Christmas Gifts

Check out Billy's new wheels! He must have been a very good boy this year, (he's the BEST!!)















Santa also brought Billy a play tent that attatches to the tunnel he's had for several months. It's a really cool place to play!

Merry Christmas to all!

Growing Up and Moving On

Trucks, Tractors, and Airplanes

Last Saturday morning Billy and I went out to Fort Steilacoom Park for the first annual Truck and Tractor Day. It was very exciting for Billy, and I'm sure we'll be back next year. He loved seeing all the big trucks and tractors and getting to climb inside them. Last Saturday was also Billy's half birthday, so it was nice to have something special to do with him. He got a "hard" hat to bring home, which he enjoys wearing around the house.

After his nap we drove up to the airport to pick up Stu, who had just returned from a week in Texas. We didn't actually get to see the airplane that Daddy flew in on, but running around the baggage claim area was fun! (Too bad Stu's bag never actually showed up... it was delivered to us the following morning.) And we're enjoying having the family together this week.

Picture-Free Blog?!!

I just thought an update was in order, yet I had no cute pictures to post with my commentary- thus, this initial picture-free entry.

Billy's been teething, and it has disrupted his sleep a bit. This morning he woke up at 3 am, and was restless until we finally got up at 5:30 for breakfast, (and coffee!) Since I had un-interupted sleep from 10 to 3, I actually felt okay with this today. After having something to eat, getting a clean diaper, and running into the bedroom to wake up daddy, Billy was feeling pretty good. We took a look at the morning news, and were given a three minute warning for our chance to see the international space station. So, we got ourselves outside and looked up into the sky, and there it was, coming up over the horizon. "I think that's it," I said to Billy, as I pointed up at the the moving light in the sky. "Burr," he said as he pointed back at it, (he was trying to say bird, which is what we usually call things that are flying in the sky!) I told him it wasn't a bird, that it was the international space station, and I thought it was pretty cool to be looking at it together.

Yes, Billy is starting to say a few words! It's quite fun and exciting. He's definately taking his time with it, but he's moving in the right direction, (he does have plenty of time after all!) There are three words we recognize so far: dog, squirrell, and bird. Probably as a typical toddler would, he pronounces the first half of the word and glosses over the final consonent.

Two more businness trips coming up for Stu. He'll be taking classes instead of teaching this time, which will be a lot easier in many ways. First he's off to Texas, and then to New Mexico, with a week at home in the middle. Billy and I are hoping to visit Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Ruthie up in Bellingham while he's gone, and maybe also a few other friends and relatives. We'll also be busy with swim classes and toddler gym, and play-dates with his friend Owen, and all the other fun things we do! And once Stu gets back from New Mexico we'll be getting into the holiday season again- wow, how time flies!

Billy's First Trip to the Zoo!

A few pictures from our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo yesterday. It was a beautiful day and so much fun to tour the zoo and see all the interesting animals. Billy was especially fond of the penguins, which I agree are very cute! And during our junk food lunch, we discovered that Billy loves ketchup!!

(The other random shot, is just because Billy looks so cute "reading" Stu's hot wings recipe on the leather chair! He's climbing up there himself now, and finds it to be a comfy spot to sit and read.)

A Doozy of a Day

Just got back from Billy's 2nd trip to the Puyallup Fair. He had fun making noise on this crazy toy. He also enjoyed looking at and listening to all the animals... and people!
Today he had his first taste of a fair scone, which he liked just as much as Stu and I do. We had great weather, and it wasn't even very crowded this morning- a perfect day at the Fair!! (Next year he'll be old enough to ride on some of the rides!)

We were there from 10-1, and now he's taking nice afternoon nap. Having that much fun takes a lot out of you!

Photo Shoot

Today I picked up the pictures from Billy's photo shoot at Pt. Defiance. We used a photographer named Sadie Williams, who I think did a wonderful job. Here are a few of the images; they were taken July 25th.

Busy Bill

Billy turned 15 months old this month. He's 24.5 lbs, 30" tall, and has 12 teeth. He's keeping busy and having lots of fun...
and so are we!

Summer Fun

We had a very warm week last week, and it inspired us to get a baby pool for Billy to play in. He had a lot of fun, and when warm weather returns he'll be ready to do it again!

We also enjoyed the 4th of July together. We went out to Fort Lewis for their Freedom Fair, and Billy got his first taste of an elephant ear. He rode on Daddy's shoulders most of the afternoon, where he had a great view of the crowd. We came home for a traditional BBQ dinner, with potato salad and watermelon. Billy didn't like any of that after tasting the sugar coated elephant ear at the fair! As for fireworks, we just watched them on TV after Billy was in bed.

