And yet there's more?

Yes, there is more! Liam played with his pennies and jar for an hour tonight! He didn't want to go to bed he was having SO much fun! I am baffled by this because in the mornings he doesn't seem interested in this activity, but at night he does. It sure would be nice to have a boy entertained for an hour while I do work in the morning. Hmmm....

The other thing that humored me about the pennies is this: I was looking for the remote so I could record a show for Ian while he was at scouts tonight. I lifted the couch cushions to see if I could find it there. No luck. BUT - Liam saw me do this and he lifted the cushion back up. I looked where he had lifted and there were 4 pennies under there! He was so delighted by this and grabbed them to put in his little jar. Then, every time the jar was full, he wanted me to dump the pennies back under the cushion. Too funny the requests I get from this kid. I got some charming clips of him playing. 2 clips included him faking me out by putting a penny near his mouth to see my reaction. Oh that stinker, he cracks me up!

I talked to Liam's Grandpa tonight and he suggested cutting shapes out of a box so Liam could fit things through the different sizes. Well I was lazy and made one big hole for Liam to put his blocks through. He thought that was cool enough. He spent quite a bit of time putting them all in there, then starting over again.

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More of the Cuteness

I changed the name of Liam's blog again. I thought this was a cute title since I have a new header of his beautiful blue eyes now.

Just had to post some photos of Liam during the Super Bowl last night. Ian discovered a couple weeks ago that his son LOVES the popcorn - maybe even more than he does! Grandma Dixie let me know this trait is certainly one of all four of her boys! Liam is his father's son for sure!

I have to say, also, Liam likes his cowboy boots very much. He asks for us to put them on him quite often. This pair barely fits him anymore, so we are going to have to keep our eyes peeled for a bigger size.

Another note, I don't generally let my boy run around without pants. After his late nap, I changed his diaper and he wasn't too happy with that. So I let Daddy rescue him and Daddy didn't find a moment to put the pants back on before the boots went on. So I give you... our immodest popcorn hog of a cowboy...

Liam in Nursery today

Liam during singing time. I love how he is crossing his ankles.

Liam loved it when I handed him two at once!

During snack time we put the little hats on the kids that they had colored. Liam wasn't happy about that. Not sure why. Maybe he was too busy with his snacks to have something on his head. Who knows. This photo cracks me up!

Here is some footage of his delight when all the bouncy balls were out:

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More "toys"

So I finally got a chance to go to the dollar store the other night. I bought him paper cups, balloons, plastic easter eggs and bouncy balls to put into the eggs.

Liam seriously spent a whole hour playing with the paper cups yesterday morning! I was so so so surprised by that. I really didn't think stacking and unstacking would be that appealing. Oh I was dead wrong! He just wouldn't stop the stacking!

Later when I was trying to get ready for work and he just KEPT grabbing at things he's not allowed to in the bathroom. I went and got those cups, I placed Liam at the bottom of the stairs and I put a cup on each step. He was out of my hair the rest of the time it took me to do my make up and get my clothes on. I was a very happy mom. And more importantly, he was a happy boy to play on the stairs like that!

I blew up a single yellow balloon tonight. But first I would blow it up partially and let the air out to make high pitched noises. He thought that was pretty cool. When I handed it to him, he thought he was hot stuff pretending to blow up the balloon like I was. He also liked throwing it around and watching it float. Pulling on the knot and letting go again and again with his teeth was a hit too!

I like this last photo. "No hands mom!"

New Activities for a Brain Child

I have been struggling to come up with ideas to keep Liam's brain busy. I needed some activities that he could handle on his own. His puzzles keep him occupied for 2 minutes, then he comes and gets me to help him get all the pieces in. He actually does this with most of his toys. Plays by himself for a few minutes, then comes over to get me involved. I understand that need, but sometimes I've to get work done... I can't always be torn away the second he asks for it.

So I sent an email to a dear blogger friend of mine. She has a goal to be a Waldorf teacher some day. She is extremely intelligent and has a beautiful and bright daughter that is a few months older than Liam. DING! The light bulb went off that she could give me some insight on what floats a toddler's boat in the "toy" department.

I was not disappointed! My wonderful friend sent me a HUGE laundry list of ideas! I was elated! She made my month!

