"What Do Mommies Do When They Grow Up?" and Other Liam Thoughts

Liam is starting to amaze me, with his concepts and ideas.  He is starting to question things and try to understand his world more, conceptually-speaking. 

On Monday, I kept him home from school, since his cough was so rough.  We're hoping that we're on the road to recovery with this "being sick" stuff!  He truthfully seemed great later in the afternoon, but he did fall asleep in the floor, in front of the television before lunch.  He needed his rest, so it was good he stayed home. 

That afternoon, I was putting a movie in the DVD player for him to watch.  He turned to me and asked very surely, "Mommy, what do mommies do when they grow up?  Do they do movies and" (he paused, then heard the dryer running.  He thought for a brief second.) "and, uh, laundry?"  I thought it was incredibly sweet that he wondered what I did for a job.  Being that he doesn't normally spend the middle part of the day with me when Ava is at school, he was curious what it was I did with my time.  I told him I work for the phone company and help people by using my computer.  :) 

Yesterday, on the way to school, after working on his letters (alphabet) with him, I hear him in the back seat "Mom, why does Ava know her letters and I don't?"  Oh, sweet boy!  He doesn't realize that she has two years (plus) on him.  I told him that Ava learned her letters when she was three, that she is two years older than he is, and mentioned I could help him learn his letters, too.  I think he liked that idea.  He knows the alphabet song and can recognize some letters, but not all of them.  He can draw a circle (using his right hand, currently, but I wonder if his preference wouldn't be for his left hand?).  He can also draw the letter "L" and seems to point it out whenever he sees it.

One night last week, while putting him to bed, he mentioned he was scared.  He seems to have a fear of the dark lately, and will come down to our room in the wee hours of the morning, lay on a blanket with a pillow next to our bed.  To help calm his fears, I laid down with him.  I think it's the longest I've ever talked with Liam by himself!  (At least the most words he's ever said consecutively with me).  I think he was talking to try to keep himself from falling asleep.  He told me about experiences at school, his best friend (Ben), what he likes to do, asked questions, etc. 

For a while, Doug and I thought we might have three kids.  We never really questioned the number.  Doug came from a family of four, I came from a family of two.  So, why not three?  My comfort level is with two.  I know this.  As a working mom, I feel like three is outside the realm of what I could realistically handle right now.  It's a struggle to keep up with life, work, Ava's schooling and be sure to spend as much time as possible with each of them, let alone add another into the mix.  I just don't think it would be fair (at this time) to someone.  Someone would ge the short end of the stick.  Doug realized that if we are blessed with three (and / or "try" for three), it would only be for "numbers sake" and not because we have two boys or two girls and were hoping to have the opposite gender from the children we already have.  So that was a non-issue.  I've always heard with regard to best friends, as well, that it is always harder to have three best friends (instead of two); someone always gets left out.  Someone is always better friends amongst those three. 

Knowing this, even not being pregnant, I think I mourned the loss of attention I knew Liam would get if he were a middle child.  It made me so sad!  I think I tried to spoil him as a result.  He is spoil-worthy, regardless, that is for sure (as is Ava)!  :)  For now, I think we're happy with two.  I know I can handle two.  With three, I think we feel like someone might possibly be left out.  It almost seems like it would be easier to have four than three.  Right now, both kids are special for so many reasons, but also because they each have the market cornered in the gender department.  So, there you have it.  We're happy with two.  Our little family is complete.  If God blesses us with three, though, I KNOW we would be overjoyed. 

I say all of that to say that I was able to fully soak in the experience with Liam that night, listening to him talk about himself, experiences and ideas, instead of being pre-occupied with the thought of not having as much time / attention to spend with him in the future, if we did have three.  I know I probably sound off my rocker completely.  Cliff notes version - I'm so thankful for both of our kids and am trying to live in the moment and let the reality soak in, as to how amazing any given moment is with our family.  Make sense?

I am so anxious, though, to hear how Liam's sweet mind works and learn about his world, as her perceives it, in the coming days.  He is some fun. 

