Auntie Kris Visits...and more Xmas

Billy turns 9 months old this week! January was a busy month for Billy: he cut 4 teeth practically on top of each other - his two front top teeth and two bottom front teeth!

We also finally moved our living room furniture down into our den, and he's been busy crawling around down there.

His Auntie Kris came for a quick visit over Martin Luther King weekend. We snapped some photos, as well as video of Billy trying to climb our basement stairs with his Auntie's help.

(If you can't see the video below please click here...)



Here's a few photos from Auntie Kris' quick visit:























Here is a medly of pictures from Christmas that we took at our house and at Grandma Peggy's:

Big Halloween & First Veggies Update!

Hi, gang! It's been a while since I updated the blog, so I have quite a lot of ground to cover, including Halloween and some Billy milestones: his first foray into the world of veggies and sippy cups!

As some of you already know, Billy was a monkey for his very first Halloween! He was a very good sport as Daddy dressed him up and took him around our neighborhood Trick or Treating. In these photos you can see Daddy in one of the Halloween t-shirts Mommy designed for her online store. And the trick or treat tote bag is also one of Mommy's designs. Below are some closeups and all of Billy's "loot."











This month, Billy turned 6 months, and he got the O.K. from the pediatrician to start adding veggies to his diet. The first one we tried was peas. He was willing at first - until he got that first taste! After only a couple of bites, he threw up all over mommy (We think he gagged on the spoon...oh dear, that's close to a bad 80s reference, isn't it?).











We tried again the next day (notice the different bib?) but still, Billy still turned his nose up at the yummy goodness of peas. His daddy, who is a meat and potatoes guy all the way, walked around looking smug for the next couple of days. So we tried him on carrots next... Billy thought they were pretty yucky too. Now, however, Billy's expanding his palate, and will tolerate sweet potatoes. And he will choke down applesauce and bananas...but he makes a face with every swallow.










Below are photos of Billy trying his first sippy cup of water! He wasn't quite sure what to do with it at first. He enjoyed licking it. And banging it. But after a while he grabbed it and started chewing on the spout. He seemed surprised every time water came out of it!




Finally, Grandpa Bill and Grandma Dar sent Billy a surprise Thanksgiving present! Billy really had fun opening his first gift-wrapped box. He even tried to eat the wrapping paper!













Despite a bit of itchy eczema in his elbow joints and ankles, Billy is doing really well. He's even started to crawl, and can stand up by himself if he's holding on to something!

The other news is that we bought a webcam and can now do live video chats with anyone how has the technology - and Windows Live Messenger. Granny Lyn was our first guinea pig and successfully chatted away with Billy. If anyone wants to get in on the act, send me an e-mail, and we'll hook up.

We hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Karyn, Jeremy & Billy

Billy Rolled Over...and Other News

Hey, gang! Today was an important day in Billy's milestones... He rolled over onto his tummy for the very first time this morning! Good Job Billy!

Although I missed the 'moment' with the camera, you can see him trying by viewing the video below or see it directly at YouTube...



Billy has been been pretty serious about rolling onto his stomach ever since we moved him from his bassinet into his crib (another important milestone!) on Sunday night. Over the weekend, we'd gone down to Ohio to visit Grandma Peggy and to meet the rest of his aunts & uncles - Jer's family was having a mini-reunion. It was completely fun, and completely chaotic with all the Bonfiglio siblings and their kids in one place! Billy seemed to enjoy every minute of it, too.

He got to meet his Uncle Joel and cousins Nicole and Jana for the first time, as well as Aunt Jill, Uncle Dave, and cousins Jordan and Dustin. He also watched as Uncle Joel took Grandma Peggy 4-wheeling!











While at Grandma's, Billy slept in a crib, so we thought that when we got home it would be the perfect opportunity to get him out of his bassinet. Although Mommy was terrified and teary-eyed about letting him sleep all by himself in his own room, Billy settled down for bed like he'd been sleeping in his crib for years... but, unbeknownst to to him, Mommy sat up for a long time listening to every peep he made on the baby monitor! And Billy made a lot of noise as he rolled around and fussed in his sleep, as well as his more concerted efforts of turning over. Usually whenever Mommy or Daddy came in to check on him or pick him up, he was sprawled out in all kinds of crazy positions on the mattress.

Billy's also learning to play on his own, thanks to an Exersaucer Grandma Peggy had! Billy's technically too little for the Exersaucer, but he took to it immediately! He stretched out his legs and spun round and round, rubbing his little hands on the yellow tray top and trying to pick up the toys we put in front of him.

He enjoyed it so much, we went out and bought him his own Exersaucer as soon as we got back home. The one we bought is for babies 4 months or older, so, at 3 months, Billy's a little bit too small for it yet. He couldn't sit in it properly. But when we sat him backwards in it, so he was standing and leaning on the backrest to support himself, he had a great time! Of course, he gets tired after about 5 minutes or so, but while he's in the Exersaucer, he learns valuable skills, like bearing weight on his legs, and hand-eye coordination as he tries to grasp and play with all the toys on the tray top!











That's all for this blog update - We hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

Love,

Karyn, Jeremy & Billy