The Professional Photos

Well my mom and dad have been big slackers about the blog lately so you are going to have to go check someone else's blog for photos of us. Good thing they aren't slackers about taking care of us. I guess if I had a choice between an updated blog and some playtime with mom and dad, I'd choose the playtime, wouldn't you? Well here is a preview of our yearly photos. The post about us is on December 3, 2011.

http://ashleydoughertyphotography.blogspot.com/

my first trip to Butler's Orchard

It's a good thing I have a big brother to teach me all about the cool stuff you are supposed to do when you are a kid. Nana and Grandpa came for their fall visit and Jack showed me all the cool stuff to do at Butler's Orchard. I know you can't really tell by my expression in this picture - I was feeling pretty tired at this point - but I was totally excited about the hay ride. We poked around the pumpkin patch and posed in these funny cut-outs and with the pumpkin scarecrow family. I wasn't too sure about the animals or the slides or the new rope spider web that Jack crawled around in but he says I'll like those things a little better in a few years. I hear the best holiday yet is right around the corner. Anything that includes paper for chewing and new trucks with big wheels for spinning must be pretty great!

7 months young

Well so far 7 months old is turning out to be pretty excellent. I got my first tooth a couple of days ago on the bottom right. Mom is trying to take a picture of it here but you can't really see it. Good thing these teeth are coming because I am a voracious eater. I haven't had anything I don't like. The green beans are just so-so but even with those, I am a very attentive eater and not the least bit messy. I mean, who would want to waste food by spitting it out all over the place? Being a neat eater works out for all of us because I hate to wear a bib. Mom and dad say it's okay as long as I don't start spitting food. That sounds like a good compromise to me.

I'm still a commando crawling champ and sometimes I play with getting up on hands and knees but I haven't really figured that out all the way. I'm really fast with the slither so aside from a little rug burn now and then on my elbows and knees, I can get around with the best of them. I have even mastered the step up from the living room to the front door area.

Even if I'm not fast enough to get to the door to say hello or goodbye to whoever is coming or going, I can wave. Mom still needs to get a picture of that. Oh, and I can say "mum-mum" and "da-da". I still don't have a word for Jack yet. I have been trying out "ba-ba" and "aki" but neither have really stuck. Whenever I want his attention, I just yell and laugh and wiggle around like crazy and that usually works. Or I take one of his toys, which are SO much cooler than my toys.

So life is good around here. I spent some time with my Grammy, Pap-pap, and Nan-nan this past week, as you can see. And I can't wait to see Nana and Grandpa this coming weekend for what I hear is an annual visit to the pumpkin patch. We also have plans to go to Boo at the Zoo. Check back next week for a picture of me in my costume. Happy autumn everyone!

Yummy Yum Yum

I expected that my first real meal wasn't going to be very exciting but rice cereal was actually pretty great. I know I don't look very happy in the photo but I was glad to finally get a chance to eat from a spoon after watching everyone else eating for the past six months. I gobbled up all of my rice cereal with no hesitation at all. And since this first day of eating two weeks ago, I've had other even more exciting things like peas (a real favorite), green beans, and bananas. I'm looking forward to some pears and some sweet potatoes soon. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

6 month check-up

I had a fantastic report from the doctor's today. I'm weighing in at 19.1 lbs and 27 inches tall. I especially impressed the doctor with my sitting and crawling. I'm not up on all fours quite yet but I'm a super-fast commando crawler. (Really, for as quickly as I move, you'd think I'd have a perma rug burn on my elbows, belly, and knees!) I even showed the doctor that I can say "mama". She confirmed for mom that I wasn't just making sounds but that I really know who my mama is. I've been trying to tell mom that for weeks now but she was underestimating me. You know how moms get like that sometimes. I've been nursing a low fever for the past several days - I'm not really that sick and still a pretty jolly fellow - so the 100.3 degree temperature was enough to get me out of my shots for the day. I've got the all-clear to start on some "real" food so watch for some more posts soon of my first tastes of rice cereal, avocado, sweet potato, bananas, and more... It all sounds yummy to me! Mom and dad are hoping that will get me to sleep a little better at night. Lately I've been waking up at 3 am again, looking for a snack.

