Fast Cars

I knew from reading my friends' blogs and hearing about their boys' favorite toys that "fast cars" would be in my future. Well, Will rediscovered this box with a race track set in his closet recently, so we set it up. I couldn't get the track to stay together correctly at first, so we would just play with the two cars (a police car and a red car - how stereotypical). But, Jason joined us in the fun the other night and set up the track the way it's supposed to work. Will quickly learned how to launch the cars down the track. (He also learned how to hit Rachel in the nose with the car. Luckily she was a very good sport about it.)

Monkey Boy Take 2

[NOTE: The picture doesn't include a banana, because Will set some new "options" on the camera last night and I only got fuzzy pictures until he was done eating.]

Apparently Will was starving today, because he drank 8 ounces of milk, chowed down 1/2 banana and a cup of Velveeta shells 'n cheese and then ate the heads off of three dino chicken nuggets before tossing the bodies to the dog. (Interestingly, he didn't like these same nuggets the last time I gave them to him already cut up; as I suspected, he wanted to see them, hold them, and then eat them.) Oh, and a few peas were consumed, too.

But, this story is about how after he ate all of that, I handed him the other half of his banana whole instead of cutting it into the usual little chunks. He devoured it in three big mouthfuls before I got the camera fixed. Literally shoved it in and chewed it up. Not even a little cough or sputter. Just down the hatch. In three bites. And then washed it all down with more milk. Nice!

Little People Farm

One of Will's favorite new toys is his Little People Farm - a birthday gift from our good friends, Keith, Desiree and Aiden. We were very excited to get this particular gift, since we gave Aiden the 2006 version for his first birthday! Mommy always says I should sample new foods, but this lamb is a little rubbery.
Will or Noah?
Stockpiling all the animals

Paparazzi spotted!

On his way to get the camera

13 Months Old

This month the biggest thing I've noticed is the huge advances in communication. Will babbles a lot, but he has very few "real" words that he says. However, the words and instructions that he seems to comprehend are multiplying every day. Although he doesn't say many words to tell us what he wants, he's got his own system of pointing and gesturing to let us know what we need to deliver to him ASAP! :-) The funniest thing that I think he does is his sound for food. We spent too many months saying "yum, yum" and making lip smacks at him, so now that's what he does back. I wish I could describe it better, because it's hilarious to see him do. He also loves to imitate whatever face or sound that Jason does!

Teething is still our nemesis. One giant molar has started scratching through, and the others are right under the gums. So, I would expect he'll go from his current 8 1/2 teeth to 12 teeth in a matter of weeks. Will's overall grouchiness level had made for some very sad bathtimes. Last week we skipped a few nights and the other nights were just a quick soap and rinse.

Separation from Mommy is still a terrible thing. I can't leave the room without him crying. Sometimes he chases me; sometimes he just sits and cries. It passes quickly (enough), but I do wonder how many more months or years I get to be his favorite thing in the world! :-)

Chicago River and Lake Michigan Boat Tour

After eating our way through Grant Park for the Taste, we walked north up Michigan Avenue to take a boat tour. All of the Architectural Foundation tours were sold out for the day, but we were able to get on a river and lake tour for another operator. It was a 90 minute narrated tour of the buildings and history of the city and since we went out on the lake, we had to go through the lock. Michigan & Wacker
Wacker & Monroe Street Bridge
(I think my office is the blueish sliver in the middle)

Willis Tower (fka Sears Tower)

View of the skyline and Navy Pier from the lake

Taste of Chicago

On Friday, I got to enjoy a sunny afternoon in the city with friends Lauren and Jesse who are in town for a wedding this weekend. Our first stop was - according to the marketing materials - the "premier event of the summer" : the Taste of Chicago. We enjoyed maybe "tasting portions" of delicious foods. Below I have listed all of the food the three of us ate combined. The order of events (eats):

• La Justincia's Enchilada
• Bacino's Pizza of Lincoln Park's Thin Crust Cheese Pizza, Stuffed Spinach Pizza
• Iyanze's Jollof and Oxtail
• Cubby Bear's Garlic Fries
• Carbon's Tequila Lime Chicken Taco, Tilapia Taco
• Robinson's No. 1 Ribs' Turkey Wing
• Original Rainbow Cone's Taster Cup of Rainbow
• Abundance Bakery's Upside Down Caramel Cupcake
• O'Brien's Gourmet Beef Hot Dog (Chicago Style)
• Eli's No-Sugar-Added Chocolate Cheesecake

Friday's special event was a talk and book signing by Mario Batali. We wandered by the tent right before it started just to get a peek at Mario. He was wearing his signature orange crocs, shorts, and fleece vest. His pink shirt and pants matched his sunburned head.

We didn't think about taking pictures of our food until we were about halfway through (and then we forgot again). But, here are two of the yummy treats we enjoyed.

And, of course we had to get a photo op with the Chicago skyline in the background. The Aon Building on the far right is where the Deloitte offices used to be.

A Word About Leftovers

So, if you're monitoring Will's meals in the sidebar, you'll notice that his dinners are often repetitive and consist of leftovers. I feel a little silly about it, but there's a lot of practicality in it. Because except for his favorite food, bananas, the kid can't chow down an entire portion in one sitting. So, his can of red beans will probably last four meals. And we're all eating on that potato salad and melon this week! So, as long as I think it's a healthy food, and as long as he keeps eating it (rather than feeding it to Rachel), I'll keep serving it. Especially when that makes meal prep done in less than 30 seconds -- only 5 seconds longer than Will is willing to wait! :-)

Toy Box

We ordered a toy box to contain some of the baby stuff taking over our house. It's canvas and collapses flat if you don't need it out anymore. When the lid folds down, supposedly it's sturdy enough to sit on. We haven't tried that out. I mean, why sit ON the toy box, when you be IN the toy box!

Hee hee, Rachel, I'm in the box!

Hmmm. . .what's not working here?

Ok, I just need to switch these out so the green one is next.

Rachel, you look in there for our next game.

Friday Fever

Friday Funday began with a rain storm and is trying to end with one! And Mr. Will and his swollen gums were sent home at 4 p.m. with a fever. He wasn't too grouchy when I got home, and he was nice and snuggly (and warm) after bath time. Hopefully he wakes up tomorrow (after 7 a.m. please) happy and healthy!

When I Grow Up I Want to be

. . .a NASCAR tire changer

. . .a professional singer

. . .a veterinary dentist
. . . a quality control engineer

(that's a loose string he has found and is examining)

Considering Will's great love for exploring, stacking, assembling, disassembling, and all sort of moving pieces, I think he's got a future in engineering. Time will tell!

Happy Anniversary to our Family

On Will's birthday we finally had our first sitting for "real" pictures. We went to JcPenney's at the mall, because one of my co-workers had good results there. I thought ours turned out well; although if you're an immediate family member, you'll also be getting a picture of Will in the mail this week. And, well, little buddy likes being held by his mommy for photos. So, the one of him by himself isn't his normal smiley self!

Our family - May 29, 2010 - after the first year
So cute!

Messy Eater

Baked beans are #1

Another way to get calcium:

vanilla yogurt with baby cereal mixed in to thicken it a little

Yes, he used the spoon (somewhat), but he still needed to lick the bowl!

Baby Pool

We finally got the baby pool aired up and broken in! The crab canopy covers about half of the pool, and it was overcast, so we had a very refreshing swim. Although we only briefly tested this feature, there is a sprinkler about where Will's hand is in the picture below. It was a little too much to try on the first swim. Daddy, don't turn that on yet! I don't have my suit on!
Enjoying playing with his toys of choice:
his always favorite stacking cups and today's selection nasal aspirator. . .
We filled the pool with the garden hose and then supplemented with a few pitchers of hot water from the kitchen to make it a nice lukewarm temperature! Notice how his 12 month sized trunks are still too big! I have them folded down once in the waistband; unfortunately the drawstring was fake.

Tiny Terror

Will has a serious case of the ones: knowing what he wants (and not always allowed to get it - such as being held by Mommy while she's cooking or playing with electronics) and being a big grouch with his molars and incisors trying to come in. We have lots of smiles and hysterical laughter and fun play, and we also have lots of falls, screams, tears, and tantrums. Luckily they don't last long!

The one plus side to this weekend is that I'm well-rested after napping while Will's been napping. On Saturday he took a 3 1/2 hour morning nap, was up for 3 hours, napped for another 90 minutes and then went to bed at regular time. He also was very cuddly and snuggly with me during his waking hours. Today he took two 90 minute naps and then was still such a grouch during dinner (throwing all of his food onto the floor with real gusto) that he got a 6:15 bath and 6:45 bedtime. Let's hope that doesn't mean an early morning!

12 Months Old

We're a few weeks late with the 12 months chair pictures, but I don't think he's changed too much in the past few weeks. Except for this weekend's toothfest. He's tired and grouchy and although I haven't seen in his mouth, I did get a quick feel of his gums and there are multiple teeth ready to bust through. Ouch!

This month Will has:

• Started running everywhere. Therefore, he always has a bruise or red mark on his head from his numerous daily face and head plants into the floor/wall/cabinet. He didn't fall on his face when learning to walk or for the first two months of walking, but now it's like his legs can't keep up with all the places he wants to go - and how fast he wants to get there!
• Started drinking whole milk. We went cold turkey on the bottles this weekend, since we know he knows how to use a sippy cup. Unfortunately we made this decision and were a good portion of the way through yesterday before we realized he had the big teething issues. No bottle to soothe him, but he has had his pacifier a ton. No decision has been made about weaning from that yet. . .
• Started telling us what he wants. He has motions and "words" to let us know when he wants more food, his blanket, his pacifier, his cup, or for us to hold or do something. He also knows where things are kept and goes up to doors/drawers or tries rooting through my bag to get specific things.
• Started climbing the stairs. (Thanks, Lexi, for showing him about stairs!) He didn't really have to practice this at all. He is just suddenly interested in the staircase and can climb the entire way up without any assistance except a "spotter."
• Started copying our behaviors a lot. He pats us on the back when we pat his. He asks me for kisses a lot. And he and Jason have fun games where Jason makes sounds or faces and Will does them back. He knows how funny he's being! :-)

Even with the grouchy teether, we're still having a great time! We have many, many more healthy and happy days!

Making an Impact

Today is Deloitte IMPACT Day. For one Friday every June, the employees and partners of the entire firm take the day to volunteers in our communities. In past years I have helped beautify a park and taught Junior Achievement to elementary school kids. This year I'm spending the day at Feed My Starving Children (www.fmsc.org) packing MannaPack Rice which is a specially formulated food for the hungriest and poorest people of the world. It makes me incredibly sad that kids are starving when my family's biggest food worry is whether to give Will a banana or graham crackers with his organic milk at snack time.

This is a good day to be thankful for what you have and thankful for what you can give!

Student Driver

Gimme de keys!
Gimme de keys!

Monkey Boy

Will's overalls say "I Like Bananas" and have a monkey on them. They're perfect for him! Because he DOES love bananas (and can easily eat an entire banana for a snack or as part of a meal) AND because he crawls all over stuff like a crazy monkey!

12 Month Stats

Will had his 12-month well-child check last night, and we're all exhausted from it! I keep scheduling these appointments for 6:30 p.m. so we can go right after daycare/work, but the office was running 45 minutes late last night. So, even though I thought I was totally prepared by packing Will's dinner to eat in the car beforehand, and bringing his jammies to change into after the exam/before shots, and packing his blankie and pacifier for comfort items during/after the shots, he was still up almost an hour later than usual.

This picture is from a weekend nap when he slept through two pictures with flash, but he was so sleepy this morning when I went to wake him up for daycare after only 10 hours of sleep! :-)

The Stats:

Percentiles are approximate, as they didn't tell us the exact ones or print out the growth chart

Weight: 20 lbs, 8 oz. (<25%)
Height: 29 1/4 inches (<25%)
Head: 19 inches (90%)

In the past three months, he gained about 2 pounds and an inch. His head stayed the same size. :-) I think he's gotten tons bigger, so I'm not sure what these measurements are all about! I was predicting 22-23 pounds on the weight, but that's the most accurate measure, so I trust the reading. The height is hard to get for a wiggly baby on an exam table with head tilted one way or the other.

The doctor was pleased with his progress, and so are we! Our only real parenting instructions were to be more aggressive on weaning from the bottle to the sippy cup. Otherwise, I guess Jason and I are doing ok, too!

First Bike Ride

After a few rain delays, we finally got out for our inaugural ride just before dinner. These pictures aren't great, since I was trying to take them after our ride and before the next big rain downpour. I'm feeling the pain in my legs already! I hadn't been on my bike since early 2009. I had actually forgotten what my bike looked liked, since I only rode it about three times in fall 2008- spring 2009 before I was too pregnant. (My original bike was stolen from our condo garage if you want to go back and see the blog posts from September 2008.)

Hey, how do I get this off now?
Yes, I'm adorable!

Howdy Mama! Sure glad I've got this rain shield today!

The trailer is called the Schwinn Scout. It's a two-seater, but the harnesses are set up that one child rides in the center using middle parts of each harness. I read that it's good to have the extra room for baby's carry-on items and the cooler or beach equipment, etc. We just rode a few laps through our neighborhood, and it was smooth when the pavement was smooth. Will and I both felt the couple of small potholes I took us through. The turning wasn't as hard as I imagined. It helped having Jason riding next to us as our spotter.

Will and Wheelie

Will's new bike trailer comes with an extra wheel in case you want to disconnect the trailer from the bike and push it as a stroller when you get somewhere. This series of photos was taken tonight as he carried his new friend, Wheelie, around everywhere - even while playing with other toys!