2.28.10 ~ QT with Dad in Bmore
Liam went to Baltimore with Jason this weekend for Jeff's birthday while I stayed home to work on my dissertation. This was the first time Jason had traveled alone with Liam …Jason calls this “flying without a net”. First time or not, Jason handled Liam on the train like a pro. Then he shuttled Liam around from house to house, before leaving him with his Nana and Grampa for the night while he went to Jeff’s party. Today they had the morning to hang out with Jason’s parents and then right back to the train. It was a full weekend for them both – I’m sure they are pooped!
It's been very strange being here in our apartment without the two of them. It happens so rarely that it's pretty jarring to suddenly have so much space, quiet, and independence. But it was a good change of pace and I was very productive. So, now I'm eager for my boys to walk through our front door and return to me. Their train was scheduled to arrive two minutes ago, so it won’t be much longer!
Jason and I primarily keep in touch via text message when we’re not together. Here are a few of my favorites from him:
From the train ride down:
“We are stopped because a 'bridge is open' and we are waiting our turn. Have no idea what that means.”
“I leaned my seat back so he slid down in his seat to be doing the same.”
“Someone asked if Liam is a she.”
“He already drank all of his water. Just refilled his with mine.”
From Baltimore:
“I had a great day with him. A woman who was watching us on the train told me I was really good with him.”
From the train ride back:
“On the train. We can’t wait to see u!”
“Liam just had people laughing after he said ‘hi’ when a phone rang.”
But my very favorite are the picture texts!
(This is Liam playing with his buddy Patrick. This picture is actually from Josh not Jason... must give credit where credit is due!)
It's been very strange being here in our apartment without the two of them. It happens so rarely that it's pretty jarring to suddenly have so much space, quiet, and independence. But it was a good change of pace and I was very productive. So, now I'm eager for my boys to walk through our front door and return to me. Their train was scheduled to arrive two minutes ago, so it won’t be much longer!
Jason and I primarily keep in touch via text message when we’re not together. Here are a few of my favorites from him:
From the train ride down:
“We are stopped because a 'bridge is open' and we are waiting our turn. Have no idea what that means.”
“I leaned my seat back so he slid down in his seat to be doing the same.”
“Someone asked if Liam is a she.”
“He already drank all of his water. Just refilled his with mine.”
From Baltimore:
“I had a great day with him. A woman who was watching us on the train told me I was really good with him.”
From the train ride back:
“On the train. We can’t wait to see u!”
“Liam just had people laughing after he said ‘hi’ when a phone rang.”
But my very favorite are the picture texts!
(This is Liam playing with his buddy Patrick. This picture is actually from Josh not Jason... must give credit where credit is due!)2.26.10 ~ Snowed In
As promised, here are Liam's stats from the pediatrician: he weighed 20 lbs 15 oz, which puts him in the measly 8th percentile for weight. And he was 30.5 inches long, which I believe indicates he may have gotten shorter from the last time he was measured. There is obviously some measurement error with the height.
Today it's snowing in New York and Liam's school is closed. So I'm trying not to freak out that I'm missing an entire day of work and instead enjoy the snow with my kid. With that in mind, Liam and I bundled up and headed out to check out the snow. Liam LOVES walking, especially when there's snow involved!
2.23.10 ~ Pictures from February
My parents came up to visit us this past weekend. They arrived in the evening on Saturday and stayed through Sunday evening. They walked through the door just as I was fixing Liam some dinner. As soon as I opened the door and Liam spotted my Dad he said “hi!” I’m pretty sure Liam remembered his Opa /Grandpa Klaus and Grandma. As soon as he was finished with his dinner, Liam toddled over to my dad and wanted to be picked up. We spent the weekend eating and playing in the park. Needless to say, Liam was happy.
This afternoon we’re headed to the pediatrician for a check-up and a few more immunizations. So, I’ll have an update on Liam’s stats soon!
Story time with Auntie Jilly.
Snow adventure in Central Park.
Liam trying to get into the fridge. Maybe he was hot. Or spoiling.
"Taking a walk" has a whole new meaning to Liam now that he doesn't have to ride in the stroller.
Liam was leading the way. I don't think you're supposed to stand on that, kid.
Pure satisfaction.
Helping Grandma push the stroller.
Life is good.
This afternoon we’re headed to the pediatrician for a check-up and a few more immunizations. So, I’ll have an update on Liam’s stats soon!
Story time with Auntie Jilly.Snow adventure in Central Park.Liam trying to get into the fridge. Maybe he was hot. Or spoiling.
