Dear Will,

You’re eight months old, sweet baby boy. I can’t believe it! You’re a completely different little person than you were eight months ago, that’s for sure. You’ve got so much personality and you can do so many things independently. You amaze me every day with the connections you make and the situations you get yourself into! You’re quite the dare devil, I must say…your Daddy has nicknamed you Kamikaze because you’ll crawl right off the edge of the bed or the couch if we’re not paying close enough attention…silly boy! I sure do hope that your dare devilish stunts slow down in the coming years…or else I may not make it to 50 :)

You celebrated your first Thanksgiving last week, though you slept through the actual dinner portion of it. You were quite impressed with your first taste of mashed potatoes. Your Uncle Matt was proud, though I think you’re going to have to eat a LOT more ‘taters to beat his record! All in all it was such a fun day…I’m so thankful for you in my life, sweet boy. Words can’t even begin to express how much I love you. I thank God each day for blessing us and letting us be your parents…you’re so special to us!

You are all over the place now. You can crawl (and you do so fast!), you can and do pull up on anything that’s in sight. You just started cruising on the couch and can walk the length of it. You can stand for a very short time without support, but letting go still scares you a tiny bit! You got your first tooth on your eight month birthday, the bottom front tooth on your left! It’s still not completely through the surface yet, but I can feel the sharp little edges of it in there…no more chewing on Mommy’s hands as a substitute for a teething ring. Sorry! You’re wearing size 3 diapers and are in 6-9 month clothes and are about to outgrow 12 month sleepers…you’re taking after your daddy in the length department! When we went in to get your 7-month shots you weighed in at 19 pounds 10 ounces…you’re getting so big!

You are into everything. Our shoes, the dog toys, the dog’s water bowl, the electrical outlets, the laptop cord, the tiny speck of grass that got tracked into the house…yep, just about everything! You babble loudly all.day.long. Your chosen words include (but are not limited to) da-da, ma-ma, de-de, na-na, ga-ga, no-no, and puh-puh. You just learned how to blow from watching me blow on my oatmeal in the morning when we eat breakfast. It’s pretty adorable – you purse your lips together and blow down. Your favorite song is the ABCs and it gets sung a lot. If we’re in the car and you start fussing all I have to do is start the ABC song and you’re silent by the time we get to D. No other song will do – I’ve tried Jesus Loves Me, The Ants Go Marching, and a few others…but you’re stuck on the ABCs. You love listening to music, especially at church where it’s going on right in front of you. You’re absolutely fascinated by the different sounds. Your sleep habits are getting marginally better, though I’m not entirely convinced that you’ll ever learn how to sleep through the night ;) Ever since you started crawling, though, you’ve been napping like a champ! It makes your Mommy’s day much nicer since I’m actually able to get a load of laundry and some dishes done while you sleep…thanks little man!

I’m pretty sure I could fill a book with all the things you do now. And that book would constantly be out of date because each and every day you do something new. But I’ll stop here…The past eight months have been the most gratifying, special, wonderful days of my life. Even the sleepless nights with you trump the full nights of sleep I used to get before you arrived. Thank you for being the best gift I’ve ever received. I love you!!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Will,

Today you are seven months old. Seven months. Seven. I’m a tiny bit sad tonight as I write this…you’re tucked in your crib, dreaming sweet dreams. You’re so big, baby. You’re growing up so fast. You need me less and less each day…you’re becoming more independent and I know that in the blink of an eye you’ll be grown up and you really won’t need your Mommy anymore…So tonight, I’m just a little bit sad that you’re growing up.

I love you more than words can express. When you army crawl across the bathroom while I’m in the shower and knock the dog’s water bowl over, I love you. When you throw a little temper tantrum when you don’t get your way, I love you. When you’re up all night, I love you. You stole my heart the moment you came into this world and things haven’t been the same since. I cherish the days with you, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ve told you how lucky I feel that I am able to stay at home with you during these precious days. I get to hear you giggle at the dogs chasing after their toys, I get to watch you discover the world around you, I get to shower you in kisses and love you with abandon every second of the day. I’m so thankful for your Daddy, Will. He knows how much this time with you means to me, and he would give up anything to make me happy, even if that means we have to live with a little less since I’m not teaching. He has so much to teach you…things about life, and love, and being a man of God. You are lucky to have him as a Daddy; you’re so lucky you get to learn from him. He may not be a man of many words, but watch his actions and you’ll go far.

As I watch you grow, one thing I admire about you is how determined you are. You’ve been this way since day one, but it’s really starting to shine through as you grow. When you were not even a day old, you started trying to hold your head up on your own. I have no idea why you were so determined to do it, but you were and you did. No obstacles can stop you from doing what you want…you passionately pursue the things your heart desires, be it toys across the room or my laptop that you want to bang on. I hope you never lose this trait, Will. I hope you chase hard after your dreams and never let someone tell you that your dreams are unattainable. Because they’re not baby boy, they’re not. And I pray I can teach you to have a heart of the Lord. Because if you have a heart of the Lord, then your dreams are His dreams. And with your determination and His dreams, you can do so much for His Kingdom!

Seven months seems so long in theory, but so short in actuality. I’ve gotten to soak up seven months of memories with you. Memories like you laughing hysterically at the dogs in your bath tonight. You giving me hugs when you get up from your naps. You banging your tiny little palms against the wood floor, the table, your highchair tray, my arms. You taking your paci out of your mouth just so you can cry. You laying your sweet head against my chest as I rock you to sleep. You experiencing the feel of paint squishing through your fingers. You sitting in the grass for the first time and relishing in the scratchy, coolness of it. I could go on and on about the memories I have of you!

These days you’re into everything! You’re fast…I never realized how fast a non-crawling little person could move. You catch me off guard all the time and melt my heart with your toothless little smile. You army crawl everywhere and are practicing getting up on your hands and knees. You pull up on everything (including your crib and the bathtub). You love your pacifier. You’re wearing size 3 diapers and wearing 6-9 month clothing. Your pants are way too big around the waist and just barely long enough – I foresee that being an issue all your life! You’ve started giving hugs when I get you out of your crib (and they totally make my heart melt). You’ve started on some finger foods and are loving them!

I could write about you forever, but I’ll stop here for tonight. I love you, Will. I love you more than you’ll ever know.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Will,

I can’t even believe that I’ve spent half a year with you. In the weird way that time works, it seems like longer and shorter all in the same second. You’ve gone from this tiny, helpless bundle into a babbling, rolling, sitting-up little baby. You have likes and dislikes, you have the sweetest personality. You’re so precious to me!

In half a year, we’ve gone from:

this                                                                                                  to this.

Oh, where does the time go? I’m so lucky to be your Mommy, sweet boy. I hope you know just how much I enjoy it. I love your that you’ve started giving me wet, open mouth kisses. I absolutely adore them, even the slimed face I get afterward! I love your fake coughs, the way you say “Ahhooo!” if you can’t get a sneeze out, and how completely excited you get about tearing up napkins. You’re so passionate about all the little things our day holds and you put your entire heart into doing activities. You splash your heart out during bathtime until your eyelashes are dripping with water and then you look up at me and grin. You reach with all your might to grab things off the table during dinner and you are a very enthusiastic eater. You know our daily routine well, but if we stray from it, it’s no big deal. You’re so easy going and happy-go-lucky and I love that about you. I hope that never changes.

