William Go Bragh!

Happy St. Patty's Day everybody!

Today was my first St. Patty's Day ever! I'm not too sure what we're celebrating today, but it sure looks like it's fun. It seems like people like to keep drinking their "milk" from these weird looking bottles that don't have nipples. People also wore lots of green, and everyone liked saying that they were "Irish." At first I thought being "Irish" meant to just keep drinking more "milk," but I guess it's a place where mommy's mommy's from, so that makes ME Irish.

Daddy even took mommy to this Irish-land for their honeymoon. It was all romantic, or so daddy says.

I think Irish-land is where Erin Went Brah, whatever that means.

Those Irish, you know they're very lucky. Apparently, if you wear a shirt that says you're Irish, then that must be some sort of Adult Human Grown Up Code Word for "kiss Me." Lots of women kissed me today because of my Irishness! I was one lucky little dude today! I don't know if it was because of my Irishness, or my Gosh Darn Cuteness, or just a combo (daddy says I'm just pandering to the women out there, but I don't know what pandering means. So Yeah, Mr. Daddy. Take THAT!).

I can't wait to get older and watch OTHER people celebrate St. Patty's Day, because that's what mommy and daddy say that's what all I will be allowed to do. We'll see if that actually happens. What happens in Irish-land, stays in Irish-land.

In other news, now that I'm six months old, daddy put together my High Chair (pictured above) so that I can eat dinner with mommy and daddy and be as messy as daddy. I also love banging on the tray, throwing my toys off of it, and counting how many times mommy and/or daddy will pick them up. It's a fun game! A special thank you to Mom-o and Pop-o for the polar fleece jammies, which are 12-months size, but due to my hefty weight, it fits me perfectly at six months!

Slainte, everyone!

William Go Bragh!

Celebrating Mommy's Birthday with My First Swimming Lesson!

Did you know that my mommy is Super Old? She just turned 30. Thirty! I mean, 30 years old for me is going to seem so old for so long for me, until I actually turn 30 myself and realize that it's not THAT old.

We spent the weekend in Indianapolis celebrating not only mommy's birthday, but also Aunt Beka, Mimi, and Uncle Ben's birthdays. That was a lot of celebrating! I had lots of fun because everyone wanted to hold me and play with me. I got to hang out with my cousin Skylee and she loved to hug me and help me put my bink back in (I like spitting it out just so I see how fast other people will scramble to put it back in... I'm a little stinker, aren't I? (In more ways than one, that's for sure)). I had my first time in the pool with mommy. It was a little cold at first, but it got much warmer and I had a lot of fun kicking the water around.

Even though it was my mommy's birthday, I got a present myself: a new Cubbies jump suit! Later on, daddy told me that the Cubbies usually play like doody, and I did a little business in my suit and had to be changed. Daddy said that that's okay... It's better to wear the clothes of winners, like the Reds!

Everyone who held me could only do for a short while because I've been gaining some massive weight over the past few months. Mommy and daddy thought I was going to be a quarterback, but with the pounds that I'm packing on, it'll be more like a fullback. Right now I weigh 18 pounds, 12 oz. (that's almost 19 pounds!) and I'm 26.25 inches tall. The doctor said that I was in the 75th percentile in weight, meaning that I'm a little bit heavier than the average baby of my age (5.5 months). But the doctor says that it's okay. I'm just a happy, healthy baby who likes to eat. Speaking of which, I've been loving the new nutritional regimen that mommy and daddy are having me eat: oatmeal with bananas, green beans, and squash! When I first started with solids, I wasn't too happy with it, but now I'm digging this new grub. I can't wait until I turn one so I can have my first taste of Skyline chili! I'm super excited!

Well, folks, it's waaaaay past my bedtime, so I better get going. I hope everyone is doing okay!

-WDJ

Happy Valentine's Day from the Lady's Man, a.k.a. Mr. Handsome

Well, seeing that I'm going to be turning the ripe-old age of 5 months on Wednesday, I think I need to start getting serious about finding that special lady in my life. I don't think it should be that tough, since all the women in my life say that I'm the Most Handsomest Devil (or Angel) on the Planet. They even call me Mr. Handsome at Daycare, because, you know, I'm pretty darn Handsome, just in case you couldn't tell by all my Super Cute pictures.

