Hmmm...

I was bagging up the trash this morning and found one of my kitchen spatulas in the trash. I know that I didn't throw it out. And Sean didn't throw it out. So unless I've got an infestation of gremlins, it has to be Liam.

Last Day of July

This morning Liam slept in till almost 8am! That almost never happens. Then we made a trip to the local thrift store. They always have a half-off sale on the last Tuesday of the month. I love getting clothes for Liam for pennies! I also got some T-shirts to transform into a rug for Liam's room. Liam had a blast pushing the shopping cart around the store. The rest of the afternoon was pretty low-key. It was too hot to outside, so we hug out at home with the AC on.

In the evening, grandma Kathie came up to join us on our second look at a couple houses in the running. Liam has a ball running around in the houses. We decided that we'll make an offer on one, since the last offer didn't go through :(. When we finally got home, Liam sat down with some of his toys to play. Grandma and I were astonished to see that he was pulling rings off and placing them back on his stacker toy! He suddenly picked up that skill from somewhere. Pretty cool.

PS-I almost forgot until I looked back at the photos for today...Liam ate his first ear of sweet corn today! (Added 8/5/07)

Happy Moments

Amidst the trauma and turmoil of my father's untimely passing, Liam has surprised us all with a number of remarkable and happy moments. Last Wednesday (7/25/07) during the visitation for my father, Liam took about ten steps in a row. The day before that he took about five steps. By Thursday morning (7/26/07) during the memorial service, Liam was a full-fledged walker. He was toddling around the funeral home like a drunken sailor. Friday (7/27/07) I saw him walk the length of my parents living room and dining room, where he made it to the refrigerator! Pretty remarkable! I later got footage of him toddling around their house after his bath in the buff. (Sorry no good pictures yet. My camera was out of juice, so the good action photos are on my mom's camera).

Liam learned how to climb up steps while we were away. There are no steps in our apartment, so it's not a skill he has had a chance to practice before now. He climbs up and down the few steps at the cottage porch (7/21/7). He also attempted to climb up the steps to the loft at my parents house...we'll have to be extra diligent now...especially where there is no baby-proofing!

Liam has also been signing milk very regularly and no longer cries when he wants food. What a relief! I use lots of positive reinforcement when he uses signs or talks instead of screaming to communicate with us. He also says words like: mama, daddy, teddy, kitty, cat, and the phrase "what's that?".

Recently Sean has been playing make-believe with him a lot. One of his favorite games is to "sooth" his stuffed animals if Sean makes them pretend cry, by giving them his pacifier.

Over a week ago I tried seeing if Liam could bite off mouthfuls from a whole apple. He surprised me by really liking it. Now we can share an apple together without having to cut it up.

Liam was having a rough time sleeping while we were away. We tried co-sleeping, but he was keeping us up all night with his restlessness. So we opted to put him in a portable crib next to the bed. To our delight he only cried (more a whimper) for a few minutes before putting himself to How great is that! People have been telling me that he could do this since he was 4 months old, but he flatly refused to cooperate. FINALLYsleep! he understands that he is safe and we are there for him if he truly needs something and he can sleep on his own. We all slept so much better after that! He's kept it up now that we are home too.

All of these landmarks are even more remarkable given the fact that Liam was teething, sick with a cold, and staying in a strange place with grieving people all week!

PS - I forgot to mention that Liam walked the length of a city block today! We went for a walk in the morning and he pushed his stroller for a whole block, then rode in the stroller the rest of the way.

Goodbye Grandpa

Last Friday, July 20th at approximately 2:40pm, grandpa Michael passed away.
This post is in loving memory of M.O.S.

Tuesday thru Thursday

Well, Liam and I have been out of town visiting family, so I'm a little behind with posts. So here is the update...

On Tuesday, my dear friend Amy came to visit us. She is a Michigan native that now lives in West Virginia (culture shock anyone?). She moved before Liam was born, so it was the first time she saw him. We spent the afternoon talking and playing with Liam. We also took a stroll around the neighborhood together. Liam showed off his burgeoning walking skills and was quite the ham. I also saw him play catch with Amy. That's the first time I've seen him toss a ball back and forth!

