18 months

Wow--can't believe we already have an 18 month old!! It's crazy to look back at pictures or this blog to remember when he was a little, tiny baby.  It's fun hearing stories from other friends or people I know that have brand new babies, I almost forget what that's like!  Will is definitely getting more independent, cuter every day (I'm biased), learning so much all the time, talking more, and being even more fun!  I just love him so much (I seriously say I love you to him about 100 times a day, and kiss him about 200 times) and really do cherish every minute I get to spend with him.  So, here's the lastest:

 - Recap of May - spent Mother's Day weekend at the Lake- enjoying some the first time at the new house with all of Amy's clan, ours, and Mom/Don.  We got to celebrate Amy's 31st bday and then wake up and have a nice Mother's Day brunch before church, and then headed back to KC to celebrate with Mimi and Grandpa.  It was a beautiful day!!  Will was just getting over a double-ear infection (yes, his third this year) so he was a little fussy all weekend.

- May 16th - Daniel turned 2!! Amy and Cody had a fun party for him, with just immediate family and had the cutest Curious George themed party decorations.  Seriously, my sister is so good at that stuff--she said she just had a few things, but I thought it was pretty well done :) 

 - Memorial Day weekend - we spent the first part of the weekend at home, relaxing, catching up - it was nice weather and we got to enjoy hanging out with Will outside as much as possible!  Then, we had Patrick's cousin, Annie McKenzie's, graduation party and then headed down to Lake again for another great time!  My aunt/uncle, John and Kathy from STL came as well and we had so much fun!! We took Will out on the boat - and he was NOT liking it at all.  It is definitely the motion of the boat that bothered him, and once we got going, he was crying, tugging at his ears, and burrowed his head into Patrick's chest, trying to get through it.  The poor guy, puts his head up and says "All Done" in the saddest, crying voice---broke my heart!  He was just not having it.  So, that may be our last boat trip for Will for awhile, but that's ok.  Hopefully he grows into it though!  Otherwise, it was a perfect weekend and I'm still working on getting back into the swing of things at work :)  Summer is officially here, makes me happy, and looking forward to a fun summer with my Bubs :)



This about sums it up



Sweet baby - on a trip to visit Dr. Espe - darn ear infections

 Will loves:
 - playing outside - specifically mowing, sweeping, throwing a ball around, and mostly playing with his water table!!
 - dancing, singing songs, and being silly
- being tickled, chased around, thrown around by Daddy
- morning time - he is always SO happy in the mornings and is so funny when we go get him, he'll hand us his pacifier and say thank you!  And then sometimes stomp around/dance around his crib!! Haha--he's a hoot!
- Talking: "thank you", "Uh Oh", Hi/Bye (w/ a wave), "Peeze" (please), "Cookie" (Graham cracker), Mama, Dada, Be-Boop (belly button, from a Sandra Boynton book we have), Baby (Baby Gwyn - he LOVES her and loves giving her kisses!), "Petty" (pretty - when I wear a fun necklace), Ready, Set, and he says "GO"....I'm sure there is plenty more--he definitely knows his animal sounds and can point to his facial body parts.  He can most dfeinitely understand a lot more than he may even say.  It's so fun!

Will does not love:
- getting his diaper changed these days
- having to give up his pacifier (I'm curious what Dr. Espe is going to tell us about this at his 18 month appointment next week)
- taking a bath without the inflatable tub - he's doing a little better, but it's been a slight struggle.  Something about being wide open in the bathtub freaks him out.  He's a little sensitive (as I say it) :)

Melts my heart

Every time I have to drop Will off now---he has started blowing me kisses.  Melts me every single time.  So sweet though, and I love that he loves to give Mama kisses!  Here's a big MWAH for you all!

Will enjoying the nice weather outside---he absolutely loves being outside, so we are really excited for the summer/nice weather!! So fun!

Waving to all the people passing by :)

This past week, Mom was passing through town on her way to the Lake, so we made it a girls lunch---it was SO fun---can foresee many more of these in the future.  We loved our girl time and taking turns loving on Gwynnie Bear :)

Baller

This video makes me smile everytime I watch it---I love how much he loves playing basketball.  He could do this all night! 

April update

Will is 16 months old-- and still so much fun!  He loves throwing balls, playing basketball, reading books, and being outside. Here are some other updates:

-We took Will to his first swim lessons a few weeks ago--I was SO excited.  He loved swimming last summer and I thought it would be a fun thing to do together for a few weeks in the evening.  Turns out he HATED it!! I shouldn't have been too surprised---he is pretty cautious at first about things, and gets scared somewhat easily (Patrick says he gets this from me, although Marilee tells me that this sounds JUST like Patrick when he was little!  Guess he gets it from us both!)  Anyway---even though the entire 30 minutes of his swim lesson he was crying/screaming, seriously I felt like I was torturing that sweet boy--- the next week lessons were cancelled due to an AFR in the pool (Accidental Fecal Release!)  Still laughing at that term, but got us out of deciding if we were going to go back. 

