Ho Ho Ho!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas this year! We had a wonderful time with Will. He was such a little trooper. Check out all of our photos in our link to our family photo album! Christmas Eve day, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Schaefer's house to see Jordan's side of the family. We had a lot of fun, and even saw Santa! There were a bunch of wild turkeys in the backyard that we were watching, and then all of a sudden, we saw Santa walking around in the backyard, too! My two nephews, Jake and Josh, were really excited about it! Too bad Jordan missed it!! ;)

We opened presents and Will received his ExerSaucer...more on that later. Will attempted to take a nap, but it didn't last more than 20 minutes with the excitement of opening presents. We had a fun time at the Schaefer's house. Later that night, we went to my Uncle's house to see my Mom's side of our family. We had a nice time playing games with my sisters and boyfriend Adam and one of my cousins. It was the first time that a lot of my family got to meet Will. They all commented on his chubby cheeks. Will was so tired from hardly napping that he went into meltdown after two hours of being there. I never heard him scream like that, even after getting shots. He held his breath for a while and was sweating, too. We quickly tried to leave, but were parked in. After 20 minutes of trying to escape, we finally were on our way home. We made it home okay, and Will slept in the car. He went quickly to bed that night. He slept in our bed with us so we could all wake up together on Christmas morning.
Jordan was so excited to open presents together on Christmas morning. He wanted to open them right away, but we bathed Will and then Will went down for a nap shortly after breakfast. I was so happy that we could shower before opening presents. I really like to get ready for the day right away in the morning, and then do whatever. Jordan loves to sit around in his jammies all day. He is also used to opening presents early in the morning growing up, but I am used to my parents making us clean the whole house and go to church before presents, so waiting is not a big deal to me. Luckily, I won out since Will fell asleep before we could open presents. While he slept, Jordan put together his new toy, and I made food for my Mom's house. When Will did wake up, we opened presents, and Will did so well. He makes the cutest face when he concentrates...almost like a little bird. His eyes look slightly crossed and he puckers his lips. He did this the whole time trying to unwrap the presents or when playing with his new toys.

In the afternoon, we went to my Mom and Dad's house. We had an awesome dinner, and then opened presents. Again, Will didn't make it too long before having to nap again. The highlights were that he got a wagon from my parents, an inflatable Santa with weighted bottom to knock around from Great Grandpa, a homemade fleece blanket from Auntie Laura, stuffed animals and books from Auntie Katie, Uncle Kevin, Auntie Mary, and cousin Lucy. He also received a bunch of new clothes. We had a lot of fun with Will.

The most annoying part of the night was when we had to find the pickle ornament on the tree. It is so dang tough for me to find it since it blends in so well, and the tree looks like it is on fire since my brother wrapped 1800 lights on the tree. Having light sensitive eyes, the tree is like my worst nightmare. My sisters, Jordan and I were on the search for a long time, and Jordan finally found it. Of course, he doesn't tell anyone that he did, he just slowly walks away and says he gives up. Laura noticed that he found it, and she also slowly left and said she gives up, too. That left me and Katie looking and fighting over good position for a while before we realized that we had been duped. What a guy. I can't believe my own husband allowed me to continue to look. We are supposed to be a team, but he clearly wanted to sleep on the couch that night.
Overall, we had a wonderful time with our families, and especially within our own little family unit. We are so blessed with such a sweet little boy above all of our many blessings, and are so thankful for his sweet spirit. We hope that you enjoyed your Christmas celebrations and remembered to incorporate our Savior, too!

Rubber Ducky, you're the one!

Will has found a new toy to stick into his mouth: his Rubber Ducky! He sticks the tail feather in his mouth and chews on it. The toy is fairly skinny so it is the perfect size! It looks so funny to see the ducky move up and down without Will even holding it!

MMM MMM Good

Will is starting to have an appetite for more than just milk: his toes! Anytime Will is on his back, especially when he does not have bottoms on, he loves to try to put his feet in his mouth. He does it while I change him, while he plays on the floor, or even when he sits in his Bumbo chair! It is really neat to watch him. He tends to roll from side to side, trying to keep his balance. He does this for a while, too, so I can actually let him play by himself for a while and do something on my own! Of course, if he notices that my full attention is not on him, he decides his feet aren't that interesting after all.

St. Nick

We had a lot of fun celebrating St. Nick this year. Jordan received a movie and some candy, I must have been naughty since I didn't receive anything :(, and Will received a bunch of teething toys. I think he thought his stocking was a teething toy, too! He also got two new pacifiers for 6+ months. They are actually quite a bit larger than the ones he uses now, and he seems to really like them! He was so cute-he held his toys in his hands, and tried to suck on them through the packages. You can see more pictures in the Family Photo Album link under William 4 Months. Stay tuned for a video, too! I can't wait for Christmas!!

Mommy's Little Helper

Will has really been into holding his legs up, especially once I begin to take off his diaper! We make a great team for diaper changes, but he does not like to put his legs back down when it is time for a new diaper.

