4 Months Update!

My oh my, where has the time gone!  William Michael Tucker is 4 months old!  At  4 months William weighs 16 pounds and 3 ounces.  WHOA!  We have a big old lump of sugar around this house, and we love it!  His little cheeks are the most precious thing.  He is 25 1/2 inches long too. He's definitely made some growing progress since his last appointment. 

William was such a big boy when he had to get his shots too.  He got one shot in each leg and also received an oral vaccine today too.  Of course he cried, but now we are home, and he's just playing away on his play mat.  The doctor gave us the go ahead to start experimenting with solid foods.  He told us to start with rice cereal, then green vegetables, and then fruits.  This week should be lots of fun incorporating some of those into William's dinner each night.  We are looking forward to his reactions!

William is now rolling over, and most mornings I find him snoozing on his tummy. He really likes his side too.  He's not a fan of sleeping on his back now that he can roll over.  William usually wakes up at least once a night.  I will usually get up and feed him around 1-3, and then he'll sleep until I wake him at 6 to get ready for daycare.

Daycare is still going great!  We know our baby is in loving arms everyday.  The other day we got a parent note from "school" (aka daycare) stating that fall pictures will be September 20!  My baby gets to have a fall picture!  It was so neat to be on the other side of the parent note.  Normally I'm the one sending notes home to parents.  I'm not used to receiving them.  It was a sweet feeling. 

Our family has a big weekend coming up...let me give you a little hint....  ROLL TIDE ROLL!  William will be attending his first tailgate this weekend!  We are all looking so forward to it! 

We will most certainly delight in all the little moments we will share this weekend with our William! 

My Fantasy :)

I saw this posted on facebook earlier today and have just laughed and laughed about it.  I had to share with everyone.  I think any mom can relate to this!

Daycare Doesn't Have To Be A Bad Thing

About to head to daycare for his first day!

Two weeks ago William started daycare at Twelfth Street Baptist Church.  I had an LTF (Pre AP) workshop the week before school started at Gadsden City High School, so we had to start daycare a little early.  I feel like I have been doing pretty good with the transition.  I've really tried to have a positive attitude about it all.  I've only had a few breakdowns and most of those were that first day of daycare.

Dustin and I both wanted to be with Will dropping him off on his first day.  As we walked into his "classroom" his teacher was in the floor playing with another baby on a playmat.  Classical musical was playing in the background. It put my heart at ease.  Will also has his own crib while he's in this room where he can take naps during the day.  They also have all the bouncy seats, swings, bumpoos, mats, and other toys for William to enjoy during the day.  William's teacher, Mrs. Glinda, is wonderful!!  I feel very comfortable when I have to leave my baby because I know he is in good hands.

Several people have asked me if I worry about William during the day and my honest answer is I do not!  However, as I'm sure that any mother will agree, I wish I could be the one taking care of my baby during the day.  I don't worry about him.  I just miss him ALL DAY LONG! 

This past week Miss Jorja (Will's cousin) joined him at daycare.  She is in Will's class so he is also spending time with family, and I love that!  On Friday after I picked William up and we were home playing, I noticed that William had started making this new high pitched squeal.  I called up my sister right away to inform her that Jorja has taught my son how to squeal!  It's the exact noise that Jorja has been making for a while now.  It totally cracked me up.  William has always coo'd, laughed, cried, gurggled, but now we add the squeal to his noise list! 

Another positive aspect of daycare (remember I'm really trying to stay positive about this) is that Gramsie, Grandad, LaLa, and Grandmother have all been able to spend some extra time with William.  They have been able to pick Will up on most days by around 1 and some days a little earlier! 

All in all, I'm very happy with my choice in daycare for William.  I know that there are downsides to daycare, but for Dustin and I, it's necessary and I actually think it's a positive thing for William.  Now there's just more people to love my baby. 

3 Months Update

My baby is 3 months old today!  He is such a happy baby too.  He loves smiling and flashes his adorable smile all the time.  It melts my heart! 

We don't have a doctor checkup this month, so I'm not sure how much he weighs or how much he has grown, BUT he's growing and changing everyday!

One noticeable difference in William is how well he is holding his head up.  Everyone that holds him comments on how strong he is.  Sometimes he's still a little wobbly, but he's pretty much got the hang of holding up that noggin. 

 He's really making a lot more noises these days too.  It's almost like he trying to carry on a conversation with me most days.  He coos, squeals, gurgles, and has an adorable little giggle. 







He's even said daddy....TWICE!  My entire family heard it this weekend when he said it.  However, I think it was a total fluke because we all know that his first real words will be MOMMY!  ;)  (hehe)







 He is starting to roll to his side occasionally, but hasn't managed to roll all the way over to his stomach yet. 

 He absolutely LOVES to "stand up".  He can be in the middle of a cry, and I'll stand him up, and he settles down...for a few seconds at least!  Really though, he's loves locking those "little" legs out and standing in our laps. 

Oh the hand...  he loves to gnaw on his hand.  We think that teething is just around the corner.  He's drooling all the time and chewing on his hands. 

William loves a bath!  It's the cutest thing ever!

And finally, William hangs out in his bumpo a good bit.  We bought this little tray that fits on it so that we can use it when he starts eating some actual food.  It'll be what we use as a transition seat before we use a highchair.  If I'm doing something in the kitchen, he usually sits in that and watches me cook or clean.  He's such a good baby! 

Ross Bridge 2011

Ross Bridge 2011

This past weekend Dustin, William, and I headed to Ross Bridge to meet my family for a little relaxation and fun in the sun.  It was our first family vacation together.  We started out meeting the family at The Tavern in Birmingham.  The food is delicious there!  It was the first time we've had William with us for a dinner at a restaurant.  It went well....except for Will's massive dirty diaper that required a wardrobe change! Yikes!

 William spent most of Saturday napping!  It seemed that every time we put him in the water he would start whining  and then fall asleep.  We did get a few cute pictures of him and Jorja hanging out in the baby pool we turned into a float for them.  They were adorable!

The first time we got him in the pool he fell asleep. 
Sweet Baby

Again, William napping by the pool!

He finally woke up for a little play time with Jorja!

They just sat and starred at each other.  It was too cute!

I was a picture maniac.  I was determined to try and snap pictures of all my adorable nephews playing together.  I can't believe how fast my Tan-Man (Tanner) and Reido (Reid) are growing up.  They were swimming like fish this year.  I couldn't keep up with them!  And Alex...he is hilarious.  I can't wait to see William and Jorja trying to keep up with those 3 in a couple of years.

Love my Nephews!

Watch out world...Here We Come!

Overall, traveling with baby was a success(, although Dustin may disagree since the stroller replaced his golf clubs due to space)!  We had a wonderful weekend with family.  We made alot of heart-warming memories to be cherished for years to come. 

I thought this was a great shot of the hotel and just a portion
of the pool.  It's such a fabulous place only an hour away for a mini vacation!

The Tuckers

A New Summer Routine

My hair is just pulled back in the picture, but it looks
like I cut it all off! 

When it comes to the summer months, people always say, "I wish I was a school teacher!".  If I only had a dollar for every time I have heard that remark I'd be a rich girl.  Most of my school teacher summers have been spent sleeping late, hanging out with friends on the river or at a pool, cookouts, staying up late and having not a care in the world. My oh my how things have changed!

It seems that having a child really does change things.  My summer now revolves around my little ones every want and need!  I've replaced sleeping late with waking up during the night between 3-4 a.m. to feed, change and rock William back to sleep.  We are usually up for the day between 6-7.  I've traded staying up late with bath time at 8:30, a bottle at 8:45 and lights out by 9-9:30.  Instead of hanging out with friends on the river or at a pool, now I spend my days trying to time errands, exercise, playtime with William, cleaning house, laundry, and cooking dinner according to William's next feeding, changing, or nap. Needless to say, this summer has been very different from others.

Bumpo time with Mommy! 
And he does have a diaper on but you can't
see it because of the center thingy!



Playtime on Playmat!

William loves his swing!

Fun cuddle time with Mommy!



One thing I've incorporated into my days is a walk/poor attempt to jog :)    I try to go on walks with William everyday or least a couple times a week.  I started out going in the morning after I fed him, but it just got to hot for that.  Now we try to go in evening before Dustin gets home from work.  I try to get in about 3 miles (because that's as far as I can go without William screaming), but each day has shown to be different.  My pace has proved to be different each day with the stops to put the pacey back in or stopping to wipe some spit-up off Will's face.  Either way, it's a part of my day I really enjoy!

I think he was only 3 weeks old here.  He doesn't
nap quite that easily now!

Yup, I put a little fan in there to blow on him :)

Cruising down the street!

Smiling at Mommy's red face as she walks!

This summer has definitely been an adjustment for me, but a much needed adjustment!  I love having my days filled with meaningful time with my adorable son.  I wouldn't trade all the money in the world for my school teacher summers of the past, but I welcome the new school teacher summers in my future!  I'm so thankful that I chose a profession that allows me to spend my summer months with my family.  As this summer is getting painfully closer to the end, I want to make every day with William and Dustin count!  I never want to take for granted the time I have with them. 

My life is truly forever changed....and for the better!

Nap time is the best!

Let Me Introduce You To My Family

I noticed through my blogs that I've started referring to my family by the roles they play in William's life.  I wanted to introduce everyone by their new names!

Big Brother Bogey! 



He is such a sweet Big Brother!  He loves William.  He does get jealous,
but he's also very protective of William. 



MawMaw



PawPaw



Gramsie

Grandad

JennJenn

Uncle Craig

AJ:  (AJ has her hands full with cousin Jorja these days,
but we have to get a picture with William and his AJ and Uncle Chad!)

Aunt Lauren, LaLa

SaraBear, Aunt Sara

Uncle E, Uncle Ethan

Cousin Jorja! She is exactly one month older than William!



Cousin Tanner



Cousin Reid

Cousin Alex: He's drinking out of his favorite water jug
at JuJus's house!

Cousin Izzy and Cousin Leo!