Such a sweet boy- even though he is a little scared of the pool :)

- Not sure if this is related, but right after that swim lesson,  Will has had a hard time wanting to take a bath.  He used to LOVE it---when if we said bath, he would literally take off for the bathroom and squealing/kicking leg up to get in.  Now---we basically have to force him/hold him down in there.  Last night was a little better, but it was over a week, we have been concerned if we scared him.....but along with the swim lesson/bathtime troubles...Will had fevers that weekend after his first lesson- and turns out he has an ear infection, so we have been fighting that off, but he has been doing pretty well.  Sleeping better now on antibiotics.  Last night bath went better than before, so we are hoping he is over it :)

-We went to St. Louis this past weekend to go to one of Patrick's friends from college's wedding.  It was so nice of my Uncle John and Aunt Kathy to watch Will while Mom and Dad enjoyed a day out together!  We all had a great time! Here are some fun pictures Kathy took:

Shooting some hoops with Uncle John

Sweetest face in the world

My Bubs

Love those smiling eyes :)

Will got a haircut (during his ear infection) Did well and looks SO grown up!

First day of March Madness- cheering on the Jayhawks--good season KU!

Easter 2013 family pic

This year we stayed in KC for Easter- and enjoyed a great and beautiful day with Bill, Marilee and all the fam.  It was a great day and Will loved being outside, although didn't quite grasp the concept of hunting for eggs---next year I guess!

Rocking the skinny jams before bed- and looking like a little angel :)

My better half and best friend

We made it!

Well, I survived my trip to New Orleans - with a few emotions along with it.  My flight was leaving at 8am, and I got a call from my sister at 2am that she was going in labor with Tutu!! Ahhh!!!  Anyway, I thought maybe I would get to see her before my flight took off.  Unfortunately, my flight literally took off right as Tutu came into the world.  I am so glad that everything went so well, even though I couldn't see her for 4 days!  Tutu aka Gwyneth Elizabeth Lewis is absolutely perfect!  She is so beautiful and I'm so honored that we share the same middle name.  So sweet and special.  Along with not getting much sleep, it was a crazy day/evening when we get to New Orleans I basically had to present our show to all of the Cerner group that was at HIMSS (which we were NOT ready to do, but did anyway)  We got through it as best as we could, but I wasn't sure how my reputation would hold up (luckily our shows for the actual clients got RAVE reviews and justified the whole thing :))  After getting back to my room that night, exhausted and worn out, I got news that my Grandma Meyer passed away.  She left this earth on the same day her great-grand daughter was born.  It's the true circle of life.  Grandma will be missed, most definitely, but it truly was a celebration.  I will always be inspired by the courage in which she faced her death, and how she faced it and lived her whole life---trusting 100% in God, loving him completely, and unselfishly.  She was a teacher, but also a great student and always loved learning.  I have lots of sweet and wonderful memories with and of Grandma.  She also accepted Patrick so easily into the family, and of course, loved her sweet William :)  We will see you again someday Grandma.

In other news, we are just getting back into the swing of things--- Patrick is heading to Chicago this weekend to visit some friends and enjoy St. Patrick's day up there!  I'm excited for him to have a boys weekend, and Will and I will hold down the fort!    So excited for spring time right around the corner and of course, March Madness!!

Will still melts my heart with the way he says, 'thank you' so sweetly after I hand him something or give him a cracker or something.  Or when he toddles around, kind of is unsteady on his feet and is trying to catch him balance and he says ' whoa'.  Or when he throws his sippy cup or something off his high chair and then says 'uh oh' like it was an accident :)  Or maybe best is when he just starts laughing uncontrollably about nothing really at all, which makes me start giggling, and gets him going even more.  I seriously get that deep, belly laugh that makes your stomach hurt---and I. love. it.

Snow day- staying warm inside as our power was out!

Enjoying a nice day out at the park

I need to do a better job of taking pictures lately!  I think back to when he wasn't moving as much, and I was able to just snap pictures of him as he laid around.  Now that he's mobile, it's harder for me to remember---but I'm vowing to do better and take some this Mama/Will weekend!

Looking out the window with Will's girlfriend!

Littler readers :)  Love them!

Snow storms and babies!

