Month 12

Well, it's over; Will's first year. He survived. We survived! My baby is officially a toddler now. We've seen him take his first steps (AH-mazing!). We'll be working on weaning him from the bottle soon (hard to imagine life without rubber nipples!). Soon he'll be saying words. And running. And turning more and more into a little boy and growing further away from being a baby. On one hand it makes me a little sad. He is and always will be my baby, after all. On the other hand, it makes me feel excited. There's so much I look forward to as we move into his next phase of life, and really does just keep getting better...

At 12 months, Will:

• Weighs 19 lbs, 13 oz. He was born weighing 5 lbs, 13 oz's. Still a little guy but growing right on track!
• Sleeps in his Pack n Play at home now! The swing has officially been retired. He sleeps as good in it as he did in the swing but he wakes up before 7 am every.single.day. Sometimes he'll make an exception and sleep until close to 8 am, but this only ever happens on the week days.
• Drinks about 24 oz of formula/day + 1/4 - 1/2 cup of table food 3x/day. Soon we'll start working on weaning him off formula as well as the bottle. He had eggs for the first time this morning!
• Is walking! He only takes a few steps before he lands on hands and feet and takes off crawling again, but he's doing it multiple times a day now! 
• Loves to clap and imitate just about every thing we do. He loves looking at books, playing with all of his new birthday toys, and he started dancing. He has a stuffed animal puppy that sings "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," and I've caught him bouncing now when it plays while I do the motions. My mom said he also dances to the music from his activity table.
• He seems to be equating more and more words with objects and actions. He looks at Tid Bit when I meow, and Nalani when I make the woofing sound. He reaches out when I say bottle. He says dada when he sees Bill. He gives little sighs of submission when I tell him it's time to go up to go night night and nudge him toward the stairs. He says "yumyumyumyum" when he eats sometimes. There's a lot more I could list but those are some of my favorites. He loves when I make animal sounds as I point to the different animals in his books, and he loves when I sing, "No More Monkeys" as I bounce him on the bed.
• Is very very observant. People have commented on how "alert" he is since the day he was born. I remember one if the nursery nurses in the hospital telling me how smart he was b/c he studied her face while she talked to him, "like he was listening to what she was saying." Bill put up a new camera in the nursery and he noticed it right away. He stared at it for a long time. He also loves to take things apart and try to put them back together. He has a four-pieces puzzle he loves. I think he's going to be a Lego kid when he's older.
• Has 8 teeth now. Two more came in on the bottom front.

Our household had a very busy January. Bill started his new job which he absolutely loves! It has exceeded his expectations so our prayers have been answered in every way. He loves the work, his boss and team, the management, the culture. This company provides free lunch every day, they have various social clubs and gatherings, and coincidentally, his CEO lives about 2 miles away from us! How's that for fate?! On his first day at the company he was told he would not be given a company cell phone; they actually do not expect for him to be on call and accessible 24/7. Whaaaat?! This company is going to take good care of him, that's already been made apparent. I was really expecting this new job transition to be a lot more stressful than it has been. I expected long hours and just a hectic pace for him, but that has not been the case. Bill has been just as hands-on and available to us as he was at the old job, the only difference now is that he's got a new bounce to his step.

Will's birthday was the 25th. Bill's parents drove down all the way from Michigan to spend the long week-end celebrating with us. We had a great visit. And Will wasn't shy with them at all! He took to them, especially Grandma Thrash, as if he sees them everyday. Thank God for Face Time! Grandma and Grandpa Thrash brought Bill's rattle from his babyhood (which he really loves), and some other keepsake family items, including a vintage Radio Flyer wagon! Grandpa Thrash restored it and even personalized it with the family business logo and Will's initials. It's especially special b/c Bill and all the cousins played with it as kids. It's an heirloom now!

We had a little family party which was perfect. I really didn't want to go all out over the top (I don't spend much time on Pinterest), and besides, who has that kind of time?! So we catered in lunch, ordered cupcakes, I displayed Will's baby book and scrap book Stephanie & Kait made for us, we opened presents, and Bill put together a little slideshow to commemorate the year. It was a beautiful day surrounded by those closest to Will that have been our biggest supporters this year. Bill and I kept saying to each other all day, have we really made it through year one?! People tell you it goes by fast. They're right.

February is the month for love and this month Bill and I are focusing on just that. I won't gross you out with any if the details, but suffice to say, the first year of parenthood is all about baby and doesn't leave a lot of time or energy for romance and attention for your partner, (especially for moms). Bill and I have been out without Will exactly four times since he was born. We have not had a date night since my birthday which was four months ago. I signed up on care.com (advertising genius), found a good, reputable babysitter, and we've already taken the plunge! We went to a Super Bowl party while a complete stranger babysat Will. All I can say is thank God for the nanny cams Bill rigged ;-)  It went great. I think she was happily surprised by how easy he is to care for, and we enjoyed time w e/o and friends we hadn't seen or hung out with in months. She'll be back on Friday so we can rekindle our Valentine's tradition of dinner at The Melting Pot. Time to move the old boulder out of the way and come out if hibernation. Phil said there would be six more weeks of winter, but for us Spring starts now ;-)

     Where did my baby go?!

    Feeling triumphant after running my first 4 mi in 40:00!

   The party theme was baby Mickey

Raine & Uncle David

Aunts Stephie & Kait

Grandpa Bri & PaPa Pat

Grandma & Guppy

He ate this cupcake very efficiently. Most babies I've seen literally smash into it and smear it everywhere. They play with it basically. Will doesn't play much with his food. He sees it; he eats it. He ate every bite of this thing...

Happy Birthday, Baby <3

    Grandpa Thrash gave Will his first tricycle. Again, where did my baby go?!

    Whaaaaat?!

    YAY!

    Someone wants to be just like Daddy <3

    I found this quote and posted it to Bill's Facebook after dealing with a (slightly) neurotic wife and rocking       Will for two hours straight during the night when Will woke up with a fever. It's perfect for him. It took the     words out of my mouth...

    With Grandma and Grandpa Thrash the last night of their visit. 

    Proud Grandpa

    Grandma Thrash and Will share a love for Apple!