Wednesday Liam was in daycare through the morning and afternoon. He had a good day there and was voted the "best baby" by the daycare workers. Apparently he also tried kiss one of the daycare workers on the mouth. How cute! (He usually thinks its a game and laughs when I try to kiss him.) After daycare, Liam and I drove down to Indiana to visit with my parents. When we arrived Liam was super excited to be in a new place. He loves their pet cats and birds. He got lots of snuggles from grandma and grandpa before going to bed.

Thursday was packed with lots of action. In the morning, Liam got to play with grandpa and auntie Rae. Then we met Janne Buesching, another old friend, for lunch along with auntie Rae. Liam was pretty well behaved during lunch. Afterwards we headed to Science Central to look at the new exhibit of the Buesching Mastodon. The exhibit was really nice! Liam even got to play with some of the interactive parts of the exhibit. The rest of the day was filled with errand running and such. I discovered this evening that Liam has his lower molars coming in too. That's six teeth now! Poor guy!

Naptime Woes

Sean and I have sort of resigned ourselves to co-sleeping with Liam lately. While he's teething, he is especially clingy and wants to be cuddled all night. So Liam usually only spends the first few hours of the night in his crib, then comes to bed with us when he wakes up crying. Last night was no different, except that around 2am he woke up and wouldn't settle down. I tried to get him to settle down in our bed, then in his crib...an hour later I was just too exhausted to keep going and finally gave up. I'm not proud of it, but I put him in his crib, closed the door, and went back to bed. I know that he cried (screamed really) for some time before I drifted back to sleep. The only good thing that came out of it was that he slept in till 8am for the first time ever!

Of course, getting up so late threw off what little semblance of a schedule we had going. So during the day he refused to nap. I tried laying down in bed and cuddling with him. At first I was really annoyed that he wouldn't fall asleep, though he was clearly tired and rubbing his eyes. Then I realized...you know, I should savor this moment...just laying in bed, cuddling and listening to the birds chirping through the open window and smelling his sweaty little baby head. Sigh. Time goes by too fast to get upset about the little things. Eventually (two hours later) he got a nap in. No harm in that.

He was still sleeping when Elli came over. She was tired too, but laid herself down on the floor and fell asleep. Imagine that! A little later Liam woke up. As usual, I put him on the potty after his nap. He went #1 and all was well. I left him without a diaper while I cleaned out the potty and then went to move Elli to a place where Liam wouldn't disturb her. Unfortunately, in my short absence, Liam decided he had to go #2 as well. Strangely enough, I was less upset about the big pile of cr@p on the floor (and toys) than about our napping problems earlier in the day. Luckily, Elli continued to sleep while I cleaned up Liam, the toys, and the floor covered poo. The rest of the day was pretty much without incident. He's cutting another molar (that makes 4 teeth coming in at once!) and erupts into tears about everything. Luck that I have some blueberry apple sauce frozen for him. He's slurping on a popsickle as I type.

Double the party, double the fun! (7/15/07)

On Sunday we went to another baby's first birthday party! This time it was Ashtyn's party. It was at her mommy's house and it was total mayhem! So many babies and toddlers crawling/walking/running around! But so much fun! Liam showed off his new walking skills and managed to take around three steps at a time before falling. I think he likes walking on hardwood floors better than carpeting. Liam ate all sorts of yummy food catered from Smokey Bones. Mmmmm Mmmmm! We went home with our bellies bursting. The babies also got to play in the pool for a little bit too. They splashed and had a grand old time. Parties are such fun...and two in one weekend!

Potter, Party

Well last night we all went to a late showing of Harry Potter. I know I'm probably a terrible mother to take my 11 month old to that movie, but he was asleep within the first 5 minutes! Sean and I got to enjoy a movie out and all the while, Liam got to snuggle on my lap. The only problem is that Liam is so heavy that my legs started to go numb in the middle of the movie...kinda like they did when I saw a movie while 9 months pregnant!

The other drawback is that we were up really late last night. Needless to say, were where pretty pooped when Liam woke us up at 6am this morning. At least we managed to squeeze in a nap during the day.