"Taking a walk" has a whole new meaning to Liam now that he doesn't have to ride in the stroller.
Liam was leading the way. I don't think you're supposed to stand on that, kid.
Pure satisfaction.
Helping Grandma push the stroller.
Life is good. 2.21.10 ~ Thankful
I was just mindlessly clicking the "next blog" button and browsing some random blogs when I came across a family blog with an interesting header and a cute photo. So I scrolled down to the first entry and started reading only to find that it was a description of how this family of five had just lost their youngest to SIDS only a month earlier. The mother wrote about how she had gone into the four-month-old's room at night to nurse him only to find him unresponsive and not breathing. As I scrolled down further to read earlier postings they were mostly about the craziness of life with a new baby, how wonderful he was, how much they all loved him, and how great the older siblings were with him. My heart was racing as I read and I surprised myself with the level of sadness I felt for this mother.
I am reminded to pause and be very, very grateful and to soak in every drop of joy and meaning that Liam brings to our lives.
I am reminded to pause and be very, very grateful and to soak in every drop of joy and meaning that Liam brings to our lives.
2.17.10 ~ Liam’s Vocabulary, Fourth Edition
“Moom” (Moon)
“Boon” (Balloon)
“Duddy” (Doggie)
“Duh” (Done or Down)
“Muh-Muh” (More)
“Duck” (Duck)
Today Liam had pork chops for lunch. But instead of eating the little pieces I had cut up for him on his plate, he wanted the whole piece that was on my plate. When I finally gave in and handed it to him, he was the happiest boy on the planet. It was hilarious watching him gnaw on that huge piece of meat like a little barbarian. (I realize it looks like Liam was about to choke at the end of this video, but fear not, I promise that he didn't)
Also, here are some pictures from Liam’s school from January. He’s no longer there for music day, but is there for art day instead.
“Boon” (Balloon)
“Duddy” (Doggie)
“Duh” (Done or Down)
“Muh-Muh” (More)
“Duck” (Duck)
Today Liam had pork chops for lunch. But instead of eating the little pieces I had cut up for him on his plate, he wanted the whole piece that was on my plate. When I finally gave in and handed it to him, he was the happiest boy on the planet. It was hilarious watching him gnaw on that huge piece of meat like a little barbarian. (I realize it looks like Liam was about to choke at the end of this video, but fear not, I promise that he didn't)
Little Barbarian from Nina Philipsen Hetzner on Vimeo.
Also, here are some pictures from Liam’s school from January. He’s no longer there for music day, but is there for art day instead.
2.16.10 ~ The Past Week
It’s been a good week. Last Tuesday Jill flew into New York for a work event. Almost as soon as her plane touched down the snow began falling. She went straight from the airport to the East Village where Annette, Greg, and I met her for an Alice Smith show…..which was amazing. (Here’s a video from the performance: http://www.vimeo.com/9391776). Poor Jason missed out because he was still getting over the flu.
The next day we woke up and the city was covered in snow. Jill decided not to cancel her event and Jason had to go to work so Liam and I had a nice snowy day together. When Jason returned from work (early!) we bundled Liam up and took him out to Central Park to see the snow. The snow was still falling and the entire park looked completely transformed. We found a hill where people were sledding and stopped so that Liam could watch. He loved the people flying down the hill and laughing. We walked around the park for a while and let Liam march through the freshly fallen snow. Once he’d been walking around for a while he suddenly started crying. We took him home only to find that the snow had gotten between his snow pants and his shoes and had caused his skin to get red and welty. Babies first frostbite. Luckily it went away pretty quickly.
That night Jill checked her flight – which was supposed to depart the next morning – and found out it was canceled and rescheduled for Sunday. So we got Jill for four extra days! It was awesome. We played with Liam, went to the movies, worked out together, cooked, went shopping, and went out to dinner. It was like being roommates again. The only thing missing was Pia!! And Jill and Liam had some quality bonding time too. Jill sang to him, played with him, and helped bathe and feed him. I think Liam was pretty attached to her by the end of her visit. However, I’m pretty sure that he (and his 5am wake up) killed any baby fever she may have had developing.
Today the snow is falling outside again. So after stopping in to visit Miya and Emi, Liam and I snuggled up together in our warm apartment. As I was making dinner, I turned around and found Liam walking laps back and forth across the apartment. It was pretty cute, so of course I grabbed the video camera.