Happy Birthday to the USA! And Happy Birthday early to Aunt Ruthie... we love you!!

Our 1st Family Road Trip

I'll call it an overall success! We had a great Father's Day weekend in Spokane, with Grandpa Dwight. We also worked in a quick visit with Brian, Michelle, and Gabby Okken- Billy's uncle, aunt, and cousin! We now know what it's like to travel with children, and I think that we still might do it again someday... hopefully later this summer we can have our 1st Family Vacation!

Here's Billy...

Billy is getting more confident on his feet, and he's getting faster... sometimes he can't even keep up with himself!

















And he's feeding himself, which is quite a site! We're eating in the kitchen now, for obvious reasons. (He almost needs a bath after each meal!)

A Beautiful Weekend

Daddy's Home! And just in time for Mother's Day. The family enjoyed a nice four day weekend together after Stu returned from a steady 3 weeks of long work days in remote Alaska.

Stu first noticed the increase in Billy's size, and next the increase in his activity!! Our little boy has been busy practicing his locomotion, and he's really getting around now. For the last few weeks he's been holding his hands up over his head while he walks, as if to say, "look mom, no hands!" Stu thought it made him look a little like an orangutan!

He can now walk between rooms, and if he gets bored of one room he'll just get up and go-- pretty darn quick! He's also gotten better at falling down, and more used to the frequent stumbles. Last Monday I bought him his first real pair of shoes, and getting used to walking in them is a new struggle. But he's ready, and there's no holding him back!

When Billy gets tired enough to sit still for a few minutes, he's been fascinated with putting/taking lids on/off things, opening/closing things, pulling/putting things in/out, etc. He's so excited to do these things for himself, and it's a joy to see. He finds things around the house that interest him, and takes them over as toys for himself. In the bedroom I had a small plastic container with 3x5 notecards inside, and he discovered he could open it and pull out the cards, (but wait that's not the best part...) then he could put them back in and close it, and then do it all over again!! Stu and I sat watching him do just that for 15-20 minutes on Saturday afternoon. And ofcourse he was sharing the cards with us as they came out, such a sweetie!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, and we had a full day enjoying it together. We ran a few errands in the morning together, (and stopped at Starbuck's along the way for a Mother's Day latte.) We also managed to fit in two naps for Billy in the morning, since he was up at 5:30. After his lunch, Grandma Janis was over and we all went on a lovely walk at nearby Lakewold Gardens. From there we headed to the Tacoma waterfront for an early dinner with the rest of the Bitow family. Thankfully we had a separate room at the restaraunt where Billy was able to make his continual laps around the table without disturbing any strangers. A few of his relatives shared some sweet treats with him, and he quickly learned which ones to go back to! He did well, and after stopping at great-grandma Bitow's on the way home, he was quite ready for bed when 7:30 rolled around. It was a lovely Mother's Day for me, and as I am every day- I was very thankful for the blessings of motherhood, and my wonderful family.

Billy and I spent the first weekend of May with my Mom, and also toured Lakewold Gardens together, althought the weather wasn't quite as glorious. We really enjoyed our time with her also. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life! And much LOVE!!

Billy's First Birthday!!

The big day is approaching when Billy will officially be ONE! We had a great celebration last Saturday, (which gave us the week to come to the realization that Billy will really be one year old! What a year it's been... and we're so happy to have him in our lives!) As you can see, Billy thoroughly enjoyed his new toys and his birthday cupcake. He also had a great time talking and laughing with the relatives that joined in the celebration.

Sunday we enjoyed our first Easter with Billy, at Grandma Janis' house. Billy was an excellent Easter egg hunter, very capable of picking up eggs and placing them in his basket; Stu and I were so proud! It was such fun, and Billy even shared his candy with us... the money, he saved.

Billy and I are taking a swim class at the YMCA, which is fun for us both. He likes the water; doesn't mind it splashing or dripping on him, but I haven't yet tried dunking him. I'm working up to it! Another thing I'm working on with Billy is weaning. It's so nice to be able to pour him a glass of milk and just hand it over to him! We're both ready for the transition, but we're doing it gradually for my sake.

And he's getting closer and closer to walking! We are keeping busy down here, and things are definately happenning. Here's to another great year for our fabulous Billy. We love you!!

Having Fun Together

We've been having lots of fun with our happy baby. Everyday things are fun toys for him: a cloth napkin in daddy's teeth, a row of movies on a shelf, a pair of shoes left on the floor... most of all he loves to interact with us and we relish in that!