This evening we biked down to Hawk Island park to Aidan's 1st birthday party. Aidan is the son of Dan and Annie (Sean works with Dan). Liam and Aidan play together at daycare every Wednesday. Liam had a blast playing with Aidan and his new toys. We also enjoyed eating Aidan's birthday cake, made by his daddy. When we got home everyone but mommy went straight to bed.

Friday the 13th

Well, we would pick Friday the 13th to put a bid in on a house. Let's hope that this means we'll be lucky and get it for the price we want. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Liam and I spent most of our day at the birth center. He got to play with all of his usual friends and had great fun. He walked a few more steps here and there. So far the most steps I've seen him take in a row is 3. He's getting warmer!

Holy Molar!

Last night, while brushing Liam's teeth, I noticed that he has a molar coming in on his upper right side. Judging by how far it's out, it must have started coming in about the same time as his last incisors. Poor guy, no wonder he's been in a bad mood. I suppose it's time to buy some more baby Tylenol. He was especially cranky yesterday and refused to nap. By late afternoon he finally took a two hour nap (and boy did we both need it!). The only problem is that he wouldn't sleep in his crib and ended up napping in our bed.

Liam is also growing like a weed right now. Everybody always complains about how much teenagers eat, but this toddler is eating me out of house and home! The only thing that makes toddlers easier to manage is there size. I just can't keep the food coming fast enough for him though. Not to mention all the nursing he still does too. Last night our realtor mentioned that Liam had grown since he saw him last...and that was a little over a week ago!

Steps and stuff

Here's some various goings on from the past two days. Yesterday Liam tried to walk a few times. He can only take about 1 1/2 or 2 steps at a time before falling, but he's working on it. In the evening while playing, he kept emptying his toy baskets, flipping them over, and crawling on top of them. It was really silly to watch and he was so pleased with himself. He also got to play with Lego Duplos for the first time. He tried to put the blocks together after he saw me fit them together. I'm always so impressed with how fast he learns! Babies are amazing!

Today on the way home from daycare he said "teddy" when I handed him is favorite teddy toy. I was so surprised! He was very happy and playful as we drove home. He even tried playing peek-a-boo with his teddy. Apparently he got a couple chances to play outside at daycare. He really loves the outdoors.

Once we came home he pulled out his basket of toys and began emptying it. But this time he was throwing his toys out! I've never seen him do this! I wonder if he learned it watching another baby at daycare? Eventually he picked up some toys and put them back inside the basket...he's starting to get the hang of putting things in. Liam also made a few more successful steps. Usually just two at a time before plopping on his bottom.

Wanna ride?

Liam was in such a good mood today. He smiled and laughed bunches! Liam had a good morning because Sean went into work later than usual and so Liam got to play with him a little before he left. Liam and I ran a few errands in the morning. Fortunately for Liam, one of those errands included going to Preuss's Pets for bird seed. He had a grand ol' time looking at the ferrets playing, fish swimming, and birds squawking!


In the afternoon, Elli joined us for a few hours. Liam and Elli played so well together today. Liam actually shared his toys and even brought some to Elli when she was sad about her mommy leaving. Even cuter than that was when Liam gave Elli a ride around on his tricycle. He pushed her all around the living room! A little later, Ashtyn and her mommy also came to visit. The three babies played till they were all tuckered out. After Ashtyn went home, Elli laid down for a nap and I rocked Liam to sleep.

When daddy came home, the boys played while I prepared Liam's birthday invitations. We had a nice evening together. We also took down Liam's doorway bouncer tonight. I was sad, but he's gotten too big for it. We video taped him bouncing one last time before putting it away.

The week's events...

As you can see from the previous posts, Liam had quiet a busy week. We enjoyed our vacation! But they always end too soon. :( Now for some of Liam's assorted accomplishments.

Liam took a few steps here and there, while trying to get into mischief in the cottage. He has also learned a new and rather annoying strategy for getting what he wants: screaming! My poor parents were very patient with him as Sean and I struggled to show him other ways of communicating. His vocabulary is pretty small and only includes three words used on a regular basis: daddy, mama, and dede (his word for pacifier). Liam continued to sign "more" this week and started signing "milk" for the first time too! I'm sure some of his screaming also had to do with the eruption of two more teeth this week.

