Gookie and Football

Will learned a new word yesterday- cookie ("gook-ey"). He is also doing well with "m" words like Mommy, mine, and more (more comes out with a New Yorker accent: mmm- o-wa, very cute). If you know me at all, you know that cookies are VERY important, so I'm glad Will agrees with me. Here's some shots of Will and Daddy making cookies. Will is always wanting to help in the kitchen and whenever I cook dinner he will get out bowls and play with them in the microwave making his own dinner.

We had a fun family outing last week to the arcade and indoor miniature golf. Will had fun running around with the tiny putter they let him use and dropping his ball into the cups. Greg won a mini football at one of the arcade games and to his delight, Will loves to play with it. He even likes watching football games with his daddy on TV, although to be fair he equally enjoys watching basketball games.

Surprise!

Well, many of you have asked why our midwife was only 80% sure we were having a girl, and the reason is because we're having a boy! The umbilical cord has been in the way our last few visits, but today it moved and we all saw what is undeniably a little boy. I wonder if this is the reason I didn't feel like any of the girl names we were talking about felt right, even names I've always liked before. Greg is of course excited to have another boy, although he was quick to point out to me that a girl would have been ok too. I'm excited for Will to have a little brother. I'm sure they will be great partners in crime! So far this kid is measuring 4 days bigger than his due date, so hopefully he'll stay right around there and not be another huge monster for me to carry (and deliver)!

San Francisco!

We were able to take a little trip out to San Francisco earlier this month to see Tanza play volleyball. We were also able to fit in a lot of sightseeing, and there was a lot to see! Will had a good time and was so good on the flight there and back. In fact, on the way back, as soon as we got on the plane he put his head on my lap and slept the whole way! Tanza's team won both nights and her team ended up taking region. They are going to the conference tournament in 2 weeks.

China town

While we were there they had Fleet Week and there were airshows by the Blue Angels. That was probably Greg's favorite part of the trip. It was so cool to watch them fly over the bay and by the bridges. One show we watched from the pier and one we watched from Alcatraz Island. The planes were so close we could sometimes see the pilots in the cockpits! The picture above is from the end of Pier 39 watching the planes fly over Alcatraz.
Blue Angels
Alcatraz

We also saw Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirradelli Square, sea lions, the aquarium (where I was nearly attacked by a 7-foot sea bass) (ok, not really, but he was REALLY big and scary!), and drove some really wild streets. You know a road is too steep if there is a staircase on the side instead of a sidewalk!

Belated

Sorry about the delay in posting. Our internet has been down for a few days and before that, well... what can I say? So yes, we are 80% sure we are having a girl. Our midwife is a little reluctant to say a 100% girl because it could be a sneaky boy waiting to make his appearence and she doesn't want us to be upset (maybe she's had a bad experience with angry parents?). But I'm sure she's right, that it is a girl, so I guess ribbons and bows here we come!
Will is growing so much every day. It's so fun to be with him. He can now say vroom (for airplanes only), yellow (and identify it), blue (boo), and just today started saying baby. He can also sign "hungry" which he is fervently doing right now, so more later!

It's a.....

I know Talia has been keep everyone in suspense about are new baby. So I will tell you all, the midwife is say she is 80% sure that it is a Girl.

Ma-Ma!

Today William was playing with his friend Connor in our front yard. Connor chased him, so Will ran to me yelling "Ma-Ma! Ma-Ma!" It's the first time he's ever called me Momma! It was such a beautiful sound! I'd given up and have been answering to Daddy for the last few months. The stubborn little man has been saying Daddy since he was about 1 and waited until 21 months to say mommy! What a stinker.

Blue Monkey Stampede

Last Friday Greg told me he was taking me somewhere on Saturday for a surprise. We had to leave the house by 7:00 a.m. (no easy feat with a non-morning person and a one-year old) and we got in the car and drove to Antelope Island where they were having the Antelope Island Balloon Stampede! I've been wanting to go to a hot air balloon festival all summer and thought I had lost my chance (actually I thought getting him and Will out of the house so early was a battle that was lost before it was begun).
We had a great time. The weather wasn't perfect for hot air balloons, which do best in very still air, as we had winds around 15 mph, but we were able to see several launch and an inflation demonstration. Will was a bit scared of the balloons at first becuase the fans and flames were so loud, and then becuase the balloon was so huge, but once he saw that it just sat there and then floated away he decided they were ok. His favorite part was the little train made out of 55-gallon drums for the kids to ride. He giggled through most of the ride and the rest of the morning kept trying to run back to the train to ride again.
They also had a clown at the festival doing balloon animals for the kids and Will got a blue monkey climbing a banana tree. That clown was a real artist, I tell you. If any of you need a clown for your next big shindig, give Bobbo the Clown a call.
I'm so lucky to have such a sweet husband that does things like that for me. We both realized the other day that at the festival we both felt like we are now somehow an official family. Maybe it's because Will is getting old enough to interact more with us or becuase there's another one on the way. Maybe it was just the magic of the hot air balloons...