You’re still wearing 3-6 month clothes, but I’m mixing in more and more of your 6-9 month clothes every day. You graduated to size 2-3 diapers and are somewhere around 18 pounds and 28-29 inches long. So far you’ve had rice cereal (okay), oatmeal (good), bananas (great), avocado (okay), pears (fantastic), sweet potatoes (good), butternut squash (okay), peaches (fantastic), plums (fantastic), apples (great), green beans (okay), nectarines (fantastic), and puffs (okay). If I’m having an apple for a snack, you love to gum a slice of apple to death while I eat mine. You make “mmm mmm mmm” noises while you’re chomping and it’s just so dang cute! You sleep in your crib for a 5-8 hour stretch and then come snuggle in bed between Mommy and Daddy. I’m sure you’d go back to sleep in your crib if I rocked you, but I love having you snuggle up close to me for part of the night. You’re an expert at sitting up and rarely topple over anymore, you roll both directions (though you roll back to belly much easier than belly to back) and you’re fascinated with patterns on fabric. You enjoy the Exersaucer and Jumperoo, but you’re also content to sit on my lap while I eat breakfast and watch Ellen. It’s still hard to get laughs and giggles out of you, but man, when I do, I could listen all day! You have the cutest chuckle and I love your gummy grin!

The toes on your left foot curl over each other (as evidenced by the above photo), and it makes me laugh! You love your doggie (security blanket) and your brown/blue striped blankets. You’re addicted to your pacifier and have perfected the art of putting it into your mouth backward. You love hugs, you love it when your Daddy gives you kisses on your neck, you love to pet the dogs, you love taking jogs with Mommy, you love bathtime, and you love reading your Bible at night…you seriously just seem to love life. It is such a joy for your Daddy and I to see you delight in the little things that we take for granted every day. You are always in the moment and I envy you for that. I know that you’re like that because you are a baby, but it’s something that I hope you never lose. All too often we spend too much time looking foward to the future or remembering the past and we forget to soak up every ounce of goodness in the life we’re living NOW.

This time next year, you’ll be a running, walking, jumping, talking 18-month-old and I know I’m going to look back at this letter and a small piece of my heart is going to ache that my baby is growing up. But each day that you grow, my heart grows with love for you. Six months ago I didn’t even have a clue what it meant to be your Mommy. I remember staring down at you while you slept on my chest, your little breaths warm on my neck, and being overcome with this overwhelming love for you. It was a type of love that I never even knew existed in human form…I’d known you for barely a day and I was knocked over by these powerful emotions. All I wanted was more time with you so I could stare at you, watch you breathe, and pour my love over you. Not too much has changed six months later. I still stare at you and delight in the deliciousness of you. I still watch you breathe (and always check to make sure you’re still breathing before I go to bed). I still want to drench you in my love until you’re dripping with it; I hope you never doubt just how much I love you. And I still just want more time with you, even if that time comes at 3:00 in the morning. I am so, so proud of you Will. Your life is so meaningful. Your life has brought your Daddy and I closer. Your life has brought my family and I closer. Your life is going to change the world, I have no doubt about that.

I found this poem and it kind of sums everything up. I am thankful for these past six months and so excited about the future with you. I love you so much, Will.

MY DEAR CHILD.
You are the poem
I dreamed of writing
the masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for In my
ever hopeful quest
for life fulfilled..
You are my child.
Now with all things
I am blessed.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Will,

Eight years ago today, when you weren’t even a thought in my mind, something terrible happened in our world. We, as Americans, were attacked by terrorists. Life as I knew it then was to be changed forever. I remember exactly where I was that day, exactly what I was wearing, and exactly what I was doing. I was in 10th grade and absolutely nothing got finished in school for the rest of the day. All of my teachers had the TV turned onto the news and we watched over and over again as planes flew into the World Trade Center. I remember the first time I saw it on the news, it didn’t even cross my mind that someone would’ve done this to America purposely…I was sad that such a tragic accident had occurred. When I found out it wasn’t actually an accident and that terrorists from another country wanted to hurt our great nation, I was sad and scared.

I wish I could raise you in a world where people valued life. But sadly, even in America, that doesn’t happen. People brush off life and don’t look at it as a gift. They play God; they take lives away. And it breaks my heart. I want you to know what a precious, special thing life is, baby boy. I want you to value it, to cherish it, and to never, ever take one breath for granted. Right now, soldiers are a world away fighting for your right to live your life here in America. Fighting for your right to be free. Some day in the not too distant future, your Uncle might be over there fighting for you too. Please don’t forget this, Will. Don’t forget that men and women have given up their lives so you can have yours. When you think about that, please stop and take a moment to reflect. Take a moment to realize that even though we have the right to believe what we want in America, there are other countries where people do not.

