Happy Half Birthday!

Dear William,

It is hard to believe you have been here with us for half of a year. You have gone from being a helpless baby who could barely lift its head up to a fearless crawler. You needed help to do everything when you first came home - you still need help, but you are learning how to get around and entertain yourself. You have grown a lot in six months. You came into this world at 8 pounds 4 ounces and today you were almost 21 pounds. When you were born, you measured 21 inches long and now you are 28.5 inches long. We can't believe how many clothes you have outgrown. The clothes marked "6 Months" have been packed away for a long time. You are now wearing clothes marked for 12-18 Months. When you were tiny, you could only drink milk. Now you are eating cereal and lots of different kinds of vegetables. We'll see if you still like those in another few years.

Every day you practice and get stronger (and more determined to get what you want). We are so proud of all the new things you are learning. In the last week you decided you are very strong. You have just started pulling yourself up from your tummy onto things around the house. You are starting to crawl with your belly off of the ground - it is only a few steps before you get tired and go back to belly crawling, but it is amazing to see the progress you are making. We tried to take some pictures of you today and it was hard work. Most of the pictures are of you crawling out of the frame and investigating the world around you.

You are teaching us things too. One of the things we are learning is how to keep the multicolored baby food out of your nose. You are learning to eat the food, we are learning to feed it to you. As you have become stronger and faster, we are learning about keeping you safe from yourself. You think you can fly or at least bounce off of every surface. This last week, you learned that you have private parts during a VERY poopy diaper. We have learned that it is a good idea to keep the hands out of the way when there is poop involved.

You have made so many changes in our lives. You have given us new names : Mama and Dada (although you haven't used them out loud) and we are working hard to fill those shoes for you. Your giggles are infectious and make us laugh too. Your singing wakes us up in the morning - I can't remember the last time you woke up crying. We still are working on how to eat together as a family without plates flying off the table and how to get things done around the house. Every day is a new opportunity to learn together.

We both still have a lot to learn. We are hoping if we wrote something down today, we would be able to remember how precious you are today. Exactly as you are today. Here are some of the pictures we took together today. You weren't very cooperative, but you still make our hearts melt.

Happy 6 Months! We love you,

Mom and Dad

NOW!

Someone finally took pity on me and sent a picture from last weeks play date! L-R: Tate, William, Calvin

We're still working on that tooth. And crawling. And now pulling ourselves up. And we are so frustrated with not being able to do everything NOW! IMMEDIATELY! I'm not sure which of the things William is working on is making his attitude a little bit crummy. I just know that he is frustrated and crabby. All in all, he is a pretty tolerant kiddo. Things haven't been too bad, but he is not his usual happy self. I guess with the little fever he is running from the teeth and not being able to do what he wants NOW is just making him a little more clingy than usual. Still a good baby though. We're looking forward to celebrating his half birthday tomorrow. Cake anyone? Actually, William doesn't get cake. He gets his 6 month shots - great gift, huh? Don't you wish I was YOUR mom? Look for our 6 month photo shoot tomorrow! (or maybe Friday if he won't let me put him down).

Goodnight,
The Heidts

William pulling him self up from his belly onto his toy today. He is STRONG! Still working on getting either pictures/video of him trying out the crawling action with his belly off the ground.

Way to go Grandma , Carrots and Teeth

You just never know! Three posts in one day after a long time without any! We just found out that Grandma got a new job! Way to go! You're (really) the boss! We can't wait to see you and celebrate this weekend. We also would like to wish a very happy birthday to Aunt Megan tomorrow as she turns older.

William had an okay day. He was a little testy this morning which turned into crabby this afternoon. When he finally let us peek into his mouth this afternoon, John spotted and then felt tooth #3 and maybe #4. One or more of the top ones will be making its appearance soon! Enjoy the gummy pictures because they won't last a lot longer.

I probably wouldn't have started a new food today if I had realized the tooth was getting that close, but I didn't. So, today we started carrots! William did a really good job with them and gobbled them up. He did make some funny faces, but he kept opening his mouth up again and again.

Carrots

Can you see where I sneezed cereal on my tray?

Mmmmm....I like to try and bite the spoon. Then I can grab it and make it all sticky....

Hey! I'm trying to eat here!

Thank you, thank you very much. The show is now over.

UPdate

Sorry...it was a long week followed by our Harry Potter readathon. All the way back on Thursday, William performed his first flight attempt by launching himself off of our bed and landing on the floor. On his head. The verdict: He is okay, but he cannot fly. Later Thursday, we met up with another teacher from WMS and her son who is a week younger than William. We were joined by another friend and her baby who was born between the two other boys. All the boys were born within a week of each other. I didn't get any pictures of the three of them (Hey Sundi, did you get one?), but I did get this cute one of two of the three.