Well, this past week, we survived Snowmaggedon 2013---Kansas City got about a foot of snow -- luckily Patrick and I can both work at home--and we took turns between working and playing with Will.  We all had a fun day, but realized how much we enjoy/need to get out of the house--we got a little cabin fever, and luckily Minsky's was open and we walked down for dinner.  It was great!!  Now---just 4 days later, we are expecting to get another foot of snow tomorrow---so, we'll see---it may be another day at home. 

Other exciting news---so many babies!! The baby season started with baby Reece Denton that entered the world on Valentine's Day!  We got to visit him this past weekend in St. Joe - and he is the sweetest!! So beautiful and so thrilled for Katie and Cody--they will be such wonderful parents and I know they have been praying for this baby for awhile!  Love you guys!  Next, Ryker Bergstrand made his appearance on 2/21/2013 - and are equally thrilled for Nicole and Mitch, and their prayers being answered as this tiny, perfect miracle is finally here!! We are sending our love to Des Moines and hope we get to see him soon (keep posting pics please!!)  And lastly, just found out this evening, that my best friend since 5th grade, Lindsay and Chad Kobus welcomed another baby girl into their family, Miss Gabrielle!!  She is going to be best buds with her older sister Sadie, and I could not be happier for them---Lindsay makes being a mom, wife, sister, friend, etc. look so easy and I know she will be an awesome Mom of 2 (and I will be expecting notes/tips soon!)  So, lots of baby love--- next, we have heard our friends, the Wessingers will be expecting their baby boy sometime this week for sure!! And then, last but not least, I am just so anxious to meet my niece, Tutu, and I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear from my sister that she is going into labor :) :)  (I'm also so nervous that she is going to come while I am in New Orleans next week for work-- I will be gone for 4 days, already going to be hard not seeing my boys for that long, but would be worse if I'm going to have to be away from my new niece)  Anyway, so many blessings and I am going to love seeing these precious bundles grow into little people!

Will had a great weekend and couple days--- we went to visit Grandpa D in Atchison on Saturday - and Will loved playing with  Grandpa's tractors!  Then, we went through St. Joe to visit Baby Reece which was so fun as well!  Today, we had breakfast at Succatash (which was really, really good!) with our friends Nick and Erica VanDee, and then just getting things ready for the week and relaxing.  We had a fun weekend seeing family and friends, and hope you all had good weekends also.

Stay safe and warm with the upcoming storm!

Will's Favorite Words

We are having a BLAST with Will--he is SO much fun - repeating so many words we say, and just seeming to absord and learn so much everyday!  I keep thinking---where did he learn that?!!  I know I will continue to be amazed by all that he learns and takes in. 

Will is not just walking these days, but usually running to try to make it to his destination of choice---it's so funny--poor guy falls down a lot and still getting his balance, but it's so cute watching him toddle around!

Some of the words that Will uses regularly:
- dog (woof)- yes, makes the sound
- when we say cow- he says BOOOO (he means Moo though :))
- sheep (baaa)
- horse (neigh)
- Pizza!!! (he loves saying this over and over when he eats this)
- bath (when he hears us say bath, he literally runs towards the bathroom and can't wait to get in--he will continuously try to throw his leg up on the bathtub to try to get in even if he has his clothes on!  he loves splashing around in the bath tub!! - doesn't enjoy getting his hair washed/water in his face as much)
- shoe (he says this so clearly---it's the sweetest!)


One of our favorite things to do is play "I'm gonna get ya"---and we chase Will around and he squeals and runs around until he gets to his little chair in the sunroom!  It's so sweet---he giggles and thinks it's the best thing ever.  He is also very ticklish, so I can't resist tickling his feet, theighs, belly, and around his neck is always a sure giggle.

He has really just now started to LOVE reading---he will read in the car, in his chair, in his high-chair, but both of favorite spots is in Mama's lap.  It still melts my heart everytime he grabs his book, toddles over to me, and plops down in my lap.  It may not last very long, but I soak up every second! 

Playing catch---Will actually does a pretty good job catching/throwing (well, at least we think so!) and are pretty impressed with his hand/eye coordination.  We think he's going to be pretty athletic....and smart...and kind... and.... :)

Will has adjusted so well to the 1-year-old room at Daycare (he goes Tuesdays and Wednesdays to St. Luke's) and Mon/Thurs/Fri up to Marilee's.  I really like the ladies that teach his class, Miss Della and Miss Stephanie, and am really enjoying being able to do both for him.  It's been so good to have daycare as a back-up in case we need it, and of course, we are so lucky to have his Mimi watching him the other days.

We almost have a 15-month-old---hard to believe. I still look at him everyday, and can't get over what a beautiful miracle God gave us.  He is such a sweet boy, so loving, so happy, and so perfect.  I just can't get enough of him!!  Thank you God for blessing me to be this little boy's Mama.

Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day!  Love!