Will's Doctor Appointment

Will had his four month Dr. appointment yesterday. He weighed in at 18 lbs, and 26.5 inches. Since his last appointment two months ago, he gained four pounds and two inches! We thought for sure that he would in the 20 pound range somewhere, and were shocked that he is only 18 pounds! He is in the 95 percentile for boys his age. He had to get four shots again, and did much better than the first round of shots two months ago. He did not hold his breath this time for what seemed to be forever. He just let it all out right away, as if to let us know we failed him by letting other people hurt him. It broke my heart. Today he is quite a bit more in pain than last time. He cries when I have to change his diaper, and he won't hold up his legs like Mommy's little helper. He does not like rolling over today, but still only wants to stand. I have to hold him most of the time because he is fussy. He fusses in the most interesting way: he keeps his mouth shut, almost in a smirk, and whines with his head pushed out like a little turtle. It kind of makes me want to laugh and say, "oh William...stop your fussing!!" He is currently napping, thank goodness! I hope he takes several naps today...more than usual! One can hope...

Rosey Cheeks

I just love that Will has his Daddy's rosey cheeks! Yesterday that seemed particularly rosey.

The Schaefer Squeeler

Will and Jordan were playing together the other night, and Will was going crazy laughing and squeeling! He is such a fun little boy! We really lucked out having him as our little treasure.

O Christmas Tree

The video is a little bit too dark, but we wanted to capture Will's first look at our Christmas Tree once all of the lights were on. He was tired and fussy, but stopped when he saw the tree all lit up! At the end, he is all smiles! This Christmas is going to be sooo much fun with our baby boy!

Will is (kind of) Sitting and Standing

We have been practicing with Will how to sit and stand. He loves being pulled from a laying down position to a sitting position, and from there to a standing position. He barely likes to just lay on his back anymore and prefers sitting up. He is getting so big and learning so much already! If you listen closely, you can hear him singing along to Clay Aiken's Christmas CD! Sorry it is sideways...I thought I would be able to turn it somehow, but can't figure it out!

Where's Will??

Inspired by Sam and Jenny Bright, we tried to take a video of Will. Jordan and Will were playing Peek a Boo last night, and Will was giggling. It is about 41 seconds long. Now that we kind of understand how to upload video, we'll have more of Will in no time!

Will is almost 4 months!

I cannot believe Will is almost 4 months old! I did not have much time to blog about him this month, but I do have a few pictures added in our photo album of this past month. Check out it!
Will is such a good boy. He loves to play with his activity center everyday. It is so wonderful to me because I can leave him play on the floor for a little while and get things done!

Will also has been using his Bumbo chair. It helps him sit up. He doesn't really like to be in it too long, though. He really has been teething lately. I don't think he'll have teeth any time soon, but his hands are constantly in his mouth and he plays with his tongue a lot. He loves when we rub his bottom gums. Because he has his hands in the mouth a lot, he goes through soooo many bibs due to all the drool.

Our Birthdays

This year was really fun to celebrate our birthdays. Will turned 3 months on November 1st, I turned 27 years old on November 2nd, and Jordan turned 28 years old on November 3rd. Birthdays in our families are always in a row it seems!! I can't believe that we are a hop, skip, and a jump away from 30 years old. I remember when that seemed so old to me. Who am I kinding? It still does!

Jordan and I went out to dinner on my birthday...it was our first time going out somewhere together without the baby when we could have taken him with us. Grandma and Grandpa Mazur babysat. We were only gone about an hour and we missed him like crazy.

Such a big boy!

Our little baby is turning into such a little boy! He is so big I can hardly remember him being small. While he is only 15 weeks (3.5 months), he just started wearing 6-9 month clothes. The 3-6 month clothes are like spandex on him, and none of the clothes with feet fit his length. He is in size 3 diapers already, too.
He is such a little treasure. He is doing some really neat stuff now. He can hold his own hands, reach for objects and hold them, and play on the floor with his activity center and yank off the chain links. He is doing better with sitting while leaning against furniture or in his Bumbo. He is getting soooo close to rolling over on his own on purpose (he already did twice by accident). He babbles all of the time, and I even think he is teething already. He drools constantly, and tries to stick everything in his mouth, especially his fingers. Sometimes he even gags himself since he sticks the fingers in so deep.
He is such a happy and easy boy. He hardly fusses, and rubs his head when tired. He only wakes up about 2 times a night to eat, and remains "asleep" while he eats. He loves looking at the clock pendulum; it makes him smile so big and he giggles. He actually seeks it out when he is in the living room.
Will makes us so happy.

Meeting Uncle Kevin, Auntie Mary and Cousin Lucy

My brother, his wife, and their tiny doggie came to visit from California this weekend. It was their first time meeting Will and our first time meeting Lucy. It was really nice to visit with them. Mary changed her first diaper ever...Kevin was hoping it would make her not want to have children for a while longer, but instead she said she wanted to take him home. I think it is about time Will has some cousins of the human variety on the Mazur side, and my sisters are out of the question to produce some for several more years. The ball falls with you guys, Kevin and Mary! Don't make Will grown up with only animals for cousins like we did!

