Rough Life for Will

Sometimes being William Brown isn't easy ;) He has so many toys and stuffed animals, it's hard to choose which one to play with. Then, he gets a pretend phone call and just doesn't have time to take it. Busy little guy.

Then, he finds time to snuggle with mama and life is a little better again!

Family Day at Prairie Fire Museum - Dinosaurs!

Being a teacher sometimes has it's perks! One of these perks is getting to participate in Educator Family Day at the Prairie Fire Museum. It's current exhibit perfectly matches Will's love of anything dinosaur (ROAR!). He loved seeing all the dinos and touching everything he was able to at the museum.

museums can be exhausting

The Rodriguez's Come to Town!

We were so excited to have the Rodriguez family in Kansas to visit! The four of them always make for a good time and we are so happy when we are all together, even if it's just for a short amount of time.

We had a busy time! The Rodriguez family got in town (after many, many delays & hanging out at LAX for the better part of the afternoon!) late Wednesday night. I was sure to drive in and see them while Will was already asleep and Bret stayed at our house. I just couldn't wait to see them! Thursday morning, we had family pictures. That evening, we had William's dedication and dinner. We went to Wonderscope and Deanna Rose Farmstead with the little ones as well. Megan, Robert, Bret, and I event squeezed in a double date! It was a lot packed into a few short days, but I loved it all. We can't wait to be together again!

LOVE this one!

William's Baby Dedication

Usually, babies are dedicated within their first six months or so. But, when have we ever done things on time or on a schedule?!

With the Rodriguez family in town, we thought it was the perfect time to have Will dedicated at our church, Olathe Bible Church. We wanted the same pastor, John Blackburn, who married Bret & I to perform the dedication. Everything was planned and organized, we were going to meet at the church on a Thursday evening, then have a celebration dinner together afterward. Well, life happened! John unfortunately had had a seizure the evening before and was in the hospital. We didn't know this, and because we were doing the dedication on a Thursday instead of a Sunday, the event wasn't really on the church's calendar. So here we were, 15 or so of us waiting for John at Olathe Bible and he wasn't there. Long story short, the children's pastor, Dusty Decker, was still on campus and was able to swoop in and save our dedication. 

*John later sent me an email apologizing for not thing there. I told him there's no reason for him to apologize, it wasn't his choice to have a seizure!

Easter Eggs

William was a bit too little (and disinterested) last year to dye Easter eggs. Now that he's into everything and wants to be in the middle of everything, why not give his some egg dye and let him have at it! 

The weather in Kansas has been a bit gloomy, but it cleared this week and we were able to get outside and have some colorful dye time. Will wanted to dip his finger in each color, thus his stained fingers :) Bret helped him with the first couple, but then Will wanted to do it on his own. Just a preview of the "I can do it myself" stage, right?? 

He thought it was a ball and threw it down. It didn't bounce...

Success!

Implant Anniversary

On March 31, 2015, an embryo that would grow to become our precious William was implanted. We are so thankful to God for allowing the advancement in science to make our dream of becoming parents come true. The doctors and nurses at KU Center for Reproductive Medicine were/are amazing and I am thankful for their support (and the many, many tears I cried in their offices!). I love having William's very first picture and have him take a new photo with it each year. He is our little miracle!

William: 15 Months

15 Month Stats

Weight: 23lb & 10oz (64%)

Length: 32 inches (80%)

Head Size: 18.5 inches (56%)

Eating: Everything! But, for real, nothing is really off limits. William had a couple Doritos and loved them (although I wasn't crazy about him having it). Bret gives him SMALL bites of a donut on Sunday mornings (that's our donut day!). Will doesn't have a lot of sugar as we don't give him juice, cookies, or much desserts. At this time, blueberries, strawberries, and yogurt drops are his desserts. He drinks ultra-filtered whole milk and water throughout the day. We do need to get better at giving him a variety of vegetables. Hopefully, during the summer we can get to some farmers' markets and get some fresh food for him!

