Happy 9 months Will!

Baby Will, you are 9 months old!  What a sweet, loving, hilarious, active, bright, strong, and precious boy you are.  We thank God for you everyday...you are the sweetest miracle.  I am reminded daily at God's love and grace when I look at your face.  You have SO much going on.  You are crawling, standing with assistance, walking along furniture, and  yesterday you started babbling...I walked into your daycare to see you in your playpen making a funny face with your lips.  You kept smacking them together.  I remember thinking "what is wrong with this poor boy?" and then all of a sudden you turned on your voice and started making sounds "bababababa."  I cried I was so proud of you!
You are still in a size 3 diaper and 9 month clothing.  You are 17 lbs and still so skinny and long!  You are eating like a champ though!  You nurse in the morning, take 3 bottles (10am, 12:30pm, and 3pm) during the day, and nurse at night before going down.  You love eating and are trying new things like yogurt, zucchini, pureed turkey and chicken, and teething toasts.  You are a boy of routine and still prefer your 6:30 (ish) bedtime.  You are able to sleep through the night, however, your top teeth came through this month and night times were not always your most comfortable.
This month, we took a quick weekend trip to Lake Tahoe with Auntie Mandy and Uncle Josh to celebrate my birthday!  It was my best birthday ever because you were a part of it, Will.  I was so thankful to have you in my arms that day!  Our hotel room was soooooo small, so our nights were "interesting" with you right by us.  All of us would have to go to sleep (or at least lay down) around 7pm.  You LOVED swimming in the lake and sitting on the shore.  You had your first mouthful of sand...it didn't bother you one bit...I swear, you will eat anything.
I already mentioned that you are active!  This month you started climbing up our stairs.  This makes me nervous, but I also realize you need to learn so we take you them quite a bit.  You LOVE it!  You are already so good at it and are able to climb the first set unassisted (with mommy close behind).
This month we found out how brave your mommy and daddy really are.  :)  You went with Papa on an airplane down to Southern California!  Papa was so excited!  It took mommy and daddy FOREVER to pack for you.  We wanted to make sure you had everything you would need...but really, you were just so happy being with Nana and Papa and the rest of the family.  We missed you, but I am positive, you didn't even have a chance to miss us!  :)  Baby Will, you are so loved.  We met you down there the next evening.  This was also a special weekend because we dedicated you to the Lord in our home church in Vista.  Mommy and Daddy grew up in this church and were married 10 years ago on the same stage!
You still enjoy jumping in your jumperoo and walking with your walker.  You are so proud of yourself when you do this!  We love your laugh and smile more and more each day.  Your face is so full of wonder at everything you look at.  :)  I say it over and over again, but you make our world so wonderful and new.  We look at things SO differently now.  You are our precious boy, Will.  We love you!

Happy 8 Months!!!

William Curtis (Baby Will),
You are 8 months old and are cruising fast!  You are so animated and fun.  Your smile is contagious and we laugh at your silly expressions.  I still can't get over your eyebrows...so expressive.  You raise them up and down when you drink and sometimes just do it to flirt.
You are wearing size 3
diapers and 9 month clothing.  You probably weigh around 16.5 pounds.  I have no idea how tall you are, but I know you are slim and lengthly...you have a little chub to your thighs, but your still a little thing.
You are in Day Care full time now.  We started on the 5th of August part time for a few weeks to get you acclimated...this was VERY hard for your mommy and daddy.  We both had tears in our eyes the night before bringing you.  This was such a difficult decision but we know it is the best for our family right now.  You had a hard time drinking from a bottle at first.  I was so worried thinking that you were starving while I was away.  Thankfully, we figured out that you prefer your bottles VERY warm!  Once the daycare warmed it up a tad bit more you started slurping those bottles down.  You are still nursing in the morning and at night before bed and take 3 bottles (10, 12:30, and 3) at daycare.  While you are there you take two naps (morning 1.5, afternoon 2 hours).  Thankfully, it did not take too long for you to get accustomed to a new nap time spot.
You are taking in new solids everyday.  You still like the usual: squash, carrots, peas, apples, pears, sweet potatoes.  This last month you started a few other foods like blueberries, green beans, and mango.  Of course, you gobble it all down.  You are still pretty "clean" when you eat, although this month I experienced my first baby food shower when you sneezed right after giving you a spoonful of blueberry puree.  This month you ate "puffs" for the first time.  Your don't quite have a pincer grasp...instead you grab them full fisted, put your fist to your mouth, and drop most of them on your chest.  A few end up in your mouth. 
This month we had a lot of sweet little outings as a family before mama went back to work full time.  We have been enjoying our annual passes to the zoo, visiting with friends, taking long walks, and going out to eat where you sit in a high chair and play with your toys.  On one of our outings you swung on a swing for the first time.  PURE JOY!  You smiled going back and forth, wiggling your little feet the whole time.
Your crib is now down to the lowest level as you are standing now.  I remember brushing my teeth one night watching you climb yourself up to a standing position.  I quickly ran in to take you out and Daddy spent the next 10 minutes lowering it down.  I think it is so crazy how fast this happened!  It feels like just yesterday I was laying you down in your co-sleeper bundled up so tight.  Now you are all over the place in your crib.  You still prefer to sleep on your tummy and that is okay.  You sleep better that way.  :)  Night time sleep is good.  Sometimes you sleep through the night and wake around 6am and sometimes you still wake for a quick bottle in the middle of the night.
You love to wrestle with daddy.  He chases you around now and crawl away laughing hysterically.  I love that you still let me rock you to sleep.  This is my most treasured time when your head is on my chest...I could stare at you for hours.
Every moment with you is pure joy....my precious boy....I love you so!

Happy 7 months Will!

William Curtis,

You are 7 months!  Each day with you has been a joy.  Your daddy and I are so amazed at how easy going and precious you are.  People comment on how sweet you are everyday.

This month was HUGE for you in regards to milestones.  You have started eating solids and are LOVING it!  We started you off with avocado while Grandma, Grandpa, Mandy, and Josh were visiting.   All of us sat around the table with our cameras/phones/video cameras capturing your first taste.  You didn't appear to love it, but since then you enjoy eating many things including sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, butternut squash, peaches, apples, blueberries, and pears.

You are still exclusively nursing like a champ, but we just recently moved you to taking a bottle during the day so I can see how much you take in.  This will better prepare us for when you begin daycare.  As of now, you eat 5-6 times per day taking 4-5 ounces.

You are soooooo active!  Our lives have changed BIG TIME as you went from planking, to scooting, to full on crawling in just a short time.  You are so proud of yourself!  Of course, we are too!  Just recently you have begun to crawl up certain furniture to a  hunched over, standing position...you haven't quite mastered the standing straight up, but you are so close.

We made another trip to Southern California to visit family, but this time we flew in an airplane!  Your first flight was a HUGE success!  Mommy and Daddy barely made the gate in time, but we were all so calm, laughed it off,  and were able to sit next to each other thanks to a very gracious traveler who offered her seat.  You were awake for only part of the take off and landing, but had a long nap during the middle portion.  You did not fuss one bit.

During our stay down there you had a few more firsts that I want to document.  You went from a crawling position to sitting position and Great Grammies house...she actually saw you do it before mommy and was so thrilled you did it!  You also stayed with Grandma and Grandpa with out Mommy and Daddy for a whole weekend!  Auntie Mandy came down to spend time with you too!  You only woke a few times to "play" at night, ate apples for the first time with Grandma, and loved playing with Grandpa!  We missed you, but were so lucky to get away and know that you were taken care of.

This month you had your first round of swim lessons!  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Do you love water, or what?  You were a natural, immediately kicking your legs in the water and went under with no problem!  

This month you cut two teeth.  Your lower bottom two teeth came within days of each other...whew!  Teething was hard on you buddy, but you were a trooper.  I love your smile even more now...those two white little nubs just crack me up and make you look so big!

You are around 16 pounds and wearing size 6 month and 9 month clothing depending on the style/brand.  You are wearing a size 3 diaper.  You go to bed early around 6:30pm.  There have been nights that you sleep through, but for the most part you still prefer to wake once around 11pm to feed one more time before sleeping through to 6:30am.  I am still happy to do this as it is our time together and I know you are a growing boy.  Your naps are AMAZING!  About 1.5-2 hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the afternoon.  You prefer to sleep with Pete (a small stuffed Rabbit) and Penelope (soft elephant lovee.)  We also got bumpers for your crib this month as you are SO active in your crib now!  It seems as if you are practicing your skills before and after naps...attempting to stand, rolling around, crawling, and rocking back and forth.

You still love your Baby Einstein Jumperoo!  This month we had to move it up a notch as you are growing so fast!  You jump to your hearts content...laughing and squealing the whole time!  You also love your fishing set from Lakeshore, primarily the fishing pole.  You enjoy gnawing at it, swinging it around, slapping the ground with it...etc.  Of course, your Grandpa's are so excited about your future fishing trips with them!
Baby Will, your daddy and I are bursting with love for you!  We prayed for a baby so long and never even dreamed that it would be this amazing!  You bless us daily with your sweet smile and laugh.  We cherish every moment with you.  

Happy 6 months Will!

 Dear Will,

You are 6 months old today!  Where has the time gone?  So quickly, you went from a tiny little newborn to an adorable, charismatic baby!  Your smile brightens my day...there really is nothing better.

You had your 6 month appointment today and weighed in at 15 pounds, 6 ounces (13 percentile) and are 26 3/4 inches long (54 percentile).  You are still "itty bitty", but to us your are HUGE!

I love that you are still gaining some chub...I especially adore your elbow dimples and roly poly thighs.  I can just eat you up!
You are still wearing a size 2 diaper and 6 month clothing.  It has been HOT this month so you are regularly in a onesie or a short sleeved romper.  
You love being read to and prefer to grab the book and inspect the pages.  The books that (we think) you like are "Little Blue Truck," "Hop on Pop," "Do you know how much I love you," and "I love you through and through."  This month you are sitting on your own with the support of your hands at your sides or in front of you.  Mommy likes to still have you sitting in between the boppy for more support.  You like sitting this way too, especially when you are playing with your toys.  You LOVE the ring stacker from Fisher Price, your stuffed animals "Benny Bear" and "Turt", Sophie the Giraffe, and of course your Baby Einstein Jumper.  This month was a BIG one because you are finally able to reach the floor with your toes to jump rather than using Mommy and Daddy's wedding album below you.  You go CRAZY in that thing!  I think a trampoline is in your future buddy!
You are so vocal!  You love to hear yourself "talk."  A lot of "ooooo's, aaaaa's, goooo's, maaaaa's" are coming out of your mouth as well as rasberries.  :)  You mastered these earlier this month and it is hilarious!
You have always been smiley, but this month you have gone over and above the grin to a wide open bass fish smile.  I LOVE IT!  Your laugh comes from your gut and lasts a long time.  We love tickling you, making funny faces, and throwing you in the air just to hear it!  You still adore Riley and often watch her and start laughing...you are becoming braver and reaching out to touch her now.
This month you went on your first Houseboat Trip with the family!  You did GREAT!  Everyone loved holding you...I don't think your tiny bootie ever touched the ground.  You napped very well and slept "Okay" at night.  Half way through you would fuss so mommy just brought you in bed with us.  This, of course, made you very happy.  :)
Sleeping at home has been better as well.  You take 2-3 naps a day and wake up 1-2 times at night still. In the middle of the month we witnessed your fine motor skills at work when you reached out for your pacifier in your crib and put it in your mouth!!!!  Woo hoo!  This was a huge milestone for all of us to celebrate!
You also are ready to crawl!  You haven't moved yet, but you are able to get into the crouched position with knees bent and chest up.  You stay in that position for a little while and then just fall to your tummy kicking your legs behind you.
Baby Will,  you are still grabbing at everything.  You have a STRONG grip!  Unfortunately, mommy's hair is usually what you are after...OUCH!
These past 6 months have FLOWN BY!  We cannot imagine our life with out you in it.  You are a blessing to the entire family.  Every day we pray over you and ask God to hold you close.  I believe that he has mighty plans for you.  You are precious.  So so so precious!  We love you!

What a difference a year makes! (Happy 4th!)

 Last year around this time, our loved ones were receiving this picture in the mail announcing the upcoming arrival of our little baby!  At this time we did not know whether we would be blessed by a girl or a boy, but of course we were beyond THRILLED to finally be pregnant!

Between then and now, we went to numerous doctor visits and classes, found out we were having a boy, prepped the room, bought endless amounts of baby gear, were graciously showered by our loved ones, had our sweet baby boy, survived the newborn phase, and are just trying to slow time down with the GREATEST baby boy in the world.

We are so happy for this little one, and of course, are so VERY VERY VERY THANKFUL for the men and women who fight everyday for his freedom!

Happy Independence Day!