Natural parents...look how excited they are! Come on braja, children are the best investment. When you are old, they take care of you. That's better than being a millionaire! It's Priceless.

Will's First Halloween

This being Will's first Halloween, we had to get him a costume! We really liked this lion costume since it feels warm and has an adorable hat and a little tail that sticks out the back (check out the photo album!). Grandma Mazur bought Will his first pumpkin. We slightly considered going Trick or Treating, but figured that no one would believe that our three-month-old could eat candy and they would know that really that it would be the Mommy and Daddy that would get to indulge. Instead, we passed out candy to the neighborhood kiddos while Chloe sat by the door in her Halloween bandana. Will napped the first hour, so even if we DID want to go Trick or Treating, it would have been even tackier to ask for candy for a sleeping infant! Is next year still too early to take Will??

Life as a stay-at-home Mom...

Now that Will is 12 weeks old, I can honestly say that choosing to be a full-time Mom is one of the best decisions I ever made, and I made a lot of really good decisions! While the first three weeks or so was a little difficult for me to get used to, the rest of this time is just flying by. Once my body recuperated from what felt like getting ran over by a semi truck and then backed over again, and I got used to taking three 2-hour naps, I was happy being a mom!

I love being able to be with Will all day long. I thought I would be a little bored being at home since I am used to teaching full time and having two part time jobs on top of that. I am not bored with all of the laundry and housework I get to do. I love cleaning when Will is naping; well, I should say, I love having a clean house and there is always soooo much to clean in my home.

When Will is awake, we fill our time reading books, listening to his crib mobile/moving all around to the music, taking Chloe for walks, visiting the Grandmas, running errands, and learning new things (currently like rolling over or holding rattles). Okay, so much of the time he is awake, I also nurse and change diapers, but hey, that is the nature of my job.

I love being there for all the little moments in Will's life: his first smile, giggle, babble, roll over, etc. I love that he really knows that I am his mommy and that he follows me around the room with his eyes. As much as it kills my husband, I love that he would rather look and smile at me than Jordan when we are both with him (I know I will only be his favorite until he can really play with Daddy! Jordan is everyone's favorite!). I love how he snuggles into me when he is really tired and how hearing my voice calms him down when he is fussy. I would not want to miss these things for the world (or a career).

Being at home is the most rewarding job. While I sometimes wish that I could have a day off, or at least a night off, I know that Jordan, Will and I are establishing a strong foundation on which to build our eternal family.

Jordan a vegetarian??

You better watch out for pig poopies hitting you over the head since pigs CAN now fly. Jordan actually just said, "No more meat" at dinner tonight!! I never thought I'd ever hear those words. By Jordan's strick rule, meals in our house have to include meat or cheese, but preferably both. He tried to pawn off his extra chicken on me tonight since he ran out of pasta to go with it. I gave him my left over pasta with my left over chicken, too, and he said the taboo phrase. My ears are still ringing!

Tubby Time is #1!

Will absolutely loves Tubby Time! As you can see, he thinks it is #1! I just love that he aways shows a #1 on his fingers! We always play Kenny Loggins' Return to Pooh Corner (the BEST child's CD ever!) while Will is in the tub, and he now recognizes the music. When we start to play the CD, he starts to smile, knowing that his bath awaits him!

Will is all smiles when in his bath tub. He is starting to splash a lot and kick his feet now, too! Tubby Time is the perfect solution to any fussiness that Will has. When he is in meltdown or has cramping, Tubby Time makes everything all better! Hurray to Tubby Time!

Cousin Lucy

Will's cousin Lucy graduated from obedience school on Friday, Oct. 5th! She even had a little cap and diploma! Congrats Lucy! We are so proud of you and know that your parents are, too!

After graduation, on Monday, Oct. 8th, Lucy was spayed. Some reward! Hang in there, puppy. Chloe has a matching coned collar, but larger of course!

Monkey Business

We just love this little sleeper outfit that my brother and his wife sent to us! Since I was born in the year of the monkey and so was my Aunt Diane, she has always given me tons of monkey things. Naturally, when Kevin and Mary found this outfit, they thought of me!
Will is 2 1/2 months old now and out grew all of his 0-3 month clothes since they only go up to 11 lbs, and two weeks ago he was 14 lbs. I didn't think this would fit for a while since it is labeled 6 months (not 3-6 months), but it fits perfectly! He looks so handsome in blue. He is really "all boy!"

So Strong!

Will is very energetic! He kicks his feet and moves his arms all over the place when on his back...I think that all I have to do is flip him over to his belly, and he will crawl away! He is still much too young to crawl, though.

Will is getting so strong! He can lift his head for a long time when he is on his belly. Sometimes when he is tired of trying so hard, he'll lay his head straight down and rub his nose on his blanket in frustration. He is also really trying to vocalize sounds now. He is constantly making noises, and throws his body around when he wants to go down on the carpet instead of being held.

Will loves Tummy Time and drools a lot while in this position!