His smile and laugh are contagious. Anyone needing cheering up just needs a little time with Billy! And some prime visiting time is approaching as Stu heads off for two businness trips in the next few months. We'll be missing dear old Dad, but getting out and about to keep from getting lonely; don't be surprized if we wind up on your doorstep one afternoon!

Three Generations

We were so happy to have Grandpa Dwight in town for a few days last week! He was over from Spokane on businness and had a little extra time to spend with us. It was great for Billy to get re-acquainted with his grandpa, and for Stu to be in the middle of such a great generational sandwich. If we could add one more Correll man to this picture it would be William Fairman Correll, who Stu remembers as Grandpa Bill, and who Billy was named after.

We'll be together again sometime this spring when Stu, Billy, and I make the trek east to see Dwight's new home.

Billy and Grandma Em

Wiggle Worm

The newest challenge is changing a wiggling baby's diaper. Maybe some of you will have sympathy with this. Toys will distract him long enough to get the pants and diaper off, but then he's flipped himself over and trying to crawl away, (or dive off the end of the changing table!) I can flip him back over onto his back, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there, and certainly not long enough to get the clean diaper on. How did you do it when you had to use safety pins?!! I guess this frustration will be one of the motivating factors toward potty-training...

And the sleep issues continue, which I've accepted as a permanent parenting dillemma. Some naptimes are easier than others, and if the nap never occurs there's always bedtime! Lately, Stu and I have been heading to bed not long after Billy, to cozy up under the warm blankets and read our books and magazines.

Mom/Grandma Em will be down today for a visit, which I'm looking forward to. We might go out to a Greenhouse and Nursery I've been wanting to visit. That will really get us in the mood for spring!

Happy Valentine's Day

This picture was taken last Friday, when Billy and I were at the park with some friends. It's unfortunate that MaryKate's head is missing from the picture, as well as her daughter, (aside from a shadow.) But you sure can tell who's the center of my attention! Billy got to go in the swing for the first time, which he loved. Look at the beautiful blue sky in the background! It was a great day, but still February; so we bundled up appropriately.

But since I'm here to say Happy Valentine's Day, I'll move forward to the present day. It was another beautiful day today, and Billy and I had a nice walk down to Safeway and back. We picked up a few things for a special Valentine's dinner, and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine along the way. Along one of the quiet streets by the library, a women pulled over in her van and rolled down a window to talk to us. She pointed at a nearby house and told me I should go and knock on the door. She said a young mother lived there who had mentioned needing someone to walk with. It was quite unusual to be recruited for such a postion, and I decided to go ahead and walk down there. Luckily, a potentially awkward moment went rather smoothly. Kimberly introduced me to her darling little 16 month old daughter, Eliot, and invited Billy and I in! We chatted for a bit and exchanged phone numbers before I left to get Billy home for naptime. I'm still not sure what to think about Kim's quirky neighbor, but she seems to have done us a service!

The nap didn't really work out after we got home, but the Valentine's Day evening worked out nicely. Billy was tired and in bed around 7, leaving Stu and I to enjoy a late dinner, one on one! It's just another day to be thankful for my two wonderful guys- my loveable, huggable, kissable Valentines! Hope that your day was happy too!

Week in Review

It's wet again today, but we had a nice couple of dry days and even a little sunshine. It was great to get out in the yard a bit, and take a few long walks with Billy. On Monday I managed to dig up an old ivy covered stump on the right side of our front yard. It was a difficult task, but I felt pleased to have accomplished it. (And ofcourse, there's lots more accomplishment to be had in that arena.)

Stu and I enjoyed a nice day out together last Saturday. Grandma Janis happily watched Billy for us while we went out to lunch, and to the Tacoma Home and Garden show. Nothing for us to buy, but fun to look around and get ideas. We also ran into a lady I'd gone through training with out at New Tacoma Cemetary a little over a year ago. She's now selling subscriptions for the Tacoma News Tribune, which she's well suited for. She's got lots of energy and loves talking with people, and it was fun to see her again, (although she was dissappointed Billy wasn't with us!)

Today is our day to go to the grocery store, where we will enjoy compliments from other shoppers about Billy's noticeable health and happinness. From the looks of things now, a walk this afternoon is questionable. But the forecast is for sunshine tomarrow and Friday, which I'm looking forward to.

I guess that's all I've got for now. Cheerio!