Bedtime: William is maintaining a good 7:40pm bedtime right now. We have a bedtime routine down of starting a sippy of milk and pjs about 7pm, playing with low lights in his room, saying bye to Bret if it's a work night, brushing teeth after he drinks his milk, one last diaper change, a story, and prayers. He cuddles with his blanket on our laps when he is read to. Then, it's into the crib with one blanket to cuddle and one to cover up with. He is doing great at night! I wake him about 7am on weekdays and let him sleep in on weekend (& spring break), but get him up by 7:40am. I think during the summer, I'll just let him wake whenever he wakes, not go in there to get him up. Especially with just taking one nap now.

Naps: We are currently in the middle of transitioning to one nap a day. He has been on this schedule at daycare almost from day on, but taken two naps here at home consistently. I guess we aren't as exciting as daycare, nothing to stay up and watch. It makes for a long morning, but Will goes to bed about 12:45/1:00 and sleeps between 2-3 hours. He even fell asleep on me which hasn't happened in a long time. I try to keep him busy in the morning to wear him out!

Diapers: Still rockin' size 3 & moved to overnight diapers for nighttime sleep

Clothes: Will wears 12mo shirts & pants (moving out of onesies for the most part), although the neck hole is getting a little tight over his head and the pants are getting a bit short. In sleepers, he has moved up to 18mo. I wanted to be sure they weren't too tight on him while he slept. I did get out all of his 10mo clothes and wash them so we are ready for them now! I love looking at the fun clothes he has so wear!

Favorites: I am so thankful for his Aden & Anais blankets (like these)! He loves them so much!! When he is upset about anything, they comfort him almost more than Bret or I can. He also knows they mean it's time to get cozy and go to sleep. He will get them from his crib and bring them to us, letting us know he is sleepy.

He also loves household items more than his toys. His current favorites are the broom & dustpan. He had a meltdown when I took them away from him so we could get him in the stroller and go for a walk. He likes to imitate Bret and I cleaning (Dr said this is great!). He also enjoys the silicone baking pans to be worn as hats and the old tried & true, the half-full water bottle.

One of our favorite thing he has started doing is stamping his feet when he gets excited! It's like he cannot contain his excitement and has to let it out somehow. He does a little dance next to us (if we are holding what he wants) or next to they object/toy that riles him up. Usually it has to do with food, William's great love.

Dislikes: Diaper changes are not a favorite of Will! I usually try to have something ready to distract him so get the deed done. When he doesn't get his way, sometimes he throws whatever is in his hands and/or has a mini-tantrum. We do our best to ignore him & say, "You're okay, buddy, that's just not a choice right now." Again, distraction works wonders for this!

Development: William is working on communication. He says: dada (most said word!), mama, nana (banana), na (snack/food), soe (shoe), ha (hat), oof oof (woof woof, when there is a dog), and signs 'more' and 'all done'. When it's time to eat, all we have so say is, "Let's eat, get to your chair" and he runs to his high chair and smacks it until we lift him into it. He understands most of what we say to him, asking him to do/not do things. We need to point out colors, the names of random things (environmental print), and count things as well.

He recognizes more and more people, in person and in pictures/videos. He loves to FaceTime with Mila & Nellie. When he hears the FaceTime ring, he runs over to my phone to watch the video of them pop up. They always make funny faces and silly noises to get him to smile. I love that they can see each other even with miles & miles between us!!

William is a rock star walker. Walking wasn't fast enough, so he wants to run everywhere he goes! His balance is great and he moves over uneven surfaces pretty well. Will is almost always carrying something in his hands/arms, but doesn't let that slow him down.

Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to summer break with William! I know it will be a lot of togetherness & I may even regret saying that. But he has awesome grandparents that {thankfully} love watching him and give me a break from the non-stop William Show.

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (18 month appointment): 

-teaching him the names of body parts (he has nose and eyes pretty well; and belly!)

-independent play (which he will do, but he likes someone to be in the room with him)

-can introduce crayons, but encourage them to be used on paper as opposed to being eaten!

-consistent with rules

Upcoming milestones to watch for: 

-indicate what they want by pointing & grunting instead of crying

-waving "hi" and "bye" consistently

-continuing to imitate our actions (e.g., doing housework, cooking, laundry)

-understand what "no" means

-expanding vocabulary

*Dr. Nash gave William a clean bill of health and said he is doing great in all his development areas!

outtake :)

the table is now a chair, it gets flipped daily

a little tow nail clipping with your milk

Life is fun!

slides are beginning to be exciting, not scary