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Over the past few weeks, Will has attempted to get out of the various things we own to entertain him while we get things done around the house. A few weeks ago, I put him in his crib so I could open the blinds and get ready for the day. Literally two seconds after I put him in there, I happened to turn around and he was on his tip toes, reaching over the side, and leaning over it at his hips. I thank God that I turned around at that very moment, as any longer, and he could have pushed himself right over the side of his crib. It was that night that Ben and I decided we would lower the crib mattress.
Later that afternoon, Will was playing in his exersaucer as I was picking up a few odds and ends around the house. I heard one of his toys drop on the floor, and when I went to pick it up for him, I saw he had managed to get one foot out of one of the holes, and was hanging over the side, reaching for his toy. He was practically hanging upside down from it, and had the proudest smile on his face as if to say, "It's okay Mom. I've got it."
Finally, today our Little Bean dropped something in front of his walker, and sure enough I watched him push himself up and start leaning over the walker to get his toy.
As I am typing this, I am thinking it looks as though I don't even watch him, but the fact of the matter is I have always been in the same room with him when it happens. He is just so darn fast. He is constantly curious and never stops moving. In a way, I'm glad it has all happened as it did, because it signaled us to lower the crib, and increase both the exersaucer and walker heights.
I caught our little Houdini in the act of trying to escape his walker.
These aren't the most attractive photos of Will, but we finally captured his pig face, which is the face he's been making at us for the last month or so. We usually are visited by the pig face when our Little Bean is trying really hard to get something or if he's getting frustrated at us. The sounds associated with the face are almost as good as the face itself, and consist of the funniest little snorts and hisses.
Beware of the Pig Face!
It's so much warmer inside.
With Christmas approaching, we decided that this weekend we would follow tradition and take Will to see Santa so he could make his requests for gifts. We couldn't have picked a better weekend for a visit with Ol' St. Nick. On Friday night, it snowed in Alexandria, and I think it was even the earliest snow on record for the city! Krissy and Will braved the cold... for a few seconds, and Will seemed fascinated by the big white flakes falling from the sky. Christmas is truly in the air! On Saturday, we went to a local children's boutique that had a Santa. This was actually the second time Will visited with Santa, but since I wasn't able to attend the first one with Will and Krissy, this is the only visit that really counts. As we approached the store, we knew this was going to be a special Santa visit. With melting snow still on the ground and a chill in the air, we walked into the boutique and it looked like Santa brought the whole North Pole with him. Mrs. Claus was there, along with several elves, and the backdrop for Santa looked like an oil painting. It was a really nice setup. We had always heard the stories of babies and even young kids that scream their lungs out when they visit Santa, so Krissy and I were well prepared for a classic 8 month old meltdown. Will didn't disappoint. As I placed him on Santa's lap, he looked immediately up at the Jolly Old Elf with the sweetest face and the photographer snapped off a shot. Then he turned toward his Mom and Dad, and again, the photographer captured a sweet moment of our little guy in the big arms of Santa. But, as soon as the sweetest happened, it quickly left. Will figured out that we were standing a little too far away from him, and he let out a screeching cry! The fun was officially over, but we got two great (and expensive) photos to remember the day by. Days until Christmas... 20.Snow on the ground in Louisiana... in early December!?!?!
Southern babies don't understand the concept of sneaux.
It seems that as Will's independence has grown, so have his "bad habits". Lately, feeding time has become a game for Will, and a food shower for me and Krissy. Seriously, we should probably start wearing a raincoat, goggles and a swimmer's cap when he eats.
For some reason, our sweet boy has decided that it's really funny to make spitting noises when he eats baby food. The process of us getting soaked works like this. As we go to feed him, Will always obliges by opening his mouth nice and wide, taking in a big spoonful of food. Then, when we go to reload the spoon, Will, who hasn't swallowed, waits for us to turn towards him, so he can make a spitting noise, and spray food all over us and the kitchen. This isn't just a one time deal either, and it's not like he's doing it on accident. At least for me, for the past couple weeks, every meal I feed Will turns my shirt into a Jackson Pollock painting. Krissy has asked me to mention, that although she's gotten a baby food shower when she feeds Will, her occurrences are far less frequent. Lucky me! Anyway, to explain what I mean by how these noises aren't just accidents, and how this really is a game for him, Will has actually learned when is the appropriate time to spit, and what an open target looks like. For instance, I've attempted to block the food by putting the spoon in front of his mouth, and have found that this technique actually works! But, on the chance that I remove it too soon, he immediately takes advantage of the situation and spits again, giving me the biggest of smiles! Man this kid is both hilarious and messy!!!