For all the ladies out there, here's a video that's showcasing all my goods:



Dad is going to help me start my own Eharmony profile. He told me that that's how he snagged mommy, and if it worked for his dorky self, just imagine what it could do for me.

Here's my online profile:

Height: 25 inches, which is about average for my age

Weight: I'm a hefty 17 pounds and 10 oz.

Temperament: Happy Boy, unless I'm a Tired Boy, then I can be Cranky Boy. But that's taken care of by some nice snuggling. Ladies, I know you like snuggling (wink wink).

Communication Skills: I'm starting to branch out with my Words and stuff. I'm starting to say things like "Bob," which is Papi's name! Dad heard me say something like, "Dangle" or "Bangle," or something crazy today. Before you know it, I'll be speaking the King's English (hopefully without a stutter... Daddy says that if you don't get the joke, you need to follow the Oscars, or something).

Likes:
Drooling indiscriminately
Fuzzy Wuzzy, a catepillar
Milk, in any form
The Sound of Mommy and Daddy's Voices
Meow
Goofy Noises
Pulling Mommy's Hair
Swing Time
Car Rides
Being Held
Nap Time
Working Out in my Exer-Saucer

Dislikes:
Gruel, or that stupid cereal that mommy tries to feed me every night
Tummy Time, which is really doody time
Stuffy Noses
Constipation
Being Tired yet not Wanting to Sleep

Daddy tells me that I should enjoy being single while I can, but if Eharmony can produce a wonderful creation like me, why the heck not?

C'mon Ladies, it's Valentine's Day! Who can resist a Sweet Guy like me?

-WDJ

I'm LOUD!

Hello everyone,



This is Katie. Will decided that he was kind of tired of us writing his blog postings for him and so he decided to do a video blog entry for his 4mo. posting.

In case you didn't catch what he was trying to say, he wanted everyone to know that he's had a little bit of a rough month:

First, he said that he has been under the weather due to an ear infection that just wouldn't go away that turned into an upper respiratory infection. He said thanks to his doctors and about 4 trips to see them, he finally got the right antibiotics to kick the infection and he started feeling better.

Second, as it is currently Super Bowl weekend, he's bummed that the Bears lost and mommy and daddy are still planning to watch a game that he couldn't care less about. He said that he hopes BOTH teams lose. Sorry Alyssa!

Third, he's started working out more in his exer-saucer and activity mat and he gets hungry! He said that mommy kept trying to feed him gross rice cereal and she just didn't understand that he hated it despite very obvious clues like spitting it in her face. He said he was relieved when she finally tried oatmeal cereal because he likes it much better, though he still likes spitting it in mom's face just for fun.

Finally, he said that he is sad that he doesn't get to see his Valentine, Ramona Toops, often enough and that he's looking forward to some more chaperoned dates with her very soon.

I guess as a parent, I thought I would have at least until the tween years before my kid started yelling at me and telling me what I was doing wrong but given how LOUD Mr. Will is and how much he loves to hear his own voice, he is not going to make it that long. He wants our attention NOW! But then again, am I surprised that he's starting to tell me what's what?? I mean he is MY child and if you ask my mom, I didn't wait very long to tell her what I thought either.

:)

I am so Full of...

...The Holy Spirit!

And possibly some doody, too. Yesterday on January 8, 2011, I, William David, was Baptized by Fr. Tom Dennemann at St. Ann's Church (as Uncle Ryan found out, St. Ann's is on the Other Side of Galbraith Road). It was a great experience for me! So many wonderful people traveled from many distances, near and far, to see me baptized. I knew that this was a very special time for me, so I was extra-dee-mextra good for mommy and daddy. I didn't cry even once throughout the entire ceremony, or even at the after-party at Grandma Nancy's. Everyone commented on how well I behaved, even other random parishioners. Many of them told Fr. Tom that he better hurry up and baptize me after mass, or I would start to cry soon. I showed them! I was Super-Dee-Duper Good the entire time!




Fr. Tom is an awesome priest who preached a great message of welcoming everyone into the church (including me!), and he was very funny, too. When he had to annoint me with oil on my throat, he asked mommy and daddy to pull down my shirt, and he just needed to see "one of my chins." During the baptism itself, he poured warm water into the holy water so that it wouldn't be cold for me. He is such a nice guy.

The picture above shows both my Awesome Parents with my Awesome Godparents: Uncle Wes, Uncle Toph, Aunt Katie, and Aunt Beka.

Afterward we had a nice party at Grandma Nancy's house, which was catered by the tasty Roma Italian Restaurant. It was great to see both mommy's and daddy's sides of the family. It was too bad that Mom-o, Pop-o, Uncle Ben, Aunt Sara, and Skylee couldn't come, but I know that they were with me in spirit! I just saw them last week ago when we celebrated Christmas with mommy's side of the family in Peoria, Illinois. I had a great time with them and everyone else, as you can tell by the all the smiles in these pictures. I got a lot of cool gifts, and I can't wait until I get old enough so I can play with all of them.

Right now I am progressing fairly nicely in my development, in mind, body, and spirit (or, "corpus, mens, anima," which is also La Salle's Latin motto, which is where daddy teaches at, and he also graduated from there, and he says I will probably go there, too). I was just weighed in at 15 pounds, 4 oz., which is almost twice as much when I was born! I am filling out nicely (as Fr. Tom noted), and mommy just started trying to feed me some solid foods, which I am not 100 percent thrilled with right now, but mommy says that if I want to be a big boy, I need to start eating this stuff that's pretty much like mush. It looks like the dirty grey snow that you find at the bottom of your car, but I guess mommy knows what she's talking about.





Mommy and daddy are also trying to get me to do more tummy time, and, once again, I'm not 100 percent sold on tummy time. I think I get a little frustrated with my lack of progress. I mean, I just lie there, and I struggle to do Something, Anything, but I feel like Sisyphus and I get NoWhere, but I want to be NowHere. I last about two minutes max, and then the WaterWorks turn on. Daddy says he lets me cry for just a few minutes (mean daddy) because if he always picks me up immediately whenever I cry, then I will just become dependent on mommy and daddy to fix everything when I start to cry. Really, daddy? Is that why? Daddy insists he doesn't like to see me cry, and that it's for my own good (I beg to differ; I'd rather just chill and hang out in somebody's arms for the rest of my life, but NooooOOOoo, I have to... "move on my own accord"... whatever, man, just let me have a Free Ride for the rest of my life and I'm cool with that).




The best thing, though, that I'm doing is My Smiles. I am freely and frequently giving out My Smiles. I love my goofy mommy, daddy, Papi, and Mimi. I love the sound of "Meowwww." My daddy made this sweet new song that goes, "Mr. Will, Mr. Will he's a lovely boy. Mr. Will, Mr. Will, he's a happy boy..." He changes the lyrics almost every time, and I think it's great! Mommy and daddy love it when I get so excited, and I give a great huge smile and I squirm because I can't contain myself. I do it a lot whenever I see somebody that I haven't seen in a while, and they give me a great Big Smile, and I love giving them a Big Smile back.




Well, that's all I have for now. At four-months-old, life keeps getting better and better! Life is great!

-WDJ

Dear Santa, I've Been a VERY Good Boy This Year

Dear Santa,

I've been a very, very, VERY good boy this year. Part of the reason is that I've only had a chance to be bad or good for just one-fourth of the year, but even if I had been in the outside world during that time, I still would've been the best behaved boy on the planet.



Today was my first time that I ever met you at my awesome daycare, First Impressions. I was very good for you, if you may recall, and I didn't fuss, cry, pee, or poop on you. I sat on your lap and I told you all about what I wanted for Christmas. But just in case you forgot, here is everything that I wanted:

- Peace on Earth

- Good Will toward Men. Wait a second, Why would I need to be good toward just men? I think I'll be good to women, especially my mommy, Mimi, Mom-o, and Grandma Nancy. They are my super-d-duper ladies. Make sure you are generous to them, too!

