Some of our latest pictures...

Will seems to like the Baby Bjorn, despite the fact that his head doesn't quite clear the top of it!

Will fell asleep on my legs in this position. So cute!

I took out the "Gymini" yesterday, Will seemed to like it. I can't wait until he smiles for me!

This is as close as he gets to smiling at this point...except in his sleep!

Will sort of enjoyed his "tummy time"!

I just love his tiny hands!

Back to the beach!

Anyone who knows us knows that we LOVE going to the beach. We were back at the beach today (together) for the first time since Will was born. So, it was Will's first trip to the beach! We walked from our house to North Beach in Burlington. It was 75 degrees and sunny--perfect baby beach weather. Will was in the shade--don't worry. But Justin and I weren't!

Will slept for over three hours in his pimped out ride!

He was quite comfortable!

The view from Erin's chair.

Hooray for the swing! It's currently the only way to calm Will down that doesn't require holding him constantly. And the pacifier has been helpful too, even though I had major reservations about it! Hey, the doc says it's A-OK!

The swing is now one of Will's favorite napping spots!

Camp Hancock just called...and we're missing them!

Another night in the Sorenson house...

Will really enjoyed his bath last night...so much that I barely had time to take any pictures! But I thought this one was cute--it shows how much his face is filling out!

Peso will jump up on either of us as soon as we are not holding Will...and sometimes even when we are. He is craving some one-on-one time I think!

A nature walk!

Yesterday we attempted to have a picnic lunch and walk on the Colchester Causeway, which is a bike path that goes right in the middle of Lake Champlain (an old railroad route)...the weather looked questionable, so we ended up eating at home, but the walk was great! Will really loves going for walks in our "SUV stroller" as some people call it. :-)

Live with Baby Will

We've been taking videos of our home improvements and Will, so I thought I should post one of Will to the blog. This was taken today, so it's how he looks now! I should mention that the bassinet Will is in is the same bassinet that Justin and his siblings and cousins slept in many moons ago! Oh, and Will being awake and NOT crying has been a bit unusual, so I had to capture this moment! Although, his calm and awake periods are increasing. Thank goodness!

2 weeks old!

So our boy is getting big! Will had his two-week check up yesterday...the goal was to be at his birthweight of 7 lbs 4 oz... he's 8 lbs. 10 oz.!!!! The doctor was very pleased with this, actually. Ok, gotta go! He wants to eat again!

This pic is a few days old...but I think it's cute (a sleeping smile)! I will post new pics of the 8 lb. 10 oz. Will soon!

So Will has had a few baths now...he LOVED it last night. Unfortuately, I did not get any pictures of that. Here are a few recent pictures.

Check out that face!

E.T. phone home...

I love cuddling him!

Daddy is multi-tasking!

Adventures in diaper changing...

OK. So Justin and I get a D- in Diaper Changing 101. Or maybe we need to actually take Diaper Changing 101. Even when it looks like the diaper is on all snug and tight, we'll pick Will up an hour or so later after a little snooze and he'll be soaking! So, either he's peeing buckets or we're doing something wrong! Our other snafu is the whole peeing during the diaper change thing...I've heard there are "Pee Pee Teepees" on the market to hold over the goods while changing a diaper. I guess we need those. Despite our best precautions, he soaks himself at least once every five changes. I feel like such an amateur.
Anyway, life as a parent really is grand. Of course we're tired and a bit slower in our thought process lately, but it has been fun getting to know little Will over the past 13 days. He's two weeks old tomorrow! We're going to the pediatrician tomorrow too, so I'll update you on his weight. I think he's gained quite a bit!

Here are a few more recent pics:

Justin's doing a little light reading! :-)

Will is starting to enjoy his carseat more and more.

Our friend Ellen knitted this gorgeous blanket for Will! This is my favorite sleeping position of his.

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa

My mom and dad were here from Saturday until today. It has been so great to have both sets of grandparents make the long trip to see Will. It means a lot to us! Here are a few pics from our time together...

Will was up to his charming ways once again!

He really is quite enchanting!

My dad was in a pretty serious motorcycle accident three weeks ago...I felt really lucky that he could make it out to VT this soon!

Grandma took this great pic of our new family during a long walk on a beautiful sunny day!

Sorry, Mom, but it was just so darn cute!

More with G&G

Grandma got lots of cuddles with Will!

We worked hard to get an eyes-wide-open shot...but Will was gesturing for us to stop. :-) And we never really got the shot we were looking for!

Hangin' on our second story deck with no railings (not so safe...)

Making the deck MUCH safer--thanks daddy and grandpa!

Saying goodbye really stinks...but we'll smile for the camera anyway.

A slideshow of the earliest hours of Will's life...

So, here's a slideshow of those hours of pre-labor, a little bit from actual labor, and then delivery and post-delivery. Enjoy! More recent baby photos will be posted soon! (to see the captions click the little bubble icon in the bottom left corner...)



OK, I have to admit something. I wasn't in labor for 32.5 hours. It was more like 19.5. I was counting the time from when my water broke until delivery. Hard contractions didn't start for 13 hours after that (and that was after having interventions to make contractions start!). Anyway, it felt like a really long labor to me. But hey, I was a first-timer. And as for "the labor story" I promised, I'll give you the short version...water broke at 3 am. Went to hospital around 10 am. Got checked--no effacement or dilation. Waited and tried to get "things moving." Checked again at 3 pm. No change. Had to decide whether to induce or not, and it was looking VERY likely that induction would be necessary at the 24-hour mark anyway (which would have been 3 am Monday). Had two doses of misoprostal and began to have really painful contractions...which lasted all night. Asked for epidural at 7 am (which I really didn't want). Little progress still. Had pitocin soon after. Finally things started to happen! Started pushing a little after 11 am and Will was born at 11:33 am! Yahoo!

A few more pictures of Will

I know I'm biased, but he just keeps getting cuter every day! Here are a few photos taken over the last several days...

Will loves being swaddled and sometimes loves being in his bassinet (which is the same bassinet Justin and his siblings and cousins slept in!).

And sometimes he sprawls out and breaks the swaddle!

He often gives this Popeye look when he's just waking up. He loves these nightgowns, I think because they allow his legs and feet to move around.

Will and Justin have had LOTS of great naps together. I can't imagine anything much sweeter than this...

Here's a picture of Will just after he was wiped off after birth. I held him immediately after birth too (when he was all messy), but those photos expose a bit too much of me!

Six days old!

Will is now six days old, and today is his original due date! It's also our six-year wedding anniversary! We couldn't wish for a better gift! Life with Will has been awesome so far--in the truest sense of the word. We are utterly, completely in love with him. I can't imagine life any other way.

Will has now met both sets of grandparents. He is one lucky kiddo! Bill and Mary were with us for a few days and just left yesterday. We miss them already! They fell in love with Will and had a fantastic time getting to know him. We took Will on his first two outings while they were here--the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, and dinner at Madera's (a Mexican restaurant). Will slept through an hour-long wait for a table and all the way through dinner! It made us feel like we can still go out and about with him. Hooray!

My mom and dad are here now, and they too are falling under Will's spell. He's one special guy! Unfortunately, we're in for a rainy spell, so the stroller walks I was looking forward to will have to wait until fairer skies.

One last note--a few people have commented that I looked "radiant" after delivery. Thanks for the compliment, but rest assured that I did not. I just haven't posted the right-after-delivery photos yet. I am still sorting through the hundreds of photos we have and trying to find time to create a slideshow to post here. We have some great "fresh from the womb" photos that I'd love to share.

Without further adieu, here are some photos from Mary and Poppy's visit...

On the Church Street Marketplace--Day 4!

The three guys doing what guys do in a mall...

Hanging at the 59 Oakcrest Pub!

Justin has been wanting to stage this photo since Will was conceived!

Poppy (aka Bill) holds his namesake.

Hooray for William!

Mary and Bill surprised us by decorating our house for our homecoming!

Home from the hospital!

A very happy Mary holds baby Will!