William sucks (bites) Tate's fingers. Calvin (sp?) is eating behind them on the couch.


Tate still hasn't found those teeth...or he has a high pain tolerance!

Friday was drywall delivery day. As this was not my week (speeding tickets, son cannot fly episode, clogged ductwork, etc), the drywall delivery did not go according to plan either. When purchased, the building materials representivie asked us if we would like the drywall delivered in the morning of afternoon. We selected "afternoon". So, it was a big surprise when the delivery people called at 6:40 AM to tell me they were on their way. After lots of blurry, half asleep phone calls, I was able to argue enough to turn the truck around until 10:30 AM. Still not afternoon, but better.

Our current NO car garage.

Saturday was full of waiting for our last Harry Potter book. We wandered around and John worked on the basement a little bit. It was all a lame attempt to appear busy until the book was delivered. Then we read the book following our old rules: No one gets to read the book unless we are both there reading. We even had the willpower and desire to attend Winefest 2007 at another teacher's house Saturday night and take a hike on Sunday morning with some friends. And we finished reading it late, late last night.

Hiking on Sunday! William and John are on the far left.


Wild animal footprints along the trail...could it be duck?


William helps Daddy break in his new backpack

Snoozing and hiking

William has been making a lot of progress lately. The cereal and vegetable feedings have been going better and better. Even the peas are better. I still don't think he loves them, but he no longer cries through them. We have two vegetables left before we can start the fruits. He also is doing a lot more of pulling up onto his hands and knees. Once he gets there, he doesn't seem to know what to do with himself and usually goes back down to his belly to crawl off somewhere else to make his trouble. Standing is another favorite. Bouncing or not bouncing, it doesn't make any difference - he likes to be upright.

Naptime isn't just for sleeping! William must have been practicing pulling himself to his knees in his crib.


Standing up with the help of the gate. Don't look too closely or you will see the sweet potatoes up his nose!

Standing and "kissing" daddy through the gate

Practicing standing by holding the gate and looking at daddy!

Mommy and William behind the gate...I thought I was making the same kind of face as his. Turns out not.

Done!

Okay, I won't tell you what happened, but I'm done. It was good...better than good. Although the word is escaping me as I'm tired from being up later than usual to finish it. Not bad to finish an 800+ book in less than 2 days! I think I might need to go back and read it again - there was a lot there...first I'll do an update post though.

I won't be back until I'm done...

It arrived yesterday. It was beautiful. Must get back to reading. More later.

I'm so funny

You all out there may not know this about me: I am super funny. Maybe one of the funniest people I know. Every year, I tell my students this on the first day of school. I tell them how lucky they are to have me as a teacher because I am the funniest person ever. Ever. Every year at least one of my students challenges this statement within a week of making it. "You know, you really aren't that funny. At all."

Several others softly chime "Yeah, you aren't really". I don't care because I know they are just jealous. It isn't possible that I'm not funny. It never has mattered what they thought. I think I am funny. Therefore I am. And I do crack myself up with my atmosphere and outer space jokes (have you heard the one about Uranus? No? Well, let me tell you...)
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Earlier this week I was at the Y when I ran into a few students of mine from last year. I was hot and sweaty and holding William. William threw his body at one of the girls. With a squeal that could only be made by a 14 year old girl, she opened her arms and took him. I silently said a prayer and tried to look relaxed while interrogating my other former students about their summer reading lists, high school class registrations (did you get the Advanced courses? Good. What about taking two foreign languages? No? Why not?), and other enrichment activities. I also like to get the dish about the other kids in my classes, although I try to look disinterested in this - like I would rather be at home wearing my lab coat and goggles. During this time, William was occupying himself by trying to pull the hair of my other student and pat her overly made up eyes. There came a lull in the conversation and William looked down at his hand pulling her hair and giggled with glee. One of the students laughed at him and said "He thinks he is pretty funny."

The other student replied "He must take after his mother..."

Everyone laughs, the girls elbow each other at their joke at my expense. I can't help but think William is the luckiest kid ever. Do you want to know why? I'm the funniest person ever - and my students remembered that almost a year later (Please God, let them have remembered something else also...)

I'm going to miss having all my kids next year. I already miss them.
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The big news of the day (excluding the termite inspection finding no termites) is that I think we may have found a peas solution (HAH! Peace solution). Whirled peas (say it out loud people) with sweet potatoes. This kid loves sweet potatoes. He ate ALL of his peas tonight without any crying. I didn't have to sing about Old McDonald planting his corn or soy beans. I am amazed and happy. He might be able to eat vegetables like his daddy after all.