11 months

On Wednesday, William officially turned 11 months old. How far we've come in 11 months! Here is the run down of his development right now:

William still has only two bottom teeth. You can see the upper ones coming, but they are definitely not coming through yet. His hair has continued go grow from the middle of his head outward so he still looks pretty bald from the front. However, when you see the back, he has those cute, long curls. So right now in terms of hair growth, he remains all business in the front and party in the back.

William is so, so tall, and he seems to get heavier by the minute. He has made a beautiful transition to table foods. He eats just about everything except green vegetables. It is funny because he has no problem eating the pureed green vegetables but won't even touch the cut-up green vegetables that I put on his tray. He is not a big fan of the sippy cup but hopefully that will get better with continued practice. I am very much looking forward to the end of our formula days, especially since William decided to reject nursing a couple weeks ago. It was sad for me, and I continue to offer, but he just has zero interest in it.

William is getting increasingly more confident in his walking abilities. Before he would not let go of one thing to reach for another, but now he does this regularly. Now we can also walk with him by just holding one of his hands; so we are making progress, though he does not stand up by himself in the middle of the room like Lily did at this age.

His hand-eye coordination is great, and this is probably William's strongest area of development. He gets how to play with toys in a way that I don't think Lily quite did at this age. In terms of language development, William is still not saying words beyond mama and dada right now. Once in a while, I think that he is saying "hi", but I'm just not sure. His receptive language is great, and you can tell that he gets what we are talking about, but he just isn't there yet with his expressive language. He does, however, shake his head "no", and he clapped for the first time just the other day.

It's hard to believe that this is the last monthly update for William before he turns one. Yet it is also hard to believe that last year at this time, we only had one child. Such is the nature of time, I suppose - it keeps moving on and moving us forward. And while I love looking back at the past 11 months with William, I am also very excited for what the future holds with him.

And so it begins...again

Carl went to Pittsburgh for his first interview for fellowships. He left on Monday morning and came back Tuesday night, and everything seemed to go pretty well. Since Carl's plane came in after bedtime, the kids got to stay up later than normal so they could go with me to the airport. It was nice for us all to be able to welcome him back together. And wouldn't you know it? William just happened to have airport-themed pjs!

Fire Station Field Trip

WUMCHA playgroup went to the Fire Station on Monday. We had a really great turn-out which meant lots and lots of kids! I'm not sure how much Lily really learned from the excursion, but we all had fun!

Our group is well-known for members either being pregnant or just having had a baby. Due to the fact that most people put off having kids until after medical school (except some crazies!), many "catch up" during residency. This is always evident at our gatherings.

"Here is where we put naughty girls and boys..."

"Alright, lesson over. Kids, you're up for the next call."

Is it necessary or just for fun, really? I think we all know the truth.

Lily dances around the pole while the boys look on. Wait...

A dream is a wish your heart makes...

On Sunday, our outdoor plans had to be put off due to rainy weather. When attempting to find some indoor options for the day, we realized that Disney on Ice's Princess Classics was in town and performing their last show that day. Must be fate! Lily loved the performance and probably would have wished for this outing above all others anyway.

A special snow cone for a special girl on a special day

The picture is blurry, but the emotion is aptly conveyed.

I don't think you ever outgrow the princess tales. Even I was caught up in the magic of it.

Angela's birthday

Angela was in town this past weekend, and it just so happened that her birthday was last week. So, we got to celebrate with her - yay! I'm looking forward to the day that we live in the same town again and get to celebrate all birthdays together.

After a delicious shrimp scampi dinner at mom and dad's, we went to their neighborhood park.

Then it was back to mom and dad's for brownie tower birthday cake.

Ang models our present to her - a cooking apron that I think fits her personality & style so well.

Lily does her own modeling. She absolutely loves to wear this wig that I think my mom got for a skit that she was in??

Always the bride...

Suson Park

Last Friday, we visited Suson Park, yet another county park that we did not know about until recently. This was a big find too. It is a regular park with the usual trails and playground, but then it also has great ponds for fishing and an awesome set-up of farm animals on display. They even have a milking demonstration on Fridays...all for free! You can bet that this will become a regular for us.

Mom joined us for our outing - yay! Here they are enjoying seeing different types of cows, mules, and donkeys. I liked that each stall had the name of the animal and then information about its breed. The donkey, Peanut Butter, had the absolute sweetest letter from a 10-year-boy hung up beside it.

This is Emma, who according to Lily, is "the most beautiful cow that ever walked the land".

Lily and William just enjoying the outdoors on a beautiful, sunny day.

Kicking back with Grandma after viewing bunnies, goats, horses, pigs, sheep... you name it... we saw it! (And would you check out those legs on that tall boy? Wow!!)

Farmers hard at work. I was actually holding William in this picture so I wasn't able to get both him and me in position, but it's not bad!

Lily's friend joined us mid-way through our visit. We went on the park's last Family Fun Day for the season. Because of the special event, the girls got to enjoy face (or arm) painting and a hayride. We just missed the pony rides, but we'll be sure to hit that first next time.

Lily and her friend on the hayride

The little island in the middle of this pond reminded me of the children's book Make Way for Ducklings

Fishing for worms - these girls are not the least bit afraid of getting their hands dirty

Lily's friend catches a fish!

Lily catches a fish!

So proud!

Erin's shower

On Sunday, we went to my cousin's bridal shower. It is always great to see the family, and we are very excited for the wedding in November!

The bride-to-be

Angela even made it in from Memphis!

The girls encircle William.

Mom with her grandkids: Lily, William, Courtney and Abby

Queeny Park

We love to explore the many, many parks around us and especially love to find unique parks that offer something different for the kiddos. We stumbled upon this park just minutes from our house and spent a great Friday morning enjoying something new.

Aww...look at that cutie. That's my big boy!

Always the watchful (and often the overbearing) big sister :)

Peek!

Cuteness overload

"I got this mom."

Wait for me, Lily!

After coming home from the park, Lily wanted to play "restaurant". She's such a sweetie, and I love our days together. Of course, this is very easy to say as she is sleeping peacefully in her bed. :)

Movin' Machine

Unassisted steps with Grandpa

On the road

Ready to start the journey - vacation here we come!

Playing peek-a-boo from the back seat


Here I am!

Traveling with the essentials

The other essential

We saw two capitols this summer: Jefferson City and Topeka. Someone (not naming names but... his name starts with a C and rhymes with gnarl) was not quite quick enough with the camera on this one.

The very cool windmills in Kansas

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore