TV Star

Will and I have been going to "Stroller Strides" one or two days a week at Manhattan Park. It is an exercise class for new parents where the new babies and toddlers get to come along. We do power walking to different stations to get a full body workout. Last week, a news crew from Channel 13 came along to film us for their "Take 5" segment. It aired today and little William is a TV star! (And his mom was on TV as well...) The video can be seen on the Take 5 website (click on stroller strides under the video section):

http://www.wzzm13.com/life/programming/local/take_five/default.aspx

I tried uploading the video to the blog without success. I think it was too long!

Rice Cereal... yum!

We had our first attempt at rice cereal today. Will did actually much better than expected. Although he made some really funny faces, he did end up eating/swallowing quite a bit. And he started licking his bib so he couldn't have minded it too much! We didn't give him too much - we want to ease his system into "solid" foods.

Licking the left overs off his bib!

Rolling Over and Cute Photos

It's been cold in Grand Rapids!


I love my alligator!


Hello!

We were able to capture Will rolling over from his stomach to his back:

4 Months Old!

Will is 4 months old today! He is learning how to do new things every day. He has rolled over from stomach to back twice (that we know of). He is able to pull off his socks. He loves shaking his toys and puts everything in his mouth. He is also sticking out his tongue and making funny noises with his mouth. He is much more alert and interested in his surroundings. And he loves to flirt with anyone that will talk to him!



He can sit up with support


He likes his books!

Windy City/Second City/My Kind of Town

This weekend was Will's first trip to Chicago. Grann drove up from Detroit Friday morning and we loaded up the car and got on the road right away. Despite some recent issues with Will in the car, he did really well on the trip down. We were able to check in to our hotel and spent the afternoon wandering Michigan Ave. Then, around dinner time, we went down to the Macy's on State Street where Aunt Maran met us as a surprise (it was Ann's birthday weekend). Saturday was spent at the Lincoln Park Zoo where we met up with Auntie Beth. Saturday night, Aunt Maran and Grann babysat while we went to Lawry's for a nice dinner. On Sunday, we did some more shopping and walking around before Aunt Maran had to head back to the airport. Sunday night, Grann babysat while we went to the Pearl Jam concert at the United Center. It was a really busy weekend but it was a lot of fun! William did a great job - although, he did get a bit over stimulated by Sunday night and was defninitely happy to be home today!

The Big Surprise!


A nice family photo


At the Zoo with Auntie Beth


I love my toes!

I love my Auntie!

16 Weeks!

William is 16 weeks old today! The major development this week is that he found his toes. He is now holding his feet with his hands but he hasn't started putting his toes in his mouth yet. Hopefully that will start in the next few weeks! He also went for his first ride in the stroller without the carrier insert. He seemed to enjoy the ride - he was able to look around a lot more. Here are some pictures from this week:

My new favorite!


Touching my toes


Going for a ride

Playing is tough

Weekend in Detroit

Phil was in Chicago from Wednesday - Sunday last week for training. So Kristen and William decided to go to Detroit for a few days. Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Bob (Mimi and GBob) were visiting from Cincinnati and they hadn't seen Will since he was 2 1/2 weeks old. On Friday morning, Kristen took Will to MPC to see her old office and visit with her old co-workers. Then they went up to Birmingham (avoiding Dream Cruise traffic) to surprise Grann at work. Then they went back to Grann's to wait for Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Bob. It was a very nice visit - lots of walks, a nice dinner out, and Will decided he liked everyone elses thumbs better than his own and went to town...

15 Weeks

William turned 15 weeks old yesterday. He has been incredibly active during the past week. He still turns over almost immediately when we put him in his crib and he "scoots" around - both in his crib and on his playmat. It looks like he really wants to crawl but just doesn't have the strength yet. It is really way too early for crawling - the average age is 8 months so we've got a ways to go! The plus side is that he is starting to tolerate being on his stomach for longer periods. I've even seen a few smiles!

We've established a somewhat consistent late afternoon nap in the crib. He's been napping for 45 minutes to an hour at around 4/4:30pm. His other naps during the day are much shorter and usually in the stroller or carseat when we're out and about.

First Trip to the Zoo

Today was William's first trip to the John Ball Park Zoo. Kristen organized a U of M alumni club family day at the zoo. We had a tent reserved with a picnic lunch and animal demonstrations in the tent. Despite the stormy weather in the morning, it actually stopped raining around the time of the event and we were able to spend a nice afternoon at the zoo.

It's Great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

Playing Possum

Not a fan of the snake

Hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa

Laughing at the monkeys

Hey, I can't see anything from in here!

14 Weeks Old!

William turned 14 weeks old today! And what a busy week it was. I don't want to jinx it, but we had 4 good nights in a row. He slept in 5 hour chunks and went back to bed with no issues after each feeding. A nap pattern is also starting to develop durubg the day. Granted, he isn't napping in the crib (see photos below) but we're getting there! He is also able to sit in the Bumbo without slumping forward. The other major development is that... he can roll over! Last night we put him in his crib when he got a little fussy, and when we checked on him 2 minutes later he was asleep on his stomach (thumb still in his mouth). I thought it might be a fluke, but he was on his stomach each time he woke up for a feeding. According to the pediatrician, it is a little ahead of schedule. Since he can push himself up, it isn't dangerous even though he can't quite turn himself back over. We do have to take the bumper out of the crib, which makes me laugh. The purpose of the bumper is to prevent him from hitting his head when he rolls over but you have to take it out when he can roll over so he doesn't suffocate.

Sitting in his "armchair"


Sleeping in the bouncy seat on the counter

Falling asleep during tummy time (twice)!

After turning over for the first time

Picnic Pops

Last night, we went to the Grand Rapids Symphony Picnic Pops at Cannonsburg Ski Area. We saw the music of Billy Joel with vocals performed by Michale Cavanaugh who was in the Broadway musical "Movin' Out." We went with several of our "couple" friends - we all had baby sitters for the night (Thanks, Grann!) and it was fun to have a grown-up night out. The weather was great, we had tons of food, good drinks, and great company! It may become an annual tradition...