A Friendly Stranger and Liam's First Hat

Yesterday was a gorgeous 80 degree day, and Liam and I met Linda and Cleide for lunch. Liam was fine until the food came, then he had a melt-down. I nearly left the restaurant to take him home, but a nice lady at the next table said that he wasn't that loud and I should sit down and enjoy my lunch. She added "it gets better after the first 6 months." So, I sat back down, put Liam in his stroller, covered him up, rocked the stroller... and he fell asleep! I was able to finish my lunch, thanks to the kind stranger's suggestion. And when Liam woke up from his nap, he was a smiley, happy baby.

After lunch Cleide and I walked around, and ended up in Baby Gap where Cleide bought Liam a fetching camoflauge hat (thank you, Tia Cleide!) He wore it the rest of the day around the shopping center, and received a great deal attention from strangers - the hat and the happy smiling baby were quite a hit! Liam just loves strangers - he got upset at one point when I left him with Cleide so I could use the rest-room, but calmed down as soon as he caught the eye of a pretty blonde woman - he stopped crying and flashed her a winning smile, much to the amusement of the onlookers. What a flirt!

When Adam got home, we went out for a walk on a local trail - had to take advantage of the unusually warm day! Liam was fine until he became tired and again we were able to soothe him to sleep in his stroller. Adam and I continued to walk around and explore some local shops near the trail - it was a wonderfully relaxing late afternoon. When we got home, Adam took a picture of Liam in his new hat...



And to top off our busy day, Liam slept very well - he went to bed at 8pm and woke up only twice after I went to bed, ultimately getting up at 7:30am. Wow - I could get used to this!

The Weekend with Aunt Niki in Pictures

Niki stayed with us this past weekend, and took some pictures - here they are!

Aunt Niki and Liam:


Adam reading Hop on Pop:


Adam, Liam, Pepper, and Summer in the garden:


Adam and Liam enjoying a beautiful Sunday:


Liam getting his first shoulder ride:


Adam, Liam, and Summer in the veggie garden:


This past weekend we also celebrated cousin Eric's 4th birthday at Grandmom's house. Eric enjoyed a Blues Clues cake, cute little Easter bunny cakes from Aunt Leesa, and several pirate-themed gifts. Aunt Jill took pictures, so we hope to see them soon! Happy Birthday Eric!

Adam Reading Hop on Pop

Green Goals

Adam and I would like Liam to grow up and be aware of his impact on the world around him, and make environmentally friendly and healthful choices. To that end, we’ve been examining our home life and looking for ways to improve. Here are a few we’ve come up with so far:

1. Change over to those new low-wattage light bulbs – save energy (the ones I just put in the bathroom claim they’ll last for 9 years – zounds!)
2. Switch from chemical cleaning products to natural cleaners – I bought the book Clean House Clean Planet for recipes – most use baking soda and vinegar. I hate the smell of chemical cleaners anyway, so this will be a welcome change. And better for our new septic system! In fact I mopped with a veggie based dish soap in hot water last week (as suggested by the book), and it worked great – and no overpowering chemical smell.
3. Growing our own veggies – stay tuned for details about my novice attempt at gardening…and I am doing raised beds (the Square Foot Garden method), which are more efficient and use less water
4. Find a local farm to buy our meat and eggs and anything else locally grown (to supplement the aforementioned home garden)
5. Switch the catbox from Tidy Cat Scoop to Swheat Scoop – an all natural product made from wheat
6. Use dryer balls to shorten the dryer time and hopefully eliminate the need for fabric softener

Well that is a start. There is plenty more we can do of course but all in good time. Of course I am open to suggestions if anybody wants to share ideas!

Liam is 4 months old!

Time for an update! At Liam's 4 month pediatrician visit yesterday, he was 13lbs 14oz and 25 1/4 inches long. He's doing great and is a healthy little baby. In other news, he has started laughing - we captured it on video, so I'll have to figure out how to post it so everyone can see it. So cute. He has also "found" his feet, and stares at them. He's so interactive now that he's almost like a new baby - he loves to watch our every move and stare deeply into our eyes, then start giggling.

The day before yesterday I took a shower with him, and I held him up in the shower stream - he thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing - it was great! He's also started grabbing toys - and of course the first thing he does is try to eat them. He drools constantly and chews EVERYTHING, including any body parts that get near his mouth - our hands, arms, and necks are not safe from our little chomper. He gave me a hickey on my hand at the pediatrician yesterday because he was sucking so hard! The doc said it was normal and that he isn't teething yet. If this is normal, I can't wait to see what he'll do when he's teething...!

Here is a picture of Adam having his arm chewed by Liam...


Father and son...

Daddy and Liam Reading

Here is a long awaited picture of Daddy and Liam - they are reading Goodnight Moon (thank you Mira!) in preparation for Liam's bedtime. About a week ago we started a bedtime ritual and 7pm bedtime - it worked better than I ever could have expected. Maybe the Incredible No-Sleeping Baby just needed a routine and a schedule! Now let's just hope he sleeps until at least 7am, for Mom's sake...!

Who can resist a bathtub baby?!

Tonight I donned a bathing suit so we could take some pics of Liam having a bath. He's still not sure he enjoys baths (I usually just shower with him), but he cheered right up when I gave him a few raspberries on his belly :) Someday I can whip these pictures out when he brings a girlfriend over to meet us... heehee!





And yes, we will take some pictures with Daddy this weekend - goodness knows we have more than enough of Liam with me!

Silly Mom and Baby Pictures

We went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch today. Liam was pretty fussy, and my friend and I had to take turns entertaining him. At one point I was on my back on the bench seat playing airplane with him to keep him from crying - fortunately the waitress had twins and wasn't alarmed by my behavior! As usual Liam cheered right up when he had the chance to flirt with the waitresses... he's such a ham.

This is how I entertain myself during the day... Here we are taking self-portrait pictures in the bathroom...


Smile, baby! (Yes, I know I look crazy...)


I love his face in this one...

Thumbsucker

No, I'm not doing a review of the movie Thumbsucker (which is the only time I've ever liked Keanu Reeves in a movie, but I digress.) Liam found his thumb today. Just his thumb, all by itself. Usually he tries to jam his entire fist in his mouth (which is endlessly entertaining to watch) but today when I put him down for a nap I noticed he put just his thumb in his mouth, all by its little lonesome self. I was strangely moved (I am his doting sleep-deprived mother, after all, everything moves me!) It's such a tiny little thumb that I'm not sure how it can be comforting, but he slurped away on it.

He is also getting good at rolling over on to one side. That's as far as he seems to want to go though, so I don't forsee a complete roll onto his tummy any time soon. His other new trick is to hold onto my hands and pull himself into a sitting position, and he loves when I then pull him into a standing position. Of course I'm supporting him the whole time, but this kid can't wait to be mobile - he loves to be up and looking around. Woe unto the person holding him who tries to sit down and relax for a few minutes! Liam is not one to sit and chill on the couch (much to his father's dismay!)

Napping in the Garden

While GM was visiting, we discovered a happy fact - Liam likes to nap outdoors! We took him out 4-wheelin' in his rugged stroller, and as we walked around our property he fell asleep... for 2 hours! That's an unusual nap for the Incredible No-Sleeping Baby! So I repeated the trick yesterday and today - same result. He enjoys being pushed around the field in the fresh air, and then zonks out (I will add that its been unseasonably warm these last few days, high 50s and 60s).



These naps gave me time to plan my garden - I can't use the existing garden (in the pictures) for veggies because it was built with treated wood, which contains arsenic. So, I'll be trying out the Square Foot Gardening (SFG) method using cinder blocks - the previous owners left us a huge pile of cinder blocks, which will be perfect for building raised beds. It'll be a lot of work to set up, but after hours of browsing through my seed catalog from Seeds of Change I can't wait to get started!

Pleased to eat you, Mr. Giraffe!

Here is Liam with his giraffe - he can only play with something so long before it ends up in his mouth!