Orange Belts & Poo-Poo Talk

Some highlights of the week:

Liam applied himself and worked super hard during his last couple karate classes. This means that he earned his orange belt in the class! Unfortunately, I didn't submit the paperwork in time, so he didn't have his belt in time to be presented in class. But sensei presented him with another orange belt that he got to wear for a few minutes. The next morning I sent the paperwork in and Liam's new gi arrived in the mail yesterday. He was so excited to put it on! He will get his official orange belt on the first day of class during the next term (in two weeks).

We all met Liam's Kindergarten teachers this Wednesday. They were very nice and told us good stories about Liam. One day last week Liam showed a lot of compassion for the preschoolers in his class who were missing their parents and having a hard time. He tried comforting them and showed them pictures of his family. So sweet. :)

Grant has been going through some terrible teething and has been quite cranky - not his usual jovial self. He has even started waking 2 - 3 times a night again and crying a lot. :( But we will manage to make him laugh and he does the same for us too. Tonight at dinner he started passing gas loudly. We were also shocked that everyone started laughing. :P Then egged on by the result, Grant started straining to do it again and eventually did with spectacular results. All the while, I was thinking - this is what it's going to be like in a house for of boys!

This weekend I found a little time to do some sewing. I worked on Halloween costumes. I managed to whip together a mighty cute viking outfit for Grant and a batman cape for Liam. He is still undecided if he will be batman or yoda - I also knited a Yoda hat and feet for him last week.

Kindergarten Kid

A BIG day for Liam - and me - today was his first day of Kindergarten! Here he is waiting for the bus with his buddy Joshua.


And getting on the big yellow bus.

Grant's First Haircut

I had to trick him by carefully cutting his hair while he was nursing. I was sad to see his baby curls go, but I do think he looks pretty sharp with his new do.

T-Minus...

...9 days and counting, until Liam starts Kindergarten! He has been having a blast at summer camp at the science center the past two weeks and has one more week to go before school starts. For the most part he has been well behaved. I even heard this great story last week...Liam made friends with this little girl (who is probably 7 years old) named Anavi. One day, Anavi was feeling lonely and missing her mom. So Liam, ran and got the phones of our family that I had put in his backpack the weekend before. He told her also about his family and what was going on in the pictures and she wasn't sad any more. It makes me feel so good that he has such compassion. My little boy is growing up so fast!

In other news, we took the boys to the Detroit zoo for the first time yesterday. It was a warm day, but we had a lot of fun and saw so many animals! Grant is now nearly running - he was showing us that he has a mind of his own and constantly tried running the opposite direction. So I had to corral him in the stroller for much of the trip. At one point we stopped to get frozen lemonaid. While we were waiting, Liam saw a Cicada ambushed and carried off by a Cicada Killer - I am afraid that the even was so traumatic that he will remember it more than all the cool animals that we saw.

My big 5-year old!

Hard to believe that I first became a mother 5-years ago this week! My little Liam turned 3 on Wednesday and today we celebrated his birthday with friends and family.

Here are a few pictures from our festivities this week.

The Great Communicator

Grant (and mommy) survived the surgery on Tuesday just fine. In fact he was back to his normal jovial self mere hours later. He took a long nap and then was playing rough and tumble soon afterwards.

On Wednesday evening Grant "communicated" his desire to nurse by carrying the boppy pillow over and handing it to me. This was no easy feat, as the pillow is just about as big as him! The next morning, he and Liam were playing in the dinning room. Then I heard Grant repeating a loud humming noise and went to see what was the matter. Turns out he found kitty's hairball on the ground and was sitting next to it trying to get my attention to let me know it was there. He didn't touch it or anything, just notified me about it. He is one smart cookie!

The Night Before

Well, tomorrow morning, Grant goes to the hospital for surgery bright and early. It's nothing too serious, but it's still nerve-wracking, nonetheless. He has to have tubes placed in both ears - hopefully to prevent any further ear infections. I'm told by friends, whose kids had this done that it's a pretty minor procedure and will make him feel much better. Tomorrow is going to be a LOOONG day no matter what.

