While I don't think I would homeschool my kids, this article has some good points:
http://childrensmd.org/uncategorized/why-doctors-and-lawyers-homeschool-their-children-18-reasons-why-we-have-joined-americas-fastest-growing-educational-trend/

Perhaps if we lived in a more rural area, or even big city, I would consider it. Listening to the book, Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker a few weeks ago, made me think about it too. We have many years to think about it though!

Today has been a rough day for teething! I still can't see them, but I can feel them below his gums. This morning, he had a bit of a food strike, and was inconsolable during our walk. I feel so bad for him!

He has been so funny lately though. He and Billy grunt at each other, and he chews on his toys like a puppy! At dinner, I put him in his high chair, with a tray full of toys and he just gnaws away! Another funny thing is when he's standing on my lap, he'll lean in and pinch my cheeks. So cute! Maybe it's bc I'm always pinching his fat cheeks too!

Billy asked today if I had planned our 5 year anniversary trip. Ha! We had talked about going back to Sanibel Island, where we honeymooned. I SO want to go back, but perhaps we should have planned a fun vaca when we had two incomes! Looks like Sneads Ferry Resort, it is!

22 Weeks

More snow. Seriously, I am over it. But if I can suffer through this week, I believe the end of this bitter winter weather is in sight! 50+ degrees from then on, it looks like. Just in time for Easter!

I can't wait to dress Will up on Sunday. But let me tell you, dressing a baby boy is no easy task. All of the clothes in the store(at least here), look like miniature man clothes. I want him to look like a little boy. I searched high and low, and am now hesitant to buy online because of the wide range of size variations by brand. So Mom to the rescue, found an outfit in NC and is sending it up. The South knows how to dress little boys.

This weekend Will became a rolling machine. I would put him on the floor for a second and turn around to do something, and he flipped over in a blink! And after giving me a huge smile, would be angry that he's on his belly. Little Buddy, you got yourself in that situation. So that is currently our cycle: flip, back over, then repeat. He got his leg stuck in the crib once too. What I especially don't like is seeing him trying to sleep on his belly, or smooshed against the crib slats! Is it frowned upon to Velcro your baby's back to the mattress?

We did a lot of cooking, instead of going out to dinner for my birthday. Dinner time through bed time are Will's crankier times and I don't want to be those parents out in public yet. Once Will can eat solids, that may make it more doable. Speaking of solids, I was gung-ho on this baby-led-weaning approach to introducing solids until Billy got wind of it. I didn't mention it to him because I didn't think he would care. It basically skips cereal and purées and once I explained it, he was not into the idea, to say the least! I tried to sell him on, "but it's big in the UK" reasoning. Obviously not an easy sell. So mashed food, it is!

5 Months

Every month is seriously better than the last!  He gets cuter every day!

Right after he turned 4 months old, he rolled from his belly to his back a handful of times.  Now, he rolls from his back to his belly all the time, but seems to have forgotten how to get back over.  He gets frustrated, but he'll get back there soon.  I have to hold him on the changing table and watch him closely on the bed now since he's more mobile.  This month, he also found his feet, which makes diaper changes a little more challenging too.  :)

Still no teeth, but he is still chomping away on all of his toys, and even my chin and collar bone sometimes.  His eyes look like they are turning green.  He's still very "chatty" and makes noises and squeals, sometimes all day long.  Naps are generally short, but he takes a couple of them a day and he's been getting up 2-3x/night, usually to eat.

Will now weighs 23 pounds.  I was sure he would slow down by now, but not so!  Some of his 12 month clothes are small on him, so it's mostly 18-24 clothes now.  He's just a big boy!  I got an email from Huggies the other day that said my baby should be ready for size 3 diapers.  Hahaha - try size 4!

We went to a community event today for pregnant moms and moms with babies less than 1 year.  I learned a lot about what is available to us around here, and I actually knew four people there!  I'm pretty sure I was on the verge of being the oldest mom there though.  It was teen mom central!  I was on the phone with Billy, telling him about it, and said there was a lot of camouflage too.  He said, "Moms with camo?"  Ohhh yes!  Even orange hunting camo!  In the sports store in the mall, they even have pink camo lingerie.  What on earth???