The "Real" Bathtub

Now that I am sitting up on my own, I'm big enough to enjoy a real bath in the real bathtub. And who better to show me the ropes? You guessed it! My big brother, Jack. We've been having a great time playing in the tub before bed. I am a most fantastic splasher. Mom always says she considers putting on her bathing suit when Jack and I take a bath together. Aside from splashing a lot, I'm always trying to chew on the water. I mean, doesn't everyone explore new things with their mouth? Jack says only babies do this sort of thing because they are teething. This teething thing is not an especially pleasant happening. But lucky for me, Jack is always providing me things to chew on. Like this fish. Who know there were toys specifically intended for the tub and that they could be so excellent? Well I've got to get back to the Bathtub Cafe. Chef Jack is busy mixing the "stew" and serving "coffee" and "smoothies" to mom and dad.

Love,
Will

PS I have my 6-month check up tomorrow so check back for another post soon with an update from the doctor.

soccer star

I might be the next big soccer star but for now Jack is the man of the hour. Jack was at the Brit-Am Soccer Academy camp all week last week and he had a total blast. When we first got there, I was a little worried for him - it was Jack with a whole crowd of big kids. The camp was for kids 4-11 but there were only two kids who were 4: Jack and Oram. The two 4-year olds were in a group of kids aged 4-7 and let me tell you, Jack was great. He earned himself the nickname "Mr. Intensity" from the coaches because he was such a fierce competitor on the field. Kicking, dribbling, shooting, and running - even when they played an all-camp cowboys and indians game, Jack was totally keeping pace running with the older kids. A real highlight of the week was that on the third day of camp, they had a camp-wide uniform contest. Kids were supposed to wear the uniforms of the teams they play on and then everyone voted for best dressed. Since Jack doesn't play on a team yet, he wore his Puma outfit, telling everyone he played for Team Puma. After some serious schmoozing with the 10 and 11 year old girls, Jack got their votes and won the contest! Add that to my list of things to learn from my big brother: soccer skills, how to dress, and how to work the crowd. Perhaps needless to say, Jack left camp as the most popular kid around and I left as the most popular baby brother. (A big thanks to Aunt Jo for buying us the award-winning outfit!)

Beach Babe

Well I managed to stay awake a little longer on my first beach trip to OCNJ than I did at the beach on Cape Cod.


From family beach yoga...


To mini golf...
To self-portrait proximity to mom's camera...

the excitement of the Jersey shore is just too great to sleep all the time, right?


Well, okay. You're right. I did take my fair share of naps here and there.

Who doesn't love a nice glass?

I hear my brother had a fascination with drinking glasses, too. Well I can understand why. These things are so cool! Be careful if you want to share your glass with me, though. You are bound to get a little slober added to your drink.

4 Months of Fun

I had an excellent report from the doctor at my four-month check up. Of course no one would expect anything else since I'm one of the happiest, jolliest babies around! I weigh 16 pounds, 12 ounces and have grown two inches since my last appointment to 26.5 inches tall. That puts me in the 92nd percentile and it looks like I'm doing a good job of keeping pace with my brother when he was my age, just one ounce and half an inch difference. I had two shots and an oral vaccine, which was not my favorite part of the visit, but it goes with the territory. And the doctor was especially pleased to hear all my "talking" and cooing. Mom and dad aren't always so pleased when I'm gurgling away in my crib at 5 am but that's another story. I mean who could really be annoyed when I smile at them like this?

Nice to meet you, Cape Cod

If I had to sum up my trip to Cape Cod in just one word, I think the pictures here could do it. Nap.

No really, I did do a lot of other things besides sleep. There was just so much amazing stuff to look at (and attempt to chew on). I met so many family members, had my toes licked by some very lovely dogs, and enjoyed spending lots and lots of time outside, which is one of my very favorite places. I definitely enjoyed watching the waves, even if the water was chilly and a little surprising. I would say that even though I went to bed well before Cape Cod Creamery and fire pit time, I had an amazing first visit to the Cape. I hear that next year I'll be ready for some of Jack's favorite ice cream and maybe even a kayak ride.

Dutch Wonderland

This week has been a lot of firsts: first trip to an amusement park, first plane ride, first day on the beach, first encounter with dogs... But first things first - our trip to Dutch Wonderland last Monday with Grammy, Pap-pap, Mommy, Jack, Anne, Koen, Aiyana, Ameya, Erick and Emma. Man, what a place! There was so much to look at. The big kids running all around the park were a great source of entertainment. And I even got to ride on the carousel and on the lagoon ride. Stay tuned for some more posts about those other firsts.

Love, Will

Who ate all the mac and cheese?

