Liam's Baptism is this weekend & Matias asked last night what we were going to do about a "god bless Liam cake" so I think I might attempt to make one. I've asked my mom to ask my sister to make her icing cause it's just the best damn icing in the whole wide world (sang to the tune of Jimi Thing Central Park "best damn city in the whole wide world") & slather it on there.
How hard do you think it would be to make a Cross out of two square cakes? Cant be THAT hard, can it? I'm not too sure though if I can bring myself to write God Bless Liam on it though...
P.S. I will be writing our recap from CVille - just need the time to do that!
Liam practicing his "Dave Look" - methinks he almost has it down. He can also raise his eyebrow but I havent captured that on film (hmmm, not film anymore...) YET.
Two months ago today you showed us your face. You came into our lives and brought us love & laughter & patience & meaning. You were born wide-eyed and ready to go & you havent stopped since. Your little legs are constantly moving, just like they were when I was pregnant with you, your fingers are in constant 'grab' mode - thankfully we have an unending supply of cat fuff for you to clutch between those little fingers with the never ending growing fingernails (that I have mastered clipping, thank you very much). Your smiles are about as bright and wide as your gorgeous brownishgreen eyes & always there in the morning when I sit up and look over your cradle and say "good morning, Bundle, would you like your breakfast now?" Your monkey toes are very strong, I must say, crushing anything that comes into their path - you grab and hold onto drawstrings on pants, the cute little tie that is on one of my tank tops rarely leaves your toes' grasp - I'm sure it's from all the time you spent dangling like a monkey from my rib cage that gave you this extra firm Kung Fu Grip.
You dont like the larger planes that fly overhead so I try and shut the patio doors before you notice, you dont like being wet or poopy (but who would?) and wake yourself up from naps just to be changed & then you refuse to go back to sleep, if you see me coming at you with a Gag Rag (trademark Cousin Alexis) you start crying but not when Daddy does it. But that's ok because you dont cry when I slather you with kisses but for some reason (must be the stubble) you cry when your Daddy kisses you. Daddy can also put you to sleep in under 5 minutes, whereas it usually takes me a little longer and then you will normally wake up as soon as I put you down - and mostly, I dont complain cause I get to cuddle my bundle a little longer.
You LOVE music - just about any music, really. Daddy plays the Beatles for you just about every chance he gets & I sneak in some of "my" music when he isnt looking. You look up at the stereo (he's THAT smart he knows where the music is coming from) and just stop what you are doing and listen. I really wish we could take you to the shows this weekend but we'd like you to be able to hear music for the rest of your life and not ruin it in one shot! When you are "really" fussy (which isnt fussy at all) I can put you to sleep if I sing to you & cradle you in my arms. You like your belly rubbed & you like it when I cup your feet in my hands. You've regrown enough hair on the top of your head for me to be able to brush it with my hands when we're having some quiet time. You like the water, just as I knew you would. We are signing you up for swim lessons in November & I cannot WAIT to get into that water with you.
There are so many things we want to teach you and share with you. Some of them arent "traditional" but they are Life Lessons we believe have taught us well in our lives & wish to pass them along to you, our Son.
Monkey has discovered that you do in fact move and make noise & has now become afraid of you. We try and sneak up on him when he's sleeping and get a few Monkey Kitty rubs in. Mystic is Mystic & only runs from you when you're crying & even then she just 'hides' in her bag. Sometimes they do "inspect" you when you're in your gym though & it's cute to watch them go over you and make an inventory of just what is this little thing here...
I try to call the cats Your Monkey Kitty & Your Mystic Kitty so that he can at LEAST learn that Monkey is a Cat and not a Monkey - you never know, years down the road you might be asked "what sound does a Monkey make?" and you'll meow for them. And I want you to know that these Kitties of yours will be here for you to play with, and depend on as you grow older - they make excellent pillows & are great shoulders to lean on when you need a friend. They are your first friends & you should know how much it means to me to you to have such great Monkey Kitty & Mystic Kitty in your life.