I was also interviewed for the local paper, and the reporter took my picture with Will.  Billy did not like the sound of that, so my picture will not be in the paper.  In hindsight, I should have just changed my name, or the city I live in.  I was excited about it, but I get it.  There are some crazy people out there.  

Going to be 30 years old tomorrow!  Not at all sad about it though.  I have a lot of things checked off the bucket list and I don't think I could ask for anything more!  I didn't even know what to ask for, for my birthday!  Billy already came home with a Carvel Ice Cream Cake - which is EXACTLY what I wanted!

Could he get any more cute?

21 Weeks

This week, Baby Will will be five months old!  This month has definitely gone by the fastest.  I don't think there is too much progression in weight, but we'll see on Friday.  I do think he is getting taller, because his clothes with footies are looking a little stretched.  I am excited to take his 5 month pictures to see the difference from last month!

And he can now roll from back to belly!  With some enticement of toys, of course.  But a few weeks ago, I read about sleep interruptions, because they are are practicing their new skills.  And I laughed it off.  But then I saw him rolling in his sleep!  Practice makes perfect, buddy!

We also tried church again, and he was so good.  We left just a little before the end, because it was going on over an hour...and it was getting to be a bit too much to ask.  Once we settle on a regular church, we'll look into the nursery.  Which, I'm thinking, will be no easy task (for me)!

Yeah, I know that he is wearing a Christmas outfit in this picture.  I need to do laundry!  

As far as progression to the 5k...the 2nd run was better than the first.  I didn't even try to put him front facing.  I'm going to save that for a nice day, when we have time to leisurely stroll around the park.  Made it 19 minutes though.  A nice old lady commented that I was pushing a big load.  Uh - yes!  But as long as baby is happy!  And what is it about old men, who always ask for rides in the stroller?  It happens in the mall every time, too.

Is this the longest winter ever, or what?  Sunday night, snow was predicted and it is scheduled again for tonight.  I'm cool with snow Dec-Feb, only.  March should mean no snow allowed!  Some days, I do miss Florida!

Mid Week Musings

I read last week that WV has the highest obesity rate in the country!  Yikes!  You can easily see why, when you drive down our main drag.  Restaurants are everywhere!  And the parking lots are always packed.  Billy went to college in WV and said that is just what West Virginians spend their money on: food.  In the article, it also said that the high rates of obesity are also linked to the exit of physical jobs(coal mining) from the area.  The good news is that the child obesity rate is no longer in the top 5.  Just swing by the local Wal-Mart to try to prove that statistic wrong though!  I am no health nut, but I do like to exercise and be outside.  The wonderful thing about this area is that there is SO MUCH to do outside.  There are a ton of parks, large and small, that it is a shame that more people don't use them.  I'm so excited for Will to be a little bit older, so he can start doing fun things with us too. Now, he's more of a spectator.

The day that article came across my news feed, so did an advertisement for the local Mother's Day 5k.  I have not run since December, 2011, right before I got pregnant.  A daunting task for sure, but I can't just not ever run again!  So I tried yesterday...a little chilly for a first go, but we forged through.  I tried him front facing in the stroller, which he did not enjoy!  Possibly because of the wind...or because he could not see me.  So after walking the first mile like that, we switched it up, added 30+ pounds to the stroller with the infant car seat, and began our run.  I did not hear a peep out of him, and made it about 1.25 miles in 15 minutes.  Gotta start somewhere!  While my legs are healing today, I'm looking forward to try #2 this weekend, and the weather will be mid-50s!

But ohhh more sleep regression.  But then some progression.  Last week, Will starting flailing his legs like Shamu the whale flapping her tail on his crib mattress.  In his sleep, his legs would go straight up, and then slam down!  It would wake him up, and then we would have to go through the process of getting him back to sleep.  Over and over!  At first I thought he might have RLS, but then asking other moms in Mom's Club, it appears that it is normal.  So over the next couple nights, I exercised his legs more, massaged them, and then swaddled him from the waist down.  A world of difference.  Whew!  Who knew that I would bring back the swaddle at 4.5 months?  Sleep really varies from night to night and if I have any advice for new or expecting moms, it would be to keep your standards low!  Every baby is different, and you just have to roll with the punches, and stock up on coffee.  I don't feel sleep deprived anymore, but my eyes will tell you a different story!

One last thing...loved this post I saw this morning: 42 Things That Change When You Have a Baby (Thanks, MG!)
My favorites are:
-You just plain love life more — everything comes together and becomes better because of one tiny person and your love for them.
-You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
-Your heart breaks much more easily
-You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.

20 weeks

New things this week...sticking his tongue out!

He was also able to get one foot in his mouth. These are important skills, people. How else is he going to trim his toenails? I kid. I did clip them for the first time this week. Much easier than clipping fingernails, which is a task I loathe every week! The other new developments are rolling on to his side and he is a little more intentional about putting things in his mouth. Instead of just throwing objects in the general direction of his face, he can sort of place things in there with more ease.

I take so many pictures! Mostly on my phone, but I have a Shutterfly app and I am pretty vigilant about uploading them and getting pictures printed every month. Maybe I should slow down, because by his first year, we may have several albums full!

We were also finally able to make it to Lisamarie's this week! We had to cancel twice because of snow. And it still flurried a tiny bit on the way there. I was pretty nervous about the trek with a baby and a dog, but it was pretty easy, as long as I didn't stress about time constraints. We had to stop two times on the way there and only once on the way back. A lesson learned: do not give Will toys in the car because they will end up on the floor and he will want them back. But it was so nice to spend time with them and to see the two baby boys together. They are not quite old enough to interact, but they sort of seemed to acknowledge each other.

Cloth diaper update: pocket diapers have moved to the back of the drawer and I now prefer prefolds and fitteds. The covers just don't leak! I was under the assumption that these would be harder to manage with the folding, but not so! And they are easier to launder, because nothing needs to be line dried. Since billy rebuilt our basement stairs this weekend, he had to do a load. I was not going to climb a ladder to do laundry! So you know it's easy! And they are so much less expensive. I bought each one for only $1.75!

We had a great weekend, with awesome weather! This winter has seemed never ending! While Billy was tearing out the stairs, Will and I walked 4 miles around the city park. Each lap is a mile and its a great park. I learned that you can also loop around the cemetery for an additional mile and hills, but I wasn't about to make that trek alone! On Sunday, we all walked a trail near our house, took Patton to the dog park, grilled steaks, and tried out the swing set in the back yard. I can't wait for it to stay warm - c'mon spring!

Lastly, a funny video of Will enjoying some Dr. Suess:

19 Weeks

Another fun week. Will rolled over and I wasn't expecting it at all. I was watching him during tummy time and all of the sudden he started to use his leg to push himself over. A very exciting time for this mom! I was so proud of him all day! I don't think he knew what he did though and I have only been able to get him to do it a couple more times. He found his feet this week too!  I have not been able to capture it though, because he moves around so much and the pictures are all fuzzy.  So here is Will in his hand-me-down chair from his cousin.  I have since taken the orange insert out to more comfortably accommodate his large self.

 Seen a Subaru commercial lately? Such tearjerkers. There is one with a little girl getting on a bus for the first day of school and I decided right then that I will homeschool Will so I never have to watch him leave me. He is also never allowed to get married and leave me. Ha- I know the goal is to have them grow up and lead happy lives. So I mostly am joking here. But I just love rocking him to sleep at night. Maybe I'll just have lots of kids like the Duggars to always have a little one around. I write this after a good day.  After a fussy day, I may have a different perspective.  Funny that I've never really been a kid person, but I really love being a mom to Will!  Thanks for the lovely face, Will.

Sleeping through the night was so wonderful. I haven't seen a full night in over a week. It's some sort of regression and I don't know why.  Some nights, he'll wake up 3 or 4 times, and other nights he'll only wake up once.  The books say it can have to learning so many new things, that he practices them in his sleep.  I haven't noticed anything on the monitor, but that would be pretty funny if it were true.

What has been 2 parts cute, and 1 part annoying is when I'm feeding Will, and he hears Billy enter the room, he'll stop, turn around and give Billy the biggest grin. He'll usually start squealing too, because that is sort of their thing. So then when it's over, he have to readjust from play mode, to eating and be calm mode.

Billy's parents came to visit us and they just loved their little grandson! He smiled and squealed for them so much! It was nice to have Grandma play with Will while I showered and blow dried my hair without feeling the need to hurry.