One year of Wednesdays with Will

Apparently I never blogged about the blog's namesake. Seeing how this is the last Wednesday of Will’s first year, I think it is time!

At my awesome and incredibly cute baby shower, the hostesses (Aunt Leen, Caroyln, Elizabeth, Jenn, Julia, and Stephanie) gave me an adorable album called “Wednesdays with Will.” The idea was that each week I would take some pictures and write about what Will was doing that day or that week. It is a super cute idea, and I am happy to say that I *almost* have 52 entries! It has been such a sweet way to watch him grow, and I love looking at the week by week changes.

Thank you girls for this gift! It has been such a fun way to document Will’s first year. I definitely wouldn’t have done it without the album!

Here are the first few entries...

The Ball Pit

If you were driving down our street yesterday, you may have seen this site - Chad pushing Will in a pack-n-play filled with balls (referred to as the ball pit).  Our friend Mindee suggested this great gift for Will - 200 hundred balls to play in while in his pack-n-play.  Since the day was so nice, we had taken Will outside with the ball pit earlier in the day.  Later that same day, Chad watched Will for a few hours and decided he would try the ball pit outside again, however, he couldn't really carry Will and pull the ball pit.  So, he just put Will in it and rolled it outside. 

That was a huge hit!  Will loved the motion and shrieked with delight.  So Chad pushed Will up and down the sidewalk.  We did it again this morning just so I could see how funny this must have looked to the neighbors and those driving by.

Will also got this tunnel for his birthday.  It has been a huge hit!

First Day of Spring...and things are looking up!

Today is the first day of Spring, and aside from the chance of snow for today, things are looking up!  We had a rough week last week - I had my first ear infection, my first sinus infection and Will had his first sick visit to the doctor!  We have all been under the weather, but today is the first day we are both feeling more like ourselves.

The sad part about Will's visit to the doctor was the breathing treatments.  He was wheezing, so we did a breathing treatment in the office and then we are continuing them at home through the weekend.  However, it is possible that Will might have asthma in which case some form of these treatments may continue.  They are going to check him out at his 1 year visit and we will go from there.  Poor guy! 

In the office, I had to hold him for 10 minutes while he wore a mask and got his medicine.  I dont think Will has been still in my lap for 10 minutes since he was a tiny baby - probably the newborn stage.  Even when he was just a few months old, he wanted you to walk him around when you were holding him.  So, this 10 minute activity felt like forever and Will really hated it. 

Luckily at home, we have Yo Gabba Gabba to distract him (thank you DJ Lance Rock!) and things seem to go much easier.  We have this little yellow taxi nebulizer on loan (how nice is that!) and Will seems to enjoy playing with the tubing.  Next time we give him a treatment, I will check his poor ear!  That looks uncomfortable.  It seems like he has been feeling better everyday.  His cough seems to be almost gone, and he appears to be back to his normal happy little self. 

In less than 2 weeks, he will be one year old!

Countdown until Will's first birthday!

We are getting ready to celebrate Will's first birthday!  We are looking forward to having family in town to celebrate with us and my moms group on April 3.  We are then having a party at the park to celebrate with all our Dallas friends. 

My dad (the photoshop master) and I made this invitation for Will's first birthday party:

Refrigerator Fun

Will loves the refrigerator!  If he sees the door opening he will head that way so quickly that he in under your feet before you know it.  He loves to empty all the plastic items on the lower shelf, and then he does his taste test on each container.  Luckily we have only had one incident where he ended up with Italian all over him.  Now we double check the caps before he has his fun.

anyone want ranch?

taking a moment to ponder

Reflection

It is hard for me to believe that Will is actually 11 months old!  In some ways it feels like there is no way that much time has passed, and in other ways, it seems like forever ago that I held Will in my arms for the first time.  I don't totally remember what life was like without Will even though I had so many years without him, but I know that since he has been in my life, I have learned more and loved more than I could ever have imagined. 

I was so in love with Will from the moment I saw him.  Seeing that little baby for the first time after carrying him around for 9 months... it is just a moment I will forever cherish but I cannot put it into words.  It's like your heart gets bigger and fills with so much love to share with this tiny little baby.  The first night I didn't seem tired after being woken up often in the night, and I remember thinking that this baby stuff was going to be easy!  Then night after night of little sleep took it's toll, and I learned that sleep is something to treasure, to be thankful for, and for me... it is also a necessity!

I learned to spot 2oz, 4oz and 8ozs without really looking at measurements, to hold a baby in one arm while doing almost anything else with the other.  I learned to sleep on demand, sleep through someone vacuuming around me, sleep anywhere.  My body knew to wake up at the littlest peep Will made.  I could hear him from almost anywhere... with or without the monitor.  I watched more "Will TV" (our video monitor) in those first few months when I should have been sleeping myself, but how do you take your eyes off a peaceful sleeping baby? 

I learned patience.  Well, I didn't learn it, it just happened.  I have no patience in life, but I have all the patience in the world for Will.  I can't explain that one, but I am thankful that I do have patience and that it came naturally.  Learning patience at my age would be hard! 

I learned that it is the little things that make Will laugh.  I tried so hard at first to make him laugh, and then found he laughs easily.  He thinks it is funny when I put on Chad's glasses, play peek-a-boo, put his blankie over his head, tease him by letting him almost get something and then whisking him away.  Tickling always works, and Maggie is clearly the best entertainment for him and I hope they continue to play together for years to come.

I learned that having a group of first time moms with babies close in age can get you through any baby hurdle.  We were and are all going through the same things at the same time, and this first year has been so positively influenced by the first time mom's group.  What a fabulous and diverse group; each person with different and great ideas to share from experience, vairous pediatricians, and other friends.  This has been such a fun way to learn - together - all about our babies, motherhood and parenthood.

I learned to share Will with Loli, our nanny.  The first days were so hard!  Hearing him cry and then NOT being the one to comfort him was hard - so hard!  However, Loli has been fabulous for us and for Will.  She has done more things than I would have done - putting him in a park swing at 3 months old, and letting him try some food even earlier.  She has taught him Spanish and he clearly knows many words in both Spanish and English.  In fact, he often knows the Spanish word first and then I am quick to teach him the English word as well.  Will smiles every morning when he sees Loli walk in the door, and I smile everytime I hear Will laughing and squeling with Loli while I am upstairs working.

I have loved seeing the joy and happiness a little baby can bring to so many people.  Will's grandparents think he hung the moon in the sky, and his Aunt Leen cannot resist loving on him every change she gets!  Will has been so wonderful for strengthening our bonds and our parents and siblings.  In public, people will break from their conversations, their shopping to peek at Will and smile or comment.  I am sure this is the case with all babies, but it is just such an amazing treat with having a baby and seeing how others react to positively to the little ones.

I have learned what people mean when they say a baby will change your life.  It does in so many ways.  Yes, it means we are no longer spontaneous after 7:30pm and date nights take a little more planning.  It means that our weekends are not our own - I no longer get manicures often or find myself having long weekend brunches with the girls.  Instead, I wake up, peek at the monitor to see if my little guy is stirring yet, and then know that the moment he first sees me, I will be greeted with a big smile.  He will lift his arms up so i can hold him and love on him.  He will play and find such joy in the little things - today it was the broom.  He could have played with the broom all day.  Watching him grow, seeing him figure things out, watching him smile when he is proud of himself, seeing him dance to any music that plays, watching him climb the stairs and squeal...these are all the moments that I now treasure.  While I sometimes miss the long brunches at Breadwinners, I am truly enjoying these moments with him.  Just thinking of these things, I notice I have a big grin just at the memories of the past 11 months.  And I know there are many more to come!