Handsome Boy!

We had Christmas with John and his family yesterday before they head south for the holiday.  William looked so handsome!   I'll post pictures of him on his first John Deere soon!!

He Gave Me My Voice Back

Things are going well at the Handy House.  William is growing leaps and bounds and more fun by the day! 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  The highlight was Adam meeting William for the first time. And mom having all of her grandchildren together for the first time.

Dad's marker was set right before Thanksgiving. It has beautiful red bouquets now.  I will have to post another picture when I get one.  It's just perfect.  I picked out his Christmas tree last week and of course, it too is red.  He would love it.

I wanted to post things I was thankful for at Thanksgiving but time got away from me.  Here are just a few from the last few weeks.

1. Will's second, and final, cystic fibrosis test came back negative!
2. Will's allergy testing did not indicate any food allergies.
3. Will's new medicine is helping the reflux so much. He is SUCH a happy baby now. 
4. My follow-up diabetes test came back negative.

And finally,

5. I have my voice back ...

I could live without a lot of things in my life but I can't imagine my life without music.  Church, in particular, is one facet of my life where music is so meaningful to me.  The music at church, singing, is a very spiritual and very emotional thing for me. After dad passed away I stopped singing in church; no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't sing.  I believe mostly it was being afraid to feel the emotion that came with it.  I've missed singing in church and missed the joy that comes with it.  Last week in church I sang for the first time in many, many months, I sang to my son.  Will has given me my voice back.  What a blessing he is every day, and what a blessing it is to sing again. 

If I don't post again before Christmas, may you all have a blessed and peaceful holiday.  And may 2011 bring you many blessings.

With love from the Handy's ...

Merry Christmas!

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In Brief ...

I only have a couple of minutes - thankfully I type fast! Our last few weeks in brief ...

Mom is moved into a condo right out our back door and doing well.  Some things just aren't the same, and probably never will be, and I miss her still in many ways, but we are blessed to have her well and thankful she is with us. She checks in with us daily so we know she's OK and she is gradually building up her strength. She passed her first driving test today and by the weekend hopes to be on the go!  We pray daily she won't have another stroke and continues to improve.

Steve's parents moved in right across the street from mom.  Will has all his grandparents just around the bend (there really is a bend in the road after our house!).  How blessed he is!

Will is rolling over now!! 

Rolling Over for the First Time!

And he coos and talks so much. And his smile just lights up my whole world. Have you ever heard the song by Natalie Cole, Smile Like Yours? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhHKPtx8JE4 It says it all!

Will has been having tummy troubles and after trying quite a few things had a blood test today to check for food allergies. We are praying for answers and for mama's little monkey to feel better soon.

First Blood Draw :(

I am back to work and it's going well. I am so thankful William has his Aunt Lisa. She is a blessing beyond words and I am so thankful to leave Will in her care 3 days each week.  I miss him like crazy but pictures and videos from Lisa throughout the day help. Daddy keeps him the other 2 days each week.  That is the biggest blessing of all!

Spending Time with Daddy

Will has his final test for Cystic Fibrosis on Thursday at Children's.  Please pray this too comes back negative.

And on that note daddy just informed me we have a full diaper.  Time to go!

Blessing to all and Happy Thanksgiving.

Two Months Old!

My Sweet William

Going to Church

Froggie Costume

Mama's Little Monkey

Bath Time

First Trip to Victoria's Secret with Aunt Lisa

Getting to Know Will

I thought you all might enjoy some facts about Will.

Eating:

• He eats ALL the time! When I've pumped and left a bottle for him he amazes people at how much he eats. We could be in real trouble when he's a teenager!
• Something I read listed the types of eater your baby is.  The first one said 'baracuda' and I knew without reading any farther this was my son.  Breastfeeding may be a real challenge once he has teeth!
• He is very impatient when he's trying to latch on and violently shakes his head side to side trying to get a hold. I call this his 'mad Stevie Wonder'.
• I love to play with his hands and feet when he eats.  His toes are really long and he loves to wrap them around my finger.
• He HATES to burp and will cry and scream the whole time you try. And he's not an easy one to burp either!
• What goes in must come out but it stays in him for days at a time. We spent days and days worrying about his poop. He's pretty regular now - every other day - and you can imagine the blow-outs that brings. It's a 2 man clean-up job!!

Sleeping:

• He has slept through the night several nights, one night he slept 9 hours!  No, we didn't wake up scared ... we woke up on and off all night to check on him. :)
• He often sleeps with his arms straight above his head. He hates to have them swaddled and likes to have them by his face.
• He loves to fall asleep on my chest.  When he's done eating he stretches and then lays his two arms beneath his head and sleeps with it resting on them.  I could just eat him up he's so precious! (I took a nap the other day and stretched when I woke up and realized he stretches the same way I do!)
• He sleeps best with the kitchen faucet on high or the vacuum running.  I did seriously consider moving his bed and mine to the kitchen - after Steve refused to put a faucet in our bedroom for him.
• He sleeps best in his car seat - as long as you don't strap him in! (see misc stuff below)

Temperament:

• He is the absolute most impatient baby I've ever seen - seriously!
• He is easily frustrated and lets you know it. His lungs appear to be quite healthy.
• He's a pretty fussy baby but with each day has more and more happier moments. His smile just makes me melt.
• Sometimes when he cries he makes this sound that Festus makes when he's mad and getting ready to bite me. It almost sounds like he's going to spit at you. I call it his cat sound!

Clothing:

• He outgrew his newborn shoes before he even came home.
• He outgrew his newborn clothes in a matter of days.
• He doesn't like hats or socks.
• He prefers outfits that DON'T go over his head - no matter how quick I've gotten at putting them on.

Other misc stuff:

• He hates tummy time. Boy does he cry!
• He does not like to ride in the car and cries anytime you put him in it. (the reason he's happy in his car seat as long as he's not strapped in!)
• He LOVES ceiling fans!
• He kicks his legs a lot and his arms are always moving. He has many times punched daddy right in the jaw!
• Bath-time is one of his least favorite times.
• He is a very hot baby and the best little heater on these cold mornings.
• He loves to be swayed side to side.  No other motion calms him like this does and he could be swayed 24/7. I say its because I never sat still when I was pregnant with him, he has to be moving.
• He is a seriously gassy baby and can smoke us all out of a room like you wouldn't believe!
• He loves to be outside.
• He's the best little snuggler there is.
• I call him my little monkey.

The dogs:

• They have to check on Will anytime he's left the house or someone else has held him.
• They love to kiss his toes and the top of his head.
• They don't even seem to notice his crying.
• They can't wait for him to be big enough to play!

Top 5 ways he reminds me of my dad:

1. He looks like him more and more every day.
2. He has the 'Taylor' temper.
3. He has long toes.
4. He hates riding in the back seat of the car.
5. He has more hair in the back than on top. :)

I've heard Steve call Will 'punkin' quite a few times.  That was what my dad called me.  It makes me smile when I hear it.

And of course the most important fact about Will ... he's positively adorable!

**********

Will took his first trip to Hidden Valley Fruit Farm today!  While we were there we had pumpkin donuts and an apple cider slush.  We came home with pumpkins, cookie bars, pumpkin fudge, apples, and a fry pie for daddy. Yummy!

Picking out pumpkins

Sleeping on the way home

Our pumpkins

William Wayne Handy

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