Our first birthday party!!

Yesterday we celebrated William's first birthday. He won't actually turn 1 until Tuesday, but we decided to celebrate a little early. I don't think he really knew what was happening, but he knew that it was a good time...at least for the adults anyway : ) It's hard to believe that our little baby will be turning 1 this week. This year has just flown by! I am so thankful that God chose me to be William's mom. He is such a sweet, good-natured child, and I am so lucky that he calls me mama. This has been the most amazing year of my life, and I wouldn't trade one day of it...not even a bad one. I look forward to this second year as much as I did his first, because I know each new phase is more fun than the last! Here are some pics of his big day.

Elmo and his friends

the food spread

the birthday boy and his Pops

trying to get a good pic of his birthday outfit

me and my baby before the party

William checking out his friend Jake

singing "Happy Birthday" and his mama tearing up

trying to blow out the single candle (only took 4 tries)

not too sure at first

but it soon became the disappearing cake

the birthday boy playing with one of his toys

Tickle Toes

Lately it has been harder and harder to keep William entertained while I get ready in the mornings. Usually I try to get ready during his nap time, but sometimes that just doesn't work out so well. I've tried everything from letting him play in the bathtub, to letting him play in my jewelry box. This week he crawled up next to me while I was drying my hair, and started playing with my feet (yes, I had just had a shower : ) This was the outcome...

WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?

That's what I thought you said....FINALLY!! My heart just melted!!

WE THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, BUT.....

HE'S CRAWLING!!! Even though he's been cruising around furniture for weeks now, William finally decided to jump on the wagon and start crawling. He has brought a new definition to having a baby "on the move". I really have to watch him every second now or he will eat dog-food, try to stick his finger in a light socket or try and pull the laptop off the table (yes, he has done or tried each of these) while my back is turned! And...yes...we have begun baby-proofing! I have gotten a small glimpse into toddlerhood this past week, and it's SCARY!! I'm loving every second, though...well...almost every second, ha! Here is a little video from a couple of days ago. Every day he gets faster, so this is a little slower than he is today! He didn't like it at first, but now that he's figured out he can get where he wants to go, he's liking it much better!

New professional pics!

We had these made of William a few months ago. It was really cold that day, so he wasn't really in the mood to smile, but I thought they turned out really good despite the serious faces!!

Two peas in a pod

In the past 6 weeks, William has started doing and learning so many new things. He FINALLY got 2 teeth, started saying "dada", started eating almost all table food, and just last week started cruising! I know, we're in trouble once he starts walking! He still doesn't crawl, but he gets where he wants to go by rolling or scooting. He stands well holding onto anything, and walks around holding onto his play-table like a champ. His balance is getting better by the day, and a few times he's let go completely for a couple of seconds at a time. He's pretty much eating whatever we eat, which is really nice not to have to worry about baby food, however, he's still not taking a sippy cup...yet. We went to the doctor last week, and he is up to 17.11 lbs...yeah!! Hard to believe he's going to be a year in a little over a month. Wow, how time flies. This video was taken tonight, and I just thought it was too hilarious not to post! There's not much sound to it...just Jay and William mimicking each other...too cute!

Can't go on the walk without the graham cracker!

10 months!!

It's so hard to believe that my sweet baby William is already 10 months! It seems like yesterday that I first held him in my arms, and here we are 2 short months from a year! He's trying new things every day...like standing on his own for a few seconds at a time. He loves eating, and trying new foods, and his current favorites are graham crackers, nilla wafers, goldfish, and yogurt. He has absolutely zero interest in crawling....he only wants to stand or walk (with help : ) His vocabulary consists of "da-da" constantly, and a few other babbles. He's a great sleeper, sleeping 12 hrs a night, and a couple of naps during the day. Oh, and he cut his first tooth this month!! I'll have to post a pic of that as soon as I can get him to hold still long enough. Here are some recent pics from the last few days.