William at SEVEN months!

Another train-loving Olsen boy

William's current favorite toy: Legos!  

I can do something with this block!

Tomorrow William turns 7 months old! I can't believe the time has gone so quickly. Of course, those late-night wake ups seem to have been going on forever, but the transformation from tiny newborn-- well, he was never really "tiny" -- to curious and personable little man has happened so fast. Our current challenges are separation anxiety and a refusal to nap more than 45 minutes at a time most days. When William thinks he's being left alone and missing out on fun somewhere else, he can pitch a fit with the best of them. Almost no one outside of the walls of this house believes this truth, though. Most of the time, William is a happy guy. When we are out and about, he gets constant comments on how alert he is and how he's clearing watching everything and taking it all in. We will know in a few months what devious schemes he's been planning!

I do believe William is observant and clever, but I think he strikes people as particularly aware because he's just more visible than most babies who have been wrapped up for the winter in buntings and blanket-covered car seats. I gave up on the baby-carrying bucket seat a few months ago because William is heavy enough even without accessories. Thankfully, this mild winter has made it easy to dart in and out of buildings with a basic coat and hat on him. Either in my arms or in the Ergo carrier (Why, oh why, did it take me three kids to discover the joy of the Ergo?) William is up at eye level looking at the world.

As for other developmental milestones, William is eating whatever he can get his hands on. He seems frustrated that food doesn't get to his mouth fast enough and he's starting to hold a sippy cup on his own, ever so briefly. The bottle just never interested him, but he's likes the Nuby cups. He can grab baby puffs but hasn't quite mastered getting them from his hand to mouth. Soon enough. He's not crawling yet, but he rolls across the floor with speed. Sometimes he just rolls and giggles. He's always pretty excited to do something on his own.

As you can see from the pictures, William is very happy to play with big kid toys. He likes Erik's trains, which Erik expected. Erik does not appreciate when William rolls across the tracks, though. William likes Legos, too. Our major struggle is going to be keeping all the tiny construction toys away from him. Fortunately, we have an ample collection of Duplo and Quatro Legos for our Junior-est civil engineer.

In recent weeks, a few times I've been out shopping when someone, usually a clerk at Aldi as it happens, fusses over William and says "Congratulations." Honestly, my mental response is: "Congratulations for what? Oh, yeah! I have a new baby." In many ways, it seems like William was a novelty for just a week or so after he was born and then it was as if he had always been a part of the family. With Erik and Anna's school and social schedules to keep me busy, I just haven't had time to bask in Williams new-baby-ness. I don't feel like he's missing out on attention, though. Even though his baby days are zipping by, he gets so much love from his brother and sister and attention from everyone we meet taking them where ever they need to go. Sometimes I have a moment of panic thinking, "Wow, who put me in charge of three kids?" I also have many moments of absolute love for all the kids. When I'm getting William ready for bed each night I can' t help but thank God for the miracle of three healthy children, three happy, smart, loving children. I am so thankful that one more time I get to participate in a child's discovery of the world, step by step. Happy seven-month birthday, William.