- The 2011 Convertible Corvette in Cherry Red, with Magnetic Selective Ride Control, and a 7.0 Liter V8 engine: 505 hp with six-speed manual transmission and launch control. I would like to have a nice giant bow on this, too. Thanks.

- Flubber

- A Sweet Hog, and I'm not talking about the animal. (Papi, isn't yours for sale?)

- The Cubs, Reds, Bengals, and Bears all to win their respective sporting championships. I don't care if it's impossible, please try to make it possible to make both mommy and daddy deliriously happy. But, if I had to choose one, I'd choose the Cubs, because nothing is sadder than the Cubs, according to my daddy. Wait, he says, Ah, Never mind. Apparently, he was going to say something about the Bengals, but started to tear up.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. I'm sure I'll have tons of new ideas tomorrow and the rest of the days before Christmas. I was very happy to meet you, Mr. Magic Gift Man, known as the Santa. I am very happy that you exist in my world. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

-WDJ

P.S. Cool Beard, Mr. Santa. You make me miss my Uncle-Crazy-Legs Wes.

I'm One-Fourth of the Way to a Year Old

Hello everybody!

I've had some exciting new things happen in the past month. One of the most awesome new things is that I'm starting to smile a lot more! I give my smiles much more frequently and my mommy and daddy love it. Plus, I am starting to have "reaction smiles." Dad likes to make goofy sounds and faces at me, and I'm loving it! Keep it up with the goofiness, dad. Or, since mommy and daddy like to tell me "More smiles, please": More silliness, please.

I am also becoming a great talker and singer. I've been saying lots of "oooohs" and "ah-goooos." I'm just trying to imitate my mommy and daddy who like to sing to me. I think they are the most fantastic, superific singers in the world. I could not imagine any two singers who could sing any better. I've heard of this girl named Taylor Swift. She has NOTHING on MY mommy. Mommy likes to sing Christmas songs to me, and she likes to make up songs on the spot. Daddy sings to me songs like "American Pie," "Piano Man," Pearl Jam songs, and Green Day Songs. Both mommy and daddy say that they need to brush up on their lyrics. That's okay, I think they're awesome and they might become the new John and Yoko.

Daddy also started to read to me Ulysses by James Joyce, which is a fantastic and interesting novel. We've already read four chapters, and daddy told me that he wants to read a book to me that he's never finished. He told me that it doesn't matter what he reads to me; it's just the act of reading that will help me in my speech development (okay, dad, Whatever *eye roll*).

Mom says I'm like daddy because I talk the most usually in the mornings. I usually like to discuss my ideas about existentialism and Platonic love, but Sunday my mommy and daddy missed what I was trying to tell them. You see, daddy likes to watch this really sad-sack football team called the Stupid Bungles (that's what he calls them). They lost to the Equally Stupid Steelers (I don't quite get the difference), but then the Oh No Don't Throw It to THAT Guy Bears forgot to field their A-Team and lost to the Pretty Prissy Patriots (next time, hopefully they'll put in Mr. T, Hannibal, and Murdock; I'm sure there's no job that they can't do). During the Bears game, I was talking for pretty much the entire second half. Mom and dad thought I was trying to give them a pep talk about their crappy teams, but what I was TRYING to tell them was that I had my own crappy team in my pants, and no one was listening to me (it was pretty gross, let me tell ya').



Anyway, this past month I had a great time at Mimi and Papi's brand spanking new house. I finally got to meet my Mom-o and Pop-o! They are mommy's mommy's mommy and daddy, so they are my Great Mimi and Great Papi, and they sure were great! Mom-o made sure that she got to hold me as much as possible, and she frequently played her "Great Grandma Trump Card" any time someone else tried to hold me.



So life is going great! I'm getting bigger and stronger, too. I haven't seen Mr. Doctor in a while, but daddy weighed himself and then weighed me to see that I was roughly 13 pounds. I don't like to lie on my stomach, but I am able to move my head back and forth and hold my head up high.



Looks like there are only 12 days until Christmas. I hope I'm going to get that new Cherry Red Corvette that I've always wanted! Dad says that I should ask for one and he'll keep it in really good condition until I can drive. I can't wait to see everyone at Christmas!

-WDJ