I know they grow up quickly but this is ridiculous!

So Liam has a girlfriend. An older woman. And he has a date. He's got quite the little crush on my fellow Mommies Group mommy, Kim. Yesterday, I taught him the word "girlfriend" & now he cannot stop talking about his girlfriend. When you ask him her name he says "Liam Nino's Girlfriend" - you just know it's with a capital G. Only sometimes will he say her name though, now she's simply Girlfriend.

He asked for her this morning when we went out to our (epic fail) playdate and I suggested that I could contact her to arrange a date with her maybe next week (and her two kids!) and he was quite pleased with my idea. I forgot to do it before nap time but it was the first thing out of his mouth when he woke up - "play with my Girlfriend?" so I emailed her (and he wanted to typetype himself!) and we've discovered that we will be at the same playdate next week at Chick-fil-a (the scene of their First Date, I'm sure he fell for her there) so we settled on that.

I told him when he was going to bed that I had arranged it all for him & he was happy with the date but requested instead that we go to the park. WHAT? Anyway, he's quite pleased & happy & adorably too old for his own 33 months and isn't this not supposed to happen for at least 8-10 more YEARS?

I asked Kim what color she planned on wearing so I could match her corsage. I'm only slightly kidding...wouldn't that be adorable if he showed up with a flower for her?!?

And another funny thing Liam has decided he's "old enough" to do...

...wait, now that I think of it, he told me TWO other things he's "old enough" to do today...

Thing the First - he's 'old enough' to clean his own dishes. My god if this was only truly the case. Which is cute & endearing & makes you want to pat him on the head & send him on his way to watch his beloved Go, Diego, Go!

Second Thing - he wants, again, to go to the beach (been reading a beach book) and when we recokened with him that cannot get to the beach by himself he said that he could drive the Blue Honda Car to which I nearly dropped the dishes he's not quite 'old enough' to clean by himself & very sternly said "you will not be old enough for another 15 years" and then quietly died a little on the inside & whispered to Matias "are you ready for him to be asking us if he can go to the beach for the weekend???" cause I sure as hell am NOT. And suddenly it was all very, very real.

Don't worry though, he's still going to the beach he's just driving his own car to the Outer Banks. He was not even deterred when I told him it would probably take him the better part of a month to get there. Didn't even blink. Just went and got his shoes, which ironically, he is not quite 'old enough' to get on the correct foot all the time & asked me to take him to his car so he could get a move on. He then proceeded to cry very sad, big, tears (red face included) when we denied him this inalienable right. To drive to the beach in his Cozy Coupe at 33 months old.

Next thing, he'll be asking Girlfriend to go away for the weekend to the beach. At least he'll clean up after himself.

Oh, hello! It's me!

Well, well, well. What an unexpected break that was, right? I have no excuse except to say that December quickly & fantastically got away from me, January became a blur of getting back into routine & two trips up north & February appeared to be Hibernate Month...but yet no real reason for not updating besides business & laziness.

I'm going to try & jump back on track though as I love keeping a record of my little Liam Fellow & I miss writing all about how wonderful I think he is! Matias has even badgered me about my lack of writing so you know it must be bad. He would like me start a little weekly update about Liam's technological advances so I think I might try & start a Techie Thursday to let y'all know how our NASA Programmer is coming along ;)

What I can quickly update with is the following & I promise to come back (hopefully) daily and document more of our fantastic adventures together!

• We've been gone so long that Liam has been registered for PRESCHOOL in the Fall! He will be going to a co-op where I have to volunteer on a monthly basis & that suits my control issues & hippie tendencies just fine. Every time we drive by though he says "me go to preschool, Mama!", I've explained to him that has to be 3 not 2 & he has to go do-do on the potty first!
• We've been gone so long that Liam is wearing UNDERWEAR now! He is still a Nocturnal Pooper but we go pee-pee on the potty ALL THE TIME NOW! He's been accident free for a WEEK! And only had 2.5 accidents prior to this week-long streak. He has pooped on the potty but only twice & only for Dada. I still keep him in overnighters for noni & night night sleep since he's mostly pooping there & does still go pee-pee while he sleeps.
• We've been gone so long that Liam needs another hair cut! We haven't gotten his hair cut since the beginning of December when they hacked his hair off right before his Santa picture & our family protraits. We are partial to it long though so I've been putting it off but also because I'm afraid of the Hack Job that might be in our future. I'm thinking of showing them his Santa picture and just saying "NEVER AGAIN". Think that might get my point across?
• We've been gone so long that Liam has be enrolled in Soccer TWICE, music once & art class once! Soccer will be a keeper as he is LOVE with his coach & is really getting the hang of it...he's quite a good dribbler! Music may not be renewed because it's about 40 minutes away & at 9:45 which is a little early when you take into account potty training (where peeing takes 15 minutes!), breakfast (where eating takes 40 minutes!) & driving our asses out there. Although, th next sessions has a 10:30 start time & that sounds a LOT better to me. Art class is a 'meh'. The art portion of it is good, messy & experimental; exactly what I wanted for him (AND ME!) but then there's other 'stuff' thrown in that I just find distracting and unnecassary for an ART CLASS. Like, why do we need a big, huge ball brought in? That never ends well.
• We've been gone so long that Liam has moved on from Blue's Clues & My Friends Tigger & Pooh and is now OBSESSED with Little Einsteins & Wonder Pets. And I would like to take this moment to thank Dada for downloading two whole seasons of hell on earth Little Einsteins for us.
• We've been gone so long that Liam actually ASKS to eat out! Now, granted he asks to eat in Old Town that is right next to the TRAIN TRACKS but still, he asks to eat out! And he behaves!

Basically, we've been busy. Busy with life, busy with a full calendar, busy with exciting events taking us fun places. And I cannot wait till Spring so that some of those places can BE OUTSIDE. I'm sure there's a higher precentage of SAHM who suffer from Cabin Fever; there's nothing worse than crap weather, a toddler & being stuck indoors.

I wanted to say thanks to anyone who has nudged me to get back to writing this for Liam. It's important to me & I don't know why I let it go so long but whatever, right? I should be able to get back on the blogging horse & gallop off with it again, I'm sure!

Until next time, I leave you with a new favorite picture of mine!

Liam Fellow waving at a passing plane, convinced that Nana & Pa are still on a plane!

How I Spent My Thursday Afternoon

Can you believe it??!?!

It all started this afternoon when he woke up from his nap & Matias took him into the bathroom with him (TMI?) & decided that he wanted to go potty also. So he sat him up there & he went pee pee a little bit. We decided to go get his potty actually out of the box & set it up in his bathroom & introduce him to it. I showed him his potty chart that Auntie gave him with an Elmo activity book & he was really excited about it all.

We left to run some errands & he had some milk while we were out so when we got home, I asked him if he wanted to go pee pee on the potty & we went upstairs WHERE HE PEED ON THE POTTY ALL BY HIMSELF LIKE A BIG BOY!!! And we wiped, and flushed & washed our hands and came downstairs to celebrate with Dada. I told him the next time he has to go pee pee that he has to say "Mama, pee pee!" and he listened and we went on our merry train watching way.

About an hour later, he came over and said "Mama, pee pee!" and we rushed upstairs, pants off, diaper off & PEE PEE ON THE TOILET AGAIN!!!

When he went out with Dada to get dinner, I set up his potty chart on the fridge for him to see when he got home & the look on his face when I read it off to him & showed him all the check-marks he has already received - he was just beaming.

Then right before going to bed, he told me AGAIN that he had to go pee pee!!!