Peace, love and one full heart,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

You're My Buddy

Lately Liam has been a pistol when it's time to go to bed. 


He's all boy.  He normally goes and goes until he just stops and finally falls asleep.  Lately, in bed, I have been laying with him after we day a prayer at bedtime.  A week or so ago, he patted his head and said "Do this."  He wanted me to scratch his head...I sometimes do this to get him to relax.  Fast forward to last night. 


Neighbors in the next cul-de-sac were shooting off some Memorial Day fireworks.  We opened the blinds to watch them from our window.  Ava was sleeping, so it was just Liam and myself nestled up against the window, watching the fireworks.  Once they were finished, we closed the blind.  I started scratching his head.  When I was finished, he would say "do that again."  So I scratched his head a little bit longer.  He. Loves. This.  When I was finished, AGAIN he asked that I scratch his head.  I wanted him to get some sleep, so I told him it was time for bed.  He leaned over to me and said "You're my sweet buddy!"  He said it again.  I had to laugh.  He wasn't trying to get me to do it again, but it was his way of thanking me for doing that for him.  Today when I got up and gave them breakfast, he said it again:  "You're my buddy!"


I love it. :-)


Peace, love and buds,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

I Love You...and Jesus Died on the Cross

The other night I gave Liam a random "I love you" while he was sitting next to me on the couch.  He leaned over to me and said "I love you SO much, Mommy.  And Jesus died on the cross." 


I had to laugh inside.


Thinking that might've been a random comment, a few minutes later I said "Liam, I love you."  Again, he turned to me and said "I love you.  And Jesus died on the cross." 


Although I find it funny that he says these two things together, I am so thankful that he has been going to a school where he is also encouraged to learn more about Jesus. 


Peace, love and "cross" behavior,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Trains...Oh the trains!

I can't even REMEMBER when Liam wasn't interested in trains.  I honestly don't think we've gone out of our way to encourage this...ahem...ADDICTION.  Yes, it's to that point. 


I can first remember Liam rocking back and forth, at five months of age, in front of Grandpa Dean and Grandma Dolly's Christmas tree.  He would rock back and forth, waiting for their model train to come around the track / tree.  Once he would see it coming toward him, he would stop rocking momentarily.  Then, as soon as the train would pass, he would start rocking back and forth again, waiting for it to round the track again.  He did this over and over!

Liam has taken a particular interest in Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends.  He has countless miniature trains, ALWAYS with one in hand.  He will often take one to sleep with him, falling asleep with one in his hand.  Doug and I joke that we know Liam has finally fallen asleep when the train falls out of his hand. 


While in Disney World's Magic Kingdom in February, Liam's beloved "Thomas" fell out of the stroller, somehow unnoticed, during his nap.  Sensing there might be a panic attack on the horizon for Liam, "Grandpa Pam" found a replacement train in a gift shop for Liam.  This train was a small plastic train that Mickey Mouse drove.  Something for Liam to clutch during his Disney adventures.  He seemed happy about it.


The day prior, Liam was happy to find a model train village / set-up in Epcot Center, complete with tunnels, bridges, etc.  Practically a real-life Island of Sodor!  :-)  Although Epcot wasn't nearly as kid-friendly as Magic Kingdom, Liam and Ava both enjoyed the model train display.  Once we left the display, Liam kept pointing in the general direction of the trains, saying "Trains!", basically asking to go back.  After his nap that day in the stroller, immediately upon waking up, he actually pointed back in the direction of the trains.  I thought it was too funny that he still had enough sense of direction to know the way back to the trains, even after a nap!  Numerous times he pointed that way...


When Liam is acting two, we only have to threaten to take away his trains for the day and he decides to change his behavior.  He has had his trains taken away a handful of times.  This seems to do the trick!


His favorite thing to do is busily connect train tracks together, so the trains can "chug".  Liam uses the word chug as a verb. :)  "Dad, can you come chug with me?"


As you can see, we will run out of living room faster than we will run out of train tracks.  These pictures are of Liam in action, connecting train tracks.

