Saturday, March 31, 2007

Kiwi & Grahams

Sorry I didn't post yesterday...the internet was acting flaky! Friday was pretty uneventful, all in all. The biggest news is that Liam tried slices of kiwi fruit for the first time. He wasn't sure of it at first, but ended up eating quite a bit. This morning the kiwi came out the other end...needless to say kiwi seeds in a diaper are pretty unappetizing! Today Liam tried some graham crackers with his dinner. Graham crackers were a big hit, although I had to keep close watch on him so that he didn't choke. I'm sure graham crackers will be less offensive the day after. :)

This morning we all woke well rested because Liam slept through the night for the past two nights! [Now I would appreciate it you would take a moment knock on wood for me, so as to not jinx us!] Anyways, Liam slept from 8:30pm - 5am on Thursday night and fro 9pm - 5am on Friday night. Of course, I didn't actually go to sleep till later, but I still appreciated getting 6 hours of sleep with limited interruptions two nights in a row! Liam stirred both nights, but was able to sooth himself back to sleep all but one time. Maybe there is hope for continued good sleep in the house. [Cross your fingers!]

Around 10am this morning, we had a visit from Ashtyn and her mommy, Alissa. We had planned to go for a walk with them, but the weather didn't cooperate. So instead we let the babies play in the apartment while we talked. Ashtyn has gotten so big and is such a cute little girl. Her face is so grown up!

After lunch, Liam went down for a nap and I got to go to the salon for the first time in ages! I found out that my favorite hairdresser is expecting and her baby's due date is a week before Liam's birthday. I told her to get as much sleep now as she could, 'cause it all changes once the baby comes. My hair cut looks great, but I was astonished by how much more gray is visible this time...At least now I can blame it on the baby instead of the dissertation.

When I got home, Liam played with his daddy and I for a little. Then we decided to go look at houses around town. Liam was very well behaved and napped for most of it. Afterward we headed to church. We've missed church so much lately due to illness. Liam was pretty good through the long Palm Sunday mass. He was wiggly though, so at one point I took him out to the foyer to "walk" around a bit. I let him walk until his little legs were exhausted and brought him back in for the rest of mass. At one point I also resorted to tickling and it was so cute to hear a baby laugh in the middle of church.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Liam & Gabe's Grand Day Out

We had an uneventful morning before 5 year-old Gabe came a little after 10am. We played in the apartment for a bit and watched "Wallace and Gromet's Grand Day Out". The favorite toy for both Liam and Gabe was the Fisher-Price piano that I picked up for a couple dollars at Goodwill last night.

A little later we took a stroll down to the local park. Liam rode on my back while I played with Gabe. We played on the swings, blew bubbles, drew on the sidewalks with chalk, and made believe that we were taking our own voyage to the moon. It's amazing how mellow Liam is around other children...he really enjoys watching and learning from them. We came back to the apartment for lunch and then went back down to the park until Gabe's mom came to pick him up. We left a bunch of pictures on the sidewalk for people to enjoy.

Liam and I were both tired out when we got back home and we took a long afternoon nap together on the recliner. Daddy fed Liam his dinner tonight, which allowed me to get a shower (Yeah!). Then we all sat on the floor and played and talked for most of the evening.

PS - Hard to believe, but Liam is 34 weeks old today and just shy of 8 months. My how time flies!

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Daycare Play

After Liam missed his one day of daycare last week, I was worried about how he would do today. He did surprisingly well considering he's teething again. I stayed nearby just in case, but the daycare providers manage to get him to eat from a bottle and even put him down for a short nap! I think that he is starting to feel more comfortable around the gals that work there and isn't quite as intimidated by the other babies. I was so please to hear that he played well with the other mobile babies (that's Liam in the middle of the photo), rather than crying all the time. I got a lot of work done too...next week we'll try a whole day of daycare.

Once we came home Liam was pretty tired, but keyed up at the same time. I had to work pretty hard to get him to settle down for a nap. Once he did, we both snoozed in my bed for nearly two hours. For dinner, Lian tried organic rice krispies tonight. He enjoyed playing with them and managed to get a few in his mouth. They make a better finger food than cheerios at this point, because they are not as hard.

Liam has become even more vocal lately. He makes little screams and squeals when he gets excited. He often babbles various consonants and vowels too. He will also try to parrot back any word that you say to him several times. Although Sean is sad that he doesn't want to say dada anymore. He is constantly trying to get him to say dada...the more he asks, the more Liam resists. I think it's kind of funny, but it also shows me how headstrong he is!

PS - Check out the photo I added to the post on March 25th. I forgot to download the photos from that camera until today. I love this picture of Liam with Grandpa John!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Won't You be My Neighbor!

Last night Liam was up between 2-5am. This made for a long night and an even longer day. On top of that, Liam's daddy was also sick and stayed home from work today. We all had a lazy morning. At lunchtime while Sean napped, I gave Liam his first saltine crackers. He ate them up and did really good with biting off small enough pieces to chew. After I finished my lunch, I fed him some sweet potatoes too. We enjoyed our lunch while watching Mr. Rogers...I know, I know...babies shouldn't watch TV. But it just happened to be on when I flipped through the channels to see the weather forecast and it was an entertaining show about balloons today!

After lunch we let daddy rest some more and went to Sarah and Elie's house again for a playdate. As usual, the munchkins had a good time playing. Before we left, I also let Liam walk barefoot on their lawn, which was starting to turn green. He was a little unsure about it and especially surprised when he put his hands down to crawl. I can't wait to take him to the beach to walk in sand!

PS - I can't believe that I almost forgot to post that Liam's forth incisor cut through today. Now he's looking so much older than his age with four little teeth in his mouth! (added 3/28/07)

Monday, March 26, 2007

7 month-olds are Exhausting!

I know this post will make all you moms out there laugh at me, because I know it only get worse. But being a mom to a 7 month-old baby is a lot of work! Liam is just SO full of energy and determination. Today I was endlessly retrieving him from various "dangerous" spots in the apartment. During his short morning nap, I did a little more to baby-proof our place. But now that he can pull himself up to stand, he as to try out every object to see if it is suitable for the task of standing...the speaker, the futon, the recliner, mommy's arm, the other speaker, the playpen, his crib, his fabric tunnel, the empty box of baby wipes, the rocking chair, mommy's leg, the ottoman, the book shelf...you get the idea! Because he was standing up so much in his crib I also lowered the mattress to the lowest setting. Liam gets grumpy if you interrupt him while he's trying to stand. As you can see from the pictures that he's elated every time he pulls himself up!

I did get a brief respite from chasing him at lunch time. I put him in his walker and filed the tray with banana slices and cheerios. He had a ball mushing them around and trying to pick them up. He can pick up the cheerios, but has a hard time eating them. While the bananas are easy to eat, they are hard to pick up. So after he played for a while, I fed him the banana slices.

The weather was like mid-June today. I had actually planned on going to the NINO meeting with him this morning, but when I stepped outside I decided the weather was too good to miss and it would be better to go for a walk. So we took a stroll down to the Scott Woods and walked all the way to an adjoining park called Hawk Island. We watched the mallards in the lake. We took a second walk after daddy came home. This time we drove to Hawk Island and then walked around the lake. We had hoped to fly our kites too, but last night's thunderstorm had completely soaked the grass and it was too wet. I tried my best to be a responsible parent and put sunglasses and a hat on Liam while we were out in the sun. Unfortunately, Liam thought they were much better suited for chewing than wearing.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Busy Bee Weekend

We had a busy weekend. On Saturday, grandma and grandpa came back up to get grandpa's new motorcycle. They brought uncle Brad and cousin Jeremy with them too. While the guys went to pick up the cycle, Liam napped and I talked with grandma. Eventually Liam woke up and was eager to play with grandma. He showed her how well he can pull himself up to standing and how he could crawl on his hands and knees. Once the guys returned we all went out for a late lunch at Culver's. Liam got to play in the highchair for a while, then grandpa held him while everyone finished up their deserts. It was all too soon that our guests had to head home. Liam always seems sad when people leave...our home was quite and boring again.