He's doing so well with this SO SO SO unexpectedly. NOT that I'm surprised he's doing so well at it but more unexpected that I'm doing this TODAY. I wasn't planning on potty training today but he wanted to & he's doing it so well that I'm just going with the flow (HA!). I hadn't done any research or reading on it but Nana is helping me along so I'm really just doing this by the seat of my pants (HA!).

Tomorrow, I'm returning our (unopened) carton of diapers, getting a smaller (in case of emergency) pack, some Pull Ups and maybe a portable potty since, of course, we are traveling this weekend. All three times (!!!!) we went pee pee on the potty, his diaper was dry :) I am really looking forward to the Pull Ups for the ease they will give me in getting his pants off quick enough but more importantly back up quick enough! He's, obviously, still at the stage where he's a tad fascinated with what he just did & his hands are quick so I'm struggling with a naked Fellow where as I would much rather be struggling with a Pulled Up Fellow just to help out with accidents & all around general "this is how we go to the bathroom" routine; which includes putting our pants back on. And not trying to grab the toilet paper in the potty.

I cannot believe my little boy is potty training. This is seriously happening really fast. I will really keep on top of it to ensure that we get it done right & done the first go round. Or at least I will try, I know there can be set backs but I feel like going full force on this one since he's picked up on it so quickly & so well.

Routines

I'm a Routine Gal. I like routines & they help me stay focused and relatively stress-free. Liam also likes his routines & has craved out his own throughout his entire life (all two years of it, right?). Some of them shift as his age dictates but usually it's more his personality shifting the routine to a better fit for us all.

The newest shift has been his Night Night Routine and for me there's something so sweet about it that I even tend to delay his to-bed-going to spend more time with him.

In the past, Matias & I would get him ready for bed together; Dada doing the pajamas (after I pick them out) while I clean up his crib & get him all set for bedtime. Hugs & kisses, lights off, music on, Mama out of the room. I say the same thing to him every night & it happens to be the same thing that my mom said to me every night until I moved out (and if she were to tuck me in bed again, I'm positive she would say it then too). The first time I said it, it just kind of came out, it wasn't something I planned to say, so to speak, but when the words came out, I knew it was exactly the perfect thing for me to say to my little boy.

At some point, Liam started asking to go lie in our bed before going to bed, I think he must have been sick or we had been away and he wanted some extra snuggle time or something, anyway...it stuck. So each night he grabs his chupies, his pillow & he high tails it into our room, up on the bed & points to each of our pillows telling us where to lie down. I have to turn our bedside lamps on & sometimes I need to be under the covers. His pillow is always between us & if he gets off the bed, off to his room we go.

Sometimes we practice new words we've learned, new tricks (jumping especially) or we read a favorite book together. But mostly we talk about what we did that day. At first it started out saying "night night" to all the things he loves & things he talks about. We say night night to garages, to cars, to trains, to planes, to cats, to Nana, to the bath, to the pool, to his bike...you get the picture. But at some point we started 'talking about what we did that day' and it's really a fantastic feeling to lie in bed with your child, all cozy in pajamas, talking about your day It's a really touching moment for me to go over our day together with him. Sometimes, I can tend to clock watch or I'm tired or have been struggling with a tough day and I can sit there with him and point out even the simplest things (like talking about what we had for breakfast) and I can cherish the day in a different light. It's part 'day coming to an end' relief and part 'man, this kid has fun and finds joy in just about everything we do' that makes it such a sweet routine for me.

Sometimes if we need more winding down time we will talk about what we have planned for the next day & this doesn't fall on deaf ears, let me tell you. This Fellow will remember everything you tell him you are doing AND will call you on it first thing in the morning. He typically will wake up talking about, from his crib mind you, what we should we would do that day. And will not let it go until you actually do it. So, be warned, don't make up jack about what you plan to do with him cause he'll never let you forget you said it.

We obviously didn't plan to have this routine, we just comfortably fell into it (which are the best routines to have, btw) and I think that's about 75% of the sweetness factor to it all. And I do love lying in the dark with my boys, talking about our days/lifes and skipping ahead in my head wondering how long he'll climb into bed with us telling us about his day & what he wants to do next...

