This picture came from Andy's dad this week (aka Billy, aka Granda, aka Bonny Lad). From left to right, Pat Roberts (Andy's aunt), Billy Cowx (Andy's dad), Alan Cowx (Andy's uncle). Not shown here (not born yet) is John Cowx, Andy's other uncle on his father's side.

Do you think our Will takes after his granda? We think so...look at that face!

Mom Cleans The Floors

So Andy can no longer say that I've never cleaned the floors. Will really doesn't like Tummy Time but we're working on it. Here's a little trick I pulled out of the hat today. Check out the glance Will gives his dad near the end of the video - priceless. Let's just hope he doesn't turn us in to the authorities!

In The Jumperoo

So about a week ago we decided it was time to give Will a try in the Rainforest Jumperoo. This plaything is all the rage. Moms and dads gush about how much their babies enjoy it and some of our coworkers pitched in and gave it to Will.

At just a little over 3 months old, Will is still a little young to get it, but he's starting to get it.

Here's a video during daddy daycare at home - you can see Will trying really hard to understand his new toy. We know he's going to love it!

Playing In The Bath

Will really enjoys the bath. We have just started to play with a few toys in the bath. Will isn't quite sure what he thinks of the extra splashing, but we think he'll be soaking us in no time. Maybe we shouldn't be teaching him these tricks?!

Here's a video of him getting splashed by dad.

Gobble, Gobble...

Thanksgiving week has been lots of fun in the Cowx house. Holly Jean is on her last week of maternity leave and Geordie has been off all week. Here are some of the highlights...


Will breaks in his highchair...
We've given the highchair a few brief tries, but it hasn't been Will's cup of tea. This week, we tried it again and Will was all game. He ate dinner with us a few times including Thanksgiving supper (well, Will sat while Mom and Dad ate).

What's that you're eating Dad?

Lincoln and Emma visit...
The Pixlers made a trip up to New Freedom on Wednesday night for a chat and dinner. We had a fun time learning about what is in store for us over the next few years. Lincoln and Emma were a delight and Will was fascinated.

Here are a couple pictures of Will and Emma flirting. It was too cute!

Will turns 12 weeks old...
Our little man is growing up so fast. He turned 12 weeks old today and here's what we all have to say...

Geordie says: Uggg, I just put my hand in his poo
Holly Jean says: Come on little man, you can do it, just keep on sleepin'
Billy the Kid says: uuuuuuhh, aaaaahh

Happy 12 week birthday baby boy!

Will's First Babysitter

November 21st marks a big milestone for Geordie and Holly Jean. Five years ago we started dating (it's also the anniversary for England winning the Rugby World Cup in case you don't recognize the date).

We planned a special day out for just the two of us. Ms. Lynda (our neighbor and friend) helped us make the date happen - she came over to watch Will. Mom and Dad caught the new James Bond movie and grabbed a nice lunch together while Will enjoyed his first every babysitter.

Ms. Lynda and Will had a wonderful time together and so did Mom and Dad - thank you Lynda!!

Here's a picture of Will with Mom ready to go on her date.

Happy Halloween

The 2nd Annual LaHatte Halloween Party was tonight. Costumes are mandatory for all attendees. We thought long and hard about just the right outfits for the five of us (Nana, Granda, Holly Jean, Geordie and Will). After scrapping Harry Potter and the TeleTubbies, we came up with a groovy idea...Austin Powers.

Leading role of Austin Powers is played by Billy Cowx.

He is accompanied by his girlfriend from The Spy That Shagged Me, Felicity Shagwell, aka Irene Cowx.

Mom turned up as Foxxy Cleopatra (Holly pulls off a full afro nearly as well as Beyonce in Goldmember).

And no movie would be complete without a villain, say hello to Dr. Evil - Andy is a spitting image, complete with his own Mini-Me accessory (Will).

Will was the only underage person at the neighborhood get together. The costumes were a hit and the whole family looked great.

Super Baby!

Happy Halloween!!

Tonight was trick-or-treating in New Freedom. Nana, Granda, Holly Jean and Geordie took turns handing out candy to all the little ones from the neighborhood.

Will got dressed up and made the rounds. He looked adorable and all the adults in the house just loved getting Will into his Halloween costume.

1st Halloween Costume: Super Man!
Houses Trick-or-Treated: 4
Loot Scored: 2 MilkyWay bars and a Coors Light

Stay tuned for Will's second Halloween costume tomorrow night!

Boo!

Halloween is just around the corner. Today we carved pumpkins (Will isn't very good with a knife yet). Holly Jean did the designs, Nana did the scraping out (the messy bit) and the finishing details, Geordie handled the carving, Billy supervised and Will just looked cute (as always).

Here are a couple of pics from the day plus a few of his Halloween outfits.

Lucky Seven

Will turned 7 weeks old today. Dad had the day off from work and spent the day with Mom and Will (well - the boys did let mom escape for a few hours to get her nails and toes done!).

We had a great day together - in fact it's probably been one of our favorite days with Will. He was awake a lot and in a great mode all day and night. Here's a picture of him just before one of his naps - hanging in the office with Dad.

There are a couple others right before dinner time - Will showing off his smile - the first we've caught on camera - what a good boy!

Goooooooooal!

NUFC played today instead of on the weekend. Will surprised Dad by getting in his football kit (thank you Uncle Ian).

He looks like a little Alan Shearer! What a cutie pie...I mean tough guy.

Oh, and the outcome of the game - a draw against Man City. Booooooo.

Home Alone!

Tonight Andy and Will stayed in alone together while mom went out for bunko. It's the first time mom's been away from Will for longer than 30 minutes and the first time dad has had Will all to himself.

They ate, cried, cuddled, slept and in general had a good time. Mom got home just in time for bedtime, but the men were already all over the bedtime routine.

Way to go dad!

Four Weeks Old Today

Will turned four weeks old today. We started the morning off with an unofficial weigh-in of 12.5 lbs. Official weigh in comes next week at the one-month visit with the pediatrician. The boy can eat!

We celebrated the milestone by visiting dad at work and having lunch together. Will met Andy's team and then went to Pizza Hut with mom and dad (it was that or a Lake Trout shop - we opted for the pizza).

The picture is at Pizza Hut - dad feeding Will, yes, on the table.

Check These Wheels Out

We finished the week with Mimi by heading down to Towson to Picture People. Will was born in Towson two weeks ago, but hasn't been back until today.

We had our first family portrait taken
and some solo pics of Will shot as well. In true unpredictable baby fashion, Will fussed and cried during the entire photo shoot. Once he got some additional grub from mom in the Nordstrom ladies lounge, he was sweet as pie. Too late for the pictures, but the ride home was quiet!

The best part of the trip was breaking in the stroller. Check out the Mountain Buggy Urban! This set up just has Will's infant carrier in the frame. When he gets a little bigger, he'll be sporting a red seat and we'll be sure to show it off on the blog.

Splish Splash - Will's First Bathtime!

With Mimi around, Andy and I took advantage of the mom expertise and learned how to give our little man a proper bath. We've done a few sponge baths since Will has been home, but since Will lost his umbilical cord today, we could do a full-on bath!

Dad was a champ at washing up Will. Will enjoyed the bath and the warm up afterwards, but he wasn't too keen on the chilly bit between the bathtub and the towel. Our first of many baby baths to come!

First Crab Feast With Mom, Dad and Mimi

Yummy, crabs! Every Marylander should eat blue crabs and as the only Maryland-born member of the family, Will is taking his birth right seriously. This Sunday, mom, dad and Mimi showed Will how to crack crabs.

Although he still has a lot of practicing to do to get it right, we're sure he'll love our Sunday tradition of steamed crabs followed by ice cream.

Bye-Bye Verago

Last summer Andy bought a 1981 Verago as a fix-up project. The thrill and challenge of the project has lost its appeal. So, while we were both off for our first week with Will at home, Andy posted the bike for sale on Craig's List. It generated lots of interest and Andy found a buyer. It was picked up on Saturday and we waved goodbye to the Verago.

Bye-bye Verago, hello quick cash!

Will's Homecoming

On Sunday mom and Will got the all-clear from the docs and came home from the hospital. This is a pic of Will all wrapped up and ready for the ride home. Much to mom's surprise, Will slept the entire ride home.

Now on day 5 of parenthood, we're at home and settled in. Will is doing fantastic and mom and dad are working on that whole sleep thing.

A few neighborhood friends stopped by tonight and we were thrilled to have folks start meeting Will. We also took the chance to get a family photo...here we are!

The Nursery Is Ready!

Just in time, the nursery is ready for baby Cowx. Andy put the finishing touches on the drapes this weekend. We're now focused on monitoring and temperature control. Andy has masterminded an impressive AV set-up (as always) and the temperature moderation for the room he had down to an art. Here are a few pics of the room.

Fixing Up the Dining Room

This weekend Andy orchestrated reupholstering of our dining room chairs. Tuxedo made a big mess of the original upholstery with his back claws (bad kitty). Andy found a microfiber fabric for a fantastic deal (of course) and we reupholstered them ourselves this weekend. Not bad huh?

Arm chair before...

Chair afterwards...

The dining room with newly upholstered chairs.