I believe that God blessed your Daddy and I with your little life for a specific purpose. I believe that He has big plans for your little life. I believe that He wants to use you to change the world. Change it for the better; change it so others can realize the gift of life too. My prayer for you today is that you would listen to the gentle call of His voice and that you would go where He calls you. And maybe, just maybe, you can make such a difference in our world that eighty years from now there are no more wars and people don’t have to give their lives so others have a chance at freedom.

I love you Will and I am so thankful for the gift of you.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Will,

Happy five month birthday! Sometimes I find it hard to believe that you’re five whole months old. Next month, we’ll have known you for half of a year. And to me, that just seems like such a long time. The past five months have been a whirlwind of love, smiles, and a little less sleep than Daddy and I would like. But I wouldn’t change one single second of these past five months because they’ve been some of the best months of my life. I cherish every day with you, every second I get to spend giggling with you and marveling over all the cute baby things that you do. You make up such a huge part of my life and I no longer can even remember what my life was like before you came into the picture. You’ve changed our family and you bring your Daddy and I joy daily. When I think back on these past five months, bliss is the only word that can possibly describe it. Because all the bad times, all the difficult moments, and frustrations just seem to slip away when I see your gummy, crooked smile or hear your precious little giggle. Nothing else in the world matters anymore when you’re around. I’ve been drunk with happiness and love since you came into this world and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I got to spend my 24th birthday with you and it was so nice to relax and have a low-key day at home. Daddy bought me a jogging stroller and we took our first run in it last week. I’m so excited to teach you how to lead an active life. When you look back on your life, I want exercise and activity to be something that is like breathing to you – automatic and something you can’t do without. So much of our world has become lazy and I never want you to have to fight that battle. I never want you to loathe activity…I want you to enjoy it and I want it to be something that is vital to you. You seemed to enjoy your first run and I really wish I would’ve snapped a quick picture. You looked so adorable in your A&M onesie (thanks Uncle Matt!), your blue Adidas shorts, and your sunglasses. I hooked a few toys around your harness in case you got bored, but you really didn’t play with them much. You looked all over as we ran through the neighborhood and then fell asleep on the way back. I’m anxious to log lots of miles and hours running with you in tow.

If I had to guess, I’d say you’re about 17 1/2 pounds right now and probably close to 28 inches long. You’re getting so big and growing so fast! But I love this age and stage you’re at. You’ve got so much personality and so much life, Will. You are such a happy baby and you smile at anything and everything. You totally love life and I love watching you learn and experience the joys of it. Your newest thing is to reach your hands out and place them on either side of my face when I’m talking to you. You grin and giggle (and sometimes pinch). If I had to pick one thing that I enjoy the most about you right now, I’d have to say that’s it. I’m not sure why that makes me so happy – maybe because it’s the first time you’ve been able to show your affection for me in an outward manner. I’m not sure…but boy, do I love it!

You’re still wearing your 3-6 month clothes, though some are getting a bit snug. You’re about to outgrow size 2 diapers and you go to sleep in your crib every night. You love it when Daddy gets home from work every day and you give him the biggest grins ever. It’s so fun to see you developing your relationship with him. It makes me think towards the future when you’ll wrestle with him, play catch with him, and learn what a Godly man is like from him. You’re lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy in your life. He loves to make you laugh and will do just about anything to hear that tiny giggle escape your lips. The newest thing you find funny is standing on his face. He leans back on the couch, holds you up over his head and lets you stomp your pudgy feet around on his face. You laugh and laugh and laugh! You also have developed a love for the dogs, especially Riley (because she’ll let you pet her). In the morning when we’re getting ready for the day, you sit in your bouncer and watch Riley and Sammy. You think it’s absolutely hilarious when Riley growls and shakes her toys. Your favorite food is probably still pears, although you are also a huge fan of apples.

Thank you so much for making me a Mommy, Will. It’s the most rewarding, exhausting, wonderful, exciting, exhilarating, and fulfilling job I have ever had. I just can’t seem to get enough of you. I love you so much and I am so, so proud of everything that you’ve accomplished in your five months on this Earth.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Will,

Today someone other than family watched you for the first time. We left you in the nursery during church for the first time…no more snuggles in the Mei Tai during church, because quite frankly, you’re one loud little boy! You love to express your joy with life loudly. While Donnie is preaching. And although little babies squealing in delight is adorable, I’m pretty sure it’s not that conducive to studying God’s word! :) You did great and acted like an old pro when I handed you off…but it tugged at my heart just a little bit to watch you clinging on to someone other than me through the window. I’ll be honest, I had a hard time concentrating during church! I kept waiting to see my number flash up on the screen because I knew how tired you were and how hard it is to get you to sleep when you’re overtired. I knew that you were going to need your Mommy to help you fall asleep. But my number never appeared. I even had to leave during the offering to pick you up just a little bit early because I was just sure you’d be missing your Mommy. Wrong again! You were snoozing in the swing, paci in mouth and blankie in hand. It made me smile and seeing your chubby little fingers grasping your blankie so tightly made me love you a tiny bit more.

You’re getting so big, Will! You seem to learn a new skill every day. You take joy in turning off lights (our own little energy-saver!), petting the dogs, and grabbing everything within reach. Your hand-eye coordination is much improved from your newborn days. You make such a wide variety of noises that I have a hard time keeping up! You love love love reading Where the Wild Things Are and you giggle when I say, “let the wild rumpus start!” I’m sure that book will be a much loved favorite for years to come. And I’m sure you’ll create lots of wild rumpuses and that I’ll call you “wild thing” and send you to your room. :) I love the way you’ve started sucking on your bottom lip again. It accentuates your chubby cheeks and your over-sized ears and is so stinkin’ cute! I love how curious you are about everything and I especially love your “yucky” face when you get a taste of something that wasn’t quite what you were expecting (like Grannie’s ice cold water on a metal spoon or the avocado I made for you tonight). I think some of my favorite moments with you are right after you wake up from a nap. You suck your paci, clutch your blankie, snuggle deep down into my arms, and look around with your big blue eyes. Just taking it all in.

I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t get over just how lucky I am to be your Mom. I never knew I could feel this way about someone, especially someone who can’t hold a conversation with me or someone I’ve only know for four months. These last four months with you have been the best four months of my life and it’s such a delight to spend life with you. I know God has huge plans for you and I’m so excited to see your big heart chase hard after him. I pray daily that He would teach me how to be your Mommy, that He would help me shape you into the person He wants you to be.

I am so glad to have you in my life, so glad to hug you, to kiss you, to smile at you, and to live life with you and your Daddy. I love you so much, Mister!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Will,

Today you are four months old. Four months! How is that even possible? It seems like yesterday that I was meeting you for the first time…slow down baby boy! You are the best gift that I’ve ever been given and I can’t thank you enough for making me a Mommy. You bring joy to my life each and every day. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and sometimes you even make me cry. But I love every single second of it. I thought I loved you four months ago…boy, I had no idea what was coming! The depth of my love for you is greater than I ever imagined possible. It’s scary and exciting and wonderful. It makes me wonder if the way I feel about you can even come close to the way God feels about each of his children. I hope one day you’ll experience that overwhelming, knock-you-off-your-feet type of love for your own child, so you can fully realize the way I feel about you, precious boy.

You’re so different than you were four months ago. You giggle, you grin, you talk, and are a total ham. You love to be the center of attention and like nothing more than to have “conversations” with people. You can entertain a whole group of old ladies by grinning and flirting with them! You’re a roller now. You can roll from tummy to back and are still incredibly close at going from back to tummy. You love to snuggle, your paci, Where the Wild Things Are, the pool, the Mei Tai carrier, bath time, the Exersaucer, the dogs, and being outside. There isn’t too much you dislike anymore! You are fascinated with faces right now. You reach your chubby little arms up and grab for Mommy or Daddy’s nose, eyes, and lips while we’re holding you. You love to fly on my knees and to be pulled up to sitting or standing. When we sing “The Wheels on the Bus” you grin and laugh when I get to the part where the “mommies go shh shh shh.” It gets you every time, so I sing it more often on purpose. We both end up rolling on the floor laughing.

You’re still not a great sleeper, but I’ve decided that I don’t care. This time with you is flying by so fast that sleeping in our bed for a few months isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things. And I might just secretly enjoy those midnight wakings…just you and me in the dark, staring at each other until we both drift back off to sleep. Sweet, peaceful moments that I’ll never get to experience again.

I love you so much, Will. Thank you for making me a Mommy and for being such a blessing in our lives.

Love,
Mommy

It's live!

The new blog is live! Head on over, check it out, and leave some comments :) Make sure you update your bookmarks too. This blog will stay up, but I won't be updating it anymore.

http://www.libbyannphotography.com/blog

Ch-ch-ch-Changes!

There will be some changes to the blog coming very soon! The biggest change is that I'll be merging my personal blog with a new business blog. The main reason for this is that I feel like I need to start a business blog to show off all my wonderful clients and have a place for my most recent work to be displayed...I think it'll help with my business tremendously and I've spent the better part of the evening getting it set up. I don't want to have two blogs because one would end up getting neglected, so I'm going to combine the two. Don't worry - there will still be plenty of Will posts! And lots and lots of pictures, as always! There will be a new address for it, but I'll link it when it's completely finished. I'm excited!

If you haven't been by the site lately, you should. I've put up lots of pictures from some of my most recent sessions. You also might see your favorite little blue-eyed boy showcased in a few spots! God is really blessing me with business lately...it's picking up and I'm loving every single minute of it! Keep praying for us in this area, though, please! We're working hard to get completely debt free (except for our mortgage) and every little bit helps so much.

Because I love him more than I ever thought possible, here are a few pictures of Will. He has the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen...I know I'm biased, but look at them! I didn't do a thing to them in editing - the color ones are pretty much straight out of the camera besides a little sharpening. Crazy blue eyes! :)

Sleep is for the birds!

My baby is such a stinker. Sleep in mommy's bed = sleeping through the night and maybe waking up around 2 or 3 to eat. Maybe. Sleeping on his own = waking every hour or two. I think he's going to need me to sleep in the same bed with him when he goes to college ;) Just kidding. I know that's an exaggeration...but our sleep issues are not resolving themselves. I can't just leave him in his room to cry. I know it works for some people, but it eats me away and I just can't do it. So I'm going to talk to his pediatrician on the 5th about what I can do to help and then go from there. Hopefully we'll have this whole sleep thing figured out by the time he's 1! I tell him it's a good thing he's cute, because one look at that gummy little grin has my heart melting and all ill feelings of the night before turning to feelings of love and adoration.

He is starting to really notice food as well. I've started watching a little girl, Marley, and she's just started eating solids. I tried to hold Will on my lap while I fed her, but that lasted all of a few seconds before he got fussy. He kept leaning towards the food, licking his lips, chewing, and drooling. It was a little pathetic and a lot funny! Sorry buddy, you've got a couple more months before we go through that little adventure together! I have a feeling that he's going to be ALL about the food though!

He's sooo close to really rolling from back to tummy. I keep waiting for it to happen, but he hasn't shown off his skills yet. He watches what Marley does, though (she's a very good little roller!) and tries to imitate her. I bet I'll be sharing that we have a real roller soon (since I don't think the little rolling act on the bed actually counts).