He's growing flippers!

In another episode of the Outgrown Phase, Liam has outgrown his shoes, like over the weekend. His sandals no longer fit and we were quite lucky to last just about through the summer with them anyway.

But upon trying new sneakers on him yesterday, we've decided that He's Growing Flippers! His sandals, which just barely don't fit him, were a size 5. His new sneakers are a SIZE EIGHT. Wha?!?!

He got three new pairs of shoes - a real honest to goodness pair of sneakers, a pair of tan ones that look almost identical to the ones we got him in Argentina, and a pair of "fun" sneakers.

Also, I think he might be ready to go up a size in diapers into a size 6 now!

And! He's no longer in his HIGHCHAIR! We switched it to the booster seat on Saturday & he's doing really good with it! I give him a place mat that's easy to wipe down and he goes to get it when it's meal time & then puts it away when we are done; my little big helper. He's still got to learn the No Standing Up Allowed rule but we're getting there.

That's all I've got for now since Liam was up at 6:14am, and didn't finally fall asleep until 1:30 for his nap. I'm tired, y'all.

Another rousing edition of "Dude, if I cry about this..."

In today's special report on "Dude, if I cry about this...", Mama will expound on her beaming pride over her child going in the bouncy Princess castle all on his own.

Liam is not has not been a fan of the inflatables. Truth be told, I think they must be overwhelming to kids; they are loud, big & enclosed. Not to mention the giant 7 year olds running in and out of them non-stop. Fear of being trampled is a legitimate fear, people.

But today, today we went in all by ourselves. Multiple times! I went in with him twice and then he just up and climbed in and bouncy-bounced around and threw himself out on his own. And then proceeded to climb back in again!

I believe 3 is the magic number for Liam; it takes him 3 visits to have a go at it on his own (and enjoy it. Cause let's face it, he didn't enjoy being tossed in there with me), it takes him 3 classes before harnessing the idea of Circle time, etc. etc.

I am so proud of him. And yes, I did tear up standing outside that pink Princess castle. My little boy did it all on his own. Yes, that just might be lame (don't you even say PMS to me right now) but this little independent boy of ours is growing up & I LOVE IT! I love the high fives I was getting when he would come out instead of the NO!NO!MAMA! of yesteryear and Koala Kling to my mid-section.

So I bought him a Twizzler snack pack from the vending machine on our way out :)

The Outgrowing Phase

We are fully entrenched in an Outgrowing Phase here at Casa Nino. We've outgrown our favorite sandals this week, today it seems he has outgrown using his 'baby' bowls and insisted upon using an Adult Bowl and Spoon for his cereal, he has outgrown the need to wear a shirt, he has outgrown the need to sit in my lap for Circle Time, etc. etc. etc.

For some reason (well ok Toddler Reasons) he insisted on wearing his closed toed shoes (the cute tan ones) and those don't fit anymore either. He doesn't want to use his plastic utensils anymore and luckily I had bought a set of Toddler Fork & Spoon at the every handy Target $1 Spot so he has those two that are in heavy rotation daily. He will only drink his juice out of a Big Boy Cup and has been known to take his lid off his sippy cups and drink straight from it. I only give him enough juice to make it No Worries Spill Proof but I do not do the same with his milk but methinks that might be a good idea. He's picking his own meals & throwing fits protesting loudly when we don't give him what he threw the fit about requested. This includes Frosted Flakes for dinner, Oreos for lunch & maple syrup for snacks.

I have no idea where he gets this strong headed stubbornness from.

Thankfully, the blame rests squarely on both of our shoulders as a product of a Scorpio Taurus combination, Liam never stood a chance.

Also, in times like these, I love to blame the Terrible Twos Territory on his strong willfullness and mind-numbing bullheaded requests. Shirley, it cannot be that he's simply taking after his parents, right?

Anyway, things these days are long, tiring & Am I Really Fighting With a Two Year Old? but amusing and also mind-blowing to watch unfold. As long as I don't have to do any of the 're-folding' after the fact, you know?

And, oh yeah, he woke up at 4am this morning & wouldn't go back to sleep until he was in bed with us, with me hanging off the bed (literally with one foot on the ground) and elbows flying every time I finally dozed back to sleep...

What a Difference (less than) a Year Makes

The 1st shot is from Oct. 2007 & the next one is from July 4th 2008.

I cannot get over how different of a little boy he is in such a short amount of time. I know this basically stems from his birthday approaching & how much time I feel has passed so quickly and, my word, how much time is still left with him to learn & grow & explore and continue to play with water! It really blows my mind this "growing up" business these kids are into these days. I wish I could better express myself but it's a combination of the first year being so quick & full of wonder at every corner and then the second year settling into your life together, with solid routines & schedules and events and fun adventures and yet every day there is something to marvel at. And then, it hits you that this little boy standing in front of you, swiping a spider web away and saying "bye bye bug" is the same little boy who used to laugh himself silly over the puppets on Baby Einstein and that tomorrow and next year I will be remembering the little boy that is now and I have no idea what I will be doing with him then! Although, I'm pretty sure it will involve water, that much I can be sure of.

I've been doing a lot of thinking (read: stressing) about Birthdays, our children's birthdays more specifically & I'm amazed that some parents don't make big deals out of them (and I am not thinking of anyone I know, just in general) and it kind of sort breaks my heart for some strange reason. And this coming from the person who really didn't enjoy her birthday OR being sang to BUT I really enjoy the thought of Celebrating (with a capital C) the year that was and the year that is to be. There so much that they've accomplished & become that how can you not bake them a cake (or get your sister to!) & shower them with love and wishes and icing and toys they don't really need but good lord do you see how much fun he's having with them??? It makes me heart swell in places I didn't even know I existed.

And I just might be a hugely sentimental person who loves to look back over the years & see how far we've come & how far we've gone and who's been there with us year after year after year (...bobbing head..) and I just might be a person who loves to get together to celebrate all of that TOGETHER. Is this really surprising anyone? This feeling manifests itself in my work with Creative Memories (hello!), my Freak Gatherings, my need to Tour & continue to hit certain venues with certain people...it's all a part of Me...

...and the year between my son's 12th month & his 24th month is something to Celebrate people!

...and to think this started out innocently enough with just wanting to post those two pictures side-by-side to show how much he's changed and how much he's stayed the same.

All I know is I cannot wait to watch everyone (but Nana & Mama who are smarter than the average bears) get hosed down from the feet to the sky by a Fellow with a Hose next summer. I think we're going to be in trouble then. I think not only will he be beyond operating the hose properly but he will be able to unlock the door with a key he's stashed away somewhere outside & bring that hose inside with purpose & intention.

I'll be waiting with a towel & a camera. That much I do know.

My little boy is growing up!

I distinctly remember driving around with Alexis when she was a wee Hewitt & we were taking her home from Auntie Leanne's to her parents; what I remember most of these drives is when she starting realizing where we were going & recognizing landmarks and indicators along the way.

Yesterday, my little Liam Fellow did the same thing. We were driving to a playgroup & passed by Toddlin' Time - he pointed, made some very loud indications that he wanted to go THAT WAY and then watched and pouted as we drove past it without stopping! I was almost smiling & crying at the same time (which I'm sure is a patented Mama Maneuver); I was stoked that he recognized someplace other than Home but sad that my little boy is now old enough, aware enough, smart enough to realize all of this! It couldn't possibly be happening already with MY little bebe when I still remember it like it was yesterday with Alexis; who, by the way, turned FOURTEEN the other week.

And to prove that this was no fluke, he reacted the same way again today as we drove past it on the way to yet another playgroup with my Not So Desperate Housewives! I feel bad because we had to skip this session due to travel & The Sickness but once I rescheduled for next session I got a notice that classes were canceled for this week & next week due to Spring Break SO we really wouldn't have gotten anything out of the 6 week session AND that it was a good thing that I got us into the next session already! Phew, that sentence made me tired.

He has been recognizing his Favorite Sign (it's an LED sign for a Sign Store ((imagine that)) that we pass on our way into Old Town) for quite a while now, recognizes and acknowledges the slide around the corner from the house (says some word that is not slide & points with a smile on his face) and says "Dada" when we pull onto the street that leads to our street SO it's not a "new" thing that he's recognizing Things in His World but it's a Thing Outside His Realm of Home and I think that is quite peachy. Cause he's my Fellow & he's quite peachy about quite a few damn things, if I do say so myself. Says his Mama ;)

Firsts!

Here's a little grocery list of Firsts Liam has had this past weekend:

• First french fries! Five Guys, of course
• First dinner out with Mama & Dada!
  
• First dinner off the Kids' Menu! Ravioli & some bread
• First time he has shown us his belly AND poked at OUR bellies!
• First time he has pointed to his nose, eyes & mouth when asked where they are! He also points (or grabs fiercely) to my nose, eyes & mouth!

I've definitely got more to say about all these things but I wanted to get this out there before I run out of time today AND this way I also have something to work off of to elaborate on everything he has been doing lately!

Sink Baths

Liam will take sink baths if I'm not home or busy, like last night setting up for a crop for which no one showed up, since it's easier for one person to handle him in the sink rather than the tub.

Matias called me upstairs & told me to bring the camera - I had heard them giggling & such over the monitor but wasn't sure exactly what was going on.

I love these pictures that I got of him. Here's my favorite one right now, for the moment. It won't be long before he's too small for the sink & there's another thing slipping through our fingers as he gets older and grows from our wee nino to our little big boy to our big boy...

Before & After

Yesterday, it seems I turned my little boy into a little man.

Lunch time Self Feeding of Yogurt Experiment Head. It is at least plastered enough to his head that his "bangs" are not hanging in his eyes but yet you can still see The Poof in the back where the curls were getting away from us.

The After. I swear all I said was "the front & sides need a trim & the back needs some cleaning up". I think it looks adorable (and so does Matias) but it is quite a shock still!

I've put some video up on dropshots so that you can see it better & plus, he's playing a really cute new game called "knock, knock".

On Being a Fellow

Here's a few more things Liam has been doing recently - mostly they melt my little heart & I just cannot get enough of this kid of ours and the rest of the mostly is just funny to me!

1. He is slowly starting to learn to self feed! But sadly, he is choosing really hard foods to do this with, like yogurt. He is taking the spoon nicely from me & putting it in his mouth & handing it back to me when he is ready! He rarely misses his mouth but doesn't do it consistently so while I'm happy about this progress, it's still in the baby stages. He eats finger foods but only his snackies and will rarely eat real food with his fingers as he prefers to use a spoon for that. He is still not a fan of eating real food/table food, we can offer till the cows come home but he still prefers his (now lumpier) home made food for his main course. He eats mushed fruit very well, but again with the spoon and little use of his fingers save for snackies.
2. Every night after dinner he runs over to his pillows on the floor & asks me to join him, which I gladly do. I just lie there while he body slams me and brings books over for me to read to him. It's our quiet chill out time before bedtime & I love it. I especially love that he comes and gets me for it!
3. He's learning to say Grover & not call every character from Sesame Street LaLa. Grover was my favorite so I am getting a kick out of this - especially when he recognizes my Grover magnet (don't judge) on the fridge.
4. He likes to open the freezer & microwave (sometimes at the same time) and slam them shut - usually this is accompanied with a TA DA! I let him do it cause I have to be holding him for him to be able to do it so I know he won't be running amok doing it on his own. He cannot open the fridge on his own yet & I don't encourage that by letting him play with/in it.
5. He petted a neighborhood dog this morning & made his little, whisper, of a bark at him!
6. He hides his chupie in the tape deck of his ghetto blaster in his room & then closes it.
7. He loves balloons & I'm surprised at how many places offer them for free - not ever actually on the look out for free balloons in my past, I've never taken note of it before. It's quite nice, this little treat!
8. He loves to watch videos of himself on dropshots. Every day he comes over & sits on my lap & we watch videos & I MUST have my hand on the mouse or else he gets very upset at me and places my hand back on it.
9. I gave him my baby Cabbage Patch Doll so he could have his own baby doll (which I firmly believe in doing for little boys) and he will not have anything to do with it. In fact, he pushes it away & will not allow me to hold him either. He's gone as far as coming over to me from across the room & taking it out of my hands and tossing it aside to then curl up in my lap himself. You would think after this new found love of Babies that he would like this addition, but no he does not! I'm hoping he warms up to him but I'm not sure about that at the moment!
10. He sleeps with his Curious George - you just have to hand him George & say "where's George?" and he hugs him real close against his face and smiles
11. He has a little Elmo (thanks Nana & GPa!) that he now carries around and hugs - he even gives him to me to hug!
12. He's been sharing things with me - like his bottle, his chupie, his Elmo, etc. He brings things over, say his bottle, and gives it to me to drink from, smiles & takes it back
13. If you give him something that he wants, he will take it, toddle away and say "thank you" over his shoulder
14. When he makes his "birdie" sound, it's a lot like a zerbert/motorboating noise
15. He has a new found love for trees & says something that sounds nothing like "tree" and smiles - we have a wall hanging made in Argentina that we call the Dreaming Tree & every time he smiles & points at it, I say "tree. That's our Dreaming Tree" The kid is going to call every tree a Dreaming Tree, and really, I have no problem with that, I think it's a neat concept - to believe that every tree is a Dreaming Tree.
16. He puts garbage in the garbage can - you can see the obvious problems inherent in this - sometimes it's trash other times it's his teething ring or bottle that isn't empty. He loves to play with my desk garbage can which only has paper products in it so I let him take it out and put it back in to his hearts' delight.
17. He paints the glass doors with his bottle. Not so endearing & he very much knows not to do it but still...I have milked painted doors now.
18. He's learned to put things in the toilet. Thought we had lost Matias' mini reading light but it works still! I've been not wanting to get the locks for the toilets, so instead I just close the doors, that's been working but I'm not sure for how long since he opens doors...
19. If out front, he will go to the garage door that opens to the magic of his Wagon & pull on the handle to go for a ride.
20. We went out front the other day (both of us shoeless as I wasn't anticipating a walk) and he took my hand and walked me all the way to the pond and home again. I'd walk to the end of the world (or at least our subdivision) if only he held my hand the entire way.
21. He cheers & claps at the end of every song - regardless of if it's a live track or not. And he likes his music loud - he will go over to the stereo and turn it up & walk away and clap.
22. I think he's almost saying his name! Sounds like LiLi though ;) He'll say, more recently, "Mama, Dada [toddler pause], LiLi" and smile. I've always said to him, when he says Mama & Dada together, that "Mama, Dada & Liam are family, we are a Family" & it's really cute to hear him attempt it!
23. He asks for bananas after his main course - when he sees me fixing up his fresh fruit he says "bananas?????" complete with the zillion question marks.
24. He really likes the baby that is at our Toddlin' Time class but clearly does not Mama to have any part of that (see Cabbage Patch Doll)

It's not easy being a Fellow but it sure does come naturally to love the stuffing out of him.

Same look, same meaning just with more hair

Can you believe this was just one year ago?

My wee nino isn't so wee anymore, is he?

Looking for recommendations!

Fellow Mamas~

It appears our poor little fellow needs some slip on shoes - like Robeez but not that exspensive please!

He has stubbed both of his big toes on the pavement & made himself bled and scab over - yes, I know he's a little boy but he can have a little protection nowadays, can't he?

Also with the weather turner wetter & cooler, he just needs something on his little feet. I haven't looked at Target but I know they have knock-offs for newborns, I looked at Baby Depot today while accomplishing Operation Liam Locks and they didn't have anything...any suggestions would help!

I would love to pay under $15 for them :)

AFTER First Haircut

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Liam got his FIRST haircut today! It wasn't bad at all! He sat very still, taking in all his surroundings & checking all the action around him and not every much attention to him. Dada held him on the little plank while Mama took pictures & fought back tears. They nearly came though when the hairdresser (women are hairdressers, men are barbers) next to us winked & smiled at me - then I had to choke the tears back. Twas the nod of understanding between two mothers, you know?

We went to this barber shop down the street that my Mommies Group recommended & we were in & out of there in under 5 minutes. No kidding. He looks really good with it all cut & trimmed up - nice, straight lines & still some curl in the back!

Of course, I saved some hair & thankfully Matias had a static bag in the glove box because I forgot to grab one of my little envelopes from CM that are made especially for things like this! He didn't really get all his curls cut off cause there is an issue with a "bald spot" in the back that would have been revealed if we truly cut all of it off in the back! No mullet though!

There are more photos up at dropshots, of course :)

First Haircut

We are going to get Liam's hair cut today. His first :(

I'm not really ready for this yet but he is - his bangs are hanging in his eyes & I have to suck it up & just let it go.

I no longer have a baby. I have a toddler who gets his hair cut at a barber shop.

Maybe I'll leave some little curls in the back though without making it too mulletified.

Expect pictures.

Where is my BEBE and what have you done with him!?!?

This was taken a few months ago actually on Matias' cell phone - he LOVED this little trike & we really wanted to get him for his birthday but we will wait for Christmas. But please, someone tell me, where has been teeny, tiny bebe gone?

Up, Up, Up!

We have been letting Liam climb the stairs whenever we take him up there to change his diaper or put him to bed but today the funniest thing happened...

I asked him if he was ready for Noni (nap) and he said "uh huh" and then took off ZOOM!ZOOM! to the stairs, waited for me to open the gate, sped right past the cat food bowls (thankfully!) and right up the stairs into his room, over to his CD player for me to turn his Beatles on for him!

And Noni time happened :)

How freaking cute is that? And of course, brilliant of him :)

My little boy! What is happening here?!?! What's up with all this maturing?!?!

File Under: That's Pretty Obvious

I have a BUNCH of updating to do, cue the title...

But I do want to add that today, for like the 5th time or so Liam climbed up the stairs unassisted.

We have video of it that I have to upload to drop shots later...and a note about the stairs & baby gates...

He CLOSES the gates himself whenever we ask him or if he sees that they aren't shut. I'm convinced he's keeping the cats out/playing a game with them and doesn't quite grasp that they are to keep HIM out of harms' way. It's really cute - he ZOOM!ZOOM! over there & SLAMS the gates shut & THEN stands up and browbeats the cats :)

AND he's added a new word to his vocab - Book! We were having the hardest time figuring out his "toddleresse" but I think Matias nailed it with "book", I was thinking "bird" but I'm quite sure that's not it :)

AND he's got ANOTHER TEEFIE! That makes SEVEN. SEVEN? Yes, SEVEN. It's another upper & I'm still waiting on some lowers to come in - I think they are _rightthere_ waiting to come through.

Ok enough one-liners for now - I owe you a 11th Month GushFest you know! And we have to measure him against our Ghetto Growth Chart for his 11 MONTHS MEASUREMENT.

[my god, my baby is ONE in 3 weeks]