...: February 2008

Twelve Months

Tuesday February 12, 2008

Things I hope I never forget:
- If we're out strolling the mall, Will leans back in his stroller and props his feet up on the snack tray and takes it all in.
- Dances when he hears anything that remotely resembles music. Shakes his head back and forth to the beat and gyrates those hips or bounces up and down.
- Has started raising his hand when I say, "Will?" He doesn't watch tv, he doesn't go to day care, I have no idea where he learned this move.
- When riding in a wagon he spontaneously lifts boths hands up as if he's riding a roller coaster. He doesn't look for approval from me, he just looks on with a smile on his face. Again, I have no idea where this came from. I'd like to think it's his natural free spirit. I just love watching him do it.
-New word is "dis-is" It's evolved from "a-dish" to "dis" to "dis-is" Maybe "this is" I don't know?
-His receptive language is really growing. If I ask, "where are your socks?" He goes to get them. Same thing with Elmo, monkey, big truck, small truck, balloons, phone, music (the cd player), shoes, nose, eyes, mouth. Also, if we're in the bathtub and I say, "it's time to get out." He immediately stands up and heads to the furthest corner from me and shakes his head no in protest. If I reach for him, he slaps my hand as his teeth chatter and the water quickly drains from the tub. If I persist, he may even try to bite me. Sweet little thing.
-He also tries to repeat some words such as:
Jack (his friend)= "Da"
Fruit= "oot"
Nose= "ohs"
-He's also very intentional about his pointing, almost like he's throwing it home for the last out of the inning.
- Loves to be chased or hide from his mommy
- One of my favorite things is when we laugh at eachother. He starts a joke and I play along or vice versa. For example, nods his head back and forth giggling.
- Is very easy when it comes to being with other people and very engaging. He is not afraid to go off on his own and play in a crowd or let others hold him...until he spots his mommy and usually insists that I do the holding.
- When he gets excited around another baby, he grabs their face and shakes his head back and forth. EEk. And they usually cry. Yes, I have to watch this. He is a quick one. He is known among his peers as being laid back and sweet but I think this one has a sneaky side to him. If you know Jesse, you're saying, "just like his dad!"

The Dads

One more birthday post...

I'm usually posting playgroup pictures of moms and babies. I think this is a cute and rare picture of all (minus a couple friends) the babies with their daddies at Will's party.

Family Photos

Tuesday February 5, 2008

One of my favorite things to do is look at old pictures. Old is relative of course because I have "old" pictures of Jesse (30 years) and "old" pictures of my late great-grandmother (109 years!) Jesse's mom recently put together a picture album for us of Jesse's pictures from baby-adolescence and my dad emailed me some family pictures so I thought I'd set them up on Will's cake table at his party. It was fun to see who everyone thought Will resembled the most or what features he inherited. Jesse definitely won the most votes for look-alike! For the longest time, we thought we might have intercepted someone else's baby at the hospital because Will didn't really look like either of us!

You can barely see the pictures here but you get the idea. (My scanner is not working or I'd share the pics. Especially JM's- the resemblance is cute.)

I love the above picture of Will. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. So cheesy. I don't have a picture of my display, but thought I'd share some other family baby pictures featured at the birthday party:

Will's Grandpa S. on his first birthday. Notice the hand holding up his foot!

Will's Great-Grandpa Clyde William.

Will's Great-Great-Grandma Opal.

Five generation picture

Oldest to youngest: Granny Allen (Will's great-great-great-great-great grandmother but who's counting?), Fidella Harbert (great-great-great-great grandmother), Sarah Cunningham (great-great-great aunt), and the baby is Gaylord Hartman (I bet Will will be glad he didn't get named after him :) and the guy in the background is James Harbert. He wandered in to the picture. Along with this picture, my dad sent details on those in the picture as well as many other family facts and details. I must take after my dad- a love for family history!