03.26.09 ~ My Liam Flew Over the Ocean, My Liam Flew Over the Sea…

Last week Jason and I packed our suitcases and our baby and hopped on the New Jersey transit to meet Klaus and Jonas at Newark airport. Klaus had taken the train from Baltimore, and Jonas came on a connecting flight from Denver, and together the four of us escorted Liam on his first international plane trip. We boarded the plane and took our seats and quickly learned that there were incredible tail winds and that the trip would take much less time than usual. This would have been good news except it meant that to make our arrival time (arriving too early in Frankfurt would mean no gate), we had to wait at Newark for an hour before taking off. Liam did not enjoy sitting in our shared seat and waiting, and cried loudly for most of the delay. However, once we took off he fell asleep and slept for majority of the rest of the flight. And miraculously he showed no signs of the pressure change from either the take off or the landing bothering his ears.

When we arrived in Germany we picked up our rented car and car seat and made our way to Heidenheim where we would quickly change clothes at Omi’s house and then head to Opa Karl’s birthday party. Liam also slept for most of the three hour car trip, but was not happy when he woke up. He continued to cry when we arrived at Omi’s, so Jason and Jonas headed to Opa’s party, while Klaus waited behind with me. When Liam finally calmed down, I was able to change and get ready, and then we too went to the party.

Opa Karl had turned 80 earlier that week and was now celebrating with dinner, cake, and 45 family members at a local restaurant. When we arrived everyone was eager to meet Liam, who was totally disoriented, sleep deprived, and clingy. I had to hold him for most of the party, but he tolerated the numerous new faces who came over to greet him and even took a couple short naps despite the noise. The only person who Liam was happy with - besides his mama - was Charlotte. It seemed they had an immediate bond as he nuzzled into her scarf. She entertained him allowing me to enjoy my dessert. The food was amazing, there were nice toasts and presentations in Opa’s honor, and Opa seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit. Despite feeling like I was sleep walking (since I hadn’t slept much on the plane), I had a really great time at the party and was happy to show Liam (and Jason who hadn’t been to Germany in a while) off.

Liam napping during the party.

Liam loving on Charlotte (my cousin).

Liam and the birthday boy... Opa Karl!

We spent the next few days at Omi’s house and Liam met Bodo, Walle, Leonie, and Martin. Liam had recovered from the day before and was delightful and happy as our big group headed out for lunch. Leonie has been a huge Liam fan since the day he was born (sending sweet emails and asking for updates) and it turned out that Liam was an equally big fan of Leonie. She entertained him quite a bit at the restaurant allowing Jason and I time to eat.

Liam and Omi at breakfast.

Opa Hans and Liam.

A champagne toast with Bodo (my uncle), Walle (my aunt), Leonie (my cousin), Martin (Leo's husband), Jonas, Klaus, Jason, Omi, and Opa Hans.

Liam, Leonie, and yes, that's Obama. (Finally, we don't have to travel as Canadians!)

After spending three days at Omi’s (mostly stuffing our faces with delicious food), Jonas left to fly back to Denver for work, and Jason, Liam, and I packed our suitcases and headed to Opa Karl’s house. With Opa and Tante Anneliese (Oma’s sister) we went shopping in downtown Heidenheim, visited the “Hütte” (cottage), and stuffed our faces some more.

Tante Anneliese, Jonas, Opa Karl, Liam and Me.

Downtown Heidenheim.

At the end of the week we had a farewell dinner at Omi’s (where Liam also met Wolfram) and then headed to Beate’s house in Frankfurt for the last night. There we got the grand tour of Beate and Manuel’s new and recently renovated house (which is amazing) and Liam was reunited with Charlotte.

Wolfram (Omi and Opa's "adopted" son) and Liam at Omi's.

Beate (my Aunt) and Liam.

Walking in the vineyards behind Beate's house.

Liam could spot mountains in France from the top of the hill.

Manuel (my uncle) and Liam "Mozart" Hetzner

The week flew by as usual, but the trip overall was a huge success. Aside from a few rough car experiences, Liam proved to be a good little traveler. Even though he is a high energy kid and needs quite a bit of attention, he’s very social and adapts well to new situations. Plus, Jonas, Klaus, Jason and I were a pro traveling team. Jason was a dream husband/father/travel companion as usual. He spent lots of time with Liam since he’s normally at work and misses being with him throughout the day. Jason was also a trooper through all the German speaking (much of which he doesn’t understand) and the overload of family time. It was also nice that Liam was able to spend quality time with Uncle Jonas and Opa Klaus since they don’t see him much. By the end of the trip he was definitely loving his Opa Klaus. On the flight home I brought him to the back of the plane where Klaus was sitting (to hand him off for a little break!) and he gave Klaus a huge smile as I passed him over the other passengers onto Klaus’s lap.

Since Liam did such a good job on this trip, I came home and booked his next travel experience right away. Next up: San Diego to visit Aunt Vera and Uncle Chas!

Happy Liam after sleeping in his crib at night for the first time! (Happy mom behind the camera).

03.03.09 ~ Grandparent Visits

Liam is making great strides with his daytime naps. Most of his naps are happening in the crib now, with very, very little crying. His morning naps are becoming more regular, and on most days I can lay him down and he quietly closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep. This has been a huge relief especially since we’ve had grandparents (and a great-grandparent) visiting for the past two weekends…and have managed not to have a repeat performance of the Jeff-visit.

Two weekends ago Carol (Nana) was here to celebrate her birthday with Liam. Tim (Grandpa) and Gram joined her here on Saturday to spend the day. Gram conquered the stairs up to our apartment as if she were only 13. Last weekend my parents (Grandma and… we’re still working on Klaus’s grandparent name: Opa Klaus? Grandpa Klaus?) came up for the day. Liam is very thankful that his grandparents take the time to travel to see him! And by Liam, I mean me. Going home to Baltimore for the weekend, and having to split our time between three households in that short amount of time, can be very hectic. It’s nice, instead, to have visitors here and to be able to focus on them one family at a time. Now Liam is hoping his Grandad (Ronnie) will come see him soon too!

Liam isn’t just making progress with napping, he does amazing things when he’s awake too. He is a fantastic conversationalist, for example. If you look him in the eye and talk to him, he often talks back. He squints his eyes, smiles, and lets out the most delicious cooing noises in the world. He is also quite a good singer. When I sing him his song* he smiles and makes little noises like he’s trying to sing along. Jason has also recently started making Liam giggle. Liam’s sense of humor is quite refined. His belly laughs are reserved for being tickled and watching Jason act like a monkey. I can’t make him laugh like Jason does – but then, I never was the funny one.

The next big thing in Liam’s life will be his next round of shots (next Monday) followed by his first trip to Germany. Liam is about to find out just how big his family really is!!

*Liam’s Song

Little Liam Hetzner is an inspector,
he likes to check things out.
Little Liam Hetzner is an announcer,
he likes to scream and shout.
Little Liam Hetzner is a director,
he likes to show the way.
Little Liam Hetzner is a cuddler,
he likes to snuggle all day.
Little Liam Hetzner is a critiquer,
he likes to look at art.
Little Liam Hetzner is an eater,
he likes to poop and fart.

Working on the early literacy skills.

Liam owns that whole tummy time thing.

Showing love for President Obama.

I can't resist a man wearing a baby.

02.17.09 ~ Learning to Sleep

It's no secret that I've been obsessing over Liam's sleep. He does not fall asleep easily and does not sleep well alone. For these reasons he is often sleep deprived.

During the night he actually sleeps great (in our bed). But his naps have not been consistent during the day and sometimes by the evening time he is so tired that he cries and cries and is so worked up that he then has an even harder time going to sleep.