Today we had plans for outdoor activities. BUT mother nature was against us and it rained all morning. So we decided to take a road trip to Canton, Michigan, to the IKEA store. We were all blown away by how big and busy it was there. Liam joyfully rode around in the kart looking at all the people and neat things. Sean and I demonstrated considerable restraint and left with spending less than $30. Not surprisingly, everything we got was for Liam. We got him this cool fabric tunnel to play in, as well as a wooden stack'em toy and some small stuffed animals. By the time we got home it was sunny and over 70 degrees...we contemplated getting our kites out and going to the park, but we were all too tuckered out. The weekend goes by so quickly!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Yuk to Yeast!

I've have been diligently working on getting rid of Liam's yeast infection. In addition to starting us both on some probiotics to help rebuild the healthy flora in our bodies, I've also been giving him regular vinegar and tea tree oil baths to help kill the yeast. So far it has been very stubborn and he is still quite red. At least the swelling has started to go down. I just hope that I don't have to give him any more antibiotics for a while...they sure have made life complicated!

I found out that I wasn't alone in dealing with yeast when we went to the crawlers playgroup today. Another mom and her son had yeast, which was making breastfeeding very painful. We commiserated and some of the other mom's gave us tips on how they treated their little ones for yeast.

Other than ouchy diaper changes, Liam has been quite playful and happy. He even endured a trip to the laundromat with me in the afternoon. He got to crawl around and explore while at the playgroup and played with all the toys. At home he even played contently by himself for a little bit! We are looking forward to a warm weekend to go outside and play.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Stand Tall


Well he finally did it...Liam pulled himself up to a standing position using the furniture! This morning he noticed daddy's book (with the enticing shiny cover) sitting in the loveseat. It took him a minute or two, but he quickly pulled himself up to see if he could grab the book. When he realized that he couldn't quite reach it, he tried standing on his tippy-toes. Eventually he shifted his attention to the blankets piled on the ottoman and surprised me by taking steps over to it.

This past week he has been trying to pull himself up using Sean or myself while we sat and played on the floor with him. Now it's official - Liam can stand up by himself with the support of an object!

PS - After dinner, we all took a walk around our neighborhood to look at the houses for sale. Liam rode on my back in the Hoppediz. It's so nice that the weather is warm enough to go outside again. We sure missed our walks during the winter!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Flew the Croup

Last night Liam gave us a real scare, when he started coughing and wheezing. I fed him and put him to bed. When he woke around 1:30am he was much worse and it scared Sean and I so much that we decided to take him to the Emergency room. The triage nurse saw us and we got registered. He had no fever and was breathing a little better once we got there. We waited and waited, and there were a lot of scary characters there. Finally, around 4am we decided it was more important for all of us to get some sleep, since they obviously didn't think he was in immediate danger. We all went home and piled into bed together.

As soon as the pediatricians office opened, I called to make an appointment. He saw another doctor in the practice, who was very nice. It turns out that Liam has both croup and bronchitis. And to make matters worse, he also has a yeast infection from his previous round of antibiotics. The poor little guy!

Liam seemed to take it all in stride. Even though he must be feeling quite bad, he was pretty happy today and played a lot when he was awake. It was kinda scary how fast the croup came on. There was no indication that he was coming down with something prior to last night. Hopefully he will recover in a couple days...he's definitely had his share of illness in the past month.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Impromptu Playdate

Liam got up at 4am again this morning. Luckily I was able to get him to go back to sleep at 6am. Later , we enjoyed a leisure morning. I read a couple books to him and we also spent some time doing yoga (which mommy's back really needed).

