Will is One

On Thursday, Will turned one year old.  It has been a strange first year.  Strange in that it went really slow for the first six months and then flew by the next six months.  Our whole house was exhausted when we brought him home.  He didn't sleep well - at all - and he cried if we weren't holding him. I probably held Will more than any of my other babies because he was so fussy.  For the first six months, I didn't put him down for more than a few minutes at a time. He was always with me.  If I was working out - he was in the garage; if I was getting ready for work - he was in the bathroom; if I was eating dinner - he was sitting in my lap.  He also slept with me for the first six months so we spent a lot of time snuggling.   But at 8 months, something changed. Will became pretty independent.  He doesn't let me rock him or even hold him anymore unless I am standing up.  I am glad that I don't have to hold him all the time, but I am a little sad that my last baby won't let me rock him at night.  It's probably for the best though.  If he were a sweet, cuddly baby, I would probably be actively regretting having my tubes tied.  As it stands, I am confident in my decision.

Will was a month premature, so he is quite a bit smaller than Finn and Sam were at one. He can say a few things (not well).  He calls me "ma ma ma" he calls Michael "da" he says "up" a little bit.  He no longer takes a bottle.  He has branched way out into the world of food.  He prefers to feed himself, but will let me feed him oatmeal in the mornings.  He ate lasagna for the first time on Wednesday evening and loved it.  There is very little he won't eat - as long as he can do it himself.

He pulls up on everything and walks while holding onto the furniture.  He can climb up the stairs with relative ease (just not down).   He has become a champion sleeper and takes two naps each day during the weekends.

He desperately needs a haircut, but I can't bring myself to cut off his little curls.  He is really, really ticklish.  Right now his favorite thing to do is stick his pointer finger in my mouth and have me pretend to bite it.  He is obsessed with Michael.  Michael gets the biggest smiles and warmest welcomes.   He loves going to daycare.  He loves being upstairs in the playroom.  He loves music and moves with the beat. He still loves baths. He loves his lion.

He has a very strong personality - easily the strongest of all the boys.  Like Sam, he has a temper, but he is strong willed and doesn't give up easily. With Godly direction, he has a chance to be a world changer.

Oatmeal on his birthday.

Climbing the stairs. 

On Thursday, his actual birthday, Michael and I gave him is first taste of cake.  The boys were out of town, so it was nice to spend a quite night with Will.  I can't speak for Michael, but it gave me time to really stop and appreciate both him and the fact that these moments are fleeting. 

He immediately tore the cake apart from the icing and started eating the cake.  He liked it, but he didn't seem too impressed. 

But then he discovered the icing.  This is how it ate it.  He held it right on his mouth and sucked the icing through. He didn't put it down until it had completely dissolved in his mouth. 

This was Will's response to eating icing.  He was so happy. 

Happy Birthday Will.  We love you so much.