William Walker is ONE

Our little boy turned one a few weeks ago.  ONE.  Goodbye baby and hello toddler.  To put it simply, he is an absolute joy.  We had an airplane themed party for him in an actual historic airplane hangar.  Will loved crawling around before the party in the big, open space and we loved hearing him make his happy sounds and see his huge grin.  He really does love airplanes and points to the sky when he hears one fly overhead and says his own version of airplane.

Will also loves music, country to be precise.  He puts his hand up in the air and sways and smiles.  It appears that he loves making music too.  He now has several drums, tambourines and other noise makers.  For this Mama who avoided all toys that made sounds with Belle, I am learning to embrace Will's love for music.

Will is getting close to walking.  He crawls on all fours and is beginning to do free standing.  He has been furniture walking for some time now and I am just waiting for the day he is brave enough to take his first step solo.  He is a climber.  He mastered the stairs several months ago and can bolt up them now.  His big sister taught him how to go down the stairs and he has only tumbled down a few times.  He enjoys standing on toys that he shouldn't, reaching for light switches, sitting on top of tables, in drawers and really wants to be big enough to climb on top of our bed.

Will's vocabulary is growing.  Of course Dada and Mama are common, he has a word for Belle, but it really just sounds like he is yelling out at her.  He says outside, dog, this, that, more, apple juice, Liz (our nanny) and several other words.  I can't wait to hear more from him as he gets older.

Will is still our cuddle bug.  He loves to have a soft blanket by his face.  He blesses us nightly by getting up around 1 a.m. or so to have a bottle and when he is done, he rolls over and lays on me and gives me a big hug.  Within several minutes he is sound asleep again and I will admit I usually doze for a bit with him there.  I want to soak this period up as long as I can before he moves on.

Will loves water.  He squeals with delight when he hears a bath running, doesn't flinch when the sprinkler is running on him to keep him cool, hasn't missed a beat during his swim lessons and loves his water table.  We also have an outdoor play set that he enjoys standing on and shouting from.  It appears that he is announcing to the neighborhood he is outside and loving it.

I thank Will every night when I put him to bed for being my son and being so sweet.  I can't seem to find the right words to properly express my enduring love for this little boy.  He has simply rocked our world in the best of ways.