Eleven Months!!

Will is 11 months old today! He is busy, busy, busy. He is crawling all over the place, wants to pull up on everything, and often thinks he can turn around and just walk off - only to find out he really can't and falls flat on his bottom, face, tummy, you name it! He doesn't want to be held in one place for too long, so the stroller is not his favorite thing right now. He does love shopping carts at the grocery store, although the other day he tried to crawl out of it at Target. I quickly tightened the strap as tight as it would go! If only they made a grocery cart that I could collapse and take to the mall with me. He would enjoy it so much more! Will also loves his books these days. For the first few months I remember thinking, he's never going to let me read to him. He just fussed the entire time. But now he loves story time, likes to turn the pages (faster than they need to be turned), and even likes us to repeat the words when the book isn't even around. His favorites right now are Moo, Baa, La La La, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?. He also is obsessed with the TV remote, TV, the telephone, anything electronic. He is definitely taking after his father!

Needless to say, we're having a ton of fun playing, walking, talking, eating, reading books, and chasing after the pups. Abby and Murray are Will's latest fascination and I'm not sure Abby is so thrilled about it. Murray wants to lick Will all the time, so he's okay with it. Other than that, we are spending our time cheering for our Aggies and Cowboys (isn't football season great!), and still trying to finally be settled in our house. The projects seem to never end!

Here are a few pics of our big man! I can't believe he'll be 1 year old in a month!!!

Playing at The Little Gym. We go there once a week and Will seems to like it. I think he wonders why in the heck I have the camera with me at gym! Come on mom....

At the lake over Labor Day Weekend

Will after a day of swimming - with crazy hair!

One of Will's favorite toys - his puzzle stool. The pieces are on the ground more than they are in the stool.

Sweet boy sleeping. I went in to wake him up from a nap and he just didn't want to get up!

Cruising around the kitchen in the bassinet (it is on wheels). One last hoorah before we put it in the attic. I can't believe he used to sleep in this!
Playing with Preston. We are working on sharing - but he's not really grasping it yet.

That Daddy is so funny!

10 Months - Planes, Teeth, and Disney!

The last month has been a busy one! We can't believe Will is getting so big. He has his own opinions and will definitely share them with you!

The highlights of this past month:

DISNEY!!!
Will made his first flight on an airplane this past month. I had a conference in Orlando, so he tagged along. Dee Dee (my mom) and Will spent the first four days hanging out, going on lots of walks around the lake, and swimming. Chris got there on Thursday and spent the last 4 days doing a lot of the same. We were able to take him to Magic Kingdom. We rode a small world, went through Mickey's house and saw part of the light parade. I think it was more fun for me and Chris than for Will, but he seemed to like it also.

TEETH!
Will has 6 teeth now - 4 of which came in during the past month. He's really been a tough little guy and doesn't seem to complain about them too much. He does chew on everything and tends to drool quite a bit! All to be expected.

A WEEKEND WITHOUT MOM AND DAD!

That is right, Chris and I left Will for a few days this month. Chris had a work meeting in Puerto Rico, so I decided to meet him there and relax a little bit. Will actually had a cold when I left town, and it was really hard to go. He was in very good hands - staying with Dee Dee and Grandpa. He had a great time and Chris and I were able to get a little R&R. We were VERY ready to get home and see him by the end of the trip.

MOVING AROUND
Will is crawling!!! I have to admit, this happened at 10mos and 5 days old - but I am so excited I had to post it! He is so cute to watch as he scoots around the floor. He is still working on it and gets frustrated but he's getting the hang of it. He likes Murray a lot and spent most of today chasing him around. He is also pulling up in his bed and will hold on and try to balance on furniture. We are not sure if we are truly ready to chase him around, but we know it is here!

Here are a few pictures of the past month:

On our way to Orlando!

Before takeoff - Will relaxing in the seat and of course tasting the ticket.

Snoozing on the plane. Will was great during the flights and took naps on the way there and back. He also easily took down 16 oz of formula in 3 hours!

Will with his Mickey Mouse hat that Dee Dee bought him.

Will and Dee Dee by the fountain at our hotel in Orlando.

Magic Kingdom

On the boat in "Its a Small World"

Chris is explaining consequences to Will early.

Playtime with friends - Avery and Preston (with Aunt Emily and Aunt Kelli)!

Preston wants to know why I keep flashing the camera at him!

Avery loves the camera!

Will after a nap.

This is the first time I walked in and he was standing in his crib!

Will likes Murray's ball better than his toys...

Crawling around the house.

Standing at the front window.

The next contestant on "So You Think You Can Dance"!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures - sorry this month was a bit delayed! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Our little Will is 9 Months Old...and not so little anymore.

Will turned 9 months old on July 19th. We went to the doctor yesterday for Will's check up. Dr. Burns said everything looks great and he is a big, healthy boy. He weighs 20 lbs and is 29 1/4 inches long. That puts him in the 50th% for weight and the 80th% for height. Will's third tooth cut through today, and it looks like he has a few more that are not far behind. He is sitting up well, rolling around a lot, and wants to be on his feet all the time. He hasn't really tried to crawl much. Dr. Burns said she wouldn't be surprised if he skips crawling and goes straight to walking. His legs are really strong and he can hold himself up on his own when holding onto the couch. We'll see if he crawls or walks first! He says Da Da Da Da constantly. Every now and then we think we hear a Ma, but then we go back to Da. He is definitely a talker though and makes noises and sounds all the time.


We've had a busy month. Will took his first swim lessons class and loves to be in the water. We've spent a little time at Chris's parents' lake house over the last month and spent this past Sunday on Lake Lewisville with the Mirskys and Overstreets. Will also started Little Gym classes and is having fun with them. We've tried to lay low and enjoy our new house some. August will be very busy with trips to Orlando and Puerto Rico.

A few pictures from the last few weeks...

We are pretty sure we have a little fish on our hands! Will hard at work during swin lessons.

Will helping Dee Dee celebrate her birthday!

Chris takes the new jet ski for a spin for the first time!

Will and Daddy playing on the dock at the lake. Look at those rosey cheeks!

Will tries out his big boy car seat before Daddy puts it in the car. He likes sleeping in it! YAY!
Will swims in the lake for the first time with Daddy and Todd. He loves it!Will playing with the Mirsky twins - Ben and Kate. They were nice and shared all their toys!

Will playing his favorite game with Mommy...."Where's Will?" (aka Peek A Boo)

That is all for now...we hope you all are enjoying the summer as much as we are.

July 4th, 5th, and 6th!

We celebrated July 4th for a few days - not just one! On Thursday evening (the 3rd) we went down to Chris's parent's lake house and spent the day on the 4th playing at the lake, watching fireworks, and relaxing. We came home late on the 4th. My sister and Josh were in town when we got home and we spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with them! We also had a barbecue at our house on July 6th to celebrate the 4th a couple days late and have some of our friends over to our new home. It was really great to see everyone and we had a great time! Thanks to all who were able to make it!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Visiting Granny Bobbye and Papa Frank (Will's great grandparents) on July 4th.

(Will is telling Papa who is boss above. Looks like they sorted out before the next picture!)

Will in his pool on the 4th! The entire Halpin clan had a lot of fun watching him splash and crush a plastic cup and continue to chew on it. Brennan managed to fall into the pool and Will made sure some of Karina's hair made it in his mouth and in the pool!

After swimming we all relaxed in the house. Here are the Halpin kiddos.

Dinner with Carrie and Josh on Saturday at Cafe San Miguel. Will committed his first "party foul" by spilling a margarita on mommy!
And Will at our BBQ! I considered not posting this picture - makes us look like really good parents, huh?- but I just couldn't resist. He loves the cold bottle on his teeth.

We hope you all had as great of a weekend as we did!