Making Friends

Billy's been enjoying his new favorite snack- rice crackers. He just sits and munches away while making lots of happy noises to tell us how much he likes them. So easy to please!


Billy and I had a fun day yesterday visiting with my friend Rachel and her two year old son Blake. We had lunch together and a stroll around Southcenter Mall, (the ideal halfway point for meeting Seattle-area friends and family.) Billy and Blake have met before, but not at an age where Billy could interact much. As you can see here, they seemed to get along well! And Rachel and I had a nice time chatting about motherhood. She's expecting a baby girl the end of May, (possibly on my birthday!)

A Funny Face!

Climbing and Crawling

We had a nice visit from my Dad and Ginny on Friday. Billy showed off some of his new moves, and later on he got into a razzing contest with Grandpa. And on Sunday while Stu was at a friend's place watching the football game, Billy and I went up to Southcenter mall to meet my mom. We discovered together that there is a library at Southcenter mall; a great place for Grandma Em to play and read with Billy. Later that afternoon we stopped in at Great-Grandma Bitow's for a visit. A great weekend for seeing family.

Monday and Tuesday Billy was a little under the weather. He had a bit of a runny nose and a cough, but most noticeably he lost his appetite and was extra tired. Yesterday he started feeling a lot better, and he was very happy about that. We also noticed yesterday how much his crawling has improved. He is especially motivated by a tower built with his stacking cups, because he loves to knock it over. And he's starting to really love pulling himself up on things: couch, shelves, piano bench, me,...what a big boy! It's fun to watch him wobble, and to see the joy and pride on his face. It's more than fun, it's heartwarming!

Otherwise, we've just been living the routine, which Billy and I both enjoy. We're getting more regular with the timing of meals, naps, and bedtime. Bedtime has moved up to 7-7:30, allowing Stu and I some time together in the evening. And Billy is getting more of his much needed rest. He's a growing boy!!

New Adventures with Sleep

This is an old picture; of the "good old days" when naptimes were somewhat simpler. Billy liked to be in the corner, so he had the comfort of the bumpers around him to help him feel cozy. I layed him down there when he was drowsy, and he might cry a little and roll around a bit, but then he went to sleep, (usually.) Things have changed since then...

We took the bumpers out because I had read that they're a safety hazard once the babies start pulling themselves up. And once we did that it seemed like his crib was a completely new place; he now perks up being put there, and wants to start exploring the place! And especially while he's focused on learning how to crawl, he will immediately roll onto his belly and get up onto his knees; the idea of going to sleep completely disappearing from his mind. It just takes more winding down time after he has satisfied his exploratory nature, and a bit more crying, but he does eventually go to sleep- usually on his belly. When I go in to check on him and/or reassure him, he will sometimes just look up at me with an incredible grin. He's so proud of his new abilities, and it's adorable. I'm still determined that letting him go to sleep on his own is best for everyone involved, but it sure takes a while sometimes. Stu had said to me that he just doesn't understand why taking a nap is met with such resistance, it sounds like bliss to both of us!

We're looking forward to a visit from Grandpa Gil and Grandma Ginny today. We'll attempt going out to dinner with our little noise-maker. Before they arrive I'll try to fit in a shower and a quick clean up around the house, along with a trip out to the market.

Thanks for all the positive feedback regarding the blog!

Happy Birthday Dwight

This blog will be a project for me to keep up with- and I'm not making any promises, but I'll give it a try. Billy has several grandparents out of town, and this will be a nice way for all of you to keep up with your sweet grandson. Aunt Ruthie has a blog about her adventures in Prague, and I've really enjoyed keeping up on her life through the postings she writes. Our blog will likely be slightly less interesting, so I'll compensate by adding adorable pictures of Billy, (worth much more than a thousand words!) Tomorrow is Grandpa Dwight's birthday, and this can hopefully be a gift that keeps on giving, a way to see more pictures and hear more stories about little Bill and our new little family.

Just a few days and Billy will be 9 months old!! He's grown up so much and is constantly amazing us. This week he is just barely starting to crawl. He can make one or two crawl moves before falling down to his belly. And he's also starting to try to pull up onto the couch, and the railing of his crib. It was just last week that the doctor was asking me about these developemental "milestones" and I was saying that he wasn't quite there yet. But I think he'll make it just in time for his 9 month birthday, he just doesn't want to be rushed. I don't really want to rush him either... I know that we're really in for it now!! He'll be in to everything, and aside from that it's just one step further away from being my sweet babe in arms. I cherish the moments pictured above, knowing they won't last forever. But what a blessing those moments are!!