4.08.10 ~ April Showers....Are Fun for Playing in Puddles and Storm Drains

Last week, Hannah came to visit us because she had a meeting in New York. She brought Liam little stone animals from South Africa (where she had just come from), which he now refers to as his “manils”. Hannah was happy to get some one-on-one time with Liam since usually she only gets to see him when one hundred thousand other siblings, parents, and relatives are around. It had just rained and was somewhat chilly and wet outside, but we took Liam to the park to play anyway. He had a blast sticking his hands in every single puddle we passed. And then, at the end of the walk, he parked himself on a storm drain and spent the next 20 minutes throwing leaves and dirt through the grate and into the water beneath. He was very happy and very messy.

Over Easter weekend we had initially planned on going to Baltimore, but canceled our trip because I had to work on revisions for my proposal. So my parents decided that they would come up to visit instead. They drove up Saturday morning and arrived in time for breakfast. It only took about 10 minutes before Liam had completely rekindled his love for his best friend and Grandfather, Klaus (“Daus”). Once he was warmed up, Liam didn’t let go of Klaus again until he and my mom left on Sunday morning. We went on a walk and my Dad carried him (Liam even closed his eyes and fell asleep in his arms), we ate lunch on the water, and Liam sat in my Dad’s lap, and when we were in the apartment, Liam followed him around (he even tried to join him in the bathroom). Outside they were equally excited to see buses (“Bus!”), fire trucks (to which Liam and my Dad make siren sounds in unison), and even a backhoe (“Backah!”). We walked south along the Hudson River and passed a helicopter landing pad. My Dad walked Liam right up to the fence to see the helicopters taking off and landing. The air blew in Liam’s face, the sound was enormous, and Liam was clearly a little scared. Yet, he never cried. He was tucked into my Dad’s arms and trusted that nothing bad would happen. After a few take-offs and landings, Liam relaxed and started waving bye-bye to the helicopters.

I love that Liam and my Dad have this relationship, although I do wonder a little how the little traitor has formed a seemingly stronger bond with his grandfather than with his own parents.

Liam missed seeing his other grandparents on Easter, but he did get a HUGE Easter package in the mail from his Nana. In it were lots of fun treats for Liam, including a Jack-In-Box bunny. Liam and the bunny in the box have a bit of a love/hate relationship. He’s interested in turning the crank and hearing the music play and he loves the sweet bunny, but at the moment when the bunny actually pops out of the box, Liam gets pretty concerned. He’s happy to see the bunny return, but only after taking a few seconds to recover from the shock of the “pop”. Yesterday when we were playing, I tried to give him fair warning that the bunny was going pop out as soon as the music started. But after a few turns with lots of warnings from me, instead of being less afraid, Liam took a proactive stance. As soon as the music started he looked me right in the eyes and said “no no no no no no no no no”. I hear you loud and clear, buddy. So, now we leave the box lid open so that the bunny is always out of the box. No more “pop”.

Since last week the weather has gotten really nice and warm here. In fact, for the past few days it has felt more like summer than spring. It has been so lovely to pick Liam up, carry him downstairs, and head to the park – without dealing with a jacket, hat, gloves, leg warmers, etc. On Tuesday morning I turned my proposal in to my committee members, and on Tuesday afternoon, Liam and I enjoyed some guilt-free time in the park with Miya, Jordy, and Emi. The incredible and talented Miya (http://uphillindustries.com/) took these amazing pictures of Liam playing.

Through someone else’s lens, I suddenly realized what I big boy he’s become! Although the bald head is a little misleading, he is no longer a baby. He says so many words now that I’ve given up on keeping track. He runs (well, hobbles), wants to get down and play rather than be held, feeds himself, (attempts) to clean up after himself, and (mostly) he follows directions really nicely. When we say “bath time”, he toddles into the bathroom. When we say night-night he (usually) starts blowing kisses, says “nigh-nigh” back, and heads for his bedroom. We snuggle together for a bit and then he happily gets into his crib, curls up with his blanket and watches me leave. From watching the monitor we know it often takes him about 20 minutes to finally get comfortable and fall asleep. But he almost never cries anymore. He knows he’s supposed to go to sleep now and he doesn’t resist it anymore. This big boy evening routine something I’m really, really thankful for.

Overall, Liam is really energetic and very passionate – both about the good things (animals, hugs, wheels, balls, trucks, and snacks) and bad things (not getting what he wants right when he wants it, diaper changes, and transitions) in his life. I think Jason and I are going to continue to have our hands full with this smart, verbal, loving, and lively child.... but there is no way that I would want my hands any less full. (Does that make sense?)