Liam sees trains wherever he looks.  He makes trains out of things that aren't trains.  Trolley cars are trains, in his book.  He puts books on the floor and lines them up, end-to-end, and says they are trains.  At breakfast the other day, he noticed a train on the orange juice carton.  

A few weeks back, I just got out of the shower and was wrapped in a towel.  Liam points up at me and says: "Train tracks!"  (I'm no longer surprised by hearing any word related to trains, in any situation...)  I looked at the towel, to see what he was talking about.  Sure enough, the towel had a decorative border of squares on it, that looked like train tracks, to Liam...

Oh, and it doesn't end there... Every night, when Liam says prayers, he thanks God for his trains, trucks, cars and toys.  That exhausts the list, for the most part.  I've been trying to work with him on thanking God for other things; more lately he has been adding "Mommy and Daddy and Ava and Liam and Mommy and Liam and Ava and Daddy."  We're working on adding to the prayer list. 


What can I say, this boy eats, sleeps and breathes trains.  Or, in Liamspeak, "trainses".


Peace, love and a little loco(motive),
Shelly, Doug, Ava and the littlest engineer

Time Out

I get a kick out of telling Liam "I think Mommy needs a kiss" when he's playing intently.  I'm always curious to see what he will do, or if he will manage to pull himself away from his toys momentarily.  Yes, I'm THAT Mom.  :) 


On Tuesday, he was playing with his trains (wait... when ISN'T that happening?) and tracks.  I said "Liam, I think I need a kiss."  I was on the floor, about three feet away from him, while he played.


He responded:  "Mommy, I'm kind of busy playing with my trains, but I think I can give you a wittle kiss."  He then proceeded to pucker up (fish-lips style), plant one on me, and go back to playing.  He melts my heart when he does things like this!  Not to mention that this is a pretty big sentence for him. 


I love that he took time out of his "busy time" to plant one on me.  I learn such big lessons from these little ones!  I pray that I continue to learn from them. 


The other day we were heading home from church, on our way to a Taco Bell drive through.  The kids asked where we were going and we told them Taco Bell.  Liam, fairly quickly, looking over at Ava, says "How about the Panda Bear restaurant (Panda Express)?  Ava, you want to go to the panda bear restaurant? Okay?"  It cracks me up that he is such a little adult at two years of age.  He is SO BIG (physically) for his age.  When people see him, they think he's probably somewhere around four years old.  No joke.  Try two.  Three more months until the big #3 comes around.  Fortunately he hasn't had any public two year-old" moments that require explanation, yet.  We still have a few months...


Peace, love and big two year-old boy smooches,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Mr. (Liam) Cool

I just love this sweet boy.

Peace, love and puppy-dog tails,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Rockin' Out On The Way To School

To capture our rides to school in the morning.

Lately we have been rocking out to Florence and the Machine (Track #1) on the way to school: "Dog Days Are Over". I do believe we've played this song in our vehicle more times than Florence and her crew has performed it during her career.

If Liam notices that Ava isn't dancing while music is playing, he'll say "Rock out, Ava!" This song specifically is good for some "rockin'-out".

In these pictures, though, they both remained calm, as I asked them to stay still for the camera. My camera in my HTC Evo Shift 4G phone (which I'm sure will date this particular blog entry in coming years) doesn't do too well with any movement.

Peace, love and rockin' out,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Breakfast

The other day I realized how LITTLE we've been using cameras to document the kids' growth / fun. It is so easy to get overwhelmed with everyday life and not document it. So, right after breakfast that morning I asked Ava and Liam if they could stand together so I could take their picture.
As you can see, we didn't brush their hair before these pictures, but I thought they were adorable anyway. :) Liam's hair typically looks like he's a previous member of the 80's group "Flock of Seagulls".






























Liam's rendition.










































Big sis, little bro










































 After I got done taking their picture, Ava asked if I would take one of her alone. Here she is, posing for the camera.









































 Striking a pose.




































 





A candid shot.










































While I was doing Ava's hair that morning, it seemed awfully quiet in the house. I knew Liam must've been up to something. When I found him, this is what he looked like. I still don't know which writing utensil he used for this moustache. I am actually impressed that he focused mainly on the moustache area. It was pretty funny and fortunately washed off easily.

























