Liam is 11 Months

Liam is 11 months old!

I apologize for the garbled-look of this post. I am having some serious html coding issues. I need to research why it doesn't register when I try to hit "return" to space these entries properly...

WARNING – WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD!

He continues to be our bee-charmer. He somehow knows exactly how to melt Mommy’s heart!

Right now he’s really vocal, trying to make his point to whoever will hear him. :0) He and Ava get into their cackling fits, where I have no idea what is so funny that they laugh that hysterically. I love to see how much they love each other. (Note to self: Refer to this post when they’re screaming at each other in the back seat of the mini van on road trips five years from now…)

He loves to play peek-a-boo. I crawl on the floor and back around the corners of the trunk in our living room (we use as a coffee table). He crawls after me so fast that I barely have time to back up and hide. He laughs the entire time. He has a little machine-gun rapid-fire laugh. It’s entirely too funny to hear. I need to catch it on video and put it on the blog.

Well I'm a monkey's uncle! :-) I couldn't pass up adding this picture. Hilarious! :)

Lately he has started clapping. He used to say “guh” if he wanted more of something, but I’m working on trying to teach him the sign for “more”. He ends up clapping, but it’s a step in the right direction. :0)

Liam is a big boy. He’s only a few lbs away from his sister, but I think he stretched up again lately. The doctor, at his nine month appointment, mentioned that we could start facing him forward in his car seat, because he is developmentally like a one year-old. When I see other babies that were born around his timeframe, I have to chuckle because Liam is SO. MUCH. BIGGER! Not that it is good or bad, it just IS. :-)

He is walking everywhere. He seldom loses his balance now and is getting FAST! He actually walked down the hallway at church on Sunday by himself, without holding onto my hand.

He is such a social creature. He does enjoy smiling at other people but will be shy at first and turn away from them, only to look right back at them while he smiles.

Sweet boy

He has three (and a half) teeth on top, with three on the bottom. Doug and I crack up, saying that he looks like he belongs in Monster’s Inc. (the cartoon movie) with three evenly spaced teeth on top.

Liam is a good sleeper. He goes down every night about 7:30 – 7:45 a.m. and sleeps until at least 7 a.m. every day.

He is on to “big people food” now. Loves green beans. Loves blueberries, oatmeal with spiced apples, holds a special place in his heart for his bottles (and still giggles whenever he knows one is on order). He got really picky about a week ago, chewing things up but spitting them out immediately. It was pretty frustrating. I think it might be a texture-thing. But as you can see, he’s not starving…

We took him to an allergist on Monday. They said he has a pretty sensitive respiratory system. He just always seemed to be congested. The doctors mentioned that he has been in once almost every month (or every two months) for congestion-related issues. They seem to prescribe steroids, etc, and kind of chastised me for not giving him the steroid more frequently. Knowing there is a link between Type 1 Diabetes and steroids, I really tend to shy away from wanting to give him steroids. Not that I want him to be sick, but I do want his body to be able to heal itself, and I at least want to give it a chance to heal itself (within reason, of course).

He also has REALLY BAD eczema. I found that eczema can often be caused by food allergies, thus the visit to the allergist. The allergist mentioned that the allergy medicine he prescribed for Liam will hopefully clear up the eczema and the congestion. I’m praying that it does. I just hate to treat the symptoms (with steroids and/or overmedicating) and not deal with the problem itself. So he’ll go back in 6-8 weeks to be assessed again and see if there have been improvements.


Sib love
















More sib love...
















Wanting to stand up for the monthly rocking chair shot... I promise I had just changed his diaper, although it doesn't look that way. :-)

For the month of June, we took the kids out of day care. It just didn’t seem to make sense to send them to school and incur added expenses when Doug is home and can watch them while I work. Talk about a role reversal! So far it has really worked out well. I do have to banish myself to the basement so that I can get work done while the kids roam free upstairs.