The next day we woke up and the city was covered in snow. Jill decided not to cancel her event and Jason had to go to work so Liam and I had a nice snowy day together. When Jason returned from work (early!) we bundled Liam up and took him out to Central Park to see the snow. The snow was still falling and the entire park looked completely transformed. We found a hill where people were sledding and stopped so that Liam could watch. He loved the people flying down the hill and laughing. We walked around the park for a while and let Liam march through the freshly fallen snow. Once he’d been walking around for a while he suddenly started crying. We took him home only to find that the snow had gotten between his snow pants and his shoes and had caused his skin to get red and welty. Babies first frostbite. Luckily it went away pretty quickly.
That night Jill checked her flight – which was supposed to depart the next morning – and found out it was canceled and rescheduled for Sunday. So we got Jill for four extra days! It was awesome. We played with Liam, went to the movies, worked out together, cooked, went shopping, and went out to dinner. It was like being roommates again. The only thing missing was Pia!! And Jill and Liam had some quality bonding time too. Jill sang to him, played with him, and helped bathe and feed him. I think Liam was pretty attached to her by the end of her visit. However, I’m pretty sure that he (and his 5am wake up) killed any baby fever she may have had developing.
The Snow and Jill from Nina Philipsen Hetzner on Vimeo.
Today the snow is falling outside again. So after stopping in to visit Miya and Emi, Liam and I snuggled up together in our warm apartment. As I was making dinner, I turned around and found Liam walking laps back and forth across the apartment. It was pretty cute, so of course I grabbed the video camera.
Doing Laps from Nina Philipsen Hetzner on Vimeo.
2.4.10 ~ And He's Off!
Today was the day that Liam’s baby steps turned into legitimate walking. This morning Liam took steps for the first time without us coaxing him into it. He stood at the coffee table in the living room wanted to get over to the “dining room” where Jason had gotten cereal out for him. I was in the shower at the time, but according to Jason, he eyed up his options (crawling on the floor or walking along the couch) and then decided instead to walk. He wobbled over to his cereal like Frankenstein. After breakfast, he played an exciting game of fetch with his soccer ball…WALKING after the ball.
I dropped him off at school and went to my office. A few hours later I attended a Mid-Winter Tea party hosted by the director of Liam’s school. I walked in and she said to me “So, I hear Liam is walking!”. After the tea party I ran into the onsite coordinator in the hallway. The first thing she said to me was “Hey, I hear Liam is walking!” A little bit later I went to the bathroom and passed one of the teachers from another classroom in the hallway. She said to me “I heard Liam is walking!” So I could only assume that Liam was doing some serious walking in his classroom for word to spread like that!
And sure enough, when I picked him up he toddled right on over to me. Liam’s teacher told me he had been walking around the room all day. The Frankenstein walking continued at home, but so far I have only been able to get a little of it on video.
I dropped him off at school and went to my office. A few hours later I attended a Mid-Winter Tea party hosted by the director of Liam’s school. I walked in and she said to me “So, I hear Liam is walking!”. After the tea party I ran into the onsite coordinator in the hallway. The first thing she said to me was “Hey, I hear Liam is walking!” A little bit later I went to the bathroom and passed one of the teachers from another classroom in the hallway. She said to me “I heard Liam is walking!” So I could only assume that Liam was doing some serious walking in his classroom for word to spread like that!
And sure enough, when I picked him up he toddled right on over to me. Liam’s teacher told me he had been walking around the room all day. The Frankenstein walking continued at home, but so far I have only been able to get a little of it on video.
And He's Off from Nina Philipsen Hetzner on Vimeo.
2.3.10 ~ Liam's Vocabulary, Third Edition
More words to add to the list:
"Guck" (Stuck)
"Matta" (Mittens)
"Hat" (Hat)
"Boo" (Spoon)
"Gug" (Bug)
"Buh-Bye" (Bye-Bye)
"Hiyyyy" (Hi)
"Waaaaahhhhh!" (Get me the hell out of my crib, I don't want to sleep right now...just kidding, obviously that doesn't count)
And Book is no longer "Boot," it's "Book". Now "Boot" or "Butt" usually means Foot.
"Guck" (Stuck)
"Matta" (Mittens)
"Hat" (Hat)
"Boo" (Spoon)
"Gug" (Bug)
"Buh-Bye" (Bye-Bye)
"Hiyyyy" (Hi)
"Waaaaahhhhh!" (Get me the hell out of my crib, I don't want to sleep right now...just kidding, obviously that doesn't count)
And Book is no longer "Boot," it's "Book". Now "Boot" or "Butt" usually means Foot.
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