Amazed

One of my favorite college courses was developmental psychology. A good chunk of the course focused on babies and their developmental stages. I found it fascinating then, and I find it even more so now. The human body never ceases to amaze me, and the process of pregnancy, childbirth, and now watching Will grow makes me truly appreciate it all. I'm amazed when I compare pictures or think about all of the many milestones babies go through.

Here is Will in his carseat at one month vs. 7 months

Will at 3 months vs. 7 months. Same stroller, almost the same scale, but BIG change!

 

Long overdue update

He knows what to do, but forgets to tip it upward to get a drink

I realize it’s been quite awhile since I did a true written update, so let me go back in time a bit.  In June, we went to Destin – an annual family tradition that I look forward to all year.  Will was a great traveler and only cried the last few minutes of both 5+ hour drives.  He loved “swimming” in the pool and showed no fear at all in the water.  He wasn’t as impressed by the beach, but he sure liked that pool.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get to get in too much after the first full day.  Brian and I could tell that Will wasn’t his happy-go-lucky self, and judging by the low-grade fever and the never ending drool facet, we concluded that teething had officially begun.  Because our little man didn’t feel good, most of our time was spent chilling out in the condo.  Thanks to Brian and Mom, I did get a little solo beach time, but it was definitely a different kind of trip than previous years.  Even though he didn’t feel good, Will still had plenty of attention from his Grandmonty, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Here is a picture of our whole crew.  With the exception of any future children Brian and I may have, the rest of the crew is complete.  Will has 8 first cousins, ranging in age from 3 years to 18! 

     

       After our Destin trip, Will and I headed to Louisiana to his Grandmonty’s house.  Although Will and Alex were the only men there, they managed to put up with all the estrogen.  I can only imagine that in a year or two, the girl cousins will coerce Will into trying on some of the costumes they dig out of the box every year.  It should make for some good embarrassing pictures to show future girlfriends!  Will still felt bad in Louisiana, but he did well nevertheless and stayed on his normal schedule. 

            Brian joined us in Destin, but he didn’t go to Louisiana.  By the end of the week, he was eager to see us (ok, well mostly Will, but I think he may have missed me a tiny bit too J.  As soon as I pulled in the driveway and opened the garage, he came out to get the carseat and see his little boy.  My little creature of habit was happy to be home, and after a pediatrician’s visit, he felt much better and got rid of the pesky cough he had developed in Florida.  Since our travels, we have enjoyed being at home.  Home is definitely Alabama now, and while I like visiting Louisiana and Mississippi, I am always so glad to be back. 

Will is now seven months old, and it seems like we hit a new milestone every few days.  It’s all going by so quickly!  He’s sitting pretty well on his own, and while he doesn’t stay sitting up 100% of the time, he isn’t content just to lie back anymore.  For example, he won’t lie against the back of his baby tub anymore.  He has to be sitting up to be content.  We tried one bath in the big tub (pics in last update), but it’s still easier to bathe him in his baby tub. 

He isn’t crawling yet, but he’s starting to raise his bottom in the air and roll around more.  He “creeps” a little and is a skwirmy wormy when he wants to be.  No matter how far down in the crib I put him, he somehow wiggles up to where his head is in the very top corner.  We need to drop the crib mattress down soon, as I’m sure he’ll be pulling up soon.  I was pulling myself up to standing when I was 6 months old, so Will doesn’t seem quite as ambitious as his mommy about getting mobile.  This is fine with me, as it gives me a little more time to complete my baby proofing.

Mealtime is always fun, as Will loves to eat and rarely dislikes anything.  Recently, we’re tried yogurt (Yobaby).  He LOVES it.  He’s been on antibiotics lately for his red throat and to prevent him from catching Brian’s flu, so we figured it was a good time to start yogurt.  I’ve also started feeding him mashed bananas and some unseasoned table food like mashed-up baked potato.  He still likes his babyfood sweet peas, carrots, sweet potato, green beans, and pretty much any kind of fruit.  The only thing he’s hated was fresh mashed avocado.  I read that it’s a good first food for babies, so I gave it a try.  Maybe one day he’ll like it in guacamole, but for now, he’s not a fan.  I noticed about a week ago that he was randomly imitating me chewing throughout the day, so I decided to give puffs and cheerios a try.  He gobbled them up, watching me carefully as I chewed and following my lead.  Now he just has to master feeding them to himself!  He tries so hard, but they usually end up on the floor (much to Rocky and Mick’s delight).  He’ll pick it up, have it in his hand, and have the hand up to his mouth.  Somehow though, he can’t quite seem to get it in before it falls to the floor.  I’ll continue to feed him some each day until he gets the hang of it. 

Other new things: we’re beginning a “mommy & me” water class Wednesday.  Will loved the pool so much that I thought he’d enjoy it.  It’s not a swimming class, but a pre-swim class designed for infants 6 months to two years.  Hopefully we’ll meet some people in the class.  I’m also taking Will with me to “Strollerstrides,” a stroller fitness program for moms (http://www.strollerstrides.com/index.php).  It’s a bit slow attendance-wise since it’s summer, but I’m going anyway.  The workout is great!  I’ve only been for one week, but I think it’ll help me tone up.  It’ll be nice once I’m used to it though.  For now, my arms feel like they’re going to fall off when I’m done.  The program alternates various cardio with strengthening exercises with tension bands and weights.  We also do ab work at the end.  It’s good for me, because I’m not a self-motivated exerciser.  So what does Will think of it?  He loves it!  He has a group of women singing kid songs to him and talking to him adoringly.  Of course, he bats his baby blues at them and smiles – such a little flirt. 

Yes, Will knows how to make people adore him, especially his Dada.  Will is learning a new tactic to make even his tough-guy dad beam with joy – he throws in random “Dadadada” in his babble.  Sure, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he doesn’t say it directly to Brian, but it gives us an idea of what it’ll sound like when he DOES know what he’s saying.  Ah, it’s simply awesome.  Brian’s been sick for several days and not able to hold or play close with Will.  It’s been hard on Brian, but I know that Will has cheered him up a lot.  Mr. William is also giggling a lot these days.  Things that make him laugh include: me proclaiming enthusiastically that he’s a “stinky monkey,” getting his belly, tickling his feet or his neck, and sometimes, just laughing at him makes him reciprocate.  This is truly a great age.  He’s so much fun, he’s able to entertain himself for short periods of time, and yet he’s not into everything YET.  I love it.  I don’t want to keep him little forever, but I wish I could slow down the clock a bit. 

Oh, and one more milestone, the first tooth is coming in.  Will has been showing teething signs for ages now, and I've been feeling his gums every day expecting to feel something.  Finally, on the bottom front, I felt a little sharp tooth yesterday.  

For the final picture of the night, here's a pre-Will, VERY pre-Will, photo of his momma and dad.  This was taken TEN years ago in 1999 at a Rhyme's electronic Christmas party. Thanks to Susan Rhymes for posting it.  We look so young!  We WERE so young!  Until next time, love from the Noble household.  

New Pictures

Can it really be that our little boy is 7 months old? 

The pics. above and below are of Will's first bath by himself in the "big" tub.  I think for now, he would just as rather sit in his whale baby tub.

Will in his monkey towel.  I'm a sucker for a cute baby in a hooded towel!

I plan to do a long blog later, but just in case I can't, Will wants to be sure to wish his Grandmonty a Happy Birthday.  

June flew by!

I know that I'm behind on my written updates, but things have been busier than usual in the Noble household. I promise a long update in the near future including a rundown of our Destin and Louisiana trips. Until then, here are some new pictures of Will from this week. He looks so big!  It's hard to believe my baby will be 7 months old tomorrow!  

Still enjoying the jeep walker!  I love his expression in this first one.  

Typical Will these days, pulling off his socks and chewing on his fingers!

Trying to wear a baseball hat like his daddy, but it's still a little too big

Taken at Grandmonty's, sitting up fairly well now.

Will in Destin before the teething made him feel bad

Love this one - what a funny little sleeping position!

Picture Update

Will practicing his sitting skills in a tote bag!

Looking like a mini-Brian in this picture - waking up from a nap

Trying so hard to crawl

Working on sitting by himself - he did it for 30-something seconds today before toppling over - improvement!

This child knows the camera.  He will now pose and smile for it.  He must know it makes his momma happy!

Trying on a shirt I bought last summer on clearance while still pregnant.  I couldn't imagine having such a big baby, and I thought the 9 month clothes looked huge!  

Random pictures

Will's not in a hurry to crawl.  This is how tummy time begins.  He's happy for a few minutes.

He picks up a toy and starts chewing it.

Gets tired of chewing, tries to crawl but doesn't know how, ends up making swimming movements and getting frustrated.  He is not a happy camper anymore!

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Trying the sippy cup was so tiring that he fell asleep in his highchair.

And what's cuter than a puppy and cooler than a pirate?  A puppy pirate, of course!  Here's Will in his puppy pirate pjs.  

Will at 6 months

**disclaimer, I'm not proofreading this and I'm sleep-deprived from not being in my own bed last night.  Read according :-)

            It’s hard to believe that half a year has passed since Will entered our world.  Just looking at the comparison photo amazes me.  I can easily say that these have been the best months of my life.  Being a mother is so much more than I imagined.  There is nothing in this world like looking at your child’s face and seeing a smile. 

            So what’s Will been to up these days?  He took his first trip to the zoo.  He stayed happy the four hours we were there, so I consider that successful.  We saw monkeys, gorillas, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, kangaroos, snakes, and more.  Will especially enjoyed the train ride.  Hopefully we’ll get to go again soon with Will’s new buddies Cole and Tate.

            We’ve had visitors, for the past week, so Will has received tons of attention.  First, Erin came for two nights.  Will thought she was funny and enjoyed laughing with her.  Then, Aunt Pi arrived and stayed two nights also.  She read to Will and even exposed him to the New Yorker.  I’m not sure what he thought about the content, but he enjoyed the pictures.  After they left, Will received some special one-on-one time with Daddy while I went to my class reunion in Mississippi.  As you can see in the picture I included, I tried to make it as easy as possible for Brian.  Will was a sweetheart for his daddy, and they had lots of fun.  Brian learned that as long as Will had his naps, he was a happy camper.  I’m so proud that Will is on such a good schedule and that he’ll follow the schedule even when I’m not around.

 

            I want to document some of what Will is doing/interested in currently.  He still isn’t that interested in rolling over, although he has done it .  He looks like he’s trying to swim when placed on his belly.  After he “swims” for awhile, he gets frustrated that he can’t crawl.  He can sit up on his own for only a few seconds, then he usually topples over.  He’s getting better at it though, so I foresee this being something he’ll do on his own soon.  He still loves to stand on our legs, and he LOVES to jump.  He found that his daddy is a great jumping aid, so when Brian holds him, he immediately starts trying to bounce on his legs.

 It seems he understands some of what we say now.  When we shout, “Kick your legs!” he’ll start kicking away.  He does this consistently, so we know it’s not a fluke.  He also anticipates the little books I recite to him over and over.  There’s one that goes, “Yawn, stretch, touch your toes, shimmy, shimmy, shimmy, wiggle your nose!”  He knows to look at my nose at the beginning, because I’ll wiggle it soon after.  My silly little recitations (most of them compliments of the hilarious children’s author Sandra Boynton) make Will smile, so I can use that to my advantage when he’s getting upset. 

The sweetest thing Will does now is that he likes to touch your face softly and stare at you.  He’ll babble sometimes too, and his babbles, while still jibberish, are sounding more like mimicked conversations.  Today, I got back in from my first day and night trip away from Will.  Will was asleep, and when he woke up, I knew he’d be hungry.  I gave him his bottle first thing, and he was still groggy.  Halfway through his bottle, he looked at me, took a double-take, then got this huge grin on his face.  He stopped eating the bottle to smile and “talk” to me while stroking my face and hair.  Talk about SWEET.  Melted my heart.

Let’s see what else … solids are going well.  He eats cereal with fruit in the morning and usually a veggie (sometimes with cereal too) at night.  He still drinks about 30 ounces of formula a day.  So far, he’s eaten everything we’re tried – green beans, sweet peas, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, pears.  I’m starting to move on to the combination foods.  My doctor basically said that as long as I avoid some certain foods, introduce new things one at a time, and puree everything really well if not packaged baby food, we were free to branch out (within reason) and try new things. I think I may cook some of my mushy split-pea soup soon and just not add salt.  I think Will would really like it.  We’ll start trying to introduce the sippy cup soon.  He’s very interested in whatever I’m drinking and watches me carefully.  He even reaches out for my cup, so I think those are signs that he’s ready to experiment.  Who would have ever thought something like trying a sippy cup would be exciting to me, but it is.  I’m just fascinated by the physical and cognitive development babies go through and the new things they are able to try at different stages.

I’ll wrap this up now since I haven’t had good sleep in awhile.  This week we have at least one playdate (possibly two), and we’re visiting Will’s “BawBaw and Pock,” his former sitters from when I went back to work.  I think they miss him a little!  Their granddaughter is our babysitter, so they get to keep up with him through her sometimes. 

Oh, and quick brag about Brian – he landed a federal clerkship last week, which is a major accomplishment.  We’re so proud of him! 

Recent pictures

Will on his 6 month birthday!  Happy Half-Year Love!

Erin making her second visit to see Mr. William.  He thought she was quite funny.

My little monkey loves to jump!

Will took a catnap during lunch at the zoo.  His cheeks aren't sunburnt, just red from the heat.  Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took at the zoo.  

I took my first overnight trip away, so Brian and Will had guy-time.  I tried to make it as easy as possible though.  Here is photographic evidence of my attempts to try to make things simple (and let's face it, evidence of my OCD tendencies).

Will at 0, 2, 4, and 6 months

Can you believe how much he's grown?  He's grown 7 inches in length and about 10 pounds 2 ounces since birth.  Amazing.  

Oh, and yes ... he's wearing similar colors in all photos.  I'm weird like that - I like consistency in the comparison.

Summer fun

To kill some time on a beautiful sunny day, we put on our swimsuits and splashed around a bit on Will's water playmat (Fisher Price, $15 at Wal-Mart, perfect for babies that are too small for a baby pool). He isn't sitting up totally on his own yet, so we relied on the Bumbo seat to help him sit near the water. He was hesitant at first, but he warmed up to it. He enjoyed feeling the water hit his toes. Oh, and check out his super cute swim trunks and hat set from the Baby Gap outlet (love that place!). It's probably a lobster print, but in tribute to our Louisiana relatives, we'll pretend it's crawfish instead. I'm sure one day, I'll teach Will to peel them like a pro. Meanwhile, we'll just stick to our bland pureed baby food! That's all for today. We have a busy week ahead - a play date at the zoo, visits from Erin and Pi, a 6 month pediatrician check-up, and lunch with Brian and a former Sunday-school teacher of his from Moody. I'm sure I'll document all the excitement with my camera, so stay tuned!