Pitiful and Nasty

That is how I would describe pink eye that my poor boy got yesterday. I will say that those drops work miracles and we could already see some improvement this morning after only one dose. But Will looks like someone punched him in both eyes - they are all swollen and red. Very pitiful.

But HUGE thanks to his grandparents for subjecting themselves to pink eye and watching Will for us so Mommy and Daddy could go to work. This is when being a working mother is so incredibly difficult. Your child is home sick, and you know, as the mommy, that you should be there, but you just can't miss work that day. Feeling like I am choosing work over my child is the hardest feeling to handle. Really. But, at least we have fabulous grandparents close by to help us out, and I know Will always loves to run over to "grandparents' camp"!

13 Months

Yesterday, little Will turned 13 months. He has changed so much in the last 4 weeks, its amazing to me. Since his one year birthday, he went from mostly walking but some crawling to being a full blown toddler, toddling everywhere. Will doesn't crawl anymore except if he is playing with his toys or horsing around. And he loves to move, let me tell you! You can't put him down in a store, or at church, or at someone's house, or even in the hallway of his day care without Will taking off at light speed (and quickly getting into everything and anything).

Since a month ago, Will has succeeded in getting tons of bruises, cuts and scrapes because of his quick, on-the-go attitude. But, boys will be boys, I suppose!

Since a month ago, Will has really started to communicate. His vocabulary includes daddy, uh-oh, ba-oon (balloon) and kitty (for Mitzi). He loves to clap and give fives and is on the brink of mastering blowing kisses to someone when they leave. Will also loves his books. He can pick up a book and turn the pages (even if they are upside down) to look at the pictures.

Since a month ago, Will has really learned to point ... at everything. He'll point at a lamp, or a chair, or the blinds on a window, or who knows what, and exclaim "ooo!" - till you look and tell him what it is.

Since a month ago, Will has become totally removed from baby food (except for this oatmeal breakfast -- he still has baby single grain oatmeal mixed with baby food bananas every morning). The other huge change is that Will is no longer on formula - YEAH! And we are getting close to him drinking it straight out of the fridge (it has to be nuked for about 5 secs to take the chill off still).

Since a month ago, we have tried to get Will to play out in the backyard more and more. Will absolutely adores the outside. I can't wait for the weather to get warmer. I am looking forward to having Will play in the dirt with me, watch things grow in the spring, and get to enjoy the sunshine. And I'm already thinking of how much fun that first dip back in the pool with him will be.

Since a month ago, Will has put Ellis and I to our first "discipline" tests and (whew!) parenting really really ain't easy! Will is a master at throwing tantrums already ... take that dangerous object he got a hold of and is about to put in his mouth and he will scream bloody murder, turn into a limp noodle if you try to pick him up, and likely throw himself backward on the floor, injuring himself in the process. Sigh. And Will is learning to test our limits. He knows what "no" means and will try to do something he knows he is not supposed to do and stare at you for your reaction when he does it. The one that is driving Ellis and I crazy is throwing food or his bottle on the floor. Double sigh.

But, in the last month, if it were even possible, Will's smile and laugh has gotten even bigger and better at tearing at my heart strings more and more. Sometimes I just stare at him playing or sleeping and think, "I can't believe he is mine. I can't believe that is my adorable, perfect, sweet son." (You knew I had to get cheesy at some point...)

"Boon"

Will said another word last night -- "boon" for balloon. He still has this gigantic smiley face balloon I got him for his birthday. Everytime we pass it, he smiles up at it and we say "balloon." Last night, Will pointed and said "boon" and did it again this morning.

So, now his vocabularly includes "Daddy", "uh-oh" and "boon." Wonder where "mommy" will fall in the order of new words. Sigh.

Excitement

Just a little video to show how fast this booger is now. (No, he isn't all excited because he wants Mommy - he is excited because I've opened the gate to the stairs and am sitting in front of it. The idea he might get to climb up the stairs is enough to make him lose his balance!)

One-Year Well Visit

Yesterday, Will had his one-year well visit with Dr. Trey. All looked great and Will is developing well - but WOW what a difference it makes to give shots and such to a one-year old. The poor boy knows exactly who the doctor is. :( And don't think of getting him near that crinkly paper on the examining table. Will screamed bloody murder the second we got in the room and I set him on the table to get him undressed for the big weigh-in. They must have thought we were torturing him in there. Then, he cried and reached hard for me when I set him on the scale to be weighed. After that, he had fun running around the room -- until Dr. Trey came in. Will was so unhappy when the doctor listened with his stethoscope, screamed at the top of his lungs when he checked him out on that crinkly paper. Whew! And if that wasn't enough, he had to have 4 shots this time - 2 in his legs and one in each arm. Oh it was so pitiful! I will say this - Will screams and cries when it happens but quickly stops after its over. Although upset, he was playing and walking everywhere shortly after the shots.

We also had to prick his little toe for a hemoglobin test. Turns out, Will is having a little trouble absorbing iron - apparently a fairly common thing in babies his age. So, we've got him on a daily supplement of iron for a while.

But, despite poor Will getting poked and prodded - the visit went great! Our assignment for the 15 month visit - get him off the bottle and away from pacifiers. That is so not going to be easy. (Yes, I thought he was somewhat weaned off of pacifiers around 7 months or so except for bedtime, but as he got louder and louder, I started using that pacifier more and more!!)

Here are Will's stats:
Weight - 22 lb 9 oz - 48%
Height - 30 1/4 - 60%
Head Circumference - 18 1/4 - 50%

And here are some pix of Will playing outside this past weekend. He was getting used to his new shoes!

Will's First Birthday Party

Last Saturday, Will had his first birthday party. Nanny, Aunt Kathy, Auntie "B", Kate and Anna came down to visit. Grandma and Grandpa came as well as Will's favorite teacher, Missy, and her daughter Rebecca. We all had a wonderful time. We discovered that Will had no problem devouring his chocolate cupcake that Mommy made. He didn't care much for the frosting but the chocolate cake part did not last long! Big thanks to everyone for coming!!

Updates

I know, I know. I've been bad about updating the blog lately - and I hate that because Will is changing so much every day. But this year has started off a bit on the shaky and crazy side. This weekend, I'll be sure to post some new stuff ... like Will's birthday party from last Saturday. He had so much fun!

Trip to Edventure

On Will's birthday, Uncle Steve, Aunt Mary, Grandma and Grandpa and Mom and Dad took Will to Edventure, the children's museum. I was worried he wouldn't be old enough to really enjoy it, but he had a blast, particularly with all the slides. Will loves sliding down a slide. :)

Everyone came over to our house for a birthday dinner for Will too, at which he got some birthday presents from his aunt and uncle and grandparents. By the end of the day, Will was pretty exhausted! (His official birthday party will be this weekend since he came down with a virus last Saturday.)