Mommy & Daddy are trying very hard to do their best by you & even though money is getting tight, we're making allowances and changes to meet your best interests. You will ALWAYS come first. As Daddy said last night "dont worry, it's just money, it's Liam that's important" and he couldnt have been more right.
You are always going to come first, Liam Robert. You deserve that & I'll gladly give it to you.
Happy 2 Month Birthday, Liam Robert - Mommy loves you.
I called Liam "Monkey" and then later called Monkey "Liam". At least I'm keeping the sexes correct unlike when I called Matias "Mystic" once, or twice, maybe.
I just organized my COUPONS. I mean REALLY organized them. Into catagories, with tabs & everything. I'm using one of my Creative Memories photo file holders that I had 459275 million of before we moved for it & it's perfect for this use but I think I just took it a bit too far...
I would say "looks like someone needs a hobby" but I fear this IS my new hobby.
I've been trying to get the household chores and such under control since we've brought Liam Fellow home with us & even though it hasnt been BAD it's been noticable, esp. since I am home 100% of the time now - not something I can sweep under the rug (HA! look! a housecleaning metaphor!) and pretend it isnt there, I see it for 12 hours a day! So anyway...I decided to come up with a Weekly Schedule to hopefully get all the chores and tasks done in a timely manner instead of rushing around trying to clean EVERYTHING in one day -that will NEVER happen even with a Good Liam Fellow in the house. Ok, so I've come to grips with these new terms now let's make a List!
That's another thing - I was talking with David this weekend & he was asking me about being a SAHM and how I am adjusting to it. I had to make a concentrated effort to run my new life & house like I would my Job & Office - I make lists & I complete them, daily & weekly. I consider my Mommy Group Events to be Meetings & since they are on the calendar it makes it 100% easier to make sure I get out of the house and go do something as opposed to something like this - "hmmm, maybe I'll do something today..." which leads to no where - except for me staring at the cat fur that appeared once again on the floor and wondering just how do these cats not manage to be bald considering all the mother loving fur they drop every fricking night...
If you already havent started laughing at me for this Weekly Schedule you may commence NOW. I created it on Tuesday & I'm already two days behind :) BUT BUT BUT as long as they GET DONE in this weeks' time period, that's all that matters in the end. Partly, I can blame leaving the house from 10-3 yesterday for not getting Mommy Laundry done & it's got me thinking that I pretty sure I dont want to clean the bathrooms today either BUT I have a List & a Guide and I know that if I stick to it (even loosely) that I will get it all done in time and not lose my ever loving mind trying to clean this house with a baby in my arms & two cats underfoot.
Yesterday, I went to my first CM event since forever (honestly, if it wasnt my first than it's only my 2nd one since getting pregnant) & I took Mr. Liam Fellow with me. What a good boy I have here - he either slept in his papasan or was walked around for 5 minutes to fall back asleep after being nursed in the bathroom. Where, like a ROCKSTAR, he puked on his first bathroom floor. Oh, how proud I was. He barely made a peep, except to smile and coo at every lady walking by. I was able to stay the whole time - until 2:30 and got home for his 3pm feeding. Now, granted, I didnt exactly get a lot of pages done what with 20 minute feedings and diaper changes and checking on him to make sure the Crazy Lady wasnt talking too loudly and waking up my baby...BUT this is the longest he's been out of the house at one time (not counting Road Trip #1) & I think he was just fabulous.
Baby let's go below the surface See what we can find There's no reason to be nervous 'Cause it happens all the time
I don't want to go up to the mountain I don't need to go down to the sea Gonna sit right here 'till we unravel The mystery
While the lights of the city Are shining below Gonna hold onto you girl And never let go While everyone else is just walking around In their sleep Baby let's dig down Dig down deep I wanna dig down deep
And I don't wanna wait until tomorrow 'Cause the fortune said that "The time is now" It's time to find out what we're doing What we're doing anyhow
Let's go out in the moonlight And walk for awhile Maybe stay up all night and we could Talk for awhile Kick off your shoes 'Cause you've got nothing to lose But your sleep Baby let's dig down Dig down deep I wanna dig down deep
It's an open invitation So baby don't you cry It's a life long celebration And I think we're right on time It's a feeling in your heart And a lump in the throat It's a strange and lovely ride Wanna dig down deep inside
While the lights of the city Are shining below Gonna hold onto you girl And never let go While everyone else is just walking around In their sleep Baby let's dig down Dig down deep I wanna dig down deep
I made a concentrated effort to put Liam in his firemen rescue outfit today so that we could memorialize the rescue workers in NY, PA & DC who attended to the terrorist attacks.
It's not that I never thought my heart could feel this way about my child, I'm just still so overwhelmed that this little perfect guy is Mine. Literally, I think my heart bursts when I think about him and us and our new little family, I know I get choked up and cant breathe properly and the tears start coming & I have to stop myself from going to him, running to him, really, and just covering him in kisses and smoothing out his 'duck's ass' and rubbing his chest or back or just staring at him. It's almost too much. This leaves me vunerable and shaky and not quite sure what to do with my heart that is just exploding with pride & love & awe. How he looks at his daddy when he comes home and just SMILES & how when he wakes up in the morning and is getting ready for breakfast his little hand reaches out for me and his face explodes with happiness. And I treasure our time nursing, it's our time, our private time, my time to have him all to myself with his little fingers working through my own, his feet kicking and leaning up against my arm as he settles in for his meal, his eyes that look up at me and smile with this unconditional love. This love that I have no idea where it comes from, where it originates, where it stems from but I think, I think, it's a 'product' of the love that is between Matias & I and that we, us, are represented through him and that just overwhelms me even more. I'm not ready for him to be in his crib, for him to grow out of a size of clothes...but it's so exciting & [again] overwhelming for him to be learning so many new things...he's discovered his tongue & that it can actually leave his mouth, he's trying to fit his whole fist in his mouth, he thinks it's funny when he pees on Mommy (and I'm sure he's not the only one), he likes his lotion warmed up before we slather him in it, he's getting ticklish, or maybe he's just laughing at Mommy, he's holding his head up, he's enjoying being on his tummy much more these days & he still screams blue murder when I burp him. He does have Mommy's Ticket though - my mom & sister laugh at me for holding him for four hours on afternoon when he wouldnt settle or have it any other way but I dont mind, I got to cuddle this bundle (one of my nicknames for him), hold him close, wrap his fingers around mine and sing softly to him - he likes to hear me sing, sing anything, really, but I prefer to sing DMB to him but he doesnt like the pauses for the instrumental portions of the songs so I have to hum through those, even though I'm singing without any music playing, his favorite at the moment is Satelitte, but he's starting to enjoy Crash also, I attempted to sing After Her to him but I burst into tears and had to stop before I went 'too far'. He's spending more time awake than not it seems these days, he's playing & spending so much more time in his 'gym', thrashing around, kicking and grabbing and learning and growing - singing to himself all the while.
I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life waiting to see what he does next.
Liam seems to be out growing his cradle faster than either Matias or I imagined & it's hitting us both hard. We arent ready to move him into his crib, into another room - our little boy cannot be getting this big/old already. We dont have much longer, Matias said "months" last night & I just had to laugh cause, really, it's probably going to be just until the end of September that we can keep him in there. And really, if I'm having problems moving him from the cradle to the crib how am I ever going to let him go away to college? I'm only somewhat joking. We've already decided that this one is going to UVA & I think that would be the perfect time for us to finally move to CVille, wouldnt you agree? Again, only somewhat joking. That is, unless of course, he turns out to be a little punk, then he's on his own. Totally joking that time. How could this little face turn out to be a punk?
We started just filling up the tub after Bath Number 2 didnt go over so well & letting him 'swim' around...to my surprise (Matias said "trust me, I've done this 1,000 times") Liam LOVED it!
He pushes off the walls, just like he did in Mommy's tummy, loves being swam around & just doesnt complain at all!
(I might as well just go on and admit that this is turning into more of a photoblog than a journal but hell, with a 'subject' like this, who can resist!)