My Friend, Sara, has been trying to establish a regular playdate at her house for several of her friends and their little ones. She's had a hard time getting everyone together at one time...we missed the last couple get-togethers. This morning I gave her a call to see if she was having another one and she told us to come on over at 1pm. Liam had so much fun playing with her daughter Elie, as well as Lindsey's little girl, Marlow. Elie had the best toy. It was a fabric tunnel made by Ikea. Liam giggled up a storm as he crawled and rolled through it over and over again. Liam also enjoyed Sara's pets. He giggle when her birds chirped and got surprising "kiss" on the mouth from her dog, Cody. We had so much fun playing that we lost all track of time, till daddy called at 4pm.

After dinner, daddy played with Liam so that I could work a little. Liam's favorite thing to do was to climb over daddy and pull himself up to standing. Liam has become enamored with being able to stand up.

PS - Monday morning I was up feeding Liam when his daddy left for work. Sean came over and gave him a kiss. Then as he was going out the door Liam looked at me with this sad face, his little lip sticking out. He didn't want daddy to go. When Sean came home from work, we were practicing standing and Liam was so happy to see his daddy come through the door!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Another Early Morning & a Sunny Day

Liam woke at 4am again this morning. I couldn't get him back to sleep, so everyone (including grandma and grandpa) was up around 5:30am. That was ok, because we spent the morning first playing with Liam, then talking while he took a nap. Around 9am Liam woke up and his grandparent had to head home. I don't know if he was just swinging his arm or really waving bye-bye, but Liam appeared to wave to his grandparents as they were leaving...I have been working with him on waving for the past couple weeks. Mommy, Daddy, and baby all rested for the remainder of the morning.

After lunch we went to the Fenner Nature Center's Maple Sugar Festival. The Fenner Nature Center is a nice nature preserve just down the street from where we live. Though it was sunny today, there was a cold wind. So we bundled up and took a stroll through the woods and watched them boil maple sap into syrup. Sorry no pictures, I remembered my camera, but forgot to put a new disk in it...:(

Next we went to our favorite paint-your-own ceramic studio to make some Easter keepsakes for Liam. We ran into our friends Dan and Annie, and there 8mo. old son, Aidan. I painted an egg. Sean and Liam collaborated on an egg together. We look forward to seeing how everything turns out!

I fed Liam a big dinner tonight. He had his usual cereal with Prevacid mixing in it for his GERD. Then he had some pureed sweet peas. And for desert, he ate some frozen apple sauce.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Kiss me I'm Irish!

This St. Patrick's Day Liam woke super early at 4am and decided it was time to start his day. He took a short nap between 7 and 8am, but was up when his Grandma and Grandpa arrived. Sean's parents came up to visit from Indiana. After grandma and grandpa got play and snuggle time with the baby, we all went out to the Kawasaki Dealer, where grandpa bought a lovely green and silver Vulcan 1600. He has been eying the bike for a year and finally got the deal he wanted. Liam was very excited about the dealership and enjoyed trying out grandpa's new wheels (see picture).

Later we all took a drive to Eaton Rapids to look houses. Liam played with grandpa in the backseat of the car as we drove around. Afterwards we had dinner at Steak'N Shake. As you can see, we couldn't resist dressing Liam up in the little paper hat they brought us. I think it's so funny that waitresses always assume Liam is a toddler. Whenever we've eaten out lately, they bring him crayons and toys. I asked for an extra spoon for him to play with and allowed him to crumple and play with his placemat for a bit...but crayons are a little out of his league for the time being.

Friday, March 16, 2007

March Madness

Yesterday Liam and I made a rare trip to the MSU campus to drop off a few things. In honor of the big game, he wore his little MSU shirt. Liam enjoyed walking around outside and seeing all the sweet secretary's in the department who all flirted with him. Then we went to pick up his foot-print tile that we made last weekend. We also made a stop to pick up some prefold diapers - we've decided it's time to do our own diapers rather than use a service.