 



Peace, love and moustaches in the morning,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Mr. Liam

Liamspeak

I'm glad I understand Liamspeak.


This morning: I want to wook at the womens." Translation: I want to look at the lemons." (Which were actually oranges).  Wow, someone else might get a little concerned over a comment like that!  :)

Peace, wuv and "womens",
Shelly, Doug Ava and "Wiam"

Bugs in the Toilet

Tonight we finished our typical bedtime routine:  kisses for Daddy, up the stairs, brush the teeth, potty time, prayer at each babe’s bed, hug, kiss, turn on the Jewel Lullabye cd, rustle, rustle, rustle, “Good night”. 

Finally when all was quiet, I hear  from Liam “I’ve gotta go potty!”  He had JUST gone to the bathroom five minutes earlier.  He jumps out of bed, though, and heads to the bathroom.  A few seconds later, I hear him returning to his bed, saying “I don’t have to go potty…  There’s bugs in the toilet.” 

I know there are:

(A)   No bugs in the toilet and

(B)   Doug had flushed a dead cockroach down the toilet last week, to dispose of it.

I am laughing inside as I watch Liam drift off into dreamland, eyes rolling back in his head with a smile on his face.  One day, this little boy will become a strong man.  And by then, I hope he will not be worried about bugs in the toilet. 

Peace, love and feeling flush,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Chik Fil-A Daddy / Daughter Date Night

I'm on our local Chik Fil-A's e-mail distribution list. They're great about having activities for kids on Friday nights, craft nights, breakfasts with Santa Cow, etc. They sent an e-mail to me for a Daddy/Daughter Date Night scheduled for February 5th. I asked Doug if he would be interested in going. He agreed it sounded like fun, so we put in our "reservation" for 4:30 on 02/05.


We were so busy with things that day (a Saturday), that Ava and Doug went dressed in what they were wearing. She is always glad to spend some time alone with her Daddy. :) When Doug pulled up, he saw that there was a limo and a red carpet. Doug thought "Wow! Which celebrity is coming to Daddy /Daughter night at Chik Fil-A?"


When he and Ava walked in, they were shown to their table, which had a linen tablecloth covering it. There were fresh-cut flowers in a vase, to decorate their table. Someone came up to them and asked if she could take their picture.


Ava and Doug dined on, you guessed it, chicken. :) The Chick Fil-A staff told them that they could take a free ride in a limo outside, as well. Ava was too interested in playing in their play area to be bothered with riding in a limo. Hilarious! Doug mentioned that there were some dads that wore suits while their daughters wore dresses.


Before Doug and Ava left, Ava was given a rose in a vase. They were also given a very nice picture frame with a plaque including the date, location and event name "Daddy / Daughter Night at Chik Fil-A". Within the picture frame was the picture taken earlier in the night. I was blown away that all of this was free of charge, AND that someone would be able to print out pictures of all attendees in the back of the restaurant, while everyone dined. Very classy Chik Fil-A! I was very impressed.


Chik Fil-A Daddy / Daughter Date Night
Saturday, February 5th, 2011

It was early enough after Doug and Ava left Chik Fil-A to go to a movie. So they went to the dollar theater to see what was showing. They ended-up going to see "Megamind".


Liam and I held down the fort while Daddy and Ava had their fun. I took Liam to the dollar store to pick out some treats. Liam is so precious! While we were at the dollar store, I would ask him if he wanted a particular item, thinking "Hey! Let's splurge! We're in the DOLLAR store!" But when Liam would see something he liked, and then see something ELSE he liked, he would put the first item back. This happened multiple times. He actually would get upset if I tried to put something in the cart that he wasn't "set on". Complete sweetness, he is. :)


Liam and I then went to McDonald's Play Place (his pick). He had the entire place to himself! He is definitely a social creature. Ava is social, as well, but Liam THRIVES on socialization. Ava can always occupy herself, but I think with Liam having been around Ava his entire life, he is more engaging, by proxy. It almost seemed to me as if he felt like he was missing out on something, instead of being on a special date with me! He is my sweet little man and definitely has me wrapped around both pinkies. :)


Peace, love and parentally-supervised dates,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Liam is Eight Months Old

While my Mom was visiting with us recently, Liam turned 8 months old. We had a great visit with Grandma Pam.


