Here are a few shots from today...I have a ton to go through, but these are my favorites :) I think I'm going to be constantly changing out photos on our photo wall in the entry way. Every time I take pictures I end up with new favorites! (Pictures of the house to come very soon!)

This is the grin...the one that melts my heart! How can you resist that toothless little face?


I love his eyes...so blue!




Remember the last "hugging" the bear picture? Can you even believe how much he's grown in three short weeks?






The bubbles...the drool. It's just too much cuteness for one picture!

One More

I wasn't going to edit anymore pictures tonight...I was going to go to bed. But this one caught my eye and I love it, so I had to share :)

We're still alive!

Sorry for not blogging lately...life here has been a little crazy. Will is not sleeping well at all anymore...in fact, I'm lucky if I can get a 2 hour stretch between him waking! Greg has been awesome helping out, but the little guy is wearing all of us out - himself included! I've had to cross one of the "I'll never's..." off my list. I swore up and down that we'd NEVER co-sleep with him. Yeah...that lasted all of a few nights until I was desperate enough to get sleep that I put him in bed with us. He's totally a fan of it. I'm not really, but it does mean I'm getting some form of sleep, and right now some is better than none. Any ideas for helping with our horrible sleep habits? I'm hoping I'm not going to be forced to grin and bear it until he's older!

Other news...Will officially rolled from back to tummy on Sunday! I'm counting it, even though he was on the bed and my weight made it a little easier for him ;) He's really started to talk - a lot! He babbles and shows off all the time...it is so cute! He grabs his feet when laying on the floor and he reaches for everything. I feel like everyday brings a new milestone...this age is so much fun. As of last Tuesday, he weighs 15 pounds 12 ounces...holy cow, he's almost doubled his birth weight!

Last week we took his first trip to Kansas and I cannot get over how wonderful he was. He had his shots the day before we left, so I was a little worried about how the car ride would go. He surprised both Greg and I by being a wonderful passenger. He slept for a lot of the trip, played with some toys hung from his carseat, and really only cried for the last 30 minutes of the 12 hour trip. He was also amazing in Kansas - he showed off for everyone! He is in love with my grandma...he would light up when he saw her and babbled away with her :) He took his first dip in a pool while we were there too and he loved every second of it. I definitely think we have a water baby on our hands! The water was even a tiny bit chilly and he couldn't care less. We're going to have to start taking him to the pool in our neighborhood or something.

Here's a picture from the 4th to fill your Will quota for the day! I've got tons more where this one came from...I've just gotta get them edited!

14 Weeks: Photo Overload

Be prepared for some cuteness...Mommy got camera happy tonight!

The Exersaucer has been one of my best purchases to date. He stinkin' loves this thing!



We had a little pre-bedtime fun in it tonight and he giggled and talked and smiled the entire time.


Concentrating so hard so he can...


...grab the dog!


We have to prop him up with 3 or 4 blankets because he's still just a tad bit small for it.


I think this might be one of my new favorite pictures of him. I love how hard he's concentrating on the butterfly and I love his chubby little hand grabbing the dog...he's so precious!






After playtime each night is bath time, followed by some changing table giggles, a story (if he's up for it), swaddling, nursing, and then finally bed. I love his little chubby thigh propped up to fully enjoy his relaxing bath ;)


He studies us intently as we give him his bath...Greg was pouring water over him here and he watched and studied him. It's so adorable!






















This is how we wash his back...it looks hilarious and his grunts and babbling while he sits like this make it all the funnier!


I don't think there's ever been a cuter baby bottom than this one!








All wrapped up and snug after his bath. I love this :)






He is always talking anymore!


Checking out the other baby in the mirror. He's still not quite sure that it's him in the mirror, although I think he's starting to get it.




I love this picture. I love his big blue eyes, the bubbles in his mouth, and the cleft in his chin.




This week we made the big transition to sleeping in his crib...and I must say it's been hard on me. I love having him in our room, knowing he's safe and sound right by me. But he's not sleeping well in there (and neither am I), so we decided to move him...he's growing up way too fast for my liking!