our daily routines can wear a guy out! Now that Will walks, I let him get out of his stroller in the gym during the last few minutes of Strollerstrides while we do our ab portion of class and stretches. He loves having such a huge open space to walk around, and it's allowed him to very quickly become a super fast and proficient walker. Even though he's been walking just a month, he seems like he's been doing it for much longer. All of that walking is exhausting, so he sometimes takes a catnap on the way home before lunch (see below).

Another fun thing we did this week was attend "Rascal Day" at the law school. It's basically a day where students can bring their dogs to class, so the entire law school area is packed full of furry friends. It's chaotic but fun, and Will loved looking at all of the different breeds. After the dog parade, we ate lunch and enjoyed the sunshine before heading home for his afternoon nap. This picture was taken shortly before we left, and you can tell he's getting very sleepy.

Those are the highlights of our week. I anticipate many more outdoor activities as this weather continues to warm.

Ring ring!

Will is a little sponge these days. It's increasingly apparent that he's studying the world around him, including the activities of his momma and dada. I rarely talk on the phone much around him. He usually tries to grab the phone and press buttons, and to avoid the tantrum that follows when I take it away, I try to avoid the situation altogether. Still, I do talk occasionally when he's happily playing, and I guess he thinks its fun to imitate. He's been walking around with one of two phones he has, pressing the receiver up near his ear. Funny enough, he won't walk around with the easier-to-carry play cell phone. Nope, he wants to drag the base around. It's hilarious.

Spaceship adventures

Will: "The alien vessel is closing on us...brace for impact!"
Elias: "Transferring auxillary power to shields...we're not going down without a fight!"*

*dialogue courtesy of my resident Star-Trek geek/hubby. Picture taken at McWane Science Center.

A personal letter

Dear Will,
You won’t ever get the opportunity to know your Granddaddy that you were named after, but I often think about how much he would have ADORED you. I have a feeling that he would have called you his little fella (which his own Papa called him when he was a child). He would have let you sit in the back of his truck when you were older for slow rides on the farm. He would have loved taking you on nature walks through the woods. I know he would have a huge grin on his face when playing with you, and he would beam with pride when anyone asked about you. Even though you won’t have the privilege of knowing firsthand how wonderful he was, I promise to always tell you stories about him. I promise to instill many of the same values he engrained in me. I promise to always make you feel as loved as I’ve always felt.