Before turning eight months, he was pulling up on everything in sight. At exactly 8 months, he has let go a few times, but just plops to the floor. He seems to be better with balancing the last week or so. He doesn't seem to have any fear. When he falls and his head hits the ground, he seems unfazed.

He also learned how to wave. He puts his hand up in the air and moves his fingers back and forth. Within the past few days, he seems to have forgotten how to wave, though. I recall this type of thing happening with Ava, too, where they learn how to do something and then forget the skill for a few days. Kind of funny how that works.

Liam is a BIG boy. I'm not sure how much he weighs right now, but he is entirely solid! And heavy to carry! It's quite a feat just walking up the stairs from day care toting Liam, his bag, anything Ava might not be interested in carrying, possibly my laptop bag (if I went into the office), etc.

He continues to eat well. One of his day care teachers comments on how well he eats, saying it's a good thing because he won't be "sickly" when he is teenage. Not sure about that correlation, but if it's true, he definitely won't be sick! He eats three times a day with some small snacks in between. He really enjoys diced vegetables or fruit. Our monthly grocery bill has been a bit more now that he's on regular food! I would say his favorite thing to eat is blueberries, which I smash slightly so they won't lodge in his throat. He seems to do well eating most food by hand. And this buys me time to get other things done! :-)

His smile continues to melt my heart. He likes to give me a huge open-mouth slobbery kiss on my cheek or nose often. He is trying to communicate lately and lets out these loud "aaaaah!'"s quite often. He really seems interested in other kids / babies and tries to communicate with them. Lately he has been extremely fidgety. If he is awake, he's moving! This makes him that much more difficult to hold!

It's interesting to see what toys he chooses. He seems to pick any hammer or ball when playing. The minute I set him down on the floor, he goes for electrical cords or a remote. I find this pretty interesting as Ava wasn't interested in either of them at all! I do recall babysitting Ava's buddy Mekhi and noticing he was also more interested in cords. Must be a little boy thing!

He is completely content and is so low-maintenance! He likes to play in Ava's kitchen and pull-up to the counter. When he is standing up, you can tell he thinks he is "big stuff" and flashes the cutest grin. He can almost walk behind a little walking toy, but the toy ends up rolling too fast and gets away from him. So he walks across the living room on his knees, hands on the handle, constantly trying to stand-up behind this toy. It's pretty funny.

He still doesn't technically crawl. He gets there, though! He does this belly-flop motion / breakdancing worm crawl to get where he wants to go. I don't think he will ever crawl in the standard sense. He has recently started crawling with one knee and keeps using his other leg's foot, as if he's going to stand up. I'm not sure he'll ever figure-out that he can use both knees at once!

One of his latest endeavors.... He likes to pull ALL the books off of the bookshelf we have of children's books. The contents of the lowest two shelves end-up in a pile under him, on the floor. When he is doing this, it almost looks as if he is looking for a specific book, but not finding it. I guess he's probably wishing we had more books about trucks and bugs (or maybe electrical cords and remotes?). :-)

When I put him to bed, I try to rock him and sing two songs to him before putting him in his crib. He gets pretty fidgety after 30 seconds of rocking / singing, so I end-up putting him into his crib. He sleeps through the night well, going to bed at 8 p.m. (or before) and waking up around 7 a.m. He continues to take three naps a day (or two lengthy naps).

I'm looking forward to the Spring! Liam LOVES being outside. He likes for me to run after Ava while holding him in the back yard. I can tell that he is anxious to be able to move himself and run after Ava. Little does she know what's in store for her! :-)

We love you Liam, and feel blessed by your sweet smiles and kisses!
Peace, love and the one-kneed crawl,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam