Wiley-8 months

Here it is, you're 8 months old and I haven't even posted your 7 month pictures yet (your 6 month ones long forgotten). It's happening too fast and the time just seems to be ticking away. While this winter has been filled with freezing cold days, lots of snow and a longing for spring, I can't help but hope spring takes it's time arriving, because with the warmer weather comes my last little man's first birthday. Sigh.

Here's what we've been doing this month. January was filled with COLD days, lots of cold days. Lots of days of staying home to stay warm. Lucy and Murray had days off school almost every week because of the cold and while it didn't help us keep a routine, it did help you be entertained. You're loving your older siblings and they're loving you.

Lucy and you have a special bond. She has decided you're hers and she plays with you each day. Making sure the 2 of you have some time just for each other. She likes to help you "walk", holding you in a standing position and moving you around the room. She also lets you sit on your belly and you bounce up and down while she holds your hands. You always seem to have lots of smiles and laughs for Lucy.

Murray is your tough big brother. He loves to play with you and it's usually a gentle rough. Murray uses you in all forms of his fighting against bad guys....sometimes he even assigns you the roll of evil villain! You oblige happily and smile as he pretends to defeat you, unless of course it really does get rough, then you alert us all right away!

Oh Ginny. You and Ginny are together day in and day out. You share your space quite well together and she lovingly refers to you as "My Baby Wiley". You're starting to find your place, giving her kisses, pulling her hair and taking her toys, but she does enjoy having you around and often shares with you throughout our playtime. She also helps keep you safe, telling you "No baby Wiley, don't go  by the stairs" or "No baby Wiley, don't eat that!" Ginny also enjoys helping to feed you and tells me when you need a diaper change...recently she's started blaming you when she has a stinky diaper as well.

You're getting so big, you're moving around, often on all fours or on your hands and feet trying to push around or hold yourself up, but your preferred method of moving still seems to be the army crawl and man are you fast at it!

You're finding mischief more and more, opening cupboard doors, eating every small piece of lint on the floor and attempting to explore the stairs. I can tell that while you're very mild mannered you have an element of curiosity that is going to make your toddler years and adventure.

You've been waking more often during the night, but then in a single night 2 teeth popped out in a single night just a day after 1 had popped through. At 8 months old you have 2 teeth on bottom, 3 up top with a 4th just aching to come out. If we keep going at this rate you'll have all your teeth by 1 (hopefully things slow down a bit...)

We love you little man. I know I say it every month, but your daddy and I just can't imagine life without you in it. You bring us so much happiness and joy. These past 8 months have been flying by and I'm trying my best to enjoy each sleepless night, and crazy day because I know it will be gone before I know it. My newborn baby, and small little infant are disappearing before my eyes and a toddler is slowly starting to take over...I'll keep you little as long as I can, but I know you're growing way too fast!

2014-Trust

I like the idea of choosing a word for the year. I've done it the last few years. 2012 was intention, last year, although I didn't "publicly state" it, the word was survive. This year, I've decided to focus on TRUST.

Merriam Webster defines Trust as the

belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.

So, in 2014 I will be working on trust. I will trust the people around me more. I will trust my circumstances and mostly I will work on trusting all these things to God. Allowing my questions, my doubts and my thoughts of what is "right" to be put to the wayside and trust His plans for me.

Things are calming down in our world. No babies this year, no big changes in anyone's school, our day to day is becoming normal again and I find that's when my lack of trust can hold me back or become more evident. I can become anxious in the small things, waiting for something bigger, questioning if this is good, or if someone is honest or reliable, questioning if I am effective.

So, this year, I will trust.

Wiley-7 months old

7 months old! It happened again! and AGAIN we were traveling while you slowly grew up, hit another milestone...another month gone...another month closer to growing up.

You're SO big Wiley man, and this month was a big month for you.

You had a GREAT ultrasound and visit with your urologist Dr. Wan. He was so impressed with the improvement your kidneys have made that he decided to do another ultrasound in April instead of waiting only 3 months and doing a repeat in February. Hooray! (and Mommy showed off her ultrasound skills, because even though the technician wouldn't tell me anything I came home and told Daddy..."I know they're getting better, there was a lot more gray than black in his kidneys, I think the fluid is a lot less this time!" and I was right! Thanks for teaching me so much about kidneys on ultrasound little man!)

You also had a great head growth. You're making leaps and bounds with your helmet and as soon as we have one more growth spurt for your diagonal rations you should be helmet free! You'll be glad to show off your hair which is growing in darker and thicker, but I think deep down you'll miss seeing Miss Molly for helmet adjustments, you can't take your eyes off her when we're there.

Besides these medical milestones, you're growing in so many ways. You're almost 20 lbs. already, you're soooo close, but just haven't crossed over yet. You're sitting up on your own. You love to sit with a basket of toys in front of you and squeal as you play.

You're rolling, army crawling, and up on all fours bouncing your bottom around and even jumping off your legs...but still no conventional crawling. I have no worries, you'll get it, and when you do you'll be FAST and I'll have to put up gates. For now, you get where you want to go and we can let you roam free.

You travel like a champ. You must be our best car rider and our best sleeper when we're traveling...it's amazing! You had a great time in St. Louis visiting the Troxel's and ringing in the New Year. On our way we visited Greta and Tom and they took us swimming for your first time and you seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. You love their puppies and all the extra love and attention you get when we visit people.

You still only have 2 teeth on bottom, but I think those top ones are starting to move, you've been chomping quite a bit lately and I'm excited to see when those top teeth make an appearance.

You're eating everyday now, you've tasted lots of food with squash being your favorite. You've tried sweet potatoes, green beans, mangos, bananas, apples, and carrots. (maybe a few more I can't remember). You love to eat, excitedly opening your mouth for each bite and lately you've enjoyed grabbing your spoon between bites. Your siblings love to feed you and while it makes things a bit messier, you laugh with them as they do it.

We love you to the moon and back Wy guy. It's such an honor to watch you grow, to see hints of your personality coming out and grow. You're such a cheerful, content baby, determined when you're trying to get something and observant of the crazy world that surrounds you. I'm thankful each day for the gift you are to me.