Fun Weekend

What a great weekend we had. Liam got to go on a little ride at the mall, colored his first picture, and played with his ducks. Fun all around.

When All Else Fails, Send Grandpa In

My dad is the self-proclaimed "baby whisperer". His claim to fame is that he can get any kid to go to sleep. I think it's because he's like a big pillow. But also because he's really gentle and patient with them. Liam was having a hard time falling asleep at my parents so I sent him in. And, as always, he was successful. They ended up sleeping for about an hour and a half. Go grandpa!

My Little Gourmand

I have come to the realization that my kid has a refined palate. It might be why we had such a hard time getting him to eat baby food- who knows? All I know is I made him a scrambled egg with no seasoning or cheese or anything one day and he spit it out of his mouth. Yesterday, I made MYSELF some eggs. I put it in the food processor with some ham, cheese, a little sour cream, and some ground sea salt and black pepper. Then I scrambled it up and they were great. Too bad I didn't get much of it. I offered some to Liam- figured I would give it another try and do you know that little booger ate half my breakfast?

It doesn't stop there. Some of the other foods he enjoys: steak and roasted potatoes, lemon basil Chicken with brown rice, baked potato soup, avocado and tomato salad, you get the picture... Some of the foods he does not enjoy: Cheerios, Goldfish, plain eggs, or most other normal kid fare! I guess what I really needed for Christmas was a personal chef for my son.

A Christmas Story

Liam's (technically) second Christmas was a great one. It went much better than his first one. All I wanted from him for Christmas was to see him walking and he delivered. Now that he has it figured out, he's been walking a lot more.

We started the day out at home, opening presents and wrapping the last few that we were taking over to Beth's. I think everybody got what they wanted. We went really light on the Christmas presents for Liam. Partly because he doesn't know what is going on and partly because there is nothing left to buy him as he owns every toy known to man now. He did receive a wooden train and some wood puzzles which fit nicely into his mouth.



Then it was off to Aunt Beth's house. Liam sported his new guayabera that he got from his Tia Sofia for his birthday. Boy, did he look spiffy in that.



Normally, Christmas tradition states that we go to a movie with the Neins. But we haven't gone to a movie during daylight hours for about a year now (can you guess why?). So we hung out until Liam was done with his nap and headed home. Realizing we had no food at home, we searched for an open restaurant and ended up eating at Flannigan's. Look at this great fish tank they had in the waiting area. It was such a hit that I think we might go back even when it isn't the only place open...

Ladies and Gentlemen- We Have Ourselves a Walker

Now He's REALLY One!

So it's official- my baby boy is one. He has been around for a whole year now. He's not the only one that has changed dramatically in the past year. Liam has completely altered the way I view the world. For starters, I have become an emotional mess. I NEVER cried at movies or books- I was always the cynic when it came to sappy love stories. Well, the other day I shed a tear at a Publix commercial... A PUBLIX COMMERCIAL! For those of you not fortunate to have Publix in your area, it is a GROCERY STORE.

Another thing, everything just seems to mean more. When I feel happy, I feel so happy I could burst. When I get sad, its equally as exaggerated. I think its because everything I do or feel affects him in some way. I feel like I'm feeling for the both of us. Whatever changes have come, they have been the best changes I could ever ask for. I absolutely and irrevocably LOVE my family with every single last little fiber of being I have. I honestly don't care where we end up living because I'm right as rain as long as I have them with me.

As for Liam! He is 23 pounds and still 30 inches long. He's really thinning out now (with the exception of his double chin and yummy cheeks). He gets so much now. I know I say that every month, but for real this time. He started using certain toys for their actual purpose as opposed to just sticking them in his mouth. He has soooo many teeth. At last count, it was around 13 or 14. They seem to be popping in all the time. And when they do, he is the crankiest little boo around. He just wants to be held by mommy and he doesn't want anything to do with food. Luckily, right now we are between teethings.

He loves music and dances all the time. His favorite thing to do is take things out and put them back into their container. He can play this game all day long and with much concentration. The most exciting development is his steps. He started taking steps about a week before his birthday. It is so neat to see the progression he has taken into walking. He gets more and more confident as the days go on.

Aftermath

I SHOULD have gotten rid of the toys that Liam no longer really plays with BEFORE the party. Instead, we found ourselves with many new birthday toys and no where to put them. So off to the store we went to buy some cubbie holes and storage and voila! We know have room for birthday presents.

Anybody who was anybody was there

Some Birthday Videos

Cake and Presents

Must give major props to Kittyama for making Liam's crown. I had found one on Etsy that I wanted to buy, but it cost something like $40. So Nancy decided to take a stab at it. Although I am not thoroughly convinced that we saved all that much money, I am more than happy that we did it ourselves. And by "we", I mean Nancy. Not only is it way cuter, but it has the added meaning of being made by grandma.

I have more pics to post, but am soooo tired.... must... get....sleep... Come back Tuesday for more Liam party picture fun.

It's a Party

This party was a lot like my pregnancy... It felt like it took forever for the big day to arrive, but once it came it was gone in a flash. As everyone knows, we had Liam's first birthday party at the beach. I was so nervous the weather wouldn't cooperate. It's a bit of a risk planning a party on the beach in the middle of December, but I like to live on the edge.

Chris and I got there at about 9:30 in the morning to reserve our spot and it was perfect. A slight breeze, not a cloud in the sky, with a temperature of about 70 degrees. By the time people started showing up at around 11:30, there were slight hurricane conditions. OK, that may be exaggerating a bit, but it was much windier than I would have liked. We didn't let a little wind slow us down though. We still had a fun time and all of our wonderful family and friends still came out and had fun. The best part about all of it were the (what seemed like) hundreds of birds flying about 10 feet above us and diving down towards our picnic tables to steal sandwiches. I am being sarcastic of course, but for Liam it really was the best part.