The Nitty Gritty

We can't believe Will is half a year old today! He is learning and growing sooooo fast. He: 1. LOVES rice cereal and eats four tablespoons a day 2. HATES peas and gags when he tries to eat them 3. SITS for a few minutes before falling over 4. DANCES to music by kicking his feet in the bouncer chair--he's got rhythm too 5. ENJOYS being outside and going places in the car 6. KICKS his feet and slaps the water in the bath 7. READS BOOKS, well pretends to read by lifting the pages and turning them 8. LOVES pat-a-cake 9. SLEEPS eight hours before awaking. Thank you William. 10. RECENTLY took a nap with his feet straight up in the air 11. LOVES his mom and dad 12. MIGHT be allergic to animal dander Here are some video clips: Here is Will dancing to his first hit Talented sleeper Yuck!

So there's a fun activity that I read in my weekly email bulletin from babycenter.com that says to record your baby's noises and then play it back to him. Will was in a chatty mood so I pulled up garage band and recorded his talking. When Isaac came home I played it for him and he went right to work on making it into a song. Just click on the title of this post (Will's First Hit) which will take you to Isaac's podcast. Click on the icon LISTEN to hear the song. Too cute! Will loves boogieing to it.

  Shiny happy people holding Will.

Tuesday I had the opportunity to accompany the production of "The Three Nanny Goats Gruff." It's an operetta that is the feminist version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I did it with my first graders last year and Isaac did it with his second graders this year. Isaac, the bestestest music teacher, incorporated an "orfestra." It was fun to hear the tap of the drum as the rabbit family bounced across the stage, the xylophone as the butterfly family floated across, and the rhythm sticks when the goats tripped trapped across the bridge. I beamed with pride when the second grade teacher recognized Isaac saying "We want to thank our music teacher who is in his first year of teaching and has done an incredible job!" I second that! You've handled your first year of teaching so well among all the other happenings in your life--new baby, finishing your masters degree, three callings, etc. I love you! Congratulations on almost completing the first year of yo...

This year Sophie hosted the traditional Bickmore family Oscar's party. To have some fun with the suspense, she asked everybody to throw in five bucks and guess the winners of the major awards. Whoever got the most right would take home the glorious pile of cash. Just before we left for the party we checked our wallets and found no cash to contribute so Isaac luckily rounded up five dollars in quarters from our change jar. We decided we could be on a team and contribute five dollars for the both of us. Well what do you know? WE WON! The funny thing is that Isaac and I only saw four movies off the list: Benjamin Button, Wall-E, Kung Fu Panda, and The Visitor. The funnier thing is that we won with a sweep! That's right! Not a single incorrect answer. So Isaac and I went home with $25 in cash. What did we do with the winnings? We went on our first date WITHOUT William last night. Aunt Sophie babysat while we watched the winner of Best Motion Picture--Slumdog Millionaire. I only...

WILLIAM THEN WILLIAM NOW This morning I went to help my friend with her 3 day old newborn twins. I was shocked at how tiny they were and couldn't believe that Will was once even SMALLER than that. My jaw dropped when I laid William beside them. He was gargantuan! I am amazed at how fast these tiny people grow up. I got Will's 4 month pictures today. What a handsome boy. If you are missing out on Will's babyhood and it's possible for you to drive down (Roy isn't THAT far) and spend some time with him, I suggest you do so because this baby won't be a baby for much longer.