An introduction to Will, my baby

OK. My little one's name is William Everett, and he was born June 13, 2006. His older brother was only 17 months old at the time and still very much a baby himself. Suddenly we had two cribs and two babies in diapers. We were preparing two bottles, buying a double stroller and trading our sedan for a minivan. It was a different world. I remember thinking that life was challenging with one baby, and all of a sudden that seemed absurd. I soon was longing for those single-baby days when I could get a shower or talk on the phone while my little one napped. Not anymore! For the first 6 or 7 months of Will's life, the boys were on completely different napping schedules, so there was no rest for the weary. And I was very weary.

Oh, back to telling you about my adorable Bubba (very country, I know,  but that is what his big brother calls him). We settled on his name before he was born, and I told my husband that I wanted to call him "Billy" after by dad if he was born with red hair (lots of red hair on that side of the family). Gary, my husband, didn't like the idea, but I think he was pretty confident that he didn't have to worry about Will being born with red hair as his is blonde and mine is dark brown. Well, Will is a carrot-top for sure. I was thrilled about his hair color, but I could tell right away that I wasn't going to have my way with his nickname. So, he's Will, well, when he's not Bubba. He started walking at 11 1/2 months and hasn't slowed down yet. He's always in 5th gear--moving fast and letting the world know he's here. He loves to yell and grunt, not in the obnoxious tantrum kind of way, just as a way of communicating. You know, like he's Leo DiCaprio standing on the bow of the Titanic yelling, "I'm king of the world!" That's Bubba. He's king of the world.

He weighs the exact same as his big brother to within a tenth of a pound, and he's almost as tall. He walks like a body builder whose thighs are too large, and sometimes he strikes a pose that looks just like a sumo wrestler getting ready to fight--feet spread far apart, hands on bent knees, look on his face that seems to say, "Here I come! Hope you're ready for me." He isn't talking yet except for the occasional "mama". That may be, in part, because of his fondness for his pacifier. I have started leaving it in the bed between waking in the morning and the afternoon nap. We'll see how it goes. When he wakes up from nap, there's no taking it from him without a fight, so I'm taking it slowly.

Let me say more about Will's beautiful physical attributes. He has an underbite, but it's adorable, at least until I start having to pay for braces. His eyes are huge blue saucers that suck you in and make you fall in love with him. He walks around with a permanent look of wonder on his face--eyebrows raised and mouth open. His uncle says he looks like W.C. Fields. I'm not in agreement. 

Will is sweet and funny and loving and very inquisitive--all the makings for a perfect little boy.