The trick with the sign doesn't work so well anymore!
Last weekend Liam and I went to Baltimore to attend Hannah and Toros’s wedding ceremony. It was small since it was just Hannah’s Dad, Toros’s parents and brother, my parents, Helki, Aunt Martha, Liam, and me in attendance. Hannah had encouraged everyone else not to come so that they could instead attend the big wedding reception she and Toros are planning for next spring. So they kept this ceremony nice and simple. They were married at the courthouse in Ellicott City and then we celebrated by having cake at our parents house and dinner near Silver Spring. The ceremony was beautiful because Hannah and Toros both looked so genuinely happy. Hannah was gorgeous in her white sundress… it was just as beautiful, if not more, than any formal wedding gown. Liam had no idea what was going on – but I am happy that one day I can tell him that he was there when his Aunt Hannah and Uncle Toros officially tied the knot.
The weekend was a little rough on Liam’s schedule – as traveling usually is – because all of his naps and bedtimes were totally thrown off. He came out to dinner with us on Friday and was awake way past his bed time. However, contrary to my expectations, he handled it beautifully. Although he was tired, he was very happy sitting on my Dad’s lap and tasting all of the food from his plate. Every once in a while Hannah or Helki came and took him from my dad to go outside for a quick change of scenery. He chatted and played and didn’t fuss at all. It wasn’t until we got back to the house after dinner and I was trying to get him in bed that he got cranky and started crying. Saturday was also packed with activity since we met Hannah and Toros for a tour of the Butterfly Exhibit in Wheaton and then had lunch with them. Later that night we went to Aunt Martha’s house for dinner. Liam really enjoyed the park and the butterflies – and, again, was delighted at lunch when my dad let him try tortilla chips and refried beans. But by dinner time, Liam wasn’t holding up as well as the night before. Luckily it wasn’t a late night and we were home relatively early. He slept really well that night. Over the course of Friday and Saturday Liam and my Dad seemed to really bond. Liam was very happy sitting in his lap or exploring the yard with him. My Dad would scoop him up anytime he started getting fussy and would have him engaged him something new and quiet again within seconds. And Liam started looking to him like he does to me and Jason. For example, if there was a loud noise or a stranger, he would check my Dad’s face for his reaction to make sure that everything was ok.
On Sunday we went to Jason’s Dad’s house for breakfast and had a delicious bacon and eggs breakfast. Ron and Joan had a Ravens outfit ready and waiting for Liam - so we suited him up for game day. After breakfast we sat in the living room and played with Liam on the floor. Liam was on his back staring up at his granddad who had him cracking up just by making faces at him. Then Jason’s mom picked us up and we headed down to her house to see everyone there. Jessica, Gram, Aunt Bar, and Ethan and Emily were there so we took the boys out to the backyard to play in the warm fall weather. Liam’s Nana and Gram gave him a whole box of new fall clothes – very, very generous as they always are – to replace all of his now-snug summer clothes. Now Liam has cute, new – and warm! – outfits to wear to school. The afternoon at the Steeles flew by and soon it was time to go back to the train station. Tim drove as Carol sat in the back and tried to keep Liam awake until we got to the train. The idea was that he would fall asleep once we were on and sleep for a good portion of the ride. Yet, despite all her best efforts at performing and entertaining, Liam fell asleep in the car anyway. At the train station we successfully moved him from the car seat into the Ergo carrier, said our goodbyes, boarded the train, and found a seat without waking him. But as the train started moving I noticed (much to my horror) that we were sitting in the quiet car. This was ok as long as Liam was sleeping, but within a half hour he was awake and squawking. I collected a few of our things to serve as a placeholder (and left all of our luggage in the quiet car), put Liam back in the Ergo, and started wondering around the jam-packed, standing room only, train to find a new (and baby-squawking-appropriate) seat for us. We walked all the way to the back of the train and to the front again and found nothing open. On the way back to the dreaded quiet car, I noticed a family of three (parents and a baby) sitting in the four family seats that face each other. I explained our situation to the mom and practically begged to sit with them – even though it would be crowded. Of course they said yes, so I put my purse on the seat and went back to the front to retrieve the rest of our luggage. As soon as Liam was out of his Ergo and settled into our new seating arrangement his mood lifted and he stopped fussing. It turned out that the baby we were sitting with was only a week apart from Liam in age so her mom and I had a lot to talk about and compare. The rest of the train ride went by quickly and peacefully.
All in all I’ll chalk this weekend up as a success: Hannah got married, Liam got to check in with all of his grandparents, and I had managed to travel to get Liam to and from Baltimore in one piece all by myself.
P.S. Liam had a doctor's appointment on Monday. He measured 18 lbs 11oz (13th percentile) and 29.5 inches long (85th percentile). We're pretty sure that there is a little bit of measurement error in either this length measurement or the last since it's quite a jump in percentile.
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