Thursday evening after I fed Liam his usual pureed meal, I gave him a few organic cheerios to try. He had lots of fun picking them up and putting them in his mouth. Very few actually stayed in his mouth though...I think he only ate one and a half O's. Much to my surprise after all than food he still wanted to nurse too. He must be growing again!

Today we hung out at home most of the day. I sewed a few diaper doublers while he played nearby. Liam was really craving my attention though, so I didn't complete everything. He has been so clingy that he cries if I even take a step away. He will crawl after me and cry "mamaaa"! I wanted to get a quick shower before we went out in the afternoon, so I put Liam in his walker next to the shower. But as as soon as I stepped behind the curtain he would cry. I tried to play peek-a-boo with him and make silly faces or wave from behind the curtain, still he cried. I was feeling so down about how often Liam cries that I gave my mom a call to see if this was "normal" for a seven month-old baby. She assured me that all babies go through similar needy times. I still feel like a bad mother for how many times a day he is sent sobbing...hopefully this stage will pass quickly!

On a lighter note, I took him to a local craft store in the afternoon just to get out of the house - he always love to go shopping. We picked out some scrap booking supplies and looked all around the store. When we got home Liam was bushed and feel asleep still in his coat. I couldn't resist taking his picture!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Daycare Drama

This morning we were up and out of the house by 7:45am to go to Liam's first day of daycare. Thank goodness we decided to start him with just a half day, because he was pretty unsettled about the experience. I figured that I was going to take it worse than him, but he was unsure about the daycare providers and about the other babies. He started out playing ok, but whenever the other babies started to gang up on him to play with his toy he would get upset. He'd look for me and if he didn't see me he'd start to cry. So I spent most of the time in and out of the room to comfort him. As I expected, he refused to nap until he was completely exhausted and fell asleep just before we had to leave. He also decided he wasn't going to eat from a bottle either...ugh!

They told me that all his behavior was normal for newcomers, and not to worry. Apparently he did play happily for around an hour. I hope that next week will go smoother. Rather than having more time to work I just feel frazzled...Once we came home in the afternoon he was really clingy and I gave him extra attention. We played and roughhoused for nearly an hour. I let him crawl all over me and there was lots of tickling and giggling. We had a lot of fun, but it wore me out!

PS - There is no doubt in my mind that Liam knows what mama means and how to use it. This evening I was sitting in a chair while he played on the floor. At one point he crawled over to me and rather forcefully said "mama" and grabbed my leg. He obviously wanted me to pick him up! He also said what sounded like "birdy" at dinner time. I was feeding him in his highchair, near our pet birds cages. Just moments before I was talking to him about the birds because they were boisterously signing. He is definitely trying to communicate!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Time for Trouble!


This morning, while I was getting out clothes for Liam, he figured out how to pull himself up in his crib. When I turned around I was surprised to see him kneeling and holding onto the side of the crib! Oh No! Time to lower the crib already! So I lowered the mattress another notch, only to find him doing the same thing again this evening (see photo). Doesn't he look proud of himself! I suppose this means we'll have to move the mattress all the way down...he's so tall that I'm not sure it will work once he starts walking.

Today I watched a colleague's 5-year old son, Gabe. Luckily the weather was super warm today, so we went to the zoo to pass the time. It gave me a taste of what it would be like to have another child. Gabe is a very well behaved little boy, so it was fairly easy...but still exhausting. It's definitely a challenge to juggle the needs of two children of such different ages. Both Gabe and Liam wanted my attention, but in different ways. Gabe wanted me to play and talk with him. Liam also wanted to play and roughhouse and needed to be fed too. Luck for me Gabe got to go home at 2:30 and then Liam and I could nap together for a bit.

Once Sean came home, we all walked down to the park for a picnic since the weather was so great. I even put a little pair of sandals on Liam...these were mine when I was a baby. I took Liam for a ride on the swing-set in my lap. He also got to experience the slide for the first time. I released him a few feet from the bottom of the slide and daddy caught him at the bottom. Too bad the great weather is not going to last!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Pull My Ear, Not My Finger

Since last Friday, Liam has been pretty irritable and has been constantly pulling on his ears. Because he's had so many earaches, Sean and I are cautious, and we took him back to the doctor today. We found out that this time it's teething, not an earache! Thank goodness! The doctor said that his upper left incisor is just starting to poke through...no wonder. So tonight Liam gets a nice frozen treat to ease his gums.

Earlier today Liam's friend, Hannah, came to visit with her mommy, Eva. They had lunch with us and the babies got to crawl around and play together. Hannah has gotten really good at standing up and was showing off her new skills. Hannah and Liam look so much alike...they could be twins.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Sunny Sunday


The weather has been so wonderful the past couple days. It's been sunny and rather warm. So the three of us took a trip to the zoo. Liam finally got to see the reef exhibit (he has always either been asleep or the exhibit closed on all our previous visits). He got excited about the brightly colored fish and reached for them. We also saw the farm animals and big cats. In the primate house, the lemurs were a big hit again. Unfortunately, he tuckered out before we got even half way through and we headed out of the zoo.

Once in the car he continued to nap, so Sean and I decided to take a short drive to another house dealer. By luck they happened to be open and we got to tour several homes. This place sells both stick-built and manufactured homes. They were very helpful. We finally got a quote for a home that is within our budget. It was a ranch-style manufactured home that is designed for urban lots...which is what were are looking for. It's probably time to get a realtor and a loan pre-approval...maybe we can have a new home in time for Liam's first birthday!

I finally got a good picture of Liam's little teeth. I snapped this picture on our way out to the zoo. Click on the picture to see a larger version of it.

PS - I added a counter to this page last week. I know many have been visiting...please leave comments to let us know who you are and what you think...don't be shy!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Hands & Knees

Well the past couple days have been busy ones. Liam was quite a handful on Friday. I think his ears were really bothering him. We went to our first "crawlers" gathering on Friday morning. Liam was the youngest there, most of the babies were actually walkers, not crawlers. I think Liam was a little jealous of how well the other babies could get around. Friday evening, Sean saw Liam crawl on his hands and knees...something he has been building up to, but not done more than a couple times before. I guess he learned something from watching all the other babies today! At bed time, I put Liam in his crib awake and he actually soothed himself to sleep. Way to go!

This morning Liam showed me how he could crawl on his hands and knees. He got about half way across the living room before he went back to his belly crawl. In the afternoon we got a visit from my parents. Of course Liam's grandma and grandpa showered him with love and affection. Liam especially enjoyed crawling over grandma like a jungle-gym. Later we all took Liam to the pottery studio to make foot prints on a tile. Yes, that's a picture of Liam's daddy painting his foot...but don't worry it's non-toxic. We had to try a couple times, but the prints ended up great!

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Wawa!

This morning I gave Liam a bottle of water while changing him. I was talking to him about how much he loved water when he suddenly said, "wawa"! I think this is his fourth word. So far he's said dada, mama, granma, and wawa. Not bad for a seven month old.

On another note, diaper changes have become a total battle. Liam refuses to cooperate anymore, especially in the evening before bedtime. I constantly tries to roll over and crawl away and if he can't then he screams and cries at the top of his lungs. Or he will kick constantly and grab at our arms. Sometimes you can distract him for short periods of time with a toy or bottle, but that doesn't always work.

This afternoon we had a special visit from Carmen and her son Lars. We met Carmen and Lars at our mommy-baby yoga class. Lars was born just two days after Liam. The boys had lots of fun playing together in yoga class so Carmen and I decided to set up playdates. It also turns out that they live in the same neighborhood as us! So once the weather turns warm we can take walks, go to the zoo, and go to yard sales together.

PS - I finally got around to taking pictures of Liam with his plate that we made for his six month birthday...he is so ready to be a baby model!

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Water Baby

Today Liam and I both needed something fun to do, since we'd spent some much time in a doctor's office the rest of the week. So after his morning nap we headed to the community center pool. During the week, the only open swim time they have is for "seniors". We got a lot of looks from the retirees as Liam splashed and squeeled in delight. I think he is a natural swimmer, he tried to do a doggy paddle all on his own. It didn't upset him when he splashed water on his own face. Maybe I should spend the money for baby swim lessons...

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Knot on the Noggin

Well today started great...even though Liam was up nearly every hour last night, he slept in till 7am. We played and then took a nice morning nap together. BUT...after we woke I made the terrible mistake of leaving him in my bed as I got dressed. I had my back turned for a moment, while changing my shirt, and I heard the most awful sound in the universe...the sound of my boy's head hitting the floor. I should have known better!!! I can't believe that I let it happen! He cried for a minute and I comforted him. After we both got over the shock, I checked his eyes and head, then called Sean and the pediatrician. Luckily we already had an appointment to see Liam's doctor this afternoon, so I was able to have him checked out. His doctor said he looked fine, just bruised. What a relief! But it still doesn't erase my guilt for letting it happen. I certainly won't be winning any mothering awards for today's performance. The rest of the day passed without incident. Although I did find out that Liam has another ear infection and will have to go back on antibiotics. Ugh!

Monday, March 5, 2007

Mostly about Mommy

Ok, I apologize because this post is going to focus mostly on me. I've been dealing with a sinus/ear infection for over a week now. I was hoping that my body would fight it off on its own. However, the infection has been made worse by the fact that I'm still getting up 3 or more times a night with Liam. So today I was running a 100+ degree temp all day and feeling a little delirious. I called my doc and set up an appointment for 4pm. While I love my doctor, he was running about an hour behind schedule...so poor Liam was pretty tired while we waited and waited. Then I heard some bad news. My doctor was concerned that I have had nearly a dozen sinus infections in the past year...ever since I went off allergy meds during the pregnancy and now while breastfeeding. He strongly recommended going back on allergy medication or face possible surgery. Of course taking medication means that I will have to stop breastfeeding Liam. This upsets me because I am committed to breastfeeding for at least a year. We had a lot of breastfeeding problems when Liam was a newborn and went the extra mile of hiring a lactation consultant to work through it. So as you can imagine, I didn't take this news well. Now I need to do as much research (and pumping) as I can before I have to make a decision.

Now for some news about Liam...He was very good for me today, which was a blessing since I was so ill. I read to him in the morning and we did some light play between feedings and naps. This evening while he played, Sean and I noticed that he is no longer crawling with his belly on the ground. He can hold his tummy up and is using his knees more to support himself. Liam definitely moves quickly! He has been also trying to pull himself up to sitting and standing, but has not been successful...yet.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Playdate with Ashtyn


Today we had a visit from our friend Ashtyn and her mommy, Alissa. Ashtyn is about one month older than Liam. Alissa and I have been doing outings and playdates with the babies since Liam was just a month old. The last time we saw Ashtyn was at her 6 month birthday party.

Now the two of them are getting big. You can see them playing together in the picture above. In typical baby-style, they were taking toys away from each other. Ashtyn is such a cute little girl, with big hazel-brown eyes. She proudly said "Mama" while visiting us. Liam tried to suck on her toes (he does that with all the girls!).

In the evening, I decided to check out this online alphabet game for babies at fisher-price.com that Alissa told me about. She said that Ashtyn loved to push buttons on her keyboard to make it go to the next letter. So I tried it out on Liam since he has shown such an interest in my computer. Much to my surprise, he was a little unsettled and would look like he was about to cry every time a new letter came up on the screen. I'm not sure what scared him. Perhaps it was the noises that the animals made or the computer talking to him. I tried the game again a little later and this time he was still unsure, but we went through the entire alphabet. I think he will get into it more in the future...he does like to press buttons on the keyboard.

