A Fun-filled Week!

Laura and Will Will at Natural History Museum and (R) Julia and Will

Above Will in another Tree, Julia in front of White House, and Alex worn out on the couch....

Riding the Metro and eating Lunch


Below- Blueberry Picking

Lots of hours in the pool!

Saturday night Dave, Laura, Julia, Alex, and Claire arrived from Florida. We have had such a great time that I have not been blogging at all. We spent lots of time at the pool, in DC, and playing hours of Scrabble and Rummikub. We love them all so much and miss them terribly. They were all very impressed with Will and he loved the kids all around him. Today he was very cranky after they left, and expected me to entertain him the whole day. Julia is going to be an excellent Mommy some day, she helped do all the baby tasks very eagerly and she was very capable. Alex was very into knights and legos and we have some castle legos, so he was thrilled. Clarie is 2 and a half and was very cute with the baby and explaining that she was no longer a baby but was now a big girl, and described all the ways that this was true. Very sweet! All in all a wonderful few days and reminded us once again how much fun it was when we were all a big family in Madison.

It's all paying off....

How Time Flies! 4 days old

For the last 2 days I have been putting Pudd to bed at the first sign of sleepiness and it seems to really be working. He lays there and talks for a while, then all of a sudden screams for about 1 minute and then immediately collapses into a peacefull slumber. I find that kind of amusing. He discovered just today that he can roll over and over to get to another area of the room. He made it about 15 feet today all in all. He still seems kind of surprised when he rolls from his belly to back though. He was all smiles this morning for a long time, and I was thinking this morning what a relief it is to be madly in love with him after the rocky start we had. I was watching this couple on a Baby's Story on TLC and they were so sticky sweet in love with their baby immediately, and had no issues breastfeeding, just loved being sleep deprived, instead of sleeping they would just stay awake and look at the baby. They sort of made me want to puke. The more I talk to people the more I realize that this is not the norm. Sleep deprivation stinks, breastfeeding is hard at first, and the kid is cute, but is like a very demanding, completely helpless house guest, that is planning on staying forever! What no one tells you also though is that in a few short weeks it all gets soooo much better, you get in your groove, and you can't imagine life any other way ever again. I love seeing Will changing but I am a little sad that it is going so fast! I am taking the time every day to stop and enjoy the stage he is at right now because all too soon he will be a big boy who will stop wanting to hug me in public because it's not "Cool".

A One Ring Circus!!!

We tried Will out in his new bath seat tonight. He loved it but slid around an awful lot, so I think we will wait awhile to do it again. He looks pretty happy though!

Backpackin' Adventures A Comin'

Today we went to the Consignment shop and bought a backpack for Pudd. He really likes it, and only pulled my hair a few times and spit up on my neck once! It will be really nice for the DC Metro. Going up and down escalators with a stroller is such a pain.

Get It?

Rant against Craigslist.....

Pudd feels my pain!

I want to gripe for one moment about people who say they want your items on Craigslist and then never show up! I am just not selling there anymore!!! I would rather give things away to someone who needs them than to deal with the hassle! Arrgh! Will however does not know the stress of this and is doing great! He is back to his full nights sleeping and is growing in leaps and bounds. Soon he will reach the weight limit on his infant car seat and then I have to figure out what to do when he falls asleep in the car.....

Flying William!

Will is reaching the age where rough-housing is becoming fun. He loves to be held up high, and thinks it's hilarious when Jason holds him under his shoulders and butt and tosses his butt in the air. Today he also learned that he can drop toys off the highchair tray and Mommy will pick them up over and over. He ate a lot of prunes this morning so I may stay home tomorrow in anticipation of what's to come.... He is also very resistant to being alone now. He wants to be where the action is at all times. He is sleeping through the night again after his recent growth spurt so we are really counting our blessings. Otherwise, it's hot and miserable here in Maryland. We are basically living in air conditioning all the time. I can't wait for fall to come back, but that won't be for a while yet. Ugh!

Various Pictures of Recent Days

Here are some random pics.... I have not been blogging much, I am having a lot of migraines lately and have to work this weekend. The headaches are gone for now though so that's a relief. Will is doing well. Rolling lots, demanding to sit up or stand. Laying down is for babies I guess. Work is good. I am still training, but have gotten the hang of almost everything. Jason and I are getting pumped up for a visit with our best friends. They are coming up next weekend, so I am trying to get all the piles straightened up around the house. That's about it!

Pudd is a rollin'

Pudd is officially rolling well both ways. Tonight he seems to have fully mastered the back to tummy maneuver. He has been attempting it for weeks now, but his arms always got in the way. Tonight he worked that out by putting them out in front of him and can easily roll over and over. Excellent! These pictures are obviously not of him rolling, but we thought he looked quite hilarious.

Cha Cha Cha Changes.....

I think he's slightly ashamed of his "manboobs" in this one....

