Applause

Nate has been working with Walter on clapping and it seems to be paying off. He decided to try out his new trick on Christmas Eve and has been practicing ever since. I'm not sure that he even knows he's doing it yet, but it won't be long before he can really give us a good round of applause. And after 17 million performances of "Head, shoulders, knees and toes," I certainly deserve it. 

Funny girl

I had to giggle at dinner tonight when my niece, Kyla (almost 3 yrs old), decided she was a "bad octopus" and went about the business of stealing her dad's imaginary presents and his imaginary crown. How do kids come up with this stuff?

Busy, busy!

We've had a busy week with lots of Christmas cheer. We started last Sunday at Jess and Erin's house for the Billmeyer Christmas. Erin made homemade pizzas (yum!) and we all had a good time opening presents and playing games. Grampa helped the girls play with all their new toys. Walter had such a good time he didn't even take a nap. But he sure slept good that night!

We went to Green Bay on Christmas Day to visit Grandpa and Mary. I was little worried about how Walter would do sleeping in a strange place. He adapted pretty well and, except for a little bit of crying at 2am, we all got a decent night of sleep. Better than I expected, really. We had lunch at the bakery on Friday - they really do have the best chicken salad sandwich around. And we visited the railroad museum. I wish I had brought my camera there. Walter had a good time checking out all the trains. We had a foggy drive on Friday night but we made it home ok.

 

And it's not over yet! Grandma and Grandpa Bredel and Uncle Eddie will be coming to visit on Tuesday and are staying through Saturday. So there's more Christmas to come...

Merry Christmas!

10 things

A few of the blogs I read have recently asked the question, “What 10 things are you loving right now?”

Here’s my list:

1.  A snow day! Working from home in my pj’s with Nate and Walter to keep me company.

2.  Getting Christmas cards in the mail.

3.  Walter’s hair – he’s getting more of it and it does this cute fluff thing in the morning.

4.  The perfect ratio of peanuts to m&ms to raisins in my snack mix. Yum.

5.  Books by Sandra Boynton. She is hilarious.

6.  Stockings hung by the chimney with care. Walter needed a stocking so I made new ones for all of us.

7.  A sleeping dog – tired from burying herself in the snow.

8.  Walter’s victory stretch after a long nap. It’s like he’s saying That. Was. AWESOME!

9.  Nate being in charge of snow removal at our house. Thanks Nate!

10. Comments from you! What are you loving right now?

A "Great" visit

Walter got to visit with his Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Billmeyer today. They came down from Wisconsin Rapids to spend the afternoon with family. Walter looks pretty comfy on Grandpa's lap!  

Tall, skinny...

Walter had his 6 month checkup today. He's healthy and right on track with his development. He was sociable and smiley for the nurses and only cried a little when they gave him his shots. Four this time – he's old enough for a flu shot now too. 

Here are his stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. 6 oz  (13%)

Height: 28"  (92%)

*For those of you who were asking, the percentages show how Walter compares to other kids his age.*

And a little video from Walter today too. He had some things he wanted to say...

Making noise from Stephanie Billmeyer on Vimeo.

6 months!

Walter is 6 months old today. It's been another fun month with lots of changes. He's become an expert at sitting unsupported. His hand-eye coordination is getting better and better every day. His most accomplished feat so far is to get his pacifier in his mouth all by himself – and then let go of it so it stays there! He has found his voice and babbles a lot. It's fun to hear him waking up in the morning, talking to himself and playing in his crib. Nate brought him to my office yesterday and there is no sign of stranger anxiety yet. He was happy to be passed around and pulled the hair of anyone who was in reach. Click here for a few photos from the last month. We take him in for his 6 month check-up on Tuesday, so I'll have the height and weight stats then.

I am loving this chair

Whoever invented the hook-on chair is a genius. Now that Walter is big enough to sit in this chair, I can finally do things in the kitchen again. It’s so nice that he can be right up where all the action is, instead of way down in his exersaucer or across the room in his highchair. I can make dinner, do dishes, open my mail, etc... Papa John's is about to have a noticeable decrease in pizza sales. 

Last night Walter helped his dad make brownies. Even Molly is learning to live with it. Her food and water happen to be right underneath Walter’s dangling legs. 

Confessions

I admit it. I have wiped Walter's nose with a tissue and then put it in my pocket. Only to pull it out five minutes later and wipe his nose again. (Which he hates, by the way. The fastest way to make him cry is to come anywhere near his face with a kleenex.) This is something I remember my grandma doing. Although in her case, the tissue was stuffed up her sleeve. Give me a few more years...

Squeals of joy

Even though Walter has been dealing with the pain of teething, he's been showing us his happy side - and loudly! He has learned to squeal. And now that he knows he has this ability, he's giving it all he's got. He loves to squeal and laugh while he plays. We try to tell him to use his inside voice, but the squeals make us laugh too. I guess we're encouraging this new habit. It's just so much fun!