It was hard to pick the kids up on the last day of day care. Being that we don’t have family in the immediate area, they are our family of sorts. They threw a party for Ava on the last day, sent her off with a gift bag full of princess toys, etc, and some things for Liam, as well. Ava’s teacher made a little scrapbook full of pictures of the kids / teachers so Ava could remember the fun times they had together. When Doug went with the kids to pick-up the scrapbook yesterday, the day care director of the school pulled him aside and said they want to offer the kids a “scholarship” to come in two days a week, free of charge to us, through the remainder of the summer (through August 31st). Wow, talk about God working. This day care has been nothing but a blessing in our lives. That will give Doug the much-needed time to further search for a job and / or go on any interviews.

Speaking of, it’s been “slim-pickins” as far as jobs available down here. Please keep Doug in your prayers. We are “financially fine” with my paycheck if the kids aren’t in day care, fortunately. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Flywheel”, you’ll know that God doesn’t make these things happen coincidentally! (“Flywheel” is a movie that a church in Albany, GA did for their own local area. The message in the movie is powerful, although the budget for the movie was only $20,000, and it is on Amazon’s top sellers list now.) So it is during times like these that we realize how much God truly provides to us, for us. Amazing!

I love baby feet! Here is a picture of Liam's big ole sweet foot:

Monkey toes: Liam has his mama's monkey toes. I know this picture is blurry, but I just had to include it... His big toes look ike opposable thumbs! ;-) I think he could palm (or should I say "foot") a basketball with those things!

I was laughing while taking these pictures. "Attack of the 40-foot baby!!!!" Panic in the streets!

He loves to see what things will fit in different receptacles... Here he is pushing Ava's magic wand into her dollhouse windows.

Yep, my arm fits here...

Great picture for blackmail when he is - oh, about 17?

I know I’m mentioning a lot here, but I also wanted to mention this. Most of Doug’s potential work opportunities are coming through his network of friends / co-workers. He found a place about 40 minutes away (through an old college friend) that does medical office / dental office build-outs. They are a growing company and needed an architect to “stamp” their drawings. Because Doug is an R.A. (Registered Architect), he can do so. Doug met with them, showed them his portfolio and they let him know they would call him when they had any work for him. He drafted a sheet for the pricing he would charge to them. His numbers were lower than other architects charge who work with that company, from what I hear.

So Doug got his first call on Monday, asking him to look at 5 sheets of drawings and stamp them. He offered a certain dollar amount, but the guy came back (think fad Sunset Tan crazy-haired owner from the t.v. show) and told Doug he thinks he can pay Doug a higher dollar amount than what Doug asked for. So through that transaction, I think this guy knows that Doug is fair and not going to short-change him. This could eventually lead to Doug doing the actual drawings for projects (and then stamping them)…which could lead to more money / opportunity for him.

Keep this opportunity in your prayers. And Doug is on my insurance, dental, etc., so we haven’t had any hiccups as far as that is concerned. Oddly enough, we realized about a year ago that the best deal for insurance was with my employer, and Doug switched insurance companies to be covered under my policy. Looking back, it’s hard to think now that all of those things were coincidences…

We pray that this message finds all of you well, or as they put it at the Waffle House, “is everybody fat and happy?”

Peace, love and Liam-garble :-),
Doug, Shelly, “Ava Lou” and “Liam-ski”

Memorial Day at the Beach in Destin: 2009

Each Memorial Day weekend, we try to get away to the beach. It has become a tradition to meet up with Andy and Kathy Flanigan. We started this fun tradition pre-kids. We’ve since increased our party attendants by four little ones: Will Flanigan, Ava, Sophie Flanigan and Liam.

You can see Liam's choppers in this picture, if you look closely:

Kiddos, 2009:

This year we rented a beach house in the Maravilla sub-division, in the eastern area of Destin. We had a great time! Andy and Doug are both without jobs right now, so this vacation was much needed. Andy found out he was losing his job the day before Doug found out, actually. Andy and Kathy are now starting off on a new adventure, during which Andy will do home renovations full-time and work for himself / themselves. We know they’ll both do very well in this venture!

