5 Months Old!

William is 5 months old today! He is at such a fun stage - he is so curious about everything. He loves his cereal now: he tips his head back and opens his mouth like a baby bird. He will still suck his thumb between mouthfuls on occasion but always pulls it out when he sees the spoon coming. He has also discovered that he can make the bouncy seat bounce by moving around and he loves that - he is probably going to be a roller coaster rider when he grows up. He really enjoys the exersaucer now (I'll post more video of that later) and rolls all over the place. The biggest development is that he has slept about 11 hours straight the past two nights. His last feeding was at 9pm and he didn't get up for a morning feeding until around 8am. Last night, he fussed a little at 4:15 but went right back to bed. He's such a good boy!

Hanging out with Porter













I'm getting better at sitting up












Hi Mom and Dad!

We gave Kristen's dad tickets to a Whitecaps game for his birthday. We picked a game at the end of the summer thinking William would enjoy it a little more if he was a little older. The day we were there, Maranda from Wood TV8 was also there doing a special on Grandparents. The camera crew caught us in our seats before the game. We didn't see the show on TV, but they finally posted the segment online. Here is the link:

http://www.marandatv.com/

You have to scroll down to the "Where You Live - Sept. 12" entry. William is on TV at the 2 minute mark - so you don't have to watch for too long to see him!

Will's fancy baseball "shoes" that he wore to the game

Just some really cute photos...

After Sammy's Birthday Party













Grandpa makes me laugh...









So precious








I love my new hat!

On Sunday, we went downtown to walk around and look at some of the Art Prize (http://artprize.org/) exhibits. Although the event doesn't start until Sept. 23, there were a lot of things already on display. Art Prize is a new event in GR where artists display their work at numerous venues around town - some are indoors, some are outside businesses, and others are outdoors in public spaces. The public gets to vote and will select the winner - the top prize is $250,000. There were a lot of people out and about so I think it will be great for local businesses. Here are some of our favorites:

Table and Chairs on Top of the Pedestrian Bridge










A View of the Table from the Riverwalk









Mobile on the Island Near the Van Andel Museum









Water Wheel Outside the GRF Museum

First Trip to the Cider Mill

Today was a beautiful fall day so we decided to go to Robinette's for some cider and donuts before the Michigan game. We ran into the Flermoen's while we were there and had fun playing by "The Big Apple" and on the wagon slide.

Waking up in Michigan PJs










By the Big Apple









Will and Caroline









First Time on a Slide












Watching the kids play

Day 3 - Tough Love

Last night was slightly better - Will got up for the first time at 2:30am. He was back to sleep within an our. He did fuss a little around 4 but then slept until 5 when he had "breakfast."

Day 2 - Tough Love

Last night was pretty much a repeat of the night before, although, he wasn't wedged in the corner when I went in to feed him at 5am. So maybe that's progress.

Better than expected...

Last night was "Day 1" of tough love. We put Will down at 9:30 and weren't supposed to feed him until 5:30am. We were both really sad when we said good night because the poor little guy didn't know what was in store for him. Will woke up at 1am at which point we turned off the baby monitor and closed our door. Usually, we can hear him crying (even with a fan running) so we were worried we'd be up all night. Either we were really tired, or Will cried himself out really fast, because we both fell asleep pretty quickly. Next thing we knew it was 3am and all was quiet - so he must have cried for less than 2 hours. I peeked in at him and he was curled up in the very corner of the crib (he obviously got himself stuck) and was sound asleep. The monitor went back on and he didn't get up until 5:30am. I was able to feed him and he ate like usual - he wasn't overly hungry. Then he went back to bed and was still asleep when we left for work around 7:45. So it went much better than expected. I have a feeling that the shots he got yesterday, the Tylenol, and all the fresh air we gave him might have contributed to his falling asleep again so we'll see how it goes tonight...

4 Month Check-up

William turned 20 weeks old yesterday and had his 4 month check-up today. He is now 25.75" long and weighs 14lbs 13oz. His height percentile went up slightly while his weight percentile went down - but is still well within the healthy/normal range for his size. Our pediatrician said she thought his lower gums were a little swollen and she thought she felt a sharp edge in there somewhere. So, we may have a tooth coming in soon. She also said he is incredibly strong for his age. He can push up his pelvis so he is on hands and toes (like downward facing dog in yoga). She said that it is very rare for a 4 month old to be able to do that - most are lucky to be on their hands and knees. She said to start the baby proofing now because he'll likely be crawling soon! We are supposed to continue with rice cereal and will get to start adding some baby food in a few weeks. The pediatrician also said that for a baby Will's age and size, he should be able to sleep 8 hours straight at night without feedings. He has regressed in the past few weeks and has been getting up twice a night. We are supposed to cut him off cold turkey - tonight starts the tough love. We're not even supposed to go in to check on him when he's crying because that could anger him more. I'm hoping he's sleepy tonight from the shots he had today... we'll let you know how it goes!

Exersaucer Fun

Will is starting to get the hang of his exersaucer. He really likes to watch the lights on the lizard.

Go Blue!

A great win for Michigan football!

Trip up North

This week, Kristen and Will went up north to the Hofmeyer's cottage with Grandma, Auntie Kate, and Aunt Mara. It was a "Ladies Week + William." We had a really nice, relaxing time. When we got there on Wednesday, we had lunch at Bud's in Interlochen and then went for a nice walk near the cottage. Katie and Aunt Mara went out on the kayaks while we stayed in and played with William. On Thursday, we went in to Traverse City for some shopping and lunch. We spent most of our time in the children's boutique, Cherry Republic, and Morsels (a bakery that only sells bite sized treats). In the afternoon, William did some serious playing and rolling back at the cottage (see video below) and learned that he can shreek (out of happiness, not anger - see other video below). After dinner, we went to Moomer's to see the cows and have some ice cream.

Checking out the cows













I'm ready for a lick of ice cream!









With Mom and the cows

Rolling!

Ahhh!

Exersaucer!

Will started playing with his exersaucer yesterday. It is technically for babies 4+ months of age so he is still on the young end of the spectrum. Although he doesn't fully understand all the exersaucer has to offer, he seems to enjoy grabbing on to the different pieces. He really liked the lizard that lights up and sings songs about colors.

Today is also his 19 week birthday.























Chubby Thighs!

Football Saturday in Ann Arbor

Family photo before the game













We loved the signs on this house!









A view of the stadium addition









Here comes the team









First snap on offense

Hail to the Victors!

Spending Time with "Uncle Andrew"

Phil's friend Andrew came into town on Wednesday for a quick visit in GR before heading to Detroit for the Renaissance Festival. This was his first time meeting William and the two of them bonded right away!

Hanging out in the crib









Outside the GRF Museum












Andrew had him laughing hysterically









Outside the GRAM