We tried getting him to sleep in his crib a few weeks ago. We figured if he had a quiet and consistent place to nap, he would be more rested. However, if I laid him down in his crib, sleepy but awake, he would either cry or fidget and kick his legs until I got him again. So, we gave up on the crib and I have spent the last two weeks making sure he gets enough sleep by whatever means necessary. This meant taking all his naps on me (or Jason). This method worked to help him catch up on his sleep, and it turned our fussy little crankster back into the sweet, happy baby we remembered. However, it has been time consuming and taxing to have a baby sleeping on me for five or more hours of the day. Also, on the weekends when it’s not just me and Liam in the apartment (and the atmosphere may not facilitate a perfectly quiet nap on his mommy), he was often sleep deprived again.

This past weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s (my) back. Jeff was here visiting and Liam barely slept all day. By the evening he was a big screaming mess. He cried on and off from about 3pm on until around 7pm when he suddenly passed out in my lap.

So on Sunday Jason and I resumed the “crib training” and much to our surprise it is actually working this time! I close the curtains to dim the light in the room, feed him, pull the string on his little musical bear, lay him down, and leave the room. For his first nap of the day he usually cries for a few minutes and then can put himself to sleep. However, he still needs some help for the other naps. And we haven’t even tried the crib for the evening yet. However, I finally feel like we’re making progress!

Our Lamaze reunion:

02.04.09 ~ Waiting for Spring

This is what happens to Liam when it's too cold to go out:

Although Liam is reaching peak fussiness these days, he still cooperates when I get the camera out.

His favorite things seem to be the paintings over our couch and the black and white animals from the Wee Gallery decals over his bed and changing table. He looks at them and giggles and smiles with great concentration and intensity. He loves them so much that Jason and I call them his friends are a little jealous of the attention they recieve from him. Luckily he saves some smiles for us too to make us feel better.

01.25.09 ~ Liam's Getting Big!

We’ve noticed Liam doing a lot of new things lately. They seem like small accomplishments maybe, but to us, each new little thing he does is amazing and wonderful. He is a very happy little boy and smiles when he wakes up in the morning, when he’s tickled, when we pick him up, when we make funny noises, or sing to him. But he’s most amused when he watches us eat. The louder I smack and the more I go “hmmmm, soooo gooood”, the funnier he thinks it is. Liam has also started focusing his attention. He stares at patterns and shapes and even sometimes tries to reach his hand out to touch them. He still doesn’t have much coordination with his hands, so his movements are mostly random, but every once in a while we see that he’s deliberately moved his hands toward where he’s looking. He’s also started using his voice more. He’s stopped grunting as much and now either coos or shouts at us. Instead of crying his shouts are little isolated bouts to let us know he needs something. There are no tears, so he sometimes looks like a little old man when he starts complaining.

This past week has been very busy. Liam and I went to the pediatrician for his first vaccinations. He weighed 10 pounds and 14 ounces. When it came time for his shots, he seemed a little shocked when Dr. Zbar stuck him with the needle. First his eye brows shot up and then he started screaming (with real tears). But he quickly calmed down. She let me feed him in the office after she was finished, and by the time we left, Liam was fast asleep in his car seat. He was drowsy for the rest of the afternoon and pretty fussy in the evening, but back to his normal and happy self by the next morning.

This past week Liam also got his first passport, tried his first bottle, started sleeping in his crib, and got to hang out with Shawna Christy, and Erin. They were here this weekend for a long weekend in New York. I think Liam really enjoyed having them here. We did some walking and shopping and Liam had his first fancy dinner out in the evening. Although we weren’t sure how he would do, he actually fell asleep in his car seat and let us eat our dinner before he woke up again. We were definitely the only people in the restaurant with a kid, but since he was really well behaved, it wasn’t a problem at all.

Now I’m hoping the weather warms up a little so that Liam and I can get out of the apartment more and take some long walks in the park in the coming week.

01.12.08 ~ Baby's First...

Liam's First Christmas

Liam's First Tummy Time
Liam's First (real) Smiles
Liam's First Time Meeting Aunt Jill

Liam's First Time Out in the Snow