PS - Last night we tried out the fitted diaper that I bought on Friday. It worked pretty well for nighttime, but didn't hold as much as my homemade diaper inserts. I might have to reverse engineer it and make some fitted diapers of my own. I am getting tired of paying for the diaper service...

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Happy 7 Month Birthday!


I can hardly believe that 7 months have passed already! It seems like yesterday that we were bring a tiny newborn home. Now Liam is a little person with a sense of humor, likes and dislikes, ever expanding mobility, and a beautiful smile.

This morning Liam woke early and by 8:30am took a nap. After he woke we piled in the car and took a drive to Jackson in order to visit a modular home retailer. We have considered building a modular home if we cannot find an existing home that we like. Liam was a perfect angel on our trip and seemed to enjoy being strolled around in a bunch of houses. He was tuckered out on the drive home and took another nap.

I have been feeling under the weather, so once we got home I took a nap while Daddy and Liam played. Liam really enjoys rough-housing, especially being flown around and tickled. I took this picture after I got up...I had to get at least one photo of him wearing his MSU gear. At dinner time Liam joined the "green bean team" with his first taste of green beans. He didn't even make a face, like he usually does when he tries something new. Liam really loves his green vegetables!

He was so excited at bath time that he kicked and splashed a bunch. He was being so cute that I had to get a picture. If you look really close you can see his little teeth in his bath picture...it's been so hard to get a photo of his new teeth.

PS - The past couple of nights I have been able to successfully put Liam down in his crib while he is still slightly awake. He doesn't crie like he was doing before. I just rub his back or tummy a little and let him nuzzle my other had till he is settled. It is a relief that being put in his crib no longer makes him upset. Now if we could only get him to sleep more than three hours before waking...

PPS - I almost forgot two other significant things from today. First, while Liam was playing in the morning, he had figured out how to dismantle his stacking ring. So he was playing with the hollow tube. He figured out that when he babbled into the tube his voice sounded different. Then he started to yell into the tube...it was the funniest thing! Second, when playing with daddy in the evening, he actually said "daddy" after he heard me say it! Sean and I were both surprised and tried to get him to do it again, but he went back to "dadada".

Friday, March 2, 2007

Last Day at Pre-Crawlers


Today was our last visit at the pre-crawlers gathering at the local birth center. Lot's of moms and babies came today, despite the weather. It was fun to see all the little ones, especially a tiny 2 week old little girl. But at the same time it was a little sad that Liam has outgrown this group. It seems like only yesterday that I took him for the first time when he was just 4 weeks old. It is definitely true, as everyone says, that "they grow up so fast!"

Liam was showing off by crawling all over. His main goal was to look at everyone's feet...he kinda has a foot fetish. He also got some good play time with Hannah, who is 8 months old (see photo). Because Liam was sick earlier this week, we had to cancel Wednesday's playdate with Hannah and her mom, Eva. So it was nice that they got to see each other and play today. In fact, Hannah got upset when it was time to leave and she could no longer play...how cute is that! Hopefully, they will get another chance to play next week.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Lazy Day

Last night Liam's fever broke, but his daddy developed one. So Sean called in sick this morning, and we all spent a rather lazy day together recuperating. Liam seems to be improving, but is still congested and has a pretty nasty cough. His mood is definitely improved though. He was really playful today and wanted to be tickled a lot. At dinner time, Liam finished up his carrots and I treated him to a teething biscuit too. Needless to say, he was pretty messy after eating, so it was off to the bath. He sits so well now that I don't bother to use the baby tub anymore. Instead I put an inch of warm water in the big bath tub. He enjoys splashing around in the water...we need to make another trip to the pool sometime soon!