Liam's Solo Field Trip

Well, today Liam took his first field trip all on his own - no parents chaperoning him. The trip was part of the summer camp at the community center that he is attending this week. They went to a local state park for the day. I was nervous because I worried that he would wander off or not stay with the group. He's also never had to have responsibility for his own things before. So much to my dismay, he lost a bottle of sunblock and his really nice swim suit and matching swim shirt - the one I bought for him as a sibling gift last summer. I made some calls, but it's nowhere to be found. On the bright side, however, he had a fun time and didn't get sunburned.

A Week of Firsts for Grant

First birthday (7/3/11)



First time walking (more than two steps) on his own. (7/7/11)





First time sleeping through the night (It helped that he was totally wiped out after a hot day and lots of fun at our friend Aidan's birthday party). (7/10/11)

Grant's First Year

A year ago today...I nearly died after giving birth to my beautiful boy. Thankfully someone had donated blood that matched my type and after two transfusions and the wonders of modern medicine, I have been blessed to watch my two wonderful boys grow up.

Yesterday we celebrated Grant's first birthday at my mom's cottage. I think everyone had fun and we managed to dodge the rain until the end of the party. In fact, the rain disappeared in time for us to celebrate with some fireworks. Liam was so excited and quite sad when he was too tired to watch the fireworks. He did manage to collect a ton of lightening bugs in a giant bug container that my mom gave him. The bugs were like mini fireworks! Liam also caught his first fish with daddy! Grant was exhausted from the day too! He had so much attention and fun, and everyone gave him great toys.


Today we had another lake party, this time at my inlaws house. It was a lot of fun until Grant became cranky and inconsolable. Liam managed to get a chance to play with some sparklers, but we had to leave before the end of Grandpa's firework display.

My Baby is...

...nearly not a baby any more. At least he's a baby for a few more days. We are celebrating Grant's first birthday in Indiana at my mom's lake cottage, so I won't be able to post anything on his actual birthday.

I can't believe how fast the last year has gone by! It's a little scary. I feel like I've missed most his baby-hood while working or being too tired enjoy it. I try to take time to notice the little things and rejoice in all of the discoveries that he makes. He is a bright and happy little guy. He is so close to walking right now. He can stand on his own for longer and longer durations and has even taken a few steps. But he is weary of walking without having a finger to hold on to.

I'm making Grant's birthday cake right now...I'm very excited! I'll post an update about his birthday celebration when we return!

Daddy's Boys

Our two lovely boys have been doing so much and growing up so fast!

This past week Grant has been making moves to walk on his own. He took three steps with no support and has stood for more than 30 seconds on several occasions. He is getting quick good at walking while just holding someone's hand lightly. The other surprising thing that he's been up to is that he shows a lot of interest in drawing. He makes scribbles on Liam's magnadoodle and the aquadoodle pad, all while holding his pen quite well. He even made a little doodle with pen and paper today for Grandma Kathie. He's also been talking up a storm! Yesterday he told Grandma Kathie "go this way" when she asked them which way to walk. He now says on a regular basis: up, down, done, stop, kitty, dada, mama, that, want...He also probably says a few more, but it's easy to miss them in his sweet little baby voice.

I imagine that Grant's interest in drawing is partly because Liam is very much into drawing lately too. He has gotten quite good at drawing copies of images or objects, such as transformers, dinosaurs, or bugs. Liam is also learning how to control the Wii and when Grant naps we sometimes play Lego Star Wars. I can't believe how grown up he is sometimes. He asks such thoughtful questions, sometimes driving me crazy with them all. Such an inquisitive mind!

Pint-sized Graduate

Today my little boy graduated from preschool! Silly, I know, but a milestone nonetheless. I can't believe that he will soon be 5 years old and starting kindergarten in a couple months! He has grown and learned so much in the past year. We still have our challenges, but he has also improved a lot. He made many good friends this year, some of whom will be joining him in the same elementary school next fall. Mommy and Daddy are proud of you Liam!
Yes, Liam is wearing a tie! :)

Busy Boys!

We have had a busy, busy week!

Last Wednesday Liam had a fun field trip to the Bug House! He was in heaven with all the creepy crawlies. He got to hold a hissing cockroach, two types of walking sticks, a darkling beetle, and even a huge tarantula!

Last Thursday, the boys and I went to Impression-5. Liam had fun playing at the water table. Grant was much more adventurous than our last visit. He crawled around exploring and even climbed up the steps on the play loft. Grant discovered the zig-zag tower and cars. He even managed to put a few of the cars down the tower, laughing at them the whole way down.

Then on Friday the 13th, we meet some friends at the Potter Park Zoo. It was an unseasonably hot day, but quite lovely! We took our time, stopping to feed the goats and then feed ourselves some ice cream to cool off.





After a wet and rainy weekend and past couple days, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit today and watch the boys for me while I went to an interview. Grant got to play with his grandparents while Liam had a fun time at preschool this morning - they got to watch a little chicken hatch from an egg!

Oh, yeah, and Grant has another tooth with a fifth on the way.

Playing Catch-up

Well, the end of the semester is always a super busy time - even for the professor. I've been so wrapped up with work that I've had little time or energy to post anything lately. I have several posts started, but nothing finished...

So the big news about Liam is that he has started trying to copy images that he sees in books in his drawings. His likenesses are very good actually - he has an eye for detail. Today he drew me a picture of a transformer from a library book. Yesterday he drew a picture from the Runaway Bunny.

Grant has been changing in SO many ways. He is acting more like a toddler than a baby now. Which is fun, but also makes me a little sad that his babyhood went by so fast! He has started asserting his will and letting us know when he is not happy about something. He is also a bit devious and likes to get into things he knows he shouldn't. He started pulling himself up to standing on the furniture last weekend. This week he has made a few attempts at cruising with the furniture. In the last month he: started clapping, started signing for milk, giving kisses, and putting a ring on and off of the stacker toy. Today he helped Liam and I pick up blocks and put them in a basket - it was so cute! He also FINALLY called me "mama" today instead of calling me "dada".

OH, and I almost forgot to mention that Grant's third tooth finally poked through today and a fourth one is right behind it.

When I grow up...

Liam has decided he's going to be either a paleoanthropologist or Robin Hood. That's my boy!

Stunt Man Grant

Grant is making the first moves at cruising. The only problem is that his confidence is greater than his skill at standing and walking...

Yesterday...

...I signed Liam up for Kindergarten at the Montessori school! Wow, there it is. I can't hardly believe it. Seems like yesterday that he was a little crawling babe and now he's gearing up for real school.

Speaking of crawling babes, Grant as gotten super mobile in the past few days. I am constantly picking him up and moving him away from things he shouldn't be getting into. I thought my house was baby-proofed, but I forgot how mischievous little crawling boys can be! I think I'm going to need to tether my floor lamps to the wall, along with a few other special measures...On the other hand, it is fun to watch him crawl around the house and explore with such eagerness and curiosity. Everything is new and exciting for him!

Dio Donti (Two Teeth)

Today Grant's second tooth popped out of his gums. He's been quite unhappy about it. I can't say I can blame him either, especially since he has an ear infection as well. Sean took him to the Dr. today while I was teaching. Poor kid...at least it's only his second ear infection.

Over last weekend we all had the chance to go to the Orchid Show - one of our favorite events every year. Liam took his camera and took some pictures (see below).

Sean and I took a few pictures too, although we were not super serious about it this year since we have so many pictures from previous years. We did, however, manage to win first prize for the hand-painted orchid guitar that Sean and I made together. It was a lot of work, but it paid off - we've been after a first prize for years.

Grant's First Tooth!

We have suffered long and hard through Grant's teething and FINALLY one has arrived! Grant has had a hard time sleeping at night, has been cranky in the evenings lately, and chewing on everything like nobodies business. This afternoon, when I peeked in his mouth I could finally see his bottom left tooth poking out. Hooray!