It was going to be awhile for me to find myself at the dollar store to get supplies for some of the activities she suggested, but I had some stuff on hand to suffice until I could go buy more treasures.

I made a piggy bank out of an old jelly jar. We actually inherited this jelly jar from Ian's grandma who had recycled it (she had made us yummy jalapeño jelly). I just took a fat knife and made a big enough slit for pennies to fit into the lid. Yesterday and today Liam has doted on this "toy" for quite some time. He does ask for a little help here and there, but it's mainly for me to empty the full jar of pennies so he can start again. (Yes, I am lucky he doesn't pop these copper candies into his mouth... he has learned what is "too small" and doesn't stick anything tiny into his mouth... he actually hands me any shard of anything he finds on the floor!)

Then tonight after dinner, we found an additional accessory for the piggy bank. A cupcake pan to sort the pennies! Genius, right! He really thought this was novel!

And the kicker for today was yet another appendage for a current toy. The Pound-a-ball. We are down to one ball and one golf ball for this toy. I have no idea where the other 3 balls rolled off to. So as Ian was leaving for Scouts tonight, I asked if he had a stash of golf balls. He had a 30-pack! And they came in a mesh drawstring bag too! So Liam had so much fun unloading most of the golf balls into his Pound-a-ball maze! And then he had even more fun rolling them all over the family room!

After this activity we went upstairs to get his pajamas on. I noticed his basket was out of diapers, so Liam helped me get the new package out and he stocked the basket full of all the diapers. One by one.

He better sleep good tonight. He's been really busy today!

Piggy Back Rides

I have been giving Liam piggy back rides this past week. He seems to think it's pretty fun to have mom run around the house while he bounces along on my back! I love making him laugh. Between this activity and tickling him... I've got two guarantees for laughter!

And here are a couple shots I took after I put Liam in his pajamas tonight. I love how cuddly and charming he is at bedtime! I had to get photos of these new pajamas we found at Osh Kosh (we went to Park City on Saturday)!

Liam's well-visit

Ironic, Liam wasn't well for his well-visit to his pediatrician this morning. He's had a cold for weeks now. He started whining the minute we walked off the elevator. Then we got into the exam room, it got worse.

He knew what we were up to.

We had to strip him down for the big weigh in. 22 lbs! After taking his other measurements, we let him down to play on the kid size chairs he had his eyes on. According to the wiggly measurement, he hasn't grown in height.

When Dr. Wynn came in, he was his regular bubbly sweet self! Liam didn't want to have anything to do with him though. Ian and I took turns holding Liam through the exam. He wouldn't calm down. Then it was time for the shots. I was so glad Ian was there with us. I think it helps that Liam sees both of us during yucky experiences like this. The poor kid.

Happy 15 Month Birthday, Liam!

Dear Son,

It seems most of your fifteenth month was spent with a runny nose. Despite your cold and labored coughing, you've continued to be a delightful boy!

Your dad and mom took shifts staying home with you yesterday. I think you really enjoyed spending the extra time with your parents, especially your dad. He really knows how to entertain you and teach you funny skills. I came home to see you two giving each other high fives! He also taught you how to jump! It's so cute how you mimic jumping... it's like a tip-toed skip and each time you "jump" you try saying the word in a high pitched way that we did.

Tonight you said bye-bye for the first time! On Sunday you said kitty ("tiddy")! You continue to say mom, ma, mama, da, dad, dadad at random times. Your consonants are more clear these past few weeks. Talking isn't too far off. We are excited to hear what you have to say!

You are climbing everything! This morning you finally figured out that you can move objects to assist you in climbing. You moved the wicker chair over to the couch! Somehow you can get onto the wicker chair alone, but not the couch quite yet. So this breakthrough for you was groundbreaking in your opinion. It was very funny to watch those sneaky eyes as you pushed that chair over to make your bridge!

You cut your 5th tooth just after Christmas. You've been doing this fake grin lately to show your teeth off. I found out tonight that your dad taught you this funny face!

You are our own comedian! We enjoy your clapping, dancing, jumping and spitting skills! You laugh at your own jokes. Those jokes are mainly your above mentioned skills and our happy reactions to those skills. We applaud most every move you make! You are a very obedient boy! We are enjoying this phase of your life!

I mentioned this in my last letter, but when you fold your arms for prayers, it melts our hearts each and every time! I really feel a surge of pride when you show that sign of reverence even though you don't fully understand what you are doing. Yes, you are a copy cat, but you seem to copy good things for the time being.

We were playing with you on our bed the other night. As each of us spotted your every darting move, I thought, "How did we get here? How is it that we made such a perfect little boy? I've got a blond baby boy running around and he looks a lot like us! Did we actually make this life-altering decision? What a sweet family we've got!" Then I snapped out of it and remembered how it all began and realized how easily you've molded us into parents. We are parents! We're raising a very mild and happy child! We are so very fortunate to have YOU... just you. I sometimes imagine us being sent a very different child and how we would have dealt with a totally different person growing in our midst. I am really grateful you are in our home. You make us better people. You've changed us as people, our marriage, our dealings with others. It's really quite the miracle -- YOU!

Liam, I love you more than I ever thought possible! You grow on me each and every moment! It's amazing my heart has room in the space provided me. It's also amazing that I am granted the strength every day to keep up with you. It's a good plan to start people small and immobile. I've grown with you, that is for sure. Mentally and physically. I have to admit your growth is much more beautiful than my own though. You are my marvel, my handsome perfect boy. You are mine to love, cuddle and mold. I am a very happy mama to have you!

It will always be an honor to be your mother. I will always be proud of you, even when you stumble, fail, lose faith, cry, leave my safe care... I will always be here for you, cheering for you, helping you along the way. I hope you'll always want and need that support from me. It's yours for the taking.

Love,
Mom

My Obedient Puppy

Liam gets smarter and more aware of what we say every single day. I love witnessing his responses to my requests.

"LEEE-UMMM" (he stops whatever mischief he is up to)

"Let me see" (he will show me and hand me whatever small treasure he's found or plopped into his mouth)

"Close the door" or "shut the door" (he closes whatever cabinet, door or dryer he opened)

"Put that away, please" (he'll put his toys away or the hand towels from the kitchen drawer he likes to empty or whatever he's just gotten out)

"Sit down" or "Get down" or "Lay down"

"Be nice" (he'll pet the cat instead of pull or grab)

"Clap your hands" (no physical que needed, he knows what the word "clap" means)

"Dance" (no physical que or music required)

"Fold your arms" (no que needed, he folds his arms for family prayers and prayers over our food)

"Can I have a kiss?" (This past week he's been obliging us with a kiss on command. Sometimes a few in a row!)

"Come on" or "let's go" (he follows me or comes to me to take him somewhere)

"Show me your belly" (with both hands he proudly displays his belly)

"Where is your nose?" (he almost picks his nose on this demand)

"Let's go brush our teeth" (he follows me to the bathroom and waits for me to give him his toothbrush, then brushes his teeth like a good boy)

Don't I have such a good little puppy!?

A Love for Shoes

I remember when Miss Alli was 2 and she would come over and try on all my high heeled shoes. I thought that was a girl thing... apparently not. And it's not just restricted to 2 year olds either!

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Little Surprises

Sunday I went to put on my boots to find something in the toe. I overturned the boot to see it was a container of floss... then I went to put on the other boot and the same exact thing happened. Liam had found two containers of floss on Saturday and was certain to find a good hiding place for them in my boots. Granted this isn't the first time he's left treats for me in my boots. They are too hard for him to resist with all the space they provide for his toys. Monday morning this is what I found. I guess my boots are one handle short of being a hand basket! What can I say? My kid loves containers of ANY sort.

And the final T-shirt for now

Saturday is a Special Day!

Liam slept in until almost 9:30am today! (He must be having a growth spurt.) Since I was up at 8, I got a lot accomplished around the house before my friend, Dame Eyola, came over at 10am to help me get started on "mission organization" in my sewing/craft/ironing/gift wrapping/Avon room. Ian got a head start at 5am this morning clocking into work at 6. I was grateful to him for doing that so he could be here to play with Liam while I was up in the sewing room with the Dame. We got a lot accomplished!

After the "mission organization" session was through, Ian, Liam and I got ready to go to our friend, Vika's wedding reception. I have never been to a traditional Tongan wedding, but let me tell you there was a lot of cultural entertainment and music! Liam was so tired and the music was so loud, so he wasn't dancing around like I thought he would be. He was well behaved in his fatigued state, zoning out most of the time. I enjoyed watching all the family dancing. There was a traditional solo dance that the bride usually does, but they had another young woman do the dance and everyone tucked money into her costume. Liam and I went out to the dance floor and contributed to the fun. Vika gave us a big smile and lipped "thank you" as we walked back to our seat.

We ended up leaving before indulging in the island feast because Liam was getting restless and cranky. Crossing our fingers, we headed to a local Italian restaurant (hoping Liam would behave in a high chair as tired as he was). We gorged ourselves by choosing "market room buffet" off the menu. Liam ate a TON of food! Pasta, meatball, salad, bread... he went to town! At one point, he accidentally picked up a crayon he was playing with earlier and bit the top off. The look on his face was pure confusion... he spit that blue wax out so fast. Yuck! He continued to eat, eat, and eat some more real food after that!

He was asleep within 3 minutes of being put into his car seat. He took a two hour nap (and I got to sleep an hour of that)!

After the naps, we three went to run some errands. We hit PetSmart, Good Earth and Borders. I've been buying all of Liam's food and snacks in the organic part of the grocery stores (double checking sugar and sodium content, etc). We were running low on Liam's snacks, so I wanted to stop by Good Earth to stock up. I was so happy they had the soy yogurt! Yay, a store other than SuperTarget has Silk products! I should have checked much sooner than today.

At Borders, Liam had a ball! He ran around the entire store just giggling. He picked out a really adorable (annoying) choo choo train book that makes lots of adorable (high pitched) train sounds. He showed his selection to dad and we consulted together and vetoed the book. We ended up buying him a six-pack of board books for only $5.99! I got a $4.99 copy of Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson, since I recently found it recommended by a blog friend. I loved the book, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, so I thought this purchase was a wise one. Ian got his Bernard Cornwell selection as that was the whole reason for our trip. I love our quarterly Barnes & Noble/Waldenbooks/Borders trips! I also love that these trips are led by Ian... since he is the avid reader in the house! I hope Liam grows up to be like Ian this way. So far so good... he loves all his books!

We got home from Borders and Liam ate a HUGE dinner. I am so amazed at how his appetite grows by the day. He is starting to put food away like his parents!

After cleaning up from dinner, Liam ran straight to Ian's arms. Ian started putting a toy in the palm of his hand and hiding it then asking Liam to pick the hand it was in. We tested him quite a few times and even tried a third hiding place to see what he would do. He passed all the play tests! A few minutes later, I saw Liam with the same toy, trying to hide it in the palm of one hand and closing his other empty hand. He came over to us and it seemed like he wanted to test us! It was so cute not only because of the classic copy-cat behavior, but that the toy was too big for him to actually hide in his tiny fist! What a smarty pants! We just get the biggest kick out of him.

Thanks Liam for your cartoon grins, good eating, funny running toddles, slobbery kisses, love pats, hugs and magic tricks today! And wouldn't you know it, I didn't pick up the camera once today. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Another full day with my sweet baby!

Shirts I've Done so far

I still need him to model the "Made in Utah" one...

The Spoon Expert

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Sunday Morning

I forgot to report a very cute scene that took place Sunday morning as I was trying to rush around in preparation for church.

Liam followed me down the stairs (and I thought he would have followed me all the way to the bathroom, but he stopped off in the living room). As I was putting on my make up, I noticed it was REALLY quiet, so I wondered if maybe he went back up the stairs without me. He wasn't responding to me calling him.

I quietly tip toed to the living room so I could catch whatever he might be doing wrong. I found him crouched down like a little frog spooning Daddy's leftover cereal into his mouth. It was a HUGE daddy-sized spoon he was working with. It appeared that he had gotten some good slurps of milk and soggy cereal remnants into his mouth, but there was no mess. I tell you what, he's good with his eating utensils! I just laughed so hard at this display. He felt so big and independent! So you can imagine how upset he was when I took the big boy snack away from him!

Liam's furry cousin

On Saturday, Uncle Drew brought Wyatt over to meet Liam. He is a papered German Shepherd. At only 6 weeks he is 12 lbs! He is a darling little pup and Liam was excited to see him for the first time. You'll see Liam taking refuge with me, Ian and Drew at times. He likes the doggy, but isn't totally confidant with him yet.

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Cute Kid with hammer

Another Snowfall

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Applause is NOT Appropriate

So Liam has been teething the past week and a half. The runny nose that accompanies new pearly whites caused so much drainage for him that a cold resulted from the teething. Luckily Rose had him all last week since Shari had Christmas company in town and needed a break. Rose spoiled him and they had such a good time together even though Liam was under the weather.

Liam's 5th tooth broke through on Saturday or Sunday. So I thought we were over the hump of hard core teething for another little while. His nasty cough hasn't eased and neither has the drainage coming out of his cute button nose.

Two Frustrating things:

1.
My house, myself, Liam's toys, Liam's clothes are all being slimed during his waking hours. Slime is everywhere! It's frustrating for him to get his nose wiped over and over and it's frustrating for me to have to keep torturing him.

So the slime is a combo of nose drippings and drool. Weaning Liam from the pacifier was a good idea until the puddles restarted. I keep that binky in to reduce the slime factor lately. Why he needs a binky to help him swallow the added saliva... I have no idea, but it works.

2.
His sleep schedule was looking bright before a week and a half ago. He made it to 5:30am and 6:30am with no feedings. Now he's back to the newborn stage. I HATE THAT! It's a lot of work to get a tiny boy trained to sleep correctly AND THEN to have it all go to pot because of pain and being miserable just isn't fair! To him or to the mama!

That being said, last night was a monster of a night! I actually made my way up the stairs at the early hour of 11pm to hit the hay (unheard of for me). I took the first step upstairs and heard Liam start to fuss. DANG IT!

I spent the longest 60 minutes comforting my crying baby while NOT picking him up. I knew he wasn't hungry, I new he wasn't in pain either. So I thought it would be fine to start the sleep training process again. There were 4 occasions where I thought I was in the clear to lay my weary head on a pillow... He was asleep, he was gone, he wasn't doing those recover-from-crying hiccups anymore... So I would quietly make my way out or even just think about leaving the room those 4 times and his head would pop back up and start the process again. At midnight I was too exhausted to verbally comfort him anymore. I had to pick him up and nurse him to sleep. Then repeat this every 2 hours until 7:30am.

He sat up in his crib at 7:30am, and when he saw me, he sat there and clapped his tiny hands over and over... At the time, that didn't amuse me as cute as it was. Applause didn't seem appropriate for the occasion. What seemed appropriate was more sleep...

At least he took a morning nap today... Naps have gotten screwed up too lately.

Why oh why oh why?

The Best Day

Yesterday was seriously one of the best days I have had in a long time. The day was unplanned and relaxing. Liam and I played together pretty much the whole day long. I also got some house cleaning done while Ian would keep an eye on him. But for the most part, we played. Liam was so darling. Despite his teething and cold he's got, yesterday he proved more charming than ever!

We did some puzzles together, read quite a few books, cuddled a bunch, shared kisses and I also got him bundled up and took him to Pier 1 and Burlington for about an hour (I was so pleased at how great he was in his stroller). At the end of the trip, we were standing in line to buy some stuff, he was saying "ahp, ahp, ahp" to everyone he saw. It was so cute! He wanted each person to notice him and say hello back. A couple people did. I am glad someone took notice of how friendly and sweet he was trying to be.

When we got home, Uncle Drew and Ian greeted us. Liam gave each of them kisses and then gave me some too. I just think it's so wonderful that he shares kisses on his own accord. It's rare we ask for them and get them... it's when HE wants to give them at random times. LOVE THAT LITTLE MAN!

Another note: At 4:44am today, Liam woke for a feeding. He knows that I search for his pacifier each time I take him out of the crib. Sometimes this takes a few moments since it's dark, etc. Anyway, at 4:44 my child was sitting up in his crib and as I reached to pick him up, he put the pacifier in my hand. I am not a happy person at this hour, but this act of kindness from my son just made me smile. I was so tickled.

The Best Deal

I was browsing our local classified ads online this past week searching for some used furniture. I really wanted an armoire for the living room and/or a sofa for the playroom/family room/office (so I don't have to sit on the cold floor to play with Liam). The family room has been empty since a week before Liam's birth when we finally finished remodeling the front living room. So we moved all our furniture to the living room where it should be and all that was left in the back room was our cherry desk (and now all of Liam's toys).

So, I got a generous amount of spending money as Christmas gifts this year. I thought with the money I received that I could find a decent used couch. I did quite a bit of shopping on craigslist and KSL. I couldn't believe this sofa sleeper I ran into! It was only $100 for a sleeper? I contacted the folks selling it and confirmed a time to come look at it/pick it up. It was better in person than in the photo. It's in great shape, the plaid design is great and it was only $100!!!! I was pleased with myself! No buyer's remorse whatsoever!

I don't like to vent here, but here I go anyway...

What is it with people (perfect strangers sometimes) trying to sell me on having more kids? Why do people care so much about how many children I create? Why does it matter?

Can a woman feel overwhelmed with one child and THAT be acceptable reason enough to NOT do it again? I am still up twice a night with my darling boy. He and I are dealing with teething at the moment (so even more sleep and patience is being lost). Why would having another baby be in the forefront of my mind these past 14 months? I am tired. I have very little freedom since his birth. Other than added blessings for having lots of kidlets and an in-house friend for Liam, the incentive isn't there for me. At this moment in time I am content with this ONE experience. So is my husband.

I find much joy in my boy. I find much stress in raising him too. I admire women who can handle more than one child while working outside the home. I really do. As much as I love the IDEA of a bigger family, I don't have the local support system or time at home to make it humanly possible for me to handle. I would quickly be committed to a looney bin if I had more than one child while working full time. That is me... I know me.

Do people not understand that if I create a child, I'd like to be the main caretaker? That taking my sweet baby to a sitter 5 days a week hurts my heart real bad? That there is no faith strong enough for me to some day quit working outside of the home? Stop trying to sell me! It's most likely not going to happen. I don't need people bullying me into thinking it's the right thing to do. What is right for me is a personal decision. I think I know me best. Certainly much better than a stranger that says, "so when will you have your next one..." or "you'll probably have a girl next..." or "Liam can't be an only child!"

Think what you will, but in my opinion it's not a "selfish" thing. It's more of an ability thing. I know what my abilities are, what my limits are for my unique living situation. It's not just the no sleep and guilt of working outside the home. There are many factors of any person's life that one doesn't necessarily wear on their sleeve. So why expect the standard-wanna-be-mommy-of-many from me? Just because there are mommies-of-many out there with medical ailments, abusive husbands, multiple problem children, etc... just because they can handle all that and yet another baby, doesn't mean I could with better conditions. That has to make sense to people... so why? Why try to sell me on something such as another human life!?

They say you forget. They say I'll do it again. Well folks, I am not sold.

Disclaimer: (Even though I hate disclaimers because it's my blog and I'll say what I want to...) My sweet readers, this is not directed at you. I am venting. Period. This is mainly directed at people who have no idea who I am past the fact that I have a cute son... people that do not read this blog. I consciously made the decision to become a mother. I wanted my baby before he was conceived. He was welcomed into our home with much celebration. Know that I love and adore my son beyond what words can express. There are moments I wish I could have another baby and relive some of the joys I've witnessed with him at each stage. Time is fleeting. I blink and miss something. Moms who don't mind this fact of babyhood and miss chunks of their child's development are just as good as moms who see their child 24 hours a day. I just happen to be a working mom that has a broken heart over the things I miss. I don't care to re-live the broken-hearted, guilty moments with another baby. That has been my opinion for the past 14 months.

A Monkey and Beads

I made this shirt for Liam. You'll also notice the "watch out I spit" one in the Christmas montage.

Happy 14 Month Birthday, Liam!

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Dear Son,

It's Christmas! What a good time you've had on your 14th month birthday! First, you met your new steed and welcomed him with much love, then you opened a gift you never dreamed you wanted, but once you got that shiney new sword, you never let it go! I am surprised you didn't insist on taking it to bed with you tonight! You were spoiled rotten today... I should have stacked all the packages marked "Liam" to see how tall of a tower we could build before opening them all. You have many loved ones who knew just what to get you. Uncle Blake and Aunt Lindsay got you an ambulance complete with EMT workers and high pitched sirens... my parents got you books, music CDs, money and more, your dad's parents got you your own beautiful real life rocking horse with your name engraved on it (a new pet that won't run away from you, which is priceless indeed), a train that toots and moves on it's own, cute PJ's and a warm winter outfit. Uncle T got you your own Baby Einstein dog puppet (the one you LOVE)! Uncle Drew got you a knight's armor set and you are too cute all decked out in it. Your baby sitter, Grandma Rose got you a flip-up board book and your main sitter, Shari got you VERY cute cowboy boots! Talk about a spoiled boy! Certainly an ONLY child in this house and very doted upon on both sides of our family. You lucky duck!

I must report that you are learning like crazy! My Christmas gift from you was given to me last night. You gave me an intentional Eskimo Kiss! I was thrilled. I accidentally taught you this last night as you were trying to pick my nose and I shook my head to avoid your tiny finger. I turned it into a game my shaking my head and nuzzling my nose with yours. I was tickled pink when you came towards me a minute later with your cute nose and shaking head!

Another adorable thing you picked up this last week... you fold your arms when it's time to pray! Today you crossed your heart so high, I just melted with joy! I hope this arm-folding is foreshadowing of how reverent you'll be in the future. I am very proud of you for recognizing that we always fold our arms when we pray!

Though you are a complete delight to us daily, you have indeed found your voice. Your very LoUd VOICE! You squeal when you are happy, you squeal when you are mad, sad or hungry. You squeal A LOT! And there is another thing you do A LOT... and that is SPIT! Spitting is your FAVORITE! If you could speak, you would run around the house yelling,
"I LOVE TO SPIT!"
"Spitting is my favorite thing in the whole universe!"
"Am I not the funniest human being because of my spitting talents?"
You laugh after each bout of spit permiates the air around you. You look at us hopeful so to invite us to join you in the joke called spit. As cute as it is sometimes, we are trying to teach you that it's not okay at the table or in someone's face. Baby steps...

You are a star eater! You can use a fork ALL BY YOURSELF! I am so proud of you for insisting on doing it yourself. You do so well for your age, in my opinion. I watched you get 3 consecutive "good" bites the other night! Yay for my big kid! You've been doing this utensil thing for over a month and it's just so neat to me!

Your walk has turned into a toddle type of run. It's funny when you get going a little too fast and try to slow down. It was especially funny this morning when your cowboy boots were on. You soon learned you had to slooooow down! Oh it's so funny to watch you!

You are still not saying any words. The ma's and da's and ba's continue. You hum your own little songs and jabber a lot. You certainly understand a majority of what we say to you. You mind us pretty well and know the tones we use and how to react accordingly. I had a dream that your dad came home from work and I said, "Say 'hi Daddy'" and you said, "Hi Daddy!" I am sure one day it will be just like that... you'll just start talking out of nowhere! I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

You still are not weaned from me, but this far into it, I am having a hard time letting go (which I never thought would be the case). Maybe this next month we'll be done with night nursing. I just love that you want to be close to me still. Words can't express how wonderfully sweet you are when I feed you in the night. It's a joy to watch you grow into a little boy, but you are still my baby... so soft, so sweet, so innocent.

Happy Birthday and Happy Christmas my darling little cowboy!

Love,
Mom

Just what I suspected...

And shortly thereafter... smiles for Dad...

Merry Christmas!

Alpine Fir Among Us

I wasn't going to do a Christmas Tree this year... it was going to be way to much hassle for the short time it would be up. I have enough "no no's" in the house and I didn't want another thing I would have to say, "Liam, leave that alone please." Plus we have two mischievous leopard cats that I would be chasing away from the tree too. Nope, it wasn't going to happen. Not this year.

The plan was to spend Christmas day at Ian's little brother Drew's new house in a town south of us. Ends up he has no furniture and no working furnace, so he asked if we could have Christmas at our house instead.

Ian told me this information today while I was at work. I got kinda excited that we'd be opening presents at our house! I asked Ian if he would pick up an Alpine Fir on his way home from work today. He did and now it actually feels like Christmas at our house... like the great two batches of snow we received, I feel a surge of winter comfort as I sit a few feet from our lovely tree. It's how it should be. Thanks to Drew for wanting to have Christmas here, we have that warm-holiday-at-home feeling now.

I love my perfectly sparce winter tree!