playin' outside

Well the weather is finally starting to get nicer out so we're having a lot of fun playing outside with Will. Last weekend we did a benefit fun run for UM Children's Hospital with our friends Kate, Joe, and Regan (one of Will's many girlfriends). We didn't finish in last place! Then, a monumental event, Will went disc golfing with dad for the first time on Sunday. I don't think he had any idea what was going on but he seemed interested. It helped that I gave him his own little disc to suck on. We even took a walk to a park and went on the swings for awhile. I'm really looking forward to it being nice enough to go camping - we should be able to do some good hiking with the baby backpack. Then we'll have some great pictures to share I'm sure.

Will discovers the cats

The cats were at Grandma and Grandpa's in Madison the last few weeks so we wouldn't have to worry about them when we traveled to Lincoln. So when Will and Erin went to Madison, being in his "grab everything within reach" stage, he rediscovered the cats. He has a great time when he sees the cats - he'll laugh at them and can kind of can pet them, but it's obvious that it's just a few short months before the cats will be terrorized all the time.

Teaching Julian the joys of parenting

Julian is our friend who lives down the street from us. He is a sophomore in highschool and had the interesting assignment for his health class to take care of an infant for an hour and ask a few questions about what it means to be a parent. It turns out we had lot of advice to give, as if we really know what we're doing!

Madison trip

Erin and Will went to Grandma Brenda's for Lauren's wedding shower last weekend. They stayed a few extra days on either side and had a great time, but Will missed his daddy. There are a more few pictures from their trip here on the picasa site.



This is a doll desk that Erin said she always wanted to put her helpless infant child in.



Partyin' on St. Patty's day with Aunt Sara and Uncle Jeff.

First day at daycare

Today we have another first in Will's life - he'll be somewhere without mom and dad for a whole day. We found a very nice woman who conveniently lives in our neighborhood and has been running a daycare out of her home for many years. I dropped him off there today on my way to work. He was confused but wasn't upset. There were 4 other children there who seemed very nice and polite and I introduced Will to his new playmates. They were excited to have a baby to play with (these children seemed to be between 1 and 2 1/2 years old). It's hard for Erin and I but he'll only go to daycare for one day a week, and it's important for him to have some social interaction, and for Erin to have a day where she can get things done. If any of you out there get a chance, maybe give Erin a call sometime today because she's having a bit of a tough time. Thanks!

A good time in the 'stein

Will really likes his Baby Einstein play saucer thing. He does this a lot - when he's half-standing and has lots to look at and play with he can get really excited. So he bounces around and giggles. It's very sweet.

beans are not as good as nanners

Will is a very good eater. He has now eaten rice cereal, bananas, and as of last weekend, green beans. We have tried to feed him at least two of those each feeding for lunch and dinner. But beans are not as sweet as bananas so it's fun to give him a few spoons of bananas, then trick him and give him a spoon of beans. He makes a face like this one.

Flailin' with excitement to see dad

These videos are so sweet - this is a version of peekaboo we play sometimes. I hide just outside the room he's in and then peek in at him. As soon as he sees me he gets so excited he just flails his whole body around and laughs. See for yourself.

Will likes Aunt Jenna

This video was shot when we were at home for spring break. Jenna's getting her tonsils out tomorrow so hopefully she can see this video and smile as she's recovering - good luck Jen!

tailgate training

Today was a ridiculously nice day (70 degrees) so Will got to spend a lot of time outside. Since Erin and Will are going to Madison for the better part of a week tomorrow (for Lauren Hyer's wedding shower), we decided to have a special afternoon - we walked to the store and bought some nice steaks to grill. So here's Will's first lesson in how to tend a grill.

Red Cross Volunteer Recognition event

Erin and several Red Cross employees and volunteers put in a lot of time organizing this event, which was last night. It went well. Will wore his little tuxedo and was very popular. Unfortunately it went on way past Will's bedtime so he and I had to leave early to avoid a complete breakdown. The first picture is Will with Mikey, who was also wearing a stylish tux, and the next picture is Will with the three co-chairs of the event, Abby, mom, and Jenni.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Mike

Will wishes his Grandpa a happy birthday, but it's hard to tell because he has his foot in his mouth.



And gives him a birthday smile.

bath pictures: 5 months

Will is 5 months old as of Sunday, but since we got back after midnight after 15 hours on the road, we decided to skip the bath that night. So we got these pictures last night. It's been really fun to see him grow and develop, even since a month ago when I started this blog. Since last month, he has started laughing a lot more, has developed a powerful aversion to sitting down (preferring instead to stand all the time), recognizes his favorite toys and has the motor control to hold on to them a little longer, started eating foods (so far just rice cereal and mushed up nanners, but we're trying green beans this week), and of course the biggest development: discovering his toes and spending most of his time trying to get them in his mouth.

For comparison, here are the links to other monthly bath pictures:
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month
first bath

spring break in Lincoln

well we're back from our week in Nebraska. We tried to come back on friday so Erin could work Saturday but we got stuck and had to go back home for a few days because the entire state of Iowa was closed due to the weather. Grandma and Grandpa were not too sorry about that. Anyway, Will had a great week playing with everyone. He had an especially good time with Aunt Jenna, and discovered a new friend, Bob, who was my "baby" when I was his age. There are new pictures posted from our trip here: Will's spring break. As you can see, he wasn't wearing pants for much of the week - appropriate for spring break.