"Gotcha Mommy!"
Jackson Pollock's new canvas... Will's face!
Lining up his target and getting read to blow!
We know this is a little late, but just wanted to say how thankful we are this year. Here's just a sampling of the things we're thankful for. We're thankful for the greatest little blessing ever, being so close to family, the help of our families and friends, selling our Asheville home, our new Alexandria friends, having great friends travel to meet Will, the strength to make tough decisions, and the love we have for each other. It's been another tough year, but with a little faith and some courage, we made it!For Thanksgiving, we went home to Lafayette for five days to visit with family, do some shopping, and of course turkey out on multiple Thanksgiving feasts. Ben's Grandpa made the trip down from Michigan for Thanksgiving, and it was great to have him spend some extended time with his great-grandson. Ben's sister Carrie also came in from Dallas to play with her now much more active nephew. 
Four generations of Pierce men.
Lulu, Gramps, Carrie and Wiggle Worm.
Nonna keeping Will warm on Thanksgiving.
Ben and Lulu take some time to snuggle.
Will and Elena have become fast friends, you know, the kind of friends that hit each other in the head and pull one another's hair.
Trouble's got a new tactic
Most babies are supposed to learn to sit up before they learn to pull themselves up and stand. Not Will. In his book of non-stop exploring, sitting just doesn't cut it. By sitting, he limits himself to the floor where non of the fun things Mom and Dad leave on the furniture, out of the way, can be found.
Will's actually been pulling himself up for a few week now, but lately, he's gotten very good at it. We no longer need to be hovering over him as he holds on to his baby gate or the edge of the couch. He's taken a couple of good falls (a relative term for over protective parents), nothing serious, but now he lands like a pro, right on his soft little tushy.We're so proud of him, and by the picture, you can tell that he's pretty proud of himself too.
"Look what a big boy I am!"
Fall is officially here, and boy has it been a fun season for us to share with Will so far. Of course, to kick off the season, we visited a local pumpkin patch for a photo shoot and watched Will crawl from pumpkin to pumpkin, licking each one as he went along. From the looks of his face they looked very tasty. Ben and I carved both of our pumpkins, which Will loved helping with and we painted a "Little Bean" pumpkin for our little man as well.
Will contemplating whether he'll be a pumpkin head like his Dad when his hair decides to come in.
Fall might be Will's favorite season.
The boys watching Mom take her time carving her pumpkin.
Diving in!
"Ewww, this was fun, but now it's just cold and sticky."
Before we knew it, Halloween rolled around and it was a great first Halloween for us. We spent the day at the Hoover house as they were having a Halloween Bash. For the first time, Will got on a fun jump and was a little overwhelmed by it's large size. The bouncing children all around him didn't really help ease his nerves any. He did however enjoy the slide part of it. I must admit that the kids were not the only ones who enjoyed the fun jumps. Us adults also had our fair share of time on it and I must say I acquired quite a few brush burns and bruises along the way. It was the next day that I realized my body is no longer made for activities such as those.
Later that night, we obviously went Trick or Treating and our sweet boy was absolutely adorable. He went as none other than a "Little Bean," and I was a princess. Such a trooper, Will went from house to house, held the candy bag on his own, and trick or treated. He made it for about 30 minutes, and then conked out. Needless to say, I had a sleeping Bean on me the whole way back home. He wore himself to a frazzle. The funniest part is even as I walked home with Will, Ben decided to continue trick or treating with our group and went up to every house with the other kids and an empty stroller. People probably thought he was a little crazy, but he didn't care. He just wanted some good candy :)
Overall, the day was a success and we had a FA'BOO'LOUS time! We enjoyed this special experience with Will and look forward to the many more firsts to come in the near future. Now onto Thanksgiving and Christmas. We can't wait!!!
The princess and the (pea) Bean.
"Fill 'er up please! My Mom and Dad want some chocolate bars!"