Flanigans

Andy and Kathy were originally planning on looking at real estate a week before Memorial Day (before learning that Andy was losing his job), so they had booked the beach house for the whole week leading up to Memorial Day. We were planning on arriving on Friday night and staying three nights. Andy and Kathy offered to let us come early, considering that we were no longer bound by Doug’s work schedule. So, we got footloose and carefree and decided to leave town early on Tuesday instead of Friday. We really needed the get-away and enjoyed our time with their family.

It rained most days we were there, but it always cleared up enough for us to get to either the pool or hit the beach every day at least once. Somehow in Florida the rain storms never last too long!

Ava was a little apprehensive of the waves at first, this year. Somewhere around Friday, though, she really learned to appreciate the waves. By Saturday we couldn’t tear her away from the waves! I was really glad to see that she was enjoying the ocean. She loved to jump over each wave as it rolled into shore. She even picked up a few creatures that Kathy found in seashells. :-)

Liam’s first experience at the ocean was spent in a stroller and covered with a blanket. I think he slept the entire time he was there! His next outing to the ocean was spent playing in the sand, and putting a sand shovel in his mouth. He liked to splash in a nice-sized puddle of water (on the beach but about 50 feet from the waves) and touch the sand.

A sidenote: Liam has really started to walk fast! He seldom crawls anymore, and prefers to walk wherever he goes. Lately he is becoming so much more vocal, too. When he wants something from you, he will say “Guh!”. He continues to be Mr. Easy-To-Please and seems so content.

Thanks, as always, to the Flanigans for a fun and memorable Memorial Day weekend!

Peace, love and castles in the sand,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

More pictures:

I love how happy Liam looks in this picture, with his big sister taking care of him:

It's been a while!

I apologize for not keeping up with blogging more often. We've been busy lately!

To start, I had an amazing Mother's Day this year! We went to Relish (in Roswell) the day before Mother's Day, for lunch. Relish serves super yummy Southern food. We didn't realize that there was a festival going on in the Roswell square during that weekend. We sat on the patio and ended-up moving due to light rain (with all other patio patrons :-) to the covered porch overlooking the festival. After eating, we walked around the square, looking at different vendors, etc. One of the vendors sold spoon rings and other related items. So, I treated myself to a spoon ring and a nice pen made out of silverware. Sounds strange, but they're really nice! I will try to take a picture sometime.

Sunday before church, the kids and Doug gave me their cards and gifts. The kids gave me Demadco (I think that's how you spell it?) wooden carved baby figurines, to go with the "Mother's Love" figurine I have. Doug gave me the butter dish to go along with the nice serving dishes we have (Flute and Pearls).

Our church also has an infant dedication on Mother's Day, for babies in the congregation one year and younger. It was so special to be a part of this service. We walked up front as they videotape our family, while they put the video on the large screen in front. The parents all then read something together that says we will raise our children to love God, and in the best possible way. The congregation agrees to support the families in our efforts raising our children. It was great to be able to participate in this with so many other friends who have also had babies within the past year. So special!

To catch everyone up...

Liam is now 10 months old (yes, I know I need to take THE picture :-) and is everywhere! He has been teething the past few days, but other than that seems to be faring well. We found out he has eczema. After attempting to treat it ourselves with creams and every potion imaginable, we finally resorted to a doctor's visit, where she prescribed a steriod cream. It cleared up within three days, thank goodness!

He babbles now, too. He says "Ma-ma", "Da-da", "Ba-ba". He's definitely becoming more communicative. He loves for me to hide and peek out from a corner. He cackles, it makes him so happy! :-) He can now walk across our living room and may not fall while going across. But he does continue to take some spills while walking. Poor kid... a few weeks ago he had a bruise or scratch on every side of his face (forehead, chin, left cheek, right cheek). I could be sitting with him in my lap and he will find a way to hurt himself. But he is a rough-and-tumble boy, thankfully, so he moves on pretty quickly.

Ava is unbelievably growing into a sweet little lady. When we recently picked Doug up from the airport, we then went home and were sitting at the dinner table. She said "Daddy, you didn't say 'thank you' for us picking you up at the airport." Oops! Caught! :-) She is enjoying the warmer weather and playing outside with her schoolmates. Her best friend at school is Emma, another little blonde-haired blue-eyed girl.

Ava still isn't much of a phone-talker these days, but thoroughly enjoys coloring / drawing, helping Mommy bake, giggling with Liam, running, exploring the backyard. She is getting better at staying in the lines when coloring, too. Not that I'm a nazi about it, but she seems to naturally be doing better at more fine-motor skills like that. And can she run fast! She seems very agile for her young age. I think she would probably really enjoy a dance class of some sort. When at home, before dinner, she asks if we can dance. We like turn-on a cable t.v. channel with fun music and break out the dance moves! It makes for some fun! :-)

Doug lost his job at The Preston Partnership on 05/01. He was notified on 04/01. He was fortunate enough to receive four weeks of severance pay. He filed for unemployment and is searching high and low for jobs. He has had one interview so far, and should be hearing about the potential employer's decision within the next week or so. I've never been so thankful for a job in my life! And at this point, I'm glad we weren't a one income family. The kids remain in day care full-time, but that may change with our needs. If they went part-time, we wouldn't have the discount we have now, so it's not really that much of a payment difference.

I am so thankful for our health and that we've budgeted our money well, up until this point. I am not anxious about this and know that Doug is doing everything within his power to find a job. The month of April seemed stressful and full of anxiety, but with the resolution of each variable (or each time God answers us), the stress decreases. So it isn't a matter of "if" Doug will find a job, but "when", thankfully.

The Preston firm went from 360 people about 1 1/2 years ago to 20 people. Doug was previously told that he was one of "Bob's 'top 20'". He made it to #21 or so, I would say. So, he was fortunate enough to hang on that long. It is almost a sigh of relief that this time has come, because his neck just seemed to get closer and closer on the chopping block. Most of his current leads are coming from people with whom he has worked, who know his amazing work ethic and knowledge for building. So I pray that a potential employer recognizes his skills and decide to hire him soon. If you know of any architecture firms in the Atlanta area that are hiring, please be sure to let us know!

It's interesting. The night before he was let go, Doug and I watched a PBS documentary about how ridiculous the federal deficit is / will be. It was that night I thought how ironic that our family had not yet been hit too hard with the economy. I haven't received a raise in two years, but neither has anyone within Sprint. I then realized how thankful I was for the years I "hustled" at Sprint, trying to do as well as possible to secure the highest potential raise possible. So, my not receiving a raise for two years was how "rough" our family was hit in the past few years. Not too shabby. We've lived on a budget for at least the last five years, so that has also benefited us greatly. Now we know where we can tighten up and what savings we might need to suspend.

God has truly blessed us, and will continue to do so. I know many others are in worse positions than us, and we will continue to pray for everyone affected by the economic downturn. I'm glad to hear that the downturn seems to be leveling-off. (So they say, at least). I pray that employers start hiring and families will continue to be able provide for themselves.

My Mom came down for a visit for the week of Easter. We had a great time when she was here. I will try to post more pictures when I get around to it.

So that's the quick version. As I think of more to add to the blog, I will do so.

I hope you are all thriving and striving!

With love,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Franken-Liam

We hereby rename Liam "Franken-Liam"! As of Monday, he now takes about 10 steps in a row, teetering back and forth as he goes. He walks stiffly, like Frankenstein. I can't help but chuckle every time I see him attempt to walk so far. It's like watching "Thriller" all over again!

Congratulations, Liam! You are now in the land of the mobile.

Yikes, that means more work for us! :-)

Peace, love and the "Zombie-walk",
Mommy, Daddy, Ava and Liam

More Fun at Monkey Joe's!