This past week has been crazy. I started my new job Friday, training, and then worked Saturday and Sunday mornings. It is good, very fast paced, and I like helping all these people on their road to parenthood. I can really empathize with them also, since I have had infertility issues. I have also realized that Jason and I made the right decision when we decided to not do infertility treatments. They are all consuming and look very uncomfortable. I helped inseminate 21 women on Saturday. I wonder how many of those will actually have a baby nine months from now.... It was hard being away from Will, even just for the morning. Daddy and he had a good time together though. Sunday was also sad at our house. Since I became pregnant the cats have been peeing on our bed. It wasn't very often, but it is really gross!! Since Will came home they have been doing it more and more. It finally reached a level where I can't deal with it anymore. I love my cats, but I certainly don't love them that much! So, Sunday while I was at work Daddy and Will took the kitties back to the no-kill shelter where we got them. I feel awful, but I didn't know what else to do. I tried extra litter boxes, shutting them out, extra attention, everything I could think of. They just didn't like having the baby here I guess. The vet also said that I smell different when pregnant, that's why they were only peeing on my side of the bed. So, farewell Maggie and Lucy. I love you both, but I love the baby more, and I never learned to appreciate sleeping in your litter box! I hope you both find wonderful homes that are kid free and will give you lots and lots of attention.

Seven Facts About Pudd

Sam tagged me for 7 interesting facts about my kids/or kid. After I am done I was supposed to Tag 7 other people, but I don't know that many people that have blogs. SO my dear sis Bridget will have to do it, because I am dying to know 7 facts about each of my adorable nieces and nephew. Here are mine regarding Will....

1. Recently we have discovered that he loves peas, something Jason and I aren't fond of.

2. He kicks his legs and moves his arms and becomes very excited when he sees my boobs from across a room.

3. Whenever we make him laugh a lot he gets hiccups.

4. He is very flirty with women already, he raises his eyebrows and is very vocal. Must be from Uncle Patrick and Grandpa Happy.

5. He can now pivot on his belly in a full circle on the floor.

6. When he spits up, he loves to rub it all over his face, or play with it on the tray of the excersaucer.

7. Has no idea that his name is William, only answers to Pudd.

8. Bonus, Whenever you play airplane and raise him in the air, he "toots his horn".

Someday he will be very embarrassed by reading this.

Hurray for me!

I got the job at the Fertility clinic and I start training on Friday! I am so happy that I will be making some good money again soon and that I have the hours I want. I could never put Will in childcare, so this is perfect. Jason and Will can spend every other Saturday and Sunday morning together.

One year ago today....

7/7/07

One year ago today we found out little Pudd would be joining our family, and that our lives would be for ever changed. I cried, prayed, and then cried some more. After so many years we finally got our wish. We love you William and are so thankful for you every day!

4 Month Check Up

Today was Will's appointment. He is now a whopping 17pounds 7 oz! I was shocked! He was 12 pounds 13 oz at 2 mo. Yikes! He is almost 26 inches long, up from 24in at 2 mo. His head is huge, 44.5cm, up from 41.5 at 2 mo. He is busting out of a lot of his clothes. I specifically put something on him daily that he hasn't worn yet because I have so many things he has barely worn. The Dr said I should feed him cereal 2 times a day now, and get his naps more scheduled. Right now his bedtimes are great, he goes down at about 9:30 every night and is up for the day around 8am. His naps however are all over the place. She said I should get him down to 2 naps, instead of the 4 or 5 little naps he usually takes. So after he recovers from the trauma of his shots I will work on that. Our little boy is getting so big, it's kind of sad....She also thinks he will be an early crawler, since his gross motor skills are advanced. So soon we need to baby proof the house. Ugh!

Two Crazy Kids!

Seven years ago today two crazy kids ran off to Larrabee State Park and got married. It was a gorgeous evening, sunset, calm winds, the best wedding I could have imagined. The marriage has been even better. I firmly believe that God gave me Jason to heal all the pain I had experienced in my life. So, Thank You God for Jason, and Thank You Jason for all that you do every day, and for loving me with all your heart!

3 month portraits

They finally came back, though he is now 4 months today! I think they turned out very sweet! I scanned them in so they are a bit dirty, sorry!

Folk Life Festival 2008

Inside the temple.

Weavings by the Women of Bhutan

Will being blessed by the Monks.....

Will has now achieved a state of inner peace and enlightenment!

Below is an amazing design all done with different colors of sand. It is amazing, they work for hours and then the wind is allowed to take it away.

Pudd and Momma gittin ready to rustle us up some grub!

Today we ventured in to DC and attended the Folk Life Festival. Every year they showcase 2 countries and one state. This year was Bhutan and Texas, the other feature was NASA instead of another country because NASA is turning 50. The NASA part was lame and so was Texas. They mostly just had musicians and food. The food part was enjoyable, with Texas style BBQ, but otherwise it was a washout. The Bhutanese culture was very well represented however. It is a very small country, only about 650,000 people. They are very third world, still using oxen to plow, getting water from rivers, etc. They are Buddhist and they had an actual temple built for the festival. We toured it and one of the monks blessed Will and tied a bracelet on his wrist to ward off evil spirits. We also saw a lot of their arts and crafts, and ate some excellent food. It was extremely hot however, so after a few hours we were ready to go home.