Learning How to Wave:
07.19.09 ~ Cool Shades, Flamingo
Jason, Liam, and I just got back from a wonderful and relaxing week on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Like last year, we went with Jason’s Mom’s side of the family and stayed in a big house just off the beach. This year we were an even bigger group of 15 people and two dogs. Liam had a full week packed with of his two favorite things: the outdoors and attention. Not surprisingly, Liam loved playing in the sand and water on the beach. On the beach and by the pool at the house, Jason’s mom and Tim set up baby pools for Liam and Ethan to play in so that they could enjoy the water in the shade. Occasionally we also took them down to stick their toes in the ocean water. Liam was slightly concerned about the waves, but not actually scared. He stared at the water coming in and rushing back out and made little “oooh oooooh” sounds. When we tried to put his feet in the water, he would only commit one foot and hold the other up like a little flamingo. In the baby pool on the beach he carefully sucked the salt water off all of his beach toys. Soon he learned he could use his shovel as a spoon, which resulted in a lovely diaper full of diarrhea later that evening. 
Liam’s Nana took over quite a bit of his care (changing, bathing, and playing with him) so Jason and I got a break and were able to kick our feet up and relax. In the evenings when Liam was in bed, we played cards, watched movies, played mini-golf, and had a few cocktails (all activities at which Jason excels). In the mornings, when Liam’s internal alarm clock woke him at the usual 6am, we dropped Liam and his diaper bag off with Carol and Tim, rolled over, and went back to sleep. Bliss.
Liam also got to spend time with his little cousin Ethan. By the end of the week they seemed to recognize each other and (reportedly) greeted each other happily in the mornings. (Ethan was also dropped off with Carol in Tim each morning). We had been hoping that Liam would learn to crawl from Ethan over the course of the week. Instead, it was Ethan that picked up Liam’s terradactyl screech. Unfortunately, not as useful as crawling.
At the same time last year and in that same house I was less than 20 weeks pregnant, we didn’t know the sex of the baby yet, and we spent endless hours talking about what it would be like to have two babies along for the vacation a year from then. So much has happened in the last year since that first trip to the Outer Banks. Not only did we find out the sex of the baby, we went through the rest of the pregnancy, his crazy birth, my crazy recovery, and we’ve started the wonderful process of getting to know Liam. Now, at 7 and ½ months, he has so much personality and life. There we were one full year later, again on the Outer Banks, living all the things we had talked about one year ago.
Liam’s Nana took over quite a bit of his care (changing, bathing, and playing with him) so Jason and I got a break and were able to kick our feet up and relax. In the evenings when Liam was in bed, we played cards, watched movies, played mini-golf, and had a few cocktails (all activities at which Jason excels). In the mornings, when Liam’s internal alarm clock woke him at the usual 6am, we dropped Liam and his diaper bag off with Carol and Tim, rolled over, and went back to sleep. Bliss.Liam also got to spend time with his little cousin Ethan. By the end of the week they seemed to recognize each other and (reportedly) greeted each other happily in the mornings. (Ethan was also dropped off with Carol in Tim each morning). We had been hoping that Liam would learn to crawl from Ethan over the course of the week. Instead, it was Ethan that picked up Liam’s terradactyl screech. Unfortunately, not as useful as crawling.
At the same time last year and in that same house I was less than 20 weeks pregnant, we didn’t know the sex of the baby yet, and we spent endless hours talking about what it would be like to have two babies along for the vacation a year from then. So much has happened in the last year since that first trip to the Outer Banks. Not only did we find out the sex of the baby, we went through the rest of the pregnancy, his crazy birth, my crazy recovery, and we’ve started the wonderful process of getting to know Liam. Now, at 7 and ½ months, he has so much personality and life. There we were one full year later, again on the Outer Banks, living all the things we had talked about one year ago.
And here is Liam’s tooth progress: two on the bottom totally in, the top left just popped through, and the top right looks like it will be here very soon!
And a few pictures of Liam at school during the month of June:
06.25.09 ~ Liam is 7 Months Old Today!
Three quick stories:
Last week I was walking down the hall to Liam’s classroom to pick him up and heard him screeching in little intervals before I even made it to the door. When I walked in I saw him sitting on the floor next to a little girl who’s about a year older than him. He had her foot in his mouth and was sucking on her sock. Every few seconds she withdrew it and he screeched and she would give it back. That had me chuckling the rest of the day.
The next day when I came in to pick him up he was sitting on the floor with a little puddle of his spit up right in front of him. In his right hand was a napkin with which he was wiping the puddle! He might look like his dad, but clearly he takes after me!
This morning Liam was throwing a little fit as I was getting him dressed on his changing table. As soon as I got the last button snapped, I looked at him and, like every morning, I said “Let’s go feed the fishy”. Then, unlike every other morning, he immediately stopped crying and looked over to the fish tank! And then he did it again a few minutes later when we tried our new trick for Jason! Of course I’ve tried the same thing about 100 times today...and he’s only looked maybe half the time. But whatever... he knows where “fishy” is!!
Last week I was walking down the hall to Liam’s classroom to pick him up and heard him screeching in little intervals before I even made it to the door. When I walked in I saw him sitting on the floor next to a little girl who’s about a year older than him. He had her foot in his mouth and was sucking on her sock. Every few seconds she withdrew it and he screeched and she would give it back. That had me chuckling the rest of the day.
The next day when I came in to pick him up he was sitting on the floor with a little puddle of his spit up right in front of him. In his right hand was a napkin with which he was wiping the puddle! He might look like his dad, but clearly he takes after me!
This morning Liam was throwing a little fit as I was getting him dressed on his changing table. As soon as I got the last button snapped, I looked at him and, like every morning, I said “Let’s go feed the fishy”. Then, unlike every other morning, he immediately stopped crying and looked over to the fish tank! And then he did it again a few minutes later when we tried our new trick for Jason! Of course I’ve tried the same thing about 100 times today...and he’s only looked maybe half the time. But whatever... he knows where “fishy” is!!
06.05.09 ~ Liam at School
Liam has been loving going to school. Earlier this week when we walked into his classroom in the morning he smiled and squealed. And when we saw Monika, the teacher that is usually assigned to him, he jumped up and down and shrieked with delight (“jumping”, as in his knees bend and straighten as I hold him in my lap).
The teachers in his classroom take pictures of the children and then email them out to parents once per month. So, here’s Liam at school during the month of May: 
The teachers in his classroom take pictures of the children and then email them out to parents once per month. So, here’s Liam at school during the month of May:
06.03.09 ~ A Tooth! A Tooth!
Just now I was sitting on the floor playing with Liam. He grabbed my finger and stuck it in his mouth and - whoa, what is that?? A tooth! Little Liam has sprouted a little tooth! I have no idea when it poked through, but I'm guessing last night.
I'm pretty thrilled about the tooth. I can't believe I made a baby, and then the baby made a tooth! This explains so much about the last couple of days (and nights).
I'm pretty thrilled about the tooth. I can't believe I made a baby, and then the baby made a tooth! This explains so much about the last couple of days (and nights).
06.01.09 ~ Solid Food!
On Saturday we decided to give Liam some solid foods. We mixed the baby rice cereal with breast milk, tied a bib on our kid, and sat down with him, ready to be entertained. However, to call the runny cereal mixture "solid" is really a joke. So, I think for Liam the notable thing was that his food arrived at his mouth via spoon (instead of boob).
At first he eagerly went for it. But when he realized it tasted different than regular breast milk, he made a face as if we had just stuck a spoonful of lemon juice in his mouth. However, he did open his mouth for more. The face making and then wanting more went on for a few bites until he slowly started growing tired of the process and was more interested in playing with the spoon. All in all, he wasn’t nearly as excited as I thought he would be.
And yes, his first meal was fed to him out of a mug with an egg spoon. (We have since purchased baby spoons).
Then later we second guessed our decision to start solids, and tried to shake the cereal back out.
Just kidding.
At first he eagerly went for it. But when he realized it tasted different than regular breast milk, he made a face as if we had just stuck a spoonful of lemon juice in his mouth. However, he did open his mouth for more. The face making and then wanting more went on for a few bites until he slowly started growing tired of the process and was more interested in playing with the spoon. All in all, he wasn’t nearly as excited as I thought he would be.And yes, his first meal was fed to him out of a mug with an egg spoon. (We have since purchased baby spoons).
Then later we second guessed our decision to start solids, and tried to shake the cereal back out.Just kidding.
05.29.09 ~ Liam Slept Through the Night!
First, here is your daily dose of ridiculous adorableness. This is Liam with his new friend Claire. Really, Claire's mom Elisabeth is my new friend, which means Liam and Claire have to hang out. It's hard to say how much they currently enjoy each other's company, but one thing is for sure: when they are together one huge pair of blue eyes and one huge pair of brown eyes are staring at each other.
Tuesday night Liam slept through the night for the first time. Even though it wasn’t 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep – I am still counting it. He went to bed at 7pm, woke up crying 30 minutes after going to sleep (like he always does), went right back to sleep, and then slept until 5:15. He would have slept longer in the morning had I not gotten worried and checked on him. I woke up at 5:00am because my boobs were painfully full and was shocked he hadn’t been up for a feeding. I spent 15 minutes trying to convince myself that he was totally fine and that there was no need to check on him. However, my imagination got the best of me and I got up. I opened the bedroom door and my fears were immediately calmed because he instantly awoke from the sound of the creaky door. I was relieved to see he was ok, but then regretted checking on him since I was now dealing with an awake baby at 5:15am.
It seems Liam always makes the biggest improvements in his sleep patterns after he’s been out of his routine for a few days. It was after our trip to Germany that he started sleeping in his crib all night and after visiting California he went from waking twice to waking only once. And now after this weekend in Baltimore, he’s shown he’s capable of sleeping through the night. But before everyone gets too excited I should mention that Wednesday night he woke up once, and then last night we woke up twice. Stinker.
We were in Baltimore last weekend for my Mom’s 60th birthday party. Grandma, Aunt Sherrie, and Uncle Jack came from Kentucky to celebrate with us. Aunt Martha, Vera, Anya, Sonya, Peregrine, Hannah, and Toros also came. The weekend was totally eventful as usual. We packed a lot of family time into three short little days. And it was the first time that Anya, Sonya, and Peregrine, and also the Duffs had met Liam!
It seems Liam always makes the biggest improvements in his sleep patterns after he’s been out of his routine for a few days. It was after our trip to Germany that he started sleeping in his crib all night and after visiting California he went from waking twice to waking only once. And now after this weekend in Baltimore, he’s shown he’s capable of sleeping through the night. But before everyone gets too excited I should mention that Wednesday night he woke up once, and then last night we woke up twice. Stinker.
We were in Baltimore last weekend for my Mom’s 60th birthday party. Grandma, Aunt Sherrie, and Uncle Jack came from Kentucky to celebrate with us. Aunt Martha, Vera, Anya, Sonya, Peregrine, Hannah, and Toros also came. The weekend was totally eventful as usual. We packed a lot of family time into three short little days. And it was the first time that Anya, Sonya, and Peregrine, and also the Duffs had met Liam!
With my mom turning 60 and her mother being there to celebrate, I realized that one can celebrate one’s own birthday – but, really, it’s a celebration for the mother. I am pretty sure that Liam’s birthday will always mean more to me than it can ever mean to him. He’ll associate it with presents and attention – but I’ll associate it with meeting him and getting to know him, which has been the single best experience of my adult life. Since today is my own birthday, I obviously can’t help but feel a little sad for Inge – since by my logic, it’s her day to celebrate.
But I digress….My favorite part of the weekend was seeing everyone interacting with Liam. Every day he seems more “with it” than the day before. He’s grabbing for everything around him, he explores objects with his hands and mouth, and he’s so much more deliberate and interactive. He even gives little hugs and kisses. He throws his hands around your head when you’re holding him and gives big, slobbery, open-mouth kisses (really, what he’s doing is sucking on your face). It’s very messy, but also the sweetest thing in the whole world. So, watching everyone playing with this new little version of Liam, and watching how he reacted to everyone, was really entertaining. My dad took him all around the yard to show him the trees and grass and flowers. He is determined to expose the little city baby to some nature. My dad even put him in a tree – much to Liam’s delight.
This week was also Liam’s first full week of childcare. So far it seems like he’s really enjoying himself there. When I drop him off he’s immediately engaged in the things around him in the room. He certainly doesn’t notice that I’m leaving. Part of it is his age, but part of it is how much he likes being in the room with the teachers, the other kids, and the toys. The teachers have even had a pretty easy time getting him to nap. I always bring two frozen bags of milk for them. Soon after I leave, they defrost the first bag, feed him a bottle, and seem to be able to get him to sleep shortly after. On Tuesday and Thursday he slept there for half an hour in the morning. Today he slept for an hour and a half! That's twice as long as the naps he usually takes for me at home! While Liam is playing, eating, and napping, I am across the hall in Brooke’s office trying to make the most of my four hours. I am so motivated to use the time well that I’ve been super productive over the course of the last week. I’m hoping this motivation sticks with me so that I can get my dissertation finished before Liam starts grad school himself.
Watching Vera play with Liam is also pretty great because he takes on her quiet and calm demeanor - she brings out a whole new side of him.
This past weekend was also the first time that Liam really noticed the dogs. At Jason’s Dad’s, Liam got to play with Maggie. It was hysterical to watch him hold his hand out and then close his eyes in anticipation of her licking him. He did it over and over again as I watched totally astounded by the fact that he really wasn’t scared of such a big dog. At Jason’s mom’s house he also played with Bailey, who is a much calmer dog than Maggie. Bailey was very patient as Liam “explored” her long fur and her ears. I’ve had Liam “explore” my hair before too, and I commend Bailey’s high pain tolerance.
This past weekend was also the first time that Liam really noticed the dogs. At Jason’s Dad’s, Liam got to play with Maggie. It was hysterical to watch him hold his hand out and then close his eyes in anticipation of her licking him. He did it over and over again as I watched totally astounded by the fact that he really wasn’t scared of such a big dog. At Jason’s mom’s house he also played with Bailey, who is a much calmer dog than Maggie. Bailey was very patient as Liam “explored” her long fur and her ears. I’ve had Liam “explore” my hair before too, and I commend Bailey’s high pain tolerance. This week was also Liam’s first full week of childcare. So far it seems like he’s really enjoying himself there. When I drop him off he’s immediately engaged in the things around him in the room. He certainly doesn’t notice that I’m leaving. Part of it is his age, but part of it is how much he likes being in the room with the teachers, the other kids, and the toys. The teachers have even had a pretty easy time getting him to nap. I always bring two frozen bags of milk for them. Soon after I leave, they defrost the first bag, feed him a bottle, and seem to be able to get him to sleep shortly after. On Tuesday and Thursday he slept there for half an hour in the morning. Today he slept for an hour and a half! That's twice as long as the naps he usually takes for me at home! While Liam is playing, eating, and napping, I am across the hall in Brooke’s office trying to make the most of my four hours. I am so motivated to use the time well that I’ve been super productive over the course of the last week. I’m hoping this motivation sticks with me so that I can get my dissertation finished before Liam starts grad school himself.We’ve waited to start Liam on solid food until we had a routine going with the childcare. So, our plan is to give him his first baby cereal this weekend. However, Jason is having second thoughts (I think he’s scared of solid food poop), so maybe we’ll put it off a little longer. I’m torn on the matter. I’m excited to give him solids because I think Liam will really enjoy eating. But I love breastfeeding him, and it makes me sad to think I won’t be his sole source of food anymore.
So maybe my next post will be pictures of Liam with food on his face. If not, then you’ll know we waited!
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