Whenever we ask the kids where they might want to go, the answer is always, resoundingly Monkey Joe's.  We headed there recently with Grandma Pam for more fun, after our recent trip there for Ava's birthday party.

Some of the pictures of Doug and Liam are among my favorites!

Poor Liam looks like he wants to jump so bad!  He sits outside of the inflatable jump, clinging to the net, watching Ava's every move.  I know he wants to be in there with her having fun.  He is all sweetness!

Peace, love and Mexican jumping beans,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Liam's First Steps / Liam is 9 Months Old

It's a tie!

Liam and Ava both started walking the SAME day in their lives. Ava's first steps were on Christmas Day 2006, just three days shy of 9 months. Liam took his first steps on 04/04/09, three days shy of 9 months. I love that they both started walking the same day.

Nine months have flown by, with Liam growing so big, so fast!

Liam will take a few steps and plonk down, but he is getting more courageous in trying to take more steps. He is now INTO EVERYTHING. This past Sunday, I had to make sure the toilet lid was closed, as I saw him reaching for the toilet water. Lovely! He now has three teeth. His top left tooth came in on 04/16. He has three others that aren't very far behind. He seems to be a little more "squirrely" lately, which I attribute to teething.

While my Mom visited from 04/07 to 04/14, Liam started saying "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma". I personally think he thinks that this sound means "more". :-) The boy is an eating champ! He has eaten at least one pint of blueberries in one sitting. Blueberries and green beans remain his favorite food, peas come in a close second. He loves to eat "finger foods". He's not a picky eater (as is evidenced by his "healthy frame" :-) Truly he is solid. And ever so hard-to-hold! He doesn't like to sit still and squirms when you hold him. I'm really surprised I haven't dropped him yet, with how much he squirms!

He continues to prefer his left hand, but does use both hands.

He continues to be the most contented baby. Even in the midst of teething, he seems (for the most part) easy-going. How different his and Ava's personalities are, even at this early juncture. They both have an amazing bond with each other that is unexplainable. Ava looks at Liam, Liam laughs, then Ava laughs and they both end-up in chuckles. He's always watching Ava to see what she's doing. He seems very content to play by himself. He does cry when I walk away, but if I am in the room, he will be playing in Ava's toy kitchen or practicing his walking skills around our living room trunk.

At his 9 month check-up, he was 24 lbs 10 oz! So he's only six pounds less than Ava right now! (I've forgotten the height, but will add later). The doctor declared he is healthy and not too big (I had to ask to be sure!). She said his growth curve couldn't have looked more perfect. And she expects that he will be tall as an adult. Within the past month or so, he has definitely stretched out / thinned out, though. His face is a little narrower, he has grown taller. At his check-up, he was in the 95th percentile for height, weight and head circumference.

He makes fast friends with anyone that he meets, but is more comfortable doing so if Mommy is around. He loves to be scared and will cackle if he is scared.

He can wave "hi" and "bye-bye", but doesn't do it all the time. It's so sweet to see him wave "hi" or "goodbye" if I've just said it to a friend or someone we know, without asking him to wave. So sweet!

His favorite toy continues to be his toy hammer. I find it interesting that he will gravitate toward the "hammer" toys or tools, when given the choice of any toys, including Ava's.

Pray that he stays safe this month... He's in that clumsy yet mobile phase right now. The two of those things combined don't usually exactly equal a safe outcome!

Peace, love and rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Beautician-In-Training

Ava is FASCINATED with scissors lately.  I walked out of the room for a minute when it got eerily quiet in the kitchen.  When I came back in, I touched Ava's hair.  I noticed that some of it was loose.  I pulled at it and it kept coming out.  A chunk of it.  I guess she thought her hair needed some sprucing up... Here is the bit of hair she cut.  Fortunately you can't really tell that it is cut.  And I don't think she will be opting to cut her own hair in the near future.  At least we HOPE she won't!

Peace, love and future beauty school student?

Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam