Liam Turns Three

December 27, 2011 at 4:54 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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I know, I know, all moms say it. But seriously, how is it that my little baby is three already? Every day he amazes me with smart new observations. Every day he drives me crazy whining and throwing fits, too. But I’m finding that while the temper tantrums have subsided somewhat, I’m getting a barrage of questions in their stead. A constant, “Mommy, what’s that?” and an emphatic point. Pretty soon it’ll be, “Mommy, why?” Welcome to Three.

What amazes me about this stage is how his life-long personality is forming. I’m getting a glimpse of the kind of child he’ll become once he starts school, and maybe even what kind of adult he’ll be. Here are a few of my observations:

  • Liam will never be comfortable with crowds. I really thought he’d outgrow his wariness of strangers and bustling activity, but I think Liam has inherited his father’s introverted tendencies. Since we’ve moved to Florida I’ve stopped attending so many group functions and focused more on either one-on-one play dates or activities for just Liam and me. Anytime I’ve tried to branch out –- going to story time or to a public toddler play space — I can tell Liam is way out of his comfort zone. I’m sure he’ll gain confidence once he starts school, but I suspect he’ll be that kid playing in the corner on his own most of the time.
  • He may be introverted, but I wouldn’t call Liam “shy.” Once he’s comfortable with a person or situation, he talks nonstop! It’s so cute to watch him play, giving a running narrative of what he’s doing. “Mommy, I’m gonna put this guy over here. And then I’m gonna open the door. Make the car go uuup the hill! And down again. Whee!” When people come to visit, he runs around the house like he’s showing off. He’s introverted, but talkative. An interesting combination of both his parents!
  • Driving has become a test of my patience. Liam is such a back-seat driver. I make a turn, he says, “No, Mommy, I don’t want to go this way!” I stop at a red light, “Want to goooo, Mommy!” And no amount of reasoning seems to help. “Honey, we have to go this way,” or, “Red light is stop, remember? We have to wait our turn,” is met by more whining. Last year he happily played with his singing alphabet toys, but now he’s very much concerned with where we’re going and how fast we can get there. I am NOT looking forward to Liam at 16!
  • Liam’s eating habits also drive me crazy. He’s gotten so picky that I’ve given up trying to feed him what we’re eating for dinner. Instead I fix him a plate of what I call “Rabbit Food,” dried fruit, nuts, crackers, freeze-dried peas and corn. He’s even turning his nose up at his former favorites, Tyson Chicken Fries and Chef Boyardee Forkables and Meatballs. Every meal turns into a whiny 20 questions, “Do you want fruit snacks?” Noooo! “Do you want goldfish crackers?” Noooo! If I ask him what he wants, he usually says he doesn’t want to eat, then complains two minutes later, “I’m huuuungry!” I thought giving him his own space in the pantry would help. But for some reason he still doesn’t register that he’s hungry and he needs to stop and get something to eat. He just gets progressively more upset until I suggest maybe he’s hungry.
  • As he’s approached three, Liam has gotten more interested in music. He can name almost all of the songs in my repertoire, and he frequently makes requests. He’s even started singing some songs of his own! I’m thinking of trying out a toddler music class if I can find an affordable one. Free would be even better, since Liam’s fear of large groups will likely trump his love for music. Sigh.
  • Liam’s also getting more interested in art. When I picked him up at the Y last week, they handed me two paintings he’d done. My boy is painting! I hung them up on the fridge, and every time he passes them, he remarks, “I painted those.” I hesitated to try him out on painting because he’s such a neat, finicky kid. But perhaps it’s time to break out the paints!
  • This could just be a phase, but this kid is obsessed with cleanliness. He complains when food falls on the floor, insists that I wipe his hands after he’s eaten (even when changing from one food to the other!), and has a melt down when his clothes or his blanket get wet or dirty. Today was a bit of an exception, as you can see in the above photo. But he he did get rather upset after the cupcake was gone and he realized he was covered in messy chocolate.
  • People keep telling me that kids this age want to be independent. They want to do things for themselves. But our infanthood nickname for Liam has held up: Lazy Liam. I’ve had to entice him with stickers for his sticker chart to do most anything for himself: take his own shoes off, feed himself with a spoon, brush his own teeth. So far teeth brushing and removing shoes has become a habit. But we’re still struggling with using utensils. This kid is going to insist I spoon feed him until he starts kindergarten! He hasn’t shown any interest in trying to dress or undress himself. But I think it’s like everything else he’s achieved…he has to feel confident he can do it before he’ll give it a try. I’m sure he’ll get there, but he has to figure it out at his own pace.
  • Potty training is going…painfully slowly. Most days he refuses to sit, even when I offer stickers and prizes. Then some days he’ll actually suggest sitting on the potty himself. We’re keeping up with potty videos and books, and we talk a lot about it every day, so I’m hoping someday this will all click. Someday before he turns five.
  • And lest I complain too much, Liam is the most affectionate, sweet-natured little boy you’ll ever meet. James and I get showered with cuddles, hugs and kisses every day. Liam loves to be held, carried, wrestled and tickled. He loves to climb on us like his personal jungle gyms, riding on our backs like horsies, or sliding down our legs on his tummy. Every day I think how freaking adorable he is, wishing he could stay this size and this age forever. He’s clever, surprising me by mentioning something I was sure he’d long ago forgotten. He loves to count, mischievously throwing “eleventeen” into the mix and laughing when I mockingly scold him.
  • Oh, and his laugh. That is my very, very favorite! It’s such a raucous affair, emanating from his belly and erupting from his toothy little grin. His whole face lights up, his little dimples twinkle, and I can’t help but laugh right along with him.

I don’t mean to brag…

January 30, 2011 at 9:45 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
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Well, ok, I do. Liam has simply astounded me with his ability to recognize letters and numbers. A couple of weeks ago I picked up a set of magnetic numbers, thinking we’d work a little on counting. He’d pick out a number, I’d name it, and then he’d stick it up on the fridge. Two days later he could point out most of them himself, his favorite being 5. “FIVE!” he’d shout as he eagerly pulled that number off the fridge and took off down the hall with it. Last week he pointed to one of his counting toys, and with a chubby finger counted off, “One, Two, Fwee, Four, Fiiiive!” And today, unprompted, he showed off his skills to his daddy, who ran in to tell me, “Liam counted to six! I didn’t know he could do that!”

Now he’s a little letters and numbers machine, pointing out, “A!” or “3!” wherever he sees them. I can hardly get through a book without him shouting out the letters in the initial caps. Today, carrying around his beloved “boo choo choo”, he looked down and shouted, “One!” There is, indeed, a number one on Thomas’s side panel.

So now I’m thinking, what’s next? He still hasn’t expressed an interest in singing the ABCs, although I do sing him that song almost every day. And I’ve started spelling out some easy words on the fridge and pointing them out to him. Public television has also giving him a boost, with Super Why and Sesame Street encouraging lots of letter naming. He chimes right in, though usually only when I ask him to. I can’t believe this kid was barely talking a few months ago, and now I can barely get the kid to shut up.

In other cuteness news, he’s taken to calling us Mommy and Daddy instead of Mama and Dada. Except when he calls out Mommy, he sounds a little British. Like, “Mummay!” James thinks it’s hilarious. And he’s learned a new word. Fruit Snack. He says it clear as a bell. And just like my friend Jessaca’s nephew AJ, he lives for them.  He’s still throwing tantrums, but he’s figured out there’s no need to bang his head into anything or throw himself on the floor. Which is a slight improvement.

With all this winter weather, power outages, downed trees, and blocked streets, I’ve been feeling a bit beleaguered. They’re calling for freezing rain on Tuesday, and I’m thinking, “Really? Really?” It’s not enough that I usually feel the winter blues, but now I also feel trapped at the house. I told James if he wanted to put in for some jobs in Miami, I would not object. For some reason, Florida’s been calling to me lately. It’s home to one of my favorite writers (Dave Barry), one of my favorite shows (Dexter), and one of my favorite bloggers (McMommy). Also home to hurricanes, outrageous housing prices, and lots of big bugs. Hmmmm…

Liam is 2 years old!

December 30, 2010 at 6:25 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
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Liam turned two while we were away, and because everyone was going to be leaving before his actual birthday, we celebrated Christmas evening with a large Elmo cupcake and another round of presents. Pictures to come, I promise! In the meantime, I snapped this photo today of him opening his special box of red stuff courtesy of his Aunt Jill and Grandma. In a big red canvas box Liam found a red car, a red choo choo, a red bull dozer, a couple of red books, a talking red critter (sitting in his lap. He called it “baby”), a cozy red snowflake blanket, red mittens, a red washcloth, and I’m sure lots of other red things I can’t remember at the moment. He kept saying, “Raa, raa!” as I pulled things out. It was so cute. Here are a few big changes to note for this milestone:

  • Liam is naming more and more colors. In the car he learned purple. He also knows yellow (Wewo), but he still stubbornly refuses to say Green.
  • The morning we left for Lexington I was wearing a shirt with letters on it. Suddenly Liam said, “Tee!” and pointed to the T. Then he said, “Ess!” and pointed to the S. I figured it was fluke. But he’s been pointing and identifying letters all week. He got a couple of little electronic toys with letter buttons that have helped reinforce the skill. Lord knows I hadn’t been working with him on it, but I am now! According to babycenter, he’s a bit ahead of the curve with this skill, which is considered an “advanced skill” at 27 months. This video doesn’t quite do it justice, but he really is pointing to the right letters!
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  • On the way to Grandma and Grandpa’s, he learned three new words: Purple, Bridge, and Mine. At Grandma’s I taught him “Up!” I think I’m going to regret those last two.
  • Liam’s getting better at names, calling grandpa “Pa-pa” and grandma “Ma-Ma”. Uncle Mike and Kim’s boyfriend, Mike, were both called, “My Mike”, and his cousin Brady was “Bee-bee”. We’ll work on the aunts and cousin Devin after I load all our photos on the digital frame. He loves pointing out people as they come up.

Liam is 23 months old!

November 27, 2010 at 9:13 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Sniff, sniff. This marks the last time I’ll refer to Liam as “so many” months old. Mostly because after 24 my math gets fuzzy. He’ll be two in a month, and I can hardly believe it. He’s doing and saying and accomplishing so much, it’s astounding. Hence the long list. And this doesn’t even cover it all.

  • Liam continues to add to his vocabulary. And his words seem to come in pairs. Playing with the ball, it’s “baa baa.” When we ride the subway, he points to the opening doors, “Door door!” In the morning he points to the dinosaur quilt my mom made him that hangs above his crib, “Saur saur.” Some words he can’t quite say, but you can tell he’s trying. Like when the conductor on Dinosaur Train cries, “All Abooard!” Liam shouts, “All ababa!” I’m understanding now how it is moms can decipher their children’s mumbled and broken toddler-ese. You hear this stuff enough and it sounds like they’re really saying it correctly.
  • Is it a sign of potty training readiness that Liam can wipe his own behind? It started as a way to quiet him during fussy diaper changes, but now he reaches for the wipe, diligently wipes his nethers, and shouts, “Wee wee!” I haven’t changed him in public in awhile. This could get embarrassing.
  • Liam is obsessed with the color red. When we’re outside he picks up red leaves to carry around, saying “Raa raa!” Anything he sees that’s red gets a feisty point and announcement. When I fold the laundry, he steals all of the red socks and hordes them. I was beginning to think red was the only color he could identify until we were outside and he pointed to the car and shouted, “Boo!” Took me a minute to realize he meant, “Blue.”
  • Liam has become very opinionated. And that opinion is No.
  • Liam is the life of party at the Itsy Bitsy class these days. After each pose he claps his hands and cheers, “Yay!” When a baby gets fussy, he says, “Uh oh, baby!” At the end of the class, he sits in my lap, clasps his hands together, and says, “Ommmm!” This is our last session with the babies. Next January we’ll be starting the 2 – 4 year old class. I have a feeling there will be an adjustment period.
  • Liam, unlike most other kids, prefers the crust of the bread. Give him a heel, and he’ll gobble the whole thing up.
  • When he sees a letter of the alphabet, he exclaims, “Ayyy!” Every letter is “A”
  • The other day when I was cleaning house, Liam got a little too curious about the vacuum cleaner and managed to turn it on. He ran screaming holy terror to me, and it was all I could do to keep from laughing! Poor kid was so distraught I had to stop cleaning, take him downstairs to play, and all the while he wouldn’t let me put him down. Finally, after 30 minutes, we went upstairs to finish cleaning. I half expected him to cry when I started the vacuum, but apparently by that time it was all water under the bridge.
  • I’m not allowed to get too comfortable. If I sit in a chair or on the couch, Liam will play quietly for about 30 seconds, then come up to me and pull on my hand or leg. Get up, mama! He leads me around by the hand, usually losing interest in me and finding something else to play with. If I sit back down, we rinse and repeat.
  • Despite his increasing vocabulary, we’re still doing some sign language. He modified the sign for Water, thrusting his splayed hand forward and back instead of taking three fingers to his chin. He mastered “hungry/eat” awhile ago, which has been one of the most helpful signs to know. When he’s really trying to get his point across, he’ll come up to me, grab my hand, form it into the “eat” sign, and thrust it at my mouth. Gotcha, son.
  • The mealtime routine has changed up a bit. Now that we’ve introduced a table and chairs, he eats breakfast at his own little table. He still hasn’t mastered the fork and spoon, so he either eats with his hands, or if I’ve got the patience for it, I’ll spear his food for him and hand him the fork. I’ve seen other kids insist on doing it themselves, but not my son. I think this kid would gladly let me hand-feed him through preschool.
  • Speaking of preschool, we’re already on a wait list for next fall. I’m looking at a couple of other schools in January, but I’m going to limit the number of schools we apply to because of the steep non-refundable application fee. These are all co-ops, which would mean I would volunteer to be a teacher’s helper twice a month, along with some other duties. This makes the tuition cheaper, but I also like the idea of getting to see Liam interact with other kids in a school setting. My mom volunteered when we were in elementary school, and we loved having her there. There’s a chance he may not make it in next year, which is fine. I wanted to start at two, but we can wait until three.

Liam is 22 months old!

October 27, 2010 at 3:35 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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I have so much to report this month! Suddenly my baby has woken up and become a little inquisitive creature! Here’s what he’s been up to this month:

  • Liam is talking like crazy! It started with repeating words that I said or read, “Moo. Boo. Shhhhh. Bye Bye.” Then he started repeating what he heard from other kids, “Bee. Ball.” Then he started repeating words he heard on TV, “Roar! Me. Yay!” And then, without provocation, he just figured out how to say a word he’s been wanting to say for ages, “Shoes.” As in, “Mama, put my shoes on, I want to go outside. Now.” In the mornings he says, “Bye Bye, Da-da” with an energetic wave. This morning he said, “No, no, no.” The floodgates have been opened.
  • Liam can’t get enough of cartoons and Animal Planet. I’ve started taping Dinosaur Train and It’s Me or the Dog for him. He also likes Curious George and SuperWhy. I’ve stuck to PBS so far because I like the non-commercial format. I’m sure once I get sick of these I’ll start to expose him to some more of the less annoying ones. (Read: No Sponge Bob or Barney if I can help it.)
  • Liam loves being outside. Every morning after we’ve gotten dressed, he starts whining for his shoes. God forbid I put them on before I’m ready to leave the house. A fit ensues until I can get him out the door. He walks down the porch steps to the sidewalk, and it takes a little coaxing to get him to the car. Most times I just pick him up screaming and put him in there. I guess the car doesn’t count as “outside.” After his nap and snack, we put shoes on again (he says, “choos”), and make our way up the street to the Metro to meet Daddy. The other day James came home early, right in the middle of snack time, and Liam absolutely lost it! He knew that once daddy was home we weren’t going up to meet him. I had to take him outside for an hour after that just to placate him. What ever are we going to do this winter?
  • He’s getting more opinionated about his food options. Not picky, per se, but sometimes he just doesn’t feel like cauliflower right now, thankyouverymuch. Try again tomorrow. Maybe.
  • I wrote about Liam’s little response to Car Talk on NPR. The other day when we were listening to the show, Ray announced they’d be back after a short break, and Liam waved bye bye to the radio. What a smartie pants!
  • Liam sits on the potty now without protest. He doesn’t actually go in it – he would have to sit on there for longer to do that – but right now we’re just getting him comfortable with sitting there. At bath time he always cops a squat on the potty before hooking his leg over the edge of the tub. I’m waiting for one more sign of “readiness” before we start the potty training in earnest. He needs to be able to pull his pants down on his own. Right now he’s still even a little clumsy sitting on the pot. But we’ll get there soon enough.
  • My new job as mommy is mind-reader. Liam gets increasingly frustrated with communicating what he wants, pointing vaguely at something and whining as I pick up one thing after another, “Is it this? Do you want this? How about this?” Recently his fits have devolved into an annoying habit of head-banging. Not the metal rock band type, but more like knocking his head against a hard surface. According to the literature, this is a common toddler response to stress, and just a phase. And it’s one I’ll be happy when he’s left it behind. I’m constantly picking him up off the floor before he does too much damage to his noggin. James thinks he’s doing it for attention now, so I’ve been letting him get in a few knocks with my back turned to see if he, erm, knocks it off on his own. Sometimes he gets distracted and calms down. Sometimes not.  
  • I’m in constant amazement about what Liam is learning without my knowledge. The other day he pulled off his socks and tried to hand them to me. I was busy, so I told him to put them in the other room. I came back to check on him, and he’d nested his socks right inside his shoes, something he’s seen me do dozens of times at our baby yoga class, and something I never thought he noticed.

Liam is 21 months old!

September 27, 2010 at 10:43 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Even this week, while we’ve been visiting with grandma and grandpa in KC, Liam is achieving new feats and exhibiting new quirks. Here are some of the best:

  • Liam has added some new words to his vocab — woah, hey, baby,yeah, yay, and side (for “inside”). It cracks us up when he combines these to say, “Woah, baby” and “Hey, baby”. He’s gotten quite adept at these two-word combinations. Today at Jill’s house, when her dog Alfie knocked Liam down in his zeal, Liam got himself up and said, “Uh oh, woof woof.”
  • Liam is just starting to get more interested in watching TV. He loves the Dog Whisperer (barking through the whole episode), and a show we found on PBS called Dinosaur Train. It’s about a family of dinosaurs who ride a time-traveling train, learning about different species of dinosaurs and lizards. Nerdy, I know, but it combines two of Liam’s favorite things!
  • Every morning when James leaves for work he gives Liam a kiss while I hold him on my hip. Then Liam puts his little hand behind my neck and pushes me toward daddy, indicating that it’s mommy’s turn for the kiss now.
  • Liam has some definitive favorites at this age. Favorite color: red. Favorite shape: circle. Favorite song: Itsy Bitsy Spider or Six Little Ducks (both have a sign he gives me when he wants me to sing them). Favorite stuffed animal: bull dog. Favorite word: Uh oh (which has now surpassed “outside”)
  • James finally took his golf clubs out of their box, and while it sat waiting for its trip outside to the curb, Liam invented a new and apparently hilarious game. He rolls his large yoga ball right into it, shaking the box and leaving Liam in a fit of giggles. We’ve decided to keep the box.
  • After every meal, Liam sits down on the floor next to his bookshelf and reads his books. We’re surprised how careful he is with them, even the ones with the paper pages.
  • In addition to pointing his finger and expecting a return point ala ET, Liam also loves giving fist bumps.
  • Liam had a couple of restless nights sleeping in the pack ‘n play at night while we’ve been in KC, so the other night I brought him in the bed with us. He tossed and turned, then in the wee hours he threw one leg over me and slept right on top of me, with his head in the crook of my neck and his tummy against mine. No matter how I shifted to move him to my side, he kept wiggling to lay on top. I finally gave up and let him sleep like that, all snuggled up to me like he did when he was just a tiny baby.

Liam is 20 months old!

August 27, 2010 at 3:16 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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It’s like this kid is changing before my eyes. He’s growing taller and slimming down, looking more and more like a grown up little boy. He’s figuring things out for himself so quickly, it’s like you can see the little wheels turning in his head. Here’s what else he’s been up to:

  • I was chasing Liam with the camera, desperately trying to get a good photo for this update. I was like, “Liam, let’s go knock on the window. Let’s go play with the firetruck.” Exasperated, I said, “Liam, look at mommy and smile!” This was the resulting face he made. Look how much he’s straining his neck! I laughed for 10 minutes. Check out the rest of the photos I took.
  • Note to self: Don’t let Liam shut himself in the bathroom anymore. He can’t turn the knob, but he can turn the lock.
  • Liam added “Uh-oh” to his meager list of words. He likes to run them all together now in his own little made up sentences, “Ma ma, da da, mamadada, outsah! Nana! Nana! Uh oh.” Though mostly he just jibber jabbers nonsense to me as if he’s saying something important. In the morning when he wakes up he’s so animatedly talking to me, it’s as if he’s describing his dreams. I think we’re in for it once he gets these words down.
  • This kid is skittish. He’s afraid of the printer, and recently became afraid of the paper shredder. The other day he was fiddling with the front of the TV, pushed the power button, then yelped and ran to me when the TV came to life. Of course, once he understood that it was just the TV, he was fine. I’m sure he’ll outgrow these fears – the vacuum and dustbuster, former harbingers of doom, delight him now.
  • Yesterday at the park Liam got his first kiss. And doesn’t he look thrilled to be on the receiving end?
  • Liam loves to bring me things. And he gets quite put out if I don’t take them. For instance, when it’s looking like we might be going outside, he runs to the front door and grabs James’s sneakers. Once I’ve taken those, he runs back and gets my sneakers. And if I’ve put his sneakers on the table, you can bet he’ll get those next. The other day he brought me the kitchen rug. It took me a minute to figure out what it was and where it came from. Oy vey!
  • This morning we went to the park, and when we approached the slide, I said what I usually say, “Now slide down on your tummy!” Usually he just stands there like a dope and I have to catch him before he goes face first over the edge. But this time he got down on his knees, shimmied his little feet over, and slid down. ALL BY HIMSELF! 
  • His favorite toys right now are his fire truck and school bus, hand-me-downs from his cousins. He pushes them down the hallway, laughs his little butt off, then waddles down there to push them further. When he hits a wall, he laughs even harder.
  • Liam has some quirky little habits, things I assumed all kids did, but after talking to my sister, I realized these might be unique to my little guy. Like when he hears a helicopter, he immediately shoots his finger up to the sky. But then he’ll take my hand and point it up there, as well. When we’re reading a book that has textured pages, he’ll feel it, then grab my hand and make me feel it, too. Another of his cute quirks: he likes to take his stuffed animals and clap their hands. I first caught him doing it to his sock monkey jack-in-the-box a few months ago. But now he’s doing it to his dogs, his sheep, and his dinosaur bath toy. I managed to catch him on video doing it:

Liam is 19 months old!

July 29, 2010 at 1:26 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Here’s what my little munchkin has been up to:

  • We have mastered the back position in the Boba! Shortly after his 18-month mark, and right after Jill’s visit, I successfully got Liam up on my back and strapped in with no assistance whatsoever. I’m not sure if it was a matter of practice, or that Liam is finally big enough to sit sturdily on my back. Probably a little of both. Either way, it’s wonderfully freeing to know I can finally do this on my own.
  • Liam did marginally better at his doctor’s visit today. While he still screamed his head off when the nurse came in to take his measurements, he sat more calmly for the doctor. It helped that I brought his blankie and favorite dog, and a few books to read while we waited. He only had one shot to get, and of course he cried for that. I found it hard to believe he’d only grown one inch since our last visit, so when I got home I measured him against the wall. Sure enough, 30 inches. So he’s still in the 2nd or 3rd percentile in height. Click here to get more stats.
  • Liam’s becoming quite the little mimic. He can hoo-hoo like an owl, neigh like a horse, grunt like a pig, bark like a dog, and sometimes, when he feels like it, he’ll even repeat a cow’s hearty moooo. When we sing “Six Little Ducks” he flaps his arms like a duck right along with me.
  • Liam’s very favorite word is still “outside”. It’s the first word he says in the morning, pointing enthusiastically at his window from the crib. And it’s the last pleading word he says at night, pointing at the front door in his pajamas before we march him down the hall to bed. 
  • Mr. Shaggy head is in need of a haircut soon, and I’m absolutely dreading it. Holding him down on my lap while the hairdresser quickly and carefully snips away isn’t going to work this time. He’s getting too strong for me. So, I did a little research, and the consensus favors sugary bribes in the form of lollipops. Liam’s never had one, but I’m not above giving him one if it means he’ll sit there in peace. I may let him get a bit shaggier before I go, but certainly those locks will be tamed before our trip to Kansas City in late September.
  • He’s still not a huge fan of fresh fruits. While he’s usually game for fresh blueberries, I have to serve peaches, mangoes, raspberries and strawberries mixed with his morning oatmeal. As long as there’s a bit of oatmeal on the spoon with the fruit, he’ll eat it. And I’ve discovered there’s a huge difference between freeze-dried and simply dried strawberries, according to the boy. Dried and chewy, and they get spit out. Freeze-dried and crispy, and it’s yummy yum yum.
  • Baby yoga has gotten especially fun this month. Not only can he do Down Dog, but on command he’ll do Tree Pose, Knee to the Chest, and he’ll spin in circles.
  • It amazes me what he’s learning that I didn’t even teach him. In the bathtub we make a game of pointing out each of his body parts. We do hair, eyes, nose, teeth, chin, and so on. Sometimes he points to me, sometimes he points to himself – he’s still working on those pronouns. One day I asked, “Where’s mommy’s shoulder?” expecting to have to point it out to him because this was one I’d never asked. But he leaned forward and placed a chubby finger right on my shoulder!

My boy is 18 months old!

June 27, 2010 at 4:49 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Quite a milestone we’re hitting today. Liam seems less like a little baby and more like a little boy. He’s casting away his baby toys, holding his own spoon, and asserting his independence. When he’s not attached to me at the hip. Here’s more of what he’s been up to:

  • When Liam first learned to walk, we heard, “Pit-pat (pause), pit-pat.” Now it’s “Pitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatter (pause for one second to change direction) pitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatter…” I used to wonder what the big deal was about baby proofing. Surely I could catch him before he got into anything. But now I’ll be at my computer, turn around (or rather, he turns me around. He’s getting strong!), and he hands me something I had no idea he could get into.
  • Or reach, for that matter. I think Liam’s grown three inches in three months. Or it seems that way, anyhow. We’ll know for sure at his check up in late July. For now I have to really watch what I put at the edge of the kitchen table. This morning I got up to get his milk, and came back to see he’d grabbed my cereal bar and was happily munching it on the floor. The little thief.
  • Liam can add “outside” to his repertoire, though he says it more like, “Ow-sah.” He’s been babbling quite a lot lately, throwing odd vowels and consonants together. Today we had a play date with Alice and her kids, and I swear he said her name. The only other word I’ve heard him say is “asses.” Wonderful.
  • It’s like a switch has gone off, and suddenly Liam is going bananas for bananas. The other day he ate a whole one plus half of Evie’s. He’s also suddenly loving blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. I tried him on bits of mango this morning, and this afternoon we’re on to peaches. Bye bye, baby food!
  • All of Liam’s molars have come in, and he’s got one new bottom tooth. We’re just waiting on one last bottom tooth, and then I think we’re set for teeth for awhile. Until the incisors. I hear those can be the worst.
  • Being summer, James inhales popsicles all afternoon and evening. Liam dutifully follows him to the couch, opens his mouth, and James lets him touch it with his tongue. He doesn’t want to eat it…just taste it. For now.
  • Our little Napoleon surveys his surroundings with his hands behind his back and his elbows stuck out, just marching along like he owns the place. Which he does.
  • Liam is all about mama these days. I can’t go far without him following me, and god forbid anyone else tries to hold him. Even James can’t hold him for long before he’s begging to go back to me. I really can’t wait for this phase to be over.
  • Liam is growing fearless. His favorite game is to jump on the couch. We have to put him up there, but then he’s off, diving into pillows, running from one end to the other, and jumping up and down while holding onto the back cushion. We have to watch him closely, though. Twice now he’s run headlong right off the end of the chaise lounge, and we’ve both been there to catch him before he falls. I have a feeling there’s a bruise in his future. One to match his scabbed up knees.
  • Every night at bedtime I pick out three books to read, lay them on his table next to the glider, and we cozy up with a blanket. I pick up one book, he carefully scans the cover, then cranes his neck to see what the other two books are on his table. Then he usually pushes that book away until I pick up the one he’d rather start with. Mister Particular! His favorites are Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, The Monster at the End of This Book (also my fav as a kid), and Beddy Bye Baby.   
  • No more fast-food lunches or fries with dinner. It used to be I could eat french fries and feed him green beans, rice, or whatever healthy dinner I had planned for him. Not anymore. Now he just begs and cries and refuses to eat anything until I give him a fry. And another. And another. And who could blame him? I’d rather eat french fries than green beans, too.

Liam is 17 months old!

May 28, 2010 at 3:09 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Liam17months

Here’s what my lil’ guy has been up to:

  • Oh, Liam and his blankie! I brought the laundry upstairs, went down the hall to get the camera, and Liam had dug through the basket, pulled out his blankie, and was snuggling it on the floor when I came back. I couldn’t resist taking a photo.
  • He’s not always that cute. God forbid he doesn’t get right what he wants when he wants it, or he’s on the floor throwing a fit. It’s gotten so frequent that I don’t even bother consoling him anymore. I just go about my business, and in a minute or two he’s found something to distract him. Until the next time he gets mad. Urgh.
  • Do animal sounds count as words? Now he says “Neigh” when he sees a horse, either barks “Bwa bwa” or says, “Baa” when he sees a dog. Evie is “Deeeee,” with an enthusiastic point to her photo.
  • Speaking of enthusiastic points, that lil’ pointer of his goes everywhere. Up when a plane flies overhead. Out when a dog barks or (yay!) a school bus passes by. Or sometimes it points any ol’ direction he pleases. I can’t figure out what he’s point at, but whatever it is, it must be fascinating.
  • He hasn’t learned any more signs from me, but he’s made up one of his own. He pumps his little fist up and down for “choo choo.” This can mean train, which could be passing by in the distance, or we could just be playing train on the bolster. He also does it for ambulance sirens and car horns. So flippin’ cute.
  • We’ve had a rough week on the teething front. Two more molars have made an appearance, bringing him to nine teeth total. Four up top, two on bottom, and three molars.The gums around his last molar are all swollen, so we’re expecting that one to poke through any day now. He’s been waking up in the night, and generally fussy and unhappy during the day this week.
  • When bathtime is over, Liam diligently hands me each plastic toy so I can squeeze the water out and put it away. Then he signs, “All done.”
  • Liam has discovered cup holders! Now in his high chair he will carefully place his milk and water in their respective spots. They do still get pitched over the side sometimes, but for the most part he’s understanding that if he puts his cups there, he can drink from them at his leisure. He’s also using the cup holders in his stroller, and it kills me  to see him all grown up like that. Sniff.
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