Monica's Gender Reveal Party and an Amazing Moment

My cousin Monica is pregnant with her first baby due in November, and we were invited to the gender reveal party she and her husband Chris had.  Since Wayne was still out of town for work, my parents and I rode down to Macon together for the afternoon/evening.  When we got to my aunt and uncle's house, we had a little time to kill.  Will had fun exploring their house.  He found a ceramic cat on the floor that I remember from my childhood.  He signed "cat" when he saw it, but then he decided he was scared of it.  He moved on from the cat and went into their dining room where a portrait of my Granddaddy was leaned up against the wall.

The next thing I know, Will walked straight up to it and started pointing and laughing like he was excited to see him.  He bent down and gave my Granddaddy a kiss...  all completely unprovoked!  I called my mom to come quickly and see and she and I were both tearing up.  He did this for a while...knelt down in front of Granddaddy talking to him like he knew him.  It was an amazing moment for my mom and I to witness.*

Giving Granddaddy Waters kisses.

Talking.

Laughing.

A little while later, it was time to go to the party.  We had a delicious dinner of BBQ and spent some time hanging out.  Will had fun playing with the ice in the cooler.  He would get a piece in his mouth, walk it over to my dad...

then spit it out in his hand.

This game kept him entertained for quite some time.

Then he found the dog's water bowl and discovered he could see his reflection in it.

After everyone finished eating dinner, it was finally time to see if baby Stevens-Kirby is a boy or a girl.  They had this amazing cake made for the big reveal.  We went around the room all stating our guesses, most of us guessing it would be a boy.

Monica and Chris cut into the cake and...

It's a GIRL!!!

We stayed over a little longer before heading back to my aunt and uncle's house to pack up and head home.  After getting in his pjs, Will had fun playing with Aunt Deborah's glasses.

Then aunt Deb started pulling out some of Molly and Monica's old baby clothes from a chest in the room.  We all laughed at remembered when Molly wore this hat.

Speaking of hats, y'all know Will had to show everyone his!

Will and Molly

We ended up staying until a little after 10pm.  Poor little guy was exhausted, but you never would have known it.  He is definitely an extrovert like his mommy.  

It was a really fun Saturday spent with family!

*My Granddaddy, James William Waters, went to be with the Lord February 12, 2004.  He was more-than-words-can-express important to me.  He had the greatest spiritual influence on my life, and I still cry sometimes because I miss him so much.  Our sweet William James is named after him (and Wayne's 2 grandfathers - one William and the other James), and at often times Will's personality reminds me some of my Granddaddy's.  When my Grandmother Waters passed away this past January, my brother encouraged me to read Heaven is for Real, which I highly recommend.  The little boy's trip to Heaven in that book gives me so much encouragement about seeing my grandparents again one day.  And this precious moment between William James Bishop and James William Waters makes me think, in some small yet huge supernatural way, that Will knew exactly who he was talking to, laughing with, and kissing that afternoon.  It brings tears to my eyes and goose bumps to my body thinking about it even now.  I will never forget that moment.  When Will was born, I longed for my Granddaddy to be alive to meet him.  Now I have full confidence he already has.

A few of my favorite things...3-6 months

I left a favorite out of the 0-3 months favorites list.  He used to grab onto us really tightly and tense up when we'd carry him down the stairs.  The feeling of going down used to bother him, but he's a big boy now and isn't scared anymore. :)  I didn't love that he was scared, but I did love how he'd grab on to me tightly.

Now for the new favorites...

How he still holds his legs up like a frog when I pick him up

How he has frog legs when he's eating from a bottle

How he grabs the bottle and holds it himself

How he reaches for me when he wants me to pick him up (swoon!)

How he chews on his paci and smiles

His laugh!

How he tries to chew on another toy while he still has the paci in his mouth

How excited he gets in the exersaucer

How his arms and legs go straight out when he's excited or upset

How he loves standing up and looks so proud of himself while standing

How he loves touching our faces when he can reach them

When I'm holding him, how he turns his whole head to look at me

How one second he's here...

And the next, he's there...

or there...

 

or there...

How he sticks 3 fingers from one hand and 2 from the other in his mouth when his paci isn't available

How he takes his paci out of his mouth and tries to put it back in but usually gets it backwards

He's ticklish :)

How he smiles at you if you smile at him (even if he's fussing)

How easily distractable he is ("waaaaaaah!!!! oh, what's that?")

How anything that winds up in his hand is shaken back and forth (toy, burp cloth, blanket, paci, etc)

How he likes to hold my hand when I stand over his crib

How he will sit with me and cuddle for a few minutes

How he already knows to smile for the camera

How curious and observant he is...I love watching him soak in the world around him!

A few of my favorite things...0-3 months

How he brings his legs up like a frog when I pick him up

How he opens his mouth like a baby bird waiting for his mommy bird to give him the worm when he's hungry or when I lean over to kiss him

When he roots

How he smiles at me while I'm nursing him if he catches my eye

How he gets shy and looks away after giving a big smile

The fact that he cries when he toots (it's funny!)

How he slowly blinks when smiling at me

How he gets a huge smile on his face every time he sees Wayne

How he smiles and talks to himself (or perhaps the pattern on his bumper) in his crib

How he puts his arm over his eyes while nursing

How he opens and closes his hand while nursing

The noises he makes when sucking his paci

How quickly he goes from crying to content when he starts sucking the paci

How he likes to have his arms up by his head

The way he stretches when we undo his swaddle

How he smiles at me when I'm singing a lullaby to him

How he spreads his toes and straightens his legs when he's happy

How his laugh currently sounds like a hiccup

How cute his sneezes and hiccups are

How he cuddles with me when he's sleepy

How he smiles while still sucking on his paci

How the simplest things entertain him and make him happy (looking at the fan or the blinds)

How the thought of him makes my heart sing.  He is the greatest blessing!