The Silly Smiles of Willy Miles

Party Animal

2008-06-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

Just thought I'd check in with a little update on life lately. Memorial Day week was a busy one for me. Nana and Pop came down so Mommy and Daddy could go out for their anniversary, so naturally I got a little extra attention (and lots of pancakes!)

Then, we all went to the Low Country Boil that our church hosts every year. I tried to dress appropiately for the occasion:

And, to get ready for the trip out to the farm, Mommy and Daddy had taught me some important things about how to communicate with different farm animals.

Right after we made this video, I learned another sound: the pig! I think it's my new favorite.

The next day, we went to Karen and Bryan's Memorial Day party (where I also got a little attention), then to Deb's BBQ in the evening. That's where I got to hang out in a big pool like the other kids! I loved it!
I know Nana and Papaw have a float like this for me up in VA, so I can't wait to show off for them in August!

Besides all this partying, I've mainly been trying to learn new words. I've even learned my first Spanish word:

I've learned where my eyes, ears, nose, mouth and tummy are, and I can point out just about any animal in my books, along with balloons, cake and hats (can you tell I love to party?) Some other things I've been saying lately are 'snack,' 'socks,' 'more,' 'full,' and 'bye-bye daddy.' I've been trying to say 'diaper,' but all I can manage is 'per'...I don't think anyone but mommy would understand that one!

Gotta run eat my 'nack' now, but I'll be back soon!

Love,
Will

Big Will

2008-05-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted--I've been so busy doing big boy things! Now that there's a new little Will in town (Will Brannen was born Tuesday!), I think I might start calling myself Big Will. I'm so happy to have little Will here; for a whole year now I have been greatly outnumbered by little girls....not that I mind, really....

So here's what Big Will has been doing lately:

CRAWLING!

I know, I took my sweet time, but I finally decided there are some benefits to moving around. Like being able to tackle Mommy!

I've also been practicing standing up with lots of help and saying lots of fun words. My new favorite is 'bup'. It means 'cup', but it's so much cuter the way I say it. I even catch Mommy & Daddy saying it my way sometimes. Hee hee.

I'm really looking forward to all the fun I will have this summer. We're going to visit Nana and Pop next week, then Nana and Papaw are coming to visit in June for Uncle Scoupe's wedding! I really love Courtney, his fiancee, so I'm so happy for them!

Today, I think we're going to meet little Will and I'm going to have a picnic with Daddy on campus if it doesn't rain.

I'll try to post more often now that Mommy will be home all summer to type for me. I still have to get some birthday pictures from Aunt Jen, but then I'll put them here. For right now, check out my new profile picture!

Love you all!

~wmg

Photo Catch-up, Part I

2008-04-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since my last post, so I thought it'd be easiest to catch everyone up with this photo series! This first set of pictures is all about my trip to Sea Island. Thanks, Heather & Jack for inviting me!

Here we are, going to the beach for the first time:

Mom let me borrow her sunglasses--don't I look like a super-star?!?

Here's me being silly at the beach. We stopped for this brief photo op before heading to a nice restaurant that night with Jeff & Rachel Norris, and their awesome kids Samuel & Ellie Kate.

At another restaurant, I showed off how I can drink from a real cup. Mom had this delicious cucumber-infused water--I couldn't get enough!

That same day, we all hung out at the pool for a while. I loved splashing in the water. Now I do the same thing in the bath tub at home!

Another big first for me: I touched a real live fish for the first time. I thought it looked a little weird, but mommy & daddy said it tasted good for dinner that night. Way to go with the fish fry, Jack!

Well, that's all for now. My next post will show some other fun stuff I've been doing lately.

Bye!

~wmg

Vacation!

2008-03-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

So Mommy and Daddy keep talking about this thing called a beach that we're going to visit next week. They tell me I've been there before, but I don't remember it....Anyway it sounds really fun! I'll get to hang out with some other kids that I know from the nursery at church. We're already making plans for how to get into trouble.

I think my part in the trouble-making is going to be the most important: diversion and look-out. Since I'm not crawling yet, I'll just lay on the cuteness whenever the other kids want to be mischeivous. And we have a whole code worked out for how I'll warn them that an adult is coming: "Dog! Dog! Coo! Dat!"

I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm also really excited because Nana and Pop are coming to see me (and Mommy & Daddy) tomorrow! They won't believe how talkative I am and how many teeth I have (working on #4)!

Oh yeah, one more thing! Mommy is planning my first birthday party for next month--can you believe how old I'm getting? It'll be at Memorial Park here in Athens on April 12th, between 1 and 4pm, so mark your calendars! Mom's sending out invitations soon, but I thought I'd go ahead and mention it.

The park is a great place for kids, families & pets: it has a big lake with a paved path around it, lots of space to spread out blankets and run and play football, and even a little zoo! Last week I saw a bald eagle, brown bear, bobcat, owl and otter at the zoo!

Ok, gotta go, but don't worry--I'll post some pictures of all my Spring Break adventures as soon as I can!

~wmg

i love to talk!

2008-02-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody,

Just thought I'd write a quick note to say how much I love this new thing I'm learning about called language!

Here are some things I've already learned to say:
Cocoa
Dog
Uh-oh

Here are some things I say all the time but haven't quite narrowed down their exact meaning yet:
Dada
Mama
Baba

And here are things I can copy other people saying, but Mommy's wondering if I really understand them or not. I almost always say them at the right time, but a lot of times it's right after someone else:
Thank you (ok, it's more like "nkyu" when I say it)
Cheerios (Chee!)
Juice (Chu!)

I also have about 16 different ways to laugh, which is a whole language in itself! Mommy's favorite is when I just crack up and laugh out loud uncontrollaby. Usually I do that when she's being silly or tickling me....I mean, not that I'm ticklish or anything....

Um, gotta go!
~wmg

I'm getting so big!

2008-02-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Since I'm a whopping TEN months old now, I thought I'd write a little update on all the grown-up things I've been doing lately:

1) Feeding myself! I bet you all knew that wouldn't take long to learn! I love to feed myself cheese, toast, Cheerios, little veggie puffs, teething biscuits, and even cookies when I can get my hands on them. I still eat anything Mommy & Daddy put in front of me, and I am really quick with the finger foods!

2) To help with all that eating, I decided it was finally time to grow some teeth! My very first one started coming in last month, and now I'm working on number 3! Mommy and Daddy have been trying to get some pictures of them, but I've been a little bashful about it--that's my way of keeping everybody wanting to see more! You can see the bottom two here if you look closely.

3) I've finally made my peace with tummy time. I haven't quite learned to crawl yet, but I can get almost anywhere eventually by scooting, rolling & stretching really hard! Sometimes I even scoot backwards a little. Turns out, tummy time isn't so bad after all when I'm surrounded by my favorite toys.

4) I'm still saying "Cocoa" sometimes, and now I can say "Uh-oh," too. To make sure I get plenty of practice with that one, I play my new favorite game: the dropping game! Sometimes I even hide my Cheerios in my highchair say "uh-oh" about that. I'm also starting to imitate Mommy and Daddy, even when I don't know what they're saying. It's all grown-up to me!

5) Drinking from a cup! Mommy has started trying to get me to drink my milk out of a cup, which I'm not all that pumped about, even though I'm good with the cup itself. In my opinion, cups are for water & 'juice' (Mommy waters down my juice a lot and thinks I don't notice). Milk still belongs in a bottle!!!

6) Dancing! Anytime I hear music, I start bopping up and down, even if it's just a commercial on TV or Mommy or Daddy singing silly songs to me. In fact, sometimes I sing to myself, and I dance then, too!

7) Clapping! I LOVE to clap. Last week, I was also learning to wave Hi and Bye, but I've decided clapping really covers all those bases. So whenever Mommy or Daddy come in the room, they get a big round of applause from me! Of course, I clap when they leave, too...so I can get back to my sneaky ways...

Speaking of getting back to my sneaky ways...I think I'd better do that right now! I'll check in again soon!

~wmg

My First Christmas, etc...

2008-01-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe everything that's happened since my last post! I'll try to keep this to a short update, but I might add some more detailed stuff later on.

Well, let's see...I had my first Christmas just a few weeks ago, and it was great! I'm pretty awesome at sitting up now, so I was just the right age to tear open my presents & play with the ribbons and wrapping paper. And the toys, too!

I got some pretty great stuff, too, and mommy and daddy were happy no one went crazy buying me too much stuff. They managed (using mom's and Papaw's military packing skills) to fit everything into the car on the trip home from Virginia & South Carolina. Apparently there was some fiasco about missing jackets and car keys as we were leaving Nana and Papaw's, but I fell asleep, so I don't really know what happened. Guess you'll have to ask mom or dad about it sometime.

Probably the best part of Christmas, though, was getting to hang out with all the family that I love but don't get to see often enough. (I miss you guys!) I even got to see my Aunt Jen and Uncle Zack and their whole family for New Year's. Mommy says it's our 'tradition' to celebrate New Year's with them, but I don't know what that means yet. Gotta look it up whenever I learn to use a dictionary. Anyway, it was a blast, and I met another little girl, Corinne, while we were there. We flirted a little because she's pretty cute....

Anyway, since I got back from my big trip, I have had one surprise after another for mommy & daddy. First of all, last week, I said my first word!!! You'll never guess what it was, though...

COCOA!

Yep. That's the cute little dog at Grandma Deb's house, where I stay while mom's at work. I'm not sure how to say Feral Cat, yet, so I call her Cocoa, too. Mom & Dad must think it's pretty cute, because they ask me "Who's that?" anytime Feral walks in the room! I always put on a little show, even though I know deep down that's not her real name....For now, that's my name for any small furry animal, even a couple of my toys :)

And guess what else? I'm FINALLY getting my first tooth! It hurts a little, especially since I also have my first ear infection right now, but it'll be here in no time. It's actually already broken through my gums...So, watch out Cheerios! Here I come!!!

Well, I guess that's the basics of what's going on in my world. Through all the traveling, teething, and little bit of sickness, I have been quite the little trooper for mom & dad. I know they appreciate it, and, what can I say? I'm a sweet little boy!

Gotta run for now. There's all kinds of stuff to do, like eat my lunch, play with my new toys, pet 'Cocoa' the Cat, and keep practicing all the new sounds I'm learning to say! And don't worry, I'll post some pictures next time!

~wmg

Update!

2007-12-07T13:57:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since mommy has had time to post all the things I've been doing lately. So here's an update since Halloween:

Nana came to stay for about two weeks in November because Grandma Deb (my regular sitter) had to have surgery. Grandma Deb recovered quickly and is doing just fine, and Nana and I had a blast together!

Uncle Scoupe and Courtney and Uncle Chris and the kids all came to our house for Thanksgiving. Sadly, I was already in bed when Scoupe and Courtney got here, but I had fun playing "Baby on the moon" with Chris and being entertained by Abbey, Josh and Mary (especially Mary's singing!).

Then, we went to Rock Hill for Thanksgiving, too. Believe it or not, that's where I met Santa Claus!

Here's me telling him what I want....

And here's me making sure mom & dad wrote it all down.

Before Thanksgiving dinner (well, I had already had MY dinner), everyone put their new ornament on the Christmas tree at Nana & Pop's house. Nana & Pop think I'm pretty special, because I got THREE ornaments!

Let's see, what else?

Oh yeah, mom & dad were really impressed last week when all of the sudden...

I started sitting up by myself!

Of course, I still topple pretty often, but I can sit for a couple minutes at a time usually. It's like a whole new world now! I'm so strong!

I'm still working on enjoying tummy time, and mom has a couple tricks to make me tolerate it for a few minutes everyday.

I'm getting pretty great at rolling over again, though--I stopped doing it for about two months, but decided it was worth it to avoid as much tummy time as possible!

Actually, I think I might start a facebook group called "Down with Tummy Time!" I know a couple of babies from the nursery at church who would defintely join....

That's all for now--time to get back to some serious jumping in the johnny-jump-up!

My First Halloween

2007-11-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I had yet another big day this week--my first venture into the world of trick-or-treating! Last month, Nana and Pop brought me the cutest little puppy costume. Mom thought it would be a perfect match for my chubby little cheeks.

It looked really big on the hanger, but when Mom put it on me, it was just right. Good thing Halloween was this month or it might not have fit me after all!

So yesterday afternoon, I went to downtown Watkinsville with Tabitha and Titus (we brought our parents, too).

They showed me the ropes of getting grown-ups to give you candy for basically no work at all. Apparently all you have to do is be really stinking cute, and they can't resist. Especially once you perfect the puppy dog face....

Everybody was stuffing candy in my little bag, and I don't even have teeth yet!

I did have lots of fun, even though I didn't smile much for the camera. I was a little overwhelmed by all those kids everywhere, trying to be as cute as me and my buddies.

At the end of our little trip, I gotta say, I was exhausted!

Well, I guess that's all for now. Happy November!

~wmg

I'm a Prodigy!

2007-10-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

So, I've learned some pretty great things this week, like how to read and how to write a book report. With mom and dad always talking about their students' writing skills, it wasn't hard to pick up on the basics. Now, actually typing that stuff out took a little work, but I'm getting there.

Here is just a basic description of how I wrote my first book report on my favorite book in the whole world, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? : Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises. (Dad says you know it's a good academically rigorous book if it has a semi-colon in it's title.)

Obviously, I had to read the book first. Mom and Dad are always wondering (out loud) whether their students actually completed this step, so I assumed it was pretty important. Here's me opening the book and getting ready to read.

(Hmmm...I wonder what this book is about...I've only read it, like, a bazillion times...)

They also say it's good to look at the pictures and guess what will happen next.

(I bet Mr. Brown is going to sound like a rooster! Okay, okay, so I have the book memorized already.)

A good reader relates the story to his own life.

(No way!!! Mr. Brown makes thunder?!?!? I wish I could do that!)

When you're done reading, it's good to tell someone about what you read, so you don't forget it.

(...and then he says "SPLATT! SPLATT! SPLATT!" which is supposed to sound like lightning, but I don't really think lightning sounds like that...)

Then, it's time to write! Here's me typing out my rough draft (with a little help).

Mommy copied what I typed in Microsoft Word to share it with all my avid readers. Enjoy!!!

"Nekeuyecio yyyyyyyyyyyyyy k vbn cuojlmmp v3 xg sxfgjv[[ ."

~wmg

BIG NEWS!!!

2007-10-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got to pet Feral Cat!!!

I have had my eye on that critter for ages, and today we finally hit it off. Here's how it all happened:

Mommy had me in her lap at the computer so she could check her email. Well, everyone know that the Feral Cat always gets in the way of the computer screen trying to get some attention...so I knew it was my big chance when she jumped up on the desk.

Then, she bent down to sniff my hand, and mommy helped me pet her really gently. She totally loved it, and she kept turning around to let me pet her on both sides. She's so soft! Unfortunately, though, mommy wouldn't let me grab big handfuls of her fur and yank them out (though I did try). And since she had to keep control of both of my lightning-fast hands, she couldn't take any pictures of the momentous event, but I'm sure she'll try again when daddy gets home!

For now, I'm hanging out (literally) in my new jumpy toy nana and pop brought me, dictating all this to mommy to type out :) I've really got the hang of this seat now--I can dictate and play at the same time!!!

In other news, my good friend Aunt Jen came to visit this week! We had a blast! Can't wait to see her again!

And, I am getting pretty darn good at drinking from my bottle all by myself. Check it out!

Write more soon!

~wmg

My Big Weekend

2007-10-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

wow, this weekend was so great, it's taken me 3 days to process and organize all the things i want to say!

first of all, last week was a little crazy for me schedule-wise. i took some really good morning naps that had mom totally pumped, but then i skipped some of my other naps which just left her confused. i gotta keep her on her toes, you know....

i also have been exploring the higher octaves of my vocal range, which, at some point in the wee hours of saturday morning, was making mom want to pull her hair out.

i jotted that reaction down for future reference when i want some thing really badly.

Feral didn't seem too impressed, though, so i've gotta come up with something different for her...

anyway, saturday, nana and pop came down for daddy's birthday. of course, they brought me presents, too!

mommy made daddy's favorite homemade donuts, but i'm still too little to have any....

then daddy had to go and tease me with his cup of milk!

that's okay, though, because i'm getting pretty good with a spoon, and next is a cup of my own!

mommy, nana and i went to the park for a while dad & pop watched some football, then pop taught me how to be one of the guys, too.

Everybody went out to eat after i went to bed, so Karen came over to make sure i didn't escape while they were gone. i'm pretty sure i saw her creep into my room to peek at how cute i am when i'm sleeping.

last but not least, aunt joy and uncle vernon came to visit sunday! we had tons of fun, and i even let them hear my cute little laugh!

guess that just about sums it up. ttyl!

tidbits

2007-10-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

hi everyone!

i've been trying to get mom to post all week, so now i finally made it happen using my special super-power: irresistible cuteness! i also think she should make a post about the nice, predictable routine i've settled into lately, but she'll have to get a little more time and organization to make that happen. i mean, it needs to be a kind of photo-documentary, so she'll have to remember to keep a camera handy at all times for a day. who knows when she'll manage that!

so anyway, while we collectively wait for mom to get it together, here's a couple highlights of the past week or so:

uncle scoupe and courtney came to visit last sunday. i think i must've really laid on the cuteness last time they came, because this time they brought me stuff! (wait, they did last time, too....and the time before that. man, they are some pretty generous people!) anyway, this time they gave me a sting ray from the Georgia Aquarium and a little bear wearing a Georgia hoodie.

i'm pretty pumped about them both. who would've thought sting ray tail could taste so yummy? we also had a great time walking around the lake at a local park and discussing the complexities of comma usage in written English. i think i might've even taught them something new...

besides that, the week was pretty normal, except i spent an extra few hours with 'Grandma Debbie' on thursday so mommy could get some important grading done. then, today, mom's friends Karen and Amy came over "to knit," but i know they really came to check out how big and handsome i'm getting. needless to say, i got some extra attention and snuggles from them both!

last but not least, i overheard daddy talking to Nana this afternoon, and she's bringing me a Halloween costume....can't tell you what it is, though--it's a surprise!!!

well, gotta go find something to chew on!

'sup?

2007-09-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

so mom and i had a talk today, and we decided i'm big enough to have my own blog now. i've been working really hard for this--i eat a TON everyday just so i can get big enough for stuff like this.

unfortunately, i'm still not quite big enough to sit up all by myself, which makes it hard to get to the keyboard. that means mom and dad have to do all the typing for me, and that means they get the final word on things like the title of my blog.

here's a disclaimer, though:

just because the blog says 'willy miles' doesn't give anyone permission to call me 'willy'.

got it? thanks.

so, back to the topic of how big i am. lately i've been doing all kinds of new stuff, like eating fruits & veggies, trying to sit up by myself, grabbing my feet and laughing a lot.
i also cruise around in my big boy umbrella stroller pretty regularly. i'm pretty pumped about that because now i can see everything around me. and, of course, the chicks dig it.

i think mom likes it, too, since it's so much smaller and lighter than the infant stroller, although i think she secretly misses the storage space underneath. just between you and me, i think she used to put me in the stroller just so she didn't have to carry her purse around...

but i digress. this first post here is basically just to give one big 'hello' to the blogosphere and to warn everyone:

this site has been known to contain WMGs*, which have in many studies been linked to sudden fits of laughter, irrational awing and cooing, as well as feelings of general elation and silliness.

enjoy!

oh yeah, and "Go Dawgs"!

*Weapons of Mass Grem