Our vacation has been extended to Friday and Billy was able to join us in NC. Naturally, Dad has already put him to work repairing the dock. Ha! Glad those days are over for me and Billy has taken over my gopher duties! But I don't want our vacation to end. The sun, the breeze, and the view of the water is enough to keep me. Oh, and the extra hands to help with Will and Patton!

Friday we're headed to DC for Georgia's baby shower and to see some of Billy's family. So excited to see everyone and I know they're excited to get their hands on Baby Will!

I want summer to slowwwww down!

8 Months

Will is 8 months old and we're reporting from North Carolina! He had his first flight on Wednesday and will be heading back to WV on Wednesday. The flight was only an hour, and he was great! I gave him a bottle on take off and he just wanted to play for the remainder of the time. On Thursday, we went to the beach with Candace, and he loved eating sand. I found sand in his diaper for 2 days. You would think that would hurt!

We have been having so much fun and Grandma's with all the new toys, books and pool! Not to mention so much attention!

Will has upgraded from rolling as his mode of transportation, to a modified army crawl. I think he's only another week or so away from real crawling. He also started pushing up from his belly into the sitting position last week and can pull up to his knees in his crib.

Since this last report, three more teeth have sprouted and one more is on the way - totaling 6 teeth. Thankfully, they don't seem to bother him like the first two did.

He hasn't been too interested in solid(pureed) food lately, but likes ice and holding his spoon.

He's a busy little guy, and rarely sits still. We've been having so much fun with him. 2/3 to a year already!

34 Weeks

Will is seriously obsessed with remote controls.  I don't know where it came from because we don't watch TV when he is around.  There is usually one on the bed, and he goes right for it, every time.  The other day, we were coaxing him over to us with his toys in the basement, and he just sat there.  We put the remote down in front of us, and he scooted right over.  They don't light up or anything...he's just fixated on the black and white maybe?  I know what he's getting for Christmas.

 He also throws a short fit when we take things away now.  Things like the remote!  We can distract him pretty easily with something else, but ohhh I will not have a tantrum throwing baby!

On Friday night, we took him to our city's volunteer firestation fundraiser.  It seems like the whole town was there, and they have been doing it for 72 years!  It was really neat to see how this small city comes together every year for this event.  It feels like it is probably what most cities were like 50 years ago.  We were with a friend, who grew up here and she commented on how Billy and I have embraced living here.  She said most transplants don't like it.  First of all, I think attitude is everything.  I really think I could move anywhere and find a way to see a positive light.  Secondly, we really do see the value in raising kids in a small place like this, where we feel safe, there are strong family values, and there is a lot to be involved with.  We're very happy here.

 While we were there, one of our neighbors was holding Will.  She's mid-40s and never had kids.  Later, her husband told Billy how she kept talking about how wonderful it was to hold Will.  It made me think about how special, and how fleeting the baby stage is.  It's only going to be a few more months and I know it will be over.  But sometimes, because it's right in our face, we forget that the baby stage is so short lived.  Even the other day, I was the only customer in a furniture store, and all of the sudden, I had every employee crowding around me, oogling Will, and telling me about how chunky their babies were, who are now grown up.  People love babies!!

One last anecdote...I was telling Billy about a "lady" from Moms Club who stopped by on Friday.  And he asked how old she was.  Mid-40s.  He noticed that I refer to women older than I am as "ladies" and women my age or younger as "girls".  I know there was a time, where I probably called everyone 25 and older a lady.  Will this perpetuate as I get older?  Women my age will be "girls" and those older than me, I will refer to as "ladies"?  Am I the only one that does this?

33 Weeks

Somehow, in the 7.5 months I've had this little guy, I have never had an instance where I had to change Will's clothes on the go.  Until we arrived at church on Sunday!  Up the back, and the clothes had to come off.  Aaaand I didn't have an outfit for him to change in to.  So back in to the car we went, back home!  It was fine, because I did a terrible job of ironing Billy's shirt, which was a bit of an embarrassment anyway.  Lesson learned!

Getting closer to our beach trip next week!  In my head, I've been mentally preparing myself for lugging a car seat, Will, and our carry-on bag through the airport by myself.  Can you rent those baggage trollies and take them through security?  I plan on having him wrapped up in the moby, so my hands should be free.  Thank goodness for a direct flight!

Speaking of being wrapped up, I went to TJ Maxx this week on my relentless quest to find a swimsuit.  So far, I have 7 suits, and think I have decided on one.  Shopping with an infant - and having to try things on in a store like TJ Maxx is sort of a joke.  Swim suit shopping is not to be rushed!  So in the end, I bought a bunch and asked if I could just bring back what I didn't like.  I ordered several from Land's End too, because you can return any unwanted items to Sears.  But they were all a no-go.  And since I suspect the days of laying in the sun are gone, I need to be sure that I have something I'm comfortable in, and won't need to adjust while running after Will.  He's not really one to just sit and enjoy the scenery.

Billy promised me a baby-free grocery store trip on Sunday.  He said he just needed to run across the street to Harbor Freight  for some sort of saw and he'd be right back to watch Will.  He comes back an hour later with some lightbulbs from Lowe's!  What?  Not my fault he wasted Will's nap time at Lowe's.  Out the door I went, and enjoyed my mini-vacation in the produce aisle by myself!

In other baby development news, Will has progressed from rolling from point A to point B, to a modified army crawl.  It's pretty funny to watch, but he gets where he wants to go!  The top two teeth are still making their way, with no problems.  Diaper changes are becoming increasingly difficult, as most times, he rolls on to his belly.  So then I flip him back over, and sort of have to pin him down with my elbow.  We call him Wiggly Will.  He became pretty uninterested in food this week.  He won't open his mouth.  I got a couple tiny bits in, when I let him hold the spoon, but that is about it.  He's surely not going hungry though!  I guess I'll just keep offering, and eventually he'll come around.    And just this morning, he went from his belly to the sitting position.

32 Weeks

This little boy is just so funny!  He makes us laugh all the time.  But truthfully, he is more fun when Billy is around.  I think he sees me as mostly business.  He can be cranky and whiny with me at times, but the minute he sees his daddy, it's like the world has changed and nothing is wrong!  He can go from sad to smiley in an instant!

Woo hoo - Joggermom marathon is complete!  Thank goodness because is got HOT last week.  In the 90s!  I actually have not run with my stroller since March.  It is just so much harder and limits where I can go.  So I would wait for the small window of time when I put him to bed after his bath and hit the pavement before it got dark.  The stroller gets some serious miles without running though.  On the days I walk with the other moms, we walk 3 miles, and I usually do 2.5 on the other days when I'm by myself in our neighborhood.  I have found that I much more consistent and motivated to work out when I have other people to do it with me.  I'm so thankful to have met these other moms in Panera!  Also - I have figured out how to keep Will entertained and cool: ice in a mesh teether!  I don't hear a peep from him until almost the end now.  I'm sure to bring an extra bag of ice too.  He's cutting his top two teeth right now and they actually don't seem to be bothering him much.  Big difference from the bottom two!  Shockingly, they haven't affected his sleep either.  In fact, it has improved drastically this week.  Sleeping once through the night, and the others only getting up once!  YESSSSS!!!  I need that to stick!

He became obsessed with tags recently.  Tags on blankets, his boppy pillow, the playmat, toys...anything!  So I ran to Joann's and sewed up a quick tag blanket.  It's like tag overload for him!

Still getting closer to crawling, but not there yet.  He got on all 4s, and then started crying on Friday.  And on Sunday night, he pulled himself up on his knees in his crib.  So between babbling, maybe crawling, and pulling up, there is a lot on the brink these days!