*there's his busy summer

Dousing himself in water

 Helping change a tire

 This was the day of all food coloring activities

 We won't be doing 3 food coloring activities in one day again...

Hammering ice

 Scooping in the split pea sensory box

 Water beads

 Practicing first aid on me

 And Elmo

 Getting good and dirty

 Pasta sensory box. I tried teaching him the different pasta names but he eventually gave up and started to call all of them "Cheetos". Close enough to Fettuccine so I'll take it. :)

*there's the latest fun facts

At two and a half years old, Will has some frequently heard favorite phrases that I want to record.
I see it!
I did it!
I do it.
How boutttt???
Go see Peaches? This is his way of asking if we are going home. I guess Peaches = dog = our house.
Milt? When he wants his cup of Pediasure 1.5 with fiber.
Daddy-O for Daddy
and
Mommy Jody for Mommy

Current favorite activities:
water table
drums
trains
drawing and painting
books
singing
cartoons
cars and racetrack
playgrounds
throwing rocks in the river at the greenway
swimming

Current favorite foods:
cheese, so far any and all
bread, almost any and all
eggs
sausage
peanut butter and honey sandwiches
cereal bars
chicken, in almost any form
fish
fruit, almost any
vegetables - it's hard to say that he has a favorite, but since I feel I should list some I will say that he has been seen eating broccoli, corn, and carrots


A funny sentence from yesterday:
"I pop the bubbles then I eat them!"

Another picture from the beach house:

Running around looking for a good rain puddle.

One more thing, the Inspiration Through Art website is currently using some shots of Will. Click on the second "dot" underneath the large photos towards the top of the page to see his.

 He's also on their flyer (bottom right corner):

 

*there's his first wedding

Will got to meet lots of family and attend his first wedding while we were in Florida at the beach. 

Dancing with Gracie

These are the best shots I could get of him in his wedding outfit.

With Nina, Gracie, and Natalie. They are three of his second cousins, once removed.

This is pretty indicative of his activity level at the reception.

Thanks to Will's second cousin Brittany for having a destination wedding! 

Getting to see lots of family and spending time at the beach made for a great trip.

*there's his first trip to the beach

Last week Will visited a beach for the first time in Sandestin, Florida.

Heading to the beach

Seeing the sand for the first time.

Wishing he was in the water instead of taking pictures.

The calmest and most beautiful water we have ever seen in the gulf. Perfect for his first visit.

Burying himself

That's not a pool, it's the gulf!

 

Back in the afternoon for more.

Building sandcastles with Daddy

 

 Will also got to play with my college friend Leah's kids on the trip. 

They live at the beach and are the perfect age to be Will's playmates.

 

 

Luke and Zealand showing Will one of their favorite places to play.

 

Running in the fountains

Some of Daddy, Granddaddy, Mimi, Aunt Cookey, and Uncle Eric's catch from their deep sea fishing trip.

Talking a walk around our beach neighborhood with Granddaddy.

The blue heron in the lagoon behind our house there

*there's two and a half

*there's one less sign of babyhood

Will no longer takes a pacifier! That was quick. It took one day. :) He only used it when he was sleeping so now I'm encouraging him to "shop" amongst his belongings for an alternate comfort item for naps and bedtime.

I just saw this article today about Dental Problems of Prematurity. I can tell the shape of Will's palate has been affected by his pacifier. I expect it to go away with time. I'm not looking forward to his first dentist appointment because he is very defensive about brushing his teeth. A remaining, yet understandable, sign of his oral aversion. He gags easily and that occasionally leads to vomiting. I will be very curious to see if they find any troubles in his mouth from his NICU time (such as the palatal groove sometimes caused by intubation they mention). It was nice to see them offer an explanation about why it took his teeth so long to come in. His first showed up at 13 months, right before I really started to worry if he had any teeth in there or not. 

I've still got pictures to upload from his card appointment and the race in March so stay tuned.

*there's 2 years

Today is Will's 2nd open heart surgiversary! 

Our celebratory cookies are A-dorable!

more pics to come...right before I could load the picture of all the cookies together I suddenly ran out of memory and didn't even know that was a thing that could happen

Scar check:

2 weeks post-op

2 years post-op

Since the poem below is long I wanted to make sure I highlighted at least part of it:
You already have quite a story,
Which you can someday share,
And I can see it's beauty,
Behind that scar you wear.

BEHIND YOUR SCAR
Sometimes I have those "moments",
When I think...life's just... not fair,
Then I think of all you've been through,
And I see the scar you bear.

A faded line right down your chest,
Made with such careful precision,
We wanted you to have a chance,
Could there be any other decision?

And so I trace that "perfect" scar,
Made with the utmost care,
And I realize there is purpose,
Behind this scar you wear.

What have you taught us?
You've taught us how to face a storm,
(Some things are just out of our hands)
Life has no handy guidebook,
(Things don't always go as you've planned)

People come into our lives,
(Sometimes it is just for a season)
But God brings them into our lives,
(And I know that He must have a reason)

Normal, uneventful days,
(The kind that we always hoped for)
These are the days I say, "Wow God",
We just never know what lies in store.

If I can place a feeding tube,
Without even getting distraught,
Perhaps, maybe, I might be...
Much stronger than I thought.

It's okay to be afraid,
And it's alright to cry,
It's okay to feel lost sometimes,
It's even okay to ask...why?

You face life with courage,
(Knowing God set you apart)
Every little thing you do,
You do with all of your heart.

No crystal ball exists for us,
(To see us through each strife)
We only have one wish for you...
An ordinary life.

You've taught us to love one another,
(Helping each other to cope)
You've taught us compassion for others,
You've taught us to never lose hope.

You already have quite a story,
Which you can someday share,
And I can see it's beauty,
Behind that scar you wear.

~Stephanie Husted

 

A book dedicated to helping children see the beauty of their scars.

*there's the race

Will's therapy center recently had a race to raise money for their expansion. It was a lot of fun!
I have more photos from the race to share soon but will start with this promotional video: