Milestone #1: Elias Moves Forward!
This was a big one. At 11.5 months, Elias Peter Willmott wiggled his little baby body in a forward movement to get to a toy. He has been sitting on his own forever. He has been rolling both ways since about 3 months. He has been pulling himself around in circles while laying on his belly for many months now, but this whole forward movement thing was something we had just kinda come to terms with him NEVER doing. But he shocked us all one beautiful day when he wiggled and army crawled his way right out of his infancy into full-blown, gating up the stairwells, locking all the cupboards, finding edges of pages of my books bitten out, pre-toddler hood!
Along with his new moves, he has also mastered the at of clapping (he can make a really satisfying sound once he gets going), he can say his version of "what's that?" which sounds like this, "hhuuhhsaaaaa?" while he points his chubby finger at the item in question, and he can play a mean game of 'peek-a-boo' either with the hands-to-face method or the blanket-over-head method (he excels at both, a very well-rounded child).
Milestone #2: Noah Learns to Use a Zipper!
This is a major accomplishment in his little life. He has been trying and trying all winter to 'put the mouse in the house' (I know, it sounds... off) but he has finally gotten the hang of it and he couldn't be happier. He is so proud when he does it, it makes my heart melt! It is however, often times offset by the biggest-ever-freak-out-of-frustration that occurs before he calms down enough to be able to see the little zipper through the tears. But the freak-outs are getting fewer and farther between. He is really getting this down. I'm sure by the time he doesn't need to wear a coat anymore he will have nailed it! Now on to wiping his own bum and doing up his own pants! (Haha, you're welcome for the visual!)
Milestone #3: Abby Learns to Read and Spell Full Sentences!
This is so cute. I love hearing her sound out a sentence all - SUH SUH SUH- ULL ULL ULL- OWE OWE OWE- WUH WUH WUH- LUH LUH LUH- YUH YUH YUH (Slowly). It is super adorable and really rewarding as a mom to listen to! She is also in the phase of writing, where the sentences that she writes are now decipherable to a mom or dad, but still so cute. The other day she wrote a letter to her friend Emerson and this is what it said:
To Emrsn. I Love You. I mis you when you ar at hom. When wil you be at skol.
See you can totally understand that! She is doing a superb job with her spelling and reading and will walk around with a little notepad as I clean the house saying things like "How do you spell scrub the toilet, how do you spell fold the laundry". I love her natural desire to learn, it's really amazing to watch!
Milestone #4: Elias Turn ONE YEAR OLD!!!
Elias turned one last Friday, March 4th! Usually we like to do a little early morning happy birthday and open presents when the kids all wake up. This year however, I had mentally prepared myself to be on the outside of this little event because I leave for work just before or right at 6am when I am on day shift. Our kids tend to naturally sleep until about 7, so I knew I would miss out on this one. But Mike surprised me and suggested that we wake them all up early and he would just deal with the chaos while he tried to get ready for work so I wouldn't miss one of my favourite little mommy pleasures (birthday morning hugs and kisses). So we woke Abby and Noah up and went down to wake the big birthday boy up!
He was so cute, all groggy and unwilling to wake up to begin with, but once we gave him some presents to help open, (the term help being used VERY liberally as Abigail and Noah did most of it) he woke right up and was back to his adorable smiley self! 
Noah and Abby were to cute. I took them out to pick out their gifts for Elias. Abby picked a very age appropriate toy. She really put some thought into what Elias would enjoy playing with. It was cute to see her think of him as she made her choice. Noah originally picked a spaceship that had guns to 'pewm the aliens', then we talked him into a more age appropriate toy. But just as we were about to leave, Noah spotted a 'future NBA star' plate, cup, bowl, spoon and fork set and decided that Elias would definitely "want his own fork" so he changed his mind and picked that. Too cute.
We had a fun little 15min birthday morning before mommy rushed off to work. Then after work, the kids and I met up with Mike for the 'McDonalds birthday dinner' that Abby was sure Elias should get "like they both do" LOL!
The next day we had Elias' first family birthday party. The guest list included: Mommy, Daddy, Abby, Noah, Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Bekah, Uncle Graham, Alexis, Aunt Kirsten, Uncle Andrew, and Aunt Charlee. He was missing a few of his loved ones but still had a fabulous turn-out! I will say one thing though, it is extremely hard to judge how much food to buy when Elder Willmott isn't here. I'm sure I will get the hang of it, at just about the time he gets back from his mission.
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| Big Boy! |
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| All the big kids busy doing the work! |
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| Such a cute birthday boy! |
Milestone #5: Mike Caves and Orders Bell ExpressVu so he can 'Enjoy the Tournament in HD'
Haha this requires no explanation. But it was a big day. BIG. Only time will tell if he can actually find some free time to watch tv now.
We've had a good month. Life has definitely changed a bit in our house but we are making it work! I have found a small blessing in being busy, and that blessing comes in the form of quality versus quantity. I am finding endless joy in my 'half hour cuddle with Noah before work' time that I didn't recognize when I had all day to cuddle. I cherish the text messages I receive from Abby that say "I. Mis. You. Mommy. I. Love. You. Love. Abby." I love to get hugs and kisses from my husband when I crawl into bed at the end of my day, as he rolls out to begin his, and I melt every time I walk down the stairs when I wake up on afternoon shift and see the rewarding smile of my one-year-old angel, so excited just to see me. Life is extremely rewarding when you have people to love and be loved by. I am so grateful for the life we have, the jobs we have, the family we share, and the joy that comes with it.
May joy and peace be with each of you at all times!
Love from the Willmotts