After three months of sitting idly by while everyone else eats these yummy-looking things out of bowls using forks and spoons, mom and dad finally gave me my own spoon to play with while they eat. I thought maybe dad was going to give me a taste of what he was having but it turns out all of the mac and cheese was already eaten by the time he let me sit on his lap! Maybe next time I can sneak a taste. Though I hear from my baby friends that it won't be for another few months when they start me eating some bland-tasting stuff called rice cereal and I have to work up to the good stuff like mac and cheese...

Bumbo boy

It's a pretty big milestone when one gets big enough to sit in the infamous yellow Bumbo baby chair. I'm quite pleased because it means I have a better vantage point from which to watch my big brother's every move. Plus that whole lying on my back thing was getting pretty old.

Mom recommends that everyone look back at Jack's blog for the picture of him sitting in the Bumbo seat. She says we look pretty similar. No denying we are brothers, that's for sure!

bugs and ducks and giraffes and more

I love this play mat! Thanks to my brother for saving it for me. I do get a lot of Jack's hand-me-down toys and clothes but my pap-pap makes sure I get some new toys now and then, like a jingly duck and and a giraffe to hang down from the play mat. Now if only I could control these arms a little better, I might be able to reach the toys and get them to my mouth!

my 2 month old check up (a little late!)

Well mom's hands are pretty full these days (literally!) so she's a little behind on posting the update from my 2-month check up at the doctors. I'm sure you can guess that I'm doing really well. I weigh a whopping 14 pounds, 3 ounces and I am 24.5 inches long. That's 90th percentile! And just for reference, I've completely grown out of my 3 month clothes and am on to size 6 and 9 month outfits. In other milestone news, I'm already rolling from my back to my side and from my side to my back or to my belly. Once I get to my belly, I get stuck but I'm sure I'll figure that out soon. Mom says I'd better slow down with all this growing and moving around but I have a very active big brother to keep up with so I say that I ought to get to crawling as soon as possible!

Brotherly Love

Man, life at 2 months old is pretty great. I have the best brother ever, as you can tell from the pictures. He has grand plans to teach me all kinds of excellent stuff. He says I have to grow a little bigger before I can do the really fun stuff like ride a bike and go down the slide at the playground. I keep telling him that I am growing as fast as I can! I'm already grown out of my 3-month old clothes. I have an appointment at the doctor's next week for the official weigh in.

Easter Hats

Well I'm a little behind on posting but I did have a great first Easter. It was my first time staying the night at Grammy and Pap-pap's house, too. I got to meet all my aunts and uncles and cousins... Plus the Easter bunny came for a visit. I'm too little for candy and Easter egg hunting but the bunny did bring me some new hats for my basket. Pretty cute, right?

My first bottle

Because I'm such a fantastic eater, the doctor thought it might be time for mom and dad to introduce me to the bottle. Mom is planning to go back to teaching yoga in June so I won't really need to eat from a bottle until then but the doctor thought it might be a good idea for me to try out eating from a bottle now so I everyone would be ready. It was nice to eat with dad for a change and Jack was even standing by to help out.

One month check up

Perhaps you remember that at my very first doctor's appointment a few days after I was home from the hospital, I was already back to my birth weight. Three weeks later, I gained almost three whole pounds! I now weigh 11 pounds, 7 ounces and am 23 inches long. Now you can see why my dad has given me a new nickname - Wildebeest. (That gets added to my other nicknames: Willard, Kaiser - after Kaiser Wilhelm - and my favorite, Grunty McGee.) I also got my first shot. Luckily my big brother was there to hold my hand so I didn't have to cry too much. All in all, I successful trip to the doctor's for all of us. I can't wait until I'm big enough to get a sticker. Though word on the street is that only the big brothers get stickers.

You can tell by my blurry arms and legs in the picture that I have been wiggling up a storm. In fact, I was moving around so much that you can barely see the Tweety bandaid on my left leg. Maybe by the time I see everyone at the Cape, I'll be rolling over. Or If I keep eating at this rate, I may be just too fat to roll over. Hahaha.

Love,
Will

Bathtime!

Finally my gross umbilical cord stub fell off and my belly button healed up so mom and dad could give me a proper bath in the baby tub. I had a few sponge baths before this, which I did not like at all. I included a picture of that, too. You can see that I was so upset that I was crying and needed a pacifier for that ordeal. Well this was MUCH better. I know it doesn't really look like it by the expressions on my face in these pictures - in fact, I look kind of cranky - but I really did enjoy the warm water.

Love,
Will