Liam and I took a couple more paddles around in the lake on Thursday and Friday. I think he enjoys it even if he hates wearing his lifejacket. He tries to hold the paddle with me and likes to look at the lily pads in the water.

The children's zoo (7-6-07)

Friday we took a drive down to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Auntie Rae met us a the zoo. My sister and I grew up going to this zoo and have a special fondness for it. The zoo was super busy and the weather was hot, but we still had a great time.

Liam really enjoyed all of the primates in the African and Indonesian exhibits. He also liked the bird aviary and the Great Barrier Reef tanks.




The highlight of our visit was the beautiful carousel ride. Liam and I rode on the Indian Rhino together. He loved the ride, music, and people!
I had been looking forward to taking Liam to the petting zoo, which my sister and I enjoyed so much as kids. But by the time we made it all the way through the zoo, we were super tired out. Instead we just walked through the barn-yard exhibit and Liam got to see the chickens, chicks, bunnies, piglets, horses, ponies, and goats. Maybe next time we'll start at the petting zoo!

Liam's first drive-in movie (7-5-07)

We enjoyed another lovely day at the lake on Thursday. Liam and I took a stroll around the lake in the morning. It was cool and somewhat foggy. Grandpa had to go to work and grandma had to go to town to take care of errands. We would have been all alone :( if it wasn't for Auntie Rae coming back up to visit us.

Daddy fished, while auntie Rae and I waded with Liam in the lake. Later, Liam and I played while Rae and Sean made a makeshift sailboat and set launch. Yes, that's them out on the lake!

We had a quiet afternoon. Liam and mommy took an much needed nap. For dinner we made a taco bar. Liam ate avocado slices and cheese. Then we headed down to the Auburn-Garret drive-in theater for a movie. We arrived a little early and got a good spot. We sat out on the lawn pinic-style and listened to the radio. Apart from trying to lick the dirty car door, Liam was really good. When the Transformers movie started Liam sat quietly in my lap and about 20 minutes into the movie he fell asleep. I snuggled him in his blankie to keep him warm.

1st 4th

Liam had quite a big day for his first fourth. We spent the morning playing at the cottage. Auntie Rae came up to visit with all of us today. Then we visited with Sean's aunt Beth and uncle Rick in the afternoon. They live at another lake nearby. aunt Barb and the other uncle Rick were also there too. Liam got to dip his feet in the water with great-aunt Beth, but had the most fun chasing the neighbor's dog and getting doggy kisses. Uncle Rick took us out for a ride in his big bass boat. Liam loved the wind on his face.


This evening Liam played with auntie Rae in the sand while mommy made ice cream. After dinner (Liam ate some hamburger and mac n'cheese) daddy and auntie Rae put on some fireworks (nothing big mind you, only fountains and sparklers this year) for the family. Liam was a little unsure at first, but when we started clapping and cheering, he realized it was ok and got excited too.

Liam's mood has been somewhat cantankerous the past several days. I found out why yesterday evening when I noticed his seventh tooth showing through him gums. Today the eight one was visible. Another two teeth!

11 Months on the 3rd of July!

Liam turned 11 months old today! It's hard to believe that its only one short month till his first birthday. He got to spend the day at the lake at grandma Kathie and grandpa Michael's cottage (where we are vacationing this week). We arrived yesterday afternoon. Today we all slept in till 7:30am - yes, that's sleeping in for us! After breakfast we took a short trip to Shelton's fireworks to get some fountains for Liam's first fourth celebration.

Daddy got some bags of sand for Liam to play in. We spent part of the afternoon goofing around in the sand. We also took a short swim in the lake. Liam loves the water! Mommy and daddy put in the dock while Liam napped.

We had dinner out at Pizza King. I shared part of my calzone with Liam and he loved it! When we got home, Liam and I took a short paddle on the lake. We saw three different species of turtles, many dragonflies, a heron, and a carp. Liam wanted to paddle too just like mommy!