24 Months- Happy Birthday Liam!!

An Honest Moment. . . .

There are days when I feel like Liam's been 2 for years, when his infancy seems so far away that I often feel like the past two years have been a big blur. Then there are days when I feel like I deserve a metal for having survived the baby stages and days when I well up with tears over not having appreciated his tininess enough. So goes the every tugging and pulling emotions of motherhood. Constant ups and downs. Times when you don't think you could possibly love anything more to the total opposite emotion of you wanting to pull your hair out when you are tired of him screaming and whining at you which subsequently spins you into reminiscing about the times you were BORED without a child. Then there are the emotions that make you constantly doubt yourself. Is he eating healthy enough, is he learning enough, am I exposing him to enough, does he know already how deeply loved he is? Questions upon questions. Really, am I controlling how this child will develop and how he will learn and love others. As mothers, parents really, we do mold them completely!! Talk about pressure. Once these feelings start welling up inside me, my heart jumps in well the holy spirit and says "Just love him and love ME and the rest will fall into place." And so I continue to love him unconditionally and fall back on the idea that I will never be perfect but I can be perfectly in love with Liam. Oh the journey parents take on. Thank you mom and dad for doing it for me!

Liam news. . . .

Liam is officially 2! I guess I can't keep using his age in months as my blog title anymore. We have had a rough week thus far. Liam caught his first stomach bug. His first sickness really. Nothing more heart wrenching then watching your baby throw up and not being able to fix it for him when he asks "mommy, go way" as he points to his throat. Translation: Make this burning go away in my throat! Rich and I stayed up most of the night getting him settled and well. After 24 hours he bounced right back, but it sure wasn't fun! Then he passed it to mommy! Oh joy! But we are on the mend. Note to self: don't let your child drink a lot after he or she vomits. SIPS of liquid only. Hello!

On Liam's actual birthday we took him to the zoo. We took him on his 1 year birthday and decided to carry on the tradition this year. The pictures above are a comparison of his first year birthday and this year. He really has grown. He liked the zoo too this year. Although the animals didn't interest him as much as pushing his stroller, throwing some mulch around, and playing on the playground. Oh well, there is always next year. We followed up the birthday with dinner with the grandparents. We even Facetimed with Aunt Say Say so she could watch Liam open the present she sent him. A HUGE play tent with balls. Thanks Say Say for the messy toy that takes up my whole living room. :) Meanwhile we are planning his big party for Saturday. It's Toy Story themed and outside at my parents house. We have a big blow up bounce house, corn hole, coloring and chalk stations, and a bonfire for smores. The weather is going to be great so we are excited for him to enjoy a big outside party. I'll be sure to follow up with pictures.

Liam is starting to want to use the potty more and more. I haven't quite dove into it because I want to get Sarah's wedding perfectly planned and over before Liam needs all my attention to go potty. That and the big boy bed are waiting until the holidays. I've had a lot on my plate lately and I don't think I could handle all that right now.

In other news, Liam officially knows all of his colors. Anything you ask him he can tell you exactly what color it is. I'm pretty impressed myself. We need to start working on the ABCs now. It really does pay off to just talk to them constantly and tell them things as you do and see them. They do listen! I'm loving that he is communicating more and more. He can really tell me what he needs although those terrible two moments sure do sneak in. The screaming and fit throwing wow! I just try to stay calm and get him to express what is upsetting him and if all else fails, time out happens. It does work actually. And he says he is sorry and we move on. Learning to discipline is another hard part of mommy hood. But learn as you go and keep loving. I will keep that as my motto through this next year of his life. Nothing is as bad as it seems right?

Bring on the terrible (yet Fun) twos! Happy Birthday to that little piece of my heart that walks outside of my body! I love you Liam!

22 and 23 Months TRANSFORMED

Liam continues to make me smile with how much he absorbs and changes. I do have a really smart kid I'm sure of it :). He's so observant and even now watches us when we are telling a story about him to someone else and makes comments at the end. Below are some of my favorite moments from these past few months. You hate to ever forget them...

Right now Liam Says "hold You" when HE wants to be held.

Tonight 8/25 we took him out of the bath naked and he was brushing his teeth when he said pee pee and we sat him on the toilet. He didn't go, brushed his teeth and again he says pee pee and we put him on and he WENT. He asked and actually went @ only 23 months :). Proud moment! Since then he has continued to want to sit and flush and will occasionally go. He is getting there. I'm not pushing him I just occasionally ask and always have his potty available in the downstairs bath.

Right now he repeats everything we say even my big sighs ughhh. He spilt water on accident I rushed to get a towel and he said UGHHHH with a big sigh because he knew I was going to say it! He mimics everything. We have to watch everything we say including GEEZ and SUCK which I will no longer be saying. TIME TO watch our words!

Liam also grabbed Lulla's tail tonight and said wee wee ;) after which I had to describe that her tail is not a wee wee.

He is definitely starting to play with his people and toys like they are alive. Calling them names like Amy (his new crush @ church) Making them jump and run etc...

He is starting to make sentences. He ran to me in the laundry room and asked for his B (blanket). I told him I was busy and that his blanket was upstairs in his bed and that he needed to go ask his daddy to go to get it ;0) clever right. He ran from the room "Da-yee Day-yee". He ran straight up to Rich and said. "B stairs (pointing to them) up, please". Completely took my command and explained it to Richard. That was so cute.

This past week at church I taught his Sunday school class. There was a little fight between two babies and one ripped a book from another child's hands. Liam went straight up to the little girl who was mean and shook his finger at her and said No No. I hadn't Liam use the word No until then. It was funny. The he raised his hand and rubbed her head after that. I though oh no, is he is going to hit her? No, he rubbed her head almost as if saying "it's ok that you were mean but next time you need to be nice. Since that episode he has seen the little girl and as soon as he saw her he pointed and said MEAN. He was telling me that was the mean little girl. HA! I will have to try and explain to him that she's still nice.

In the past two days everything is prefaced with an "I" and a song. "I clean, I clean" (the kid loves to clean) "I crazy, I crazy" (from Gabba) and we have just taught him "I cute"!

He knows almost all his colors. We practice on M&M's which he calls m's. He can point to each color and tell me what they are.

Update: Our days our mostly filled with outside, garage playing, visiting grandparents, napping, eating, and watching NEMO at the moment. Trying to occupy an almost 2 year old day is TOUGH. I always feel like I may not be doing enough for him but I'm doing my best and that's what is important. Got a few busy months coming up. Consignment sales, his BIG BIRTHDAY, Sarah and Chad coming in town and then the BIG wedding not to mention holidays shortly thereafter! :) Busy Busy. Just glad to take a few minutes and write some memories down!

20 and 21 months!

He's a big boy now. That's the only
way I know how to describe him. Over the past two months we have experienced so many new things. We've been on vacation. He has discovered a plethora of new words and is just such a joy to be with. Over the past two weeks has he really turned his own language into words. He started his baby jabber again and now it is full blown words. It blows me away to hear him out of no where say broccoli or Maggie or face, just the most random words that I've never heard him say are coming out daily. He is learning how to be more independent and for the first time this weekend he played with his friend Maggie alone in her room. They were sharing pretend food and carrying on conversations. Laura and I even caught them hugging and kissing :). It starts early! :) It just so surreal to see the baby become a boy.


He's really gotten into his night routine more and more to. He requests a book after his bath now and before his nap and although it is the SAME book he wants to read, he refuses to go to bed without reading it. As soon as we are done he waves good bye to the book and gives Richard and I each a huge hug, Eskimo kisses and a kiss on the lips, and then asks to get BUP as he calls up into his bed. We sing him our song and then our prayer, he gives us both high fives and off to bed he goes. I've been telling him things in bed right before I walk about about what he has to look forward to the next day. He smiles and repeats it back to me and more often then not in the morning he wakes up remembering what I've told him and asking for it. So smart. In the mornings he has resorted to calling for us each MOM MOM MOM MOMMA, DAD, DADDY repeated times till he realizes we are coming. His whining has slowed down some because he isn't as frustrated as he used to be because he has the ability to tell me a few things now. Yes, my high maintenance child is becoming a little more manageable. I say that with utmost love. He isn't one of those laid back children who will go with the flow. He is a high maintenance never slept well active busy needs attention kind of baby. So now that there's a hint of independence I've feeling more refreshed :).










A few fun thing's he is doing now. . . .

• He is saying AHHHHHH after sitting comfortably or drinking something. Like he is refreshed and replenished.
• He has started using Richard's IPAD for all his games. He uses it like an adult, clicking the home screen button, picking his games out of a folder, and playing the ones he wants then going back to the home screen to pick out another one.
• He loves to Picking out colors. He does great with Yellow, blue and red. And he loves to go into our closets and pick out shirt colors.
  
• He still is into drawing and using his markers and has really taken up play-dough.
• Richard and I starting leaving him with each of our moms two days a week. He really enjoys his time getting spoiled by them and Rich and I enjoy the break.
• He's really into jumping off anything really. He will dance when he hears music and is still obsessed with having a Popsicle here and there.
• He still eats ANYTHING and EVERYTHING and will on most days take at least a 2.5 to 3 hour nap.
  
• His bedtime is around 9 usually and he wakes up like clockwork around 7:15.
• He loves to be scratched and often times asks for he leg, arm, or back to be scratched.
  

I'm attaching a few beach pics from our big vacation. Although it was great to see all the family it was TOUGH with Liam. He was an angel on his first flight though. We left later in the evening and he was great on the plane. I bought a few new treats each flight and he had fun playing with each new toy. Thank goodness it was only an hour flight. As far as him being at the beach it was hard for him to adjust to 13 people, new big twin bed, time in the sun, and just a new schedule period. By about the 4th day he was getting adjusted and settled and then two days later we left. He was really whiney and boy it wasn't much of a vacation but I was thankful to be with those I loved and I have just resorted to knowing that vacation with babies is just relocating with a prettier view! :).



I can't believe we have a big two year old coming up. Looking forward to a toy story themed party (since he LOVES ALL THINGS BUZZ and WOODY) and Sarah's wedding in November, which we are all planning! :) Till next time, and hopefully I'm not behind.

19 Months

Hose Time






















Liam's curls and temper!





Liam is about to turn 20 months next week. 20 months sounds so old. Pretty soon we won't be even counting by months. It seems like I always say this but I'll say it again. He grows a little more everyday. His words are a new everyday. His reactions and his emotions are new. I'm really starting to know him as a little boy and not so much a baby. :( It so strange but I can barley remember him as a baby and that wasn't to far back!

In Liam news, I think we are breaching the terrible twos. Not so much the terrible twos just the I wanna do everything myself twos. He is so independent. I don't have the laid back child that will go anywhere, entertain himself, and just be chill. He is the total opposite! He is learning what he can throw fits now in hopes of getting his way. He has been in time out two times. Cried the entire time :( but understood exactly why he was there.

I asked my 19th month old to not hit mommy when he gets angry and that when he was done in time out he could come say he was sorry and give me a hug. Did I expect him to understand any of that, no but when I told him he could get up the first thing he did was walk right up to me smile and hug my neck!! Tear right! He understands so many things. I feel like he is a little advanced but that could just be because I am biased :). I've figured that time out will be a decent method for me. Until he grasps what he has done fully. Time out before spanking. I am having a hard time when he hits me telling him NO HITTING and then spanking which is hitting him. It seems so contradictory, so we will try time out until he is old enough to feel threatened by a spanking.

Little things come to mind this month. He loves to be outdoors more and more. Loves to pick up the cicadas that have invaded us! YUCK! He loves to play in the water and will play with the hose for hours if I let him. His hair has even started to curl up in heat, which mine does too! So cute and so blond! He really is a very loving boy. Always wants to hug everyone. He will say your name hug your neck and turn to the next person in the room, say their name and hug their neck. He repeats the hugging at least 10 times.

He has become obsessed with Toy Story 1, 2, and 3! We bought him his own Woody that he loves and the second he wakes up he asks for BUUUU which I have found out means Buzz. Just the other morning Richard tried to put him in bed with me when he woke up, he threw a fit and kept pulling my finger saying MOMMA. He wanted me to get up. I always ask him to tell me why he is upset and he looked me dead in the eyes and said WOOO, WOOO, with such intensity. I said do you want to watch Woody. UH HUH with a yes shake of his head! :) He is grasping so many things. I've decided he can understand anything I tell him but he can't communicate what he needs in return. It will be so nice when he can finally get it out. He gets so frustrated some times which leads to those fits I previously mentioned. Patience is really a virtue with a toddler.

For my own record. I've found that explaining everything to even a one year old really helps. Constantly pointing to objects to tell him what they are, explaining what I am doing step by step, telling him I am leaving the room to do a certain task but will return, really does help him understand. He now points to what he wants and doesn't get upset at the things he would have before. It really helps to explain things to them show them things and talk to them. They aren't to young to grasp what you mean.

He is still doing ok with his sleep. He is taking 3-4 hour naps during the day! I know it's awesome! Depending on his nap he sleeps from 9-7:30 or so give or take a 30 minutes. He is still eating really well, everything in site and more often than not will side for his broccoli and green beans over anything else on his plate. He still loves popcycles and the occasional dumb dumb.
Overall his newest behaviors are his fits :) and his way of communicating and believe it or not this age is getting cuter and cuter!

In other news our remodel is almost done. We laid new floors, painted every baseboard, redid our stairs to hardwood completely (WORK), painted the bedroom and a few closests, got some new furniture, and are slowly starting the fun stuff, decorating. I can't tell you how stressed I've been for over a month with my house in shambles. It feels good to have my head above water now. Hoping to get everything decorated and settled this week. Rich and I leave for IKEA tomorrow. A day trip just the two of us! Looking forward to it. Until next month.

A little late....18 months

A few weeks late on this update. It's so hard to keep up with how fast he changes. I think between his age and 2 years old things happen at warp speed.

Liam's last doc appointment went well. I want to note, for myself, that he has all of his teeth. He has had them for about a month. So at 17 months my child has all his teeth. That is until he hits 2 or 3 for those last set of back molars. Can I just say HALLELUJAH. I thought we would never make it through teeth. Especially when he would get 8 at a time! He is 34.25 inches TALL for his age and 26 lbs. He is still taller than all the 2 year olds we know and although he is just as big, you can tell he is lacking that 7 to 8 month coordination that his older friends have. It's quite comical to watch. Jumping, running, climbing, and rolling are all apart of his daily routine. Oh and boo boo's are more and more common as he learns these new found skills he has. IMPROVEMENT: The constant whining has slowed a great deal. He has learned to communicate by pointing, using his words, and dragging me, by the finger to show me what he wants. He's even learned to drag other bi-standards out of manipulation when momma says no :).

His words increase daily. MOMMA still seems to be his favorite word. It seems like a broken record at times but everyone comments on how sweet his little voice is and how sweet it sounds when he says it. His Momma does really come out with heartfelt love!

He is still greatly obsessed with Bubbles, Balloons, and now sugar free POPS as he calls them. He also loves to say ON. Everything needs to be ON. The vacuum, which he uses once a day, the lawn mower, the tv, the computer, the phone. Everything is ON! Some new words are Pop, up, cup, down, blank (blankie), book, look, ttttt (truck), SH (shoes), dog, moon, star, and my new favorite PLEASE. Oh I have been coaching him on that for months and finally I asked him if he wanted something, said "say please" like I always do, and when I looked down at his face he said PLEASSSSE with a tiny lisp. Oh how it melted me. We cheered and clapped for him and he thought he hung the moon! He did a little dance and everything. Wow, he could have had anything he wanted that day. He is great about using it to now too.

He is still eating well this month and rarely turns down any food I give him. He is still sleeping good and usually still takes 1 long nap 2-3 hours a day unless he gets up to early and then he will take two. Momma likes the one LONG stretch of a nap but I can't be picky right? He still uses a bottle to go to sleep with at night. No pacy, no boob, but yes bottle. It's hard to transition a baby you've nursed for 12 months every night before bed. We had to do a bottle since the pacy was obsolete with him but this too will pass and he will grow out of it. I plan on breaking him of the BA BA right after our beach trip. He needs it for our NIGHT flight to NC.

He is hysterical when he puts his finger over his mouth and says SHHHH. Where he got that I'm not sure. He still loves to play peek a boo and will jump up from his crib in the mornings and yell BOO Momma! :) His new favorite outside love is the lawn mower. Anything outside really but Boppa took him for a slow ride in the yard on his lap and now he is hooked on getting at least one ride in on a a pretty day. Ah, the little things and yes, I still find myself doing just about anything to keep him entertained.

Right now our house is a disaster and with Liam it is even that much more difficult. We are pulling up all old flooring, carpet/laminate, and laying beautiful dark flooring. It's amazing how it transforms your house and I've needed a pick-me-up and it's doing the job. I'm having to push aside my inner self, the OCD clean house wife, and look at the final picture. Hopefully when it's all said and done that final picture will come complete with new furniture, new decor, freshly painted baseboards and trim and a whole new look for our house. It's about time!

I wanted to mention the destruction because this week Donna took Liam for the day while I was ripping up carpets and pulling nails upstairs. Although I didn't get to have a day to myself relaxing, I actually did have the first full day EVER to myself. I was so anxious about it at first but it definitely was worth the anxiety. I learned that yes I can have a day to myself and feel ok about it and yes I can feel like my old self! Where have you been old self? Hiding? Ah, Rejuvenation is key! I might just have to try that once a week! :)

This is a busy week in our house, Easter, Sarah and Chad coming, house under construction, and more but I'm thankful too! Thankful for a husband I get to be with daily, a wonderful family that loves me unconditionally, the excitement of my little boys face when he OHHH and AHHH's over the smallest things, friendships, and a savior that died for me, one that has forgive my transgressions! :) Happy Easter!

17 Months

I can't believe I'm already due another blog post. Well what isn't there to say about Liam...so much is changing daily that it is hard for me to keep up. He can just about grasp about anything I tell him to do now. He is getting into anything and everything out of simple curiosity and I'm actually going to have to start coming up with things for him to do maybe some sort of daily activity (craft time, reading time, food time, nap time, outside time) something because this child is getting bored and so is his mother. Sometimes the days DRAG by! It doesn't help when you have one day of 65 degree whether and then a day of 45 degree weather. Outside inside outside inside. I'm ready for hot days of sprinklers and time outside.

Right now Liam is cutting 8 teeth! Yes, I said 8! Four molars and four eye teeth (the worst I hear)! He has had the low grade fever and runny nose thing for a week now. I'm associating it with the teeth. They are no FUN! His nights have been a bit messed up too because of it. 1/4 tsp of dimetapp the doc says for conjestion and some tylenol for fever. The kid has lived on it for a few days! This to shall pass right.

Liam's vocab these days (Momma, dada, boppa, nonna, CeeCee (cindy), Kis (Chris), ouch, UH UH (uh oh), shossss (shoes), Hat, hot, bubble (perfectly), house, ball, tteettt (teeth), brush, STUCK (my fav whenever he is in precarious position), boooonnnnnn (for balloon, his favorite and yes it is drawn out like that), bane (airplane),

He still blows kisses, gives great hugs, kisses on the lips when he FEELS you deserve it, falls asleep in his carseat (never has since infancy), loves to try and jump, is testing me some with hitting for fun, gets his feelings terribly hurt when someone other than mom tells him no, loves to color (boooonnnsss of course), loves to put car keys in the doors to try and open them, did I mention get into EVERYTHING, loves runnning and running naked after his bath, and his newest venture throwing things down the stairs ex: his whole sock drawer one sock at a time! Needless to say I've learned to let go of a lot of my analness, is that a word! If he isn't dying or bleeding right ;)! Life of a stay at home mom!!

I'm posting a few pics of this little guy! ON to next month....my big one and half year old!

In other news Rich opened his real estate office offically, Regal Realty Group!

16 Months

I really feel like this post should be titled discovery. It seems like Liam is discovering something new every day. Something new to get into that is! I guess that is how it is at this stage of life but it's really enjoyable to watch.

Right now he is cutting four molars, two top and two bottom. Still sleeping really well and generally goes to bed between 8:30 and 9. He usually will sleep 12 hours and has cut himself down to one long afternoon nap. I like having the long 2-3 hours break during the day. Although I wouldn't really call it a break. Today I mopped, did two loads of laundry, picked up, emptied dishwasher, paid the bills, did my yoga video, and am actually writing a blog while watching the snow come down like crazy! Squeezed in a lot during nap time today.

Back to Liam, he is really into balloons right now, or BONS as he calls them. He loves to find them in books and draw them. He also is making the cutest elephant noise whenever he sees an elephant or hears the word on TV. It is so cute. He constantly says Momma, which still melts my heart every time. He says it with such love. It really is sweet and I will cherish it now because I know soon enough it won't be said with such sweet sentiment. He still gives me and occasionally others Eskimo kisses but mostly mom :). He also says a new word almost everyday and still loves his blanket, or his BA, for bed :).

Our hiccups are still the bottle for bed time and the nursery situation. I'm not going to stress over either. Liam has never taken the pacifier. He soothes himself to sleep with some juice in his bottle. It was the easiest way for us to transition after a year of nursing. Yes, I know it is a bad habit and bad for teeth etc, but it works and we will slowly ween it off. But after having no sleep for a year, I'm not about to ruin what I've got going. The nursery thing will work itself out too. I have to be down there anyway and am ALWAYS needed do to lack of volunteers and the new baby BOOM. So he will eventually learn that I am down the hall or will be back. I'm learning not to stress so much and just go with what works. My new advice for new moms. Do what feels right and go with what works for you two not necessarily the way everyone else says it needs to be done.

He's growing so fast. I'm sure he is at 25lbs now. He was 23.14 at his last doctor's appointment and is 33 inches tall. He is taller than most 2 year olds we know. I have a feeling when we double his height at 2 he will be breaching 6 feet as an adult. Tall like his daddy! :) We've also got him on a great shot schedule now. I feel more in control. If you look over shot records and timing you will see that babies don't need them all at once and most shots can be put off months or even years. Doctors just like to cram them all in. So we took the two at a time approach and he will be done soon for a while.

Our new outing during the week, usually twice, is to Pump It Up in Mt. Juliet. It is a HUGE warehouse full of blow up kids play areas and he loves it. It is free for children under 2 years old and from 10-12pm is toddler play time. It has been a great way to get his energy out during this snowy winter, and I have gone with a few friends too. Liam always has a great time.

Well that's about it for me and Liam. Richard however, is staring a new real estate brokerage and being backed by a few investors. He's going to have his OWN new office in Mt. Juliet and we are earnestly praying this will be successful and a good move for us a family. Just praying the doors continue to open like they have! It is one exciting new adventure for my hubby.

Till next month........